Bound

Chapter Nine

The cold water shook the cobwebs out of Cian Finn’s mind with a teeth-jarring shock. He took a deep breath and forced himself to go under. The chill prickled along his skin. He needed to try to think clearly.

It had been almost impossible lately. The thoughts in his head would come and go like butterflies flitting in and out. He couldn’t catch them and keep them. They were too fast. A thought would come, and Cian would get excited. He would start to follow through on it, and then he would be standing somewhere wondering exactly how he had gotten there. Cian didn’t like to talk about his problems with his brother. Beck had his own problems. He didn’t need to worry about his little brother’s failing brain, but it was becoming something he couldn’t hide. Even if he tried to hide it, he would have forgotten what he was trying to do. It was easier when Beck was around to ground him. When his brother was in close proximity, Cian was able to focus for longer periods of time.

Cian broke the surface of the water. There was a momentary terror. It came with the revelation that he didn’t know where he was. Cian took a deep breath and banished the fear. It wouldn’t do any good. It would just make him look like a fool, and then his father would be angry with him.

He seemed to be swimming.

No. He was bathing, and his father was dead. His father had been gone a very long time. Uncle Torin had killed him and taken their throne. He and Beck were outcasts. Yes, he remembered that part. He wasn’t a child anymore. He was a man. He had to act like one.

Cian looked down at the soap in his hand and decided that as long as he was here, he would clean up. He felt grungy. He remembered he had taken to his bed. It had seemed like a smart thing to do. The big bed was a familiar place. He always knew where he was. Even if he got lost in memory, the bed was safe. There was always a voice whispering to him that the bed was a nice place to be. It was better than eating or being up and about. He could just sort of drift away.

Cian managed to soap his hair before his mind shifted again, and he forgot what he was supposed to do. By then his body had become used to the chill of the pond. It was a simple thing to float on his back and gaze up at the sky.

The sky above him was a vibrant blue. The puffy white clouds took on various shapes and forms. Some of the damn things reminded him of mathematical equations. The shapes could be described mathematically. He had always wanted to study math. His father had promised him when he turned nineteen that he could go to live with his aunt for a while on the Vampire plane. Beck was going to learn their fighting techniques and make political contacts. Cian was going to the university. He was going to study. It would be marvelous. He couldn’t wait to meet other students and talk to professors. He wasn’t going to the same school as his cousin, but they would be close. He would be surrounded by books.

And he could get away from the stuffy old court. Someone was always watching him, waiting for him to screw up and break the rules. He didn’t always follow protocols or behave in a matter befitting a prince of the realm. His father would sit him down and tell him how much he was embarrassing his brother and his fiancée.

But Cian would be free on the Vampire plane. He could meet some girls who didn’t look at him like he was a fool. They wouldn’t compare him to his big brother and find him lacking. What was his father thinking? Maris was a righteous bitch who had an enormous stick up her ass. How was he ever going to work up the will to fuck her? He didn’t think Beck wanted to fuck her, either. They were always so polite to each other. There wasn’t an ounce of passion between them. Shouldn’t he want to fuck the woman he was going to be forced to spend the rest of his life with?

“Beckett Finn,” a feminine voice called out. “What are you doing? Get out of there. You must be freezing.”

Cian twisted his body and let his feet find the bottom of the pond. He saw a blonde female gracefully rushing towards him. She was tall and lithe, with straight golden hair that hung down her back. Her skirts floated around her long legs, showing just the faintest hint of a nicely turned ankle. Her face was completely perfect. She had a pouty mouth and sky blue eyes. She looked every inch the perfect Seelie lady.

Cian didn’t want to fuck her either, but he suddenly remembered that Beck did and had, and probably would again.

“Liadan.” Cian was happy that he remembered her name. He concentrated and pulled the relevant information out of his brain.

Liadan O’Neill was a young widow. She had fled Tir na nÒg before the plane had been closed. Her husband had died a few years back in a hunting accident. Beck had been visiting her for roughly a year now. He had hoped Cian and Liadan would get along. Beck liked to share women with Cian, but Cian couldn’t stand the sight of her. She was cold. He had no idea why Beck couldn’t see how calculating she was.

