The Four Horsemen 2 - War (10 page)

the curtain aside, showing the large bed. Furs and blankets covered it. War eased forward,
and Russell sat on the edge of the mattress.
He strolled up to Russell, moving to stand between his legs. Russell rested his hands on
War’s hips. War stroked his hands over Russell’s chest, stopping to play with the man’s
nipples, pinching and twisting until Russell whimpered.
“Why don’t you taste me?”
His suggestion lit up Russell’s eyes and Russell leant forward to wrap his lips around
the tip of War’s cock. War closed his eyes and slowly pushed in, sinking as deep into
Russell’s mouth as his lover would let him. When Russell tightened his fingers on War’s
hips, he knew Russell couldn’t take any more.
War ran his fingers through Russell’s hair, stopping at the back of Russell’s head and
cradling it in his palms. “Are you ready?”
Nodding, Russell hummed, causing War to shiver from the vibrations. Once he could
think again, he began to move, pumping in and out of Russell’s mouth. He moaned when
Russell slid his hands around and trailed his fingers down War’s crease to rub against his
hole. It had been a long time since War had allowed anyone to penetrate him, but he knew
he’d surrender to Russell.
Strange how War could give up all his reservations and worries, and let Russell in.
What was it about the younger soldier that made War willing to let him into the deepest
parts of his soul? Another caress and War let all his thoughts disappear from his mind. It was
time to focus on making love to Russell and deal with all the other stuff later. His eyes rolled back in his head as Russell deep throated him while pressing his finger
past the tight ring of muscles guarding War’s inner passage. Russell’s mouth was hot and
wet, almost a perfect place to be. The only place better would be buried balls deep in
Russell’s ass, but if Russell wanted to fuck him first, War would be fine with that. War undulated between Russell’s mouth and fingers, begging for more. He tightened
his grip on Russell’s head, and Russell winced.
“Sorry,” he murmured, stroking Russell’s hair in apology.
Russell didn’t stop and War’s balls drew closer to his body while pleasure pooled at the
base of his spine. His lover shoved three fingers into War, hitting his gland with a knuckle
and War came, spilling his cum down Russell’s throat.
“Russell!” War shouted.
His lover kept sucking and stretching him until War’s knees threatened to give out. War
took a trembling step back.
“Let me get in bed and you can fuck me.”
“Where’s the slick and rubbers?” Russell helped him onto the mattress. Nodding at a box on the table next to the bed, War settled on his hands and knees. He
turned his head to watch Russell open the box and yank the stuff out. They exchanged grins
as Russell dropped the lube next to War.
“Why don’t you lube up while I get the condom on?”
War did just that, groaning as his own fingers filled his ass. He was using four by the
time Russell slapped his hip.
“All right. As much as I love watching this, I want to fuck you.”
“Take it slow. It’s been a while,” War admitted.
Russell tilted his head and studied him for a moment. “How long?”
“Since I gave my ass to anyone?”
Russell nodded while he climbed between War’s legs. War shuddered at the feel of
Russell’s cock brushing over his hole.
“Let’s just keep it at a while.”
It had actually been over a hundred years since he’d allowed himself to be vulnerable
enough to let someone fuck him. He didn’t think Russell was ready to hear that just yet.
Russell might have dealt with finding out he was a Horseman, but that didn’t mean his mind
would be able to accept just how old War really was. He didn’t want to interrupt their
lovemaking before he felt Russell inside him.
“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.

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

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.

