GLITTER GULCH

Chapter 29: Rising Star

Kento was miserable. Between worrying about his friends that were out in this rainstorm and hearing Philip prattle on about earning the title of 'fellow' - whatever the hell that meant - and 'lecturer' of literature, the mountain man had a headache bigger than he was.

He sat at the dinner table, pushing his food around on his plate. The others weren't back yet, but Philip insisted - whined was more like it - that he was hungry and it could be hours before the others got back and Cye's food would get all cold and mushy. The schoolteacher had protested, saying he could just keep it on the stove, there wasn't a problem. But that whiny prick Philip had pouted and the women and Cye had been easily swayed. Probably because it was the only thing that would shut him up.

Kento felt like dirt. This day was not one of his favorites.

His focus was on Philip. What attracted Cye to this man? What did the fop have that he didn't?

Besides a better education.

And long blonde hair.

And Cye.

All right. Kento ceded that Philip was attractive. In a tall, gaunt sort of way. No real muscle, but not a lot of fat either. Just a little bit more around the middle than he should have, but with Cye's cooking, that was completely understandable. Kento didn't think he could maintain his own waistline with food like that sitting around.

Philip's hair wasn't quite as tempting as Sage's golden silk. It was colored - what was that term Ro had used? - dishwater blonde. Brown eyes, muddy brown eyes. And thin lips. Unlike Cye's pouty lips that just begged to be kissed. And the man dressed well like Rowan, but in Kento's estimation, clothes did not make the man this time. Nuh-uh. No way.

But the icing on the cake was that stupid, whiny voice. That nasal tone could deafen a dog.

Kento wondered what Cye ever saw in the man. Then, he wondered what else Cye had to choose from. Maybe there wasn't much to choose from in England for the beautiful, green-eyed, soft-spoken, elegant, amazing, skilled, sexy, irresistibly handsome schoolteacher.

Kento ate one of his green beans and smiled. Well, now the schoolteacher would have a choice. The fop that sat across the table with the nice suit and the university education, or the big, muscular, well-groomed and likeable mountain man that could open jars. He might not have the brains that Philip had, but he definitely had more brawn. He could beat Philip in fisticuffs any time. This scrawny guy couldn't match him in a fist fight. Surely not.

Well, one thing was for certain: Philip could talk. He was quite the charmer actually. If you could get past the whiny voice. And evidently, Cye had. The women also seemed genuinely interested in what the man had to say. Maybe he should give the fop a chance…

Then Philip laughed.

Oh god. That was worse than the voice. Nope. That man needed to go. He was nothing but a boorish, cowardly…

Kento felt a light touch on his arm and looked up into turquoise eyes.

"Are you quite all right?" Cye whispered.

I will be once Fancy Pants is gone. Kento immediately glanced at Philip who was busy extolling the virtues of being named 'fellow' to Rosemary and Mia. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm just real worried about the guys. They should have been back by now."

A small pat on his arm and a light squeeze. "I'm certain that they are fine. We would have known if something were amiss."

"Yeah, I guess so." Then a sinking feeling tugged at his heart. His brown eyes flew open and met the shocked gaze in Cye's. "Rowan…"

"Oh dear," Cye gasped.

Rowan was floating in a vast ocean of stars. All around him - and through him - he could feel the cosmos churning with the rhythm of life and death, creation and destruction, consistency and chaos. The tips of his extremities tingled from the chill of the vacuum of space, but the core of his body was white hot with the heat of a star.

The endless quiet.

And he understood it all.

The serenity.

He embraced it.

His body floated, unfettered from the crushing weight of the earth, freed by the magnitude of the universe, pulled into space by the gravity of the stars.

And his mind…

His mind knew no boundaries, wasn't hampered by rules and uncertainty. The vast knowledge of the ages was his to explore, to comprehend. To embrace.

And he did.

With open arms and an open heart, he reached out for that wisdom, desiring it above all else. Craved it. Needed it.

He would have centuries to absorb it and use it for the universe was ageless. Limitless. Time had no meaning for him. He was free to do as he chose.

He stretched out his arms and welcomed his destiny.

Barely even a whisper, but the Yankee flinched. He didn't want to be disturbed.

He frowned and tried to ignore it.

"What?!" he shouted - and sat bolt upright to peer into gray eyes. "Anubis?"

"It's about time you decided to join us." The voice came from his right. He swiveled and saw the violet-eyed cowboy and his Indian friend.

"Sage? Ryo? What are you doing here?"

