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  missed her.

  Colin poured another round. “It’s hard in the beginning. Marriage

  ain’t easy. You have to find your way. It’s harder for you because

  there are three of you involved.”

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  “Ci doesn’t seem to be having a problem.” Beck took a drink,

  shooting the warm liquor into his belly. Cian had been plain in his

  correspondence. He was pissed with the way Beck had treated their

  wife up to this point.

  Everyone was mad at him.

  “Then maybe you should listen to Ci,” Colin said sagely. “He

  would listen to you when it came to killing gigantic bats.”

  That thought amused him and reminded him he did have a place

  where Cian didn’t best him. “He wouldn’t have time to listen. He

  would be running the other way.” Cian had always been a pussy when

  it came to things with fangs trying to kill him. “I want to go home,

  Colin. Can you get me home tonight?”

  The big Fae smiled. “That I can do, Your Highness. I suspect I

  could get someone to drive you straight through to your village, if you

  like. If you go back to the city, you’ll find yourself being debriefed

  for twelve hours.”

  Beck groaned. “Please, no more meetings.”

  Colin graciously inclined his head. “Go take a shower while I get

  a driver set for you. I have to prep this site for mining operations, or

  I’d take you myself. As it is, I suspect I’ll get in trouble with my boss.

  She’s expecting you to report back like a good little employee.”

  Beck grinned. “Then she shouldn’t have paid me up front.”

  He rushed off to get changed. He was anxious to get back to his

  sleepy little village where his sweet wife waited to start their life

  together.

  * * * *

  Five hours later, Beck stared slack-jawed at the chaos around him.

  There were tents and campsites everywhere. His quiet village had

  turned into a raucous marketplace. There were people everywhere.

  “Your Highness,” a pretty sidhe said. He thought her name was

  Bri. She was carrying a basket, and he could hear the coins jangling in

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  her pockets. He searched his memory. Her father was the miller.

  “Welcome back. I hope your trip went well.”

  “It was fine,” he replied, still dazed. “What is going on here?”

  Bri’s eyes were wide. “It’s a celebration. It’s the tradition. We’re

  celebrating the Kings’ bonding with three weeks of festivities. Last

  night we had a great bonfire, and the priestess blessed King Cian and

  Queen Meg. It was a lovely ceremony. They’re so in love.” Her face

  was shining with remembrance. She frowned suddenly. “Your name

  was mentioned, Your Highness. Everyone cheered.”

  “I’m glad someone remembered me,” Beck ground out. This was

  how Cian chose to protect their bride? He was supposed to hide her

  from prying eyes. Instead, he’d invited the whole damn plane to a

  party. The goddess only knew how many of these people were

  actually spies for Torin. He caught sight of a big shape walking

  through the stalls. “Is that a bloody goblin?”

  The young girl nodded. “Yes, they have brought so many strange

  wonders. Some of us worried they would not behave without Your

  Highness around to keep them in line, but they are terrified of the

  Queen, so all has been well.”

  Beck felt his heart seize. His little Meg had met the goblins? Cian

  had allowed a goblin to get close to their bride? Had he lost his mind?

  What had the girl said? “What do you mean the goblins are terrified

  of the Queen?”

  The girl smiled proudly. “Our queen beat them and threatened to

  never make another cookie for them if they ate her. She got the goblin

  chief to back down. Imagine that, a Seelie queen forcing an Unseelie

  lord to back down.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “If you ask me,

  the force is strong with our queen.”

  Beck wondered if that damn vampire had taken him to the wrong

  plane. “Someone is forcing the queen to do something?”

  “No,” Bri said helpfully. “It’s an old human legend. You see, the

  force represents…”

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  Beck saw someone who might be more helpful. “Thank you, Bri.

  Tell your father I’d like to talk to him about the mill. We’ll need more

  flour if this goes on for too long.”

  “Don’t worry, Your Highness,” Bri said as he started to walk

  away. “The queen already took care of it.”

  Well, of course she had.

  Beck pursued Liadan across the square. Liadan wouldn’t be under

  the new Queen’s spell as everyone else seemed to be. “Lia!”

  The blonde turned and, when she saw it was him, made her bow.

  She was cool and polite. “Your Highness. You returned early. You

  weren’t due back for another week.”

  A thought struck Beck. In another week, the three weeks of

  celebration would be over. His brother was a tricky bastard. Cian

  might not have been able to cover the fact that he’d called the

  festivities, but he would have been able to say they were small. He

  would have attempted to convince Beck that they were small but

  necessary to the villagers’ acceptance of Meg. He was a sly one, his

  other half, and about to get that magnificent brain of his bashed in.

  “Would you like to tell me what the bloody hell has been going on

  while I was away?”

