Sirens and shouting assaulted Ian from all directions, but it was all getting farther and farther away. Race’s face, the twinkle in his eyes and the blush on his cheeks, flashed through Ian’s mind.
Then everything went dark.
9:05 a.m., December 24: One minute to eternity
TIME WAS running short when Race arrived. He melted into the background and stood as close to Ian as he dared, sensing the movement of Ian’s chest as he inhaled and exhaled.
When a rumble coursed through that part of LAX, people started talking, wondering if there’d been an earthquake. Race stepped in front of Ian before he walked toward the fireball created by an explosion.
He turned and watched with horror what humans sometimes did to one another. Race didn’t know why or how the bombs were brought to this place, and in the end it wouldn’t matter.
Fire and glass, bits of metal, and bone and flesh flew from some central, and from here unseen, location. Ian was thrown back against a row of chairs, landing so his back bent at an odd angle. Large shards of glass impaled his chest and abdomen, turning his white shirt dark red in seconds. His body jerked, and blood gurgled from his mouth.
Race closed his eyes, formed an image in his mind of Ian’s soul, and reached out his hand.
9:06 a.m., December 24: Eternity
IAN COULDN’T die; he couldn’t. However, the fact was that was exactly what was happening. It wasn’t fair. He wanted to cry, but his body didn’t seem to work very well. He flailed with one hand, grasping but finding nothing. Pain erupted and slithered away almost at once.
Without warning someone’s strong hand grabbed his and yanked him to his feet, then away from the chairs. Ian gasped when he looked into Race’s face. As another explosion and flashes of bright light blasted through the concourse, Race pulled Ian to his chest, shielding him with his body and turning him away from the destruction.
Ian wasn’t sure how, but when he looked up, they’d moved away, farther down the main concourse, or maybe to another portion of the airport altogether, and by some weird happenstance, a TV was still broadcasting. The words Breaking News scrolled along the bottom of the screen.
“In one of the worst attacks on US soil, explosions rocked LAX. It is unknown at this time who is responsible or how the bombs were smuggled through security.” A woman recited the words. She appeared upset, maybe frightened.
Ian turned away from the television and put a few inches of space between him and Race. He turned back and gazed at himself sprawled across a row of chairs, lifeless.
“Am I dead?”
“Dead is a relative term,” Race said.
More flames blossomed and flowed through the area but separated and moved around them so neither Race nor he were touched. He couldn’t even feel the heat that must’ve been created by the blast. Ian had the idea it wouldn’t have mattered if the flames had brushed them.
“We should go now,” Race said softly. He held out his free hand, and the small sigillaria Race had given Ian were in his palm—safe, whole, and unharmed.
“How?” Ian said, but Race merely watched him as if waiting for Ian to put to words what he already knew to be true. “Race. Horace. Timekeeper. Horace Gaea.” Ian tilted his head, then turned so he could look Race in the eye. “Your holiday, Saturn?”
Race grinned. “I like Race much better. People look at me funny when I say my name is Saturn. But, yes, guilty as charged.”
“Y-you’re a god? But—”
Race shrugged. “Do you think gods can’t be lonely? Dating is hard, even for me. And I sort of invented a good time.” He stepped back and took Ian’s face in his hands. “I felt you, your soul, so I sought you out.” He nodded to where Ian’s body was. “I can undo this if that is your wish.”
“And if you don’t, what happens?”
“You’d be the consort of a god for as long as you desire,” Race said softly. “We can go anywhere, to any time. You would be able to witness things others could only imagine.”
“How long do I have, like this, with you?”
“Eternity,” Race said.
Ian looked down at the sigillaria in his hand and slowly closed his fingers around them. “The La Brea Tar Pits when the animals were alive?”
“An excellent first stop.”
Race rested his hands on Ian’s shoulders, and the death and destruction around them evaporated in a rainbow of tiny lights. The airport faded away. Cars and buildings were replaced by a pond, and beyond it, wetlands.
Ian slipped both arms around Race and hugged him, breathing in deeply. “The tar still stinks.”
Race laughed. “I can’t change everything.”
Mammoths pulled leaves from tall trees, and saber-toothed cats stalked their prey.
Ian couldn’t believe his good luck. He’d finally met a man who was a pagan, and the icing on the cake was that the man was a god, and love for all eternity wasn’t simply words.
Love for all eternity was Ian’s new reality.
“Is there, um, a physical part to this relationship?”
“Oh yes, and more,” Race murmured.
Warmth and a feeling of peace emanated from Race—Saturn—and wrapped Ian in a blanket of love, desire, and protection. “Happy Saturnalia. I love you.”
Race kissed Ian’s cheek. “I love you too.”
Eternity would be the best of times. Ian was ready.
Mystery, action, chills, and thrills spiced with romance and desire. ELIZABETH NOBLE started telling stories before she actually knew how to write, and her family was very happy when she learned to put words on a page. Those words turned into books and fan fiction that turned into a genuine love of M/M fiction. Being able to share her stories is really a dream come true. She has a real love for a good mystery complete with murder and twisty plots as well as all things sci-fi, futuristic, and supernatural.
Elizabeth has three grown children, two grandchildren and is now happily owned by an adorable mixed-breed canine princess and her sidekick tabby cat. Elizabeth lives in her native northeast Ohio, the perfect place for gardening, winter and summer sports (go Tribe and Cavs!) and stargazing all year long. When she’s not writing, she’s working as a veterinary nurse, so don’t be surprised to see her men with a pet or three who are a very big part of their lives.
Elizabeth received several amateur writing awards. Since being published, several of her novels have received Honorable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards. Jewel Cave was a runner-up in the Gay Mystery/Thriller category in the 2015 Rainbow Awards. Ringed Love was a winner in the Gay Fantasy Romance category of the 2016 Rainbow Awards.
Website: www.elizabeth-noble.com
Email: [email protected]
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By Elizabeth Noble
Always Plan Ahead
For the Long Run
Strays
Twenty-Nine Hours to Eternity
CIRCLES
Run for the Roses
A Barlow Lens
Jewel Cave
Gone Away
Bait
DREAMSPUN DESIRES
#47 – High Test
#86 – Whiskey and Moonshine
SENTRIES
Marked Yours
Together Bound
Chained Hearts
Collared Souls
Tethered Pair
Ringed Love
THE SLEEPLESS CITY
By Anne Barwell: Shades of Sepia
Electric Candle
By Anne Barwell: Family and Reflection
Shifting Chaos
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital
Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Twenty-Nine Hours to Eternity
© 2018 Elizabeth Noble.
Cover Art
© 2018 L.C. Chase.
http://www.lcchase.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64405-061-3
Digital eBook published December 2018
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
Twenty-Nine Hours to Eternity Page 3