GLITTER GULCH

Chapter 31: Daybreak

The morning sunlight drifted into the room, leaving lazy little dust particles swirling in the cool air. A massive white tiger opened his eyes and lifted his large head as his companion shifted on the bed. The cat twitched its ear and decided it wasn't time to get up yet. The two on the bed were awake but wouldn't be leaving the comfort of their mate anytime soon.

White Blaze snorted and closed his eyes again.

The warm sunlight highlighted the two bodies entwined in an embrace, the pale skin of one perfectly complemented by the dark flesh of the other. The bodies were slowly undulating, flowing together, blending, becoming one mixture of two souls. No hurried or exaggerated movements. Taking their time. Taking it slow. Enjoying and savoring each little caress, kiss, nibble, or moan.

Simply enjoying each other.

Deliberate, smooth movements. Precisely calculated to induce the best possible feelings. Hands gliding over heated flesh, delicate touches to arouse and excite. Kisses ranging from chaste to downright lewd. Long pale legs wrapped around dark thighs, ankles hooked on muscular calves. Hard, dripping cocks rubbing sinuously against the other, eliciting gasps and harsh breathing. Murmured words of encouragement falling from honeyed, entangled tongues. Then slow deep thrusts that spoke of eternal love and all-consuming passion.

Golden hair spilling over the white cotton pillowcase, Sage opened his lavender eyes to gaze into the ice blue eyes of his lover. His true love. His soul mate. The one he'd been endlessly searching for - not knowing he'd already found him years ago. He sighed as Ryo shifted again, the throbbing erection inside him nudging that special spot deep within. "Oh, Ryo…" the cowboy breathed.

"I love you, Sage," the Indian whispered, his hot breath tickling Sage's skin.

"I love you, too," Sage answered as his hand tangled in inky black strands of wild, untamed hair.

Then exquisite feelings that made the cowboy's toes curl and his body ache with desire spurred memories of when he and Ryo first met. That fateful day when a bedraggled Indian brave handed him a white feather, inviting him to visit the circus. Sage shivered. Little had he known that years later he would be perfectly content making love with that same blue-eyed stranger.

And carrying the weight of mystical armor.

"You mean the world to me, Ryo. I'll always be with you no matter what happens. I'll always love you and always give myself to you," he breathed.

Once the boundary had been crossed, the sexual dominance issue had been an easy choice for Sage. After Ryo's torment under Ringmaster Talpa's thumb and the brutal attack against him merely days ago, there was no question who was to be top.

Besides, Sage enjoyed feeling Ryo in him. On him. Being claimed and giving over seemingly complete control to someone else. But not just anyone else. To Ryo. His Ryo. His Indian brave.

"You mean that?" asked a husky voice.

"With all my heart."

The brilliant smile that answered him warmed Sage's soul, filling the void that had been there for so long. The ache that had blinded his vision had been replaced by a peaceful clarity. A brilliant calm that soothed and mended his fragile being.

If his life were to end tomorrow, he would die a happy man.

Some careful shifting - Ryo never leaving Sage's body - and the blonde was lying mostly on his back with one hip propped up and resting on Ryo's groin. The Indian's chest was pressed up against his back, and Sage draped a lanky leg over Ryo's, grinding ass against groin.

Oh, his family would never approve of this. Nope. Not in a million years. But he didn't give a shit what they thought. He wouldn't give up Ryo. Ever. He had no plans of going back home anyway. The untamed land of the west had gotten into his blood. There was no way he could ever go back east and become the respectable businessman or lawyer his father wanted him to be.

A wet tongue on his chest, toying with his nipple brought him back to the present and made him squirm. He had an itch that only Ryo could scratch.

Even more careful shifting and Sage's torso twisted so he could continue the delicious, sensual kissing. Long black hair caressed his skin and a tan hand wrapped around his softened dick and coaxed it into stiffness. His moans were captured by an eager mouth and lapping tongue. His body rocked by the rhythmic thrusting and stroking. His quiet words of encouragement and love became a litany. A mantra of endearment and affection. "Oh, Ryo…"

"Sage… You're so… beautiful."

The blonde's heart stopped. A week ago he would have decked any man who'd told him that. Men were NOT beautiful. Handsome, yes. Attractive, yes. Beautiful, no. But now… Now he felt his body blush from head to toe and he got goosebumps, which caused him to shiver.

"Are you cold? Should I pull up the blanket?"

"No. No. I'm okay. Just kiss me again. That should warm me up."

"Okay, that I can do." Moist, warm lips closed over his, and he sighed, pressing his backside more firmly against Ryo's groin.

"Oh, yeah," the Indian growled.

Then Sage was face down on the goose down mattress, his ass in the air, begging for more - harder and faster. And Ryo gave it to him. Everything he asked for and more.

His body quivered, and it wasn't long before he was biting his pillow to keep from screaming out the Indian's name as he came - every muscle in his body flexing and clenching tightly as he spilled all over Ryo's hand and the white cotton sheets.

