Page 70 of Sidhe (The Incubus Saga #3)

He looked good though, which was…good. He did indeed have brown hair, not some other color that had simply been caked in dirt, long enough that it showed a slight curl.

His eyes, now that they weren’t red with frenzy, were a pale blue, summer storm blue, and just as sad.

He was bigger than Leven, to use a reference point around the same age, maybe just a little less dancer thin and instead slightly muscled, his face pale, pretty, filled with guilt .

Maybe a little too late Nathan realized he had been staring stone-faced at the kid who had already reached them and was standing before them looking lost. Nathan didn’t have any reason to dislike the kid.

Okay, so he had plenty of reason , but all totally unfounded considering Adrian hadn’t been at fault.

“Lovely to see you again, dear, you look wonderful,” Shiarra said, also human looking again as she stepped forward to kiss the boy’s cheek. “Why don’t we…head on through back to the Gatehouse, Lindsey, darling. Nathan, you can join us when you’re ready?”

Nathan took the hint; he could see the eagerness in the kid’s eyes. “Yeah…I can get back fine on my own. Thanks.” He kept his eyes on Adrian, even as Lindsey and Shiarra disappeared through the doorway. “So…everything’s been going alright for you?”

“Y-Yeah,” Adrian stammered, so tense he looked like he was in physical pain . “I’m…good. I’m sorry…sorry I’m here, I just…” He trailed miserably.

Nathan wasn’t trying to look pissed and unapproachable, honest.

“My family was really grateful when I came home,” Adrian finally said. “To you , grateful to you, I mean, and…and to Mr. Kelly. I just wanted to be able to tell you that myself. And that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

“Kid, don’t be sorry,” Nathan said. “You have nothin’ to be sorry for, okay?”

“But I know he’s yours. I mean…” Adrian stumbled again, searching for words.

“Shiarra told me everything, and…and I am sorry. There’s nothing worse, nothing lower than taking someone else’s mate.

It’s law . Not that I…” He blushed furiously, eyes darting about the ground like it was supremely interesting.

“Not that I took him away or anything, but…but I’m sorry anyway.

“I think…I think being a seal is one of the noblest things our kind could ever do. That Sasha can help people and still be one of us, it’s…

” Finally Adrian looked at Nathan, really looked at him, and Nathan recognized the devotion there, the hero-worship for Sasha that Nathan had seen on Leven’s face toward him.

“It makes me feel like maybe I could make up for what I did. Not just to you, but...for all the others too.”

All the others I killed , Nathan heard as clearly as if the kid had actually said it.

It damn near broke his heart.

And reminded him glaringly of Leven. Again .

“I hear you,” he said, honestly feeling sympathy not resentment, “and you really don’t need to apologize.

Tell ya what, maybe after this is all over, I might know someone about your age I bet you’d really hit it off with.

Trusting we survive, of course.” Nathan knew Leven’s ears were burning somewhere.

Adrian’s storm cloud eyes gaped at Nathan, and then his lips gave a slight twitch. “This guy my age,” he started coyly, “he cute? Maybe a little punk? Coz that’s sorta my type.”

“It’s kismet. Got turquoise hair, even. And he sings.”

Nathan deserved a Nobel Prize for his benevolence, being nice to the kid and possibly finding a hook up for Leven at the same time that would no doubt cause Wade to hunt him down in the night at some point, but hey, Leven said he’d love a young incubus all for him, and Nathan owed the kid, after all.

If they survived the apocalypse, Nathan figured the two deserved each other.

“You be good, kid,” Nathan said, reaching up to squeeze Adrian’s shoulder. “No regrets. No matter how long you might live, and you can trust me on this…they aren’t worth a damn.”

How they managed it, Nathan would never know.

More seals than he could count and a fairly large crew of non-humans—himself, for the moment, included—were gathered in the bar.

A few were smashed into doorways in order to still be a part of it all and actually fit, but they were all there, every last recruit, save the incubi and succubae army that would be coming later.

Nathan hated the spotlight, really freaking hated it, but he was the one everyone expected to lead. Some of them knew that he was supposed to be the light side’s bitch-boy, but others were taking it entirely on faith.

“Uh…okay!” Nathan called above the mild din of people talking, stepping up on top of a chair to make sure everyone could hear and see him.

