Page 64 of Sidhe
The nachzehrer keened once more, deafening for a moment and then gone as its strength and struggling died away. It was already rotting, so it didn’t fall to further decay when it died, just lied there still, a slab of dead meat left in the center of the room with three young men hovering around it. It took Nathan a few moments to realize he was shaking.
Solrin looked at him curiously, noticing the trembles.
“Fucking hate zombies,” Nathan said as explanation. He looked down the nach’s body to Jim, eyes pleading and distraught in ways he couldn’t risk Solrin seeing.
“Where is Sasha?” Solrin had to ask right then, making Nathan’s chest tighten.
“We…split up. I heard the nach screaming, but…Sasha must still be looking over the house.”
“Good,” Solrin seemed satisfied with that, “there could still be another creature. We should catch up with him.”
The three of them stood.
“I’m sure Sasha’s fine, but we better find him,” Jim said. “Whether there’s another creature or not, this place isn’t exactly safe with so much structural decay. Let’s go.”
They left the nach’s body to rot and headed back to the main entrance. Nathan tried to lead them the long way through the other side of the house, saving the cellar for last in case Sasha needed more time, but if it came down to it and they reached the cellar door, Nathan would risk Solrin finding out the truth, risk anything if only to check and make sure Sasha was still breathing.
“Perhaps we should call him?” Solrin suggested. “Aren’t you worried something has happened?”
Nathan keenly picked up on the sound of suspicion in Solrin’s tone. “Sure, and then if he’s trying to make a sneak attack on this ‘other creature’ you’re so sure about, we’d totally blow it for him.” He mustered up an incredulous smirk. “We’re almost through the house. Gotta be around here somewhere.”
The kitchen was the last main room before the hallway with the cellar door. They reached it and Nathan’s fists clenched as he made his way across the ruined linoleum.
There was shuffling, movement from beyond the kitchen. Nathan froze, waiting, so damn hopeful that he just about stopped breathing when a leather sleeve suddenly reached forthe doorframe in front of him to steady a very weary,redheadedincubus.
“Sasha!” Nathan rushed to him, forgetting that he was supposed to be calm and unruffled. “You’re okay! FuckingChrist, how theHellare you okay?” He checked Sasha over feverishly, running his hands along Sasha’s perfect, unmarred face and further down his equally perfect body. ‘Perfect’ because his clothes weren’t shredded or even all that dirty, which was impossible because it not only meant that he had survived the ordeal but that he had been able to hold his glamours, coming out the other end as if nothing happened.
Of course with how Sasha slumped forward exhaustedly into Nathan, it obviously hadn’t beeneasy.
“Don’t be…so dramatic, Nate,” Sasha slurred into Nathan’s shoulder, forcing Nathan to hold up most of his weight. Jim and Solrin rushed over to help as well. “Bet you were…trying to act all cool too, like you weren’t worried.” Sasha rolled his head so he could smile up at Nathan wearily.
“What happened to you?” Solrin asked, helping to hold Sasha up like he had the other night. Jim stepped back then, Solrin having beaten him to the punch and knowing that there was no way Nathan would give uphishalf of the incubus.
“I guess…that bug I had…isn’t totally out of my system,” Sasha said, and maybe because he was halfway to passing out, his lie was thoroughly convincing. “Such an idiot. Hit me like a punch to the gut. Stumbled down into the…cellar and…knocked myself out.” Sasha reached up to the back of his head and pulled back a slightly bloodied hand.
Nathan looked at the wound as best he could through Sasha’s too red hair. It was just a cut, a bad bump too, but at least it helped Sasha’s story sound more plausible.
Of course Nathan couldn’t help envisioning what might have actually caused that wound as a flash of Sasha being fucked hardagainst the cellar wall ripped through his brain—Sasha’s back arching, claws clinging to the younger incubus that was frenzied and rutting into him, and then with a growl Sasha’s head flew back, cracking hard against the cement and…
Fuck. Nathan really didn’t need to think about that.
“You didn’t find another creature?” Solrin asked, his brow tightly knit.
Sasha shook his head. “Nothing here,” he said, casting Nathan a quick, pointed glance that Nathan hoped meant the incubus kid had high-tailed it. “Does that mean you got the nach? Damn it. Lotta help…I was.”
Nathan couldn’t help thinking that sometimes Sasha wastoogood at the acting game. He shifted the incubus against him. “You know…I really wish you would have told me if you still weren’t feeling well,” he said, meaning,you bastard, how dare you make that decision without me.
“I know,” Sasha looked at him, all honest remorse for what he had put Nathan through, “I’m sorry, Nate. I hate to worry you.”I had to do it, you know I had to do it.
“Yeah…” Nathan sighed, because he did know, but that didn’t help.
“We should get out of here,” Jim said. “This place is falling apart and we’re all soaked and dirty. Guess the second creature left a while ago.” He shrugged as believably as he could.
“It seems you are right. There is nothing else here,” Solrin said in defeat. “I may have misjudged you,” he added as they began to lead Sasha from the house. “I was…expecting a different outcome. My mistake. Hunting together was…” his lips gave a small twitch as he looked at Nathan, “fun.”
Helpless laughter poured from Nathan’s lips, becausedamn, that had been anything but fun.
ThejealousyNathanhadn’tfelt while worrying whether or not Sasha would even survive letting the young incubus feed from him stirred bitterly in his stomach now. He knew it was stupid. They had both slept with plenty of other people before they got together, and it wasn’t as if Sasha was going to walk away from the ordeal with any feelings for the kid. But even so.
