Page 99 of Sidhe
Nathan felt a little like he’d dreamed the whole encounter as they walked away from the castle back on the marble road, but he’d known his strategy of clear, direct, and as tactless as possible would do the trick.
“Hey,” he said as a thought struck him, “what would have happened if the vote tied?”
“There’s an honorary member of the Council for those situations,” Shiarra said, “newly appointed once a decade.”
“Who would that have been this time?”
“Me,” she grinned, which brought Nathan up short. “My vote couldn’t do anything for Sasha before,” she went on, “it had been unanimous then, but I was ready for more contention between them this time. You did well, Nathan, in your way.”
“Thanks. And hey, Lindsey, in case I just shat all over this budding friendship of ours with how I acted toward your grandfather—”
“You meant every disrespect,” Lindsey said lowly, in much the tone Nathan had expected. What he didn’t expect was for the tallincubus to throw his arm over Nathan’s shoulders and finish, “so when we return, I’m buying you a drink.”
“Dude,” Nathan gaped, “I just told off your ancient as dirt grandfather. Isn’t this when you tear my head off for some sort of family honor thing?”
“Nathan, I love my grandfather. He has accomplished more than I could ever hope to live up to. He is a great man. But if someone can bitch him out like that and come away with a win, you’ve more than made good in my book. And you’ve helped bring Sasha home.” He smacked Nathan hard enough on the back to send him stumbling forward.
“Ha…my pleasure, man,” Nathan said as he regained his footing. They were nearly back to the Veil doorway that would return them to the Gatehouse. “Now let’s go see if I can pull off the rest of this plan.”
“Wait!”
Nathan turned just as he was pulling on his glamours again, becoming his normal self in a T-shirt, button down, and jeans. A like glamoured incubus was rushing toward them from one of the smaller paths. It took Nathan a moment to recognize the kid, clean now and healthy, wearing something Shiarra probably dressed him in before she left, because he looked very GQ in slacks and a collared shirt. Nathan remembered the kid being more modern punk if that ragged sweatshirt with the safety-pin closure had been any indication.
Adrian.
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 lessdancer 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 ofreason, 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 physicalpain. “I’m…good. I’m sorry…sorry I’m here, I just…” He trailed miserably.
Nathan wasn’ttryingto look pissed and unapproachable, honest.
“My family was really grateful when I came home,” Adrian finally said. “Toyou, 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 Iamsorry. There’s nothing worse, nothing lower than taking someone else’s mate. It’slaw. 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.Andhe 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.
