Page 97 of Dark Night Golden Dawn
Mark watched her as her body instinctively shrank from him—something waswrongwith him—rage built in his shoulders and tensed muscles. Rage beyond anything she’d ever seen in him, flowing off him in waves that almost felt likemagic. How had she missed this about him? What was she seeing?
“Get out of here,” he snarled, pushing her hard.
Her feet flew out from under her, and her spine hit the concrete steps as she fell, tumbling down, until she hit the ground with a hard crack to her skull. When she looked up, he’d gone inside, taking Axel with him. What had that been, that power he’d emitted? Had she imagined it? He’d taken her key and she had no way to get in now. Not without using magic, and she was too afraid to use any of her meager powers against him.
She looked down at her battered legs, sobbing, and crawled up the steps. Surely he was waiting on the other side of the door. He’d done things like this before to teach her a lesson. If she begged hard enough, he’d open the door and at least she could get Axel. Harlow crawled up the stairs and began to beat her hands against the door, begging him to open it.
Harlow’s eyes opened slowly, her mind clear. He’d been turning, even then. Olivia, and whoever else was involved with this nightmare, must have turned him shortly after they’d started seeing one another.How had she missed it? Had there been other signs?She shook her head a little. Now was not the time for berating herself. She could feel guilty later.
Mark and Olivia were still going at it in front of her. The memory had come loose too late. She wanted to scream, but that wasn’t going to help her, or Finn, now. Her shadows stirred within her, coming to life with her fresh clarity.
It wasn’t too late, now she was free. Something inside her that had stayed shut tight since that night had opened, and she was finally free of Mark Easton, once and for all. She’d been afraid to use magic on him back then, but she wasn’t now. The trouble was how to use her shadows best.
“Fuck me now,” Olivia begged. “Make her watch.”
“No,” Mark replied, his voice rough. “Let’s turn her, and then we can watch her destroy McKay.”
Olivia pouted, rubbing her ass against the front of Mark’s body, writhing seductively as she rode his hand. Harlow knew she didn’t have much time. Mark would get his way, because he always got his way. She went deep inside herself to where her shadows waited patiently.
No more chains, she directed them with new confidence.No more chains for me or Finn.
The threads of aether surrounding the chains pulled apart, softly, slowly as they disintegrated into nothing.
Olivia cried out again. “Fuck me, baby. Make her watch.”
Mark spun Olivia to bend her over the large, sturdy table at the center of the room. Harlow didn’t have time to watch them too carefully; her arms were free, the chains truly gone. Across the room, Finn stumbled but caught himself as the chains disappeared. He was far worse off than she was, and she saw it then, the splinters of white ash protruding from his chest.
He shook his head once, looking down at them. He didn’t need to say anything for Harlow to understand. He couldn’t help her fight them off or portal them out; the white ash was affecting him too much. If an Illuminated at the height of their power would struggle to fight an incubus, how would she fare alone?
“I told you what I wanted, Olivia,” Mark growled. And before Olivia, or Harlow for that matter, knew what was coming, he twisted the vampire princess’ head clean off her shoulders. Her body fell to ash. Harlow only saw it in her peripheral vision, because she was watching Finn, watching the helplessness in his eyes turn to resolve. He motioned for her to come to him, one finger barely crooking towards him.
She didn’t have time to consider the horror of what Mark had just done, or the realization that she and Finn were very likely next. She had to move. It was a risk. Mark still had his back turned, but any motion would alert him to their freedom. Harlow trusted Finn though and she ran for him, sliding into his arms as she tripped on the hem of her dress. He dragged her up, turning her so she faced Mark as he twisted around.
A look of surprise crossed the incubus’ face, seeing they were free. Then he laughed. “I don’t know how you got rid of those chains, Dollface, but it doesn’t matter. You can’t get away. Neither of you can. And now that Olivia is gone, we’re going to have some fun together.”
Finn’s arms went around her waist, his mouth at her ear. “I figured out how the Striders shifted. Trust me?”
She nodded once, knowing he referred to the Feriant. If he knew how to help her shift, it might be the only chance they had, because otherwise, even with her shadows, she knew she couldn’t handle him.
Mark’s head tilted, his eyes narrowed. “What are you whispering in my dolly’s ear, McKay?”
“I’m saying goodbye,” Finn said, his voice clear and strong.
Mark laughed, sinking into a half-burned chair, apparently unconcerned by this. “Should I kill him first, Dollface, or do you want him to watch us after I turn you?”
Something about his transformation had deranged him. The way Mark laughed, how easily he’d killed Olivia, made her think the transformation to an incubus was different than a vampire’s usual amplification of personal qualities, good or bad. Though, of course, it was possible this was Mark’s true self.
Finn’s grip on her waist was firmer now as he pressed her against him, careful to keep her back from the shards of wood in his chest. “I’m sorry, Harls,” he murmured. “I didn’t want it to be this way.”
Mark’s head fell back as he laughed, his eyes closing in apparent mirth. “Boo-hoo, he’s sorry.” Mark’s laughter rang through the burned-out basement. He turned from them to face the table he’d bent Olivia over only moments ago. Whatever power he had as an incubus was so great that he didn’t care that the two of them were free. His shoulders shook with laughter as he began to adjust a series of instruments laid out on the table. Harlow hadn’t seen them before, but now she recognized them as a set of tools any sorcière would know: he was preparing for a ritual.
“Say your goodbyes then.” He waved his hand at them, as though what they did didn’t matter.
Mark may have misunderstood Finn, butsheknew what he’d meant. He’d wanted this all to go differently. For them to figure this out together. She wished she could tell them that they still would. That if this worked, they’d never be apart again—she had to believe there was still time for all that. Harlow’s eyes fell closed and she tried to relax as much as she could into Finn’s hold on her. Whatever was coming, she knew she couldn’t react, or Mark would spring into action.
Finn’s fangs slid into her neck, venom burning through her as he pulled blood from her in several strong draws. Euphoria lit her soul, even through the pain. Lightning fast, he spun her, using the last of his energy to bite open his own wrist, pressing it to her mouth. She was only confused for a moment. When his blood hit her tongue, her shadows sang.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Mark screamed, turning at the sudden movement.
