Lux [h.s]

seventeen

Cora woke up in the middle of the night.

At first she couldn't tell what had made her stir awake and stared at the ceiling above her head, hidden in the darkness, believing she'd awoken on her own.

She turned her head, frowning when she saw Harry's sleeping figure lying next to her.

He was only wearing a white shirt, that was hanging loosely and revealing part of his collarbone, and a pair of dark undergarments she'd only seen by mistake earlier that night. His hair was messy and lying on the pillow all around his head like a dark halo, revealing the pointed ends of his ears, on which little earrings were shining in the moonlight. The shadows in the caravan made his cheekbones seem more pronounced and his eyelashes even longer, and there was no denying he looked like a fay, now.

If in the light of day he was able to hide what he truly was with his behaviour, in the obscurity of the night it was painfully obvious that there wasn't much of human in him. His cherry lips were parted and the tension that usually was on his face was nowhere to be found, and Cora's cheeks reddened at seeing him look so vulnerable. He looked like she imagined the kings and princes and brave riders from the ballads she grew up listening to would look, and she was sure that if she'd kissed his mouth right then and there, it would've tasted of honey and sugar and those little strawberries from the woods like all those legends professed.

Even while he was sleeping she could feel his magic flickering around them, as lascivious as a cat but as effervescent as fresh bubbling water. She couldn't see it or feel it, but a part of her could perceive it slightly, notice it cocooning Harry like a protective parent. The warning alone would be enough to make every enemy change their mind about attacking him in that moment, even though he seemed so peaceful. Cora too knew that if someone had entered the wagon he would've had his blade at their throat before she could even blink.

How could someone look so vulnerable but so dangerous at the same time? When she compared herself to him, or even Thalia, she couldn't help but feel like there was some kind of mistake. She wasn't like them, she wasn't as strong as he was or as cunning as she was. She was just... there. There was nothing more to her. She didn't exude power like they did. Sometimes she wondered if it was some kind of mistake, because she didn't feel like she truly was one of them.

Cora shook her head, annoyance washing over her because of her own useless thoughts. She knew it was a well with no bottom—if she allowed herself to fall into it, she would never reach the end.

She dug her nails into her palms to refrain the sudden urge to brush his hair to discover if it truly was as soft as it seemed to be, disappointed by her own ridiculousness. She knew it was just her mind playing tricks, subjected to his magnetic quality—Harry was a fay, which meant he was attractive by nature, like those plants that show off their pretty colours and sweet sugars just to attract animals and kill them. It was nothing more than that, and it meant nothing.

"Cora."

Her heart skipped a beat and she looked up, staring into the shadowy moonlight inside of the wagon. She couldn't even hear herself breathe for an instant, having forced her body into the most complete stillness.

Who was calling to her in the dead of night?

"Cora."

She glanced at Harry. He was still asleep, just as relaxed as before, as if he hadn't heard anything at all. Was she slowly descending into madness?

"Cora!"

She stood up and put on her shoes without thinking. She gave one last look at the sleeping fay and exited the wagon as silently as possible, not wanting to wake him up. She wasn't sure she could ever explain it to him, or anyone, for the matter.