Her lovely face fell. There was a wealth of disgusted disappointment in her voice, and Cian remembered she didn’t like him, either. They had a mutual disapproval society going. “Cian, where’s Beckett? I heard from the trolls that he was back from his hunting trip. They saw him riding in from the forest.”

She had placed her hands on her hips, all attempts at ladylike perfection gone. She wouldn’t waste the effort on him. Cian laughed at that thought. He sobered slightly. She’d said trolls with great distaste. She was a sidhe who thought all other Fae creatures were beneath her.

“I don’t know.” Cian was able to answer with complete truthfulness. For once, his blank mind was a blessing. It did give him a good reason to be down here, though. Beck had been gone and then returned. Big brother had likely taken one look at him and ordered him to bathe. It explained everything.

“Well, ain’t that surprising?” Liadan mocked. Her perfect features made for a perfect sneer. “You are completely good for nothing. I don’t know how your brother puts up with you.”

“And I don’t see how he can stand to touch you long enough to get off,” Cian shot back as he walked toward the edge of the pond, his feet dragging in the mud. The soap seemed to have floated away. Why was he here?

“I take care of him just fine.” Liadan stood looking at him with one hand on her hip. She seemed supremely sure of her own attractions. “He loves me, you know.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Even with all his trouble, Cian knew he would remember if Beck was in love. If Beck was in love, then it followed that he would be in love, too. Liadan had never understood the link between symbiotic twins. She treated them like completely separate beings when they weren’t. If Beck’s heart was engaged, then Cian wouldn’t be able to help himself. He would fall in love, too. He shook his head. Why had the name Meggie suddenly shot through his brain? He didn’t know a Meggie. There wasn’t anyone named that in the village. Or was there?

Liadan tossed the towel his way. “You’re just too stupid to remember. Beck and I are getting married one of these days.”

Cian waded out of the pond, wrapped the towel around his waist, and started back up toward the cottage. He still remembered where he lived, at least. He didn’t pick up the clothes he had brought with him. They didn’t matter. “No, you’re not. He won’t marry you. You aren’t a bondmate.”

Liadan kept pace. “He loves me, and there are no more bondmates to be had. He needs to marry, Cian. He needs to have children. You know it’s true. He is too important to just languish out here in this piss-poor excuse for a plane. He’s let you hold him back far too long.”

Cian’s heart ached a little at the thought of children. He’d thought he’d have a few by now. He loved children, and they always loved him. He’d started a small school when he and Beck had settled in this village. It hadn’t taken long before an entire community of immigrant Fae had built up around the former heirs. They had brought their children with them, or adopted the orphans they found along the way. Those children needed to be educated. Cian could remember looking at their little faces. He’d loved teaching them.

“Where am I?” Cian asked out loud.

Liadan exhaled heavily. “You really are far gone, aren’t you? You won’t remember a thing I say five minutes from now, you poor excuse for a royal. You should lay down, Cian. You should fade. The world would be better if you faded.”

Cian’s eyes clouded over. He’d heard this before. He heard that voice when he thought about getting up from time to time. He would wonder about something. His curiosity would urge him to get out of bed, but then that voice came back. Beck would be better if he faded. Sometimes he would wake up, and she would be waiting at his bedside, whispering the words over and over until he believed them. There was some sort of smoke that went with the episodes. He always felt so much farther away after he breathed that smoke.

“Get back in your bed, Cian,” Liadan said in a commanding voice. “It’s time to fade. You’ll be happier, and so will Beckett.” The voice became soothing. He felt her hands on his shoulders. They were cold. “It will be nice, won’t it? You can go someplace warm. You can be with your mother and your sister again. You miss them, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes.” A picture of his little sister formed in his mind. She’d been his playmate. Beck had been too serious for that. He’d always been with their father in some important meeting, even when they had been young children. Bronwyn had been the one to run through the palace halls, screaming with laughter. She’d been the one to explore the river with him, and make fun of him when he started to notice girls.

