Page 17 of Changeling (The Incubus Saga #2)

The first thing Nathan was certain of was that Lindsey and Charis hadn’t left in a car.

There were no sounds of a nearby engine, the parking lot still and empty of stray people, leaving only the highway, and there hadn’t been enough time for the pair to get that far.

They also couldn’t have risked using their wings in the open, but Nathan had to guess that using them somehow was the plan since he couldn’t see them walking anywhere either.

That left only one option for a place to unfurl said wings and take off: the makeshift alley behind the restaurant, where a few other buildings converged.

Nathan headed there without a second thought.

“Nathan,” Walter said as he appeared beside him, “much as I would like to caution you against this…would you like my assistance in locating the pair?”

Nathan pulled the scanner out of his jacket. As he drew nearer to the mouth of the alley, the scanner started flashing. “Thanks, Walt, but I got this. I’ll be careful.”

Walter nodded, remaining beside Nathan. As they made their way deeper into the alley, Nathan could barely see anything, but he hoped the two sex demons hadn't left yet and were merely hidden somewhere in the darkness. Without many other options, despite knowing they had to be nearby if the scanner’s blinking was any indication, Nathan opened his mouth to call out.

“Nathan!”

The blow came from Nathan’s right, sudden and so brutal that his shoulder was only one small pop from being dislocated when he hit the wall, and his chest flared with familiar pain. The scanner fell from his grasp with an unfortunate clatter of parts.

At first Nathan was pinned so hard he could barely breathe. Then he really couldn’t breathe because a grip like a vice was on his neck and clearly didn’t care about the damage it was causing.

“Lindsey!” Nathan heard in Charis’ light, concerned voice, but all Nathan could see was red , vibrant and fierce in front of his face. In hindsight this may not have been the best idea.

“Is this what you do, sealgaire ?!” Lindsey growled. “Is this how it works? You keep him around, keep him alive, and in turn he leads you to the rest of us? Is that it!?”

Much as Nathan wanted to say no, shake his head, anything, the hold on him was too tight.

He wouldn’t be conscious for long if this kept up.

He tried to speak with his eyes but he knew they were bulging, so he went with his emotions instead.

He doubted Lindsey was paying attention, but he tried to emote, well.

..everything. That sure, he was angry, but he wasn't a seal and he didn’t mean them any harm.

He cared for Sasha. A lot. And he really, really didn’t feel like dying right now.

“You’re all the same,” Lindsey said in a furious whisper, his breath hot on Nathan’s face and fangs glinting. “You’re just using him. Biding your time until you kill him too.”

“Lindsey…” Charis said again, softer this time but closer. “Please, if you’d only give this man a chance, you'd realize he doesn’t want to hurt us.”

“He won’t hurt us,” Lindsey promised, though it sounded more like a threat.

“ Lindsey .”

Things were getting hazy. Nathan felt his body growing limp, and he hated that he was so helpless.

He thought he heard Walter’s voice in the distance but couldn’t really focus on it.

He started counting down the seconds to when he would be out, passed out and who knows what else afterwards.

Therefore, it was almost more painful to suddenly be released, Nathan’s throat burning and his entire body sore as he fell straight to the ground.

Nathan was hauled up almost immediately, pinned again though not quite as harshly. If not for that hold, Nathan doubted he would be able to stand. He started to feel hands patting him down, and blinked unfocused at the white blur of Lindsey so close to him.

“Dude…” Nathan tried, even though it hurt to talk. “If you…wanted to get frisky…you could have just said so.”

Lindsey huffed in response, and Nathan tried not to grimace when the incubus patted over his bandaged wounds. His hands traveled down Nathan's legs and discovered his hidden ankle blade.

Shit . “Never…leave home without it?” Nathan said by way of explanation.

“You expect me to believe you wouldn’t have used this?” Lindsey replied sharply.

Nathan could focus better now, and he stared right up into Lindsey's eyes that were once again acidic green. “Yeah, I do...coz I'm no seal...though I might have taken a swing with my fists just for the bad Billy Idol impression.” He flicked his eyes up over Lindsey’s hair.

Lindsey did not look amused, but he released Nathan finally and stepped back.

Wavering a little, Nathan had to lean against the wall to keep from falling, but at least he could somewhat stand.

“What do you want?” Lindsey demanded, tossing the blade over his shoulder to clatter on the dark ground beside the now broken scanner. “Did he send you out here like a coward? Huh? He can’t defend himself?”

