Alden found himself trapped between the two big men. He didn’t know where else to go. There was a long drive that went back toward the platform where McBride had bought him yesterday, but there was no way he’d be able to outrun both strong men. In his panic, Alden wasn’t able to catch his breath. When the world turned fuzzy gray, he let go and crumpled to the porch.
Alden had no idea what time it was when he woke up. Above him was an elaborate ceiling decorated with curlicues and painted-on flowers. He had to be in the big house since the brothers’ houses were shorter than the nearest ceiling.
A face popped into view, startling him. Alden didn’t recognize him, but he had a softly rounded face.
“How are you feeling?” Whoever he was, he spoke slowly and overpronounced his words, so obviously someone had told him Alden was deaf.
Unable to answer since he hadn’t had enough time to take stock of his body, Alden shook his head.
“Do you understand me?”
Alden nodded.
“I think you had a panic attack.”
“What’s that?” All Alden knew was sometimes he became so terrified he passed out. Oftentimes he awoke in far worse circumstances, but he had been unable to stop himself from losing consciousness.
“It’s when you become so frightened you hyperventilate, which causes you to pass out.”
“Oh.” Alden didn’t know what else to say so he sat up. “Is there a way to stop it?”
“There is, but it will take some work.” The man took something off his neck and tucked it into a leather satchel on the bed.
When Alden looked around, he saw McBride and Gannon at the doorway, peering in with wide, curious eyes. When his gaze connected with Gannon’s, he lowered his head and looked away. Guilt and shame stamped clear lines on Gannon’s features. And to think that last night Alden had been so comfortable with him he’d been able to sleep with the light off.
McBride entered and spoke with the man who had been tending to Alden. By his professional demeanor, Alden guessed he was a doctor of some sort. By watching their lips, he was able to catch the gist of their conversation. Basically, the man was suggesting that Alden take medication and talk to someone. McBride let out a sigh and nodded. Judging by his body language, he was clearly regretting buying Alden. At the time, he’d probably thought he was getting a bargain, but now he was realizing just how damaged Alden was. If he could stop what was happening to him, he would, but he couldn’t.
After thanking the man, McBride walked him out, leaving Alden alone with Gannon.
“Are you still mad at me?” Alden didn’t want to anger him anew, but he also knew they weren’t going to get past this unless they talked.
“I wasn’t mad in the first place.” Gannon came closer to the bed but then hesitated to get too close. It was clear he was afraid of setting Alden off again.
“It’s okay. You can sit here if you want.” Alden scooted over so there was room for Gannon to sit on the edge of the bed, which he did after a moment’s consideration.
“I always wake up grumpy. I should have told you.” Gannon hung his head again but then lifted it so Alden could read his lips. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I shouldn’t have put stuff on the table. I wasn’t thinking.”
“You were trying to clean up another one of my messes.” Gannon met Alden’s gaze but seemed unable to hold it for any length of time.
Reaching out, Alden took his hand. His skin was just as rough as it had been yesterday, but he wasn’t as intimidated. When Gannon looked at him, Alden spoke softly. “Last night was so sweet.”
“I thought so, too.”
“I think we need to just try again.”
“You’re not afraid of me?”
“In that moment, I was. Your face was harsh, and I flashed back on all the bullies at the thrall house.” Alden did his best to explain that his reaction was more about his past than it was about Gannon or his behavior.
“I wouldn’t have hit you.”
“I know that here.” Alden touched his heart. “But my head is a little different. They always hit me, so when I see anger, I think pain. It’s automatic.”
“I can try to be more cheerful in the morning.” Gannon frowned. “Although I’m not really sure how to do that.”
“Maybe we can figure something out. Like, I won’t get up until you go to work.”
“I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”
“I know, but we’re going to have to try different things and see what works.”
Gannon’s hand tightened on his. “You’re not regretting that you got me, are you?”
Stunned, Alden shook his head. “I was thinking that you were sorry you got stuck with me.”
“What? Why? You’re perfect.” Gannon intertwined their fingers, lifted their joined hands, and kissed the back of Alden’s hand.
“I’m deaf, and apparently I have panic attacks when I’m scared.”
“You have a voice that’s like hearing a song. You kiss so sweetly I almost cried.” Gannon leaned close. “And you suck cock like an expert.”
Alden blushed and would have ducked his head, but he didn’t want to miss anything that Gannon said. When he didn’t speak, Alden didn’t worry. They sat in companionable silence for a long time. Eventually, McBride entered and called Gannon away. It was obvious they were talking about him getting back to work, and it was just as clear Gannon didn’t want to go.
Back and forth the conversation went, making it difficult for Alden to follow. McBride didn’t seem angry but tired and worried. Something made his shoulders tight, but Alden had no idea what. For a moment, he wondered if McBride had returned to the platform to buy another thrall since he still had several brothers to buy a mate for, but he knew it wasn’t his place to ask. Besides, after getting stuck with him, it was doubtful that he’d be interested in another purchase from that particular merchant.
Eventually, the two came to an agreement, and Gannon returned to Alden’s bedside.