She had died in his arms.

Something was wet on his face. Cian realized he was crying. Yes, it was best to fade. He couldn’t help Beck. He was weak. Beck would have a better chance if he was gone.

Woodenly, Cian turned toward the cottage. He heard Lia’s satisfied sigh as he left her, but it didn’t really register. He began to walk past the barn with one thought in his head. He would lie down, and this time he wouldn’t get up for anything. He would be stalwart. He would fade, and the world would be a better place. He walked around to the front of the cottage. He would bolt all the doors.

“Beck?”

It was another feminine voice that pulled him away from his mission, but this one he didn’t recognize. He looked down and saw a petite, curvy woman with a mass of wavy brown hair. It wasn’t brown. There was red and blonde in it, too. It was a glorious auburn. The lighter places caught the late afternoon light and sparkled. It was beautiful and a little wild. A proper Fae lady would never wear her hair so wild. Her clothes were travelling clothes, and they weren’t perfectly proper either. She had left the top of the neck unbuttoned. Cian was fascinated by her creamy skin. He could see the soft rise of her breasts. She was beautiful.

“No, sweetheart,” a very familiar voice corrected her. Cian recalled that his cousin had shown up last night, riding that flying vehicle of his. Cian used to love to ride on the back of it. Dante had thrown a fit when he tried to take it apart, though. “That’s not Beck.”

“Leave me alone,” Cian said, trying to take his eyes off the lovely woman in front of him. There was nothing cold about that one. Her hazel eyes were looking up at him with great concern. Those eyes pulled at him. Still, he heard himself talking to his cousin. “Go away, Dante. I have to go to bed. I’m tired.”

Dante’s sigh told of his weariness of the subject. “Not again.”

The woman reached out and put her hand to his chest. Her skin was warm after the chill of the pond. “No, Cian. You need to get dry, and I need to brush out your hair. It’s a mess. It hasn’t been brushed in weeks, it looks like.”

Her small hands suddenly fussed in his hair. She played gently with it, and Cian liked it. Her little hands felt like the flutter of pixie wings against his skin.

“What is your name?” Cian looked down on her in wonder. She was so beautiful. She was a lovely siren, calling him away from his duty. He had something to do, but he’d rather stay here with her.

She smiled up, and all the light and warmth in the world was in her face. “I’m Meggie.”

Cian felt such a rush of emotion at the sound of the name. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her with all the strength he had left. After a moment of startled surprise, she wound her arms around his chest and held him close. He didn’t know why he felt this way, but he knew she had saved him from something. A word to describe her leapt to his addled brain. It was the only clear thing in his head.

“Wife,” he whispered in her ear. It was a prayer.

Beck settled back in his chair after suppertime. The fire blazed in front of him, filling the cottage with warmth. Meg rocked in the chair beside him.

“What’s wrong with him?” Meg asked. Beck looked at her pretty face and felt a contentment he hadn’t felt in a long time.

They were both pleasantly full from the meal Beck had produced. It had been simple, but Meg had eaten the chicken, potatoes, and carrots ravenously. Beck was pleased that Meg had gotten Cian to eat. Cian had followed her around like a lost child. By the time Beck had come back to the brugh, she had gotten Cian inside the cottage and managed to sit him in front of the fire with a blanket around his body.

While Beck had prepared dinner, Meg had patiently worked a comb through Cian’s long, dark hair. It had been a tangled mess, but Cian hadn’t complained. He’d sat quietly. He’d let her tug and pull until his hair was straight and shiny. Cian had then laid his head in her lap and promptly fallen asleep. He hadn’t woken until dinner was ready. Beck had been happy that Meg seemed content to sit and rest while Cian slept. They looked good together.

