“Jack, bring some ice,” Erik muttered from somewhere in the room. He sounded like someone much older.
Reuben tried to voice his protest. He didn’t want anything from Erik now, even if it would soothe his pain. Crawling under a blanket and crying seemed a lot more appealing than lying down with packets of ice on top of his abused buttocks. He didn’t like being manhandled by Hans either, but as soon as the man let go of Reuben, his knees gave up and he slumped to the floor with a pained sigh.
“We’ll see each other later. Come, Hans,” said Erik blandly, from somewhere very far away.
Reuben whimpered and let his forehead touch the floor. Erik’s words sounded like a threat, and Reuben hoped ‘later’ would never come. Just when he thought his master really cared for him, today had been a reminder that his opinions and feelings didn’t matter to Erik at all. Everyone had seen him in the street. Everyone! Even if Erik got bored with him and let him go, anyone could recognize his face now. Reuben never felt so humiliated in his life. What was he to do if one disobedience could earn him so many strikes with a fucking cane?
Jack gently pulled out the bit and covered Reuben with a blanket. “You poor thing,” he whispered, sounding like was close to crying himself. “Do you want to stay here or go to your stall?”
Reuben managed to draw a full breath. “I’ll go. It’s softer there.” He tried to stand up, but it hurt too much to stretch the skin. Every single move hurt. His ass was on fire.
“Don’t worry, go on all fours, I understand,” Jack whispered and petted his hair. “I’ll be right back,” he promised before quickly slipping out of the room.
Reuben sobbed with each agonizing move forward but he finally made it to his soft hay bedding and tightly wrapped himself in a blanket. How could anyone put another person through such misery? And he didn’t understand how a stupid change of route could put them in danger. His skin stung worse with every second, and because of what? He was afraid. Wouldn’t Erik be in his place? Of course he would, that was why he always kept Hans around. All the promises Reuben made to himself were now broken. He was useless. Sobbing like a little girl.
“Oh, Copper... that’s just too cruel! You’ve been such a good boy recently!” Jack dropped to his knees beside him and lifted the blanket over Reuben’s burning ass. The shock of icy cold touch made him jump, but it was gone within seconds, replaced by a pleasing numbness.
“He wouldn’t listen,” Reuben complained while trying to steady his breath. Somehow, the familiar scent of hay was more soothing than gin could ever be.
Jack used a separate blanket to cover his legs and sat next to him, gently stroking Reuben’s head as if he were comforting a frightened dog. “What happened? Why did you disobey him?”
“I saw... someone...” Reuben whispered, “in that alley. And I panicked, I didn’t want him to see me like this. Master Erik didn’t care.”
“But you were wearing your mask. I put it on you myself.” Jack slowly sank down next to Reuben.
“He would know it was me. He sold me off to Blake the Buff. To see him alive like that after what he’d done... I just wanna die.” Reuben rubbed his eyes again, turning onto his stomach. “And then Erik took the mask off and made me stay without it all the way back. He hates me, I told you.”
Jack’s eyes widened in horror, and he leaned closer, hugging Reuben’s arms. “Oh my God, that’s so terrible.”
“He had no mercy, Jack. I always told him how much I was afraid of it, and he still did it.” The tears started blurring Reuben’s vision.
“Shh... don’t cry.” Jack pulled Reuben into a tight hug, curling his small body around him. “It’s not your fault.”
“I don’t want him to fuck me when I’m like this, and he said he’s coming back later. There’s nothing I can do...” Reuben wrapped his arms around Jack, the only ray of sunshine in this house. The only person who’d never betrayed his trust.
“Maybe he won’t,” muttered Jack, though it was clear he only wanted to make Reuben feel better. The boy was an open book.
“Is there anything you can tell him so that he leaves me alone?” Reuben pushed his face into Jack’s neck, trying to forget about the pain in his ass.
The groom sighed, gently caressing Reuben’s scalp. “I don’t know, Copper.”
Reuben sobbed, trembling from the aftershocks of the beating. “Jack, you’re the only one who can help me.”
