Page 46 of Outside the Veil
Diego felt those awful hands on his arms again and a wave of uncontrolled shivers hit him. “What exactly does that mean?”
“It saw the light you carry, saw the city full of people that is your home, and all those who trust you there. It wishes to inhabit you. To use your face, your form, your voice to lure its victims. I think it has avoided large human settlements and their machines out of fear. But with you, it sees a way to a hunting ground so vast and rich…”
Diego turned this over, fighting nausea. “And what would happen to me?”
Finn grabbed the front of his T-shirt in both fists and buried his head against Diego’s chest.
“All right, we’ll talk about it later.” Alarmed by Finn’s shaking, he wrapped his arms tight around him, cuts and all. “We can’t solve anything in the state we’re in now.”
“I’m so tired,” Finn whispered.
“I know. Close your eyes. Go to sleep. I’m glad you’re home.”
“How long have you been up?” Diego’s heart stuttered and lurched from waking up alone again.
“Not long.”
“Cold?”
“A mite, yes.”
Finn sat in the kitchen hunched under a blanket. Papers littered the table, covered in crayon-rendered, anguished shapes of black, gray and red with the occasional streaks of sickly yellow-green.
“This isn’t your fault.” Diego eased into the chair next to him.
“It most certainly is.”
“How were you to know what would happen?”
A steady tearing punctuated the long pause as Finn peeled off his black crayon’s paper until it lay naked and shining in his palm.
“I should have guessed its nature. Should have been more cautious in my approach.”
“Cautious? I’m not sure who I’m talking to right now.”
Finn slammed both fists against the table. “I should have been able to protect you! All the power at my fingertips, all the centuries of experience, and what good does it do? Not one cursed grain.”
Your pride isn’t wounded, it’s shattered.
“There’s always something stronger out there. That shouldn’t be such a shock.” Diego kept his voice flat and even, afraid Finn might fly apart with any show of sympathy.
“I woke it. My presence. The songs in my blood. It has slept long and deeply from what I could glean, and might have slept forever had I not come here. My reckless foolishness has imperiled you.”
“And maybe not. Maybe it was ready to wake up anyway.” He rubbed at his temples. “What do you want me to do with this little display? Hit you? Scream at you? Toss you out and tell youI never want to see you again? Stop feeling sorry for yourself. We have thinking to do.”
Finn’s hair obscured most of his face. Diego waited to see if he’d made matters worse.
“How can you be so calm?” The choked whisper barely reached him.
He took Finn’s face between his hands, lifted his head and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “I’m scared to death. But I have you with me. Nothing’s quite so bad now.”
Under different circumstances, Finn’s shocked expression would have been hilarious.
“You kissed me.”
“I did. Need another?”
“Please.”
