Excerpt:

Candlelight flickered across the fabric walls of the tent, casting shadows on a young man’s face. He pulled aside a flap, scanning the night for any signs of movement.

“See anything?”

Devon turned around and sat down next to his boyfriend on the bed.

“Nothing. What does that really mean?”

Neal shrugged. “You’re right. Who knows what she could be using to hide her tracks.”

A moment of silence passed and the two men leaned into one another, seeking support from the only place they could find it. As far as each of them knew, no one was around for miles, but as far as they knew, their enemies could be right outside the thin canvas separating their bodies from the elements. A desert was great for gaining distance and solitude, but they weren’t many places to hide a tent, especially from someone who knew exactly what she was looking for.

“I just don’t know what we can do,” Devon said. “Is there any way to stop her? Or do we have to keep running forever?”

Glancing away, Neal said nothing. Whatever answer he gave, Neal knew his boyfriend wouldn’t want to hear it.

Minutes passed and the two young men settled into each other and onto the hard mattress beneath them. The springs of the cot squeaked.

“Shit!” Devon cried. “It’s just an old cot, Devon. Calm yourself down.”

Neal smiled. Talking in third person was one of Devon’s quirks and he’d quickly fallen in love with it.

Has it really been only four years?

The past few months had put them through more than most couples experience in a lifetime. Neal wrapped his arm around Devon and nestled his face next to a scratchy cheek. Neither of them had washed in days, let alone shaved. Usually his boyfriend smelt of some high-end cologne but tonight all Neal could smell was the raw scent of his partner’s body; sweat and heat and the dirt stuck to the fabric of Devon’s shirt entered Neal’s nose.

In the silence Neal’s mind wandered. This is the purest, most beautiful scent I’ve ever experienced.

Pushing closer to Devon’s body, Neal tried to fend off the chill of the cold desert night.

“Neal, could you blow out the candle?”

Across the tent, the flame extinguished.

I suppose there are a few parts of this magic thing I don’t mind.

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

Slowly, Devon’s eyes drifted closed. He fought to stay awake. In his mind, keeping watch and giving Neal even a few seconds of warning were all Devon could do when the time came, and maybe it would make the difference between life and death. Trying to ignore the screams of his body, begging for rest, Devon forced his eyelids open for a scant few minutes before falling prey to the rhythm of his boyfriend’s breathing in his ear. The sensation of Neal’s chest alternating between pressing on Devon’s back and seeming to disappear each breath made Devon painfully aware of just how close he could be to losing Neal forever.

Minutes passed, or hours, or even days; Devon couldn’t tell. All he knew is that he’d slept and it wasn’t restful. Devon glanced over to the sight of his partner’s body, curled into his own.

How can he sleep so peacefully?