“What’s wrong with Cian? The same thing that was wrong with me,” Beck replied quietly. “He is out of balance. He needed to be bonded five years ago. For me, it came out as rage. For Cian, he is dissolving into chaos. It’s worse than I thought. He’s better when I’m around, you see. I had no idea he was having episodes where he forgot years of our lives.”

Dante had been the one to tell him that bit of news. He had pulled Beck aside for a long discussion while Cian contentedly slept in Meg’s lap. He’d explained that Cian had barely remembered where he was when Dante had spoken to him the night before. Cian had been confused and slightly scared when Dante had awakened him. The vampire had to explain the situation to the sidhe every time he woke.

“The sooner you bond with him, the better. You need tonight to rest, but tomorrow it should be done,” Beck said soberly.

After the events earlier in the day and the arduous travel, Meg needed to rest. The bonding could be intense. Beck was a little worried about Cian’s state of mind, but the bonding had to be done.

Beck was suddenly intensely aware that he was alone with his wife. Cian was sleeping, and Dante had left before dinner, saying he had someone he needed to see. That was bullshit. Beck knew he was going to the tavern. He wouldn’t be back before morning, if then. It didn’t matter. Beck had what he needed from Dante. He’d used the communication device to speak with Susan. She had promised Beck a good salary to clear out the tunnels in Dellacorp’s latest mining project. They were full of some form of monstrous bat. Vampires didn’t like bats. He hadn’t mentioned his impending trip to his wife. He didn’t want to disrupt the happy place they had found tonight.

Meg left her own seat and slipped to her knees beside him. She laid her head on his lap, and Beck felt his cock respond. It lengthened to painful proportions. He would go slowly with her tonight, he promised himself. The need to make love to her was riding him hard, but he forced himself to relax. It felt like forever, but he’d taken her twice the day before. He needed to show her he wasn’t an animal who would fall on her at every given opportunity, even if that was what he felt like doing. He was her husband. She had been gracious and gentle with Cian, and he owed her nothing less.

Beck let his head fall back against the wood of the rocking chair. It had been a rough day. Between the kelpie in the morning and the painful conversation he’d had with Liadan this afternoon, he was spent. He hadn’t wanted to hurt the widow, but he needed to make it plain he wouldn’t see her any more. Liadan had taken the news of his marriage with tears, but she had been a lady about it. She had promised to help Meg fit in.

“He seemed better at dinner,” Meg murmured.

She practically purred when he stroked her hair. She was so sweet and responsive. Beck wondered if her pussy was purring yet. His cock began throbbing. The simple fact that she was so close made him long to shove her down and thrust into her soft, welcoming body.

“Your presence makes a huge difference.” Beck let his fingers play with the nape of her neck. “I felt it the minute I met you. Even before we bonded, I was calmer, more centered.”

Meg looked up at him, her pretty eyes wide. “I have to sleep with him to form the bond?”

“No.” Beck sensed her hesitation. It worried him. Growing up on the human plane probably hadn’t prepared her for the reality of taking on two husbands. “Cian can form the bond without intercourse. I could have, too. I just lost my head. I pushed you.”

“Don’t apologize again, please,” she said with a sigh. “I have fond memories of that arena, even if you don’t.” Beck wasn’t sure what to make of that, but she continued without explaining herself. “I’m just not sure what I think of sleeping with two men, even if they do look a lot alike.”

Beck snorted. “We’re identical, Meggie. Our own mother had trouble telling us apart until we opened our mouths.”

Her cute little nose wrinkled. “I guess you look that way at first, but I can tell.” She got up and eased herself into his lap. Her hands framed his face. “You have a small scar right here.” She leaned over and feathered a kiss above his left eye. “And your mouth,” she said as she lightly kissed his lips, “is a little bit wider than Cian’s.”

“Is it now?” Beck asked as his heart started to pound. His blood worked its way from his brain down to his cock. Her lips were petal-soft against his. Everything about his Meggie was soft and sweet. Goddess, how had he come to need her so much in so short a time?

Meg nodded. “Cian’s hair is slightly longer than yours, and his eyes are a shade darker.”