Nathan had to laugh. “I thought you knew him. Or at least used to. No , Sasha didn’t send me. Whatever you may think, we don’t have any power over him. He's just helping us out. We're friends. Not seals.”

“Friends who just happen to be fucking?” Lindsey shot back, looking Nathan up and down like he could smell Sasha all over him. He probably could. “So tell me, is that his trade off...or yours ?”

Now this guy was getting on Nathan’s nerves. He glanced to the side at Charis. “You actually put up with this?”

Lindsey reared back and slammed Nathan into the wall again.

That was it for Nathan’s right shoulder; it was definitely dislocated now.

“ He left us ,” Lindsey snarled. “He’s the one who turned his back on his own people, on his friends .

He’s the one who kills his own kind now.

And in the name of what? Justice? She was family. ”

“She was a murderer,” Nathan grit out in reply. He had no sympathy for Sasha’s girl-killing aunt. Right and wrong had plenty of grey areas, but some things were clear.

Lindsey shook his head. “How soon until he leads seals to the rest of us? And what then? They kill us all and he gets a free pass? I know better. Humans who know about our kind can't be trusted. You say you're not a seal, but what else are you then?”

This was a lost cause, and it wounded Nathan for Sasha’s sake, especially since it was so painfully obvious that Lindsey didn’t hate Sasha like he let on.

“You don’t know anything,” Nathan said, “and it’s a shame.

It’s a shame that the same story always repeats itself.

Good guy gets the shaft because the people who are supposed to care about him won’t listen.

Well…I listen. I've saved his life and he's saved mine. I don't need to explain myself to you.”

For a moment Nathan almost thought he was getting through to Lindsey. The green eyes lost their malice, looking on with curiosity instead. But too soon the sternness was back and Lindsey stepped in so close that Nathan wondered if he was done for.

“Never come looking for us again,” he said, before he turned to walk into the darkness of the alley, leaving Nathan behind. Then he was gone like a ghost melted back into the shadows.

Charis didn’t immediately follow him. Her face exuded sympathy, clearly torn between two men she obviously cared much about.

Nathan could only imagine that her choice to ultimately side with Lindsey was out of love, and as much as he wanted to be angry, he couldn’t bring himself to hate her for that.

While Nathan was in a pretty sad condition right now, leaning into the wall behind him, neck throbbing in pain, right arm hanging limp out of joint, and chest stinging again, he attempted a weak smile.

The pretty succubus seemed to be made up of all these delicate little pieces that weren't strong enough to get in the middle of this fight.

Despite that, she remained behind long enough to walk up close to Nathan and speak tenderly.

“You look out for him?” she asked.

Nathan sighed a little before nodding. “We look out for each other.”

“Good,” Charis said, returning Nathan’s smile in a way that lit up her whole face. “Keep it up. Sometimes…it’s the good guys who need the most help, you know?” She turned her head to look after Lindsey.

“Yeah,” Nathan said, reaching his left hand up to hold his right shoulder. “I know.”

Again, Charis didn’t immediately leave, but leaned up and kissed Nathan on the cheek. When she did finally turn to follow after Lindsey, Nathan felt a small sense of accomplishment despite his failures.

“The others are approaching, Nathan. Are you all right?” Walter asked, stepping out of the shadows.

Nathan managed to retrieve his ankle blade, though not the pieces of the scanner quite yet, before the sounds of running feet approached and Jim and Sasha appeared from around the building.

Both of them frantically looked Nathan over, taking in his injured state.

He expected to be given a lot of shit for what he had done, but he also assumed it would mostly be wrapped in sympathy considering how beat up he was.

He was wrong.

“What the hell were you thinking!?” Sasha growled, his blue eyes shimmering in anger. “Lindsey could have killed you! Did you think you could make things better by hurting me more!?”

Jim looked just as upset at finding Nathan so beaten, but even he was slightly shocked by Sasha’s anger.

“I didn’t ask you to come to my rescue!” Sasha shouted in Nathan’s face. “You had no right to interfere in this!”

“Well excuse me!” Nathan yelled right back, easily falling into the fight since Sasha seemed so intent on making it one. “Maybe if you had actually stood up for yourself instead of cowering like a fucking child, I wouldn’t have needed to!”

Sasha’s eyes flashed red so fast that Nathan didn’t have time to defend himself as the incubus pushed him hard in the chest and knocked him back against the wall.