Burn

by Belinda McBride

  In spite of the awkwardness and discomfort, having Rion wash his hair was a blissful luxury. Rex sighed as his lover carefully scrubbed away the blood and bits of twigs, dirt and broken glass. He then balanced, with one hand on the shower rail, as Rion gently washed the rest of his body.

  Rion was on his knees, soaping his legs, when Rex laid a hand on his head. “Are you going to suck me?” He asked half in jest, but there was nothing Rex wanted more than to feel Rion’s hands on his body, his mouth on his cock. It was probably the primal need for reassurance, the knowledge that life goes on even after catastrophe.

  In answer, Rion laid his head on Rex’s lower belly, his arms wrapping around his hips.

  “Not here. You might fall…” He sighed as Rex sent his tail exploring, stroking the angel’s back, wrapping lightly around his body.

  They remained like that, steam rising in the air, holding on to each other as though time had no meaning. Rex let his weight rest against the tile wall and closed his eyes, feeling the water beating down onto his face, washing away the fear along with the blood and dirt. He felt his cock go heavy and long.

  “You’re strong enough to keep me from falling, Rion.” He held on to the shower rail with his good hand and steadied himself with his tail around Rion’s hips. That tail took a suggestive journey between Rion’s legs, stroking his balls, putting pressure against his anus.

  “Suck me, Rion. Please.”

  When the man wrapped his strong, hot mouth over Rex’s cock, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He barely stood upright in a wet, slippery shower with the use of one leg and one arm. What fools they were. Rion steadied him with an arm around his hips, holding him perfectly still. His other hand came up, slick and soapy, pulling at Rex’s balls in a soothing, arousing rhythm.

  Soap. Rex wrenched himself out of bliss just long enough to find a bar and slicked up the tip of his tail. He teased Rion’s erect cock, caressing until the angel moaned and the vibration of the sound very nearly brought him to climax. That was okay, he wanted it to be fast. He didn’t have the stamina for slow.

  He found Rion’s hole and carefully entered with the tip of his tail, matching the rhythm the angel was setting with his mouth. Rion moaned again and Rex gasped in answer.

  “Oh fuck, Rion… Oh shit…”

  Rion let his cock slip from his mouth. “No foul language, Rex.”

  Rex saw a little smile as the angel went down on him again, his tongue licking and probing, circling the eye of his cockhead. His tongue fluttered under the glans and Rex thrust forward, nearly falling in the process. He felt the answering tension in Rion.

  “I can’t…” Rion gasped, “I’m so close…can’t use my mouth…”

  “Hand…” Rex was at the gasping stage himself. Rion’s muscular ass was frantically bearing down on the sensitive tip of his tail, which felt sinfully exquisite. His strong hand pumped Rex hard and he sent a finger up Rex’s ass, lightly fingering the gland there. He kissed, he licked, and when Rex stiffened in climax, Rion cried out at the same time, his hot seed spattering the floor of the shower, swirling into the water.

  Looking down, Rex saw his own semen shining on the angel’s cheek and lips. He wanted to fall to his knees, he wanted to take Rion in his arms and kiss him. He wanted to taste himself on Rion’s beautiful mouth.

  Instead, he stood on one shaky leg, still clasping the shower bar for dear life. Rion held him tighter, feathering kisses on his still-thickened cock, his thigh and his hip. When he stopped, Rex was jolted from a near stupor of pleasure.

  “Rex, what is this?”

  Rion’s hand smoothed over his hip, over a small injury he’d not noticed before. “Are these teethmarks?”

  Rex twisted and looked down. The mark was faint, but yes…it could very well be a bite.

  “Is the skin broken?”

  “Just in one…no, two spots. It’s not a deep bite, but it’s badly bruised.” His hand skated over the injury and Rex flinched at the pain the light touch brought.

  That was when Rex remembered the moment the encounter had shifted in a frightening direction. He’d already been a bit rattled from his car spinning off the road and hitting a boulder. He’d been standing by the steaming car, wondering what to do next. A pickup had pulled over, four young men had spilled out. They’d shuffled around guy-style for a few moments, scratching heads and discussing what to do.

