33 years after the surrender of New Colorado Protectorate
Nick stood quietly to the side and watched the scene before him. Todd had a map spread out on the big table in Nick’s clinic. That was the best place to gather the area sentries when they all had to meet. “Listen up, boys and girls, here’s the plan.” Todd pointed to different areas on the map as he talked. “There were three bad earthquakes in less than two weeks, and things are getting bad down there.”
He nodded to a group of three people. Kids, really. When had Nick gotten so old that young men and women in their twenties and early thirties with families of their own seemed like kids?
“Patrol this region, here and here.” Todd’s blond hair had turned to a lush, light silver and he’d gotten a little heavier in the past few years, but he was as imposing as ever. He was still the powerful man who’d always protected Nick. This was the same man Nick had fallen in love with through exchanged letters even before the first day they spent together. The man Nick had later married. “You three, I want you to take this area. Ride straight through and get there as soon as possible. Contact the couriers right away when you arrive. Those people work hard, and we depend on them for our communication. Respect them and pay them well.”
Nick glanced around at the group while he was busy preparing packs for these people to take. Their identification papers, as well as maps and money, were stored in small packs that would fit under their shirts. They were all so young, and many had never been on a big assignment until now. Had he and Todd ever been that young? Nick had been twenty-two the day Todd took him from the slave village, decades ago and hundreds of miles away.
“Drew, you’ll take the last group here,” Todd continued and tapped the map. Those going with Drew had the least amount of experience. When had Drew turned into this competent leader and their second-in-command? He was Todd all over again. Confident, in charge, with a never back down and always win attitude that made him a fine protector, and that’s what sentries were. Protectors. Todd’s gaze swept the group. “Remember, you’ve all earned your sentry tattoos, and in cases like this, those are also badges. We may have been at war with those people once, but that was before most of you were born. Today they need our help, and we’ll give it to each and every person or spirit in need.”
“Any dead you come across need to be liberally covered with iron shavings and salt, then burned. You all know there will be a lot of angry spirits, people who died suddenly and can’t accept that change. This is how you’ll help them. It’s the only way. Focus on your training.” Nick tossed small satchels on the table. “Everyone take one and keep it fastened to your belts.”
No one ever disagreed that the New Colorado Protectorate had once had an excellent education system in place for the slaves born and sold there. Nick was instrumental in taking that model and implementing it in Elk’s Ridge for the people there. He and Todd, later joined by Drew and his wife, Alexi, used the same educational model to train up-and-coming sentries. The pyrahni never did migrate north, but there were plenty of other preternatural beings they needed to contend with.
“Stay alert and watch out for one another. Listen to Drew and Alexi and do what they tell you, and you’ll be fine. Remember, you’re the law when there is no sheriff or militia, so act accordingly. Most of all, be sure all of you come back home.” Todd paused and took a breath. “There could well be hundreds of injured and dead. I’ve sent messages ahead to the New Colorado sentry force, but I’ve gotten no reply, so there is no way of knowing their status. Work under the presumption you’re all there is until proven otherwise.”
Another hour of packing supplies, and they ushered their sentry force on their way south to the disaster zone near what was at one time the border between New Colorado and West Caldera. It was the same area where, decades ago, Todd and Nick were caught in an earthquake.
Once all the riders were out of sight, Nick laid a hand on Todd’s shoulder and squeezed. “They’ll do fine. You trained them well.”
“We trained them well. Remember, most of them can throw a knife the way they do because of you. Most of them are also my deputies, so I’ll need your help patrolling the city for a while.”
Nick nodded. He might be part of the area’s medical team, but at times like this, he and Todd were sentries. They protected and aided people. That’s what sentries were always meant to do, and what they always would do. Like Todd’s mentor, Jimmy Cantor, who had headed the sentry force when Nick and Todd became mates, Todd had taken up the role of training others to become sentries and organizing the work they needed to complete. From the very start, Todd had ingrained in Nick a pride in being a sentry, and like those who came before them, they passed that on to the next generation. The world was an ever-changing place, and sentries would help usher this part of it through those changes safely.
