Page 89 of Sidhe (The Incubus Saga #3)

He paused before reaching to open the doors.

Again, he looked at the men beside him—Jim, Sasha.

He smiled at Alex and how she clung to Jim, happy but possessive.

His smile widened when he saw Walter, Shiarra hanging off his arm as if she belonged there, and the rest of the Sex Squad behind them.

Even Ula, a ways off now, offered a wave.

This was Nathan’s insane family, and it was sort of wonderful how a part of Nathan felt like every last soul around them, preparing on those fields, were part of the family, too.

He was just so happy to have what he had, to have this chance he had risked so much to get, even if a part of him might always be tainted by Malak.

Nathan turned back, grabbed both handles to the Gatehouse, and swung the doors wide, walking in proudly to find that rest he so dearly sought.

He froze with sudden panic when he realized he hadn’t actually entered the Gatehouse.

Whipping around, Nathan lost his breath at the lack of his small crew, no longer seeing anyone there, only a single door swinging from his entrance. There was a ‘Closed’ sign waving at him, meaning that this place he had found himself in was ‘Open’.

“Didn’t you read the sign when you came in?”

“If your server is bored to tears, you must keep him company. Diner rules.”

The décor began to look more familiar to Nathan as he turned slowly forward, his panic subsiding as he looked at the diner , very 50s, the sound of Country on the jukebox, though not Johnny Cash this time, which Nathan would have preferred.

He almost laughed when he took in the sight of the clean counter, a piece of pie waiting for him and coffee filling up at the ancient machine, for him , of that Nathan was certain.

“Figured the rest of this would just go to waste,” said a familiar Southern drawl as a man just shy of forty pushed through the swinging kitchen door into the main area of the diner—white T-shirt, blue button-down, apron —smiling with dark hair that fell into his kind, blue eyes.

“So I thought…why not bring the whole thing out?”

He carried the rest of the pie, a slice having been taken out, clearly the one resting on the plate on the counter. He set the pie next to the plate, turned back to the coffee pot that was full, and produced two cups.

“Had some ready for you this time. Have a seat, son.”

This was an entirely different situation than the last time Nathan had been in Dave’s diner, though he supposed there was one important similarity. The last time Nathan was here had been right after he denied Malak in the car. His most recent denial of Malak was even more important, he supposed.

But it wasn’t just the reminder that made Nathan feel a slight lump in his throat as he moved to take the same stool he had sat in last time. Last time . Last time Nathan hadn’t known until the moment he left that Dave was actually…

“Let’s stick with Dave,” the man said as he handed Nathan a freshly poured cup of coffee.

“Simple. Classic. Less connotation. Don’t want you thinking you need to be or act any way but how you are, Nathan Grier, not that I’d expect you to.

” He smiled warmly, so warmly that Nathan felt something like that familiar peace Dave had once filled him with.

It struck him that he should have noticed the first time, right off the bat, that Dave was more than human, but then he hadn’t exactly been in the right frame of mind to notice much of anything on that late night when he pulled up to the diner seeking solace in whatever way he could get.

“Blueberry,” Dave said as he grabbed an extra fork and scooped up some pie right out of the pan. “One of your favorites, right?”

Nathan held back a chuckle at the sight of…

Dave cleaning his fork free of all crumbs and dark purple goo.

“I don’t…really know what I’m supposed to say or…

do here,” he tried rather unsuccessfully, holding his cup of coffee but not drinking any and not picking up his own fork to dig into the pie, though it smelled Heavenly.

Heavenly.

Fuck . This was too weird.

“You didn’t seem too bothered last time.

” Dave pushed the plate with the single slice closer to Nathan.

“See, that’s why it’s better before you know.

You folks read too much into it otherwise.

” He scooped up another helping of pie. “You’re over-thinking right now, ain’t ya?

But you don’t have to say anything, Nathan.

I know what your heart says. I know you’re grateful as much as you are pissed as shit , and I am perfectly okay with that.

Hell, I’m used to it. Don’t you doubt for a second, though, that all this good coming down on you is coz you made some difficult choices.

Damn tough ones. Choices…that mean I get to help just a little more than I coulda otherwise. ”

“Help?” Nathan repeated slowly, the cup moving up to his lips almost like it had a mind of its own as he took a long, satisfying gulp.