  That was when one of the smaller guys had looked at Rex, his smile drawing away from sharp teeth, eyes glowing ominously.

  The others had looked at Rex then, and one of them had backed away from his friends, confusion and fear on his face. As Rex watched, his eyes had grown cold and hungry. Unlike the others, he’d fought the change, but he’d failed.

  And one of those boys had bitten him.

  “They were possessed, Rion. Damn.” The bite wasn’t as toxic as the bite of a full-fledged demon, but bad enough. The venom had spread through Rex’s body, inhibiting his ability to heal.

  Rion stood and turned off the water, reaching out for towels. He gently dried Rex’s body and hair. “We need to get you to a gateway then. You need to go home. Do you think you can bear a trip? I can rent a van… We’ll make a bed in the back.”

  “Yes. Yes, Rion, that might be a very good thing to do.” Rex could see that his compliance frightened Rion even more than the injuries and his demonic encounter.

  He didn’t want to say it, but the demon who controlled those boys had tasted him. Tasted him and would want more. This was a threat more real than any they’d ever faced from the succubus. When Rion lifted him, carrying him to the bedroom, he didn’t argue. When the man fussed with his sling, he bore the pain and simply loved him. Rex blocked out every other concern. There’d be time enough for annoyance and fear and planning later. Right now, he only wanted to love Rion.

  He allowed the angel to settle him in their bed and arrange the covers just so. He gratefully drank the tea Dr. Gastineau had sent home with him. Rex didn’t complain when Rion gingerly applied her special salve to his cuts and bruises. As the angel worked, the anxiety slowly left his eyes. But Rex could still see worry there.

  “Talk to me, Orion.” He lay back against the pillows. Rion had dropped his glamour, and as he moved around the room, his huge feathered wings raised a slight breeze. Rex watched appreciatively as Rion’s deep-red hair played over his naked hips like a sheet of liquid silk. He’d learned to manage the glow of his presence without the use of magic, so he wasn’t illuminating the rapidly dimming room. Nevertheless, he was a stunning sight.

  Rex released the hold on his glamour as well. He idly stroked the tip of his tail in his good hand. His wings were neatly folded behind his back.

  “The succubus. She told me you were injured.”

  “I knew that. She used the phone, didn’t she?” He chuckled at the idea, that a bodiless demon had used a modern-day device to communicate.

  “She’s never talked to me before.” Rion turned back to the bed and Rex swallowed, taking in the sculpted abs, the classic body. He was fairly certain the Greeks had taken their model of male perfection from Orion’s form. He blinked and dragged his gaze back to the angel’s face.

  “Anyhow, she…talked to me.”

  “She talked to me as well. It was a bit strange.”

  “That isn’t all, Rex. She said that she wasn’t close enough to give you energy.”

  Rex sat up at that, wincing at the movement. “She can give as well as take? I didn’t think a succubus could do that.”

  Rion blushed slightly and Rex could see there was something else they needed to talk about, but he didn’t want to interrupt the flow of his thoughts. Whatever Rion had on his mind, it was important.

  “She said she was asleep. And she said that when she’s asleep, she’s Anahita.”

  “Anahita.”

  It took a moment for that to register in Rex’s mind.

  “Anahita?”

  “Yes, when she sleeps.”

  Rex
’s mind went numb for a moment. “But Anahita is a myth…a fairy tale.”

  “You told me she was your uncle’s ward. That’s awfully close to home for a myth, Rex.”

  Rex’s thoughts raced. Anahita. The shame of his uncle… He’d never told Rion the rumors about of how Dyffyd had treated a fragile angel. Yes, he’d been a hard man living in a hard time, but still, he could have found help for Anahita if he’d asked. Rex had never understood the cosmic joke of a hardened Sidhe soldier taking stewardship of one of the fragile and emotionally volatile Fallen. He’d never believed the story was literally true.

  “But wait… She’s Anahita when she sleeps? Does that mean she’s someone else when she’s awake? Are we dealing with a host as well?”

