Rainbow by K.L. Savage

The smell of smoke has me rolling my head slowly around my shoulders as I wake up. Everything fucking hurts. My head. My face. My chest. My back.

My toes.

How do my toes hurt?

“No, we can’t. I don’t care, Trenton. I’m only doing this for you. If it were up to me, I would have killed him when I had the chance. No one should be gay. It’s not natural.”

“But is it really gay when he kind of looks like a woman? He’s slender and soft like one. Touch him, Sherlock. You’ll see. He’s perfect. We can share him, and we don’t have to go to the conversion camp. We can find a cabin like this and live there forever. I want him, Sherlock. Life wouldn’t be so bad, right?”

Oh god, no.

I’ll die rather than spend my life as some sort of sex slave for these two nut jobs.

and

I pry my eyes open my vision swims. When I can finally focus, Sherlock and Trenton are trying to whisper. Still, they’re failing at trying to keep their diabolical plan to themselves.

It’s also really fucking hot. I’m sweating in every nook and cranny, and it’s not cute. My panties are delicate, and they can’t handle this kind of heat.

I mean, the right heat… yes, but this? No.

“He’s pretty,” Sherlock agrees, and the way he looks at me makes me want to puke all over his shoes. “I don’t know. I went to that camp for a reason, Trenton. Being gay is wrong.”

“No. No, it isn’t.” Trenton grasps onto Sherlock’s cut and stares up at him with his crazy eyes, blinking at the man as if he holds the stars in his hands.

Oh.

My.

God.

Are they…?

No.

That’s too weird and disgusting.

“It can be us like we always wanted, and we can finally give in. Society has poisoned us, Sherlock. But, you know, you went to that camp to forget me; you didn’t go to not be gay.”

“I can’t fucking be attracted to you,” Sherlock hisses, gripping onto Trenton’s wrists, and the man moans in pleasure.

I gag, and bile creeps up my throat.

They’re cousins.

Please, don’t kiss in front of me. My stomach can’t take it.

“I’ve tried too hard to change. There’s no going back. I’m not…” Sherlock licks his lips as he stares at Trenton. Really stares at him, deep into his eyes. I can tell the moment he changes his mind. He cups the back of Trenton’s head and lays his forehead against his.

Aw, so cute I want to barf.

“I’ve never been able to say no to you.”

Trenton squeals and throws himself into Sherlock’s arms. “You’re going to love him just like I love you, I promise.”

My god, they’re acting as if I’m a pet.

I try to rub my face and find my hands tied behind my back. The rope is cutting into my skin, and the smoke is getting thicker.

“Okay, that’s really great for the two of you and your gross love affair, but can’t you let me go so you can live happily ever after? I’m not the guy for you. I don’t like to share.” I tug on the ropes again and grunt in frustration.

Fucking idiots know how to tie a perfect knot.

“You’ll get used to it.” Sherlock stomps over to me and squats down to become eye level with me. “We need to get out of here soon. That tanker started a huge forest fire and you—” he pokes me in the chest, hard and right against a bruise. “Are going to kiss my fucking cock later for how hard you hit my balls.”

“I’ll bite it off if you even think about putting that ugly, probably small thing in my face.” I bat my eyelashes at him and make my voice cute-like.

It earns me a backhand across the mouth. My lips tingle and my eyes burn from the pain, but I refuse to cry. I can’t. I don’t want them to see how weak I really am. I just want to be in Rainbow’s arms.

I don’t want to die like this.

“It’s a good size, Sherlock,” Trenton comes to his defense.

I snort because my mouth just doesn’t know when to shut the fuck up. “That’s a nice way of saying it’s tiny.”

And that earns me another slap across the face.

