Page 54 of Changeling (The Incubus Saga #2)

“ Cabaret was probably my favorite,” Cam said as they entered the auditorium the next morning to check out the catwalk—where Andy had fallen from and died.

The police had already cleared out, since it had been deemed an accident again.

Nathan and Cam had volunteered to check out the site, while Sasha and Jim questioned their suspects.

“Who did Sasha play?” Nathan asked. “The Emcee?”

“Excuse you— I was the Emcee. Sasha played Cliff. That was our last show before the change.”

“So you were…what? Fifteen?” Nathan scoffed. “And most of the cast would have been younger—”

“There were plenty of cast members who’d already been through the change— older —and what’s too young for us anyway? Cabaret’s good practice for life when you’re an incubus,” Cam smirked.

Nathan didn’t have a comeback for that. “I guess it just must be hard for him to talk about it. Makes him remember his friends aren’t around anymore.”

Cam stopped on the ramp up the stage, causing Nathan to look back at him. “I’m here now, aren’t I? Lindsey will come around. We were dumb kids back then.”

“I’m not judging,” Nathan jumped in. “I get it. But I have to be a little offended on principle that none of you bothered checking on him all these years, not even after he’d been banished.

He can’t ever see you guys in the Veil again, see his home .

And he got banished for good reason. His aunt was killing innocent—”

“We know that,” Cam cut him off. “We know. That’s why I’m here. Not just because Wade asked, but because she told me you’d be coming, that Sasha would be coming. She was giving me an out, if I didn’t want to see him, even though she wanted my help. I didn’t take it. I stayed. I’m here.”

“I’m glad,” Nathan said. “Never seen Sasha look as unburdened as when he saw Charis, or when he finally hugged you that first night. I hope that means we’ll see a lot more of you after this mess is settled.”

“I hope so, too,” Cam said, though his eyes took on a strange shadow as he spoke.

He hesitated to say more, but finally admitted, “Wade told me about you. About your mark. I know why you guys are seeking out dark fae. And I’m sorry.

But if anyone can come to someone’s rescue against all odds, it’s Sasha Kelly. ”

Nathan took a deep breath, letting it wash over him that yet another person knew about his ticking clock.

But something else struck him. “Wade told you? Seems she trusts you a lot. I’m not used to that from her, toward anyone.

You better be careful,” he added, half a real warning since Wade was a force to be reckoned with, but also a bit of a threat, because Nathan didn’t like the thought of anyone instilling Wade’s wrath—other than him.

Cam chuckled as he finally finished his trek up onto the stage to join Nathan.

“Don’t I know it,” he said, but Nathan noticed the flush of color to the incubus’ cheeks.

“So…I could fly up and take a look?” he suggested with a glance up at the catwalk.

“Save us the trouble of getting access to the locked doors up there. If you keep watch.”

He looked around the auditorium but it was definitely deserted. No one wanted to hang around outside normal practice or work times if they didn’t have to. Not anymore.

“Two eyes are better than one, though,” Cam said with a smirk as he turned back to Nathan. “I could carry you up to look too. Of course if you try copping a feel or something, I am totally dropping your ass.”

“Whoa,” Nathan held up his hands. “What is it with you incubi and always trying to get me in the air? I got a little thing with heights, okay. Can’t you go alone?”

Cam rolled his eyes dramatically. “I can, but I figured we should cover all our bases.”

Nathan chewed his lower lip, closed his eyes tight a moment, then sighed. “Fine. Just make it quick.”

“I hope that isn’t your response to Sasha when you’re this close,” Cam said as he slid up behind Nathan and gripped him around the waist.

“Hilarious,” Nathan grumbled back.

“All right then, you better not look down.”

Before Nathan could really prepare himself, he felt Cam grow taller behind him, the incubus’ body larger and more encompassing in its true form. Nathan’s feet were off the stage floor, lifting higher and higher at great speed toward the catwalk before he even realized it.

He braced himself. He could do this. Cam wasn’t about to drop him any more than Sasha would, and it would be over as soon as Nathan scanned the area.

He listened as best he could about not looking down, staring up instead at their destination.

They were level with the catwalk before Nathan had time to panic or think about being so many feet above the ground.