  Rion shook his head. “I doubt it’s a host body, it’s undoubtedly her own. She was an angel like me, so her body would be immortal. I believe that she may have two distinct personalities.”

  Rion sat on the bed, his back to the headboard, his great feathered wings carefully arranged behind him. His weren’t quite as portable as Rex’s wings.

  “There’s something else.”

  Automatically, Rex reached out to clasp his hand, sensing that Rion needed reassurance.

  “I told you she can share energy.”

  “Yes, and it depends on proximity. In the gully, and even here at home, she’s too far.”

  “Yes, but she was close enough to feed you energy at the clinic.”

  Damnation. Once again, too many thoughts crowded his fatigued mind. “You could know that only if—”

  “I let her feed on me. And then she passed that energy to you.”

  Rion was whiter than his normal shade of pale.

  “You were awake for it?”

  He nodded.

  “Rion, you hate her. You’re afraid of her, and yet you did this?”

  “For you, Rex.” He swallowed, myriad emotions played over his face. “I… I might be wrong about her. She did not seem malicious. In fact, I asked her outright if she loved you. She wouldn’t answer, but she does, Rex.”

  Rion averted his gaze then, trying to hide the naked fear and jealousy from Rex. He failed. “I believe she truly loves you.”

  “Rion. Oh, Rion.” He wanted to gather the angel into his arms and give him all the comfort he possessed. “You are undoubtedly the most courageous, selfless man walking on this Earth.” He brought the angel’s hand to his lips, kissing his knuckles.

  Rion slid down into the safety of Rex’s one good arm, allowing himself to be weak, just for a moment. The time would come very soon when Rion would have to be strong. For now, Rex had one good arm to hold him with. He rested his chin on the top of Rion’s head.

  “If she was close enough to help me while we were at the clinic, she must live on the reservation.”

  “Or in the town nearby.” Rion spoke against the skin of Rex’s chest, his breath whispering over his nipples. It felt good to have him so close.

  “Rex, what was your first impression of Dr. Gastineau?”

  “When I first looked at her, I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  “Same here.”

  They lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

  “But then I saw that she was just a normal, very pretty woman.”

  Rex nodded in agreement. “I thought maybe she was Fae or Sidhe, but when I probed, she was completely human. She does display some psychic power, but still, she’s only human. Besides, Anahita was fair-skinned and blonde. Dr. Noemi is First Nations.”

  “From Canada? When did she tell you that?”

  Rex picked up a strand of Rion’s shaggy hair and began to run it through his fingers. “She woke me after midnight in case I had a head injury. You were asleep.”

  “Anahita’s alter ego would have been asleep. That rules out the doctor, she was working. But what about the nurse?”

  “She feels normal, completely human. Though her antipathy toward men is powerful. I’d guess she just ended a relationship on a very bad note. She made me glad Dr. Gastineau was doing all the work.”

  Rion turned his body a bit toward Rex, lying closer.

  “There are other women on the reservation, Rion. And in the town. If you think we should, we can seek her out.” Now that his lover was changing his mind about Anahita, Rex wanted him to initiate their next move. For the sake of Rion’s peace of mind, this had to be his choice.

  “I’m still afraid of her, Rex. I wanted her so powerfully…” He gathered his courage for the next confession. “I feel like an addict must feel, knowing that something is dangerous, but needing it so completely. At the same time, the very thought of her terrifies me.”

  “She’s never done anything to hurt us, Rion. After that first night, she’s never overwhelmed us again. And she left you alone when you denied her.”

  “True, but my feelings for her are…”

  “Phobic,” Rex supplied.

  “Yes, that is a very apt description.”

  “The succubus is Anahita. You and Anahita are both fallen angels.”

  “We might have known each other.”

  “Perhaps Patrick knows something about her.” Rex wanted more of Rion in his arms, but the pain was too much. He shifted slightly and immediately Rion moved back, lying on the pillow so their heads were close.

  “Patrick knows me, but hasn’t told me much about my past. He’s hunted her for years, so I doubt there’s anything he’d be willing to share.”

