GLITTER GULCH

Chapter 35: The Coming of Night

"Shit! Saaaaage!"

"What?"

"I can't get this damned tie… tied!"

Chuckling, shaking his blonde head, Sage swatted at Ryo's fussing hands. "Just stop. I'll do it."

"It's not-"

Sage abruptly kissed the Indian, ceasing any and all protesting the young man had, continuing to kiss those dark lips until the ascot was properly - and securely - knotted.

Ryo blinked at his reflection in the standing mirror. "Uh- thanks."

"You're welcome," Sage whispered before licking an ear and turning his attention to his own cravat. "Perhaps we should just let you wear your circus outfit?"

"Awww, Sage, that's not even funny!"

Sage caught the wounded look in blue eyes and winced. "You know I didn't mean that. It was just a joke. Besides, there's no way I'd let you go out dressed like that. I wouldn't want anyone trying to take away my Indian brave." Long slender hands snaked around Ryo's waist. "I want to keep that all for myself." He let one hand drop to cup Ryo's crotch. "At least for the time being."

"Hey! Now that's definitely not funny! Stop teasing!" Ryo was pouting now, that delicious bottom lip sticking out just begging to be nibbled and sucked on.

Sage hugged the Indian tightly, knowing full well his next question was going to make the Indian retreat. "What's wrong, Ryo?"

"Nothing," Ryo sulked as he yanked on the end of the perfect tie, pulling the knot free. "Why do I have to go to this stupid party anyway? You were the one invited. Why don't you just go?"

"And leave the one I love here to sulk and pout and wish he'd gone with me? I don't think so."

"I don't pout," Ryo pouted.

Sage raised an eyebrow.

"I don't!" Ryo whined. "They didn't invite me anyway. I shouldn't even be going."

"They did so invite you and it would be impolite not to accept their invitation."

"I don't care," the Indian said as he flopped down on the bed.

Sage gingerly sat down next to him and brushed black bangs from Ryo's forehead. "Are you going to tell me what's really bothering you?" Beautiful, sorrow-filled baby blue eyes stared back at him.

"I know something bad's gonna happen. And I know- I know it'll be because I'm there."

Sage so wanted to say 'Nonsense,' pull the Indian close and tell him everything would be fine, but he knew that Ryo was right. Instead, he stretched out next to the brunette and contented himself with brushing the Indian's hair with his fingers. "We can't escape this destiny, Ryo. You and I both know that, but we do have a choice. Either we stay here, frightened and unprepared, and let that destiny come to us or we go to this party and face that destiny head-on. Fearless and determined. Either way, we still have to accept it. It will come to us whether we want it or not."

"Why? Why us? Why not somebody else?"

"I don't know. I do know it's an amazing responsibility we've been given. We were chosen. We were chosen because the powers that be felt we were strong enough to handle whatever came our way. Do you plan on proving them wrong?"

A resigned sigh from Ryo. "I guess not."

"Good. That's the Ryo I know… and love. Now. We still have a little bit before we have to leave. What do you say I check you all over and make sure you got that bath today."

Ryo snorted. "I'm not a baby. I did take- Oh," he mouthed as Sage's tongue swiped his neck. "Oh… I might have missed a couple of spots."

Cye clucked his tongue and shook his head. "No. That will never do. How long has it been since you've worn decent clothing, Kento Hardrock? That vest does NOT go with those pants. You have to have something else you can wear in here..."

The redheaded schoolteacher began digging in the steamer trunk at the end of the bed. "And how come you never put any of this away? Now everything you own has wrinkles in it. We'll have to get the iron out. That deplorable thing that weighs a ton and burns your hands if you're not careful. I hate those bloody things. Would rather hang up all my clothing just to keep from having to use them."

"I'll do it," Kento volunteered.

"Heavens no. You'll burn your clothing or something. I'll take care of it."

The mountain man stopped feebly preening in front of the oval mirror and turned toward Cye. "I can-"

"Nonsense. I'll find you an appropriate outfit and get it ready-"

"Cye, I can do-" Kento reached for one of the vests Cye had pulled from the trunk.

The redhead's grip tightened. "Please, Kento. Let me do this for you? I- It makes me feel... useful."

"What? What do you mean - useful?"

Cye's hands fidgeted with the vest he was now trying to peel off Kento's shoulders. "Useful. You know, like I have a purpose here."

