Waking up next to Finn felt like a blessing. His warm skin cradled mine as one arm had hitched around my waist. He always ran hot, and despite his need to be cool under the sheets, he kept me close.

I woke up with a pleasant yawn, smiling into my pillow as I slowly opened my eyes.

The muscular plane of Finn's back greeted me, the sheets bunched up right at his hip allowing me to view every curve.

I licked my lips as I scooted closer to him, tracing along his spine before pressing myself up against his body.

Finn hummed as he felt my warmth, rolling over to face me as he snuggled up against my body. He held me close to his chest, still partly asleep as he snored softly.

I smiled, brushing my fingers along the curve of his chin when Finn's eyes opened slowly. He groaned as I brushed my finger along his lips as he kissed it softly.

"Morning." I said and Finn yawned.

"Morning, baby." His voice was husky and sleepy, my favorite combination as he rolled on top of me.

I squealed but his warmth covered my body as he laid his head on my chest, the rest of his body between my legs as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I kissed the top of his head, resting my forehead on it. "Did you sleep well?"

"Hmhmm..." he mumbled, one of his arms spread out over the bed as the other rested on my chest as well. His fingers splayed on the side of my rib cage as they traced up and down my body.

Kissing his forehead, I ran my fingernails up and down his back into his hair, making him shiver as he held me tighter. "How about we take a shower?"

"Tempting," he yawned, "but stay in bed with me longer."

I kissed his nose, making him smile as he snuggled deeper into my embrace. Playing with his hair, I kissed him once more before snuggling into him. We laid in bed for a long time, talking in low voices as our hands absentmindedly roamed the other's body. Then after being unable to stand it any longer we had round two of last night.

Finn and I washed off together in his large shower, trying and failing at shower sex. One of us would get cold or nearly slip and fall on the tile, dying in laughter as we tried to figure out the best way to ravage each other. Finn's wings took up most of the space in the shower, making it hard for us to move around. We decided to put a pin in the idea for another day.

I dried my hair, watching as Finn tied a towel low around his hips. He brushed through his hair with his fingers before turning to grab his brush. I got a nice view of his strong, defined back muscles, making me smile.

"I like these." I said, coming closer to run my fingers along his shoulders and down his spine.

He shuddered under my touch before flexing his back muscles for me. I giggled, trailing up to his biceps.

"These," I added, feeling along his skin. He was definitely cut, his arms defined and muscular. Then I moved down the front of his chest, feeling each of his abs while leaning my cheek in between his shoulder blades. "These too..."

Finn stiffened as my hands trailed lower than his abdomen, making him curse under his breath. "What are you doing to me, Kate?"

My fingers slid down underneath his towel, taking a hold of him. Finn snarled, his hands resting on my arms as his wings shuddered.

I ran one hand from his base up to his tip before stroking down again. He was growing harder and harder in my hand the more I touched him.

"Think we have time for another round?" I whispered into his skin, kissing along his shoulders and spine.

"Kate..." Finn groaned when my second hand wrapped around him. I continued to stroke him with two hands, gently giving his balls attention as well. My work didn't last long before he pulled me off him. "Wait, I wanted to... talk..."

I raised an eyebrow as I pulled my hands off him. He turned to face me, breathing heavily as I glanced down at him. "Are you sure you don't want me to help you with that first?"

"Secta is hosting a meeting between us and Rufus." He replied coldly. My eyes shot up to his, which were hard and cold like ice.

"Oh." I took his hand in mine. "Finn, I'll be right beside you when we go to meet him..."

"Do not go anywhere alone." Finn's voice dropped an octave, nearly snarling at me. "Spend the nights with me here please. I'll be pacing a hole in the floor otherwise and I can't stay with you right under Secta's nose. So stay with me because we can make it work here. I'll come up with a plan."

"Finn..."

"Rufus will hurt you if he has the opportunity, and I can't let that happen to you knowing what he's done to me." His gaze softened, "please be careful and stay close to me. He's out to hurt me, and he's figured out that the best way to do that is to harm you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me, Finn. Nothing to you either. He's locked up, but how are you..."

"He'll figure a way out. He always does; he's smart despite his appearance." Finn's lip curled back as he growled. "He will want to kill you if he has the chance. Don't give him the opportunity. Stay with me and he won't ever lay a damn hand on you."

I remembered how he'd found out about Finn and I so quickly; he was definitely cunning.

Finn brought me into his arms, hugging me tight to his chest as he nuzzled his face into my hair. His tense muscles slowly began to loosen as he took softer breathes. I squeezed him tight against me, "everything will be ok, and of course I'll stay with you. You know how much I love being with you."

"I love you. So, so much." Finn kissed the top of my head, making warmth radiate down my entire body. "8 ball, you're the entire game to me. Please work with me so that we don't let Rufus burn the table."

"He's not destroying anything. We'll be ok, and all I need is you by my side. You're the one for me." I looked up to him, resting my chin on his chest. "Are you going to be ok seeing him again?"

"Yes." He replied, his voice distant though he hugged me tighter. "He and I need to have a long discussion."

I studied the back of Finn's strong shoulders as we walked down a dark hallway, dim lights casting a lethargic, golden glow against his wings. Secta walked in front of him, barely visible through Finn's wing span.

"Raphael isn't joining us." Secta commented. "He's informed me that Samaria's wound is infected and that her state is declining."

