Jared Morgan [Seven Brothers for McBride 4] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (10 page)

“You think you hurt Easton?” McBride looked around.

“He’s still in bed.”

McBride grimaced then strode that direction.

Jared was right on his heels.

Once inside the bedroom, McBride stumbled then reached for the light. “I can’t see anything.”

“He said the light hurt his eyes.”

“Easton?”

“I’m here.” His voice sounded dreadfully weak.

“I’m going to turn on the light. Cover your eyes with your hand, all right?”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, McBride flicked on the light. Easton was swaddled up in bed, his forearm over his eyes. He looked pale, but that might be because the bedding was all in very dark navy blue.

“What happened?” McBride moved to the bedside and settled on the edge. He reached out to Easton, which caused Jared to flare with anger, but he quickly squashed the irrational rage. McBride was here to help, not harm his mate. Jared settled on the other side of the bed.

“I don’t feel well.” Easton’s arm muffled his voice, but it was still understandable.

“Did you and Jared have sex last night?”

When Easton didn’t answer, Jared felt his belly fall down to his feet. Had he hurt him by being too rough? He thought he’d taken his time and prepped his mate thoroughly. Terror made him tremble as he turned toward McBride.

“I was looking at him and then teasing him with my finger. I got greasers from my brother, but I went slowly. I thought—I thought it felt as good to him as it did to me.” Jared couldn’t have felt worse. All he’d wanted to do was give his mate pleasure, but instead all he’d done was give him pain. “I’m so sorry.”

Easton uncovered his eyes and looked at Jared. He didn’t look in pain, he looked guilty. “I can’t do this.”

“What do you mean?” Jared reached out and took his hand. “If you’re hurt, I’ll get you help, I’ll do everything I can.”

“It’s not what you did, but what I did.” Easton turned to McBride. “Please don’t be angry with me.”

“I want you to sit up and explain.” Normally, McBride was very calm, but today he seemed cross.

Tentatively, Easton rose until he was sitting in bed. His eyes were sunken, and Jared realized he’d been crying. Now the curious sound he’d heard last night made sense. His mate had been in tears, and he’d put a pillow over his head so he could get some sleep. He berated himself for being such a jerk.

“I should have told you the truth, but I was afraid you wouldn’t buy me, and I didn’t want to go back to the thrall house.” Easton’s hand crept up to his neck and rested there.

“Tell me the truth now.” McBride sounded so tired that Jared wouldn’t be surprised if he fell asleep right here and now. “I can’t handle any games, not when things are in such upheaval.”

“With the whole world changing I thought maybe that’s why I didn’t want to say.” Easton looked at Jared. “I really like you.”

“I like you, too.”

“But you wanted to examine me and make sure I wasn’t broken before you claimed me. You didn’t want damaged goods.”

Jared frowned, confused and hurt because he thought they’d settled all of this last night.

“I was used.” Easton dropped his gaze away and winced his eyes closed.

A bolt of anger stiffened Jared’s spine. “What?” He’d looked at Easton’s tender pink hole for a long time yesterday. After slipping his finger in and out and then his prick, he thought he could testify to the fact that Easton came to him untouched. But then again, he knew nothing about sex. Easton had been formally trained. Had he done something to make his body seem virginal when it wasn’t?

Before Jared could react, McBride placed his massive hands on Easton’s shoulders and bodily lifted him out of bed. Easton’s eyes went wide, and his bottom lip trembled.

“Who touched you?” McBride asked as he shook him.

Easton stuttered but couldn’t answer. Where Jared had been furious that he’d been duped just moments ago, now he was terrified that his master was going to rip his mate apart with his bare hands. McBride, who had always seemed the kindest and most benevolent man, was now red faced with fury. He was holding Easton up and didn’t show one bit of strain.

Without a word, McBride hefted Easton onto his shoulder and strode from the bedroom. Jared was hot on his heels, but he could barely keep up with McBride’s ground-eating strides. If not for his boots, he’d be lagging behind even worse than he was, but luckily he’d gotten dressed in a hurry when he’d seen McBride leaving Gannon’s house. For all he could tell, his master was taking Easton into the big house. But why? To beat the answer out of him?