“So, uhh…don’t worry, not gonna do anything lame like going around having everyone say their name, favorite food, and why they’re here.

We all know why we’re here, and we all know it’s for the same reason.

Still don’t know how long we got ‘til the dark fae are gonna be on our doorstep, but it’s not long now, and we still got a lot of ground to cover before we’ll be ready. ”

Almost immediately the din rose up again, barely allowing Nathan to finish his sentence; not murmurs amongst themselves anymore, but questions all coming at once.

“How do you know this?”

“What can we do?”

“Is it true Sonji Lorin is leading them?”

“Your brother is a changeling! How can we trust you?”

“There aren’t enough of us!”

“How do we prepare for this?”

“What do we do?”

“Enough!” called out Alex’s voice above the rest, who stood near Nathan.

Everyone went quiet at the sound of her voice.

“Now I know a good many of you, some I’ve known for years.

Jim and Nathan Grier I’ve known since we were kids.

This place has always been neutral ground, and I expect you all to honor that.

You listen to Nathan, because this isn’t just about any one of us, or any one person’s question or concern.

This is the end-time, folks. You all know it.

So stuff it . And let him speak,” she finished with a glare.

There wasn’t a damn soul in that room, even amongst those who didn’t know Alex personally, who dared speak against her.

She was keeping them all fed.

“Umm…thanks, Al,” Nathan said, trying to pretend that there weren’t more pairs of eyes on him than there had ever been before.

“So here’s the truth, everything I know.

For those who’ve heard the rumors, yes, I’ve been in contact with Oberon and Gwen—or Titania, whatever you want to call her.

We’ve met with Puck. We have intel from all over,” he added, thinking of but not wanting to implicate Walter.

“You’ve all heard that there’s an army coming our way, and I’ve been told they’ll show up out on those fields outside, using this place like the biggest damn Power Point that’s ever existed as the Veil starts to fall.

And yes, Solrin, for those who know him, he’s leading them, got some abilities to control fae and summon them to him too. He’s a changeling.”

There was another rumbling of low murmurs amongst the seals that knew Solrin’s name, some seeming to say that they suspected all along there was something off about him.

“Now I know some of you have hunted fae in the past,” Nathan went on. “Hell, I’ve killed many in my life too. But there are good fae out there, and they are on our side. We have reinforcements from them coming here to help. The hybrid fae, incubi and succubae, have already agreed—”

“Wait!” called someone from the crowd. Nathan scanned and caught sight of the guy, the husband of a young black couple he knew to be seals.

“How do you know you can trust these fae? Just taking their word for it that they’re on our side because they aren’t dark?

And an incubus is half dark, so how can we trust them? ”

“Actually, we have some full-on dark fae on our side too, and I trust them completely.”

The room erupted again.

“Listen!” Nathan yelled. The crowd calmed, if a little reluctantly.

“I know this is all crazy, and if you really want me to go into every detail, I will. I’ll spill my whole damn life story right up until this moment having to stand before you people and explain things.

But that isn’t why I asked everyone together.

We have reinforcements coming that are not like us—not like all of us.

And you better get on board with the idea, because we need the help.

Now that might mean a whole lot of beings and creatures being here that you’re not used to seeing or even thinking of as good, but you’re just gonna have to get over that, and fast.”

Now was Nathan’s chance. Now there was no going back.

“Because for all the help we’re gonna be getting…there’s already some here with us now.” He finished his declaration clearly, ready for the uproar again, ready for the yells and questions. Instead it went dead silent.

Nathan could see the way everyone looked about the bar with fearful, gauging, distrusting eyes, already paranoid. When seals went silent it meant they were getting ready to act , Nathan knew that from experience.

“I know what you’re all thinking, and I get it, believe me, I do,” Nathan said carefully, watching everyone as they watched everyone else.

“It’s a scary thought when you don’t know what you’re dealing with, but you gotta believe me that the not so human amongst us are still on our side, including my brother.

Some asked to be here. Some we asked to come.

Either way we need them. And if you believe all the talk that I’m the one who’s supposed to lead this mess, you better accept that fast…

” Nathan swallowed, his fists clenched, head held high, “because I’ve been an incubus for a few days now. ”