  “No, our avenging angel isn’t particularly forthcoming, is he?”

  Fatigue was rolling over Rex now. He was warm and safe, the tea had taken the edge from his pain. Rion was close by, watching over him. When he woke later, he’d put together some charms against the demon, though it probably believed he was dead. Nevertheless, he’d feel better with a little protection on the property.

  He remembered his talk with Dr. Noemi, about the youth in the area acting out of character, becoming temporarily violent.

  “There’s a demon living around here, Rion. These people will need our help.”

  “Our priority is to get you to safety. Once you are healed, we can deal with both Anahita and the demon. Or we can turn it over to Patrick.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Azrael can come in and take out the demon. Of course, he might take out Anahita as well.”

  Both men grew very quiet at the image that comment conjured. Rex sighed, his ribs protesting at his attempt to breathe deeply. He didn’t like that idea at all.

  “Rion, don’t you think it’s odd that in all these years, Azrael has never managed to hunt down Anahita? Yet she’s always nearby.”

  “Maybe he really doesn’t want to kill her.”

  “It would be nice to think that Patrick might have a little compassion in his heart. Not likely, but it’d be nice, wouldn’t it?” Rex liked the dark angel, in a rather odd sort of way.

  “Yes. Yes it would.”

  When Rion leaned over and kissed his forehead, he smiled slightly and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

  Chapter Seven

  Rion was weary, but unable to sleep. The light in the room shifted as the day passed and he lay very still, listening to the birds outside, and to the sound of Rex’s slightly strained breathing.

  He listened to the sound of his own heart, and knew he desperately needed to get Rex to the Other Place. He didn’t know as much about demon-kind as the Sidhe did, but he knew enough to realize that the bite could grow corrosive. If he had the energy and was properly treated, Rex would heal…eventually. But if the demon found him again, it would latch on to him in a desperate, parasitic need.

  A Sidhe could sustain the blood needs of a demon indefinitely. Rex might not die, but he’d become a pale, mindless husk. What the succubus did was minor in comparison.

  He should be up now, making arrangements to travel, but Rion lacked the fortitude to rise, to risk waking Rex. He couldn’t leave him unguarded while he used the phone in the other room.

 
Tomorrow. They needed to go by tomorrow.

  He rolled onto his side and watched the Sidhe sleep. Rex had seemed a bit better after the succubus had shared her energy, but now he was pale again. His beautiful face was tight with pain. Rex sometimes smiled in his sleep, but now, he frowned. Rion trailed a finger through a tightly coiled curl, wondering if it was pain that brought that frown, or something else. Rex was an active dreamer, often working out puzzles and problems in his sleep.

  What was going on in his mind?

  His skin seemed hot…much hotter than it should. Rion didn’t have any way to check his temperature. Since when had either of them had a fever? He rose carefully and brought a cool washcloth from the bathroom, folding it and laying it over Rex’s forehead.

  He didn’t know how to help Rex. He couldn’t take him to the local walk-in clinic. And with Rex in this condition, there was no way he’d be allowed onto an airplane. He’d have to rent a vehicle and drive to San Francisco. Rion was on his way to the phone when he heard a light tapping at the front door.

  He didn’t like being jumpy and suspicious, but right now, caution was imperative, so he peeked out of the living room window before answering the door.

  “I didn’t realize you made house calls.”

  Dr. Gastineau stood there, a smile on her face. In spite of his uneasiness, Rion was glad to see her. Relieved. “Well, I doubt he’ll let me do much, but I had the night off and decided I’d check anyway.”

  Rion stood back to let her enter. He saw her dark gaze flick around the room, taking in the antique stringed instruments displayed on the walls, and the various pieces of art and carpentry he’d dabbled in over the years.

  “Are you musicians?”

  “We both play some, but I make custom instruments.” Seeing her look of admiration brought an odd sense of pride to Rion.

  “And the landscaping? I saw a garden… That would be Rex?”

  “Yes, Rex takes care of the gardens. He also helps me choose the wood for the instruments I make. He’s got an uncanny sense for growing things.”