“You’re prettier when you don’t speak,” Sherlock grumbles, then coughs and waves his hand in front of his face. “We need to get out of here. It was a bad idea to come to this cabin. It makes us a target, and the fire is going to come soon.” He opens the door and a cloud of smoke bursts through. Sherlock slams it shut. “It’s too close. We need to go. Now. Right now.” He runs his hands through his hair and sprints through the house.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for blankets. We can soak them in the river and run through the flames. It isn’t a foolproof plan, but it’s better than nothing.” Sherlock comes back from one of the rooms and has three blankets in his hand.

He runs out the door again, vanishing through the smoke. I know this is my chance to try and convince Trenton to let me go.

“Trenton, I know at one time you used to love me. At one point in our fucked-up relationship, there had to have been a time where you cared about me.”

“Love-bug—” he drops to his knees in front of me. “I love you. I still love you.”

Ugh, I hate that nickname.

“I don’t want to go with you and Sherlock. I wish you the best in your fucked-up love affair—”

“—We’re only cousins by marriage. It doesn’t even count. You don’t know everything we’ve been through. So don’t act like you know. Sherlock is right. You’re prettier when you don’t speak.”

“I want to go home. I don’t want to die here. Please. You have no idea how bad fires can be. We already need medical attention from the smoke inhalation. Just let me go.”

Trenton closes his eyes and grinds his teeth together. “I want you. Sherlock said I can have you. He wants you, too. You just wait. Things will be so much better when we’re together. You’ll get used to us.”

“I don’t want to. Jesus Christ, will you listen to me? I love someone else. I want to be with someone else. I don’t want to be with you.”

“You’ll learn how to be with us,” he growls, dropping his chin to his chest as he stares at me menacingly.

The door bangs open again, and Sherlock’s body is thrown through the front door.

Burnt.

Charred.

Extra fucking crispy.

“Sherlock!” Trenton screams as he drops to his knees and cries over his forbidden lover.

He’s still smoking. His clothes are hanging off him in tatters, and his eyes are wide open.

Dead.

And he reeks. The smell of burnt flesh has me turning my head to the side and throwing up. Stomach acid burns my throat and leaves a bad taste on my tongue.

“No. What happened? Wake up, Sherlock. Wake up,” Trenton cries, shaking the man he loves.

And my fool heart, the one that shouldn’t give a damn, actually feels bad for Trenton. Losing someone you love isn’t easy. And to think I nearly felt like that when I moved away and left him… what was wrong with me? I clearly had no taste in men.

I’ve grown.

I begin to get dizzy. I don’t know if it’s from the smell or the heat, but I can’t take it. The smoke is too thick. It’s so hot. My head falls back onto my shoulders, and I stare at the ceiling. I hear the cracking of glass, which has me dropping my cheek on my left shoulder. The window bursts, shattering into a million tiny pieces as the fire claims it.

Flames inch their way into the cabin, licking the walls and spreading their sardonic tendrils to the ceiling.

How ironic. I’m in love with a firefighter, and I’m going to die in a fire.

Who would have thought?

I tilt my head to the other side and see Trenton put a gun to his head as he presses his body against Sherlock’s.

He stares at me dead in the eye. “He was my one true love.” And with those final words, he pulls the trigger.

The loud gunshot has my eyes rounding for a split second. Blood splatters against my cheek and I stare in shock at his dead body.

Holy fuck.

What just happened?

He killed himself. I’ve never seen anyone commit suicide before.

The fire comes closer, and the scorching heat from it begins to make my skin hurt. Finally, a tear drops down my cheek when I realize my fate.

I’m going to burn to death.

It’s top of the list of my most feared ways of dying. And typical me, dying with my number one pick.

I close my eyes when keeping them open becomes too much. I think of Rainbow and how much he’s changed my life. Finally, I got to experience love. Real love. The kind that people obsess over. The kind that people dream about and wish they had. I experienced a love so great, so profound, that I know I’ll take it with me wherever I go after this.

“Baby, breathe,” a voice says. I know it’s just my mind playing tricks on me. Rainbow isn’t here; he doesn’t know where I am. But I’m grateful to hear his voice anyway. “Breathe in the oxygen. Come on, Sassafras. Come on,” the voice of the man I love begs.

