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  loved his weight on her. His hands pressed her knees open. His mouth

  came down on hers. It was like he was trying to inhale her.

  “Wrap your legs around me,” Cian commanded. He reared up on

  his knees and lined up his dick to her pussy. He stared down at that

  place where the head teased her creamy slit. “Goddess, that’s a

  gorgeous sight. You’re mine. I’ll share you with my brother, but you

  should know you’re mine, wife. Look at us. Look at how beautiful we

  are together.”

  Meg slid her legs around Cian’s waist. She pulled her head up and

  looked down the length of her body. Cian’s cock was teasing at her

  pussy lips. His big cock was glistening with her juices. It was a lovely

  picture. But she wanted more. She needed him inside her. “Please,

  Cian.”

  “Yes, wife, I want to please you.” He pulled his hips back and

  thrust into her.

  He spared her not an ounce of his weight. She was crushed

  beneath him, and he was everywhere. He was deep inside her,

  shoving his cock in until his balls hit her ass, only to pull out and

  thrust forward again. His mouth took hers, his tongue stroking,

  plundering her mouth. His hands clutched her tightly as though he

  was afraid to let go. And his mind, his mind was giving his pleasure

  to her.

  It felt so good. Meg tightened around him, not wanting to lose an

  inch of him. His thoughts came quickly and threatened to overwhelm

  her. He wanted her so much. He loved the silky slide of her pussy

  sucking at his cock as he moved in and out. He adored the sounds she

  made as he hit her sweet spot. His entire being pounded with the

  desire to mark her. He wanted everyone to know that this woman was

  his.

  Meg pushed back against him, rotating her hips to find that perfect

  place. She lost track of who was feeling what and simply let the

  experience fill her senses. Her hands found his well-muscled ass and

  prodded him on.

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  She moaned as she felt how close he was. Everything inside of

  Cian was tense, his body tightening as he approached release. He

  went up on his knees and fingered her clit with a firm swipe of his

  thumb as he thrust as far as he could go.

  His head fell back as he came. Meg felt the pleasure he took in

  filling her with jets of hot cum. It flowed from his body to hers, and

  her womb clenched and released with waves of pleasure. Cian

  continued to thrust, making sure he gave her everything he had. Meg

  moaned at the little aftershocks she felt when Cian hit a sensitive

  place.

  Her husband finally fell forward, completely exhausted. He

  pushed her deliciously into the ground as he buried his face in her

  throat.

  “Love you, Meggie,” he managed.

  Meg smiled and held him to her.

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  Chapter Fifteen

  “That makes me sick.” The vampire watched the couple as they

  made their way down the road toward the ramshackle cottage.

  Liadan took in his measure. He seemed thin compared to a sidhe,

  but she knew that the vampire’s lankiness probably hid a wealth of

  strength.

  “Well, it doesn’t do anything for me, either,” Liadan replied. She

  tried not to roll her eyes.

  She was surprised at the depth of animosity she felt for the human.

  She hated the way the red-haired girl hugged her body to Cian’s. She

  loathed him for smiling down at Meg and teasing her as lovers did. It

  was obvious that they were finally sleeping together, and that fact

  chafed.

  “You told me she was at odds with the brothers.” Kinsey Palgrave

  frowned, the expression marring his handsome face.

  Liadan and the vampire stood beneath a wide tree. The tangled

  branches gave them a place to watch the road and not be noticed.

  Liadan shrugged. She wasn’t sure why it mattered. “I told you she

  wasn’t sleeping with Beck. He brought her home and left the very

  next day for your home plane. He didn’t even spend that single night

  with her. He preferred to sleep in the barn. She wasn’t pleasing to

  him.”

  Beck had never thought to sleep in the barn when he was seeing

  her. Then again, he had never actually spent the night. He had used

  her and then walked back to his own cottage. Liadan was being forced

  to admit that her charms had not worked on either brother the way

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  they should have. She had been sure this form would work, but

  something had gone wrong.

  “Well, Cian Finn doesn’t seem to have the same problem.”

  Palgrave’s eyes darkened. “He is obviously fucking the consort.”

  “I don’t understand why you care,” Liadan said, studying the

  young vampire. He was a royal, like the twins’ cousin, Dante. Unlike

  that imbecile they were related to, however, this vampire was serious.

  He was hungry for a mate and angry that the consort had been taken

  from him. He did not believe the competition had been fair.

  Dante had told the whole tale at the tavern the night Beckett had

  brought his bondmate home. Liadan had heard the name Kinsey

  Palgrave as one of the competitors Beck had brutally defeated. Kinsey

  had been easy to persuade to her side. He had bought the story of how

  desperately the human wanted to leave this barbaric place. Now he

  was faltering. She needed to bring him back into the fold. She needed

  to convince him to kidnap or kill the human.