“Copper, I promise you I will reason with him.” Jack swallowed loudly, pressing even harder against Reuben’s body. “I know how much you hate him... I would hate him too, if he did this to me, and for you to be pressured into this... I can’t imagine how painful it must be.”
“I don’t want to end up as another trophy on his wall.” Just the thought of it made Reuben tremble.
“No, you definitely won’t just for disobedience.” Jack kissed his temple. “He only does that to those who are a threat to his life.”
“He left me in the street, without a mask, tied to a pole. People laughed at me.” Reuben sniffed, still unable to comprehend that all of this actually happened.
Jack’s face tensed, and for a moment he was completely still. “You need to get away, Copper,” he said suddenly.
“I don’t want to be here when he’s like this.” Reuben slowly pulled away to look into Jack’s eyes.
“No, I mean we could both get away from this house.” Jack’s voice broke. “I don’t think I can do this anymore.”
Reuben’s lips parted, and his heart went into a gallop. “Y...you? You said you liked it here.”
“I like being who I am, and these walls allow it.” Jack’s lips trembled, and he looked down, avoiding Reuben’s gaze. “But I can’t assist rape. It weighs on my conscience so badly.”
“You’re a sweet boy.” Reuben sighed and kissed Jack’s cheek. But how could he leave Erik? As much as he hated the man’s guts right now, he knew he’d miss his touch and smiles, and tender kisses. Then again, if he stayed, he would lose any self respect still lingering in his mind. He suddenly became aware of the ruby ear stud Erik had given him. He wanted to cry.
“I’m not. I should have made that decision when Chestnut was here.” Jack pressed his face into Reuben’s arm, shaking slightly.
Reuben sighed and gently stroked his shoulder. The other horse’s death must have taken a huge toll on the boy, and he was still so young. “We will work something out, right?”
Jack sniffled. “I promise you! I will rescue you!”
Chapter 4
Reuben awoke with lips on his cheek and an arm across his stomach. Erik’s scent, somewhat earthy with a hint of ink, was all over him, and he refused to open his eyes. Maybe if he pretended to still be asleep the nightmare would go away.
“Copper, did you miss my touch yesterday?” Erik hugged him closer, trailing lazy kisses down Reuben’s neck. That was it.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Reuben blurted out, opening his eyes wide and turning to face his master. Erik was so full of himself. Reuben couldn’t just lay still and take it like a puppet.
Erik’s frown wasn’t one of anger. He looked disoriented. “Why are you speaking to me like this?”
“How can you expect me to forget what happened yesterday?” Reuben pulled away, trying to keep his sore buttocks from the rough hay, his throat aching with the urge to scream.
Erik furrowed his eyebrows. “I punished you for disobeying me. Twice,” he added, showing him the number with his fingers, as if he didn’t expect Reuben to understand the concept without a visual aid.
Reuben shook his head. His ass was sore enough, and this discussion could earn him another beating.
“Copper.”
“What? You wanna fuck?” asked Reuben, cursing at himself when his voice trembled.
Erik stilled behind him, and Reuben didn’t know whether it was a good or bad sign. “Copper, I can’t have people laughing behind my back because—”
Reuben cut him off with a snarl. “Oh, an
d I can? ‘Cause I’m less of a man?” He moved even further away, unable to stand Erik’s touch. It made him want to gag.
“I gave you a chance to redeem yourself, and yet you disobeyed me!” hissed Erik through clenched teeth.
“Maybe I had a reason, huh?” Reuben moved all the way into the corner of the stall. “But no, King Erik is upset.”
“What reason could you possibly have?” snarled Erik, following. “I was under the impression you like our outings.”
“Since when do you care about my reasons?” Reuben shook his head but watched his master like a rabbit would an approaching wolf. Erik’s Adam’s apple moved when he swallowed, his eyes never leaving Reuben.
“I enjoy your company.”
That stung. First Erik caned him and then said something like this? What kind of delusional mind would find that acceptable?
“But you still beat me into a crying pulp? Fuck that. You didn’t even consider stopping in the street. No one would question you if you didn’t choose to make a scene out of it.”
