The Copper Horse #2 Pride (24 page)

“What is it?”
He couldn’t stop looking into the boy’s eyes. “You cold?” Reuben
reached to the blanket which covered them both and pulled it up
with his teeth. The boy nickered and poked Reuben with his front
hoof before shaking his head. Then he leaned closer into Reuben and
put his ear on Reuben’s arm.

Only then did
Reuben look down and realize the boy wasn’t wearing hoof boots, but
actually had hooves. Had hooves. Reuben frowned. “What are
you?”

The boy
whinnied and blinked at him with sheer, unhindered interest until
the door opened. The foal climbed to his feet and ran straight
toward Erik, who greeted him with a smile.

"Have you
missed me, Rusty?"

The boy seemed
to get bigger by the minute. Reuben slowly got to his knees and
wanted to ask about him, but when he tried to speak, it came out as
a whinny.

Erik patted
Rusty's neck, and the boy wiggled his tail vigorously.

"Copper, how
are you, my darling? Was the boy good during my absence?" Erik
strolled over to Reuben and dropped to his knees to steal a chaste
kiss.

Reuben didn’t
let him back away, though, and reached out for more, but Rusty
pushed in between them, moaning for attention. Reuben gave Erik a
questioning look and pointed to the boy with his chin.

Erik chuckled
and ruffled the foal's mane without letting go of Reuben. "He's
turning out beautiful. As pretty as you, but he has Coal's eyes."
He scratched the boy behind the ear. "I'm already getting offers on
him. I shall hold an auction."

Reuben looked
into Rusty’s eyes as his heart sunk.
No!
Erik couldn’t sell
his baby! Rusty was too young to understand. Reuben let out a nasal
moan, his heart beating faster. This couldn’t be happening! Not his
foal!

Reuben opened
his eyes wide and gasped for air. “No,” he muttered, looking around
as his heart still hammered in his chest like crazy.

The smell of
hay was drowned by the fresh scent of greenery, followed by an
unpleasant, sour taste in Reuben's mouth. He spat out the grass he
somehow started chewing on in his sleep and turned his head toward
the clang of a bell. He blinked, recognizing the girl who belonged
to Erik's guest. She wore a skintight outfit, white with black
patches, and the sound came from the large cowbell hanging from her
neck as she ate from a pot of herbs.

She didn't even
acknowledge his presence, so he looked the other way, spotting Erik
on a picnic blanket among the flowers that were slowly withering in
the cold. He was speaking to his middle-aged female friend over a
cup of tea they drank with fairy cakes.

It was a warm
October day, but Reuben couldn’t prance around naked anymore
without getting a chill. He got to wear a pair of pants today,
along with a blanket with a hole cut out for his head. He was warm
under the fabric, and after dinner he was so satisfied he fell
asleep the moment he laid his head in the dry grass.

The lady, who
looked far too decent to own a cow-girl, leant over Erik’s hand,
tracing it with her fingers.

“Master?”
Reuben got to his knees, still confused by his dream. Were such
things possible?

Erik blinked,
turned his head towards Reuben, and smiled. “There’s my sleepy
pony. All fresh now?” He urged Reuben to come closer.

“Yes... I
think.” Reuben rose and slowly went over to his master. “I’m not
sure.”

Erik shot a
look at his lady friend, and she withdrew immediately, making space
for Reuben. “Is everything all right?” Erik picked up a glazed
fairy cake and offered it to Reuben.

“I had this
dream,” whispered Reuben, unsure of how the lady would take it. His
fear must have showed.

Erik sighed.
“Dahlia, dear, would you let me share some words with my stallion?”
He pulled Reuben down to the blanket, which was easy with the tail
just attached to a harness.

Reuben bit into
the cake, and the sweet taste made his anxiety dissolve a little.
He saw the woman join her pet without a complaint, and he waited
until she was out of hearing range. “I had a dream about
Rusty.”

Erik pulled
Reuben’s back against his chest and smelled his neck. His arms
alone could be enough to calm Reuben down. “Who’s Rusty?”

“My foal, I
mean...” Reuben swallowed and leaned in closer. He knew it had just
been a dream, but what if it meant something?

Erik shifted
his position so he could look into Reuben’s eyes. His brows were
drawn close together, and his hair shone like a halo around his
head. “Copper, dear... I told you already, you cannot get pregnant.
There will be no foal,” he said gently.

