Bound

  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

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  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

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  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.”

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  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.

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  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

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  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.”

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  “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

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  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.

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  He had fought for her, offered his blood to possess her. His hands

  tightened on her arms. He deepened the kiss, his tongue forcefully