Page 33 of Changeling (The Incubus Saga #2)

Nathan moved quickly past a woman he assumed to be Ula’s mother behind the front desk, and went for their room. His hands shook as he got out his key and reached for the doorknob. He could knock but there was something grounding in opening the door himself.

Swinging the door open, Nathan took stock of the room before him, seeing that both Jim and Sasha looked as though they had been sitting but had stood abruptly upon hearing the key.

Ula sat at the table. She was smiling, while Jim and Sasha both looked caught somewhere between joy and relief.

Nathan barely made it all the way inside the room to permit Shiarra behind him before Sasha was right there in front of him, grabbing him by the folds of his jacket and kissing him hard enough to bruise.

They pulled apart and Nathan was breathless. He stared into those bright blue eyes—eyes that looked back at him with love , not just blind childish devotion.

“Hey,” Nathan gasped out. “That better have been a twenty-five-year-old you doing that, baby, coz otherwise it’d be kinda creepy.”

A laugh erupted out of Sasha, and Nathan heard Jim chuckle too. “All grown up,” Sasha said with a smile. “We did talk to you on the phone.”

“Not the same as this,” Nathan said, squeezing Sasha’s shoulder.

Sasha moved to hug his aunt, and Jim didn’t give Nathan any chance to protest as he pulled him in for a hug too. It was tight. Too tight, like maybe Jim had forgotten he had super-strength these days.

“Just so I know I’m not crazy…” came the humored voice of Ula, “I’m guessing one of the other things you didn’t mention was that Nathan is not actually married to Shiarra. Either that…or you have a very open relationship.”

Shiarra barked a laugh, Sasha soon joined in, and finally Jim did as well, hot against Nathan’s neck. When they pulled from their embrace, Jim pointed a finger at Nathan shaped like a gun, half-hidden between their bodies. Nathan did the same in response.

They shared a silent BANG.

“Nathan,” Sasha said, once Nathan and Jim had disentangled, “there’s…something we need to tell you.” He glanced nervously back at Ula, who had stood from the table.

“What? Anything I should be worried about?” Nathan had been certain they wouldn’t need to worry about Ula telling anyone what had really happened—who would believe her that two grown men had been mentally turned into five-year-olds?

“No,” Sasha said a little too quickly, “nothing to worry about.”

Jim stared at Nathan pensively, while Ula began to fidget.

“Okay. What’s going on?” They’d only just finished averting one disaster; Nathan was not in the mood for mind games.

“Oh, I’m causing trouble,” Ula said miserably.

“No you’re not,” Sasha jumped in, turning back to her. “It’s just…look, you don’t need to worry. We’ve already told you we believe you. And Nathan will too. He trusts me , right?”

Walter appeared suddenly beside Nathan, staring ahead at Ula with wide eyes. It was then that Nathan realized he had never been around Ula while Walter was with him; Walter had always been out on some assignment.

“A fae presence…” Nathan whispered to himself, even before Walter turned to him.

“She is dark fae, Nathan. Not sidhe, but…” Walter glanced back at Ula. “A shapeshifter.”

Nathan immediately reached back to where he had a gun tucked into his jeans.

“Nathan!” Sasha called out, hands held up defensively as he moved into the line of fire.

“It’s okay. Ula knew the truth all along—it wasn’t just the cartoons or guesswork.

She knew what Jim and I both were and that we were cursed.

That’s why she was so understanding. She knew you were lying from the start.

She’s a shapeshifter, but she doesn’t mean us any harm. ”

“I told you, Nathan,” Jim said, looking on imploringly as he too moved to stand between Nathan and the young woman, while Shiarra stepped up to Nathan’s other side, looking on with equal hesitation, “Ula’s not like other people.

Not normal . I said that, remember? I could sense it then, even as a child.

I knew she was fae, I just didn’t understand, but I never thought she’d hurt us. She’s been nothing but good to us.”

“But…” Nathan didn’t understand this, and his hand twitched on the butt of his gun. “Shapeshifters are dark fae. She’s dark fae.”

“Not all dark fae are evil,” Ula spoke up, in her same small, sweet voice.

“I know that most shapeshifters kill the people they take the form of, but I never have. I swear. The real Ula died five years ago. Naturally . And I…well…I needed a place to hide out, and the family was just so happy to have their daughter back. They know I’m not really her, but I like being Ula. I don’t mean anyone any harm.”

Nathan’s eyes narrowed on the girl instinctually. “Grew up with stories about faeries in your garden, huh? And just who were you hiding from?”

Ula’s expression sank, her blue-green eyes downturned. “Seals...and other dark fae. They didn’t understand that I just wanted to live a human life, peacefully. Please…”

“Nathan, Ula’s on the level,” Sasha said. “Really. Some fae can fool my senses. Not shapeshifters. Right, Shi?”

Shiarra hesitated for only a moment, focusing intensely on the girl, before she nodded.

“We often can’t sense fae heritage other than our own, but we can sense intentions.

I never would have allowed her to watch over the boys if I thought she meant them harm.

And an average dark fae wouldn’t be able to fool me as Faust did. ”

“I know she’s not lying,” Sasha went on.

“She’s just living out her life. Simple.