Reuben laughed
nervously and kissed his cheek. “I sort of know, but this dream
confused me. This foal, it looked a bit like me, but had Coal’s
eyes.”

Erik sighed and
bit into the fairy cake before putting it to Reuben’s lips again.
“Must have been pretty.”

“It had real
hooves. And a tail.” Reuben took a whole mouthful and smiled back
at his master.

Erik snorted,
bowing down to kiss his lips. “Was he sweet like you, or wild like
Coal?”

“I don’t know.
He was very curious about everything. But you said you were looking
for a buyer,” said Reuben, souring a little.

Erik looked
genuinely startled. “A buyer?”

“For Rusty.”
Reuben nudged him with his nose.

Erik pouted and
wrinkled his nose in thought before he looked back at him. “And
that bothers you?”

“Yes. He’s just
a foal. I can’t imagine that...”

Erik exhaled,
never stopping to pet Reuben. “Well, if you had a foal, we would
only sell him to someone he really liked. How does that sound?” He
ate the remaining piece of the cake.

Reuben gave it
some thought. “Someone who would treat him well.”

“Of course.”
Erik pressed a soft kiss to Reuben’s temple, hugging him closer.
The warm afternoon sun made his skin glow, inviting Reuben to lean
even closer. “And we would visit him from time to time.”

Reuben liked
being a part of that plan. “Yes, that sounds good. So we could
check if he was doing fine.”

“Definitely,
Copper. I would hate it if someone mistreated your foal.”

Their
conversation was broken by a loud mooing. Only now Reuben realized
how surreal the dream was. Still, he smiled and cuddled up to
Erik.

After some more
hugs and kisses, Reuben leaned down to pick up an apple from the
ground with his teeth. It took some fumbling, but he managed. He
returned to Erik and presented him with the fruit. His master’s
eyes lit up, and he accepted the gift with a kiss to Reuben’s
forehead. His lips felt cool and tender. No, Erik would never hurt
Rusty.

“Would you
gather more apples? We could ask Mister Fry to bake a pie.”

“Yes, Master.
I’m sure he will bake a delicious pie.” Reuben smiled and continued
his search for the ripest fruit before bringing each one to Erik’s
lap. His knees started to hurt after fifteen minutes or so, but he
ignored the discomfort to please Erik. He enjoyed the fresh smell
of grass as he bent to get the fruit. Despite doing his best to
leave the skins unmarked, his teeth dug into the sweet flesh as he
picked them up. From the corner of his eye he watched the human
cow, whom her mistress addressed as Daisy.

“I don’t think
I’d want to be a cow, nor a bull.” Reuben said, after dropping yet
another apple.

“No? Not even a
bull?” Erik winked at him, examining the apple that Reuben put into
his hand.

“I doubt I am
wild enough, Master.” Reuben pushed his face into Erik’s hand,
craving his attention.

“That’s true.”
Erik stroked his head. “You are very agreeable. Domesticated.”

“A house pony?”
Reuben lay next to him, enjoying the last of the afternoon sun and
the smoothness of the blanket.

“No. You’re
soon to be saddled for the first time.” Erik ran his fingers up and
down Reuben’s body, following them with a soft gaze. “How do you
feel about that?”

“If it isn’t
too much strain on my ankle, I will be happy to learn, Master.”
Reuben closed his eyes, completely relaxed. He felt Erik join him,
his slim body sliding closer.

“I would have
you marked with my name.”

Reuben opened
his eyes to look straight into the gaze of the blue and brown eyes.
His heart trembled in his chest. “Will I then be yours
forever?”

Erik’s eyelids
fluttered. “If that’s your wish.”

Reuben opened
his lips to speak, but a scream from the house choked the words in
his mouth.

“Fucking
Russian cunt!” Frey stormed into the garden and headed straight for
them in nothing more but boots and pants, his well-sculpted chest
displaying an array of scars.

Erik sighed and
patted Reuben’s neck, as if trying to tell him everything was fine.
“What did Gregorovich do this time?”

“Fucker escaped
from Bedlam.” Frey spat to the ground, walking in circles around
Erik’s blanket. “I don’t know much more yet. Whether he did it
alone or if his people came for him. All I know is that he was
supposed to get a lobotomy
today
, and when the doctors came
for him, his cell was
empty
!” He emphasized the last word
with a punch to the tree, so hard that dozens of apples fell,
hitting all three of them.