“I don’t think anyone has ever noticed that.” Beck tried to stay focused on what she was saying. It was hard because she was wearing one of his old shirts as a night gown, and he could see the swell of her breasts. If she moved just a little to the right, he might be able to see her nipple. He loved that she was wearing something of his. It marked her as his wife, his lover.

Her face was bunched up in a distressed frown. “You’re different people, Beck. You’re brothers. Where I come from, one woman doesn’t sleep with two brothers. It’s considered cheating, and most men wouldn’t put up with it.”

It was Beck’s turn to frown. How could he make her understand? “But we’re not different. There might be minor differences in our appearance, but we’re symbiotic twins. We share a soul, Meggie. He’s the other half of me. You need to understand that we’re married, and that means you’re married to Cian, too. I won’t push you into bed with him. He would never force you, but if you can’t accept him, it’s going to be hard on us. We would never cheat on you. Cian will never take another woman as long as he’s married to you.”

“I just need a little time. I’ll do whatever it takes to get Cian healthy.” She wiggled in his lap, seemingly trying to find a comfortable position, but every wriggle of her sexy hips went straight to his engorged cock. “I also would like to explore our relationship a little. Where I come from, newly married couples take this vacation together. It’s called a honeymoon. The new couple gets away from everything and relaxes and spends a whole lot of time together. They really get to know each other.”

His hand closed over her hip. He wondered how to gently maneuver her to the floor. He could take her in front of the fireplace so she would stay warm. He would keep the blankets around her, and this time he would be in control of his baser instincts. He would very gently make love to her.

“Sweetheart,” Beck said soothingly, “I think that’s a brilliant idea. I would like very much to know what pleases you.”

“I like it when you kiss me,” she suggested.

That he could do, Beck decided with a satisfied sigh. He pulled Meg close and nudged her face up to his. “Give me your lips, a chumann.”

She obediently tilted her head up. He would have Cian teach her Gaelic. Though almost everyone now spoke the vampires’ language, Beck enjoyed the old ways. He wanted to tell her he loved her in his own tongue. He wanted her to know she was his darling.

She was sweet in his arms. She clung to him and allowed him to take control of the kiss. It should have made it easier for Beck, but every time he felt her soften, his need rose like a wildfire. He meant for the kiss to be gentle, a promise of the way their lovemaking would go this evening. She was so soft under him that his dominant instincts shoved their way past his defenses.

She is mine.

He had fought for her, offered his blood to possess her. His hands tightened on her arms. He deepened the kiss, his tongue forcefully showing her what he wanted to do with his cock. He thrust into her mouth, sliding his tongue against and over hers. She didn’t fight him. She surrendered and wound her arms around his body. She told him with little sighs and moans that she was his and happy to be so.

He would protect her, defend her, make sure she was happy. What was so wrong with what he needed? Beck’s hands wound in her hair to hold her in place. He liked holding her down. He wanted to tie her down so she was utterly helpless and at his mercy. He would show her none. He would make her come under his body until she begged, and then he would make her come some more. She would be utterly his when he was done with her. She would never know that she held all the power, that he would do anything to make her happy.

Beck forced her off his lap and onto her knees. Meg looked up at him, her lips red and swollen from his kisses. Her eyes were so trusting and open. He wanted to eat her up right then and there, so he pushed her to the hard floor and was on top of her before she could breathe. He pressed his rock-hard dick against her pussy, but his clothes were in the way. Stupid clothes. He wanted to slow down. He wanted to tell her to undress him. She would sweetly remove his clothes and then her own. He could sit back down in the chair and command her to take his cock to that soft place in the back of her throat. He would hold her head and fuck her throat. She would drink him down, not missing a drop.

Yes, that was what he would do. Later. He didn’t have the patience now. He had to get inside of her.

