War

by T. A. Chase

  “So you’re the second Horseman,” he commented.

  “Yes. I’m War and I’ve started so many throughout the centuries I think I’ve forgotten most of them.”

  “I bet.” Russell nudged his mount forward.

  The herd had continued on, but the dogs kept them in line. The horses grazed and wandered. Russell glanced around, taking in the scenery. There wasn’t anything really different about the grasslands they rode through, but it was interesting. Different in some ways from the Kansas prairies, yet the softly rolling mounds were uneven enough to keep his attention.

  “We’ll be coming up to a small pond in an hour or so. I usually stop there to have lunch and water the horses.” War kept pace with him. “I packed us some food.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  Russell had the feeling he’d be happy to take a break when they got there. They fell silent as they made their way towards the pond. As they rode, the tension buried deep inside Russell slowly started to ease and he discovered he was enjoying their journey.

  When they got to the pond, the horses drank while War and Russell dismounted. War took the blankets and hackamores off, setting them on the ground and letting the horses rejoin the herd. Russell walked around, stretching as he did so. By the time they either returned home or stopped for the night he would be horribly sore. He would rather be sore from this, though, than from carrying his pack over the sand in Afghanistan.

  “You hungry?”

  Turning, he spotted War sitting next to the edge of the pond. Russell grinned.

  “I’m hungrier than I have been in a long time.”

  “The air will do that to you.” War opened the saddlebags and unpacked them.

  Russell knelt beside War, eyeing the food as it appeared. Dried meat and fruit set on a clean towel. He waited until War had finished laying it out before he took a piece of meat and started chewing. War dipped two mugs full of water and handed one to Russell.

  “This safe?”

  War chuckled. “As safe as anything else around here.”

  “True. At least no one’s shooting at me.” Russell settled down to eat.

  “Good point.” War picked up some dried fruit. “Why did they send you back out to your unit after your first injury?”

  Russell shrugged. “I don’t know why, except they might have needed me to fill a spot and I was pretty well healed by that time.”

  “Yet you had some mental issues, didn’t you?” War didn’t look at him.

  Did he have issues stemming from his time spent on the cliff? Russell knew he did, though he hadn’t told the doctors he’d talked to before going back to his unit. One of his problems was that he feared heights. Just the thought of going into the mountains had almost paralysed him, yet he’d done his job and gone back.

  He swallowed loudly, and took a sip of water. Deep in his mind, he worried that he’d frozen the day Jimmy and the medic died because of the fear. If only he hadn’t been so scared of all the angles and drop-offs around him, maybe he could have got Jimmy out of the way of the bullet. Or maybe he could have helped the medic with Jimmy before William was shot himself.

  His hands shook as he lifted some meat to his mouth. Breathing deep, he thought he smelt the scent of blood. Bile choked him and he dropped the food to the ground, covered his mouth with his hand and scrambled over to a small bush to throw up at its base.

  Russell curled into a ball and whimpered slightly as he rocked. His skin tightened like he was coated with some thick liquid. Shit! He thought he had got rid of those feelings. He should have known he couldn’t wash something like that off.

  Someone knelt next to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Russell. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  War’s voice raked over his nerves and he shuddered. “Did I cause their death? I froze and couldn’t do anything, not even during the battle. All I could think of was the drop-off in front of our spot in line. I got off some bullets, but I doubt I actually hit anything. Do you think Jimmy moved in front to stop me from getting shot? The medic didn’t need to be there. I think Jimmy might have already been dead.”

  “I doubt you caused either of their deaths. The men who started the wars are the ones to blame for everything.” The voice paused for a moment before starting again. “If anyone was to blame, it would be me. I caused the war, though I had a good reason for what I did. War and killing have their place in the balance of the world, but it doesn’t make it right.”

  “So much blood…”

  Russell fought the need to wring his hands or scrape them over his arms and clothes, trying to wipe his hands clean. God, why wouldn’t the stuff come off? Every time he tried, the shit never came off and he couldn’t see beyond the crimson coat. Slowly, his mind became trapped in the whirl of blood and the sound of a bullet hitting the medic’s body.

  War swore under his breath as Russell folded in on himself and started mumbling. This was great. He thought he’d get through one day without sending Russell into a flashback, but apparently he hadn’t figured out the right way to ask.

  Pushing to his feet, he glanced around, trying to figure out what he should do. Russell should take one of his pills, but War didn’t think he’d brought them with him. Should he go back to the house and grab them? Or should he stay with Russell and wait out the flashback?

  “Here.”

  He jumped as a pale hand appeared over his shoulder with a bottle in its long, elegant fingers. He took it and popped the top. He tapped out a pill before handing the bottle back to Death.

  “Thank you. Can you get me another mug of water? He’ll need it to swallow the pill, if I can even get him to take it.”

  The Pale Horseman exhaled loudly, but walked away, and War didn’t know why the man seemed so annoyed. It wasn’t like War had demanded he do all this stuff for him. He was the one who’d just showed up.

  “Russell, I need you to look at me. Come on, fight through whatever shit is going on in your brain and focus on my voice.” War shook Russell harder than he probably should have, but he didn’t want the man to slide so far into his mind that he wouldn’t be able to come back.