“He said I can take you back home if you’re ready.”
“I’m ready.”
Gannon helped Alden up and then grabbed a bag by the bedside.
“What’s that?”
“Clothing for you. It’s not from me but from McBride. He says I can’t go into town, so we’ll have to make do for now.”
“I don’t mind secondhand clothing.” Alden considered how big the bag was. “I haven’t ever worn anything but a robe.”
“Only a robe?”
“When we left the thrall house for educational events, we were naked, as it’s part of our status, but in colder weather, we were allowed to wear robes to keep us warm.”
“Why do you have to be naked all the time?”
“I wondered about that, too. None of my teachers could answer, but in an old book I found what might be a best guess.”
Gannon took his hand, and they left the big house. Gannon stopped, and Alden realized he was looking down at his bare feet.
“Let me carry you.”
“I can walk.”
“I’d feel better if you let me carry you, though. Please?”
Alden agreed and found himself scooped up into Gannon’s powerful arms. As he walked home, Alden explained that he thought thralls were kept nude so that they felt vulnerable. “It’s a way of psychologically controlling someone. Also, if we’re bare, we can’t really run.”
Gannon nodded and then winced. “I guess you kind of proved that today.”
“I did. I wasn’t going to get far without shoes.”
“Why else do they keep you bare?”
“I think it’s so that when we are out, slammers can see us and so can their owners. It’s a way of making them want a thrall.”
“Ah, like advertising.”
“Right. More than one thrall was bought right on the street as we went from place to place.”
“Wait, even then you weren’t allowed to wear shoes?”
“We were givin
g pressed-paper slippers. They would last for a few hours then fall apart. If they got wet, they were ruined. So they would protect our feet, but we’d never be able to run in them. Not for any great distance, at least.”
“I guess you could have always stolen a pair.”
“Do you know how difficult that is?”
“I guess I’ve never thought about it.” Gannon settled Alden on the porch. “But it sounds like you have.”
“Constantly.” They went inside. “But whenever I saw a pair of shoes, they were on someone’s feet. The only way to get them was to knock the man out and steal them.”
“But new ones, like in a store. Couldn’t you steal those?”
“And where would I hide them?” Alden lifted his arms, prompting Gannon to look over his naked body.
“Right. That wouldn’t work.” Gannon looked down then up. “I won’t make you stay. I mean, if you really don’t like me and decide that you want one of my brothers better, I won’t stand in your way.”
“Didn’t McBride say that if you didn’t want me he wouldn’t get you another?”
“I’d rather be alone than make you feel trapped.”
Touched, Alden stepped close and wrapped his arms around his mate. He kept on hugging him even when he knew he should let him go, but he couldn’t. He needed the contact, and he thought that Gannon needed the reassurance. Eventually, Gannon touched his chin, lifting his face. Alden thought he wanted to say something, but he kissed him instead.
The contact started slow and sweet then turned hungry. Gannon was careful not to grasp Alden too tightly, and Alden relaxed in his embrace.
“As much as I hate to do this, I have to get to work.”
“Is that what you and McBride were arguing about?”
“Yeah.” Gannon shrugged. “He wanted me to take the day off, but I want to work.”
It was the exact opposite of what Alden had thought.
“I want to be with you, really, it’s not that, but I don’t have any money in my account and there’s stuff we’ll need. I want to take care of you properly.”
Touched again by his kindness, Alden kissed him sweetly then let him go.
“Enjoy your day off and don’t clean too much.”
“Will I be called to work in the field?” Alden hoped so. He wasn’t so sure he could keep himself entertained in the tiny house day after day.
“McBride said you will, but not just yet. He wants to make sure you’re okay.”
“Is he…”
Gannon waited with his hand on the front doorknob, and his brows lifted with curiosity.
“He’s not upset with me, is he?”
“No.” Gannon shook his head. “He’s worried about you.”
“I thought he would be upset that I’m so broken.”
“You’re not broken.” Gannon left the door and came closer. “You just need some help. All of us do.”
“I like that.” Alden had always thought of himself as so damaged nothing would ever make him whole again.
“We’ll work everything out. I promise.” After a last kiss, Gannon left, and Alden went into the kitchen.
To his surprise, everything he’d put on the table was cleared away and put in its proper place. Gannon had cleaned up. There was still plenty to do, but somehow, the fact that Gannon had removed the source of their tension from this morning made Alden feel a hundred times better.
Chapter 7
McBride went to the platform, but there was nothing new. He didn’t bother chastising the merchant for not informing him about Alden’s issues since he doubted he knew. The merchant handled the thralls on commission, taking a small bit of the sale for himself. He wouldn’t have known what was going on, so McBride let the issue go, especially when he had bigger and better things to concern himself with, like his continuing descent into madness with Caleb. After their interlude last night, McBride had left without a word, walked stiffly across the yard, entered the big house, and slammed the door. He hadn’t once looked back because he felt Caleb watching him. Now that they were lightly bloodbonded, McBride would be tied to him no matter what he did. Even if he found a suitable companion and never drank from Caleb again, he would always feel him in the background.