Erik’s left eyelid, the one framing the blue eye, twitched.
Reuben sat in the corner, ignoring the soreness just to prove a point, and wrapped his arms on his chest. Bitterness wouldn’t stop spilling out of his mouth. “So what? You came to fuck me? ‘Cause you always get what you want.”
Erik shifted into a cross-legged position and leaned forward, studying him. “What is your reason, Reuben?” He rolled the name on his tongue as if it were something soft and breakable.
Hearing it from Erik’s lips made Reuben’s mind go blank. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. It took another try to form a sentence. “I... I saw someone I knew in the street... and I panicked... and you just pushed me...” Fucking eyes. Would they ever run out of tears?
“But you were in a mask. He wouldn’t know...” Erik shook his head, slowly crawling toward Reuben in the corner.
“He would, because he was the one who brought me here in the first place!” Reuben growled, his arms crossed. “He knew I was stupid enough to believe his lies about a better life in Bylondon. Yeah? What other idiot would just believe him like that? Of course he chose me. And now he got to laugh in my face...” Reuben squeezed his eyes hard, praying for it all go away.
Erik bit his lip. “You are not stupid. You’re innocent and naive. That’s not the same thing.”
“I’ve been called many things, but that’s a first.” Reuben shook his head so the hair would at least hide some of his face. “Anyone who did what I did is just too stupid to live.”
“And yet here you are, well fed and pampered in my arms.” Erik was quiet, his tone only slightly more than a whisper.
“Dressed as a horse and beaten if I disobey. You couldn’t imagine the things he said to me when you left me in the street. Without a mask.” Reuben sniffed, fighting the wetness in his eyes.
“Do you want him dead?”
Reuben opened his mouth in shock, unsure of how to answer a question like that. Did he want anyone’s blood on his hands? He’d beat the shit out of Jacob if he could, but kill? It was such an straightforward question for Erik. He’d just have someone else do the deed and walk over the puddle of blood, wouldn’t he? Reuben finally looked into his master’s eyes. Was it the demon eye that was speaking through him? No, Erik was serious.
“If revenge is what you want, I could have his head delivered to your feet. Or let you deal with it yourself.”
Reuben took a deep breath, unsure what he thought of Erik’s methods, even now that they were talking about Jacob and not some unfortunate anonymous man. “Sure, I want to punch his face in. I saved the fucker from a zombie in the sewers, and he still sold me off to the Pit of the Dead. But it doesn’t mean you did the right thing back there. You uncovered my face in public,” he whispered, clenching his teeth.
Erik bit his lip, looking away. “I... it didn’t occur to me it was something like that...”
“What did you think it was? That I saw a spider on the wall?”
Erik’s baffled expression would have been amusing if it weren’t for its cause. “I...”
Reuben shook his head, feeling strangely empowered now that he saw no resistance or promise of violence. “You just assumed I must have had a stupid reason. Or just enjoyed messing with you in the middle of the road.”
“That... would make me stupid, wouldn’t it?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.” Reuben raised his eyebrows in a challenge.
Erik straightened his back, and his closed eyes moved slightly under the eyelids. “I made a fool of myself,” he finally told Reuben, his two-colored gaze never flinching away.
Reuben took a deep breath, reveling in this admission. Erik admitting to a mistake was like a breath of fresh air. “You made mincemeat out of my ass.”
“I didn’t!” Erik reached out to touch Reuben’s face. “I didn’t break your skin.”
Reuben flinched away in annoyance, but he had to admit that Erik’s readiness to talk was nice. He didn’t feel nearly as disregarded as he had yesterday. “I have never been in so much pain. And even if my skin is whole, I know for sure everything’s all messed up underneath. You didn’t trust that I had my reasons. Didn’t let me say anything in my defense.”
Erik pulled him close in a way that broke all of Reuben’s walls. It was so good to be held again. “I should have. You are right.”
With a sigh, Reuben put his head on Erik’s shoulder, unsure what to do now. It wasn’t fair that words were all he got in return. “It’s just... how am I supposed to know it won’t happen again... and again?”