  “I’m not sure being rough with him is the right thing to do,” Death commented casually as he held out the mug of water for War.

  “Maybe not, but it makes me feel better.” War took Russell’s chin in his hand and lifted it until Russell met his eyes. “I need you to take this pill. It’ll help get the blood off you.”

  Russell frowned and shot a quick glance down at the white pill in War’s other hand. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Take it. I promise everything will just go away.”

  Russell did as he asked and Death walked a few feet away to give them some privacy. Once the medicine had kicked in, Russell looked at War and sadness filled his eyes.

  “It happened again, didn’t it?”

  “Yes, but it’s my fault. I asked you questions you weren’t ready to answer. I should know better than that.”

  “No.” Russell cradled War’s face in his hands. “You were trying to help. I need to deal with this. I don’t want to be on drugs all my life to keep from freaking out. It’s no way to live. Maybe talking about it will help.”

  “I know what your problem is, Russell. The same one I’ve been dealing with for the last several centuries.”

  “What?” Russell’s eyelids drooped and War knew the medicine was taking hold.

  “Guilt.”

  Russell nodded. “You could be right about that.”

  War laughed. “I’m an expert at guilt, so I know it when I see it. Can you stand?”

  He helped Russell climb to his feet. Death folded his arms over his chest and stared at them.

  “What are you going to do now? You can’t leave the horses out here on their own with only the dogs to watch them.”

  “I know.” War gritted his teeth. “I’m not a complete idiot. I’ll flash Russell back to the hut and come back here to watch the horses for the rest o
f the day. Once I get him home, he’ll sleep the rest of the time I’m gone.”

  Death hummed while War looked at the dogs.

  “Guard,” he ordered them.

  “Fine. I’ll take him.” Death reached out to pull Russell out of War’s arms.

  “No. I’ll do it. I don’t trust you not to just dump him on the bed and disappear.” War glared at his fellow Horseman.

  “Isn’t that what you’re going to do?”

  War shook his head. “I’m going to make sure he’s okay before I go. Leave some water and food for him. Also, a note so he knows where I’m at.”

  “Very nice of you to do that.” Death rolled his eyes. “Fine. You go and I’ll hang out here until you get back. Just don’t take long.”

  War didn’t reply. He shut his eyes and thought about his hut. Within a heartbeat, he opened them to find he stood in the middle of his place. Russell wilted and War went about putting his lover to bed.

  Chapter Nine

  Russell didn’t look up from the fire, even though he heard hoof beats approaching. He’d woken up two hours ago, embarrassed at the knowledge that he’d had another episode. Damn. Maybe he should have just stayed in the hospital. Apparently he wasn’t well enough to be out in the world on his own. Thank God War was around to take care of him.

  He stirred the stew he’d managed to make from what he’d found in the house. Not much, and he hoped it tasted good. How did War do it? Of course, maybe the man didn’t eat, considering he was immortal and all that. Russell chuckled silently. Maybe he should be freaking out more about the whole Horseman thing, but at the moment he couldn’t be bothered to worry about the crazy weird stuff. Considering his own mind failed him on a routine basis, knowing War was a Horseman didn’t even faze him.

  What was all that stuff about feeling guilty? Russell understood one of his issues was survivor’s guilt. At least that’s what the doctors and therapists had told him at the hospital before they’d cut him loose. He agreed with them, but knowing it didn’t necessarily mean he believed it. Did War feel the same way about all the battles he’d fought when he’d been alive? Could guilt be the one thing driving the man through all the centuries?

  It didn’t make sense, as War had been a chief and, from what Russell remembered of the tribes before humans evolved into civilised beings, they’d fought amongst themselves all the time. War had said something about being betrayed by someone. Who would have been close enough to him to betray him? Whoever it was had to have been someone War knew so well he wouldn’t have asked any questions when the person had filled his ears about the other tribe.

  Footsteps stopped at the open door and he glanced over his shoulder. War leaned against the doorframe, his arms folded and resting on his bare chest. Russell trailed his gaze over War’s body, tracing every dip and ridge of muscle. All that golden skin exposed for his viewing pleasure. A bit of disappointment welled in him when he noticed War still wore jeans, zipped but left unbuttoned.

  “Are you feeling better?”

  Russell nodded, but frowned. “Yes, thank you for all your care. How did you manage to get me from the pond to the house without us riding here? I do remember the pale guy being there. How did he get there?”

  War shrugged. “I’m not sure how it works, but we have the power to travel through space and time to wherever we want to go. Somehow Death knew you were having a flashback and he appeared with your medicine. Then I brought you back here to rest before I took the horses out to their grazing land.”

  “Thank you.” He waved a hand at the pot. “Are you hungry?”

  “Yes. You didn’t have to cook anything, Russell. I would have found something to make when I got home.”

  “No big deal. I had time and managed to cook stuff. I hope it tastes all right.”

  “It’ll be fine,” War promised.

  Russell dished out some stew into two bowls, handing one to War before carrying the other to the table. War sat and smiled at him. A tingling fluttered in his stomach, warming him more than the stew ever could. His cock hardened and he shifted, trying to find a comfortable way to sit where his erection didn’t press tight against the zipper of his jeans.