  “Do you honestly believe she is happy here?” Liadan asked. “She

  is used to a world with technology. She might enjoy sleeping with

  Cian, but living here? She is not used to the hardships. Beckett is still

  gone from this plane. His twin is vulnerable. All of his power is in his

  intellect. It will be easy for you to take the consort from him.”

  The vampire turned to Liadan, his fangs out. They had popped out

  the minute he saw that idiot human walking up the road. He had some

  form of visual aid device. Liadan didn’t care to look through it. The

  vampires relied too much on their technology.

  “It might be easy to take the consort,” Palgrave agreed. “The

  trouble will be in keeping her. I came here because I believed she

  would go willingly with me. She doesn’t look unhappy. I could

  kidnap her, but what’s to stop her from running the first chance she

  gets?”

  “You would.” She was beginning to wonder if anyone had a brain.

  “Tie her up, for all I care. You would get the consort and your

  revenge. Beck will fade if he loses her.”

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  It was the vampire’s turn to sound disbelieving. “More likely he

  will simply go insane and attempt to track me. This is wrong. I only

  came because I thought the consort needed saving. I’m not about to

  get involved in carting off a screaming consort, and I’m certainly not

  about to hurt one. You know what they say, be kind to consorts or you

  will never find one yourself.”

  Liadan nearly screamed in frustration. Her plan was fallin
g apart

  because of an old vampire proverb? The royals had rules about

  handling consorts, but she hadn’t expected them to be vigorously

  upheld during a time when there were so few to be had.

  The vampire looked very disappointed as he turned away from the

  sight of the couple kissing. “Besides, it’s a good thing in the long run.

  If the Finns can take back Tir na nÒg, our access to consorts will

  return. It is obvious that you are angry at the brothers. Did they break

  off relations with you? You have to be realistic, Miss. They were

  always going to marry a bondmate. I have to be realistic, too.”

  Palgrave pulled his hood up as he made to leave. “I came because I

  want a consort, and she is lovely. She isn’t available, so the best I can

  do is make some money off the situation. I don’t think anyone knows

  the Finns have bonded yet. I’m sure that Beck went to the Vampire

  plane to make a deal with his relatives. I might have time to buy up

  some Dellacorp stock before the price goes sky high. I’ll make a

  bundle and look like a genius in the trades.”

  The vampire looked very pleased with himself as he turned to go.

  He had come alone, and now Liadan was grateful for that fact. It was

  easier to deal with a single vampire than a couple. The last thing she

  wanted was him telling his tale to all and sundry. The minute he

  mentioned her name, the brothers would be after her.

  She pulled the silver knife from her sleeve. She said a quick spell

  to make her aim true and then plunged the knife into the vampire’s

  back. She was much stronger than she looked. The form she presented

  made her look frail and weak, but her true body was solid. The

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  vampire’s body jerked once, and then he fell apart as his heart was

  torn asunder by the silver.

  Liadan shivered as she looked at her previously pristine clothing.

  She wished she hadn’t worn her second-best dress. Killing vampires

  was a filthy business. They tended to explode when their hearts ripped

  apart. She was covered in blood.

  If she moved quickly enough, she might be able to preserve some

  of it. Vampire blood was very powerful. Perhaps the day wasn’t a

  complete waste.

  The sound of laughter filtered across the pond. She had to find a

  way to get that bitch alone. She had to get her off this plane and make

  it look like she had walked away. If the brothers thought she was

  taken, they would move mountains to find her. If they thought she had

  been killed, it could get ugly. Liadan didn’t like to think about what

  they would do to her. She had no plans to martyr herself.

  As she made the long walk toward her cottage, an idea came to

  her.

  * * * *

  Beck walked out of the caves and handed his sword to Colin

  Dellacourt. The heat of the desert scorched everything it touched.

  Beck was filthy and covered in blood and he didn’t like to think what

  else, but the job was over.

  Colin took the King’s sword and reverently wiped it clean. He

  motioned to the employees walking around camp. A young vampire

  walked up to answer the sidhe’s call.

  “His Highness is finished,” Colin said. “Take the telemetry unit

  and gather the data we need.”

  The young vampire looked to the mouth of the cave with anxiety.

  “He’s sure?”

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  Colin’s brown eyes narrowed. Beck hid his smile as the former

  farmer scared the shit out of a young executive with just a look. “Are

  you questioning His Highness?”

  The young executive shook his head. “Not at all, Mr. Dellacourt.

  I’ll get you those readings immediately.”

  Colin stared at the small group of Dellacorp employees as they

  scrambled to do his bidding. Beck pulled his filthy shirt over his head

  and reached for his robe. He needed a shower. The vampires had set

  up the camp with all the luxuries their technology had to offer. One of

  those luxuries was the portable shower that cleaned with something

  called sound waves.