* * * *
61 years after the surrender of New Colorado Protectorate
To Todd it seemed as if his days had been reduced to nothing but various degrees of pain and feeling sick. He was tired of it. Leaning on his cane, he made his way down the hall to the kitchen. Hooking the cane over the edge of the sink, he leaned heavily against the counter and gazed out the window. It was early evening, one of Todd’s favorite times of day. It was always the part of the day Nick liked best as well. One of the double chairs he’d made from wood for him and Nick to share while they sat under the stars was sitting in the grass, aimed north. The sky had been giving quite a show lately. The aurora borealis had extended from the ground to the sky, and rippled in giant waves.
Light pillars. That’s what Nick had once told him they were.
Nick’s love of the sky and stars hadn’t diminished one tiny iota over the years. That chair was equipped with holders for their coffee mugs as well as the notebooks Nick used to keep track of his observations. Pointing out the various constellations was one of the first things they had done together as they traveled away from the slave village Nick was raised in.
Todd put water on to boil. He couldn’t drink coffee anymore. It upset his stomach too much, and he’d been sticking to plain water of late. Tonight he would have tea under the stars and the light pillars. He sighed and turned away from the window when the kettle whistled. He filled a strainer with tea and set it in the mug and poured boiling water over it. Leaving the mug on the counter for now, he watched the sun dip below the horizon. The sky changed from blue to gold and pink, then finally deep, deep purple blue. The night was cloudless and calm. A perfect night to see one of the astronomical spectacles Nick loved so much.
The aroma of the tea wafted up and made Todd huff a sigh. It smelled bitter, not smooth like coffee. He’d been thinking about that first day as Nick’s official owner more and more lately. The ride to Eldrid, where the young slave, Nick, had been raised, had been a tense one. Back then, Todd had simply thought it was because his father really didn’t agree with Todd being bonded with Nick. Maybe ‘tense’ wasn’t the right word, however; Todd understood now why his father and his friends had acted the way they had.
What had he told his father when Nick first faced the elder Ruger and was obviously terrified? Todd snorted a laugh at the memory.
He’d put a hand on Nick’s shoulder and slipped between his slave and his father, moving them a few feet apart.
“You’re being an ass, Dad. Cut it out. He’s just a kid. We’ve had this discussion. You wanted me to do this. I’m doing it. But I’m doing it my way. Let’s not forget Nick belongs to me, not you.” Todd glanced around, not taking his hand from Nick’s shoulder. “Can we just get things finalized and get on our way?”
John nodded and took a thin, leather-bound book from the only female aide. He motioned to the young woman to get on with it.
Nick followed Todd to the small group gathered around a table set up for the transfer of ownership. He stood quietly behind Todd. The elders, then John Ruger and another older man signed the papers in the book. Finally they were handed to Todd, who signed without hesitation. A seal was applied on the final page before the book was closed and formally presented to Todd by the village elders.
That was all there had been to the proceedings. It still saddened Todd at the time it was what Nick’s life amounted to. Some papers were signed, and Nick’s ownership transferred from the small village, where he was simply Nick, to Todd Ruger. Though he’d have none of the rights, it had given him a surname. He had become Nick Ruger.
The thought of how the meaning of Nick’s newly acquired surname had changed over the years made Todd’s vision shimmer and swim for a few seconds. Neither could have imagined at the time that he and Nick would later marry and Nick would eventually carry the designation of doctor. Only two of the many things that were unheard of on that day in Eldrid, but later became commonplace.
Nick had followed Todd to their wagon and waited patiently while Todd removed his horse’s saddle and tucked it into a side compartment in the back of the covered wagon. Todd had stuck his head inside and pulled back out a second later. “Is that all your stuff? You get to bring everything you own, or didn’t anyone bother to tell you that?”