Quiet. And she makes Ula’s family happy.

The first thing we asked her, Nathan, was if she knew anything about your mark or the dark sidhe who owns the bounty, but she doesn't. We would have told you everything over the phone, we just...”

“Figured I’d react…like this,” Nathan surmised, and pulled both hands back out into the open—empty.

He glanced at Walter, who looked surprised by the situation, but no longer distrustful of Ula.

Then Nathan looked to Shiarra, who didn’t seem at all shocked to hear about his mark, which he had been expecting.

Finally, he looked to Ula. “Sorry. I’m not really used to dark fae not trying to kill me.

Though at this point I really shouldn’t be surprised,” he said with a gesture and crooked smile thrown at Sasha.

It took Ula a moment to realize that Nathan’s words meant he was giving her the okay.

Her entire face lit up and she nodded vigorously.

“Oh, of course, I wouldn’t try to… never !

Turning in bounties?” She shuddered. “I’d never want to deal with the sidhe who own things like that.

And I’d never want to hurt anyone. I watched over Sasha and your brother, didn’t I? ”

Nathan couldn’t deny that. If he was being completely honest with himself, it would be pretty hypocritical of him to believe his brother could win out over his nature but not a normal dark fae.

And Sasha was half dark fae, being an incubus.

So Nathan supposed that if an incubus could be his savior, if a changeling could be saved, and if a normal human like Faust could basically sell his soul, then why couldn’t a dark fae choose to be good?

The truth that Ula was just a sweet girl who wanted a normal life was oddly… comforting.

Sasha took down Ula’s cell phone number as well as the number for the motel, though they did still plan on staying another night, if only to recover.

Ula even said she would try to see if she could find out anything about Nathan’s bounty from a few other ‘good’ dark fae she knew about around the country.

The very idea astonished Nathan, but he wasn’t about to turn away any offered help.

And, after all, these days Nathan knew better than anyone how things— people —were rarely what they appeared to be.

“So you’re doing the whole save us, ditch us thing again, huh?” Nathan smirked.

Shiarra had her purse over her shoulder and was standing near the door.

She had decided against spending the night and had already packed up her car.

“Well, you know how much I adore torturing you boys with my presence, but I wouldn’t want to be in the way.

And I don’t know how much saving I did this time. "

Sasha hugged Shiarra first, good and strong, then Jim, who admittedly blushed a little since she also pecked his cheek, and finally Nathan went up and hugged her too, with a whispered, “Thanks.”

“Walk me to my car,” Shiarra said to Nathan when they pulled apart, leaving him with a strong sense of déjà vu. It wasn’t a request. Jim and Sasha gave Nathan puzzled looks as he grabbed his coat to follow her out, but Nathan merely shrugged.

It was an even colder Maine night than the day had been, lightly snowing to add to the already bountiful mounds everywhere but on the roads, and the roads were free only because the plows had been through.

Shiarra set her purse on the passenger’s seat and closed the side door again before turning to Nathan. Her eyes didn’t hold the usual smugness or confidence, but were entirely sympathetic. “So…marked for saving your brother.”

Nathan nodded.

“How much time do you have?”

“Months. If I’m lucky. More if Sasha and Jim can pull off a miracle.”

Shiarra sighed and planted a hand on her shapely hip, clad in a pair of form-fitting black pants she’d changed into for the trip. “I wondered if something was going on, but since we can’t sense marks like other fae…” She trailed and shook out her long dark hair.

“Sorry,” Nathan mumbled.

“Don’t be sorry, Nathan. Survive .” She stepped forward with sudden drive, getting right in Nathan’s space.

For a moment, her bright blue eyes flashed red.

“There are things Sasha can do, things your brother can do, that give them an advantage simply because of how they were born. You have none of those same abilities or natural strengths, and yet I have seen you accomplish so much and against insurmountable odds…as just a man. They need you. Don’t disappoint me. ”

Nathan felt the heaviness in his chest deepen, but he had to smile. “I—”

“ Don’t …disappoint me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

At last, Shiarra’s intense expression softened, and she leaned up to kiss Nathan very lightly on the lips. Then, just as swiftly as she had moved into their lives, she was out of it again, driving down the road.

Nathan was grateful for her parting words, and hoped that maybe even the cosmos would be helpless against the command she had left him with, but a terrible feeling began to overtake him as he watched her drive away that this was the last time he would ever see her.

Nathan walked back into the lobby to find Sasha chatting with Ula behind the front desk.

He gave them both a passing wave, assuming Sasha just wanted to check up on her before they all called it a night.

It was way past late now, and Nathan wanted nothing more than a shower, maybe a quick snack, and to hit the hay.

The room was dark when Nathan entered, but first glance showed no sign of Jim. The bathroom light was visible beneath the door.

“Hey! Hurry it up, Jim!” Nathan called, heading for the room’s phone.

“I want to get in there too! Plus I was debating ordering a pizza. I know it’s late, but I don’t have the energy for much else.

” Nathan heard the bathroom door open behind him.

“I hope you don’t mind if I get extra…olives…

” His voice fell away as he turned around, and the receiver he’d just picked up fell from his hand.

Amber eyes. Amber slit eyes and Jim walking slow and steady out of the bathroom toward him.