Heavenly indeed. He set down the cup and picked up his fork.

“If you don’t mind me saying, Dave , it’s about damn time you got up off your ass and helped at all.

” Before Nathan had a chance to regret saying any of that, he shoveled a sizable helping of blueberries and buttery crust into his mouth.

Dave grinned pearly whites as he set his fork down and stood up straighter.

“Ah, there ya are, Nathan. I do love that to-the-point nature. You know they say money is the root of all evil. I don’t know about that.

It has its purpose in society and all. I’d be more akin to say passive-aggressiveness is instead. ” He laughed.

And even though this was still strange, and different, and Nathan felt like he didn’t know what he was supposed to do having tea-time with the Lord Almighty, he laughed too. “Beating around the bush never got anyone anywhere,” he said.

“Some women might disagree with that statement,” Dave said thoughtfully, winking.

Coffee nearly shot out Nathan’s nose when the joke caught up with him.

He recovered, coughing a little into a napkin kindly offered.

Then Nathan shook his head, grinning around his red face.

“Dude, you are not how I ever imagined you’d be,” he said, because despite popular opinion, Nathan had imagined God and Heaven and all that plenty, he just didn’t always see the point in praying to something he didn’t have proof existed.

“What were you expecting?” Dave asked, sounding honestly interested. “Booming voice, white beard? Or maybe George Burns?” He raised an eyebrow. “Though I s’ppose George would have made an even dirtier joke.”

“ Oh yeah,” Nathan chuckled, and took another bite of pie. “So what’s this help you’re offering? And please say it’s some nifty-ass superpowers, coz those would so come in handy about now.”

Dave leaned forward on the counter again, careful to avoid getting his elbows in the pie. “I’m afraid it doesn’t quite work that way, Nathan. ‘Sides, I would have thought you’d had enough of…superpowers,” he added pointedly.

And then some , Nathan thought as he swallowed thickly. Between the incubus stuff, much as Nathan had liked most of that, and then Malak pumping hotly through his veins, he was really enjoying being a normal human again. Of course there was still that ache, that void left in Malak’s wake.

“I don’t…I mean, I guess I am,” Nathan said a little awkwardly, picking at the remaining pie he suddenly didn’t have much appetite for.

“Son,” Dave said with a depth to his voice that made Nathan think the endearment wasn’t just hometown Southern boy this time so much as something intimate, “this life was not made to be easy. Free will prevents it. Circumstance, choice, it all turns out differently for everyone. But things have been especially hard for you. Through it all, somehow, you have faced every challenge, risen above countless impossible odds. That’s why it’s you, Nathan.

That’s why you are the one who can do this.

I’m afraid I can’t take away that edge of darkness this time.

” He looked down like he was truly sorry for that.

“That’s all on you. You invited Malak in and must deal with that on your own. But I can offer help.”

Nathan readied himself for the punch-line, wondering if Dave, in all his rugged, not-quite middle-aged normalness was going to come down and walk amongst them, or if ‘help’ was merely good advice.

Dave stole another bite of pie with a twinkle in his eyes. “Well, Nathan,” Dave said rather mischievously, “tell me. How well do you know your Bible?”

That nearly spurred another coughing fit . “You’re joking.”

“Just curious.” Dave shrugged. “Specifically about the end time, how well do you know it?”

“Shit poorly,” Nathan said without ceremony. “I think I read Revelations once, not that I remember much.”

“Good.” Dave nodded, taking yet another bite of pie, and talking around his mouthful.

“Gets things wrong a lot of the time anyway. Why do you think you’re so perfect for this, Nathan?

A religious fanatic would miss the point.

A complete deviant wouldn’t care. It’s the everybody elses that understand what it means to be human.

I s’ppose the Christian Bible got a few things right, but shit poor knowledge or not,” he smirked, “I’m guessing you have at least heard of The Four Horsemen. ”

Nathan blanched. “You mean the song?” he decided to joke, not sure where Dave was going with this.

Dave’s smile quirked wider. He pushed Nathan’s plate closer to him again as if to remind him that there was still a lot of pie left.

“Not quite. See, the horsemen are a real part of the game here, Nathan: four chosen people depending on how things play out. If you had honestly chosen Malak and led his army, you would have been able to summon worthy horsemen from any of the dark fae under your command. Only, in the end, you’ve chosen a different path.