The Copper Horse #1 Fear (32 page)

Ollie sniggered with a shake of his head. "Yeah, right, with a foot."

Lady Victoria, who had been oddly silent 'til now, glared at him over the table. "Is that some secret fantasy of yours?"

"And I thought you knew them all," John remarked, staring at his drink.

Lady Victoria pouted. "You're just cranky, 'cause Master Erik doesn't bed you that often anymore!"

Several people at the table went silent, pretending to be eating but peeking at them from time to time.

John cleared his throat, and despite his calm demeanor, Reuben could see he was tense. "Master Erik's choices are his to make. I don't dwell on it, which is what you should do as well."

Reuben's eyes went wide. He had no idea Erik was sleeping with the footman! Or any other people, for that matter. It made him uneasy, like he wasn't that special anymore.

"Sooo? You want me to come round tonight?" Lady Victoria batted his eyelashes at John, and half of the table burst out with kind-hearted laughter. Mr. Fry sighed, his hand still stroking Reuben's head.

"I'd rather not, unless you decide to drop all that makeup for once," remarked John in a sour voice.

"And speaking of makeup," Thomas butted in before Lady Victoria could muster an equally venomous response. "Guess who had to flee from London altogether?"

"Who?"

Reuben could practically see people around him tense in anticipation of fresh gossip.

"Percy Preston!"

Reuben's head filled with heat. So he was actually living here in Bylondon now? Last he'd heard, Percy Preston was starring in a play.

"Yeah, fell off his high horse. Sorry, Copper," Thomas added, before continuing. "Coppers were after him, but people say many things. Some that he sold illegal drugs, some that he was just on the wrong political side, and some—" He made a theatrical pause. "Say he was found with a man in his wardrobe!"

"Uh, nasty!" Fry laughed, playing with Reuben's thick mane. "Then again, maybe we could finally afford to watch him. He might be one of the famous actors in London, but has anyone of you actually seen him perform?"

"Someone so celebrated must be good!" Rick fantasized, and at this point, he was sitting by Reuben's side and hugging him like he was a large dog.

"Or must have slept with the right people."

Reuben tried to mutter something through the bit. He'd seen Preston: wild, passionate, with the fairest, shiniest hair and bluest eyes he'd ever seen. His act was so captivating that the crowd had watched him in stunned silence, and Reuben wouldn't forget the image of him falling to his knees on stage.

"You've seen him?" Rick stroked his back and Reuben quickly nodded, overjoyed that someone understood his mewling. "Jack! He says he's seen him! I wanna hear about it! Come on! Can I take out the bit for a moment?"

"No, he's a horse, so he doesn't talk," Jack replied despite having talked to Reuben in the stable half an hour ago. It had to be his attempt at sounding stern. Too bad he had to choose
this
moment to make his point. "I would have to ask the master for permission."

"You're no fun." Kip shrugged, playing with his fork.

Reuben looked up to Fry and made the saddest eyes he could muster.

The cook took a deep breath and tickled Reuben under the chin. "Don't give me that look! Want another sugar cube?"

Reuben just sighed and opened his mouth as wide as he could.

"You'll tell me someday," Rick whispered into his ear and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"That's a good pony!" Fry put a piece of sugar on Reuben's tongue. It was either a prize for good behavior or an apology.

"And, of course, the Alfredo engaged him for a satirical play." Thomas went on with the news.

"Oh, I can't wait! There's so many things you just can't say in London. Especially with all the tension now." Lady Victoria fidgeted in his chair. "Everyone is so touchy."

John glared at him. "Like you know anything about London." They started quarreling again, but Reuben's mind drifted off to the fantasy of seeing Percy Preston once more. He had only been able to afford it once, and it had taken him a long time to save up for the ticket.

It came as a surprise that now, even though he was naked and being caressed by a good looking man, he didn't get aroused. It was a good thing, as he was worried it would have drawn more attention to him. The hugging and petting was more about gentleness than sexual excitement.

But he was snapped out of that cloudy state of peaceful bliss when he heard the word 'zombie' just above his head. Fry was talking with the butler about what had happened in London recently. Apparently, zombies had been let out of their cages at Saint Katherine's University. Reuben shivered at the thought of another outburst of the Plague within the city walls.

