he poured himself a Scotch, too. “A dream to refine their blood into
an easy-to-swallow nutritional pill that made storage problems a thing
of the past.”
Susie was mouthing the familiar conversation as well. Alex
continued his story of building Dellacorp into a giant of the industry.
Alana slid her arm around Beck’s shoulders as her husband lectured
their children about how easy they had it. “Come along. He’ll be at it
for hours now.” She led him onto the balcony. The air was cool and
the night calm, though in a city as large as this, it was never quiet.
“Tell me about your bride. How did she make it out of Tir na nÒg?”
“She didn’t.” Beck looked out over the city, feeling the distance
between himself and his wife. It weighed heavily on him. Had he
done the right thing? Should he have brought her with him? “She’s
from the Earth plane.”
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Alana stepped up to the railing. She didn’t seem to have the same
problem with heights that Beck had. “I had heard the Planeswalkers
were taking advantage of Torin closing Tir na nÒg. Human females
are close to the Fae. Some historians believe we originated on their
plane, after all. It follows that some would be suitable as bondmates.
She must have been terrified.”
“To say the least.” A vision of tears running down her pretty face
when he left her at the cottage haunted him. She would never
understand all the reasons he left. He could have put off this business
trip for a few days until she settled in, but Beck feared what he would
have done. The night before had been a close call. It was sad that the
one woman he loved was the one he couldn’t trust himself around.
“Do you think she can ever be happy so far from her home?”
Alana smiled brilliantly. “Of course she can. She’ll settle in. I was
overwhelmed when I first came to this plane. Still, I love your uncle. I
wouldn’t have it any other way. And your bride has two devoted men
to make sure she’s happy.” A cloud passed over Alana’s face. “You
can love her? I know some bondings come without it, but if you can’t
love her, it would be better if you let Alex and Susie try their plan.”
“No.” Beck’s voice was harsh and his answer quick enough to put
a smile on his Aunt’s face. “I don’t want anyone else.”
“Good,” Alana said. “I am glad you’re happy with her.”
Beck wished his mother were alive so he could talk to her. His
aunt was the next best thing. “I wish she was happy with me.”
“Give her time, Beck. She was not prepared for this life. You have
to make allowances.”
Beck felt his jaw firming as a part of himself tried to stop the
conversation right here and now. It should have been easy. He should
have simply kept everything inside as he always had. But since
bonding with Meg, he was discovering nothing was simple anymore.
“I can’t control myself around her.”
Alana put an affectionate hand on his. “Of course you can’t. She
is yours. When I said you had to make allowances, I was talking about
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you, too. You have to change your mindset, Beck. I have read about
the humans. I find them very intriguing. They are a passionate people,
sometimes not so smart, but passionate. You might discover she
wants a different relationship than what you expect from a
bondmate.”
Beck shook his head. “She is just trying to please me. I am her
husband, her king. She is saying what she thinks I want to hear.
Women will say anything to placate their king.”
With a short burst of laughter, Alana put her hands on Beck’s
shoulders, turning him gently so he looked her in the eyes. “Perhaps
some would, if the prize were big enough. But, Beckett Finn, you are
the king of a refugee plane. You don’t offer her enough to debase
herself. Whatever she’s offered you, she has offered because she
wants it. I am speaking to you plainly, as your own mother would
have. Don’t deny yourself and your wife. Your father treated my
sister like a porcelain doll. It made her crazy.”
“Mother was very happy with Father,” Beck argued.
“You saw what you wanted to see, Beck,” his aunt insisted. “Your
father trained you to be a great king. He didn’t train you to be a very
good husband. Let your wife tell you what she wants. I assure you, if
you don’t, Cian will. If you aren’t careful, you’ll find yourself out in
the cold.” Alana patted him and moved back toward the doors. “Come
inside. I’m sure dinner is almost ready. Go easy on Colin. He’s
nervous about dining with his king.”
Beck nodded, but continued to stare out into the night. He wished
he was home getting ready to go to bed. It would be quiet there at this
time of night. Cian would have enjoyed his first day of peace in a long
while. He imagined sitting in front of the fire with Meg on his lap.
After a pleasant evening, he and Cian would lead her to the big bed
and slowly undress her. They would make love to her together,
bonding even further. Beck would be gentle and make sure she was
satisfied before taking his pleasure. He would then, graciously, turn
her over to his brother. He would sit back and enjoy watching Cian
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please their wife. Beck knew that watching Cian fuck their lovely
bride would get him hot and bothered again, but he would survive.
Meg would be tired. She would sleep peacefully between them.