Warm arms wrapped tightly around the schoolteacher's shoulders, ceasing the nervous fluttering. "Purpose? You have a purpose. Hell, you have several purposes here! But if you've got your heart set on being a servant..." Kento smiled and nipped his way down Cye's neck. "You can be my personal love slave. That's a grand purpose, don't you think? Having to cook all my meals, bringing them to me and feeding me... Maybe you have to wear the food somewhere on your body. Now that would be interesting. I'd have to eat off your stomach, or your thighs, or maybe that wonderful butt of yours!" Kento grabbed handfuls of the aforementioned body part. "Now, that's an image I won't be losing anytime soon, little fishy!"

The new nickname and forceful grope brought a blush to the redhead's face, a remembrance of the lazy afternoon they'd shared down at the swimming hole rushing to the surface.

After their first coupling, Kento's cherry being sufficiently popped as the mountain man had so crassly put it, Cye had all but begged the bigger man to take him. He had wanted it so bad, his erection didn't flag after ejaculation. He'd been wriggling with excitement, trying to hurry Kento up, squirming to get into position and then grabbing the mountain man forcibly by the cock and impaling himself on it before the other could think straight. He'd then had to wait unbearably long as strong, controlling fingers stilled his hips so Kento could finally register what had just happened. Cye couldn't help but wriggle and squirm, wanting and needing that huge cock driving into him, pounding him into the rock underneath him.

He wanted to feel.

It had been such a long time... Philip had never made him feel quite as special as Kento did. Philip had charmed him, that was certain, but he'd never truly made Cye feel... welcome. Cherished. Adored. Kento, on the other hand, had done nothing but.

Although... all Cye's wriggling and anxious squirming had garnered him his new undignified nickname -- 'Fishy.' All because Kento said he'd wriggled like a fish on a hook.

Cye bit his lip to suppress a moan. What a hook that had been...

"So? What about it? Want me to go fishing again?"

Cye swatted playfully at Kento's arm, knowing full well he couldn't harm the powerful, hard muscles there. "You are horrible. You know that?"

"What? Is it so horrible to crave you morning, noon and night? Huh? That can't be too terrible a thing. Well, at least not since I HAVE you morning, noon and night..."

"Kento! We've got to get ready! It would be terribly rude of us to miss this dinner after you volunteered us to go. Something that I don't need to remind you was stupid and foolish."

The mountain man rolled his eyes. "Yes. Yes. I know. You've told me a million times now. But don't worry, I'll be there to protect you. I promise."

Green eyes focused on caramel brown. "You promise?"

"Yes." Kento lightly caressed Cye's lips with his thumb. "I promise. Now... I think we have a little bit of time before we HAVE to do any ironing... Just enough time, I think, to give you a matching love bite on the other side of your neck..."

"Kento! You wouldn't dare!" Cye squealed as he tried to squirm out of the encircling arms.

"Oh, yes, I would, little fishy."

"Mmm. I don't wanna go."

"Okay, then don't. But I have to."

"No, you don't. Nuh-uh. I bought you, fair and square."

"Now, Rowan, we both know that it was determinate to my going this evening."

"But I'm not a good sharer!"

Anubis chuckled and kissed the small of Rowan's back before licking his way up the Yankee's spine and nipping the tender flesh at the base of the blue-haired man's neck. "My heart is all yours and after tonight, so shall my body be."

The Yankee shivered. "Oh, god. Where have you been all my life?"

"I'm right here, Rowan Strata," the redhead purred. "Am I not where you want me to be?"

Rowan flipped over and shoved against Anubis' chest. "I'm serious. Where the hell have you been?! Why did I have to suffer through all those... amateurs when all I had to do was find you?" Rowan rolled back over and buried his face into the down pillow. "Ugh! All those assholes! Literally!"

"You should have come back sooner."

"If I'd known something like this was waiting for me in Glitter Gulch, I would have. Damn it!"

Anubis kissed a warm shoulder. More light kisses and soft nibbles. Then he settled his nude body over Rowan's and simply lay there soaking up the warm, golden feeling that filled his empty heart. After a long moment of silence, he simply said, "Thank you, Rowan Strata. I owe you my life."

"Yeah, you do," the Yankee replied as he rolled over, dislodging the redhead in the process. "But I owe you mine as well."

Puzzled, Anubis frowned. "Pardon?"

"Stop that. You sound like Cye."

The redhead chuckled. "Huh?" he said instead.

"Better. Although 'what' would have been even more appropriate."

Laughing, Anubis rolled over onto his back. Rowan followed him, letting his tongue ghost over tanned skin. "I'm serious," Rowan said solemnly. "You- you mean a lot to me, Anubis. You helped save me from myself."