The three exchanged concerned glances, and Anubis checked Rowan's head for any kind of injury. The Yankee angrily swiped at the hand, annoyed at the disruption of his pleasant dream. Hell, he had been about to find out the meaning of life. He stumbled to his feet.

"Rowan? Are you all right?" The bartender got to his feet, a look of concern marring his forehead.

"I'm fine. What's the fuss about?" The Yankee groaned and dusted off his pants, more than a little annoyed at the mud stains that would never come clean. There went his hopes of keeping anything fancy. Oh well. Back to jeans and cotton.

No problem.

Sage pushed his way past Anubis. "What's all the fuss?!"

Rowan shrugged. "Yeah. What the hell are ya gettin' all upset about? You scared that thing off. I'm fine. Let's go before that fuckin' thing comes back."

"Now wait a goddamned minute, Rowan!" The cowboy grabbed the Yankee's shoulders. "You just fell a hundred feet or more into a fucking mine shaft, somehow levitated your way out while you were passed out cold, had some kind of unnatural blue light surrounding your body that turned into a coat of armor, and we're not supposed to be even a little concerned or fucking astonished?"

Rowan shoved Sage away from him. "Stop foolin' around, Sage! We gotta get movin'. That thing will be back, and I don't want to be part of the welcoming committee." He searched for his hat.

"He's not fooling around, Rowan. You were dressed in blue and gold armor. I swear. I saw it. Anubis saw it. Sage saw it. We all did."

They believed it. They truly believed it. The looks on their faces… He had never touched armor much less worn it before. How the hell could that have been possible? But there had been something… a crescent moon and a symbol. An inverted V with hash marks?

And a golden bow on a battlefield of blood.

Rowan snorted and shook his head. "Yeah, right. Sure. And it was that little marble Kaos gave me that did it."

Sage's eyes widened. "You have it on you?"

"Yeah," Rowan wrestled it out of his pocket. "I always carry it. Kinda fun to have around."

Sage glanced back at Ryo. "I don't know how, Rowan, but I think that thing saved your life."

Rowan stared at the marble in his palm. The symbol locked in its depths flashed and then faded. It was just a dark blue marble again. Nothing special. No magical powers.

"Doc Kaos said that these 'marbles,' as you call them, hold an ancient power, which is unlocked whenever one of us is in danger. I used mine to help-" Violet eyes darted to Ryo. "I used mine the other night. I think Ryo used his yesterday and accidentally started the fire in the barn. Cye used his to put out that fire. And you… you used yours to save you from falling."

The dark blue glass ball grew heavy in Rowan's hand. He shoved it back in his pocket. "Well, I dunno about magical, mystical powers, Sage, but I do know that I'm hungry and wet and cold and tired. I'm ready to head back. How about it?"

Sage rolled his eyes. "Fine. Ignore it like you do everything else. Go right ahead."

The Yankee snorted. "You're a fine one to talk about ignoring things, Mr. Perfect."

"What the hell did you just say-"

"Hey, guys, we really oughta go." Ryo put a hand on Sage's chest.

"You heard me, asshole."

Sage shoved Ryo's hand out of the way. "Why you selfish, egotistical, arrogant, little son of a-"

Anubis planted himself firmly in the cowboy's path. "Now is not the time for this."

"Not the time? Not the time? You have got to be kidding me! It wasn't the time to be fucking me in your room either, was it? You underhanded, yellow-bellied…"

"What the hell? What the hell do you mean by that?!" Rowan sidled around Anubis and glared at Sage.

Ryo blinked in confusion.

Some of the wind had evidently been taken out of Sage's sails, and he hesitated. Anubis' jaw was clenched. Rowan looked from one to the other, suspicion reflected in his eyes.

"Your boyfriend here," Sage gestured toward the bartender, "decided I needed a little favor for offering to help buy his way out of prostitution, so he took the time to seduce me in his bedroom before we came out here. I guess once a whore, always a-"

The cowboy's words were cut off by a vicious Yankee punch to his midsection. Midnight blue eyes flashed fire and outrage. "How dare you! I can't believe you would do this! You self-righteous prick! What the hell is your problem?! You can't be happy unless you or someone around you is miserable, can you? Huh?"

Ryo put a helping hand on Sage's shoulder. The blonde waved it off.

"It's true."

Filled with dread, Rowan's stomach plummeted. He turned to Anubis. "What?"

"It's true. I did."

The Yankee held onto the wall for support, his world tilting out of control.

"I seduced him and took advantage of him in exchange for a sum of money. Money that I, in turn, will give to Lady Kayura in exchange for my freedom."

Rowan sank to his knees. "You and Sage…?"

