Chapter Five

"He's lost his mind, Twinkles. That's the only explanation I've got." Verin flung himself down in a chair in the empty bunkroom they'd been given.

"I'm sure not. He seems…more himself again. It's only sense to wait for the man who can supply what we need."

"It's not sense, you witless noob. The more time we spend with humans, the more chance they might see what we are."

"I don't understand." Ness leaned against one of the two bunks. "You didn't always have these…light-bending things to hide your horns. But Shax talks as if he's spent most of his life among humans."

Verin made an impatient gesture. "Tech, magic, hats. There've always been ways to hide what the fuck we are. But hats slip. Halos slip. Concentration slips and then spells do. Humans in this time haven't accepted demons and angels as fact. Shax knows how bad it can get when we're found out. And all you have is a damn coat."

"I do wish he'd come back."

Strange, how often Verin found himself agreeing with the angel twink. Wasn't ten minutes, though, before Shax sailed back in looking like a canary-sated cat.

"Gentlemen, we have an invitation to dinner, a place to rest, and some good honest work in the morning. Life is grand."

"You're cracked. Completely. We're in the wrong time zone. You're barely mobile. And life is fucking grand."

Ness sighed. "I do wish you wouldn't swear at him quite so much, Ver."

"I'm a motherfucking demon, you pussy!" Verin snarled. "I sure as shit will cuss, especially when I'm pissed off!"

"Keep yelling at him, Ver, and I'll forget that I've forgiven you."

The ice in Shax's voice stopped his rising fit of temper. Verin drew in a slow breath and let it out on a cloud of steam. "Whatever."

Shax shot him a shocked look. "Yes. Well. I like these cowboys. Bunch of sexy beasts and they seem decent folks, so I don't mind staying a few days. But I have an ulterior motive."

"Shocking," Ness murmured, though he had a sad little smile on his face to go with his snark, so Shax didn't get mad at him.

No, Shax actually winked at the damn angel. "There's a festival of sorts here in a few days. Stock horse fair and cowboy competition with—"

"You mean a rodeo," Verin said to his feet.

"Actually, no. The word's not widely used that way yet. Not the way we would mean it. So cowboy competition it is."

Damn smug demon prince. Always knows everything better. Verin glanced up at Shax in his coffee brown duster, his hat tipped at a rakish angle, and an odd pang ran through him as that pose, that devious smile reminded him of so many other adventures. He wanted things back the way they had been, just the two of them, without Shax mooning and fawning over some third wheel. "So? Why the hell do we care?"

"Apparently, there is a rich lady living in the area. The widow of a railroad tycoon. She's the one offering the prize money. I hear she has some fabulous jewels."

"Shax…" Ness shook his head, his forehead creased.

"Fuck, no, you idiot. We've got enough problems. You don't need to make more for the fun of it."

Shax just kept grinning as he shrugged. "Won't hurt to look. Who knows? Maybe I can win us some legitimate prize money."

This I have to hear. "Doing what?"

"Bronco riding. You know I'm good with horses."

"You do that thing where you talk to the horse and these cowboys you like so much are gonna turn on us."

"Please. I don't have to bespeak any horses. I've been riding several centuries longer than any of these boys. You think I can't compete?"

"I think you're gonna trip over your ego and impale yourself on your delusions of grandeur."

"Why, Ver! There were large, literate words in that sentence and not a single swear." Shax flung his hat on the nearest bunk, grinning madly.

Damn him. Damn, damn, damn. "We're gonna end up running and you'll end up shot. Again."

"Again?" Ness asked, eyes wide in alarm. "Love? How often does this happen?"

"Oh." Shax shrugged and took the angel in his arms for a kiss. "Once or twice."

Disgusting. "Lots of times." Verin leaned back with a resigned snort. "At least it'll be bullets and not barbed, poisoned crossbows this time."

Ness paled, swayed, and sat down hard on the bunk, narrowly missing Shax's hat. "Yes…yes. At least that."

"Ver exaggerates. Everything's going to be fine. I won't do anything dangerous."

"He says that now," Verin muttered, unable to let it rest yet.

Shax chuckled, the bastard, apparently unwilling to rethink and unrepentant of his past disasters. "I'm going to lie down for a bit. Try to nap. We'll join the boys at dinnertime."

"First good idea you've had in weeks." Verin toed off his boots to climb into the top bunk, leaving Ness to figure out whether he wanted the bunk across the way or to try to sardine himself in with his highness.

Shax was right about one thing. Some of those boys were fine, sexy beasts. Really fine, broad-shouldered, sexy… Verin stopped the direction of his thoughts before they could wander off too far. Still, bright green eyes haunted him as he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

* * * *

Apparently, the cowboys liked dining al fresco on fine nights and this proved to be one of them. As they approached the fire that evening, several already-familiar hands called hello and introductions went round.

