Page 4 of Incubus
"No. I get to try and save you just as much as the other way around, Nate. We're in this together.”
"But you know how much I hate Wade. If we go to her and nothing comes of it..." Nathan trailed, unable to ignore the firm resolve on his brother's face. "If nothing comes of it you have to promise me you’re going to drop this, okay? Now, can we getsome sleep? I'm wiped. Sunrise in Porthclais is still the middle of the night in Illinois. My immortal soul can wait until tomorrow."
"Don't joke about this, Nathan,” Jim said with a frown. “It's not funny. And for the record...you better keep a close eye on me from now on."
Nathan scooted to the end of the bed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just saying...be cautious. Until we know how long I was really gone and what they did to me, just...just keep an eye on me, okay?"
"You'reyou, Jim, and you're going to stay you."
Jim turned away to head for his bag in the corner of the room. "Let's get some sleep. I'm pretty wiped too."
Nathan sighed. "You take the bed. I didn't bother getting a cot in here before. A single room's cheaper than a double, so..." He shrugged.
"Are we broke?" Jim asked, crouching to rummage through his bag.
"I wasn't exactly thinking about how to keep the cash flow going lately.”
"We should make a stop after Wade's then."
"Yeah, I guess." Nathan crawled up the bed to reach for the book on the nightstand. "We can sell this baby. Straight from the fae realm and it's not like I need it anymore."
'"Is that the book with the spell you used to summon the Messenger?" Jim asked. "We should hang onto it."
"What for? It's not going to help us now."
"We should keep it."
Nathan tossed the book back onto the nightstand. "Fine, but we better think of something else for cash then." He stretched back on the bed despite having offered it to Jim. Suddenly, he could barely keep his eyes open, and had almost drifted off to sleep when he felt Jim pushing him to one side of the mattress.
"Shove over, Nate. We'll just share. I'm not making you sleep on the floor."
"No way, man. You kick in your sleep,” Nathan said, even as he obligingly made room.
"Yeah, well, you snore," Jim said.
“Do not.”
“Yousodo.”
"Whatever, jackass."
"Right back at ya."
Jim snapped his fingers into the shape of a gun, pointing it playfully at Nathan as he settled in beside him on the bed. Nathan repeated the gesture to Jim, a silly thing they had done ever since they were kids.
BANG.
“Whatever you say, Jesse James,” said Nathan.
They both smiled, but the expressions didn’t last long.
"Goodnight, Jim."
"Night, Nate."
'"Quick,boys,hide!"Nathanheard his mother's fierce whisper as she pushed him and Jim toward a closet.
