War Read online

  “Okay. I won’t last long either. It’s been a while for me as well.”

  War dropped his head down as Russell breached his ass like a slow-moving army invading a country. He tried to relax his inner muscles and soon Russell was in as far as he could go. Russell paused, and War gave his body a few minutes to process how full he felt.

  “Start moving, honey,” War ordered.

  “All right.”

  Russell withdrew until only the head of his cock rested inside War. Without warning, he slammed back in and War shouted. Russell picked up speed until he reamed War’s ass with deep, hard strokes. His fingers bit into War’s hips and War knew he’d have bruises there by the time they were done.

  The hut filled with the primal sounds and scents of sex. War’s cock swelled again and for the first time since he’d been reborn he climaxed a second time in just a few minutes. Russell wasn’t far behind him. When War’s arms couldn’t hold him up any more, he collapsed, grimacing as he hit the wet spot. Russell covered him from shoulders to knees.

  They lay there for several moments, gathering their strength back while calming their breathing. Finally, Russell pulled away from him and War winced at the slight twinge of pain when Russell’s cock slid out. He listened to Russell moving around the room.

  “Where’s the bathroom, man? I’d like to clean us both up before we take a nap.”

  War snorted softly. “You’ll have to draw a bucket of water from the well outside. It’ll be cold as hell, but we’ll deal with it. There’s an outhouse closer to the shed where the horses are.”

  “Fuck. Are you kidding?”

  War rolled over and sat up. Draping his arms around his knees, he grinned at Russell. “What did you expect? There’s no modern plumbing, dude. Way too expensive to try and put pipes all the way out here. This is life on the steppes.”

  Russell grumbled under his breath as he tossed the rubber in the wastebasket under the sink before grabbing the pail next to the door and leaving. War stripped the bed and put new sheets on while he waited for Russell to return. By the time his lover carried the bucket in, War had a small fire burning in the fireplace.

  “Fuck that water is cold,” Russell muttered as he set the pail next to War.

  “It’s spring fed, so it’s really cold in the early months when the snow is melting.” War dipped a cloth into the chilly water and cleaned himself off. “Why don’t you climb under the blankets? We’ll take a nap before I have to go out and feed the horses.”

  Russell did what War suggested and War went to get another bucket of clean water. He poured the dirty water out over a small rose bush he’d planted next to the back door. He filled the pail again and brought it back in. Setting it next to the fire, he covered it.

  “It’ll be warm when we get up and you can wash up better with that.”

  Russell didn’t answer him and War turned to see Russell had fallen asleep. Wow. Guess sex had worn him out more than War had thought it would, considering Russell had napped most of the way to War’s place. He shut the doors, but left all the windows open to allow the breeze to blow through.

  He joined Russell in bed, spooning behind him and laying an arm over Russell’s waist. He placed a kiss at the base of Russell’s skull before closing his eyes. War wouldn’t sleep, but it was nice to just rest for a while. Hopefully neither of them would have any nightmares to interrupt the moment.

  Chapter Eight

  Liquid tasting of copper poured into Russell’s mouth, drowning him with each swallow. He spat and swiped a hand over his face, wiping the sticky stuff off. He couldn’t open his eyes. They were glued together by whatever covered him. Russell could feel it on his hands and his clothes.

  He thrashed about, trying to free himself of the fabric strangling him. His throat started to close because his mind didn’t want to think of him drinking blood. Jimmy’s blood. The medic’s blood. Even though his eyes weren’t open, he could see them glaring at him in accusation. Their lives splattered all over him, and he hadn’t done anything to help them. They were buried in the ground while he walked around the earth, broken and bleeding deep inside, yet still alive.

  “I’m sorry,” Russell cried, pushing their cold bodies away from him. “I’m sorry I’m alive and you’re dead. I couldn’t do anything to help you.”

  Jimmy and the medic closed in, somehow holding his shoulders and pinning him to the ground. Christ! It was like a bad zombie movie. All Russell could do was fight.

