The Copper Horse #2 Pride (8 page)

“Are you crying?” His
mocking voice cut through to Reuben like a knife.

“Hans, we’re going,”
said Erik, walking up the stairs to a small storefront.

Reuben looked away,
breathless, all pride that he had in the extravagant outfit and
showing off his strength—gone. He sniffed, trying to stop the tears
as quickly as possible. He assumed that with Erik’s position, no
one would dare hit him, but he was vulnerable to taunts and
touch.

It didn’t take much
time for it to start. A boy, clearly dared by his friends, walked
up to him with a silly smile on his dirty face. Reuben’s gaze
followed him from behind the curtain of red locks which at least
spared him some of the shame, but didn’t even consider moving when
the child approached him from the rear and lifted his tail with a
laugh. Reuben hated the world so much right then he could die.

“It’s not coming out
of his ass,” declared the boy to the amusement of the crowd.

“What did Bluefinger
do to you to deserve such disobedience?” mocked one of the women,
brushing her hand over Reuben’s arm.

“I’d say it’s pretty
obvious!” Jacob’s laugh tore through the mush that now was Reuben’s
brain. His polished shoes slowly emerged from the crowd as he
walked up to Reuben.

It was no use to
pretend they didn’t know one another anymore, and Reuben slowly
turned his head toward the fucking Judas. If he only weren’t
shackled. With his new strength he could have broken the traitor’s
bones. He tried to mumble something but quickly stopped, realizing
he was just sounded ridiculous with the bit in his mouth and drool
dribbling down his chin.

“Oh dear, does someone
have a napkin?” Jacob’s companion came close, only to squat down.
Her hand moved straight to Reuben’s crotch, cupping it as if it
were her God-given right. “My God, I can see
everything
under that thing!”

“Bet it pleases
Bluefinger!” yelled another woman, laughing through the gaps in her
teeth.

“There, there, don’t
cry Ruby,” Jacob mocked him, drying his face with a dirty
handkerchief.

Reuben tried to move
away from both of them, but the chain was only long enough for him
to take one step. He growled something behind the bit, powerless to
do much more.

“Why, you should be
grateful he spared your miserable life.” Jacob snorted, touching
the top of Reuben’s head as if he was petting a domestic animal.
“Your father has already forgotten about you, and here at least you
have a purpose.”

“I doubt this has a
purpose, right?” said his friend, poking the tip of Reuben’s penis
through the tight leather of the pants, making him want to curl
into a ball to protect himself, but he couldn’t even do
that
.

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s
his ass and mouth being used. Huh, Ruby? How many times a day do
you suck cock to stay alive?” Jacob’s smile was malicious, and
Reuben felt himself tearing up again. This was his private
nightmare, one from which he couldn’t wake up. He flinched away
from the touch on his cock, ashamed to hear Jacob’s words. How
could Erik have done this to him after all they’d shared? Left him
here without the mask so everyone could mock him? And he had no
illusions—everyone in Bylondon knew what Bluefinger did with his
‘horses’. They all knew he drank his master’s spunk and had his ass
plowed for another man’s pleasure.

“Did he take that crop
with him?” asked a girly voice, and Reuben felt a hand groping his
ass through the leather. The crowd was thickening around him, and
it felt like being choked. He needed air. He needed to get away.
Now.

“You think he’s angry
enough to let his pony blow someone else?” Jacob chuckled, forcing
Reuben to look at him with a brutal yank to his hair.

Reuben whimpered,
glancing at the entrance of the shop. As much as he hated Erik
right now, he wanted him to come back and take care of this. The
sole thought of having to suck off Jacob after all that the bastard
had done to him was beyond repulsive. Reuben gritted his teeth on
the bit and tried to lunge forward to head butt the
motherfucker.

“Whoa, I didn’t think
you had it in you!” Jacob chuckled, moving both his hands to
Reuben’s bit, but a loud shout from the store suddenly turned
everyone’s attention off Reuben.

“Fucking Dals!”
screamed a middle aged man in a worn coat, who stormed out the
door, his red face twisted into a grimace of fury. “Soon,
everyone’ll know where your fucking food comes from!”