  Beck preferred a good soak, but that wasn’t available out here in

  the desert. He thought about the gift he’d approved before he left for

  the Bad Lands, as they called this place. Susan had been insistent on

  getting Beck a wedding gift. It was probably being delivered this very

  day. Beck couldn’t wait to lie in the soaking tub with Meg in front of

  him. He would hold her as they soaked in the hot water and talked

  about their days. He would tell her about the work he’d done in the

  fields, and she would talk about…

  “What do you and Susan talk about?” Beck heard himself asking.

  He hadn’t meant to. It just popped out. He wouldn’t take it back,

  though. He was curious about the consort’s relationship with his

  cousin.

  Colin sat down beside him and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He

  was quickly handed two glasses by an assistant who always seemed to

  anticipate the Fae’s needs. Beck gratefully took the glass and tipped it

  back. He would be damn sore tomorrow.

  Colin thoughtfully sipped at his well-aged whiskey. “We talk

  about everything, Your Highness. Mostly, it’s business, of course.

  She is the CEO of one of the most powerful corporations in the States.

  It helps that I have a fairly decent head for business.”

  He did. It had surprised him when Colin announced he was

  accompanying his king on this job. Susan had nodded and told him to

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  send detailed reports. She hadn’t been his CEO when they parted,

  however. She had been his wife. She’d asked Colin three times if he

  remembered everything and checked his bag. She had kissed him

  goodbye and made him promise to call.

  “I also have a very thick skin,” Colin said cheerfully. “That helps

  a lot when your wife is also your boss. Damn woman can flay a man

  alive with that tongue of hers. I screwed up the quarterly reports a few

  months back, and she took a chunk out of my hide right there in the

  boardroom.”

  “She yelled at you?” Beck was surprised that his cousin would

  yell at a consort. Vampires were supposed to be as gentle with their

  consorts as the Fae were with bondmates.

  “Yelled, screamed, threatened me with all manner of humiliation,”

  Colin explained with a smile on his face. “That woman of mine is a

  righteous bitch when she wants to be. It’s all right, though. I took my

  fair share out of her pretty ass later that night, if you know what I

  mean.”

  Beck thought he did. He had spent a lot of time thinking about

  Colin and Susan while he was working in the caves. Colin didn’t

  seem to want the type of life he’d expected a consort to require. He

  seemed to like to work, and he was tough. His wife didn’t treat him

  like he would break, but she still loved him. “You were rough with

  her?”

  The question came out with expectant curiosity rather than

  accusation.

  “Vampires are rough, Your Highness,” Colin explained with
out a

  hint of self-consciousness. “Relationships here, at least sexual

  relationships, involve a dominant partner and a submissive partner.”

  Now Beck sat up and poured himself another glass. Meg had used

  those words. “Are you the dominant?”

  “Yes, I am. Susan prefers to give up control in the bedroom. It

  was strange at first. You have to understand, Your Highness, I was

  raised in a very isolated part of the country. I didn’t know I could

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  bond until I came to the Vampire plane. I was a farmer. I had been

  taught to treat females with great softness.”

  “We are bigger and stronger,” Beck said, parroting the words he’d

  heard from his father. “They need our protection, not our abuse.”

  Colin’s dark brows rose questioningly. “If you’re worried about

  me abusing your cousin, Your Highness…”

  “Say what you need to say, Colin,” Beck encouraged the slightly

  younger man. “Forget I’m the bloody King. I’m your cousin. Talk to

  me that way. The goddess knows I need someone who’ll be honest

  with me.”

  “Fine,” Colin said, his eyes narrowing. “I’d tell you, cos, to get

  the stick out of your ass. My relationship with my wife isn’t open for

  your judgment. I heard that gentry marriages were cold exchanges of

  protection and money, for bloodlines and a proper bond. I don’t want

  that. I want a real marriage. Maybe it’s because I’m a commoner, but

  you can keep your perfect little bondmate. I don’t want to be treated

  like a bit of fluff to be taken off a shelf and fucked when my mate

  thinks about it. I certainly don’t want to treat my wife like that. Life is hard, no matter your circumstances. You should have a partner, not a

  weight around your neck.”

  Beck felt his stomach drop. He thought about what he’d said to

  Meg. He’d told her she was a responsibility to be borne. She’d asked

  to be his partner, and he’d complained about having to feed and clothe

  her.

  “I don’t think of her that way,” Beck said quietly. He didn’t. He

  thought of her all the time, though. Now that he’d had her, he couldn’t

  sleep without picturing her close to him. He held a pillow close to his

  body at night and pretended it was Meg against his chest. Goddess, he