Since there was nothing to be done about the mistakes he’d already made other than not repeating them, he turned his attention back to Gannon and Alden. His high hopes were shattered when Alden had literally run into him this morning, but he was encouraged by the concern Gannon showed. He had simply woken up in his usual pissy mood, and it had scared the hell out of Alden. But even with the slight hiccup, it seemed Gannon and Alden were working out after all.
In halting terms, Gannon told McBride what they’d done last night. He was apologetic, thinking he’d overstepped his bounds, but McBride had been relieved. It looked as if he would have to spend some time with the two men, but they wouldn’t need as much instruction as Bailey and Ferris had. They were still going to need some help to deal with Alden’s panic attacks, but that was something that could be overcome with time, care, and consideration—all things that Gannon was more than willing to do.
Since he was already on the edge of town, McBride went by the Larsden place. Crime-scene tape still encircled the area, but preliminary findings suggested it wasn’t a virus. As good as that news sounded, McBride wasn’t counting it as a win until they definitively knew it wasn’t a virus. However, even if it wasn’t, that didn’t rule out some other type of infection. Something certainly had pushed the man into a state of insatiability and superhuman strength. Ripping a man apart barehanded wasn’t something a normal man could do. But the crimetech, Quintus, had been fairly certain it wasn’t a blood-borne pathogen.
“Fairly certain?” McBride had asked as he continued to dress. He had a communication implant in his right earlobe that allowed him to talk while doing other things.
“Well, all the tests aren’t back, so I’m not going to say it’s one hundred percent not a virus, but I’m fairly certain.”
“So we’re counting this a semi-win?” McBride didn’t mean to be snarky, but he was tired and concerned about his bond to Caleb and what caring for Alden would cost Gannon. At least Bailey and his mate seemed to be over the moon for each other. That relationship, McBride was counting as a total win at this point.
“I think we should see a bit of a victory here. I’ve been keeping my ear to the wire, and I haven’t heard a peep about anything else like this happening anywhere.”
“That’s good.” McBride pulled on his shirt, buttoned it up, then tucked it into his jeans.
“But there is another issue.”
“That’s bad.” McBride let out a long sigh as he pulled on his second-favorite pair of boots. He’s most-favorite pair had been burned up at the crime scene since they hadn’t known what they were dealing with. Since it was better to be safe than sorry, everything McBride had been wearing had been burned.
“Well, it might be bad, but it might not.” Quintus sounded like he was shuffling papers, and McBride pictured him at his desk in the local office.
“Spit it out.”
“It’s just there are a lot of law enforcement people out sick. Have you noticed that?”
“Not really. At any given time there’s about ten percent out due to illness or vacation.”
“We’re running at a twenty-five percent outage right now.”
McBride hadn’t realized that. He might have if he wasn’t juggling too many balls, but things were what they were. “Do you have any ideas about what’s going on?”
“No, just I thought it was curious.”
“Well, ten percent isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. Might just be the spate of nice weather making men want to get out and do something.” After a long, cold winter, the itch to get outdoors could make men feign illness. Since McBride was constantly outside, he never lacked for it, but other men who worked desk jobs indoors certainly could.
“I suppose that could be it.”
“B
ut I’m glad you noticed, and let me know if you get wind of something. It never hurts to be aware of a potential problem.”
“You’re welcome, Sheriff.” There was a brief hesitation on the line.
“Ask.”
“How do you do that?”
“I can just read the silences.” McBride wondered if Alden could do that, too. He could read lips and he certainly could read body language, so it made sense he’d be able to read into a pause in the conversation. To McBride, the hesitations said as much if not more than the words.
“I wanted to talk to you about a promotion.”
“You don’t like being a crimetech?”
“Yes, I do, but I’d like to move up to the supervisor’s position when Danhew retires.”
“He’s retiring?” How far out of the loop was he? McBride sighed. He needed to pay more attention to his sheriff duties. That would have the added benefit of keeping him away from Caleb.
“In two months Danhew is out of here, and I’d like his job.”
“Well, fill out the forms and send them in. I’d have to take a look, but you’re certainly qualified from what I remember from your file.” When McBride had inherited the job of sheriff, he’d reviewed all his employees. Like usual, there were the standouts and the slackers, with most employees falling into the middle. Quintus was one of the superstars in the department. He was always prompt, went above the call of his duty, and didn’t whine when McBride asked for extra hours. All the men who worked for him were gentrymen. They weren’t landed, but that didn’t mean they didn’t aspire to change their family line.
“I will do that, and thank you for considering me.”
They cut the call, and McBride had ridden out to the platform. When he found nothing new, he’d taken his time coming back to the farm. The sun was starting to slant toward the horizon, but night was still a long way off. The dressiter moved with its usual grace, making it easy for McBride to drift off and have a moment to himself. Unfortunately, all he wanted to think about was what was turning into his biggest problem. Caleb. What the hell had happened last night? He was feeding the way he always did with the other brothers, but with Caleb it had intensified somehow. Was it the fact that he’d been untouched when McBride first drank from him?
Gannon Morgan [Seven Brothers for McBride 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 6