Instead, he would spend his evening dodging questions about
when he would attempt to take back his throne. Beck turned to the
penthouse doors and sighed. Politics. He hated politics, even when
discussing them with family. At least Meg was safe from them. She
was safe and protected on the little farm. Beck took a deep breath and
rejoined his family.
* * * *
Meg came awake to the sound of raucous music. It was cheery
and a little bawdy. She couldn’t understand the lyrics, but she knew
bawdy music when she heard it. Her mouth felt dry, and she
wondered if she’d gone on a bender the night before. She’d had the
strangest dream.
“Head hurt, lover?”
Meg forced her eyes open, and, sure enough, her strange dream
was staring her in the face. He was sitting back in an armchair, one
ankle propped on his knee. He looked like she expected a pasha
would look reclining in his harem. He looked exactly like Beck, but
this man was different. Beck Finn radiated authority and
responsibility. This man just radiated sex.
“Cian?” Could that man sitting there looking at her like he was
going to eat her up really be Cian? There was no cloudiness in his
gray eyes now. They were filled with a sharp intelligence.
“In the flesh, my lover,” he said with a crazy, sexy smile. His
voice was deep, but there was a hint of humor in it. He was dressed in
neatly pressed white pants, dark boots, and a tunic he hadn’t bothered
to tie. It left
his perfect chest exposed. “And in my right mind, thanks
to you.”
Meg sat up, and her head did indeed hurt. “It worked?”
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Of course it worked. The evidence was sitting right in front of her
like a piece of perfectly tempting chocolate cake she wanted to devour
in one long bite. Memories of his life flooded her. She groaned as her
head ached.
He was on the bed behind her in an instant. He pulled her between
his long legs and cradled her back to his chest. His hands sank into
her hair, strong fingers massaging her scalp. “Careful, Meggie mine.
You took a whole lot of me. I’m sure you still feel the effects.”
His hands felt good on her. She relaxed into his warmth. “You’re
better now?”
“I am damn near perfect.” Cian’s voice was a slow seduction in
her ear. He leaned close, and she felt his lips moving. “I don’t know
how to thank a woman for saving me. Can you think of any way I
could please you?”
Even with her head throbbing, she could think of a way. Meg
shook his hands off her. She had to come to her senses. She wasn’t
about to get her heart broken by a second Finn brother.
“Stop, Cian. You don’t have to thank me.” She scrambled off the
bed. She gathered her dignity around her like a mantle. “I am just glad
you’re all right.”
Cian’s eyes darkened, but he relaxed after a moment. He leaned
back against the pillows, not hiding his raging erection at all. It tented his pants admirably. He spared her not a single, delectable inch of his
glorious body as he stretched out. “I am more than fine, wife. I am
perfectly healthy and prepared to serve you in any fashion you can
think of.”
Meg gulped and reminded herself that this was what had gotten
her heart in trouble in the first place. He was just trying to show his
gratitude. Besides it had been a long time for him. He hadn’t had sex
since his illness had taken over. Meg hadn’t forgotten their bonding.
Cian was a carnal creature. He would want that pleasure as soon as
possible. They needed to get a few things straight.
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“Please don’t call me wife,” she said in a firm voice. Cian’s brow
arched quizzically, but he allowed her to continue. “I’m not from this
plane.”
“No,” Cian interjected. “You’re from the human plane. You were
born in a place called Texas and lived in a city called Fort Worth. You
lived in a small apartment, and you hated it. There was no beauty to it.
The walls were beige. The carpet was beige. It wasn’t a home. It was
like purgatory, a place to wait. Explain this purgatory to me.”
He sat up and crossed his legs. He switched from hot and bothered
potential lover to curious student. Meg was struck dumb by how
accurately he had described her little apartment. It had nothing of her
in it. It was a place to eat and sleep. It wasn’t a home. “How did you
know?”
Cian’s expression was serene and patient. It was disconcerting
how quickly he could change. “We are bonded, lover. I saw your soul,
and you saw mine. It’s the deepest bond two souls can form. You can
try running from me, Meggie, but it won’t work. I know you deep
down. I know what you need.”
She felt her whole body flush with embarrassment. She
remembered things from Cian’s life like they were her own memories.
What had he pulled out of her head? She felt very vulnerable in that
moment, even more vulnerable than she had been with Beck. The
bonding with Cian had been so different.
“Because Beck didn’t offer you the full bond,” Cian said as
though he read her mind. He chuckled as she flashed a startled look
his way. “It was a good bet that was what you were thinking, nothing
more. I can’t read your mind. I can see images at times, but I can’t
hear your thoughts. When we make love, though, I will be able to feel
your pleasure and to give you mine.”