Beck pressed his cock against her, and she moaned, a sweet little mewl that made him feel ten feet tall. Her arms went around his chest, and she let her head fall back. He fell on her. His lips devoured her soft flesh. She tasted so good. He opened the bond between them and poured his will into her. He wanted her soft and submissive underneath him, willing to fulfill his every dark and nasty desire. His hands found her breasts. They were big and soft and so responsive. He wanted to make a feast of her. She was the only food he needed.

He looked down at her. Her face, her lovely face, was filled with need. She needed him.

“They need us, son,” his father had explained that day so long ago. The words came back to haunt him now. “They are completely dependent on us. You think they don’t know it? It’s worse for you because you’ll be the king someday. Women will do anything to please you. It is your sacred duty not to take advantage of them.”

“I’m doing it again,” Beck muttered as he scrambled to get his weight off his wife. He was pinning her down against the cold, hard floor without even a blanket to warm her. His hands shook as he pushed himself up. He got off her and sat back.

“What’s wrong, Beck?” She sounded soft and vulnerable.

She didn’t just sound vulnerable, Beck told himself sternly. She was vulnerable.

“Beck?” He heard the uncertainty in her voice as he shoved his hands through his hair and desperately attempted to get himself under control.

“Everything is fine, Meg,” he managed. He took a deep breath and banished his own needs to the Hell plane. “Why don’t you go to bed? You can sleep with Cian.”

She got to her knees. The look on her face quickly turned to indignation. Her hands fisted in the fabric of the shirt she was wearing. “I don’t want to sleep with Cian. I want to sleep with my husband.”

“He is your husband,” Beck pointed out harshly. And he won’t hurt you.

“This is ridiculous.” Meg huffed as she straightened her clothes and leaned toward him. “I want you, Beck. I want all of you. I want the real you. I don’t want you to politely ask if you can make love to me. Here’s the deal—I’m giving you permission. Take me. Bend me over, turn me around, spank my ass until it’s red. As long as you fuck me afterward, I’ll be happy. I won’t break, Beck. I’ll love it. I’m a sub. I want you to take control during sex. You don’t have any trouble taking control the rest of the time. Why can’t you do it in the one place where it’s bound to please me? And speaking of the word ‘bound,’ let’s talk about tying me up.”

Beck turned. He knew his face was a mask of horror. Bound was exactly how he wanted her. He wanted her tied up for his pleasure. It would be a horrible mistake. “Absolutely not.”

She would be helpless against him if he tied her down. If her arms and legs were tied to his bed, she would have no way to fight him, to stop him when he lost control. His dick hardened again at the thought of her in the marketplace. She had been so beautiful with her arms chained above her head. He had wanted nothing more than to take her like that. He had wanted to force his dick into her pussy and then tunnel his way into her tight little ass. If they started down this path, he wouldn’t be able to stop. She had no idea what she was asking for. He had to stop this here and now.

“Meg,” he said, turning to her. “I expect you to act like a lady. I know you are not from this plane, and perhaps the men on your world have no honor, but here we treat our women with respect. We also expect them to behave in a proper fashion.”

Meg’s chin tilted upwards, and she walked straight up to him. She had to crane her neck up to look at him, but they were toe to toe. “Just what are you saying, Beck? What am I acting like?”

“You’re acting like a…” Some primitive survival instinct took over, and he shut his mouth. Women didn’t like that word.

“I think he means a whore,” Cian said helpfully from the doorway to the bedroom.

When the hell had he shown up? Beck quickly answered his own question. Cian would have felt the minute Beck started to make love to Meg. They felt strong physical reactions in the other when they were in close proximity.

“Yes,” Meg said righteously. “That’s what I figured.”

She brought her knee up. It met his still hard cock with a resounding thud.

All the air whooshed from his lungs as he went to his knees. He looked up at his wife, who didn’t seem regretful. She looked like she would do it again. “Damn it, Meg, I didn’t say it.”

“Well, everyone keeps telling me you’re one soul in two bodies,” Meg reminded him maliciously. “Your other half was happy to speak up for you.”

“I’m not happy about it now.” Cian’s eyes were wide as he cupped himself.

