Page 83 of Changeling (The Incubus Saga #2)

After what felt like several minutes, Sasha suddenly roared as if he was afraid or at least cautious of something on the other side of the rocks. Alex moved closer to Nathan, while Sasha stayed up by Jim, growling increasingly louder as time ticked on.

Another handful of minutes passed and finally Nathan started to pick up on something.

It was sound, definitely sound, but also a certain kind of reverberation.

He feared another cave-in for a moment—maybe Jim had been using his TK after all just from the outside in—but the sounds weren’t merely moving rock.

Sasha wasn’t the only growling creature Nathan could hear.

It was low at first but it grew, joined by howls and grunts and shrieks like a God damn wraith.

There were growls like Sasha’s and others that were more feral, some that sounded like animals, and others that were definitely more human.

The sounds grew until it felt like they were all around them.

Even though Nathan knew it could only be coming from the other side of the rock wall, the cacophony of dark noises seemed to reach out to them from the very rock itself.

Nathan saw Alex flinch when the first of the rocks they could see started to move, falling away from the other side.

The noise was almost deafening. Sasha was hunkered low behind Jim, fangs bared and eyes flashing, claws out to attack and wings spread like he was ready at a single order from Jim to launch himself at whatever was coming to get them.

Oh God , Nathan realized with a sick twist in his stomach. Jim had summoned a horde of dark fae to dig them out…

Sasha roared again as more rocks fell, and suddenly there was a faint flicker of light. Nathan saw eyes first, glowing various colors from the other side. It was such an insane mass that he couldn’t make out any substantial figures. Alex took his hand.

When the last of the rubble blocking their escape was tossed away, the creatures that had been their salvation remaining just out of sight within the darkness beyond, Jim lowered his hands.

The sounds of growls and howls and whispered words Nathan couldn’t make out dulled to a soft din as if they were all waiting for something.

Sasha was still on guard but Jim glanced over his shoulder, wholly confident.

“Guard from the back,” he told the incubus and then stepped forward into the passageway.

It was implied that Nathan and Alex were to follow.

Sasha turned back to them, waiting for them to move past him.

It was only because Nathan couldn’t stand the thought of Jim being out amongst those things alone that Nathan found the strength to start walking.

He and Alex each grabbed a duffle and stayed close to each other as they went.

Nathan thought of Iain’s mother’s body being left behind.

He couldn’t do anything about it now, but later, if there was even the slightest chance, he would come back for her.

The creatures backed away in Jim’s wake as the group moved into the corridor, so Nathan couldn’t identify anything but continuing noises. The loudest were the ones from Sasha behind them, like he couldn’t help growling in what seemed a territorial warning.

Nathan wasn’t surprised that when they exited the mouth of the cave finally they entered darkness just as thick and unrelenting as what they had come from. There were no visible stars though, just eyes and solid figures that filled Nathan with horrific awe.

There were hundreds, thousands of beings waiting for them outside the mine. Nathan had expected there would be many but not like this. Even if he didn’t know for certain that it was past dusk, the throng of varied bodies and figures would have been enough to block out the sun.

Alex gripped Nathan’s hand so hard that it hurt. Whatever calm she had been able to find in the presence of amber-eyed Jim and monstrous Sasha, she fell prey to her fear now in the face of so many unknown things. Half of the creatures Nathan couldn’t even name.

“Jim…” Nathan called quietly. They were out of the mine now but Jim was continuing ahead, walking through the tunnel of dark fae that opened passage for him as he went.

“Okay, Jim,” Nathan tried a little stronger, moving quickly to catch up to Jim while still allowing Alex to cling to him, “we’re out.

Good job. Now why don’t you send these things back to wherever they came from? ”

Jim walked on a few steps more before turning around.

Confident as Jim was, Nathan could see the toll of fatigue in his brother’s face, in the slit amber eyes that weren’t quite as vibrant.

“You want me to send them away? Why? They’re all here, Nathan, all the remaining sidhe we have to find to save you.

Can’t you see them? Can’t you feel them?

I told you Colorado was how we’d see an end to this. ”

Nathan could feel them all right; he struggled to hold down his lunch as the sounds of the collective dark force around them began to grow louder again. It was an ominous blanket covering them made up of glowing eyes and deep shadows in the dark.

“Jim, it doesn’t matter,” Nathan said. “You can’t maintain this. It’s already making you weaker. You gotta get rid of ‘em. If you lose control, we’ll never be able to fight ‘em all off.”

“Lose control?” Jim said angrily, haughtily, spreading his arms wide to encompass his army. “I have control. Don’t you want me to save you?” It was almost a plea, but Jim didn’t wait for Nathan to respond. He raised his hands higher into the air, outstretched at the gathered mass.

The amber eyes had always been localized to the iris, but as Jim began to use his powers more, that changed. The amber color expanded, filling his eyes entirely. The slit pupils remained, but the rest was filled with color.