  “Russell!”

  He frowned. The dead in his dream had never spoken to him before. Their cold lifeless eyes were enough to fill him with fear and shame. He shook his head and cried out as they moved closer to him. One of these nights they were going to rip his heart from his chest and devour it in front of him. He needed to wash the blood off. It must be how they kept finding him.

  “Russell, love, wake up. It’s just a dream.”

  No, this wasn’t just a dream. It was real and he deserved everything they did to him. He should have died the same day they did. He shouldn’t have lived, covered in their blood and bits of their brains. Shame swelled in him and he shoved at the hands holding him down.

  “Let me go,” he shouted.

  “You’re going to hurt yourself. Russell, wake up.”

  He pushed again, and suddenly the hands were gone. Russell gasped and curled up in a ball, making it harder for them to get at his chest. He sobbed, not understanding why they’d come back. He’d been doing so well, keeping the ghosts at bay. He didn’t give them any hold to keep him trapped inside his mind, reliving every dreadful moment while they bled to death around him.

  Russell started to spiral down into a pool of crimson blood and white brain matter. Things he’d seen the day when his mind had splintered. All the thoughts in his head narrowed to a single thought. He needed to clean off their blood. Only then would he be free of the guilt he felt for surviving when they’d died. Yet he couldn’t make himself move from where he lay.

  Ice-cold water poured over him. He shot straight up and flailed around, trying to grasp something, anything, to keep him anchored. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and glared at the man standing next to the bed.

  “What the fuck are you doing? Trying to drown me?”

  “You do realise what was going on, don’t you?” War set the empty pail down and sat on the edge of the mattress.

  Russell scrubbed his hands over his face and grunted. “No. I have no idea what was going on.”

  War rubbed Russell’s shoulder. “I think it started out as a nightmare and slid into a flashback. I couldn’t wake you up and the only way I could think of getting you out of it was by pouring water on you. I figured the shock would be enough to wake you.”

  “Damn right about that.” He shivered, causing War to stand.

  War held out his hand. “Why don’t you go dry off while I pull the bedding off before the mattress gets soaked? It’ll need to dry, but I have a few blankets we can wrap up in.”

  Russell’s hand shook as he took War’s, but neither man commented on it. War helped him stagger over to where some towels rested on the table. He dried off quickly and dropped into a chair while watching War. Russell clasped his hands together to try to stop the trembling.

  When War finished tucking in the blankets, Russell tensed, knowing War was going to ask him what he had dreamt about. The doctors and nurses at the hospital had done it all the time. They hadn’t even waited until he’d truly remembered where he was before they’d bombarded him with questions.

  War turned and looked at him. “Do you need one of your pills?”

  Russell thought about it and nodded. “I probably should. Once I have the nightmare, it doesn’t let me go easily. I tend to slide back into it every time I close my eyes.”

  “Get back in bed. I’ll grab the bottle and a glass of water for you.” War went over to Russell’s bag and dug around in it.

  Not having the energy to tell War he’d take care of it himself, Russell did
as War ordered. He stretched out under the blankets and stared up at the rough-hewn ceiling beams.

  “Did you build this all yourself?”

  The sounds of liquid being poured stopped for a moment, and then continued as War answered, “Yes. Some of the other nomads helped me, but mostly I did it myself. Took me several years.”

  “It’s nice.” An inane comment, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “Thanks.”

  The mattress dipped as War sat next to him. He took the glass and pill from War’s hand. Popping the pill into his mouth, he met War’s gaze. Instead of curiosity, understanding and sympathy shone in his eyes.

  “I appreciate it.” He handed the glass back to War before wiggling to find the right spot.

  “No problem. Try to go back to sleep. I have to go out and water the horses. They need to be fed as well. Tomorrow, I’m going to take them out to their grazing land. You’re welcome to come with me.”