Even as his body continued to spasm and his vision flashed white, a sinking feeling settled in his gut. And instead of his sight clearing and showing him a sunlight dappled bedroom, he saw images of a redhead, viciously shoving Rowan and heard the sharp crack of a pistol. Then the redhead fell… the burgundy hair streaming behind him like trails of blood…

Sage gasped and bit the pillow harder, trying to banish the image from his mind. To clear the vision so it wouldn't taint the euphoric lethargy that spread through his body. But it stayed with him. He couldn't shake it even when Ryo cried out and slumped over him, sated and dazed.

Falling to the mattress, Sage twisted and turned until he was lying on his back with Ryo in his arms. Hugging the Indian tighter, he kept the dark-haired man where he was. He didn't want him to see the tears that fell from golden eyelashes.

Cale forced himself to drink the bitter coffee. Dammit. He grimaced and wished for the millionth time that Dais was up and about. The Judge was the one who knew how to cook. How to make a decent cup of coffee. He had no clue.

And it was evident as he tried to take another drink.

At least it was hot.

He shivered and rubbed his forehead with his free hand. These last few days had been torture. The Mayor was unbearable. The stench of death and sickness followed Sekhmet wherever he went. And those eyes… Cale couldn't look the Mayor in the eyes anymore. They were cold and dead, so unlike the Sekhmet of old. He wouldn't be surprised if the Mayor were taking laudanum or even worse - opium. Then there was the issue of the Judge's new habits. Dais was sleeping during the day and roaming around late at night. Leaving bite marks on Cale's neck anytime they happened to make love, which wasn't very often anymore.

The Sheriff sighed. He missed Dais. He missed the love that they shared. The intimate moments and the stolen glances. The secret touching in public. The flirting and the kissing. All of it was missing.

Ever since that dark demon had shown up.

Damon. The name grated across Cale's already frazzled nerves. That son of a bitch. He was the one that had caused all of this. He was the reason that the Judge was sleeping his days away. He ruined Dais' beautiful eye. He was the reason Cale turned into a snarling, savage animal at night. He was the reason Sekhmet had dared to overstep his boundaries. He was the reason Cale had urges for a certain violet-eyed blonde cowboy.

The Sheriff slammed his tin coffee cup on the wooden table. "Shit!" The mere mention of the new owner of the Wilkerson ranch sent his hormones into a frenzy. He could almost see him now… Sunlight highlighting golden hair, making it glow… Alabaster skin so creamy white against dark, brown flesh…

Cale scowled. Where had that come from? His own skin wasn't nearly that dark. Why was there someone else in his sexual fantasy? Fucking the object of his obsession?

He imagined the ghosting touches across his back. A warm mouth open and inviting his tongue and flesh. He so wanted to devour every delectable inch…

The light. The light was his.

So who the fuck was that with him?!

Closing his eyes, Cale concentrated. Tried to see who the dark man was. Because it was a man. Very decidedly male. Intruding into territory that the Sheriff had already claimed as his own in thought and desire.

Then pink lips mouthed a word. Whispered it softly. Cale held his breath to catch it.

Ryo.

He threw his tin cup across the room. It crashed into a pitcher, shattering it, the water within drenching the white linen that covered a wooden buffet. "Fuck!" he growled. That Indian! It was that heathen redskin that Halo was fucking. Moaning for. Panting for. Calling for.

Snarling with rage, the darkness decided to pay the light a little visit.

Ryo and Sage were cradled in each other's arms, talking about their lives, their goals, and the future they were going to have together. Simply enjoying the time they had to be near each other.

Sage kissed the top of Ryo's head and breathed in the masculine scent of the Indian's coal black hair.

He was content. And happy. Happier than he'd been in a long time. His hand made small circles on Ryo's lean back. He felt the muscles tense and concern crinkled his brow. "Ryo? Are you okay?"

A soft sigh spilled from the Indian's kiss-swollen lips, followed by a short pause. "Um, about Anubis…You did that?"

The cowboy's gut dropped. He hadn't even given any of that another thought. He was with Ryo and he'd felt secure, like everything was going to be okay now. Not that he blamed the Indian for being upset. If Ryo had come to him with a similar story, he didn't think he would have reacted any differently. "I'm sorry, Ryo. I-"

"You offered to help him, even after he clubbed you with that plank?"

Surprised, Sage answered, "Yeah, I did."

"Why?"

It took a minute for the words to register in Sage's mind. This wasn't about the sex at all. Ryo wasn't bringing that up. Leave it to Ryo to be the innocent. To not care about the other issue, but question why… He was just curious as to why Sage offered to help Anubis after the redhead had handed him over to the authorities. Why had he offered to help? Leaning his chin on Ryo's head, he pseudo-shrugged and said, "It seemed like the right thing to do."

There came a soft knock on the door. "Um, pardon me," they heard through the wood, "I'm terribly sorry to intrude, but breakfast is ready if you are."

"Thanks, Cye," Sage answered. "We'll be out in a minute."

But first, he wanted another kiss.