Strata's Fear

Chapter 3

The trip up the stairs lasted an eternity. Anubis' hand on Rowan's back was so warm, the archer could have sworn he was going to have a hand print burned into his lower back. He found it incredibly difficult to walk and was actually glad of the redhead's support. Yet - that hand branded him property of Anubis. The soft swish of fabric from the khaki drawstring pants the warlord wore was intensely erotic. Images of what the redhead would look like with the fabric pooled down around his feet sent new hues of red to Rowan's heated face. As they neared the room, Rowan balked. What am I doing?! I'm about to fuck a warlord! And not just any warlord. This is the warlord of cruelty! Cale could have at least shrouded everything in darkness. Dais could have veiled himself with an illusion, and Sekhmet…Well, okay. Sekhmet would have been worse -- who knows how far that poison has seeped… But this was Anubis. He was no longer a warlord, right? He was now on the good guys' side, wasn't he?

"I have no intention of harming you, Rowan." The smooth voice startled the archer, and Rowan's muscles tensed. "I have renounced Talpa and all that he stood for. You and the other Ronins have shown me the true value of friendship and loyalty. I no longer wear the Armor of Cruelty. Now I am a Ronin Warrior as well. I am the Warrior of Loyalty."

Rowan was still having a hard time relaxing. They were now in the hallway in front of the room that he shared with Sage. The archer stopped and tried to take a small step back. Once again he felt the warmth of Anubis' hand. But this time, the warlord simply reached around and lightly touched his chin. He turned to face the redhead.

"Are you all right, Rowan?" A frown wrinkled Anubis' forked brow.

Rowan tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"If you don't want to do this, Rowan of the Strata, simply say so now. I shall not force you."

"I just…" /need some time to think/ "…need to go to the john." Rowan maneuvered out of Anubis' reach. "You go on. I'll be right back." He scurried to the bathroom down the hall and accidentally slammed the door. He winced when he heard it connect. "Dammit! Now he'll think I was running away."

/You are, you idiot. /

"Shut up," Rowan growled at his reflection. "What am I doing?"

He and Sage had fooled around but this… this was dangerous. Just thinking about it made him blush and squirm. He looked at himself.

"Are you ready to do this, Ro?" He stared for a few seconds before nodding. "Yep. Ready as I'll ever be." He took a deep breath, ran a hand through his hair, and opened the door. He flipped off the light switch and left the room. He took a couple of steps, back-pedaled and ran into the bathroom. Locating Seiji's stash, he snagged a couple of condoms and ran back out, his socks slipping on the carpeted floor. Slightly out of breath and extremely flustered, he paused outside his door listening. He couldn't hear anything.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly opened the door.