“You wanna say
something more?” Two bulky men who looked much like Hans, rushed
down the stairs behind him and grabbed him by the arms as if there
was no one to witness it. And indeed, it was enough for the crowd
to start dispersing, too interested in avoiding whatever was to
happen to care about Bluefinger’s fucktoy. Even Jacob trailed away
without so much as a goodbye, tugging his girl along. Reuben’s eyes
met the captured man’s for a moment, but before he could even think
about what was going on, one of the henchmen simply pierced the
man’s heart with a huge dagger. Blood gushed on shoes, skirts, and
the pavement, pooling between the cobblestones like drain
water.

The man let out one
more pained gasp, his eyes wide, before dropping to his knees,
lifeless. Reuben realized he was the only one unable to escape, so
he looked around in desperation, his heart throbbing with fear. The
killers’ faces were obscured by simple full-face masks with a white
“D” painted on the left cheek. Obscenely efficient, they dragged
their victim to a small door at the side of the store entrance and
disappeared as if nothing had happened. If it wasn’t for the pool
of blood, one might think that nothing had happened.

Reuben yanked at his
chain, now completely alone in the empty street. These were the
people working for Erik and Frey, merciless murderers who had no
shame cutting someone up in public. But why was Reuben so
surprised? Just today his master showed how little mercy he had for
any disobedience when all Reuben wanted was to have his face
covered. He didn’t even want to think where the Dal food came from
if it was something they would kill for. Were they making people
sausage? Reuben almost gagged at the thought, squeezing his eyes
shut and trying to breathe through his mouth. Eventually though, he
heard a familiar voice.

“Oh hell, what a
mess,” Erik said as he walked out of the store. He took big steps,
careful not to stain his shoes with the blood. It was sickening to
watch how unbothered he was.

Reuben frowned but
quickly looked down at his own feet. He just wanted to have it over
with and go home. But he wouldn’t even have that.

“Don’t you dare to
look away from me, Copper.” Erik’s boots stopped right in front of
him. “You made me look ridiculous in front of all those people,”
hissed Erik, grabbing the harness at the front of Reuben’s chest
and yanking on it.

‘You make me look
ridiculous every day,’ Reuben wanted to reply, but he kept his big
mouth shut, looking up to Erik with what he hoped was an
unbreakable gaze.

Erik shook his head,
clad in the expressionless mask. “I’ll make you pay for this,
Copper.” And with that, he got back on the cart under Hans’
watchful gaze.

The ride back to the
mansion was the worst thing Reuben could ever imagine. Still
unmasked, he was paraded through streets where the air was thick
with dust, choking him, and Erik wouldn’t spare the whip to rush
him either. All of Bylondon would now know his face and what was
being done to him. His chest was so heavy, as if someone had
squashed it with a boulder.

Back at the house,
Erik and Hans just left him in the cart room, still in gear and
with the cart fastened to his tack. He let himself cry again, and
even Jack couldn’t comfort him. He couldn’t even confide in his
groom how horrible this day had been, because of the bit. Standing
became so uncomfortable at one point that he kneeled on the ground,
waiting for his sentence. Would this be it? Would Erik discard him
now? What would happen to him then? Would he be sold to Frey as a
castrated pet for the four wives? Would Erik cut off his organs
himself, just to make a point of it?

It was Hans who came
for him in the end. Under his watchful eye, Jack stripped Reuben
bare except for the bridle, and they both led him to the stable.
Reuben’s heart skipped a beat when he faced Erik. His master lay on
a fresh pile of hay, his eyes cold and hard like Reuben had never
seen them before. There was no anger there anymore. What Reuben saw
in those beautiful mismatched eyes was even worse:
indifference.

As much as he got used
to being naked in the house, after the incident in the street, he
felt insecure about it, more vulnerable. He had nothing to give him
even the illusion of protection.

“Prepare him,” Erik
said, slowly getting to his feet, and the sight of what he held in
his hand made Reuben’s blood run cold. Erik lightly smacked a slim
wooden cane against his hand without breaking eye contact.

Reuben swallowed. All
he could cling to was hope that it wouldn’t hurt as much as he
imagined it would. Reuben wasn’t going to let Erik win. After all
the tenderness and devotion Reuben had showered him with, the
bastard wouldn’t even let him explain himself. He
was
just a
plaything after all.