My chest seized, pain rippling through my ribs and lungs at his words. She couldn't be getting worse. Samaria would be ok. Wouldn't she? My heart ached as I thought of Raphael sitting by her bedside slowly watching her slip away.

"It's just the three of us today." The god finished, turning us left down an adjoining hall.

"Cybele?" Finn asked.

"Still in bed. She's always like this after a battle, specifically ones like those." Secta snarled, his fist clenching and unclenching with each word. "Battle is still traumatizing for her after what happened all those years ago with Penelope. She's a mess after every fight, and the low-life just stirs the pot."

"She misses him." Finn dared to venture, earning him a glare from Secta over his shoulder.

"That makes her weak, and she can't afford it, not with every night child biting at her heels. It's is messy and we can't afford to be sloppy at a time like this. She'll have to understand soon enough that it's time to let any old friendship she has for Penelope die or else she will herself."

From his tone, it was obvious that he had ended our conversation. I couldn't help but swallow at his words, feeling the heat of Finn's eyes as he glanced backwards to me in a single second. This is why we are a secret, he seemed to tell me. I understood it all fully now; Secta wouldn't stand for Finn and I to be sloppy. To Secta, loving someone would only ever kill you, even when he was talking about Penelope, a girl who he'd nearly brought into his family.

Two guardians stood posed at an iron gateway, nodding their head to Secta before opening the passage to us immediately. I followed in stride behind the two men, the space opening up to us. Through another set of gates we entered into an empty room lined with barely more than twelve prison cells. I couldn't imagine the guardians entertaining many inmates considering hardly anyone besides themselves ever entered Gabrian.

I was clued into that fact once Finn had told me where we were going. The holding cells were located in the basement of Georgio Hall, the apartments located closest to Secta's home on top of the hill. Gabrian didn't see many unauthorized guests if the only place they housed them was a tiny basement.

To the left in the first cell sat Rufus, leaned against the back wall. He didn't seem surprised to see us, opening his mouth to say something before closing it with a mischievous smile.

"Good afternoon, Rufus." Secta started, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"Same to you, Sir." He replied cooly, his indifference making me clench my jaw. How could he be so unbothered by what he'd done? What he'd done to my Finn?

"I never thought in a million years that you would be the same Rufus from Finnigan's past."

The wolf snorted, "you should have done a background check before letting me in the pearly white gates. I guess it doesn't matter though; all anyone has to do is die a hero and you give them all a pass."

"Fate only lets me see small pieces from every potential guardian's past life, particularly what makes them worthy of joining us. The individual chooses what I see," Secta said, "and I didn't see enough to recognize you. But, just as I brought you here, I can easily send you back into death."

"You'd kill me just over a little misunderstanding?"

"You attacked me and ran Samaria through!" I hissed, Rufus' gaze flickering back to me.

"If I remember correctly, you hit me first, kiddo." He chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "Kate started this fight, not me. I was just the one to finish it."

"By trying to kill our friend?"

He gave me a shrug, "if I had to."

"You're a coward." I snapped, "she told you to stop because she didn't want to hurt you, and when she turned her back, you fucking stabbed her."

"She should know by now not to turn her back on the enemy."

Finn finished for me, "you're a guardian. You were never supposed to be her enemy!"

Rufus glared at him, "well, here we are, Shay." He stood up and walked closer to the bars, watching us all with interest. "I don't regret anything." His eyes flickered as Finn stiffened; they weren't just talking about Samaria anymore.

I stepped closer, scowling up into his eyes. "You don't regret nearly killing an innocent girl?"

"Is she dying?" When I couldn't answer quick enough, he smiled. "I hope she does."

Fire scorched my entire body, power surging through my veins. I opened the palm of my hand, light streaming from it as in the blink of an eye my golden meraki had formed behind Rufus' back. I closed my fist, jerking it backward. The fucker was thrown forward, my power connecting with his spine like an hard slap. His entire body collided with the bars, his face snapping against the metal as he collapsed to the ground. Rufus cursed, blood splattering down his chest from his split lip as he snarled up at me.

"You little bitch..."

Finn barked, "do not even..."

"Enough." Secta's voice brought them both to silence, the power in his tone even making my meraki recede as I looked back to the god. He stood poised, everything about him demanding utter authority. "Kate, you can go. I have enough information regarding your side of the story."

With a look that nearly made me shiver, I bit my lip before slowly nodding my head in acceptance. "Yes, Sir."

"We have more things to talk about. Later." He added, the aftershock of my meraki still radiating in my chest.

"Like what? That she's a life size glow-stick?" Rufus sneered.

I said through gritted teeth, "one that just gave you a black eye."

"Obviously not with a punch though. I remember yours, and it was shit. They can't make the weak strong here it seems."

I opened my mouth, my temper flaring at his words. I was ready to give him a few other demonstrations before I was interrupted.

"Go." Secta stopped me in my tracks. "Head to lunch, Kate. We will be finished here soon."

I glanced from Finn to Secta, reminding myself not to look too long. "I'll see you both later then."

Secta waved his hand towards the door and I walked past them both, retreating back along the path we had just come. My head was spinning, stirred by my anger and my meraki that had disappeared deep inside me just as it had always been before.

My thoughts flickered to Finn, making me take a quick glance over my shoulder. I couldn't see him, my chest constricting. Rufus wasn't through with him, and it made me sick to my stomach.