Page 86 of Changeling
“There were plenty of cast members who’d already been through the change—older—and what’s too young for us anyway?Cabaret’sgood practice for life when you’re an incubus,” Cam smirked.
Nathan didn’t have a comeback for that. “I guess it just must be hard for him to talk about it. Makes him remember his friends aren’t around anymore.”
Cam stopped on the ramp up the stage, causing Nathan to look back at him. “I’m here now, aren’t I? Lindsey will come around. We were dumb kids back then.”
“I’m not judging,” Nathan jumped in. “I get it. But I have to be a little offended on principle that none of you bothered checking on him all these years, not even after he’d been banished. He can’t ever see you guys in the Veil again, see hishome. And he got banished for good reason. His aunt was killing innocent—”
“We know that,” Cam cut him off. “We know. That’s why I’m here. Not just because Wade asked, but because she told me you’d be coming, that Sasha would be coming. She was giving me an out, if I didn’t want to see him, even though she wanted my help. I didn’t take it. I stayed. I’m here.”
“I’m glad,” Nathan said. “Never seen Sasha look as unburdened as when he saw Charis, or when he finally hugged you that first night. I hope that means we’ll see a lot more of you after this mess is settled.”
“I hope so, too,” Cam said, though his eyes took on a strange shadow as he spoke. He hesitated to say more, but finally admitted, “Wade told me about you. About your mark. I know why you guys are seeking out dark fae. And I’m sorry. But if anyone can come to someone’s rescue against all odds, it’s Sasha Kelly.”
Nathan took a deep breath, letting it wash over him that yet another person knew about his ticking clock. But something else struck him. “Wade told you? Seems she trusts you a lot. I’m not used to that from her, toward anyone. You better be careful,” he added, half a real warning since Wade was a force to be reckoned with, but also a bit of a threat, because Nathan didn’t like the thought of anyone instilling Wade’s wrath—other than him.
Cam chuckled as he finally finished his trek up onto the stage to join Nathan. “Don’t I know it,” he said, but Nathan noticed the flush of color to the incubus’ cheeks. “So…I could fly up and take a look?” he suggested with a glance up at the catwalk. “Save us the trouble of getting access to the locked doors up there. If you keep watch.”
He looked around the auditorium but it was definitely deserted. No one wanted to hang around outside normal practice or work times if they didn’t have to. Not anymore.
“Two eyes are better than one, though,” Cam said with a smirk as he turned back to Nathan. “I could carry you up to look too. Of course if you try copping a feel or something, I am totally dropping your ass.”
“Whoa,” Nathan held up his hands. “What is it with you incubi and always trying to get me in the air? I got a little thing with heights, okay. Can’t you go alone?”
Cam rolled his eyes dramatically. “I can, but I figured we should cover all our bases.”
Nathan chewed his lower lip, closed his eyes tight a moment, then sighed. “Fine. Just make it quick.”
“I hope that isn’t your response to Sasha when you’re this close,” Cam said as he slid up behind Nathan and gripped him around the waist.
“Hilarious,” Nathan grumbled back.
“All right then, you better not look down.”
Before Nathan could really prepare himself, he felt Cam grow taller behind him, the incubus’ body larger and more encompassing in its true form. Nathan’s feet were off the stage floor, lifting higher and higher at great speed toward the catwalk before he even realized it.
He braced himself. He could do this. Cam wasn’t about to drop him any more than Sasha would, and it would be over as soon as Nathan scanned the area. He listened as best he could about notlooking down, staring up instead at their destination. They were level with the catwalk before Nathan had time to panic or think about being so many feet above the ground.
“See anything?” Cam asked after a minute, sounding only slightly strained, probably more from their position than actual fatigue. Cam was the same height as Nathan in his incubus form, and Nathan could feel warm breath against the back of his hair.
"Not really…” Nathan said.
“Me either.”
Cam moved them closer, hovering while holding onto Nathan tightly. Nathan liked the tight part even if it felt a little weird to have Cam so flush against his back. He’d take that over feeling like he was going to fall, though. Scanning the areas of the catwalk as closely as he could, Nathan still saw nothing helpful or out of the ordinary, at least nothing that the police hadn’t already checked or taken away.
“I think we need to hurry,” Cam whispered.
“Why?”
“Because I think I hear someone coming.”
Nathan immediately looked down to see if that was true, but that was probably the worst idea he could have had. For a second everything went vertigo and Nathan jerked unintentionally from Cam’s hold. He started to slip.
“Nathan!”
“Shit!” Nathan tried to maneuver himself better for Cam to regain a good hold, but his turning only slipped him further out of the dark brown claws that were supporting him. Nathan had just enough time to catch sight of a lone girl wandering onto the stage before part of his shirt tore and dropped him straight out of Cam’s hands.
There it was again, that horrible free-falling feeling, that awful impending doom and the knowledge that he would probablylive and only break his legs, and maybe land on that poor, unsuspecting girl.
