Page 21 of Sidhe (The Incubus Saga #3)

She tossed her own joyful smile at each of them. “Things have a way of working out,” she winked at Sasha. “You’ll see. ‘Til next time.”

Then, after only a blink of Nathan’s eyes, the king and queen of light fae were gone.

It took Nathan a few moments to convince himself that all of that had really just happened. He could admit that as heavy as this new burden was—saving the world—it had him feeling strangely lighter.

He turned in his seat on the couch and saw the crestfallen expression on Sasha’s face next to him.

He scooted closer, knowing what had to be plaguing the incubus’ thoughts.

“Hey, you heard what the chick said. It probably wouldn’t have made any difference.

Might have even taken longer before I got out of there, and believe me, baby… I wouldn’t have lasted another minute.”

“But if I hadn’t made that deal…I’d still be able to keep you.” Sasha smiled sadly at Nathan, his eyes damp.

“You got me out,” Nathan said, and it’s all he needed to say because he didn’t care about consequences that he believed in his bones they could one day fix, and he didn’t care about ‘what ifs’ that couldn’t change anything. Not anymore.

“Hey,” he said as it dawned on him, “if you recognized Gwen so easily, how come you never said anything about Malak’s chick suit?”

Sasha took a moment to think about that. “I didn’t know Gwen by appearance. I just…knew, being in her presence. It always bothered me when Malak was female. Guess now I know why,” he chuckled.

Nathan had to laugh in kind. “And here I thought you hated the male version most.”

“Oh I do. He always seems to touch you more in that form,” Sasha scowled.

“Like he does it on purpose to piss me off. Only I get to touch you like that,” he said, fingers reaching up to clutch at the fabric of Nathan’s shirt.

They were already fairly close anyway, so it wasn’t all that hard to lean in.

“Damn straight, only you,” Nathan said, smiling as they got closer. “Well, maybe straight isn’t the best—” the kiss cut him off, Sasha’s last lunge forward silencing him the best way possible.

“You are a good man, Nathan,” Sasha said when they pulled apart. “You can do this. We all can.”

Nathan opened his eyes, saw that brilliant blue, that face he loved. “If you say so, baby,” he grinned, going in for another kiss that led to him teasing his tongue over Sasha’s lips and nipping gently at the soft skin.

“Do you two mind?” came Jim’s amused voice from behind Nathan’s back, though there was a tinge of tension in his tone still. “What about what they said? About Walter?”

Nathan pulled away from Sasha with a start.

“Waiting just outside…” He shot Sasha an apologetic look, glanced gratefully back at Jim, then took off for the sliding door they had never bothered to close.

He headed for the main doors, assuming that’s what Gwen meant, and shot out into the night without a second thought.

“Walt!”

“Here, Nathan.”

Nathan spun about, searching for his Spirit Guide.

He finally found him leaning casually against their car, is if he had been patiently waiting since their arrival.

He looked as he always did, in a white button down shirt and dark slacks, with his blond hair, but his usually shimmering brown eyes seemed…

too normal. His eyes looked tired—no, more like aged—and very human.

Walter smiled with more radiant joy than Nathan had ever seen on him.

“I have watched you all this time, but being here whole is very different. I think I might be a bit…cold.” He shivered, and pushed away from the car.

“I would like to go inside, if you don’t mind, now that I am capable of entering. ”

“You…what?” Nathan faltered a few steps in front of Walter. He took a moment to really observe…and saw a shadow on the ground, connected to Walter. He’d never had a shadow before, because he wasn’t ever really standing there. But his eyes, his shadow, the way he looked tired and so very human…

Nathan made an abortive jerk forward, then tried again, reaching out until he clutched Walter’s arm, as solid as ever, more so than any time before.

Walter’s smile widened, and he raised a hand to grip Nathan’s on his arm.

“Nathan, I have always been with you. I could not be with you like this, solid and visible as I am now. I could not interfere when the choices you made held me back. But I was always there. I thought perhaps you saw me when Malak tried to claim you, though you had refused him. Finally, you had given me the power I needed to shield you from him completely. And from there…I have been granted this gift.”

A shiver ran up Nathan’s spine. He hadn’t seen anything that would have made him think of Walter when Malak came for him, but he had seen something, a spark, a shock of light, something , when Malak hit that immoveable wall and was knocked back, the fight and power gone from him.

“That was…you?”

“Of course,” Walter said, as though it were merely his duty.

And Nathan supposed it was.

“That I could have done more…” Walter said, trailing sadly, his eyes drooping slightly as he let his arm drop.

“If I could have, please know, Nathan, that I would have done anything. Yours was always going to be a heavy burden, but you have the strength to choose a greater destiny than any man before you. And it is my privilege to be at your side.”

Nathan jerked forward again, not sure what he wanted at first. Then he released Walter’s arm and pulled the man in for a tight hug, something he’d never been able to do before, even when he was just a scared little boy who would have asked for nothing more.

Nathan wasn’t any sort of Messiah, that wasn’t what this was about, he knew that, and yet everything he was being told lately made him sound so much better than he was.

Oberon had it right—Nathan was just a guy, just a man, one who’d had a crazy life, that’s true, but he was still just Nathan . That’s all he wanted to be.

“Forgive me again,” Walter said when Nathan released him from the embrace. “I speak out of turn. Time is not on our side. There is much we must prepare for.”

“Right.” Nathan cleared his throat and took a step back to get his bearings. His eyes felt unfairly damp, and he was starting to feel the chill in the air as well. “Let’s get inside. You got news for us?”

They turned to head into the Gatehouse as Walter spoke. “Be assured, Nathan, Malak is ready for war. He will be recruiting since he has yet to acquire you.”

“Naturally,” Nathan grimaced.

“Some men and women who have ties to the supernatural will be more easily swayed to Malak’s side.

You must remain here at the Gatehouse for now and be ever vigilant,” Walter said.

“A powerful changeling with abilities we do not yet know the extent of will be passing through here and he may be easily tempted to the dark.”

Nathan had to snort, much as that worried him. “Okay, Yoda ,” he grinned as they entered the warmth of the bar area and he closed the door behind them. He took a moment to appreciate that Walter was standing there—inside the Gatehouse. “How will we know him?”

“Jim will know,” Walter said, staring ever-intently like he could look right through Nathan—deeper.

“Nate?”

Nathan started, turning toward the bar entrance out to the main staircase where both Sasha and Jim stood, staring at them.

Staring at Walter. If ever Nathan had wondered if Walter was real—and he had wondered that many times—the confirmation of their eyes on him, of how he had felt in Nathan arms, was more than enough to prove that Walter was really there with him now.

“Guys,” he said with a wide smile, giving Walter’s back a firm smack that nearly sent the man stumbling. “This is Walter.”