Lowering his chin, Colton met Sebastian’s gaze. Colton’s eyes widened a split second before he closed them again. His body tensed, but he kept thrusting. A low growl escaped his throat, and he froze.
Finally, Colton pulled out of him and flopped onto his back next to Sebastian. The warm trickle of fluid slid down Sebastian’s arse.
Fingers tickled his hand then Colton gripped it.
Sebastian squeezed and caressed with his thumb. Rolling his head to the side, he smiled at Colton.
Colton smiled back.
Sebastian was so at peace at the moment he doubted anything could bother him. Rolling to his side, he touched Colton’s clean-shaven cheek. “I need to tell you something.”
“Okay.” Colton nuzzled into the touch, rubbing against Sebastian’s hand like a cat.
“Colton, I’m—”
“Milord?” Berkley interrupted.
Sebastian growled. Hadn’t he said he didn’t want to be disturbed? “Berkley, something better be on fire.”
“It is, my lord. The stables are on fire.”
Panic hit Colton so hard, if he’d been on his feet, it would’ve knocked him off them. Springing from the bed, he stumbled and his vision whited out for a moment. Without waiting for it to fully clear, he jerked his trousers up and grabbed his shirt.
“Colton, wait.” Sebastian hopped around trying to get his pants on. Something crashed to the floor, but Colton didn’t wait around to see what.
The horses. Colton had to get to the horses.
Bloody hell. Apollonia is in those stables. She was just a baby. Colton barreled out the door and down the stairs. He took four steps at a time until he reached the bottom.
Servants raced about the foyer like a mad swarm of bees. Shouts echoed along with a dull roar. An orange glow came from the open front door. Snow—or was it ash?—blew inside, whirling around the undulating knot of people screeching and carrying on.
“Get outside! Get hoses, buckets and anything that will hold water.” Afraid of what he’d find, Colton shoved his way through the crowd and out the door. Please don’t let it be a big fire.
It was huge. Horses darted around the front lawn with their heads and tails high. Max skirted a stableboy trying to catch him. Dazz had run to the paddock and was whinnying to be let inside. A few other horses dashed away from the fire and staff, but no Apollonia and no Apollo.
Colton sprinted toward the barn. The blizzard wind slapped him in the face.
Someone grabbed his arm. “No. My lord, it’s too dangerous,” one of the stableboys pleaded.
Shrugging him off, Colton yelled over his shoulder, “Round up the horses. Calm them and check them for injury.” The barn door stood open, clear of flames. The roar of the fire drowned out the shouts of the servants and agitated sounds of the horses. Ten yards from the blaze the heat grew so intense Colton stumbled back. It dried his eyes and blasted his cheeks. He threw his arm in front of his face. “Apollo! Apollonia!”
A distressed whinny answered him. There was movement within the black plumes of smoke.
“Colton,” Sebastian shouted.
Holding his breath, Colton dashed toward the barn as fast as he could. The heat inside was nearly unbearable. Sweat poured down his face, and the smoke stung his eyes. It was so painful he couldn’t help but cry out.
Apollo paced back and forth in the aisle in front of Apollonia’s stall. His ears were flattened against his head and his eyes wild. He whinnied and squealed at Apollonia, who was still in the stall, and pawed the ground. His gate hung on to the wall by one hinge, the wood busted through in several places. He’d stayed for Apollonia.
Colton’s heart sank. He had to get all three of them out of here. “It’s okay, boy. I’m here. We’re gonna get her out.” The smoke and soot invaded Colton’s throat, scorching his lungs. He coughed, and his eyes watered. He could barely see through the tears. The heat bombarded his body, drenching him in sweat.
Apollo turned back toward the door, snorting and throwing his head wildly.
Ignoring him for the moment, Colton dashed to Apollonia’s stall.
Her eyes darted around erratically, and her ears were pinned back. She whined, and it sounded like a scream. Running at the gate, she tried to get out.
“Shhh…” He opened the gate and leapt out of the way, expecting her to bolt from the stables, but she didn’t. She plowed into him, nearly spilling him to the ground, and snorted. She butted him with her head in an attempt to bury her face under his arm. Poor baby. “It’s going to be okay, hoyden.”