"At least Gregorovich would tackle this problem. The government they have now doesn't do shit about it. It's good the Dals drove the Johners out of their sector in Bylondon."

Reuben blinked. Wasn't 'Dal' Erik's family name?

"I'm still on the fence when it comes to Gregorovich. I heard he used to be a boxer. What is he doing in politics then?" Mr. Evans furrowed his eyebrows with distaste.

Fry leaned back in the chair and helped himself to a biscuit. "Well, I didn't start out as a cook. You gotta do what you gotta do."

"We'll just have to watch and see if his heart is in the right place. I have seen a lot in my life, and I don't think a war on the undead is impossible. It would take time, commitment, a proper army, and discipline in people's souls." Mr. Evans cupped the top of his bald head, lost in thought.

Reuben listened, as he couldn't work out his own opinion on the topic yet. Not that he could voice it anyway.

"Easy to say, since they wouldn't recruit ya anyway," snarled Ollie. "I'm not riskin' my life for that!"

"Is this how you see the future, boy?" The butler frowned. "Struggling to feed a growing population because the people of Britain are too afraid to act?"

Reuben looked up at him with awe. When put like that, it almost made
him
want to go out and fight!

Ollie shrugged. "I'm not plannin' any babies. I don't care."

"I think it's better like it is. What do you think would happen to us if Gregorovich became prime minister?" Kip hissed and looked around the table, his body tense. "He hates the Dals."

Those words were met with a quiet murmur of voices and nodding. The butler just sighed and finished his drink.

The dinner seemed to be over, and some of the servants started getting up, while others were finishing their meals.

Jack also pushed his plate away and stood up. "Thank you for making him feel welcome," he said to Fry before gesturing at Rick to release Reuben from the embrace.

The boy sighed. "Maybe I could play with him sometime?"

The 'pony' cocked his head to the side, unsure of what that even meant in his position. Did Rick mean sex or having a ride on his back?

"Ask the master, if you're so eager," Jack said stiffly, pulling at the reins so Reuben would stand up. His groom's tone indicated he wasn't keen on the idea of someone other than Erik 'playing' with Reuben.

"Ah, I understand." Rick rustled Reuben's hair and stayed on the blanket.

"You so quick to go, Jack?" Mr. Fry looked at them while crunching on his biscuit.

The boy stared back at him, blinking. "I'm... I don't want to be a bother."

Fry raised his eyebrows. "This one here." He pointed to Rick. "He's a bother, not you."

"But—" Rick started with a frown, but Fry didn't let him continue.

"It's just a joke, boy. Hush."

Jack ran his fingers through his hair and reached for a biscuit quickly, as if he feared he'd get his hand slapped. "I'm always in the stables."

"And I shouldn't be seen there, now should I? Come 'round to the kitchen anytime you're not busy with Copper." Fry gave him an encouraging smile.

Jack opened his lips and tried a small nod before walking right into Reuben and almost knocking him over. Reuben's eyes went wide and he pushed back with an angry snort. Jack never showed this lack of attention.

"Sorry, Copper." He cleared his throat and nodded back at Fry before dashing out of the kitchen as if he were being chased by the devil himself.

"Did you like it?" He broke the uncomfortable silence when they exited the servants' staircase.

Reuben thought about it for a long moment, but finally nodded with a smile. He did. No one had groped him, he'd been treated with kindness and got to listen to some interesting conversation and jokes. He felt revitalized. So much that he didn't want to wait for dinner to talk to Erik! It was past five anyway, and Reuben wanted to see him now..

Intent on going through with that fresh plan, he started pulling Jack toward the grand staircase as soon as they reached the ground floor. He knew Erik had his office somewhere upstairs, so maybe he could get his groom to help him surprise their master.

"What is it, Copper?" Jack tugged at the reins sharply to get Reuben into focus. "We're going back home."

Reuben shook his head and pointed his chin upwards.

"We shouldn't go there! The master is at work." Jack sighed and pulled him toward the stable again, but Reuben fought back with determination.

If he could only voice what he had on his mind, he could definitely talk Jack into it.