Nick nodded. He had appeared more than a bit awestruck. Later Nick would tell Todd no one had ever cared about him or his possessions in his entire twenty-two years.
“Yes, sir…Master.”
Todd sighed and stepped completely behind the wagon, tugging on Nick’s sleeve for him to follow. When they were out of sight of everyone else, Todd rested his hand on the side of Nick’s neck. “My name is Todd. You call me Todd unless we’re somewhere the law says you have to call me otherwise. That’s rule number one.”
Todd hooked his finger under Nick’s chin, lifting until Nick was looking him in the eye. “And you look at me when you talk to me, Nicky.”
And so had begun a truly wonderful life and partnership.
The velvety darkness of the sky was progressing. The light pillars would make their appearance soon.
That was the first time Todd had called Nick “Nicky” to his face. It had felt good, right, and made his Nicky’s face split into a huge grin it had been impossible for Todd not to return. How much he loved that smile then was only a fraction of how much he loved it now. He remembered the way his heart fluttered at Nick’s reaction. Todd smiled again and wiped his eyes when he recalled what he’d said at the time. “I could stand to see that smile a few times a day, too.”
Calling Nick “Nicky” for the first time was really one of the most important highlights of Todd’s life. Every detail of those first days was etched into his memory. Todd sometimes worried he’d lose those memories and was thankful so far that hadn’t been the case.
Familiar arms slipped around Todd’s waist and held him loosely, as if he’d break from a tighter grip. Todd smiled and reached back. Todd patted the side of Nick’s head and sighed contentedly when Nick rested his chin gently on Todd’s shoulder. “Feel better?”
He felt Nick shrug. “I think being thrown into one too many walls just screwed my back. It’s still tight, but better than this morning.”
“Remember our first wagon ride? You spent more time checking me out than anything else,” Todd said.
“Ha!” Nick barked a laugh. “What made you think of that?”
Todd shrugged. “I don’t know. One of those things, I guess.”
“You loved it that I was looking at you. I could tell by the way you kept smiling at me.” Nick drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “You brought me some of that candy.”
“Luckily I found out early plying you with sweets got you talking…and other things,” Todd said and chuckled. “C’mon, it’s getting dark, and your light pillars will show up soon. I’m sick of being inside. I want to be outside, under the stars one more time.”
“Todd, don’t talk like—”
“Nicky, you’ll be fine. I promise, and I’ve never broken a promise to you, not in nearly seventy years. You stopped needing me or anyone to take care of you half a century ago.”
He heard Nick swallow heavily, and when he spoke, his voice was thick and wet. “That doesn’t mean I still don’t want you to.”
Todd reached for his mug. “Let’s go outside. It’s a nice night.”
Nick let go of Todd and leaned to the side, picking up the mug.
“What’s this?”
“Tea.”
“Since when do you drink tea?”
“Since coffee started turning my stomach,” Todd said.
Nick sniffed at the mug, wrinkled his nose, and pulled his head back. “Todd—”
Todd turned and faced Nick, laying a hand on his forearm. When he closed his eyes, Todd could still see Nick’s smooth, tanned skin and the muscle that slipped underneath. For Todd, Nick’s body, which had become so familiar to him, would always bring him comfort. “I want to go outside and sit in that chair—” Todd motioned out the window with his free hand “—and sip my tea because that’s all I can do anymore.”
Nick nodded and held the mug out to Todd. He put his arm around Todd’s shoulders and used his other hand to help balance and support Todd. They made their way outside. What once was a journey of a minute or two now seemed to take forever. How many times had Todd chased Nick as he bolted across the grass until Todd caught him and pinned him to the ground? They’d make love out there under the stars and fall asleep wrapped in each other’s arms. Tonight it was one slow, painful step after another.
Todd wanted to fall asleep with Nick, their arms wrapped around each other, one more time.
“Want a fire?” Nick motioned to the fire pit.