Easton was blubbering and squirming against McBride’s fearsome hold, his terrified eyes wide as he reached for Jared, but Easton wasn’t going anywhere. If anything, his struggles just made McBride hang on to him with greater intent.

“Put him down!” Jared ran behind and tried to grasp on to Easton, but he couldn’t keep up with McBride.

With the power of an unstoppable machine, McBride marched up the steps and kicked the front door of the big house open. He kept right on going into the parlor. Once there, he literally threw Easton down on a small couch.

“Who touched you?” McBride demanded, looming over him.

“No—no one touched me!” Easton was trembling all over.

Jared didn’t care if McBride ripped his arms off. He was going to protect Easton. He was less than half McBride’s size. Stepping in between them was possibly the most brave and simultaneously foolish thing he’d ever done, but Jared did it because this wasn’t the way to find out the truth.

“Please stop.” Jared lifted a beseeching hand to McBride. “You’re terrifying him for no reason.”

“I thought you didn’t want a used thrall?” McBride now turned his frightful attention onto Jared.

“I don’t. But I don’t want you to hurt him when we don’t know what happened.”

“I know what happened. He let someone use him. And then he allowed himself to be sold off to me without coming clean. That merchant lied by omission before. Now he has again. I’m going to hunt him down. I’m going to—to—I…” McBride seemed to suddenly awaken. He looked around as if seeing where he was, but he seemed not to know what was going on. He peered at Easton, who was trembling in a corner of the couch while Jared did his best to block his slender body with his bigger one.

“McBride?”

Everyone looked toward the doorway.

Jared almost cried he was so relieved. Jonas stood there, his face concerned, his demeanor calm. If anyone knew what was going on with McBride, it would be his loving companion.

“Did you use him?” That weirdly disjointed cast was back on McBride’s face. He turned to Jonas in the doorway. “Did you drink from this boy?”

“You know I didn’t.” Jonas stepped into the parlor. “Remove his collar and look.”

Easton tried to stand and possibly run, but Jared grabbed him, holding him close.

“He’s going to kill me!” Now Easton struggled against Jared.

“He won’t,” Jonas assured. “But he’s the only one who can remove your collar. Do that now, McBride.”

Despite the tenseness of the situation, Jonas kept his voice calm and even. As if he controlled McBride by invisible strings, McBride jerked over to where Easton was, reached down, and took off his collar. Everyone, included Jared, looked intently at Easton’s neck.

Jared didn’t know what the others saw, but he saw a light scar that was higher and farther back on Easton’s neck than a true bite should be. It didn’t really look like a bite, but what else could it be? What really hurt was the fact that he’d asked to see Easton’s neck and he’d playfully pushed him away. Easton knew and didn’t say anything. That hurt more than anything else.

“I’ve seen enough.” Jared stood, which left Easton on the couch by himself. Someone had used his mate, and that cast doubt on everything they’d done.

McBride appeared to be on the verge of erupting into violence, and perhaps he would have, but for Jonas. Murmuring soothing words, Jonas slipped his arm against McBride’s and gently drew him away from the parlor. Over his shoulder, Jonas said, “Take him home.”

“I don’t want him.”

“Take him home with you, Jared. Don’t make me loosen my hold on McBride, because I honestly don’t know what he’ll do.”

Against his better judgment, Jared turned and offered out his hand to Easton. Once he was standing, Jared let go and walked off. He didn’t care if Easton followed him or not. Whatever his story was, Jared didn’t care. No wonder Ollie hadn’t wanted him. He must have gotten a good look at his neck under the collar and realized the truth. Rather than tell him, Easton let the truth lie hidden. No wonder he didn’t want Jared to look at him yesterday. Easton said he wanted to wait for McBride, but that wasn’t true at all. The truth was he’d given himself to another who was now gone.

