Page 62 of Sidhe
“It’s okay,” Sasha said once more, not trying yet to get any closer but remaining crouched a few feet in front of the kid, “you won’t hurt him. I won’t let you. I won’t let you hurt anyone. Do you understand what’s been happening?”
The kid’s face was half hidden as he clung to his knees, curled up tight in the corner of the cellar. Nathan couldn’t help noticing how he flinched at Sasha’s question, his eyes squeezing tight for a moment as a tear left a clean wet streak down his dirtied face.
“Hey…” Sasha tried to reach for him, very subtly with his hand inching closer along the ground like approaching a wounded animal, which Nathan realized this kid sort of was.
The young incubus flinched away. “I…I-I know…what I did,” he said, his voice more than just a growl but hoarse from disuse. “He won’t…leave me alone now. Itried…to tell him how s-sorry I am, but…” He couldn’t get the words out, his head shaking back and forth as more tears streaked down his face. “I tried to get away, but he…followed me…from the barn. He won’t let me go. I…I didn’tmean…” He dissolved into piteous sobs then, clinging more tightly to his legs and pressing his whole face into his knees.
“He’s keeping you here,” Sasha said in realization, “so you’ll keep feeding him.”
“I…” muffled words rose up that Nathan almost couldn’t understand, “I never…wanted to h-hurt…anyone. I-I just…wanna go home.Please, I…” he looked up, stared a moment at Sasha who hadn’t tried to move again, and then his eyes slid slow and ravenous up to Nathan, “I’m sohungry.”
Nathan could see the beginning of horns curling out from the kid’s temples now, dark teal pushing past his hair, the shape so much like Sasha’s. Nathan knew frenzy pretty well by now and this kid was just about there.
The worst of lead weights dropped down into the pit of Nathan’s stomach as he realized they couldn’t save him. It wasn’t the kid’s fault. An accident created a monster and the monster made it worse. But if this kid frenzied again there was no saving him without killing him.
“Sasha…”
“What’s your name?” Sasha asked the boy, pulling his hand back so as not to spook him.
Those shimmering red eyes didn’t leave Nathan’s face. “Adrian…” he choked out past drying tears.Dryingtears.
“It’s going to be okay, Adrian. We’ll get you out of here.”
“Sasha.” Nathan clamped his free hand down on Sasha’s shoulder, the other still holding his knife, though somewhat hidden so the kid wouldn’t see it. He didn’t know what to say when Sasha turned concerned eyes on him. “It’s too late,” he hated to admit, even though it was so obvious now, how little of a boy was left as the incubus aspects took firmer hold, transforming the kid—Adrian—into something that would no longer feel remorse.
Sasha’s expression melted first into accusation, into blame and anger. But then there was grief again. He looked back at the kid and had to see how much the incubus shook, his horns fully formed and wings sprouting out the back of his already wrecked sweatshirt, his claws deadly. There wasn’t any time.
Nathan was ready with the knife; he’d do it, he’d never make Sasha do it even if the damn martyr begged him to.
He was ready to offer that, ready to make it quick and easy, as painless as he could for the kid…when Sasha stood and began pushing him forcibly back toward the stairs.
“Go,” the redhead growled at him,growled, his own eyes red and shimmering.
“What?” Nathan tried to push back against Sasha; he must be out of his freakin’ mind. “Sasha—!”
“How do we feed during the change, Nathan?” Sasha asked without really needing an answer, those red eyes looking sorrowful and so damn…apologetic.
“No.”
“I can give him what he needs and no one has to die.”
“You think I’m that stupid? This isn’t two frenzied incubi helping each other, or two fine and dandy ones either. He’s gonna be taking a helluva lot more from you than you’ll get back from him. After the other night with Malak…that couldkillyou.You. That sounds likesomeonedying to me!” Nathan could see over Sasha’s shoulder that the kid was getting up, tearing at his clothes, growling and almost totally gone now.
“I’ll be okay,” Sasha said, even though he wouldn’t meet Nathan’s eyes as he said that, just kept pushing him up the steps with his damn superior strength that Nathan’s hardest struggling did nothing to overcome.
Nathan nearly tripped several times, trying so hard to keep his feet down the steps instead of being forced further and further up.
Sasha just smiled,fucking smiledback at Nathan like he wasn’t about to throw himself to the wolves. “He’s just a kid, Nathan. And I can save him.”
Nathan was almost up the stairs, the knife gripped too tightly in his hand, growls emanating from below, and there was nothing he could do, no amount of pushing back at Sasha that could possibly be enough. “He’ll kill you,” he said desperately.
“He won’t.”
“You don’t know that for—”
“Hewon’t,” Sasha said firmly. Then he was kissing him, fierce and claiming and too much like goodbye. “Ihaveto do this, Nathan. I’m sorry.”
I’m sorry.