"Shax Goldner. My cousin, Verin Hammer, and our associate, Ness Angelus."

"Y'all talk kinda funny," Freckles, whose name turned out to be Jessie, piped up from where he sat on a log. "Are you foreigners or perfessors or somethin'?"

"Knew a gent once from London kinda sounded like you boys," another cowboy, a two-meter tall one called Shorty, broke in. "I bet you're from London or some other country out thataway."

"Yes, as a matter of fact. From very near London." Shax smiled and made sure to sound pleasantly surprised, as if the man had just made the wisest, most intelligent guess possible. After all, London in this century was pretty close to hell. "Though Ness is from Switzerland. You know, where all the mountains are."

This, of course, would explain why Ness's accent and mannerisms were so different, and given the cowboys' obviously tenuous grasp of geography, would explain nothing to them at all. They all nodded wisely, though, as if they had all been to the Alps and knew just what Shax meant.

"So why're y'all riding shank's mare?" Jessie asked, which got him a couple of cuffs from the older cowboys nearby.

Shax blinked at the odd idiom. "Pardon?"

"The boy means on foot, Mr. Goldner," Corny spoke up from across the fire and though he spoke to Shax, his gaze slid past him.

Odd. "Ah. We lost our horses some time back."

"When you was bushwhacked?" yet another cowboy inquired.

All right, at least I recall what that means. 

"When they shot you?"

"Yes. Terrible business." Shax shook his head sadly. "I suppose our attackers thought we were wealthy or perhaps they just wanted the horses. They came at night and shot me in the chest when I tried to stop them. They did get the horses and much of our supplies, but Ness drove them off before they could rifle through my pockets at least."

"Damn nasty varmints," Zeke growled. "Shooting a man down in cold blood and then trying to rob what they thought was a dead man."

"Quite so. But we're all alive and have enough left to go on with, so there's no good in grumbling." Shax offered his best I'm-Obnoxiously-Optimistic smile.

"I like your gumption, Mr. Goldner." Zeke thumped him on the shoulder. "Where are you and your boys headed?"

"Shax, please. Call me Mr. Goldner and I'll forever be looking around for my father."

The joke wasn't overused in this century, apparently, and got a round of hearty, manly laughter.

"West," Verin grunted from where he'd tucked into a huge plate of steak and beans.

Good man, Ver. "Yes, to Oregon. We hear there's good land near the coast for farming."

"Yeah?" Corny piped up again from his place across the fire, still doing that odd thing with his eyes. "What sort of farming were you fixing on doing?"

He's watching Ver. Huh. Interesting. "Grapes," Shax answered without a beat. "The copper wire we need is used to support the growing vines. All of our wire was, unfortunately, with the horses."

"You can't use something else?" That was Corny again. The man wasn't stupid.

Shax wasted a smile on him, since he wasn't looking. "Wood rots, which the grapes can't have near them. And they don't react well to steel and such. Copper just works best. Doesn't rust. So on and so forth."

Corny nodded, his expression thoughtful. Damn if the man didn't look like he was trying to think up a good solution. Intriguing fellow. Shax felt another set of eyes on him and turned his head to find Ness regarding him with an odd, guarded expression. He raised an eyebrow in question but got nothing in response, so he shrugged it off.

"All right, let the poor man eat." Zeke finally waved a hand, cutting off all the questions. "Needs to build his strength back up."

It felt good to be in congenial company, and Shax realized how much he had missed humans—simple, Earth-bound humans not yet jaded by space travel and contact with alien landscapes. After dinner, two of the men produced guitars and sang the expected ballads and not-quite-respectable songs one found in men's company.

"Mr. Goldner?" Jessie held out one of the guitars to him. "You play?"

The mandolin had been his instrument of choice, but Shax was comfortable enough to pluck out a tune on most stringed instruments. "It's been awhile. Let's see what we can do."

At least Ness's expression returned to curious, his earlier disapproval apparently forgotten, as Shax tuned the strings. He winked at his angel, strummed a few chords, and began the "Rose of Tralee", a perfect song for his naturally sweet baritone and one the cowboys might have heard. Cowboys, at least these, were polite listeners, joining in on the chorus but never trying to drown him out.

At the end of the ballad, though, several of the men stared morosely into the flames.

"That was beautiful, Mr. Goldner," Jessie sniffled, swiping at his eyes with a denim cuff.

"Why, thank you." Shax beamed at the boy and retuned the strings. "But I think we need something a little less melancholy, don't you? This next one is most definitely not for mixed company."

Verin rolled his eyes as Shax strummed the first chords, but he got a rare laugh from his partner when he belted out the first few lines of "Fuck You, I'm Drunk." Yes, he had to change a few twentieth century words on the fly, which made Verin laugh harder. Ness's eyes went round in shock at the first chorus, though everyone had joined in by the second and even Ness tried the terrible cuss words out, softly.