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 just 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.
“So you’re the second Horseman,” he commented.
“Yes. I’m War and I’ve started so many throughout the centuries I think I’ve forgotten most of them.”
“I bet.” Russell nudged his mount forward.
The herd had continued on, but the dogs kept them in line. The horses grazed and wandered. Russell glanced around, taking in the scenery. There wasn’t anything really different about the grasslands they rode through, but it was interesting. Different in some ways from the Kansas prairies, yet the softly rolling mounds were uneven enough to keep his attention.
“We’ll be coming up to a small pond in an hour or so. I usually stop there to have lunch and water the horses.” War kept pace with him. “I packed us some food.”
“I appreciate it.”
Russell had the feeling he’d be happy to take a break when they got there. They fell silent as they made their way towards the pond. As they rode, the tension buried deep inside Russell slowly started to ease and he discovered he was enjoying their journey.
When they got to the pond, the horses drank while War and Russell dismounted. War took the blankets and hackamores off, setting them on the ground and letting the horses rejoin the herd. Russell walked around, stretching as he did so. By the time they either returned home or stopped for the night he would be horribly sore. He would rather be sore from this, though, than from carrying his pack over the sand in Afghanistan.
“You hungry?”
Turning, he spotted War sitting next to the edge of the pond. Russell grinned.
“I’m hungrier than I have been in a long time.”
“The air will do that to you.” War opened the saddlebags and unpacked them.
Russell knelt beside War, eyeing the food as it appeared. Dried meat and fruit set on a clean towel. He waited until War had finished laying it out before he took a piece of meat and started chewing. War dipped two mugs full of water and handed one to Russell.
“This safe?”
War chuckled. “As safe as anything else around here.”
“True. At least no one’s shooting at me.” Russell settled down to eat.
“Good point.” War picked up some dried fruit. “Why did they send you back out to your unit after your first injury?”
Russell shrugged. “I don’t know why, except they might have needed me to fill a spot and I was pretty well healed by that time.”
“Yet you had some mental issues, didn’t you?” War didn’t look at him.
Did he have issues stemming from his time spent on the cliff? Russell knew he did, though he hadn’t told the doctors he’d talked to before going back to his unit. One of his problems was that he feared heights. Just the thought of going into the mountains had almost paralysed him, yet he’d done his job and gone back.
He swallowed loudly, and took a sip of water. Deep in his mind, he worried that he’d frozen the day Jimmy and the medic died because of the fear. If only he hadn’t been so scared of all the angles and drop-offs around him, maybe he could have got Jimmy out of the way of the bullet. Or maybe he could have helped the medic with Jimmy before William was shot himself.
His hands shook as he lifted some meat to his mouth. Breathing deep, he thought he smelt the scent of blood. Bile choked him and he dropped the food to the ground, covered his mouth with his hand and scrambled over to a small bush to throw up at its base.
Russell curled into a ball and whimpered slightly as he rocked. His skin tightened like he was coated with some thick liquid.
Shit!
He thought he had got rid of those feelings. He should have known he couldn’t wash something like that off.
Someone knelt next to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Russell. I shouldn’t have asked.”
War’s voice raked over his nerves and he shuddered. “Did I cause their death? I froze and couldn’t do anything, not even during the battle. All I could think of was the drop-off in front of our spot in line. I got off some bullets, but I doubt I actually hit anything. Do you think Jimmy moved in front to stop me from getting shot? The medic didn’t need to be there. I think Jimmy might have already been dead.”
“I doubt you caused either of their deaths. The men who started the wars are the ones to blame for everything.” The voice paused for a moment before starting again. “If anyone was to blame, it would be me. I caused the war, though I had a good reason for what I did. War and killing have their place in the balance of the world, but it doesn’t make it right.”
“So much blood…”
Russell fought the need to wring his hands or scrape them over his arms and clothes, trying to wipe his hands clean. God, why wouldn’t the stuff come off? Every time he tried, the shit never came off and he couldn’t see beyond the crimson coat. Slowly, his mind became trapped in the whirl of blood and the sound of a bullet hitting the medic’s body.
War swore under his breath as Russell folded in on himself and started mumbling. This was great. He thought he’d get through one day without sending Russell into a flashback, but apparently he hadn’t figured out the right way to ask.
Pushing to his feet, he glanced around, trying to figure out what he should do. Russell should take one of his pills, but War didn’t think he’d brought them with him. Should he go back to the house and grab them? Or should he stay with Russell and wait out the flashback?
“Here.”
He jumped as a pale hand appeared over his shoulder with a bottle in its long, elegant fingers. He took it and popped the top. He tapped out a pill before handing the bottle back to Death.
“Thank you. Can you get me another mug of water? He’ll need it to swallow the pill, if I can even get him to take it.”
The Pale Horseman exhaled loudly, but walked away, and War didn’t know why the man seemed so annoyed. It wasn’t like War had demanded he do all this stuff for him. He was the one who’d just showed up.
“Russell, I need you to look at me. Come on, fight through whatever shit is going on in your brain and focus on my voice.” War shook Russell harder than he probably should have, but he didn’t want the man to slide so far into his mind that he wouldn’t be able to come back.
“I’m not sure being rough with him is the right thing to do,” Death commented casually as he held out the mug of water for War.
“Maybe not, but it makes me feel better.” War took Russell’s chin in his hand and lifted it until Russell met his eyes. “I need you to take this pill. It’ll help get the blood off you.”
Russell frowned and shot a quick glance down at the white pill in War’s other hand. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Take it. I promise everything will just go away.”
Russell did as he asked and Death walked a few feet away to give them some privacy. Once the medicine had kicked in, Russell looked at War and sadness filled his eyes.
“It happened again, didn’t it?”
“Yes, but it’s my fault. I asked you questions you weren’t ready to answer. I should know better than that.”
“No.” Russell cradled War’s face in his hands. “You were trying to help. I need to deal with this. I don’t want to be on drugs all my life to keep from freaking out. It’s no way to live. Maybe talking about it will help.”
“I know what your problem is, Russell. The same one I’ve been dealing with for the last several centuries.”