  After taking a bite, War chewed and swallowed. “This is really good, considering what you had to work with. I know there wasn’t much around here. I need to go hunting tomorrow. We’ll get some rabbits and birds for fresh meat.”

  “Sounds good to me. I tried to do the best I could.”

  Russell wanted to duck his head and grin, but he wasn’t sure he wanted War to know just how much his praise touched him. They finished their dinner in silence. The quiet was comfortable and Russell felt no need to say anything to break it. War took the bowls and washed them while Russell took care of the rest of the stew.

  After they’d cleaned up, Russell sat down on the bed while War took a chair. They looked at each other for a second before Russell knelt in front of War. He looked up at the man while reaching out to take War’s zipper in his fingers. War didn’t stop him, just stared at him with desire shining in those black eyes.

  He peeled the jeans apart, allowing War’s cock out for viewing. Licking his lips, he eyed the large shaft before him and saliva pooled at the thought of having that in his mouth. He leant forward and wrapped his lips around the flared head of War’s penis.

  War exhaled sharply and clenched his hands into fists on his thighs. Russell encircled War’s calves to brace himself while he sucked. He bobbed up and down, taking a little more in every time until the head hit the back of his throat. He didn’t gag, just kept up the pressure.

  War grunted, then tapped Russell’s shoulder. He stopped and looked at War.

  “I want to fuck you.”

  Russell blinked, his cock aching painfully and his hole tightening at the thought of War fucking him. Oh, hell yes. He wanted that more than anything else in the world. He eased away from War, rocking back on his heels.

  “Guess we should get naked and on the bed,” he commented.

  War nodded. “Sounds like a good idea to me. I don’t want to fuck you on the floor. Well, maybe some other time.”

  They helped each other to their feet. As they stood by the bed, War stripped Russell’s shirt and jeans from him before pushing his own jeans to the floor. Russell ran his hands all over War’s body, learning all the scars and imperfections along the way. Finally they kissed, bringing their lips together in a gentle promise of more than just sex. They would be making love this time, even though neither of them had said those words.

  It was a tentative emotion between them, having slowly built. Russell ran his fingers through War’s short hair as their tongues duelled and stroked. He shuddered when War’s large, warm hands landed on his ass. War and Russell pressed tighter together, chest to knees.

  Russell brought the kiss to an end when his lungs burned from lack of oxygen. He bit his bottom lip for a moment as he tried to catch his breath. War slapped his butt and he jumped.

  “Climb on the bed. I’ll grab the lube and rubber.” War ordered.

  “All right.” Russell did as he was told, though he wiggled his ass as he crawled on the mattress.

  “Cute.” War slapped him again.

  “Thanks. I’ve always thought so myself.” He winked over his shoulder as he settled in the middle of the bed.

  “On your back. I want to look at you while we make love.” War grinned and held up a foil packet and the bottle of lube.

  Russell paused for a moment. He’d never done it face to face. Too intimate usually, but something told him this time would change his life even more deeply than the war had.

  “All right.”

  He settled on his back, hooked his hands behind his knees, and spread his legs wide. After kneeling, War popped open the bottle of slick. He squirted some on his fingers before setting the lube down next to Russell’s hips.

  War rubbed his wet fingers over Russell’s hole, drawing a moan from him. God, he couldn’t wait to have War inside him.
He relaxed as War sank his fingers in to press against his gland. He jerked as need shot through him from the spot.

  “Right there,” he mumbled.

  War chuckled and began to pump in and out of him, stretching Russell’s ring of muscle. Russell rocked, fucking himself with low moans. He didn’t know when two fingers became three or when his own hand wrapped around his cock to stroke in time with War. His balls firmed and tightened to his body. Pressure built as his cock grew stiffer.

  “War, please. I want to come with you inside me,” Russell pleaded.

  He sighed as War removed his fingers. The rustle of the packet being ripped open caught his attention and he watched as War rolled the condom down his shaft. He stayed relaxed as War sank in, filling his ass as full as it had ever been.

  His eyes met War’s as War stared down at him. War braced his hands on either side of Russell’s head and they began to move together. Slow and easy to begin with. Each thrust in met with a tilt of his hips. War’s head dropped and their breath mingled and their rhythm sped up. Soon the sound of skin smacking against skin filled the room. Russell couldn’t keep his cries soft.

  “God, yes. Harder. Faster,” he demanded, and War complied.

  Russell wrapped his legs around War’s waist. War’s washboard abs dragged over Russell’s cock, bringing him closer to the edge. As his climax exploded over him, he threw back his head and cried out.

  “War!”

  War slammed into him as quickly as possible. Hot liquid spilt between them, coating their skin with stickiness.

  “Russell!” War shouted as he came, filling the condom with his cum.

  They trembled and shuddered while the aftershocks of their lovemaking faded away. When their breathing eased and heartbeats slowed, War climbed out of the bed and took care of the rubber. Russell watched as War washed himself. His lover returned and wiped him down as well.

  Russell snuggled under the blankets. War pulled on a pair of jeans, and started to walk out of the hut.