Ah, that's better. The boys were laughing now, passing the bottle, slapping each other on the back. "Ver? Whiskey song?"

Verin threw him a mock salute and began to stomp one oversized boot to keep time. This was good, like old times, good to have peace between them again. Shax let out a whoop, startling Ness at his feet, and let his voice ring out, "As I was goin' over the far famed Kerry mountains…"

Nothing compared to old Earth Irish drinking songs, not Ganymedan tribal beats, not even Tri-Station bar fight songs. Verin got the boys to do the rhythmic clapping in the right places, which was half the fun when you were drinking, and his deep bass joined Shax's unerringly on the chorus. Ness watched him with shining eyes, laughing with delight as the last chord died away.

I haven't had this much fun in…oh, my. It's been far too long. And I'm not even stealing anything.

"Ness?" Shax gestured with the guitar. "Want a turn?"

"Oh." Ness blinked up at him, pale skin flushing in that way that turned Shax's insides to mush. "Oh…I don't play…that."

"But you can sing, yes?"

"Yes, I…I…sometimes." Ness ducked his head, obviously uncomfortable being the center of attention.

Shax expected him to refuse, softly, politely. Instead, he lifted his head with a deep breath and began to sing. The first note pierced Shax straight through, the poignant glory of it a pristine, gleaming ice shard through his heart. He shouldn't have been so shocked. Ness's singing was angelic, after all. The sheer beauty of it stole his senses, so it took a moment to recognize the tune as a chanson in medieval French, a song of betrayal, of faithless love and heartbreak.

He ducked his head, strumming soft accompaniment on the guitar. The wind must have shifted, blowing smoke in his eyes. Yes. Where else would all the blurry wetness come from?

One of the cowboys, Shax didn't look up to see which one, started to sob. They couldn't possibly understand the words, but the agonizing beauty of Ness's voice obviously needed no translation.

Jessie took the guitar back with trembling hands when Ness finished. "Mr. Angelus, you surely can sing."

"The birds must hush up in shame when they hear you," Zeke said on a nod.

The little dinner party started to break up soon after with admonishments about all the work that waited in the morning. Verin had one last, brief staring contest with Corny before he stomped off toward their shared bunkhouse, his expression as troubled as Shax had ever seen it.

Shax stopped himself from tossing any verbal grenades. If Verin was considering taking a human for a spin, it wouldn't be the first time, but he usually just took instead of thinking about it.

When's the last time Verin flirted with or courted anything of any species?

He followed more slowly, a silent Ness at his side. When they reached the corral nearest their bunkhouse, Shax stopped to lean against the rail. The silence held him in thrall now that all the boys had gone to their own bunks. The moonless night surrounded them, caressing and sheltering them. He just wanted to enjoy the evening a moment longer and gaze up at the stars from an Earth vantage point, maybe snag a kiss and some quiet conversation from his angel.

"Where in the world did you learn an old French love song?"

Ness stared up at the stars as he let out a slow breath. An odd distance colored his words when he answered, "Some human souls don't let go entirely. They bring the hurt of life with them to the halls of heaven. One heard things."

So much for nice, cozy conversation.

"It's disturbing, you know," Ness began in that same chill, distant tone.

"What's that, sweetheart?"

"How easily you lie. How smoothly the lies simply roll from you."

"Necessary lies."

"How do you keep it all straight?"

"I've had a lot of practice."

"How many lies have you told me?"

Shax was less and less certain he liked where this was going. "Er, several."

"Several." Hard frost shot through Ness's voice. "Even after you were so badly wounded?"

"Um…" Shax edged away, glancing up at Ness through his lashes. He could lie again, now, but they both would know better. "Yes?"

Ness pulled himself straight, reminding Shax how much taller he was. "About what?"

And stronger. So very much stronger. "Nothing terribly important."

Ness growled and though it was a beautiful sound, the threat was clear.

Shax hurried on, "I've…kept things from you. Little things. When I'm frightened or hurt."

"You mustn't do such things." Ness took a step closer, looming. "I don't like being lied to."

"It's what I do!" Shax spread his arms in a helpless gesture. "You know that. You knew what I was when you first saw me. I'm a demon, for hell's sake, Ness! I can't help what I am!"

Ness poked him hard in the chest. "You are. But you're my demon. Lie to the rest of the universe. Well and fine. But not to me."

Shax swallowed hard against the tightness in his throat. I am not six years old. I will not cry. "I don't think I can promise that. I don't think—"

Ness seized his arm and dragged him over to the crate by the fencing. "Do you think I can't tell? Do you think I'm stupid as well as naïve? Enough, Shax. I can't stand to watch the lies dripping from your tongue so enthusiastically and then know you'll come about and just as gleefully turn that silver, forked tongue on me."