  “I’ll have to see how I feel. The pills tend to knock me for a loop for a while afterwards.”

  “Fair enough.” War leaned over and placed a kiss on Russell’s forehead.

  Russell blinked and his eyelids grew heavy. The medicine kicked in and Russell’s brain calmed, letting Russell fall into a deep sleep without any nightmares.

  A door shutting woke Russell up and he sighed as he opened his eyes. War stood beside the table, naked and humming softly as he washed up. Tanned skin everywhere told Russell the man spent a great deal of time outside while naked. That made sense considering there probably weren’t a lot of neighbours dropping by to visit. There were scars marring War’s back and legs. Russell knew there were more on War’s chest and arms.

  “How are you feeling this morning?”

  Russell looked up from where he’d been ogling War’s ass. Caught.

  “I’m doing much better this morning.” He grinned and War winked at him.

  “I see that. Would you like something to eat?” War gestured to the table where several plates were placed. “Nothing warm, but it’s dried fruit and meat.”

  Russell tossed the blankets off and climbed out of the bed. He stretched, listening as his spine cracked and popped. He wandered over to join War at the table. Picking up a strip of dried meat, he studied War.

  “How long have you been up?”

  War shrugged. “I don’t sleep much any more. I did some work around the place. Had small repairs to make.”

  “And now?”

  “After you wash up, and if you’re feeling like it, we’ll take the horses out to graze. They’ve been penned for a day or two and don’t like it. I usually don’t pen them unless there’s a storm coming or I need to leave for a day or so.”

  Russell nodded and took the cloth War handed him. War tossed the dirty water out of the back door and refilled it from the bucket by the fire. Russell washed while War pulled on a pair of faded jeans and a green T-shirt. War sat to tug on boots and Russell went to his bag to grab some clothes.

  After dressing, he followed War outside and down to the pen. War tossed the set of saddlebags he carried over the top of the railing and turned to look at him.

  “Do you want to come with me?”

  Russell took an inventory of his body and nodded. “Yeah. I think I’d like that.”

  “Can you ride?” War ducked under the railing and whistled softly.

  Two large dogs cut two horses out of the herd, urging them close to War. Russell didn’t remember seeing them the day before.

  “Where did the dogs come from?” He didn’t try to pet them. They didn’t look particularly friendly.

  “They spend most of their time out here with the horses. They aren’t very socialised. I don’t want pets.”

  War laid a hand on each of the horses’ necks and led them over to the shed. The horses stood calmly while he put on a hackamore along with a pad of blankets for a saddle on them. Russell winced at the thought of how sore his ass was going to be by the time they’d stopped riding for the day. Well, this was what he’d come to Mongolia to discover how it was different from the rest of the world..

  War’s low murmurs drew Russell’s attention and he admitted to himself that actually War was the reason he’d decided Mongolia would be a great place to visit. It was War he wanted to find out more about rather than the country he found himself standing in.

  “You can ride?”

  He glanced up to see War holding out a set of reins. Russell took them gingerly in his hand, staring at the horse standing in front of him. The horse stared back at him, bright brown eyes full of calm curiosity.

  “What’s its name?” He stroked his hand over its soft nose.

  “That’s a mare, and I don’t name them.”

  Looking over at War, Russell frowned. “Why not?”

  “Same reason the dogs don’t have names either. They aren’t pets, so why treat them as such?” War shrugged. “The only animal I named is Singqor, and that’s only because I’ve kept him for ten years, but I don’t plan on keeping him much longer. It’s getting time for him to be free, and it’s tradition to let the falcons go after a certain age. Once he leaves, I won’t train another bird.”

  “Why not?”

  He followed War as the other man walked out of the pen with his mount. The herd flowed out around them, but didn’t move on. The dogs kept them milling about close by.

  “It was fun to learn how to do it, but none of the young people today want to know. It’s expensive to train and keep them. So much knowledge has been lost while the world modernises.” War’s expression seemed sad for a moment. “So, you can ride, right?”