Apollo began rearing and whinnying louder.
Coughing, Colton clutched his chest, but the spasms persisted. Oh, it hurt.
Flames raged across the open door, creating a wall of fire. A loud crack resounded over the roar, and sparks rained down on them. The beams overhead crackled and began to buckle.
Pulling his shirt up over his nose and mouth, Colton hurried back to Apollonia’s stall, grabbed her lead rope and clipped it to her halter. “Please follow me.” He had no doubt Apollo would go through the fire for him, but Apollonia? He’d never been so scared in his life.
The smoke pressed down on him, and the waves of heat distorted his view. Colton coughed continuously despite having covered his face. His limbs weighed a ton. Lethargy beat at him. Time was running out. The heat was too intense. Holding the rope, he made his way to Apollo.
Apollonia tugged against the rope, trying to back away from the fire. Oh galaxy, no.
“Come on, baby. You have to trust me.” He coughed so hard he could barely talk.
Apollo sneezed and thrashed his head around. His muscles flinched, looking as if they moved separately from his skin.
Still holding the rope, Colton made his way to Apollo’s side. He tried to whisper encouragement but couldn’t do so over his hacking. Hoping Apollo understood, Colton held his hand out. If he didn’t get them out of here now, he wasn’t going to be awake to get them out. Lack of oxygen was taking its toll, and he couldn’t catch a deep enough breath. He should be crawling to avoid so much of the smoke, but he couldn’t get them all out if he were on the ground. “Shhh… Boy. Calm. Down,” he choked out.
Apollo settled, putting his nose in Colton’s hand. That’s right. You have to trust me, old friend. Grabbing a handful of mane, Colton attempted to haul himself onto Apollo’s back and missed. The normally easy task was hampered by the stallion prancing around and Colton’s lethargy.
It took three tries, but when Colton finally got on the horse, Apollo seemed to be waiting for instructions.
Crack, pop. A beam exploded and crashed to the floor behind them.
Apollo reared again, and Colton struggled to hold on. He slid sideways. He endeavored to reel Apollonia in by her lead rope, but she dug her heels in. Oh, please… Please. Colton couldn’t wait any longer. Turning Apollo, taking him as far back into the barn as he could, he positioned the rope so Apollonia wouldn’t get tangled in it.
She’d followed when they moved and stood next to him. He reached out and petted her face. “Come on, baby.” Please. He had no doubt Apollo would do as he was instructed, even through his fear, but— “Ha!” He kicked Apollo in the flanks and leaned over his back. “Ha!”
There was a soft tug on the rope as Apollo bolted toward the door and the wall of flames in front of it.
“Ha,” Colton yelled again and dug his heels in.
Apollo never even paused. He ran at the fire.
Colton white-knuckled the rope in his hand, ducked his head, closed his eyes and prayed.
The roar of the fire, the popping and cracking, blared around him. His burning lungs ceased to hurt, and his senses sharpened. The scorching temperature seared his body, and pain lanced through the hand holding the rope. Cold air washed over Colton like a bucket of ice water and stole his breath. His heart hammered, and Apollo’s gait evened out as he hit his stride. It was like flying.
Colton began coughing and couldn’t stop. A cacophony of noise surrou
nded them. Shouts. Voices. Sebastian screaming his name. Apollo was still galloping.
“Whoa, bo—” Coughing, Colton picked up his hand and glanced at it as Apollo slowed. He un-fisted it.
The rope was gone, and in its place was bloody, serrated skin. Crimson trickled down his palm and landed on his thigh. Splat. Splat. Splat. It spread out on the sooty tan fabric in jagged circles. His hand was empty, his connection to Apollonia gone. Noooo… He stared at the hand until tears concealed it from sight.
Apollo finally stopped, and Colton leaned over and vomited.
In the next moment, Colton was jerked off of Apollo’s back. Falling.
“Colton! Sweeting? Say something.”
Colton clung to Sebastian. Clawed at him really. He had to make the pain in his heart go away. Another series of coughs racked his body. Safe. He was safe. Apollo was safe, but— This is my fault. He should’ve left her with her mother.