"I don't have a forked tongue!" Shax cried out in shock when Ness yanked him down, face first across his lap. "Ness, please!"

Despite his wild struggles, Ness held him down easily with a hand on the middle of his back. He folded Shax's coat up with the other.

"Sweetheart? What are you g—" The first crack across his ass pulled a high-pitched yelp from him.

"No more, love. If you insist on lying to me like a spoiled child, you can expect to be treated like one."

The second smack was harder. It hurt, though Shax knew his angelic captor was holding back. The pain from the spanking came nowhere near the sting of humiliation. "Damn it, Ness! You can't do this to me!"

His only answer was another hard smack, followed by another.

"Ness, stop!" He hated the tremor in his voice, hated more the threat of tears. This wasn't right. He was a fucking demon prince by all the unholies. He was never, ever going to forgive Ness.

"Promise me."

"Promise you what?" He couldn't think through his confusion and another hard crack. "Ow!"

"That you won't lie to me anymore."

"I don't—" Crack! "Stop it!"

"When I have your promise."

The hell of it was, the commanding tone of Ness's voice and the ease with which he manhandled Shax started a pool of liquid fire spreading in Shax's belly. His traitor cock grew hard against Ness's thigh even as he continued to struggle and protest.

"No! Hell, no!"

Crack! Oh, fuck. The spanking was turning him on as nothing had in several hundred years.

"Promise."

"No! Fuck you!"

Crack! "I'm waiting."

"No." The protest was softer this time, and Shax's face heated when his ass actually lifted in the air to meet the next spank. He ground his erection into Ness's thigh. I'm such a mess. I'm…going to come like this. "Oh, Ness," he moaned. "Stop. No. Wait. Don't stop. Please. Please."

Ness surprised him again. Instead of asking questions or stuttering in embarrassment over the open display of sexual need, he set up a hard, steady rhythm. Instinctively, he gave Shax exactly what he wanted, letting him writhe and moan on Ness's lap, the sting of each slap sliding into intense pleasure as he raced toward orgasm. He spread his legs to get better traction for grinding, more sensation with each hard blow.

"So good. Oh, so good," Shax gasped out as Ness smacked him hard and caressed down toward his balls. He bucked, fingers digging into Ness's thigh as he came with blinding force, making a mess of his pants.

Ness sat patiently, stroking his backside as Shax writhed and whimpered through the hard pulses of his climax. When he finally stilled, Ness kept a hand on him to hold him down.

"So are you mine?"

"Yours. Yes. Oh…Ness."

"And do you promise? Not to lie to me?"

"Yes. Never again. Not to you."

With a final pat, Ness let him up and Shax slid bonelessly to his knees between Ness's legs, still panting. The cold edge had fled from Ness's voice, his hands gentle and soothing as he kneaded Shax's shoulders. "Did you really, ah…"

"Come? Like a runaway freighter. I'm glad it's dark out here so no one can see the mess, and my ass will probably glow for a week."

Ness ran his thumb tenderly over Shax's face, wiping away the leftover tears. "I'm sorry I hurt you, love. Are you sure you're all right?"

"My dear, bossy angel," Shax said with a hint of a smile. "You may hurt me that way all you like. That was amazing. Wonderful."

"Was it? It didn't seem like it. All the squirming and yelling."

"I, ah." Shax ducked his head against Ness's lap. "My pride was bruised a bit. Quite a bit. But the rest of me thoroughly enjoyed it. You're terribly sexy when you're all commanding and domineering."

"Hmm. It almost felt like I was someone else. I don't think I understand what happened here." Ness bent to kiss the top of his head and pull him up into his embrace. "Shax, I'm frightened. What am I becoming?"

"I'll admit the whole spanking thing was a surprise to me, too." Shax chewed on his bottom lip, searching for the right words. "The fallen often change, Ness. That's simple fact. My mother was one of the original rebels, you know. An angel long ago. She's beautiful and still has her sweet moments, but she's terribly proud and vain. Violent when she's angry."

"Will I become violent and angry? Some demon of jealousy? What if I truly hurt you?"

Shax shook his head. "I don't think you will. Traits you showed before might become more prominent. You were a bit possessive before your fall. My demon, you called me more than once. That streak of dominance showed through in moments of crisis. This is still you. Just…more you than there was before."

Ness held him tight, a little shiver running through him as he seemed to turn all the new information over. "Am I understanding correctly? You like someone controlling you?"

"Only in private." Shax nuzzled at Ness's jaw. "You pull something like that where other people can see, humiliate me in front of others, and I promise my revenge will be baroque in its elaborateness and excruciatingly painful."

"Ah. That sounds more like my Shax." Ness granted him a smile, his white teeth flashing in the starlight before he kissed Shax breathless.