Page 108 of Sidhe
“It’s just a bit complicated, you see. This…infectionyou’ve been experiencing,” she looked about with a sneer, “is more than just signs of what’s to come. It’s keeping the channels between worlds harder to get through—at least for light fae. Since the Veil crumbling is coming from the dark side, the frequency…let’s just say it’s becoming easier for them and harder for us. But they are coming. The incubi and succubae should remain immune to the trouble, at least. Well done there, Nathan. Can’t believe you swayed them.”
“Thanks, Gwen. Does this mean you’re sticking around now?”
She sighed regretfully as she scratched finely-manicured nails down Wally’s back. “I wish I could, but not yet. I need to help lead everyone here. My power should help us find a suitable portal from the other side, despite what’s happening, but it maytake me a few more days. There’s a sort of eye of the storm about this place, being so close to the center of everything, but the further out you get, the more static you run into, enough to mess any fae’s sense of direction. I’ll bring them all as soon as I can. Humans are having a much easier time with all this. You are quite resilient,” she said as she stretched and then began to get up.
“Wait, just like that, you’re leaving?” Jim questioned.
Gwen, looking a bit better from a moment’s rest, and flush in the cheeks from downing Nathan’s wine, smiled serenely down at Jim. She held Wally in her arms. “I have complete faith in you all to hold firm until I return with the others. You just take care of each other. She’s lovely, by the way,” Gwen winked in regards to Alex, who looked startled to suddenly be referenced. Gwen shifted Wally in her arms then and held her up under the shoulders. “As for you, don’t you think it’s about time you lent alargerhand?”
She placed Wally back in Nathan’s lap without elaboration, which left Nathan blinking dumbly.
“And Sasha, love, so glad you’re back to yourself. What eye I could keep on you missed that recessive gene we share.” Gwen reached down, cupping his face for just a moment, fingers teasing the strands ofred, so like hers, and then she was gone.
“Well ain’t someone the favorite great-great-great-great-great…great,” Nathan could have gone on forever like that until Sasha jabbed him in the side, “great-grandson,” he finished with a grin.
Sasha didn’t try to deny that he liked that, probably because Gwen had a few things in common with his own mother.
“And what was that about you, Wally?” Nathan scratched behind the chimera’s ears. “You holding out on us?”
Wally snuggled into Nathan’s lap again, tilted her head up at him with bright, blinking grey eyes, and chirped obliviousness.
“Yeah, yeah…I don’t buy that for a second.” He dug his fingers into her fur. He knew Wally was a fast and vicious little thing when she wanted to be, but he hardly wanted to see her out on the field when the battle came.
He still didn’t understand what exactly he was going to be expected to do in this whole leading the troops ordeal, but he was so over complaining. So while they were still doomed to play the waiting game for now, he decided to enjoy himself and the knowledge that they were not alone.
“Fill me up, Jim,” Nathan held his glass out to his brother, who had the bottle now and complied happily. “And we better have at least two more bottles around somewhere or you are so going down to steal another.”
Chapter 38
Anotherdayhadpassed,waiting on the light fae, when Nathan found the picture in his wallet, the one Lindsey had given him to give to Sasha whenever things settled down. They weren’t exactly settled now, but he figured it was as good a time as any.
He cornered Sasha in their room. “I almost forgot about this. It’s from Lindsey,” he said, handing Sasha the belated present. “He wantedmeto give it to you to avoid the slobbering hug you would have put him through. Though you probably still will…”
A laugh choked out of Sasha, but as he looked at what Nathan had given him, a hand went up unconsciously to cover his mouth. “Oh my god…look at us,” he said, gesturing for Nathan to join him on the bed.
Of course Nathan had already seen the picture, but it was a different experience now that Sasha could look at it too. Nathan sat next to Sasha as the incubus traced the figures in the photograph with his finger ghosting just above the gloss.
Sasha, Lindsey, and Cam had to have been fifteen in the picture, looking much the way Nathan remembered from the Animus House when he spied on Sasha’s memory. It was hard to tell where they were since their faces took up most of the space, but it looked as though they were piled on top of each other, Sasha on the bottom with Lindsey and Cam sprawled over him and all their heads smushed together to fit in the shot. Their smiles were so big they were blinding. Nathan wouldn’t have believed Lindsey’s mouth had that much give considering his usual expressions.
“This was…god, it was the night before they closed us off for the change,” Sasha said, his hand still hovering by his mouth. “He was going to give us all copies…after…” He smiled sadly, a million miles away. Or at least ten years.
Nathan waited patiently for Sasha to find his way back, and when the incubus finally did it was with a large smile thrown at Nathan and wet blue eyes that shimmered.
“Thank you. It’s still kind of awkward with Lin, ya know, but at least I know he still remembers. It’s a start.” Carefully, Sasha set the picture on the nightstand.
Nathan lay back on top of the covers and tugged Sasha’s arm to bring the incubus down too. “Course he remembers. No one would wanna forget you. You’re a lookerandya got brains. Not many of us around these days.”
Sasha laughed, and for another small moment, the world was contained to their shared room, and nothing seemed able to touch them.
Nathanwasinthelibrary only a few short hours later, Wally in his lap, purring contently in chimera form, when Alex bolted into the room.
“Nathan!” she called out of breath. “You have to come downstairs! Something’s happening! Jim says it’sbad,” she finished dauntingly, which couldn’t be anything but truly awful considering Jim could sense bad from a mile away.
“Shit,” Nathan cursed as he set Wally on the sofa. “Come on then!”
They raced down the stairs, all of the Gatehouse bustling and making it difficult to move past everyone until the other people realized thatNathanwas the one trying to get through. By the time he reached where Jim and Sasha were standing at the open main doors to the Gatehouse, it was obvious that everyone—everyone—was aware of what was happening.
“What is it?” Nathan asked his brother as soon as he came up next to him. “Why’s everyone so freaked? What hap…pened…?” Nathan could barely voice the last of his question, staring out the doors the way Jim and Sasha were, the way everyone was, some people looking out windows, others out on the lawn.
