Page 94 of Changeling
“I know, but it’s going to be okay. You can make sure of it by doing things better the next round.” Simply looking at Leven was enough for Nathan to know that the kid was punishing himself more than enough. Nathan just couldn’t see any merit to beatinghim while he was down. Leven was a good kid. He hadn’t done any of it to hurt others.
Sometimes it just turned out that way.
“Youareone of the decent ones…even if you don’t believe it,” Leven said, quiet and breathy as his tears began to still again. A shaky arm slipped around Nathan’s waist and clung. “So…there’s gotta be at least a few good people out there, right?”
Nathan squeezed Leven’s shoulder, his arm wrapped around the kid tightly. “I hope so.”
Goodbyeswerebeingpassedaround when they finally returned to Wade’s room with the promised coffee.
“You guys are leaving?” Leven asked, still small of voice and unlike the boy they had first met.
“’Fraid so, kid,” Nathan said. “We have, uhh…things to get back to.” Like waiting to see if the contract holder ever showed up, or if they had to think of another plan.
Leven smiled weakly. “Yeah. But…but you’ll come back and visit some time, right?”
“As much as I’m sure Wade would love to get rid of us for good…you bet,” Nathan said, with a wink thrown at the psychic.
“I don’t understand everything that happened,” Wade said, “but you saved my brother. And me. So…thank you.”
When Wade turned to Cam, the gratitude in her eyes was greater for him than it had been for any of them. She embraced the bronze incubus as a much damper sounding “Thank you” left her. Then she pulled away only for Leven to step up and take Cam’s hand.
“I take it you’ll be sticking around here for a while?” Sasha questioned his old friend.
Cam very nearly blushed. “Someone has to keep an eye on these two, I figure. Not that I was actually any real help,” he added under his breath, averting his eyes from the brother and sister now chatting with Jim.
“Hey,” Nathan broke in, since he knew a thing or two about feeling like he was mostly window dressing rather than any real support. “You think either of them cares if you dealt the killing blow against that sidhe, or made any staggering discoveries to solve this? You were there for them, willing to risk your life for them. And if Wade trusts you, looking at you the way she does…then she has to know something you just can’t see about yourself yet. Why do you think she givesmesuch a hard time?” Nathan smirked.
Sasha elbowed him with a scowl. “Maybe because you keep ignoring what good there is to see about you just as much as Cam does. She’d just rather be sleeping withhim. Which I completely support.” He looked back to Cam with a grin, though Nathan got the joke that he was giving his blessing on the couple as much as he was pleased Nathan and Wade had no unfinished business.
Then Sasha’s smile twitched and he suddenly pulled Cam in for a tight hug.
“I think I missed you most of all, Scarecrow,” he half laughed as he sighed into the embrace.
Cam responded with a similarly choked chuckle. “Asshole. We’ll see each other again. You just…got some important business to finish.” He pulled away, though he kept his hands tight on Sasha’s arms a moment. “Keep us posted, huh? Wade can’t see everything, so we’ll want to know when you beat this thing. We’ll need to grab some beers to celebrate, right?” He cast his gaze on Nathan—sad, Nathan thought, but hopeful that they really could overcome his bounty.
As Sasha went over to say his goodbyes to Wade and Leven, Cam turned to Nathan. Nathan expected the usual supportivewords he kept hearing in regards to his mark, but instead the bronze incubus said close and low into his ear, “I wish you the best, Nathan, but if you ever hurt Sasha in any way…you better believe I’ll kill you long before Lindsey does.”
The unexpected threat made the hairs on Nathan’s neck stand on end. He turned his head slowly and the expression he saw was not the Cam he was used to. Those golden brown eyes glowed.
“I believe you’re the good guys,” Cam said, “but if it turns out I’m wrong and you can’t be trusted…you’rethe one who’s gonna pay for it. Not Sasha.”
“Understood. Can’t wait to run into you again,” Nathan said with a growing smirk, and he gripped Cam’s hand firmly in farewell. He couldn’t help feeling more pleased than upset about the threat, because it only made it clearer that Sasha’s old friends still loved him dearly.
After Cam stepped away, Nathan would swear he barely saw the turquoise blue blur coming before Leven was suddenly attached to him.
“Ya know,” Leven said when he finally pulled away, “I was gonna go for a kiss.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Nathan warned, but he felt something tug inside his chest. “Be good, kid. We’ll see you again. I promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Grier,” Wade said with a punch to Nathan’s arm. Nathan laughed as he turned to her, but he saw the serious threat in her eyes, the worry that he really wouldn’t be able to keep that promise. Nathan couldn’t have that be the last exchange between them.
“Figures a harpy would fall for an incubus,” he said with a wide grin.
She punched his arm again. “Yeah, figures you would.” The coincidence that both of them had ended up with a sex demon made Nathan’s smile widen. “You take care of yourself,” Wadeadded. “I can’t see much, not nearly enough, but I have one more piece of advice I can offer you.”
“Then lay it on me.” Nathan held his smile, but as he stared back at Wade, he saw her teasing expression fade to one of complete seriousness.She leaned in and whispered, “The Devilis coming, Nathan. Be ready.”
Theydecidedagainstactuallyleaving Pittsburg that day, but didn’t want Cam or the others knowing why. If there was a chance the bounty holder came calling, they wanted to be in close proximity. They even changed hotels to one closer to the school. If nothing happened by morning, they’d head for their next lead.