“Nah, I’m good. Unless you want one,” Todd said. Nick shook his head. Stars began sprinkling the sky, and a soft glow was barely visible across the entire horizon. Another hour and it would be completely dark, and their show would begin.
When they finally reached the wide lounge chair, Nick eased Todd into it and took his husband’s mug, placing it in the cup holder. Todd held out his arm and waggled his fingers, then patted the spot beside him with his other hand.
“It’ll hurt you too much if we’re both in the chair,” Nick said softly. He stood with his hands hanging at his sides and his gaze landing everywhere but on Todd. The last few months, Nick had lost weight, probably stress from worrying about Todd and his condition. More and more Nick was reminding him of the lanky, awkward, very young man of their first months together.
“I’m gonna hurt anyway.” Todd waved his hand again and dipped his head to the empty place beside him.
Nick smiled and seemed to relax. A calmness appeared to take hold and settle over him. He carefully positioned himself in the big chair beside Todd and gently laid an arm across Todd’s waist. Todd shifted around so he could get his arm around Nick and run his fingers through Nick’s hair when Nick’s head rested on Todd’s shoulder.
“The pillars are starting,” Nick said softly. He pointed to the pale ripples of light.
Todd nodded and took the mug, taking a few sips of the warm liquid. Nick reached up and took the mug. “Nicky,” Todd said softly.
Nick shrugged. “If you can’t have coffee, neither can I.” He took a few sips and settled more firmly against Todd’s side. “We’re in this together, remember?”
“Always,” Todd murmured. “Always.”
Crickets chirped and a warm, easy breeze caressed them. Todd pulled in a deep breath and sighed it out slowly. He’d close his eyes for a few minutes until the pillars reached their full brightness. Nick’s breath was soft against Todd’s chest.
His mind drifted back, and the sound of crickets was replaced by laughter from his father and the other men. A fire crackled close by. Todd could still feel Nick’s warm skin when he curled his fingers around Nick’s neck that first time. He had loved touching Nick from the very beginning and remembered being so pleased that Nick didn’t shy away, but appeared to enjoy Todd’s advances as well.
A slight bit of pressure against Nick’s neck when Todd leaned closer made it easy to pull Nick toward him. Todd knew he had to be slow and gentle. Todd started by nuzzling Nick’s cheek and rubbing his hair. Nick relaxed and Todd turned his head, pressing his lips to Nick’s. He’d licked along Nick’s lower lip. It was all he could do to not snicker when Nick started as Todd eased his tongue into Nick’s mouth. Moving slowly, Todd wound his other arm around Nick’s waist and gently, slowly drew Nick flush against him. The feeling of Nick’s firm body conforming to Todd’s own form was sheer joy.
When they’d separated, Todd remembered how he took Nick’s face in his hands and simply sat gazing at his Nicky. He wanted to memorize every tiny detail of Nick’s face so he’d have it forever.
For a second time, Todd pulled Nick close, thinking back to how thrilled he’d been when this time Nick mimicked Todd by slipping his tongue into Todd’s mouth.
Todd raked his fingers through Nick’s hair as he eased away. They were both panting. Todd smiled and kissed Nick’s nose lightly, then his cheek, murmuring in Nick’s ear, “You taste so good. I’ve been waiting forever to do that.”
That night, that first kiss, was a memory Todd carried and cherished his entire life. He was determined never to let it go.
Nick grew heavier against Todd’s chest. Todd’s eyelids were drooping, and keeping them open was too much effort. It was time to sleep. The night was nice, the sky clear, and the light pillars rose in thin bands of purple, blue, and a silvery white that shimmered across the sky. The stars were over their heads, twinkling through the light pillars.
Todd tightened his hold as much as he could on Nick and nuzzled Nick’s hair as he drifted farther away.
I’ve waited forever to do that.
Tonight they were together under the stars. Todd and Nick had been given the gift of each other long ago, and they’d cherished every minute and loved each other completely and without reservation. Devoted to each other, they were in this together, forever. That was the right way, the best way, the way they were always meant to be.
THE END