Read Online The Copper Horse #2 Pride by K.A. Merikan - Free Book Online Page B

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