"What do you mean?"

Rowan took a deep breath before continuing. "I had planned on coming out here... coming out here and... and wasting my life away. Drinking, gambling, whoring. You name it, I planned on doing it."

Anubis brushed that adorable piece of blue hair back in with the sweaty rest, stealthily trying to avoid Rowan's teasing tongue. "Why?"

"Why not? It seemed as good a place as any."

"No. I mean why were you-"

"I know. I know what you meant." Rowan traced the outlines of Anubis' chest. "I'd given up. I'd had just about had enough. Enough of everything. Enough of my father. Enough of my dead-end job. Enough of hatred and prejudice. Enough of not having someone that loved me as much as I loved him."

Anubis leaned up on his elbows. "You? I don't believe that."

"Call it unrequited love."

Anubis studied Rowan's face even though the Yankee tried in vain to hide it. "Sage?"

Rowan simply nodded. Once.

"Thought so." Anubis wrapped his arms firmly around the Yankee.

"What do you mean, 'thought so'?"

"Simply put, he would have been my choice as well. Him or that Indian. Kind of appropriate the two of them found one another, hmm?"

"I guess so," Rowan pouted. "I mean I tried all these years and Sage always put me off. Told me he wasn't interested in guys and didn't want to ruin our friendship."

"I'm glad he didn't," Anubis whispered, nibbling on Rowan's earlobe. "I imagine having to fight Sage for you would be a pretty fierce battle. I've seen that man in action."

A cocky grin brightened Rowan's face. "You would have fought over me?"

"Oh, yes. In a heartbeat. Someone with your boyish looks? I would have been foolish to pass up someone out here who was clean-shaven and still had all his teeth."

Cale gingerly caressed Dais' pale face as the Judge lay motionless on the bed, the skin cool to the touch like porcelain or alabaster stone. He growled softly when his fingers were barred from further exploration by the black band holding the eye patch over Dais' now useless eye. His own eyes softened as he tried to will those beautiful eyes open - even the cold, colorless one. He wanted to see Dais. Wanted to hold the more delicate man in his arms. Wanted to be held...

"He won't wake up until sundown, you realize."

Cale snorted. "I know that," he snapped. "Why don't you go back to your room, Sekhmet, or at least take a bath. You reek. I could smell you all the way over here."

The green-haired man stepped from the shadows. "Why don't you shave your ass, dog boy?"

Cale snarled, leaping from the bed and catching Sekhmet by the throat. "I could kill you where you stand, vile serpent."

"Just try it, you impertinent dog," the Mayor hissed - and those yellow eyes flashed.

Cale covered the Mayor's eyes with his other hand and tightened his grip. "You try to control me again, and I'll rip your throat out."

"You wouldn't even-"

"Would the two of you kindly find some other locale in which to fight? I am after all taking a most pleasant nap and your bickering is interrupting my slumber."

Surprised and anxious at the sound of the Judge's voice, Cale scurried back to Dais' side, expecting those beautiful eyes to be open and shining in the darkened room.

He was disappointed.

The Judge still lay there in a deathlike trance, his body not moving. Not even with the rhythmic breathing of sleep.

"Dais?" he whispered.

"I'm here, wolfman. In your mind. My body rests, but my consciousness does not."

Confused, the Sheriff searched the air, looking for a spectral shade of the living porcelain doll lying on the bed.

"I have no form, no ghostly apparition, Cale. I'm merely a whisper in your mind. The chill up your spine."

The stubble hairs growing on Cale's arm bristled and goosepimples dotted his flesh. "How?"

"It seems to be part of the gift that Damon has so graciously bestowed upon me," Dais' disembodied voice sarcastically hissed.

Tears formed in Cale's eyes. "Dais..." he whispered again before rage tore at him from the inside and he howled his fury, revenge in his heart for the bastard sorceror - Damon.

Sekhmet's voice came from the shadows as the Sheriff began viciously shredding furniture. "Dais, don't you think you ought to calm him down before the guests arrive?"

"That, my dear Mayor, I'm leaving to your amazing new talent."

"I am honored that you would entrust me with such a task considering Cale is the thing you hold most precious."

"Ah, yes, Sekhmet, he is. However, I am... certain he shall come to no harm while in your care. If he does..."

The threat went unvoiced, but the green-haired man visibly paled, and fell to his knees, his nearly reptilian eyes widening, his heartbeat racing. A small trickle of blood dripping from his nose.

Then the voice was back, its haunting melody echoing in the Mayor's head. "I shall see you at dinner, my dear Sekhmet."