"I'm a whore, Rowan. I have been for most of my adult life. Mr. Halo offered me money to pay off my debt. I couldn't let him leave without showing my gratitude."

Sage snorted.

The Yankee sat in the dirt. Sage and Anubis? That's why they were so late? They had been fucking?! And now… now they were all stuck in a cave and he had been chased by a… a thing because those two had wanted a quickie before they left?

"How could you?" he whispered.

"All I have to offer is my body…"

Rowan shook his head, flustered. "No. Not you, Anubis. You!" He pointed at Sage. "I considered you my best friend! How could you do this to me? How could you let this happen?! You weren't satisfied with your Indian brave so you had to have Anubis, too?"

"I didn't-"

Stepping closer to the blonde, Rowan leaned in until his lips brushed against golden strands that kissed an ear. "Or are you pissed off because we got interrupted last night? Is that it? Because I didn't fuck you?"

A flash of shame flickered in lavender irises, and Sage literally stumbled backward, Ryo grabbing onto him to keep him upright. "What? That- I don't-"

"Ya know, it's always the same with you. Sage this and Sage that. Everywhere we go I'm always second-fiddle to you. You get everything!" The Yankee threw his hands in the air and gestured wildly. "Why can't I for once have something that you don't, huh? Why is it that we have to share everything? Why can't I have something to call my own. Something that you haven't had your paws on, huh? I don't fucking believe this!" Rowan threw up his hands and paced.

"I don't know… what to say. I didn't know… I'm so sorry, Rowan. If I'd known-"

"Oh, just forget about it. Forget I even said anything." Rowan plopped his ass down on the cave floor and leaned against the rock wall.

A shake of a golden mane and the Yankee watched various stages of shock flit across porcelain features. "Rowan, I had no idea you felt that way. How long-?"

"Ever since I met ya. Ever since I first saw you at the 101 Ranch. I even got your hand-me-downs then, too."

"Hand-me-downs?"

"Yeah, your old saddle, your post. Your old bedroll. Everything. Of course I did go to bed at night on a bed that was lemon scented."

A snort, then an uneasy silence between the four companions.

"I went to bed every night and dreamed about ya." A hand touched Rowan's shoulder, and he smiled up into gray eyes and sighed. It was high time he'd brought all of this out into the open. Time he told Sage how he'd really felt. Kinda odd that it was happening in a cave in the middle of a rainstorm after he'd just been attacked by some fucking monster, but then again… fear makes men do strange things. "Then you brought Ryo on that one drive and I- I was jealous. Jealous of you. Jealous of him. The two of you. What you had. Even though you both were too stupid to know it."

He forced himself to look at the cowboy. Were those tears? Was Sage crying?

"Then I met someone. Someone I think I could truly get close to. And you told me I shouldn't. You told me he was just in it for the money. But I don't think he is, Sage. I know he's a whore. I mean, how else could he have been able to spend that much time away from the bar, especially spend it with someone like me. I knew it. I'm not stupid, you know. You didn't have to tell me."

The redheaded bartender crouched beside Rowan. "You- You aren't mad at me?"

Rowan stared into gray eyes. "No." He cupped his hand against Anubis' cheek. "How could I be mad at you? It wasn't your fault… Okay, so the sex thing was your fault, but… No. I'd do him in a heartbeat myself. I can't blame ya for that."

The bartender leaned closer and Rowan could smell the peppermint on his breath. "You are one of a kind, Rowan Strata."

"Yep. And don't you forget it," the Yankee breathed before claiming a taste of that peppermint candy. It was the kind of a kiss that curled his toes. He could barely remember to breathe once Anubis broke the contact.

With a shiver and a shake of his head, Rowan stumbled to his feet, dusted off his pants once more and said, "So, let's go eat."

A pair of dark eyes, glowing with lust and hate, watched the four humans leave the cave. Watched as the horses, nervous - nostrils flaring with the scent of a predator - pranced, skittish and fearful. Their appetizing aroma nearly drawing the beast out of its lair.

Almost.

But not quite.

It watched as the companions slowly regained control of the frightened animals and led them away from the scent. The smell of hunger. The smell of hate. The smell of lust.

The Light. The Light was in their midst. The beast drank in the aroma and sight of that perfect Light. The Light was his. He owned it. He had to have it. To consume it. To claim it.

The beast would have.

But the Fire was there, too.

And the Fire burned. Its flame was hotter and more powerful than the glow of the Light. And the Air was also there. It fed the Fire. It could make the Fire hotter.

So could the Light.

No. Now was not the time. The beast would have the Light. Would claim it. But not now. Now it was time to go home.

Go home to his mate.