Page 13 of Incubus (The Incubus Saga #1)

Jim was brimming with relief and gratitude.

Walter looked practically proud. But there wasn’t time for Nathan to dwell on whether or not he had made the right decision.

Considering the unfortunately dead girl in the bedroom, the most they could do was leave an anonymous tip for the police and get out of the apartment as quickly as possible.

“So, I take it this pheromone detector thing is bogus?” Nathan said, picking up Sasha’s scanner and turning it over in his hands.

They were sitting at the small table in Nathan and Jim’s motel room. A few items of Sasha’s were scattered in front of them, including the scanner and a few photographs.

Sasha took the scanner back from Nathan. He appeared healthy despite his recent brush with death, but there was a weariness clinging to him. “I did set it up to scan for some fae pheromones," he said, "just not for my kind. I can sense those myself.”

Nathan held back a frown. Dismissing that Sasha was a seal had been easy, because a seal that meant them harm wouldn’t play games. A normal seal would have killed them on the spot. Fae were different.

Jim was staring at the photographs on the table, which pulled Nathan’s attention to them as well.

There were two of Sasha’s parents, one from when his father was still human and another after he had been changed into an incubus.

“I can’t believe it’s the same man,” Jim said, passing his gaze back and forth between the photos.

“I mean, in the first one he has to be in his forties.”

“Forty-six, actually,” Sasha said.

Nathan pulled the second photograph closer to him to study it.

Sasha had said that the time between photographs was mere months but, as an incubus, Sasha’s father looked twenty years younger.

“I didn’t realize becoming an incubus was a fountain of youth,” Nathan said.

“Of course…I didn’t know a person could become one at all. ”

“We’re the only fae who can initiate humans,” Sasha said. “Other fae can only make Shadow Immortals. If you’re born an incubus, you age like a normal human until adulthood. If you’re initiated as one and already older, you return to that age.”

Nathan nodded vaguely, staring at the pictures. He was both amazed and troubled at the thought of someone being turned into an actual fae. The grey in Sasha’s father’s hair was gone in the second photograph, his face clean-shaven and unlined, and his eyes glowed vibrantly.

Now Nathan understood why Sasha’s eyes had seemed so similar to Walter’s when they first met. The eyes were a glamour, a projection. Nathan had seen Sasha’s real eyes, and they were as red as his hair. And as slit as any dark fae.

“I see you weren’t lying about your natural coloring,” Nathan said, turning his attention to the succubus in the photographs. Sasha’s mother had the same impossibly red hair as her son.

Sasha grinned. “Told you. I don’t really remember much about my parents though. My aunt raised me after they were killed.”

“Killed by a seal?” Jim questioned.

“Yeah. Can’t believe I said all that...” Sasha looked away as if embarrassed by what his iron-riddled brain had confessed.

“Sort of makes it seem silly for me to be one, I know. My aunt, Shiarra, she’s my mother’s older sister so she’s always been a little overprotective.

She was supportive when my parents wanted to be together, but she’s never really forgiven seals for what happened to them.

She wasn’t too thrilled when I said I wanted to follow in Dad’s footsteps. ”

“So you said,” Nathan remembered. “Did she actually call the other day or were you just making an excuse so Schu wouldn’t see what you really look like through those goggles?”

Sasha's face flushed with guilt. "Okay, that one was a lie," he said. "I wouldn’t have gone along to Schu’s at all if I knew that’s what you were trading with him. He’s a good guy, deals with a lot of fae, but mostly through proxy.

I didn’t want him thinking I had been lying all this time with some kind of ulterior motive.

I can’t imagine he would have taken it well. ”

“Maybe he’d surprise you,” Jim said, smiling at Sasha warmly. Friendly . Like there was nothing different between them now.

Nathan couldn’t help sizing Sasha up instead, gauging all the different ways he might have to defend himself if he was ever forced to fight the incubus.

“Still waiting for me to attack, huh?” Sasha startled Nathan with his adept assessment. “I didn’t know about your bounty, Nathan. I haven’t lied to you about anything else. I just left out some of the details to protect myself. I would have thought you'd be able to understand that.”

Nathan did understand, but he couldn't ignore years of affirmation that fae were only out for themselves. “Maybe part of me is waiting for the punch line," he said, "for you to turn out like every normal dark fae we’ve ever come across. I don’t usually make friends with things that aren’t human.”

“Nathan,” Jim admonished.

“It’s okay,” Sasha said. “You could have let me die after finding out what I was, but you helped me. I understand trust will be hard won. I’m just trying to do my job.

And I am still more than willing to help you get this bounty off your head.

Besides, trying to trust me is more than I usually expect from anyone.

” He looked to Nathan and Jim in turn, wholly grateful.

The part of Nathan that had trusted Sasha so easily in the beginning wanted to believe the expression was genuine.

"I didn't get much of a look at the succubus tonight," Sasha went on, "but I did see her coloring.

She's blonde. Like platinum . Should be easy to spot.

If you're willing to try again, we can pick up the search tomorrow.

She'll be on alert now, but I don't think she's planning on going anywhere. In the meantime, I really need to—”

Nathan jerked out of his seat. Sasha had gone suddenly pale as he started to get up from the table. If it hadn’t been for Jim’s quick reflexes catching Sasha by the arms, he might have dropped right to the floor.

“Are you okay?” Jim asked.

Sasha allowed Jim to help steady him, all the while maintaining his usual grin. “Fine," he said. "I’ll be better in the morning. Don’t beat yourself up about it. As long as I feed a little tonight, I’ll be back in tip-top shape by sunrise.”

That comment had Nathan’s stomach turning queasy. Feed?

“Hey, don’t look so spooked,” Sasha said with a grin. “I’m not about to jump either one of you. I don’t always need a partner, just thin walls and a few amorous couples.”

“Wait," Nathan said. "You mean…all you have to do is find a couple having sex in one of the rooms, and then just…what? Sit back and enjoy?”

“But I thought…” Jim stuttered, “I thought…well…don’t you need sex?”

“I do," Sasha chuckled. "Once a month at least, but I can get by for a few days on hotel runs. There’s always someone having sex. I just need the natural energy that’s given off. Real sex is a necessity, but not every day. I’m a seal.

That isn’t always an option. So...” he trailed, looking slightly nervous as he moved his gaze between Nathan and Jim.

“Do you trust me enough to let me wander the halls?

It would really suck if we found the succubus and I was only at half-strength. "

“Sure,” Jim jumped in before Nathan could respond. “Why don’t you two go together?”

"What?" Nathan blinked a few times before registering what his brother had just said. "What are you talking about?”

“Go together,” Jim said again. He still had a hand on Sasha's arm to support him. “Forgive me if I’m inclined to believe the guy who is still willing to help us after we nearly killed him, and who probably could have gotten the jump on us any number of times the past two days. If you go with Sasha to prove to yourself he’s not some psycho killer, we can put this behind us.

I’ll stay here and set up a revised grid for us to search tomorrow. You guys go.”

Nathan hesitated. Sasha had been given plenty of opportunities to turn against them if that was indeed what he had been planning, and Nathan knew how desperate Jim was for Sasha's help—help they still didn't really understand, other than a psychic's promise and Walter's insistence that Sasha wasn't a bad guy.

Normally, that would be enough for Nathan.

Jim's gaze grew harsh, and the guilt in Nathan's stomach became heavier in its wake. Incubus or not, Sasha had been nothing but good to them.

Nathan moved his attention to the redhead. “Need me to carry you then," he said, "or what?”