Erik groaned,
but he nodded towards the corner where his female friend sat on a
bench, accompanied by her pet cow. He raised his voice so that she
could hear. “Dearest, I am sorry, but I have matters to discuss
with my brother. I will pay you a visit soon.”

She smiled at
them and came closer, Daisy crawling behind her on all fours.
“Mister Dal. I will take my leave.”

Frey looked at
her and sneered. “Fuck.” He kicked the tree again, and Reuben
barely avoided a falling apple. Erik pulled him into his arms,
shielding his head with his arm.

“Are you saying
that my work was for nothing?”

Mister Evans
escorted Dahlia out of the garden, and Reuben got to his knees,
more than willing to flee from underneath the tree.

Frey’s face was
red and sweaty. “For nothing. Is this man some kind of magician, or
what? How does a man as big as a bear disappear?”

Erik shook his
head. “That’s a disappointment.” He spoke slowly, staring at the
house.

“It sure
fucking is. Erik,” Frey looked to his brother. “Do
not
take
this lightly. We don’t know when the fucker will resurface like
shit from the drain.”

Erik nodded,
stroking Reuben’s arm and effectively preventing him from leaving.
“What do you want me to do?”

“Master, I’m
not—”

“That is not a
question for
you
! Erik, is your slave completely stupid? Has
he had a lobotomy instead of Gregorovich?” Frey lost his temper,
and Reuben looked at his knees, ashamed.

“Don’t unload
your anger on my horse!” Erik snapped, hugging Reuben even closer.
His warmth erased all the hurtful words. “You are in
my
house.”

“Then take him
out of my sight. I am not in the mood for this,” hissed Frey.

Erik snorted.
“I might consider that if you fucking calm down.”

Reuben nuzzled
at his thigh, and Frey sneered at the sight. “I’ll wait for you in
your office,” he said through his teeth.

Erik watched
his brother storm out of the garden, but eventually he turned his
attention to Reuben. “You’re safe with me.”

“I hope
Gregorovich is found soon, Master.” Reuben looked up to Erik, whose
smile blanked.

“Don’t concern
yourself with such things.” He slowly untangled himself from him
and got up, gesturing for Reuben to follow. “Think about the pie
mister Fry will make with your apples.”

Reuben sighed
and got up. “I will be waiting for you, Master.”

“You will spend
some quality time with John. Do whatever you like, as long as it’s
in the house.” He moved towards the entrance where the footman was
waiting for them.

“Not Jack?”
Reuben gave John an uncertain look. He wasn’t a favorite of the
footman.

Erik shrugged.
“Jack is suffering the consequences of his foolish attempt to help
you flee. He’s on kitchen duty.”

Reuben lowered
his gaze. He still felt guilty for what happened that night, but
there was nothing he could do about it now. It’s not like he’d be
of much use in the kitchen while he wore hooves on his hands.

Erik gave John
his orders and disappeared from sight, hurrying to meet his
brother. As soon as he was gone, the footman shot Reuben a dark
look.

“So now I’m
degraded to the role of a groom.”

“It’s a very
important role,” Reuben reminded him and followed the tug on the
reins without a second’s thought.

John frowned
and opened his mouth, but while Reuben anticipated a mean comment,
the footman just shook his head and tugged him into the house.

“Jack is really
good at it.” Reuben tried to fill the silence between them, but it
was a difficult feat. John was a man of mystery. The look in his
gray eyes was strangely piercing and bored at the same time.

“Well, it isn’t
surgery. Anyone could do it,” John snarked as he led Reuben towards
the stable.

“No, a groom
needs to have a gentle touch but still control the horse.” Reuben
had lots of experience with this topic by now. He understood how
important Jack’s tasks were and wouldn’t let anyone underestimate
them.

John shrugged.
“Your expertise in the field never ceases to baffle me.”

Reuben cleared
his throat and pretended to look at one of the horse-themed
paintings in the corridor. He didn’t like that John always managed
to use some words he didn’t understand. So Reuben faked deafness.
“Hm? What did you say? Sorry.”

John huffed and
sped up, pulling Reuben along harder. “Horses are mindless
beasts.”