Free The Copper Horse #2 Pride by K.A. Merikan Page B

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