The boy looked at him, puzzled. There were times when Reuben thought that unlike Erik, Jack had no clue how to handle a horse. Most likely it was just lack of willpower, because he ended up smiling at Reuben.

"All right, I'll show you the second floor, but you must be very quiet."

Reuben nodded and moved closer to Jack, nuzzling his hair to show his gratitude. He was bubbling up with all the things he wanted to tell Erik!

Jack laughed, leading the way up the marble staircase. Reuben turned his head to take a look at the paintings that hung on the wall to their side, and his face inevitably became hot at the sight of a beautiful youngster being overpowered by a half-man, half-equine monster, his clothes in rags. It seemed even Erik's taste in art was far from moral, and with things like this adorning the most public space of his home, he had to be proud of his perversions.

The corridor upstairs was a lot narrower than the one Reuben knew, but still elegant, with thick carpeting that made walking bare-foot a delight.

Jack looked back at him with a smile. "These are all Master's rooms. And if he has guests, they sleep here as well," he explained, slowly leading Reuben down the corridor. There were no framed paintings hanging on the walls, because the walls themselves were covered with murals. Reuben didn't know where to look as they were surrounded by depictions of horses: jumping, feeding on the grass, disappearing behind the doors. He got the impression this was a less formal kind of space, even if Erik used it for work as well.

"His bedroom is over there, at the end. And he usually works in this room." Jack pointed at a double door a few feet away.

Reuben 's chest filled with warmth and he winked at him before simply walking over to the entrance, the boy too dumbstruck to pull him back. He turned to the side to reach it with his bound hand, and knocked on the wood as loudly as he could.

This woke his groom from the stupor and he made a desperate attempt to yank Reuben away.

"What have you done?" His eyes were saucers. The sound of Erik's voice, however, made him freeze.

"Who is it? Come in."

Jack swallowed hard and stared at Reuben with a haunted expression. Reuben leaned down to give his lips a short kiss and pushed the door handle down with his elbow to enter an exceptionally bright, rounded room, topped with a dome-like ceiling of steel and glass. He could see huge bookshelves and strange machinery dotting the sides of the office, but soon, Erik's handsome face looking at him from behind a massive oak desk got all his attention. Several lamps with inbuilt mirrors gave his skin an otherworldly glow, and if Reuben hadn't known better, he'd have sworn he saw a halo around his master's form. But no, Erik was no saint.

Reuben took a few hesitant steps inside, only to realize Erik wasn't alone. There was a man sitting in a massive leather armchair in front of the desk. Initially, Reuben was curious who it was, but backed away in horror when he saw the familiar face. It was one of the men who'd overpowered him the moment he'd gotten out of the sewers. He was older, with a square jaw and scarred skin patches on his cheek and forehead.

"Copper, what are you doing here?" Erik stood behind the desk with a pleasant smile.

Jack walked into the room and made a bow so deep he almost bumped his forehead into his knee. "I am so sorry sir, this won't happen again!" he insisted, grabbing Reuben's reins, but Erik stopped him with a gesture.

"That's all right. Wait in the corridor, Jack."

All of a sudden, Reuben's heart started pounding faster. He'd obviously made a huge mistake! He should have never come here! And this man, this... abductor, just looked at him with a blank stare that bored straight into his soul. Reuben's gaze dropped to the floor. The sound of the door closing behind Jack felt like a death sentence.

"What is it, Copper? Come'ere!" said Erik in a cheerful voice, as if he didn't sense his discomfort.

He approached the desk slowly, keeping his eyes on the floor so that he wouldn't accidentally look at Erik's guest. He'd come here, because he couldn't wait to be hugged and petted, but it didn't feel right in front of the man who'd put him in this position!

Erik gave him the brightest smile and came out from behind the desk to pull him into a tight embrace, his face buried into Reuben's collarbone for a full minute.

"You couldn't wait, could you?"

Reuben just sighed and leaned into the hug, too weak to protest. "No," he muttered through the bit. He didn't want to get into trouble just because of the man sitting here. The scum wasn't worth it.

Erik kissed him on the cheek, gently patting his pec, much like Mr. Evans had earlier. "You can stay. I am finishing soon anyway. Do you want to kneel?" He pointed to the thick carpet.