Beck was satisfied that, at the very least, Cian had gotten a bit of that pain. He had pushed it outward, and his twin had caught the edge. “That’s what you get, you nosy bastard. You had to open your damn mouth.”

Beck managed to stand up straight, trying to ignore the pulsing pain in his cock.

Meg rolled her eyes. “I don’t see what the problem is. It’s not like you were planning on using it, not for anything interesting, anyway.”

A flush of rage rushed over him, washing the pain away. He took his wife’s chin in his hand and forced her to meet his eyes. “You’re pushing it, little girl.”

Her gaze was steady and strong. There wasn’t a hint of fear in those eyes. “Yes, I am, and I’m going to keep pushing until I get what I want. I am not a child, Beck. I’m a woman, and I know what I want.”

Beck had to turn away. It was too tempting to see if she really meant it. He stalked toward the front door. “I’m sleeping in the barn.”

The door slammed behind him, and he wondered if he would survive his marriage.

“Bastard,” Meg swore as her coward of a husband left the house.

Her hands clenched and unclenched as she tried to deal with the anger she felt. He was treating her like an idiot who didn’t know what she wanted. She had felt his need. It rolled off him. He wanted to dominate her, and she wanted it, too. Why couldn’t he trust her? Why couldn’t he trust himself?

“I don’t think you’re a whore,” Cian said quietly.

Meg turned and remembered she was alone with her slightly insane second husband. Her brain hurt. She said the only thing she could think to say. “Thanks.”

Cian’s face was sweet. It was hard for Meg to believe people got him confused with Beck. “Beck’s always had a stick up his ass when it comes to sex. You’ll have to forgive him. Please don’t kick him in the balls again. It hurts me, too.”

Meg flushed. She hadn’t realized it would affect Cian, too. She had just been enraged. “I’m sorry.”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “It’s all right. He deserved it. We should go to bed. Will you come with me? I was cold in there all alone.”

Meg hesitated.

“I promise I won’t tie you up until you ask me,” he said with an innocent look that made her laugh.

She took his hand. Cian was right. It was a chilly night. It would serve Beck right if she stayed warm while he slept with the chickens.

Cian looked down at her. “I’m Cian. What’s your name?”

Meg walked straight into the bedroom, pulled a pillow to her face, and screamed.

Deep in the night, Liadan watched as Beck strode across the yard and slammed the door to the barn. She smiled. It looked like there was trouble in paradise already. She wasn’t surprised. The girl was human. The woman Beck had married might have everything necessary to be a bondmate, but she hadn’t been trained.

Liadan thought of all the curses she could put on the little redhead. It would give her great pleasure to watch as the King’s new bride’s hair fell out or her skin withered and died on her body. It wouldn’t take much. The human was ill-prepared for life on this plane. She would likely have no defenses in place against a nicely crafted spell. It was tempting, but there were ways to track a spell back to its originator. Liadan had to be careful with her magic. She would have killed Cian Finn years ago if she’d been able to truly use her skills without fear of retribution.

It was incomprehensible that Beck had chosen that idiot human over her. Liadan was beautiful. She had made sure of it when she started this mission. She had chosen the perfect façade. Liadan O’Neill was every inch the elegant Fae lady. It should have been enough to ensure that the twins fell in love with her. It hadn’t happened that way. It had taken a long time to get Beck to come to her bed, and Cian avoided her altogether.

She wasn’t sure what was between the human and Beck. He wasn’t sleeping with his new bride for some reason. He wouldn’t be able to resist her for long. He had already broken off his relationship with Liadan. Beck had wasted no time doing it, either. He’d knocked on her door earlier that afternoon and refused to come in. He’d told her that he’d married and wouldn’t be seeing her again. He had tried to be kind, but there was a dismissiveness to the whole conversation that infuriated her.

Liadan watched the barn thoughtfully and wondered if the king had mentioned her to his bride. She rather thought not. Perhaps tomorrow she would visit the little human and introduce herself. After all, they were neighbors.

Humming, Liadan walked back across the fields to her own house.