Hans yanked Reuben to
the wall and used his wrist cuffs to pin his hands high above his
head. He had to stand on his toes to reach the rings on the wall,
stretched in a way that prevented him from protecting himself at
all.

“Get out and wait
outside. Both of you.” For once Erik’s voice did nothing to soothe
Reuben’s nerves. Soon, they were alone, and the sound of slow
footsteps behind Reuben made him break out in goose bumps. The
creaking of the wooden panels and the gentle rustle of hay. It was
as if Erik prolonged the wait on purpose just to torture
Reuben.

He turned his head to
see Erik and fidgeted in his shackles. Reuben couldn’t help his
fear, but he still frowned at his master in anger.

“What?” Erik asked
him. He was barefoot, and his steps sounded wonderfully soft, a
sound Reuben usually enjoyed, though now it felt like just another
element of a punishment he didn’t deserve.

He tried to utter a
‘fuck you’. The humiliation of today would sting much more than
whatever caning Erik could do, so he shouldn’t be afraid.

“Did I hear ‘I’m
sorry’?” Erik mocked him, slowly leaning against Reuben’s bare
back. His breath felt hot on Reuben’s skin in a way that he hated
now.

“No!” That he managed
even through the bit, trying to shrug Erik off. Erik roughly pushed
on the back of Reuben’s head, forcing his forehead against the wall
hard enough for it to sting.

“Do you have any idea
how you humiliated me? Do you wish to endanger us all?”

Him? Humiliate
him
? Erik had no idea what
Reuben
had been through
today. And he didn’t care. Reuben writhed against the hand just for
the sake of it, as he knew he couldn’t escape. His whole body was a
bundle of nerves that would never untangle.

“Do you understand
your fucking life’s at stake too? How could you do this to me?”
Erik drew back with a hissing sound, but didn’t walk away, as
Reuben could still hear his breathing all too close.

He didn’t understand
how his puny misbehavior could hurt Erik’s godly position in
Bylondon. Reuben leaned his forehead against the cold wall, trying
to stop the intense pulsing of anger underneath his skull. Without
the ability to talk, he just growled and tensed his muscles.

“I wouldn’t do that if
I were you.” Erik sighed and slowly ran the cool tip of the cane up
Reuben’s back. “It’ll only be more painful.”

All that touch did was
make Reuben sweat. “Just do it!” he mumbled through the bit, unsure
if he was understood. He had taken the belt, he could take this as
well. Reuben didn’t underestimate the pain a cane could cause. He’d
had his taste on the day they’d met, but knew it was unavoidable.
The sooner it started, the sooner it would end.

“So you think it’s
that easy, Copper? Do you even have any idea how disappointed I am
with you?” The first blow came unexpectedly, and it stung so badly
Reuben lost his breath.

His eyes went wide,
and he bit down on the leather and wood in his mouth, trying to
comprehend the blinding pain. It was so much worse than on the
first day. His legs were trembling, and he put effort into
controlling his breath, but his heart throbbed. He had no control
over this. Every day with Erik in this mansion had been like
walking a tight rope. Reuben could fall out of favor with one bad
step. The sharp pain changed into a hot throbbing, and he gripped
the shackles.

“I hope this will be a
valuable lesson, and you won’t lose my affections again.” Erik said
without even an ounce of pleasure as he walked behind Reuben. The
next hit was just as unexpected like the first, preceded only by a
swift, painful sound.

Reuben screamed into
his gag, reflexively tensing his buttocks. A tear ran down his
cheek while he was buried in pain, and he only noticed it moments
later, once he returned to reality. It was horrendous. At some
point, he lost count of the blows, but the worst thing was the
wait. He could never guess when Erik would decide to deliver
another strike, and soon Reuben was reduced to a sobbing mess.

He didn’t know how
much more he would have to survive either. He was sweating like a
pig, but the moisture on his skin could have been blood for all he
knew. His whole body writhed uncontrollably, and breathing was
an almost impossible task.

Hit. Thrash. Breathe.
Wait.

He wished crying
wasn’t a part of it, but he wasn’t that strong. His face was coated
in a mix of tears, sweat, snot and drool. Pride dripped out of him
like water from a leaking cup.