  Liadan smiled sweetly. “It is a celebration for your queen, Your

  Highness. I was surprised you authorized it. It is very expensive and

  seems a strange thing to do when so many are hungry. I wouldn’t be

  surprised if our food stores are empty by the end of the festivities.”

  Beck hadn’t thought of that. Cian had always handled things like

  that, but he seemed to be very derelict in his duties lately. Beck had

  hoped that once he bonded he would go back to his responsibilities.

  “And what has my brother been doing?”

  Liadan shrugged gracefully. “He rarely leaves the Queen’s side.

  He dotes on her when he should be working. She demands it. I

  thought she wasn’t royal, Your Highness, but she certainly acts like it.

  She forced the women of the village to sew her a new wardrobe, and

  the miller to up his work all because she has to make some strange

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  human food. She even took one of my dresses. The new queen thinks

  that anything to catch her eye should be hers, I suppose.”

  “Is that a fact?” Beck asked.

  Liadan looked properly intimidated by his low growl.

  “She is even forcing the villagers to work for her,” Liadan said,

  pointing out a stall. There was a long line, and two young sidhe were

  working hard to sell some sort of food product.

  Beck nodded shortly. His queen had gotten out of hand while he

  was gone. It was time she knew the king was back.

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  Chapter Sixteen

  Beck made sure he had a tight hold on his mental shields as he

  approached the cottage. Even as he loo
ked around, he kept the walls

  up so he didn’t alert his brother to his presence.

  Beck was shocked at the state of his lands. He had left a sad,

  rundown cottage and was returning to a home someone gave a shit

  about. Someone had weeded the gardens and planted flowers. The

  front walk was lined with orange and yellow marigolds. The walk had

  been swept, and someone had woven ivy up and down the front walls.

  The cottage looked lovely. There were pretty yellow linens hanging in

  the windows.

  Beck stopped and looked out over the fields. Someone had been

  working there, too. It seemed that Cian hadn’t been so derelict.

  Beck wondered about Liadan’s words. He hoped his twin hadn’t

  been forcing the villagers to work while he paid court to their new

  wife. Cian could be lazy at times, but he wasn’t cruel. He did

  sometimes take a different view of what was due to them than Beck

  did.

  What if Meg sided with Cian? What if Meg thought it should be

  her right to take what she wanted simply because someone had put a

  title in front of her name? She was about to discover that it was his

  right to set her straight.

  “You wanted to see me, Professor Finn?”

  Meg’s voice was soft but audible through the open windows. Beck

  paused before opening the door. He could see his brother and their

  wife through the open shades. She was so beautiful to Beck. She was

  wearing a pretty skirt and a shirt that dipped awfully low on her chest.

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  She’d unbuttoned the top two buttons, and her breasts swelled out of

  the white linen. It made his mouth water to remember just how good

  those breasts felt in his hands and pressed against his chest. She wore

  her long hair in pigtails, tied with white ribbons.

  “Yes, I did, Megan,” Cian said in what Beck recognized as his

  teacher voice. It was stern and a little intimidating. Why was he using

  it on their wife? “You were a very naughty girl in class today.”

  Cian was sitting at the kitchen table, and Meg stood looking down

  at him. Beck couldn’t see his brother’s face, but he had an excellent

  view of Meg. She leaned over. Her voice was slightly breathy.

  “Please, Professor. I need to pass this class. I can’t fail. My parents would be so angry with me. Is there anything I could do for a little

  extra credit?”

  Beck let his pack fall to the ground. This was interesting, and he

  wanted to see exactly what they were doing. Cian liked to play out

  little scenes like the one he was performing with Meg.

  Cian had a great imagination when it came to dirty fun. Beck felt

  his interest rising along with his cock. Meg seemed to be playing

  along willingly. The entire trip home, Beck had thought about what

  Colin had said. Meg didn’t have the same expectations other

  bondmates had. What if she had been telling him the truth? What if

  she really did want that submissive relationship-thing she had talked

  about? Could he trust himself to give her what she wanted and not

  hurt her?

  There was a deep chuckle. Cian sat back in his chair. “I don’t

  know about that. I’d have to see what you have to offer me. Let’s see,

  your Gaelic is horrible.”

  “I’m working on that,” Meg promised with wide eyes. “Tà grà

  agam duit.”

  She’d said I love you in passable Gaelic. It sounded pretty coming

  from her lips. She’d said it to his brother.

  “Nice, a grhà,” Cian praised her. His long fingers tapped

  rhythmically against the table. “But I was thinking of something a bit

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  more physical for this extra credit you need. You look like a strong

  girl. Why don’t you take off that shirt and show me your muscles.

  I’ve been looking for someone to help me carry my books.”

