Page 99 of Changeling
Sasha had moved when Jim did, close on Nathan’s other side like maybe he thought simple proximity would make it easier to protect him. The sofa was between Jim and the sidhe. In other cases Nathan might consider that a bonus, even an advantage, especially since Jim had a weapon. But something was wrong. She looked too impassive.
“Let Nathan go!” Jim cried again, bordering on hysterics. This was their one chance, the opportunity they’d been waiting for.
She tilted her head at Jim, a small smirk on her lips as she simply said, “No.”
Nathan saw Jim’s face change into a sneer. The expression marred him. He was sneering, the sidhe was smirking, and something about it all was justwrong.
“Wait!” Nathan called just as the gun fired, his voice drowned out by the distinctive sound of the shot. He didn’t know what he expected. Maybe a little Magneto action and for the bullet to just stop mid-air before meeting its mark. Maybe for the bullet to just go poof. What he certainly didn’t expect was for the shot to reach its goal clean and unchallenged.
It hit her forehead with a burst of arcane energy, little jolts of electricity like an internal thunderstorm spasming through her body. It was too easy. Too easy. It couldn’t be thateasy.
And of course Nathan only had a few seconds to feel the beginnings of joy and relief before it became quite plain that it wasn’t easy at all.
The little shocks fizzled away, but she did not drop to the ground, wide-eyed or at all dead. She blinked full consciousness, gave herself an almost pleasured shake, and grinned slowly at Jim as the wound left behind by the bullet began to close. In a moment there was nothing but smooth skin again.
Raising her left arm, her palm out facing Jim, she tilted her head at him as she said, “Now that, my dear James…was rude.”
Jim flew backwards across the room, striking the far wall. The gun was knocked from his hands and the picture that had been hanging along the wall fell with a thud. Jim remained pinned an inch above the floor, grimacing within her hold.
Sasha and Nathan stood frozen. Iron to the head or heart could kill any fae.Any.
“Well, clearly I am not merelyanyfae,” she said snidely at Nathan, unrepentant of the ease with which she slipped into his mind. “Honestly, Nathan, do you not yet understand justwhoI am?”
She lowered her arm but Jim remained pinned against the wall. He seemed unable to speak because of the strain on his body though it looked as though he had a few choice words that were bubbling up within him. She turned her attention back on him and her head tilted once more, as if she were merely regarding him.
Jim released a slowly building cry that ended in a full blown scream.
“You have become quite irritating, James. And I had such hopes for you.”
“Stop,” Nathan said, trying to find some leverage, some way to talk them out of this steadily worsening situation. “Just tell me what you want. You came here so you obviously want something. What?”
She turned to Nathan with a gauging expression, and Jim’s pained noises lessened. “Oh, so I came here for you, did I? Andhere I thought it was you who were seeking outme.” She was beautiful in a way that seemed cruel and Nathan hated her for it, hated her even more for that red hair that was so like Sasha’s. “I don’t think you fully comprehend yet what your place in this is, Nathan. After all, it would appear your brother is still alive and back in the mortal plane. I do believe that was our deal. Now, I cannot guarantee that he won’t get himself killed sooner than you might want, but I carried out my part of the bargain. Why then, I ask myself, do you insist on trying to swindle your way out ofyours.” Her eyes snapped to Sasha with a flash of her yellow on black eyes.
“Wait!” Nathan cried, stepping in front of Sasha to block him from her. “That was an accident. I wasn’t thinking. I don’t want to be an incubus.” He didn’t have time right now to care if Sasha was pained to hear that. “Caught up in the moment, ya know? You can’t take Jim back. See? All human again, just like you want.”
Now Jim knew what he had interrupted, but Nathan didn’t have time to deal with that either.
The sidhe pursed her lips, not yet swayed. “If not for the consequence of losing your brother, you would have gone through with that little ritual tonight, I think. Perhaps it would be better if I removed the temptation. Tell me,” she said with a cruel quirk of her lips, “do you know what it looks like, Nathan…when an incubus starves to death?”
Chapter 39
Nathanflippedaroundjustin time to see Sasha go pale, not just from nausea or pain but because he was morphing into an incubus, something that was clearly being forced upon him. Sasha’s eyes went red as he changed and he growled like he was frenzied. Then Nathan understood. That was exactly what was happening.
“Of course you remember the first stage,” came the sidhe’s voice, calm and unfazed.
Sasha lunged for Nathan as soon as his vision cleared enough to see that a warm, prone body was in front of him.Yeah, Nathan remembered that stage. But before Sasha could do more than grip Nathan’s arms painfully and tower over him, the incubus began to falter. He shook his head, his vision clouding again while his breaths came slow and shallow as if the energy was draining right out of him.
“After that, things get more interesting,” she went on, like she was explaining something out of a textbook. “What happensif a frenzied incubus, starved already, fails to get what he needs? They don’t just remain frenzied. No, it’s actually quite fascinating what happens next.”
As Sasha began to stumble away from Nathan, disoriented and confused, Nathan dove for him. As he grabbed onto his waist, Sasha almost instantly crumbled in his arms. He started to change back to human but only halfway, like his body didn’t know what it should be. He was left with slightly longer hair, fangs, the red eyes Nathan loved, and blackened fingers. He stared at Nathan as they fell to the floor together, recognition having returned.
“Exactly. It seems they find their way back to themselves in the end. Just long enough to be aware…as their insides rot from within them.” She bit out the last of it, a curse and promise.
“Stop,” Nathan choked out, on his knees with Sasha in his lap, just as it had been when he thought Sasha had died in his arms the first time.
He couldn’t handle it again. Not for real. Not with Sasha looking at him the same way, frightened and unsure of what was happening.
“Please…” Nathan pleaded, though his gaze remained on Sasha. “Leave him alone. I’m here. I’ll talk.” He turned back to her finally as he held onto Sasha tighter. “Whatever you want. Juststop.”