Howls from the crowd began almost immediately, making it clear where all of the sidhe were standing even far among the ranks of normal fae. Soon they were screaming, inhuman screeches keening into the night sky. Nathan had to cover his ears to stand it.

He tried to look around, to pay attention to what was happening even amidst that terrible noise. He saw several bodies vanish into thin air, but there were so many, more than he had thought possible. It was taking so much effort from Jim that several of the dark fae began to blink awareness.

Sasha’s wings swooped in around them, pulling Nathan and Alex back against him like a bird gathering its children.

He was growling possessively again, warning against the other beings that might attack.

Nathan couldn’t stand it though; he couldn’t see past the thick black of Sasha’s wings. He couldn’t see Jim.

Since he was free of Alex’s hold on him after they had covered their ears, and trusting that she was safest in Sasha’s wings anyway, Nathan pushed his way out, moving fast to be sure Sasha didn’t try to pull him back.

“Nathan!” Alex called. “What are you doing!?”

But Nathan didn’t hear her. He had to get to Jim.

He tossed his hardhat aside as he ran. His brother was just a few yards in front of him, no longer standing.

Jim had fallen to his knees, his arms still outstretched, as the sidhe he was sending back into the Veil howled on and some of the other creatures began to close in.

It was far more than Jim could handle, even as his red light runic traps sprang up—he couldn’t maintain it all.

Nathan could see the glint of blood seeping from Jim’s ears, his nose, even his eyes.

“Jim, stop!” Nathan called over the roar of sidhe. He dropped in front of his brother and grabbed Jim by the front of his jacket. “You’re killing yourself! Even if you manage to banish all of the sidhe back into the Veil, the rest of these things’ll tear us apart! You have to release them.”

“But I…” Jim choked on his words, his arms faltering now too, his eyes still fully amber but so dim, “I can…save you, Nathan. That’s all that matters. Like this…I can…I can save you.”

Another part of Nathan’s heart broke and he didn’t even have time to notice.

He could see the gun inside Jim’s jacket.

He felt the boggart about to rush them more than he saw it, unable to know for sure what it was until after he had grabbed the gun, turned to fire, and struck the creature in the chest. It spasmed and crumbled to the ground.

Nathan knew it wouldn’t be the last fae to break free.

“Jim, listen to me,” Nathan said more firmly, grabbing with his free hand for Jim’s shirt and tugging tight, “you and Sasha can save me. And you’re going to save me.

I don’t care if it’s with that clever mind or all these damn powers, if you’re this amber-eyed you or the furthest thing from it.

But if you don’t stop, we’re all gonna die.

I see what you wanted to show me now,” he said, feeling so closed in, hearing cries from Alex, knowing their time was too short, “I know how powerful you are, how powerful you can become. But you can be better than this. You don’t need to lose any part of my big brother Jim to be the hero. Please, Jesse James…just let them go.”

Maybe it was proximity, because Nathan was so close and the cave so far—they were further from the influence that had made Sasha and Jim act that way to begin with.

Maybe it was because Jim was listening to him for a change even if he was all the dark parts of Jim and none of the humanity.

Whatever it was it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Jim smiled, so thankful, so genuine, lowered his arms, and said, “Okay, Nathan.”

There was an eruption of air and a great chaotic chorus of wings and movement.

Some of the creatures seemed to take off on foot or to the air while others merely vanished, all relinquished back to wherever they had come from.

When it was all over there was nothing but the sky above, the trees, and the still sound of silence.

Nathan looked back to make sure Sasha remained, and the incubus was still there, his wings held out like closed doors to keep Alex safe. As Nathan watched, Sasha saw that the threat was gone and swooped his wings back. Nathan nodded to Alex before turning to his brother.

Jim was slumped forward, still on his knees and leaning against Nathan’s body. His arms hung limp beside him as he gasped for air.

“Jim?” Nathan called gently. “You okay?”

Coughing a little into the crook of Nathan’s arm, Jim started shivering.

He lifted his head as if it weighed a ton, his eyes heavy, the blood drying.

He opened his mouth but only a choked sound came out before he cringed and pitched to the side.

Nathan gathered Jim into his arms before he realized his brother’s eyes had flashed back to blue.

“Sasha!” Alex called, making Nathan’s head snap behind him again. The incubus had crumbled much like Jim, his monstrous features rapidly fading away to leave a shaking young man in nothing but a pair of torn jeans. Sasha’s eyes were blue too.

Jim gave a sharp gasp, and when Nathan looked down again, his brother was clutching at his arms and looking up at him with the most pleading, horror-filled eyes. “Nathan…?”

There was a pained moan from Sasha. The two groups weren’t all that far apart, but Nathan wished they were closer so he could reach out and touch Sasha like he was touching Jim. Alex was with him though, crouched at his side, holding his chest and head up.

Jim turned to Nathan and smiled wearily. “I did it, Nathan.”

“Yeah, I know…you stopped yourself.”

“No.” Jim shook his head. His smile widened. “I banished them all .”