Page 28 of Incubus
Thenextmorning,Nathanfelt as though his brother somehow knew what had happened between him and Sasha. Jim didn't say anything, and there was no way he actuallycouldknow, but Nathan felt weighed down and...watched. He figured that probably had something to do with Walter, but Jim was the one he could see, so Jim was the one he felt the need to avoid.
He slipped out of their room while Jim was in the shower, quietly closing the door behind him with no real destination inmind, and was immediately struck by the faint smell of leather. Turning around, he came nearly nose to nose with Sasha.
“Shit,” Nathan gasped, tensing as he pulled himself back against the door. “Don’tdothat.”
“Sorry.” Sasha had the nerve to smile brightly, looking all presentable and well-groomed in his leather jacket. He didn’t look nearly as sickly and fatigued as he had the night before. “I just figured I should check on you. You okay?” he asked, reaching out as if to grab for Nathan’s shoulder.
Nathan pulled back so sharply, he knocked his head against the door.
Sasha frowned, a barely repressed look of pain passing through his eyes. "Guess I…really freaked you out last night, huh?”
“No, it’s…it’s not that. I mean…itdidfreak me out, because I wasn’t expecting what happened, but I…I'm fine," Nathan insisted, trying his best to get his body to relax again. "It's not you. Not...entirelyyou. I'm not totally okay with all this, but if you really wanted to hurt me, you could have last night. I'm the one who took your hand, remember?"
Sasha pulled on a smile, but it seemed flawed compared to his usual cheerfulness. "And I'm the one who suggested it. But I'm glad you understand that I have no intention of hurting you. Or your brother. Besides...you're kind of cute when you're flustered." He winked.
They were so close that even though Nathan pressed himself back against the door, he could still smell the oddly potent combination of leather and what he imaged to be pheromones. "Still not letting up with all that, huh?"
"Well," Sasha grinned, "I am an incubus." But then the grin seemed to fade and Sasha looked away, as if something had turned sour in his stomach. "Umm...I should tell you something.I was still feeling pretty weak last night even after feeding a little in the halls, so...I went for a walk."
Nathan felt a tightness grow in his chest. "You...bring some chick back to your room?" he asked, hoping there wasn't a body across the hall behind Sasha's door.
"Actually..."
“Shit, I amsogonna be late for class!” preceded a decidedlymalevoice from Sasha's room as the door swung open. “I gotta catch the bus to the U!”
Nathan gaped at the young man who stepped out of Sasha's room. He was shorter than Nathan, with dyed blonde hair and glasses, and had obviously dressed in a hurry because his shirt was only half buttoned.
He noticed Sasha and Nathan in the hallway and flashed a smile as he slung a bag over his shoulder. “Hey, great time last night," he said to Sasha, lifting up onto his toes to steal a quick kiss. Then he was gone, zipping down the hallway toward the exit.
The door opened so suddenly behind Nathan that he nearly fell backwards into the room.
"Nate!" Jim cried. "What are you doing? I get out of the bathroom and you’re justgone? How was I supposed to know where—”
“Geesh, sorry,Mom,” Nathan broke in, annoyed by Jim's tone but glad for the interruption. “I was outside the door the whole time, Jim. Gimme a break here.” He took the opportunity to push past Jim into the room, leaving Sasha to stare after him.
Chapter 11
“Idon’tseewhyit’s such a big deal.”
“It was a guy, Jim.”
“So. He’s an incubus. I don’t think it really matters.”
“I’m not talking about feeding here, I’m talking aboutsex.”
“No, you’re talking about Sasha having sex with a man. Which freaks you out because it means he might not be entirely joking when he hits on you.”
Nathan opened his mouth to deny that, but nothing came out.
“Look, Nate,” Jim said, leaning back against a tree. They were walking the borders of Loring Park with half-finished coffee in their hands, searching for hidden corners where the platinum blonde succubus might be hiding. “I know you’re not comfortable with people who are gay, or the subject of people who are gay, or anything even remotely related to people who are gay…”
Nathan grimaced. “I am not a homophobe,” he said vehemently.
“Homophobic doesn’t only mean the violent kind, Nathan. You’re okay with people being gay and loving whoever they want just so long as they don’t do it around you.”
Again, Nathan opened his mouth, because there had to be a comeback for that, but, with a very prominent scowl, he drew another blank.
“Well, you’re in luck,” Jim went on, “I don’t think Sasha can be classified as gay, or bi, or however you want to say it. I don’t think you can categorize an incubus. I mean, he can’t have much for standards if he's been hitting on you.” Jim smirked around his frou-frou coffee drink.
