Page 71 of Changeling
“Far?” Nathan frowned. “He took off? Where did he go?”
“I am not certain, Nathan…but it appeared to be the direction you had come from.”
Fuck. Nathan nearly slammed a fist back into the door, but didn’t want to alert Jim. Instead, he thanked Walter, allowed his Spirit Guide to fade from view again, and tried to gather his thoughts as he used the toilet. He couldn’t go after Sasha without knowing exactly where he’d gone, but he had a pretty good idea.
When he left the bathroom, he glanced over at the other bed to find Jim lying on top of the blankets but still fully clothed. Sasha was nowhere to be seen.
Nathan stifled a groan as he lay back down on the empty bed. It didn’t take long for him to fall back to sleep, despite the threat of further nightmares, as his recovering body fought to heal.
Nathanawokethistimeto the welcoming smell of coffee like the morning before, and felt warm breath on the back of his neck. He knew that the moment he moved, his current state of bliss would be shattered, so he stayed still for a moment to enjoy it. At least the drug hangover was gone. He felt Sasha behind him and it felt right and safe to have him there.
Jim was beside the bed as soon as Nathan sat up, ready with a handful of pills and more water. Nathan smiled tightly in thanks and downed them.
“How are you feeling? Be honest for once,” Jim asked.
“Pretty good, actually. Definitely better after another long hot shower. What time is it?” Nathan stood up slowly and was pleased when the room didn’t tilt.
“Almost noon. Coffee’ll be done by the time you are.”
Nathan paused before heading to the bathroom, looking back at the still sleeping incubus. There were dark shadows under Sasha’s eyes and a slight frown passed over his face in sleep. His too red hair fell across his face and one hand seemed to be groping out in search of his missing companion.
“What time did he get in?” Nathan asked quietly.
“About six, I think.”
“Damn.” Nathan retreated to the bathroom.
By the time Nathan came back into the main room, he was feeling a whole lot better, and Jim and Sasha were both sitting at the table. They were nursing coffees and there was anuncomfortable silence between them. Nathan got himself a cup and sat down at the table with the others.
“So. Where the hell did you go last night?”
“Nathan,” Jim warned.
Nathan shrugged and kept his green gaze fixed firmly on Sasha.
“I went to the bar to sing.” Sasha reached into his jacket hanging on the chair and pulled out a handful of bills, tossing them on the table.
“Last time I checked, bars don’t close at six in the morning,” Nathan spat. He took the opportunity to really look at Sasha’s face. He looked pale and tired; he still had dark smudges under his eyes.
“What do you want me to say?” Sasha replied quietly. “I finished up at the bar around one, came back here to drop off the car, flew back to that rat hole, beat the crap out of that stupid Pete and his buddies, and came home. Satisfied?” He glared at the brothers, defiant and unrepentant.
“Jesus,” Nathan swore. “You don’t think an incubus attacking them might draw a little attention?”
“I wasn’t in my incubus form. I wanted them to know exactly who was kicking their asses and why.”
“You asshole!” Nathan spat.
“I wasn’t going to let them just get away with hurting you!” Sasha raised his voice as well. “I wasn’t going to let them get away with almost—”
“Don’t!” Nathan shouted, interrupting and slamming his fist on the table. “Don’t you say it.” His voice lowered almost to a whisper. He glared at Sasha. “Maybe I don’t have freaky super powers like you two, but I’ve been fighting my own battles for a long time. I don’twantyou fighting them for me.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Sasha tried to reason.
“The hell it wasn’t. You told me you’re not my damsel in distress; well, I’m not yours either.” Nathan’s fist hit the table again. He couldn’t bear the thought of them thinking he was weak—even when he was. Especially when he was.
Sasha deflated, no doubt able to feel the pain and confusion beneath Nathan’s anger.
“You can’t do things like this, Sasha,” Jim said. “Running off and following your own agenda. If we’re going to be a team, we have to act like one. That means each member knows what the others are doing. We make decisions together.” He had his earnest professor voice on, but for once, Nathan didn’t object to either the tone or the content of Jim’s speech.
