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  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