I can’t.

It’s too hard to breathe.

But if it means getting back to Rainbow, I can try.

I inhale, and the air feels good in my lungs, cold and pure rather than hot and tainted. My eyes slide open, and I see Rainbow in front of me, holding an oxygen mask to my face.

It’s him.

He’s really here.

“There are those big, beautiful eyes I love so much. Come on, Sassafras. Let’s get you home.” He cuts the rope from around my wrists and picks me up. A cold, wet blanket is thrown over me, and when we rush out of the cabin, the loud crackling of the blaze deafens my ears.

I hear another voice that sounds like Saint, but I can’t make out the words. I’m jostled in Rainbow’s arms, and I’m tired. I’m so fucking exhausted. I might be saved, but we aren’t out of the woods yet. Literally. The oxygen feels good, but it isn’t enough to keep me awake. I want to, but it’s too much effort.

I’m not sure how long we run for, but I don’t come to until I feel myself rising in the air.

That has a jolt of life surging through me. I begin to panic. I rip the blanket off me and see that I’m attached to Rainbow in a harness.

“Hey, calm down, Sassafras. You’re safe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You trust me?” he asks.

I nod, clutching onto him as I shake.

I guess now would be a bad time to say I’m afraid of heights. Not that I have the ability to speak. My throat is too dry for that. The wire pulls us up into the chopper, and the wind blows, swaying us from side to side.

“I got you. I’m never letting you go,” he tells me. It’s so easy for me to believe him, to sink into his embrace, and to not let me fall to my death.

Even if I am wearing a harness…

Everything is a blur since I’m in and out of consciousness.

I stop moving and the chopper blades swish and whoosh in the air. The mask is taken off my face and Rainbow is in front of me, his dark hair a sweaty mess. His face has soot all over it from the ash and smoke.

His eyes water. “I thought I fucking lost you.”

I pat his heart. “I’m wearing my lace panties. I’m invincible in these,” I croak.

He grins and begins to laugh, then kisses me desperately while clutching the side of my face. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” I swallow. “You came for me. I thought…”

“There will never be a day when I don’t fight for you, you hear me?” His hands land on either side of my face as he stares directly into my eyes.

I nod, and he places a different mask on me this time, a regular plastic one that covers my nose and mouth. I blink and stare outside the helicopter door to the beautiful forest burning and the black smoke possessing the sky.

I can’t believe I survived that.

It’s one of the only ways I know of that hell finds a way to earth.

“How did you kill Sherlock?” I ask.

“Don’t worry about that right now. We need to get you to the hospital. I’ll tell you everything later. Just rest,” he says, holding my hand tight as if I’m about to fly out of the helicopter and leave him.

“His vitals are good,” Saint yells over the chopper’s blades slicing the sky. “Some oxygen and rest, he should be fine. I think the bumps and bruises are just that. Nothing is broken. Slight bullet graze on the right arm, but he’s okay.”

Duh. I could have said that. Instead, why not ask the paramedic what’s wrong with him?

“I could throw that fucker in the fire all over again for touching him,” Rainbow says to Saint.

I don’t think I was supposed to hear that.

I wait for the moral turmoil, but it doesn’t come. I’m glad Sherlock is dead. I’m sure Rainbow planned to kill Trenton too, but Trenton took that option away himself. After everything the two of them did to the club and that poor boy who was just trying to get by the only way he could, they deserved to die the way they did.

I have no sympathy for them.

Or empathy.

I’m glad it’s over.

We fly to the hospital, and I stare out to the sky. Somehow, even as the smoke rises from the fire, a rainbow rises even higher. I smile to myself and close my eyes for the rest of the trip.

I have my own rainbow.

He’s shades of black and grey some days, and on others, he is bright and beautiful.

And he’s all mine.

And our love is the pot of gold at the end.