“Copper, I’m sorry...” Erik’s mouth ghosted over Reuben’s cheek with a sigh.
“I want to get even. I want to feel this is fair,” Reuben muttered, unsure if he wasn’t going a step too far. But if Erik would be willing to go along with it to buy back his trust, it would mean something. Reuben needed to know the answer to all the questions that had been floating in his head for too long..
His master pulled back by an inch with a frown. “Even?”
Reuben returned his gaze, trying not to blink. “I want to cane you with the same amount of strikes. So you know how it feels.” It wouldn’t take back the pain of humiliation, but it would ease at least some of the soreness that remained. He knew it was an outrageous idea. Even if Erik did have a soft spot for him, why would he allow his slave take the position of a master?
Erik’s chest heaved, but there was neither anger nor fear in his expression. He was thinking, counting his tabs. “What do I get in return for such an agreement? Will you still hate me afterward?” he asked calmly.
Reuben opened his eyes wider, though he was trying to hide his excitement. He couldn’t believe Erik would be considering this. If he could only read Erik’s mind, understand what was going on inside that skull of his. “No. We’ll call it even, and I promise not to hold a grudge.”
Erik smiled. “What if I allowed you more strikes? Would you still hate being here?”
Reuben couldn’t help but smirk. “I might hate it a bit less.” His mind was still hesitant but his body knew better, and he leaned in to kiss Erik’s lips. They opened with the softest of sighs.
“It was ten strikes,” Erik whispered, tickling Reuben’s lips with his own.
“So, you want fifteen?” Reuben nuzzled his cheek and kissed him again. He had never been a brute, never wanted to see others in pain. What excited him was seeing Erik so desperate for his affection. He couldn’t believe his own eyes.
“Will that be enough?” Erik’s arms slid around Reuben’s shoulders, pulling him into a tender hug.
“Let’s go with twenty, and I’ll almost like staying here,” Reuben teased, licking his lips and slowly returning the embrace. Only now did he realize that his hands were free. This might have been the first time he was this close to Erik without being shackled.
“Oh, will you?”
“I just might...” Reuben kissed his ear, amused by where this convers
ation was going.
“When? You want it now?” Erik flinched a bit, surprised at the touch.
“You think you’re ready for it?” Reuben stroked Erik’s nape and felt him leaning into the touch. The mismatched eyes were hard to read, but there was something new there, something Reuben hadn’t seen before.
“I’m always ready.”
Reuben slowly pulled away and stood up, fighting against the soreness in his muscles. At least they were both going to have asses covered in welts. He held out his hand to Erik and helped him up when his master accepted it without hesitation, his gaze never leaving Reuben’s.
They walked out of the stall, Reuben’s blood rushing through him so fast as if he were pulling a massive carriage. “Stand by that chair.” He pointed to one of the wooden chairs Jack sometimes used. Erik shot it a glance but shook his head, suddenly becoming serious.
“No. We agreed on the caning, but it’ll be on my terms.”
Reuben swallowed, hesitant, nodding. It seemed fair. The atmosphere thickened in the silence, and Erik broke their connection by walking over to the cupboard. He had several canes and whips stored in there.
“I want the same one,” Reuben said, breathlessly watching his master’s back.
“You will get it. I don’t cheat.” Erik shot him a sideways glance before retrieving the cane, along with a thick leather collar and a long chain.
“Just making sure,” Reuben said, reaching out for the items. It was strange how bad he felt about being naked yesterday but didn’t mind it at all now. His nakedness now meant power. “What’s that for?”
Erik stopped a few steps away from him, swallowing. “The last time I trusted a horse with my life, it scarred my face.”
Reuben reflexively looked down at Erik’s lips, at the scars running across both the pale cheeks like a strike through their pristine paleness. “How did he do it?” he asked, but understood the message and took the collar from Erik’s hands.
Erik looked Reuben straight in the eye even as color drained from his face, leaving him white like a frightened boy. “With a cheese wire.”
Pride (The Copper Horse book 2) (gay erotic romance pony play BDSM) Page 7
