“Here is fine, too. Just get everything in and we’ll sort it out later.”
Quintus darted his concerned gaze onto McBride. “Any improvement?”
“No.” Caleb didn’t say it, but if anything, McBride was getting worse. It seemed to be happening much faster this time.
“Where is he bleeding from?”
Caleb spun, dropping to his knees. He hadn’t noticed, but now that McBride’s head was facing toward him, he saw that his right earlobe was a bloody mess. Turning to the butler, he ordered him to get Renner and his medical supplies. As he waited impatiently for him to arrive, he had to stop McBride from reaching up and scratching at his ear.
“It has to get out!” McBride sounded equal parts dazed and furious.
“What has to?” Caleb was trying to understand what in the hell was going on.
“I can’t hear it anymore.” McBride tried again to reach his ear, forcing Caleb to use all his strength to hold him back. In his delusional state, McBride seemed to be exceptionally strong.
“Let me look at it.”
McBride struggled with him, babbling about nonsense. Desperate to calm him down and distract him, Caleb leaned over and kissed him. McBride resisted at first, but then he sighed and relaxed into the couch. It was a crazy way to get him to stop scratching at himself, but it worked. Once McBride had calmed, Caleb leaned up and tried to see what was going on with his ear, but it was a bloody mess.
“What in the world?” Renner joined Caleb in kneeling next to the couch. Caleb moved around to the head of the couch so Renner had room. After gently wiping the gore away, Renner shook his head. “He’s mangled the earlobe.”
In the crimson mess, Caleb saw something gleaming. “What the hell is that?”
“I think…” Renner dabbed away more blood, causing McBride to fight. “Hold him.”
“I’m trying.” Caleb grasped both of McBride’s arms and kissed him.
“I said hold him, not take advantage of him.”
“It’s the only thing that seems to calm him down.” Caleb spoke between kisses. His joy in openly kissing McBride was pretty much wiped away by the fact of his illness.
“Not all of him,” Renner said wryly, darting a quick glance down at McBride’s crotch.
Caleb looked, too, then grinned. “You are the most perplexing man.”
“Me?” Renner asked, clearing away more blood.
“No. McBride.” Calling his name caused him to open his sky-blue eyes. He looked up, and for a brief moment he was lucid. When he puckered up, Caleb bent and gave him another kiss. McBride moaned behind his closed lips then parted them, sliding his tongue out to swirl against Caleb’s. Hungry to deepen the kiss, Caleb cautioned himself that now was certainly not the time. As good as McBride tasted and as desperately as Caleb wanted him, he had more than enough to deal with.
“Zooks!” Renner lurched back a bit, upsetting Caleb from his distraction of McBride.
“What?”
“It’s his communication device.” Renner pointed to a small bulb with a delicate wire. It was half in his earlobe.
“Get Quintus.”
“Why?”
“He has one.”
“So?”
“He might know how the units are put in.”
“What does it matter?”
“Because we need to get it out of there.”
“I’ll just pull—”
“No!” Caleb stayed his hand. “We don’t know if that’s safe.”
“Oh. Right. But why remove it?”
“Because I think that’s what’s been making him sick!” Caleb tried to put a cap on his irritation, but he felt so much pressing down on him. At best, they had fifteen minutes before the slammers got close enough to attack. Twenty if they continued on their meandering course. “Go and get Quintus now, Renner. Please don’t make me ask again.”
Renner was up and running, probably more concerned about Caleb’s quiet voice than he was with his loud and angry one. McBride had always done that. Rather than bellow when he was angry, thus turning off everyone’s attention, he actually lowered his voice and spoke slower. It was far more intimidating. Caleb would try to keep that in mind, but his temper was fiery, erupting in a fierce explosion of words and physical fury, then disappearing entirely. The only time he’d ever held a grudge was with Jonas.
“Butler?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Don’t send anymore electronic signals to McBride. Tell the valet, too. I think that’s what caused all of this.” It was a huge leap of logic, but Caleb trusted his gut. Every time McBride had succumbed to the illness, there had been some type of crisis. In fact, the last time the slammers had approached, McBride had gone down. Caleb frowned. He’d gotten back up and then went down again. Maybe he was wrong.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir.”
“What?” Caleb peered up at the metal man.
“I take my orders from McBride.” The butler’s smooth metallic face didn’t betray any fear, but he seemed to be edging away.
As much as Caleb wanted to rip the damn thing’s head off to protect McBride, he was going to need the butler during the fray, so he would have to try another way. “McBride?” Caleb lightly slapped his face. “Look at me.”
“Kiss me some more.”
“Maybe later.” Caleb stroked his hand as tenderly as he could over McBride’s forehead. “Tell the butler to stop sending you electronic communications.”
McBride blinked up at him several times then frowned. “Why would I do that?”
“Because I think that’s what’s making you sick.” As much as Caleb wanted to scream and hurry him along, he knew that would get him the opposite of what he wanted. “I’m going to need you to trust me.”
For a long, heart-stopping moment, Caleb thought McBride was going to push him away, but in the end he nodded. “I do trust you.”
“Good.” Caleb took the opportunity to steal another kiss. “Now tell him.”
McBride ordered the butler to stop alerting him. “Everything should be told to Caleb. He’ll handle things.”
“Very good, sir. I shall tell the valet.” The butler stood immobile. “Sir?”
Both Caleb and McBride answered him.
“The valet says the group of men has stopped.”
“Stopped?” Caleb got to his feet. “What are they doing?”
“All but two of them are just milling about in the middle of the long drive, near the fallow field.” The butler paused. “The two are the leader and the man in the cape. They are still coming up the long drive.”
Caleb calculated quickly. That put the bulk of the men at about two miles away from the big house. “Are they walking?”