“See anything?” Cam asked after a minute, sounding only slightly strained, probably more from their position than actual fatigue. Cam was the same height as Nathan in his incubus form, and Nathan could feel warm breath against the back of his hair.

"Not really…” Nathan said.

“Me either.”

Cam moved them closer, hovering while holding onto Nathan tightly.

Nathan liked the tight part even if it felt a little weird to have Cam so flush against his back.

He’d take that over feeling like he was going to fall, though.

Scanning the areas of the catwalk as closely as he could, Nathan still saw nothing helpful or out of the ordinary, at least nothing that the police hadn’t already checked or taken away.

“I think we need to hurry,” Cam whispered.

“Why?”

“Because I think I hear someone coming.”

Nathan immediately looked down to see if that was true, but that was probably the worst idea he could have had. For a second everything went vertigo and Nathan jerked unintentionally from Cam’s hold. He started to slip.

“Nathan!”

“Shit!” Nathan tried to maneuver himself better for Cam to regain a good hold, but his turning only slipped him further out of the dark brown claws that were supporting him.

Nathan had just enough time to catch sight of a lone girl wandering onto the stage before part of his shirt tore and dropped him straight out of Cam’s hands.

There it was again, that horrible free-falling feeling, that awful impending doom and the knowledge that he would probably live and only break his legs, and maybe land on that poor, unsuspecting girl.

Nathan was face-down as he plummeted. He thought of calling out to warn the girl, was actually pretty surprised he hadn’t already, when he suddenly felt as if something was trying to slow his fall. He felt what might have been hands around his waist, though he knew Cam was still above him.

Then he heard Walter’s voice beside his ear, “I’ve got you, Nathan.”

Before he could register what that meant, there was a rush of air as Cam swooped down after him and carried him off low to stage left.

They got tangled in one of the curtains thanks to Cam’s somewhat clumsy catch, and ended up tumbling to the floor about five feet off the ground.

Nathan’s heart was beating so fast he didn’t even notice that Cam was human again and lying on top of him until the brunette lifted himself up and stared down into his face.

“That was way too close. You okay?” Cam asked, concern etched into his youthful features.

Nathan took a few slow, even breaths, waiting for his shoulder to scream at him in pain, but he’d managed to roll well enough not to aggravate anything. “Yeah. Sure. I think…I think so. That was very stupid on my part.”

“No, it was my fault. I should have been able to hang onto you, I was just—”

“Hello? Someone back here?” came the voice of a teenage girl, and before Cam could finish what he was about to say or maybe roll off of Nathan so their position didn’t look quite so incriminating, the girl from the stage parted the curtain and found them tangled on the floor.

“Oh…uhhh…sorry?” she said, quickly dropping the part of the curtain she had pulled back.

She was younger, probably a sophomore, and had long brunette hair tied back from her face.

They heard her walk quickly away from them.

Cam started chuckling.

“Shut up,” Nathan said through a grin, tossing Cam off of him.

He spotted Walter standing nearby as they scrambled to their feet.

Nathan wanted to ask if he’d imagined that brief physical presence that had slowed his fall before Cam caught him, but he didn’t want to address Walter publicly—too many questions he didn’t feel like answering.

“Well as much as I’d love to continue this moment of male bonding, maybe we should check in with Jim and Sasha, see if they’ve made any headway,” Cam said. “And for the record, if you ever tell this story, I didn’t drop you. Falling doesn’t count. Long as I catch you.”

“Deal. And I owe you one.”

The girl who had been on stage was doing homework in an auditorium chair when they headed for the exit. She cast them strange looks as they left, but Nathan just smiled wide and went on by without a faltering step.

Jim and Sasha were finishing talking with a girl in the corner of the choir room when they got back. She had natural red hair, pale skin, and looked about as freaked as anyone they had yet seen. They waited until she dashed off before approaching their companions.

“Why are you two all dusty?” Sasha asked, staring at Nathan’s slightly dirty jacket and Cam’s now very grey winter coat.

“Uhh…catwalk trouble,” Nathan said.

Cam nodded. “It’s crazy dirty up there. But we didn’t find any clues. You?”

“We got through everyone but one of the girls,” Sasha said. “That last one was Jennifer, the one Leven mentioned last night. Jim?” Sasha turned to Jim for confirmation but he didn’t look too accusing.