As Jared walked back to his house, he heard Easton’s footsteps behind him. He didn’t turn and look back or wait for him to catch up. He was devastated. He’d felt something special between them that had apparently been utterly one-sided. Given how messed up the world was now, he might never have another chance to get a mate, but he’d take loneliness over bonding himself to a liar.

Easton followed Jared into his house, but when Jared went toward his bedroom, he turned and told Easton he wasn’t invited. He then slammed his bedroom door as hard as he could. Easton stayed in the living room. He knew Jared wouldn’t want to share his bed with him now or ever. Grabbing a pillow from the chair and a blanket from couch, he swaddled himself up and thought about sleep, but he knew that wasn’t likely. His entire body was still shaking after being manhandled by McBride. Clearly, everyone was shocked by his behavior, but none of them knew what it was like to have McBride’s wild, furious eyes peering so intently at them. Only Easton knew that terror. McBride had seemed so enraged that Easton was convinced he was going to rip him apart bare-handed. When Jared had placed himself between Easton and McBride, Easton thought Jared had forgiven him, or at least would listen to his story, but as soon as the danger had passed, he’d walked away without a backward glance.

Without a collar, Easton was considered ownerless. Any man who saw him could claim him and do whatever he wanted with him. That was just about as terrifying as McBride’s sudden fury. Easton had always been comfortable with his role in life, but now he realized how utterly vulnerable he was. Everyone around him had choices whereas he had none.

When a light came on at one of the houses, Easton rose from the couch and went to the window to look out.

Caleb stood on his porch, looking toward the big house. He seemed to be speculating about something there. Or maybe he was thinking of something entirely different and just happened to be looking in that direction. It was difficult to say, as his hard features were almost entirely unreadable.

As Easton stood there, considering how big and powerful Caleb was, a solution to his dilemma came to him. Next to McBride, Caleb was the biggest man on the farm. He could protect Easton as long as Easton was willing to please him in exchange. Easton glanced down to the bulge in Caleb’s shorts. He swallowed hard. If he were rough, he could hurt him. Everything Devers had told Easton about sex came rushing back. Pain, fear, blood—it could be like that with a man like Caleb. His own brother said he fucked a robot to death. If a metal man couldn’t handle Caleb, what chance did Easton have?

Easton looked back toward the bedroom where he knew Jared was. With Jared, sex had been a languid exploration with both of them receiving equal amounts of pleasure. Easton had been so happy in those moments. He knew he should have told Jared about the bite, but he was too afraid, and now it was too late. Trust was such a fragile thing. One small slip could shatter trust completely. But to be fair, this wasn’t a tiny mistake. A bite was a big deal, bigger, in fact, than a broken factory seal.

Turning his attention to Caleb, he watched him as he continued to observe the big house. What was he thinking about? Not that knowing would change anything. Maybe he was thinking of leaving the farm. Maybe he was thinking of some new project he could do. Or maybe he was thinking of nothing at all. Easton sometimes stared out the window thinking of nothing. The thrall master had called it a meditative state, but Easton didn’t need to name it to know that after he zoned out for a while, he felt much better. Freeing his mind of thoughts temporarily seemed to make the new thoughts he had come cleaner and more organized.

Making up his mind, Easton threw off the blanket and exited Jared’s little house. As he stepped out onto the porch, Caleb noticed him and turned his head Easton’s direction.

Caleb’s hair was unbound and draped over his shoulders. Easton wasn’t able to see how long it was, but he imagined it went down to at least his midback. For a split second, he thought about changing his mind, but he didn’t see any other choice. If he didn’t want to be tossed around between all the Morgan brothers like the mechanical man had been, he needed to pick the biggest and strongest to protect him.

After hastily wiping his eyes, Easton lifted his head and walked toward Caleb. Since his temporary paper shoes had disintegrated a day ago, he was barefoot, which made his steps slow and even. Caleb watched him with a guarded expression. He didn’t seem welcoming, but he didn’t seem like he was disinterested, either. If anything, he was probably curious, but his face showed no emotions at all. Easton realized if Caleb had been asleep, he wouldn’t know about the ruckus. Even if he’d watched McBride bodily take Easton into the big house, he didn’t know why.