“Yes, sir. He’s leading the man on a leash.”
“A leash?” McBride winced and placed his hand over his eyes as if the lights were too bright.
They didn’t seem that way to Caleb, but he had the butler turn them down anyway. “Better?”
“Yes. Who is on a leash?”
“I don’t know.” Caleb described the scene the valet had showed him to McBride.
“I think he’s looking to talk.”
“Talk?”
“Well, he’s got his men with him, but he’s leaving them behind and bringing only one other person up to the big house with him. Since that man is bound and obviously a prisoner, I don’t think he’s looking to make trouble.” McBride drew a deep breath. “Is he carrying a weapon?”
The butler silently communicated with the valet. “No, sir. The only thing he’s holding is the end of the covered man’s leash.”
“Okay. Might be a prisoner exchange.”
“We don’t have any of his men.”
“Right. But he might want to trade the man he has for one of ours.”
“Quintus? He’s the only one they had contact with.”
“Or their leader saw one he likes.”
Caleb and McBride were silent as they considered that possibility. Not that it mattered. Caleb wasn’t about to give him any of his brothers or their mates. There was no way there was anyone under that cape that Caleb cared about when everyone he loved was already on the farm. However, he reluctantly realized there might be someone under there that McBride cared about. The idea of having to trade one of his brothers for a friend of McBride’s twisted Caleb’s guts.
“Does he have weapons on his body? Weapons the valet can see.” McBride reached up and touched his ear. He pulled it away, glaring at the bloody mess.
“You kept scratching it.” Caleb grabbed the rag Renner had been using and pressed it to the side of McBride’s head.
“That’s why you were kissing me?”
“It worked to keep you distracted.”
“Yeah.” McBride reached down and adjusted his bulge. “It did that all right.”
“He appears to be weaponless, sir.”
“Then I need to go talk to him.”
“Absolutely not.” Caleb pressed his hand against McBride’s chest, preventing him from getting up. “You’re going to stay here until we can figure out how to deal with your communication unit.”
“Is that what that burning is?” McBride tried again to reach up, but Caleb wouldn’t let him.
“No.”
“You just love being in charge.”
“Don’t make me sit on you to prove it.”
McBride’s gaze intensified. “On me, backward, so I can watch your ass while you ride my cock.”
Caleb’s mouth dropped open. He looked around, but realized they were alone except for the butler.
“I already told everyone. There’s no point hiding it now.” McBride grinned. “Unless…”
Caleb knew McBride needed reassurance, but now was clearly not the time. He was saved from having to answer when Renner returned.
“Okay, I’ve got everything.” Renner was back and ready to remove the implant. “Quintus said that’s all it is. The bulb and that thread that curves around the ear.”
“Has his been bothering him?” Caleb hated to remove it if it wasn’t the source of the trouble, because it did give McBride instant communication with the house bots, but he was even more afraid of McBride ripping his own ear off from the pain.
“Quintus removed his with the help of his fellow crimetechs.”
“He did?” McBride’s brows went about has high as Caleb’s.
“He said it started to go wonky. It itched like crazy and…” Renner trailed off, clearly reluctant to tell them everything his mate had said.
“And?” Caleb prompted.
“He didn’t want to be tracked by it.” Renner looked down at the floor and lowered his voice. “Please don’t be mad at him.”
“Who, me?” McBride laughed lightly. “I wish I would have cut mine out.”
“You damn near did by digging at it. Now hold still.”
“I think I need to be distracted.” McBride’s grin could compel a man to forego everything he knew just to kiss him once. Caleb was no exception. Turning McBride’s head so his brother could get the device out easier, Caleb proceeded to kiss McBride until both of them were breathing heavily.
“You two.” Renner chuckled. “And to think you were trying to put a cap on this the whole time. Hell, had we known, we could have used you to heat all the houses this last winter.”
Caleb grinned at McBride then winced when he did. Rather than try to reach for his ear, he grasped Caleb’s hand and hung on while Renner removed the device. Somehow, that very small showing of trust touched Caleb’s heart. As pressured as he felt to get ready for the slammer and his bound thrall, he wasn’t about to leave McBride until he knew he was safe.
“He’s bleeding a lot.” Concern laced Renner’s voice. “I got the thing out, but I can’t get it to stop.”
Caleb rose up and considered the ragged edge of McBride’s ear. Instantly, he knew there was a way to stanch the bleeding, but it would be a crazy thing to do. He wasn’t ready to bind himself to McBride for all eternity. As much as he hungered for him, and as deeply as he felt he loved him, something about taking that final step in this way bothered him. He would never tell anyone, because they wouldn’t believe him, but he’d always imagined that moment as far more romantic.
“If I might suggest, sir, that you pinch the lobe between the folded cloth.”
Renner followed the butler’s advice.
“Stay here with him.” Caleb wanted to kneel back by McBride’s side, but he had to greet their visitor.
“Where do you think you’re going?” McBride looked on the verge of getting up, too, but Renner held him down before Caleb could.
“Well, at least we know I was right about the cause of your illness being that unit.”
McBride’s glare slid away. “I do feel better. Thank you.” But it was clear he was hurt that Caleb hadn’t been willing to drink his blood then lick the wound closed. If they were already bloodbonded, Caleb would have done it in a second, but they weren’t. And as much as he wanted McBride, he had to go into that final step with everything resolved between them.
“I’m going out to talk to the slammer.” Before he could say anything, Caleb cut McBride off. “You’re in no position to go out there. One look at you and he’ll know he has the upper hand. Besides, I spoke to them last time.”
“You called me your pet.”
“I did. Perhaps he thinks you really are. Either way, it’s best if I go out there alone.”