Sebastian pulled back, looking him over.
Colton dove into Sebastian’s arms. It was safer there. He needed the support, love and security.
Rubbing Colton’s back, Sebastian kissed his temple. “We’re not done with this, but we have things to do. Go calm Apollonia down so you can check her out, and I’ll take a look at Apollo. The rest of the horses seem to be okay. All of the staff is fine. Galaxy, I’ve never been so glad there are no rooms over the stables.”
“What?” Colton pulled back and studied Sebastian’s face. “What did you say?”
“I said—”
Colton turned and searched the grounds.
Apollonia ran in circles several yards from the fire, with her rope dragging the ground and three stableboys chasing her. She sneezed, shaking her head. Black smudges marred her beautiful sorrel coat.
A sob escaped Colton’s throat and turned into another coughing fit. The weight in his chest dissolved, and his knees buckled. Oh galaxy, thank you! His baby was okay.
Strong arms wrapped around his waist. “Are you okay?”
Colton turned back to his consort, grabbed him by the face and kissed him. “I’ve never been better.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Sebastian hauled Colton back into his arms. He whispered against Colton’s ear, “I love you.” Now that he’d said it, it almost felt like a relief. Like something he’d needed to get off his chest.
For as long as he lived Sebastian would never get the sight of Colton barreling out of the wall of fire on Apollo’s back out of his head. Nor would Sebastian get over the sheer terror that gripped him when Colton ran into the barn and the flames closed in behind him. Sebastian had been too far away to stop him. Sebastian now had ulcers, he was sure of it. His stomach wrenched and churned. The tingling in his head was no doubt from the sudden explosion of gray hair. He squeezed Colton tighter, trying to calm his racing pulse. The ash and soot clinging to Colton choked Sebastian, making him cough nearly as loud as Colton.
“Crazy little twit.” Sebastian shook Colton’s shoulders. “If you ever do anything so foolish again, I don’t care how much I love you, I’ll beat you black and blue then lock you in the highest tower of Townsend Castle and throw away the key. Do you hear me?”
“You love me?” Colton’s voice was quiet and scratchy.
Where’s the bloody doctor? “Yes, more than you can possibly know—” Sebastian moved back but didn’t let go of his consort. He couldn’t. He’d nearly lost this. The chaos around them barely registered as he rubbed Colton’s arms.
Good galaxy, with black smudges all over his face, Colton looked like a homeless person. Even Colton’s hair was singed. Sebastian fingered the locks, and a wrenching pain twisted in his gut. “I’ve loved you for a long time but refused to admit it to myself. I think I realized it when you tried to ignore me. I really don’t like you ignoring me.” The skin around Colton’s ears was red, swollen and hot to the touch.
“I promise not to ignore you anymore. Well maybe if you make me mad, since you’ve just revealed that it would be effective punishment…” Colton grinned. “I love you too, but then you knew that, didn’t you?”
It was too much to hope for. Could Colton really love him? Colton had had a crush on him for ages, but things were different now. If he could feel any love after living with Sebastian the past few days… “I wasn’t sure.” He grabbed Colton’s hand, reluctant to break contact. Colton’s right forearm was bright red and blistered. His sleeve was partially missing. “You’re burned.”
Colton glanced down at his arm. “I can be burned later. I don’t have time right now. We’ve got to get the horses settled and help with the fire.”
At the gentle reminder, Sebastian’s training kicked in. Life and death. Colton was not mortally wounded at the moment, but the fire still posed a huge threat. They had work to do.
Although the snow completely covered the ground and began to catch in drifts, the wind was high. The servants dumped and sprayed water on the surrounding area.
“It’s too cold for the horses to be left out in the paddock. We need to take them to the castle stables.” Which should be interesting considering all their tack was gone. At least Apollonia had a rope attached to her. She’d follow Colton, so they could use the rope on some of the other horses.
“I’ll get them.” Colton put his fingers to his mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. He immediately began to cough.
Sebastian frowned and looked toward the street. What was taking the doctor so long?