  “Yeah. It’s been a year or so since I last did it, but I think I’ll remember the basics. Though why don’t you put a bit on them?” Russell pointed to the hackamore around the horse’s nose.

  “Bits are too harsh on their mouths. I sell my horses to other tribes or herdsmen. I’m not here to change them in any way. They are here simply to help me deal with the other aspects of my life. They are uncomplicated and unconditional. These horses love me and obey me, but they don’t really need me. They could survive on the steppes very easily, even if I weren’t around.” War swung astride his mount. He looked over at the dogs sitting quietly, eyes trained on the horses, not him. “As could the dogs.”

  Russell used a block of wood to mount his horse. It took a little time to find his balance, since he wasn’t used to riding without stirrups. He walked the mare around the yard, relearning how to sit on a horse and trying not to feel like an idiot. War and the rest of the animals waited patiently until he turned back to them with a smile.

  “I’m ready.”

  Nodding, War whistled sharply and sent the dogs and horses on their way. Russell settled in to one side of the herd where the dust wouldn’t choke him. War watched the horses for the first hour, keeping an eye out to make sure there weren’t any stragglers or injured animals. After they’d ridden for a while, War joined Russell at the other side of the group.

  “Who murdered you?” Russell wasn’t sure why he’d brought up the topic of War’s death.

  War pursed his lips and Russell waited, unsure if War would answer him.

  “A boy from another tribe.”

  “How old were you?” He could tell it was a touchy subject for War, but Russell couldn’t stop thinking about it. He wanted to know everything about the man riding beside him.

  “I told you already. I’d seen thirty-five seasons by that time. I was the chief of my tribe and had massacred the boy’s family. I deserved what he did to me.” War sighed. “I could have called my guards into my tent when I realised the boy was there. I knew what he wanted to do to me, but I chose to allow him to exact his revenge on me.”

  Russell wanted to stop his horse, reach out and shake War silly. “Why would you do something like that? I mean, killing the kid’s family was bad, but I assume things like that happened all the time back in the day. I guess I can understand why he’d be pissed, but to j
ust lie there and let him kill you sounds crazy to me.”

  War tugged on a lock of his hair before issuing a rough laugh. “It was crazy and I regret doing that almost as much as I regret killing the boy’s tribe, but it’s too late now. I can’t go back even if I wanted to.”

  Russell sent him a quick glance. “You regret killing his tribe? Why did you do it? Did you need more land or were they threatening you?”

  “No.” War stared out over the grass, his eyes not seeing the present landscape. Maybe he saw the sand and dunes of his homeland.

  “Then why did you do it?”

  “I was lied to and those lies caused me to start a war with a neighbouring tribe. We were all betrayed, but that isn’t a good enough reason for me to wipe out an entire group of people.” War shook his head.

  “I’m sorry.” Russell wasn’t sure what he should say to that.

  “Thank you, but you weren’t there, so you have no reason to be sorry.”

  “Maybe not, but I can still feel bad for you.”

  War pulled his horse to a stop and glared at Russell. “You’re taking all of this rather calmly. I figured if I ever told anyone they would think I was crazy.”

  Russell shrugged and paused as well. “Maybe I’m still trying to process it all. Actually, I’ve seen you in a bunch of different places where you shouldn’t be, and other people haven’t seen you.”

  “I’m not supposed to allow people to see me as a Horseman. I’ve gotten good at hiding, even with this hair. A baseball cap and sunglasses usually work best.” War gestured towards his head. “For centuries, I’ve stayed under the radar, doing my job and trying not to get attached to anyone. It’s too hard to watch them die as they grow old.”

  Was that the reason why War hadn’t had sex for a while? Of course, Russell knew sex could be one of the easiest things to find and have. Strangers didn’t care who you were or what you did, as long as they got off. It had been how Russell had got his experiences, through one-night stands and quick hand jobs in dark alleys.