Page 117 of Changeling
“I believe in you, Jimmy,” she said plainly. “I can’t imagine a less likely person to be evil than you. That’s something you have to choose and you would never choose that. And there is no less deserving person to become a Shadow Immortal than Nate. So if you’re serious about letting me tag along…I’m there. But you better have a damn good plan for finishing what you’ve started. There’s about a million different ways this could all end badly.”
“Thank you,” Jim said earnestly. “We know how dangerous this is.Iknow. I can’t deny we could use an extra set of hands, but more than that…I’d like if you were with us.”
Another pregnant pause made Nathan wish he could leave the two of them alone. He caught Sasha’s gaze and they shared a knowing smirk.
“We got about a week left,” Nathan explained. “Not a lot a time.”
Alex scoffed. “No shit. So when do you want to go?”
“Today,” Jim said. “If you can manage it.”
“Manage it? Give me five minutes.”
Later,afterAlexhadauthoritatively stood before the Gatehouse patrons and informed them that the place was closed until further notice, the group dispersed to prepare themselves before heading to Colorado.
Nathan had just come from the bathroom when he spotted Jim down one of the narrower and more out of the way hallways talking with Alex. He had suggested a break before they headed out, not only to digest lunch and swipe a few books from the library, but in hopes that Jim and Alex would get a chance to talk.
“Even if I wasn’t an incubus,” came Sasha’s voice from behind Nathan, soft and thoughtful, “it would be pretty obvious there’s something between those two. Stronger than I first remember.”
“I sure hope so,” Nathan said. “A person never forget the ‘if onlys’. And Alex was a big one. The only one. I’ll have to thank those twins again sometime.”
Sasha chuckled quietly. “I was surprised even the energy high was enough to get him to relax with Eppy and Atty. It’s like waves rolling off of him all the time—need and guilt and loneliness. He needs to stop thinking everything he touches turns to dust. He deserves more than that.”
No one knew that better than Nathan.
They let Jim and Alex continue talking a while longer, and just when they were finally going to break things up and insist that they really needed to get going, the pair came to get them.
“What about Wally?” Nathan asked, holding the chimera close as they gathered by the doors. “We can’t just leave her if you’re coming with us, Al.”
“But she can’t come along,” Jim insisted. “How can we take care of her on the road? It’d be too dangerous.”
“She’ll be fine,” Alex said, taking Wally from Nathan’s arms. “Won’t you, my pretty girl? Or did you guys forget the opposablethumbs already.” She smirked and then set Wally on the bar countertop, moving her hands to her hips in a motherly fashion.
Wally stood up on her feet, fuzzy arms at her sides, as if she were paying Alex the utmost attention—like a soldier.
“You know where the food is. You know to get water. You can run a bath and clean yourself fine. You know how to keep things locked up, and you know how to keep yourself hid if need be. You can take care of yourself just fine on your own, and I expect this place to be in pristine condition when we return. If there’s an emergency, and only if it’s an emergency, call. I hear one chirp on the other end of my phone, I’ll know to hit the road and come get you. Got it?”
Wally gave an affirmative ‘prrrp’ and nodded. It might have been Nathan’s imagination, but he would swear the chimera wasn’t only bigger than they had last seen her, but more human looking too.
He still didn’t like the idea of leaving Wally alone, but since both Alex and the chimera looked confident, they soon said their goodbyes and headed out the door, locking the Gatehouse up tight behind them.
Chapter 45
“Dude,sowhat’sthestory? You two talked for like half an hour back there.”
They had stopped for gas along the way, deciding it was best to keep their current vehicle until they reached a Veil doorway in Kansas, which they could take right into Castle Rock, Colorado. Nathan had jumped at the first chance he’d gotten to talk to Jim without Alex around. They were waiting in the car with Sasha, while Alex was the last still inside the gas station.
“She just really wants to help, Nate. She wants to know what’s happening. And I want to let her, really let her in andknow, and I know that’s what we’re doing it’s just…” Jim turned away with an anguished sigh and stared out the window.
Sasha was silent but Nathan could see that the incubus was sitting up in the backseat to better overhear, watching the brothers intently.
“Whenever we’re around her, I keep waiting for something bad to happen,” Jim said, “like…like it has to be pre-ordainedthat if I care about someone then something bad has to happen to them eventually. And maybe it doesn’t have to be some outside force taking what I love away from me. Maybe next time…it’ll just beme.”
“Jim…” Nathan started in.
“Don’t you dare think for one second that being something other than human means you don’t get the chance for a happy ending,” Sasha interrupted. Blue eyes danced over Nathan’s face, not at all subtle, before turning back to Jim. “If Alex has spent all this time waiting for you, then being what you are isn’t reason enough to push her away. I hope you haven’t done that?”
“No, we didn’t really talk about…uslike that. More like everything but.” Jim smiled shyly. “It still worries me sometimes, but…I know what I want.”