  Beck almost laughed out loud, but then Meg was dragging the

  shirt over her head. Her nipples came in view. They were a dusky

  pink and stood out, obviously aroused. She touched them. She rubbed

  her breasts brazenly. Her small hands caressed the mounds. They

  were round and gorgeous, just perfectly made. They made his mouth

  water. He really wanted to force her onto his cock and watch those

  breasts jiggle as she rode him hard.

  Would she do it if he asked her? Would she do it faster if he

  ordered her?

  “Do I look strong enough, Professor?” Meg asked. Her voice was

  husky. Beck’s cock hardened painfully. He could only imagine what

  it was doing to Cian.

  “I suppose so,” Cian allowed. He was playing the stern professor

  to the hilt. “You know, all that walking is going to require strength in

  your legs as well as your torso. I don’t think I can give you this

  assignment until I’ve seen your legs.”

  Meg bit her lower lip and looked sweetly nervous. She was good

  at this. She seemed to enjoy the play.

  He had thought that once he and Cian settled down with a

  bondmate, their days of playing in such a manner would be done.

  Sexual relations with a bondmate were reverent, sacred acts. What if

  all that reverent sex bored his wife to tears because she was a dirty

  girl underneath? Maybe Colin was right. Maybe he should start

  thinking of Meg as Meg, rather than a bondmate. Maybe he should

  give Meg what Meg wanted rather than what he thought she should

  want.

  Meg slid her right leg onto the top of the table. She carefully,

  slowly pulled her skirt up. Her fingers ran the length of her pretty leg,

  all the way to her hip.

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  “Now, Megan,” Cian began authoritatively. “It is obvious to me

  that you’re missing a very important piece of your school clothes. A

  good student doesn’t come to class without her underwear.”

  Her mouth was a perfect O that would fit his cock when he shoved

  it in. Beck was so hard. He had to get a grip if he ever wanted to walk

  in that room. If he didn’t, he would end up stroking his own meat in

  the flowerbeds.

  “I must have forgotten, Professor Finn,” Meg said as her finger

  started playing with her pussy. A wicked little smile lit her face, and

  Beck felt left out. She looked at Cian like he was ten feet tall and had

  just slain a dragon for her. “Sometimes I forget. Are you angry?”

  “The question isn’t whether I’m angry, my lover,” Cian said, slyly

  coming out of character. His head swung around, and he looked his

  brother straight in the eyes. “The question is whether our peeping

  Beck is enjoying the show?”

  Cian looked perfectly pleased with himself, and Beck knew his

  brother had been on to him for a while. Meg, on the other hand,

  looked horrified. She gasped and held the shirt in front of her like a

  shield. Beck sighed and picked up his pack. He stalked to the door of

  his home and stepped inside. He frowned. It looked like sexy playtime

  was over.

  “How dare you,” Meg said, going to stand behind Cian.

  Beck went from being slightly upset at getting caught peeping to

  insanely jealous at the sigh
t of his woman hiding behind another man.

  It didn’t matter that the other man held half of Beck’s soul. It only

  mattered that Meg was seeking protection from him.

  Beck forced himself to calmly put down the bag. He could be

  reasonable. In Meg’s mind, she had been treated poorly. Hell, in

  reality Beck had treated her poorly, but he’d had his reasons. He

  would very peacefully explain to her why he had treated her as he did

  and ask for another chance.

  Meg had her back to him. She shoved her arms through the

  sleeves of her shirt.

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  Cian grinned. “You were shielding, weren’t you, brother? The

  minute your dick got hard, those walls came down. You can’t hide

  from me when you’re that aroused.”

  “You could have said something,” Meg hissed at Cian. She

  sounded pissed, but her hands came down on his shoulders. She

  glared at Beck. “I’m sure you’re here to lecture me about how to

  behave.”

  “I was enjoying the show,” Beck said evenly.

  He wanted to go and rip her away from his brother, whose hand

  had come up to play with hers. It seemed to be an unconscious act

  between two people who were very comfortable touching each other.

  “Well, I was acting like a whore, so you shouldn’t be surprised,”

  she said, bitterness evident in every aspect of her being.

  “No, my lover,” Cian corrected. “Tonight was schoolgirl night.

  Last night was whore night.” He leaned toward his brother. “She was

  brand new to her profession. I had to teach her everything she needed

  to know.”

  Beck ignored his brother, though he knew the scenario well. He

  focused on his wife. He had a lot of damage to undo. “You were a

  very sexy schoolgirl, Meg.” He smiled as she flushed. “I like the

  pigtails.”

  He did. He thought about all the ways he could grip them while he

  fucked into her. He took a deep breath. Tossing her over his shoulder

  and forcing her to the bedroom wouldn’t help his case right now.

  There was an uncomfortable silence that Cian moved to fill. He

  stood and walked to his brother, giving him a manly hug. “It’s good to

  see you, brother.”