Meg ignored the last bit. It was best not to even go there. “So
Beck and I aren’t bonded?”
“Not fully, from what I can tell,” Cian stated as academically as
possible. “Many choose not to form a full bond with their bondmates.
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You can help Beck bridge with me without seeing his soul. I,
personally, think it’s a pussy thing to do. You’re my wife, whether
you accept it or not. I am your husband. I want you to know me, the
good and the bad. I don’t want to live my life without really knowing
my wife. I want to know what she likes and doesn’t like. I want to
know what makes her laugh. I want to know that she feels like
everyone will abandon her in the end because that’s all anyone has
ever done.”
Meg turned away because he had seen way too much. Her hands
were still shaking from the physical process of bonding.
He was suddenly behind her, winding his arms around her. His
hair was loose. She felt it on her skin. “I won’t ever leave you, wife. I
know Beckett can be hard to understand, but he is loyal. He won’t
abandon you. We’re here for you, Meg. We’re bound together
forever, wife. You’re safe with us.”
She didn’t believe that for a second. The door to the bedroom
opened, and Meg was glad for the distraction. A small brown woman
walked in. Cian gave her a squeeze before shifting to stand at her side.
He kept an arm around her. Meg could feel his affection for the
strange-looking woman.
“Meggie mine, this is Flanna,” Cian said. “She is a very valuable
member of our little court.”
Flanna grinned, showing her gapped teeth. Meg was fascinated by
another non-human creature. Despite her aching head, she kneeled
down to get on the same level as the elderly woman. It seemed like
the polite thing to do. Meg felt Cian’s pleasure at her gesture. The
bond made it easy to sense his moods.
“Hello, I’m Meg. It’s very nice to meet you.”
The woman bowed deeply. “And you, Your Highness. I cannot
express my joy at this bonding. It has saved us all. Surely Danu
herself sent you to us.”
Meg looked up at Cian, hoping he would explain who this Danu
was.
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He merely grinned down at her. “I’ll give you a full lecture on the
religious beliefs of the Fae at another time, sweetheart. For now, our
people await. They long to meet their queen.”
Meg was up on her feet in an instant. “Queen?”
Cian’s smile was slow and sure as he leaned over and whispered
in her ear. “What do you think they call the woman who fucks the
King, my lover? I know you’ve been fucking big brother, and I mean
to have some of that, too. I’ll have you in my bed by the end of the
week. I promise you won’t want to leave.” With that, he dropped a
light kiss on her cheek and walked to the door. “Get dressed, my
Queen. We have a party to attend.”
With that, he winked at her and disappeared
behind the door. Meg
sank to the bed and took a deep breath. She had thought Beckett was a
lot to deal with. He hadn’t actively tried to seduce her. Cian had just
made a declaration of intent.
“He’s a charmer, that one,” Flanna was saying with a chuckle as
she walked to the small closet. She went on tiptoes to open the door
and pulled down a sumptuous-looking gown. She turned back to Meg.
“I wouldn’t bother trying to hold him off, Your Highness. He’ll be in
your bed before you know it. No woman can hold off Cian Finn when
he wants them.”
“What about Maris?” The name came straight into her head. She
searched her new memories. The blonde Fae bondmate was named
Maris.
Flanna looked surprised. She handed the dress to Meg. “He
performed a true bonding, then?”
“So he tells me,” Meg replied. The dress was sapphire blue with
flowing skirts. There was delicate embroidery around the bodice.
“She was his fiancée?”
The small woman nodded. “She was engaged to the princes at a
very young age. Their father chose her. She came from impeccable
bloodlines. She was very much the lady.”
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While the other woman’s voice had been even, there was hostility
there as well. Meg regarded Flanna astutely. “You didn’t think she
was right for Cian?”
“I didn’t think she was right for either of them,” Flanna said.
“Come along, Your Highness. I will help you get dressed while we
gossip. It’s a sacred thing in a royal court, and I’ve missed having a
queen to gossip with.”
Meg allowed Flanna to pull and prod her into the dress while she
spoke. “Maris was a cold girl, and she would have become an even
colder woman. Beck accepted the betrothal because Beck always
obeyed his father. He convinced Cian to accept it as well, but I know
Cian was worried about actually bonding with her. He would never
have formed a full bond with her, I promise you that.”
Flanna got on the bed to button Meg’s dress up the back. “He was
pretty out of it. I don’t know that he intended to go so far with me.
Beck didn’t.”
Meg watched in the mirror as Flanna put the finishing touches on