Apollo, Apollonia, Max, Dazz and Lisette, one of the other horses Sebastian kept, trotted toward Colton. The other three horses, Hockley, Dancer and Yvonne, continued to scramble about. Under the circumstances, five out of eight was impressive. Colton was like the pied piper of horses.
Sebastian waved the staff off. “Carry on.” To Colton, he asked, “What do you suggest? Are you just going to walk and let them follow you?” Sebastian scoffed.
“No, smart arse. I’m going to go get my coat on, ride Apollo and herd the rest of them.” Colton grinned, let go of his hand and wrapped his arms around Apollonia’s neck, who had come over and head-butted Colton. “Then I’m going to get the grooms to check them all out and make certain they’re okay.”
The filly snorted and nickered, still anxious.
Sebastian shook his head. After how close he’d come to losing Colton tonight, Sebastian hated to admit it but he suspected both horses would have perished in the blaze if Colton hadn’t rescued them. He was glad they were both all right too. “You took a big risk.”
“I had to. They were worth it.”
“Not worth you.” Sebastian touched his cheek and patted Apollonia. He gripped Colton’s hand again to get him moving.
“Ah.” Colton winced.
His hand was wet and crusty. Sebastian lifted Colton’s hand to the light. It was bloody and torn to shreds. Bugger. How had Sebastian forgotten about Colton holding the rope and Apollonia darting away as they’d cleared the stables?
“Come on. We’re going to go patch up your hand. And where in the hell is that. Damned. Doctor?” Sebastian’s voice climbed on each word. Sliding his hand to Colton’s wrist, Sebastian tugged him toward the house.
The horses followed.
“Sebastian?”
“What?”
“Who’re those people?” Colton pointed toward the far end of the lawn.
Two men approached on foot. They were too far, about a hundred yards away, and the snow was too heavy for Sebastian to make out anything other than silhouettes, but one of them kept stumbling.
“What in the hell?” Sebastian grabbed Colton’s arm and tugged him up the steps and inside the house. He needed his fragger from the office. He had an odd feeling about their prospective visitors.
The clip-clop of horse hooves echoed off the marble.
Without turning, Sebastian groaned and let go of Colton. Sebastian knew exactly who had followed them inside. “Get her out of the house.”
Colton chuckled and began talking to Apollonia.
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Sebastian went to the wall safe behind his desk and moved the picture out of the way. “Berkley, what can you tell me about the men on the edge of the lawn?”
“One of them appears to be the man who started the fire, my lord.”
“What?” Sebastian froze in the process of pressing his thumb to the scanner. “Are you telling me the fire wasn’t an accident? Like a stable lad smoking or some such.”
“No, milord. A man set the fire.”
Bloody hell and imploding planets. Un-fucking-believable. “Why didn’t I hear about someone being on the property before they got close enough to start a bloody fire?” The safe opened. He removed the fragger, closed the safe and the picture over the safe.
“You said not to disturb you unless there was a fire or someone was dead, my lord.”
Sebastian ground his teeth together. “Damn it, Berk— Never mind. We’ll discuss this later.” He jogged out of the office.
“My lord, Jeffers has inquired about the fire. What shall I tell him?” Berkley asked.
“Tell him everything is under control and for Their Highnesses to stay there. Tell them Colton and I will be at the castle momentarily.” After Sebastian found out what these men wanted.
Colton stood outside the front door with the horses gathered around him.
The arsonist and the other man were closer now, almost upon them. The man in front nearly fell. The other, bigger man was pushing him.
Sebastian moved off the steps and waited for them with his fragger by his side. “Colton, get inside.”
“Not on your life.”
A few of the servants gathered around, putting themselves between the men and Sebastian and Colton. Digby actually backed into Sebastian. “Sorry, me lord.”
Sebastian patted the boy on the back and walked around him without taking his eyes off the approaching men.
One man was dressed as a gentleman in a gray coat and nice polished black boots. The other was rough, scruffy. He too had on a coat, but it was a ragged wool that had seen better days. His hair was overlong and shaggy. His face blazed red where the wind had chapped it.
My Regelence Rake Page 29