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  of you. I decided I should go check on the fields. I put work before

  pleasure. It’s horrible. I’ll have to fight the instinct.”

  “Well, I woke up knowing full well I had a lot to do this

  morning,” Beck said, pulling Meg back into bed. Meg couldn’t help

  but laugh as he pressed his lips to her neck. “And still, I couldn’t

  force myself away from our very warm, very sexy little wife. I think

  I’m going to enjoy having a piece of you inside me, brother.”

  Cian rolled his eyes. “I’m glad for you. Unfortunately, I think the

  piece I took of you got stuck up my ass. If the two of you are finished

  fucking, I would like for you to join me outside. Something’s

  happened.”

  Beck went still. “What is it?”

  “You’ll have to come outside to see,” Cian said solemnly. “I

  really can’t describe it to you.”

  Beck kissed her again and gently eased her off his lap. “Cover up,

  love.”

  He rolled out of bed and pulled on his trousers. He shoved his

  shirt over his head and lastly, made sure his sword was secure across

  his back. Meg just grabbed her robe. Cian led them out of the

  bedroom, toward the door of the cottage.

  “What on earth?” Meg asked as she was drawn into the living

  area. The ivy she had woven around the doorway had invaded the

  house. Thick vines of green had come in through the door and the

  windows.

  Cian grinned broadly. “You’re not on the Earth plane anymore,

  lover. And here, things just got a little more complicated.”

  Meg’s eyes grew round with wonder as she walked outside. The

  marigolds she had planted in the flowerbeds at the front of the house

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  had multiplied overnight. The blooms were huge and each petal

  brimmed with life. Even the grass around the cottage seemed greener

  and lusher than it had the previous day.

  “Cian, what the hell happened here?” Beck asked.

  Cian winked at Meg and let go of her hand. He pulled a large nut

  seed out of his pocket and held it up for their inspection. “Well,

  brother, I think I happened. You should probably stay back.”

  Cian knelt down and shoved the seed into the ground. It was a

  bare second before the dirt rumbled. Cian was forced to step back.

  The tree shot up, fully formed from the seed Cian had planted. Meg

  heard Beck curse under his breath.

  “What does it mean?” Beck asked, his mouth hanging open. He

  walked slowly around the new tree, inspecting it from all angles. Meg

  did the same and was awed with the vitality of the thing. It was so

  alive. The tree looked as though it had been there for ten or fifteen

  years, not mere seconds.

  “You know what it means,” Cian replied, looking more serious

  than Meg remembered him ever being. “Look at the fields, brother.

  Look at the fields, and tell me the legends were wrong.”

  Meg turned with Beck and gasped as she took in the lush fields

  that had replaced the struggling ones. Crops that shouldn’t be

  harvested for a month were ripe and ready to be picked.

  “Someone needs to explain this to me,” Meg said, since her

  husbands seemed to be speaking their own language.

  “It’s an old legend, Meg.” Beck bent over as he inspected a

  particularly luscious strawberry plant. “Back in Tir na nÒg, the

  legend had it that when royal symbiotic twins were born, if they found

  the right bondmate, she would bring them into their true power.”

  “So now Ci is some sort of agricultural deity?” Meg asked.

  It was hard to believe the question came out of her mouth, but she

  was starting to accept that things worked very differently in her new

  home. She’d negotiated a trade deal with goblins just a few days ago.

  Why couldn’t her new hubby become a god?

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  “I’m a Green Man.” Cian spoke slowly, seeming to savor the

  words. “All things green and vital answer to me.”

  A wind suddenly whipped around Meg’s skirts. It was an odd

  wind. It was strong and seemed happy to stay where it was. Meg

  turned around and had to catch the hem of her skirts as the wind blew

  from underneath and exposed her legs.

  “What the hell?” Meg moved to Cian, who was laughing at the

  wind’s antics.

  “And I’m a Storm Lord,” Beck said. Wonder filled his voice as he

  lifted a finger and the little wind calmed. It brushed gently against her

  cheeks, as though giving her a kiss. “My power comes from the winds

  and the rain. That’s amazing. I could call the rains if I wanted. I know

  how to do it. It’s like the information has always been in my brain,

  but now I can access it.”

  Cian’s hand found hers. “That’s how I felt this morning.”

  A thought occurred to Megan. “So you got the power to do cool

  stuff with plants, and Beck can make it rain.”

  “Lover, Beck can bring the power of a storm to our aid, and don’t

  discount what I can do,” Cian warned her. “I can trap an army in the

  vines and grass I can pull from the ground beneath us.”

  “I get that,” Meg said with a frown on her face. “What I don’t get

  is how this helps me. You two get superpowers, and I get what?”

  Cian smiled broadly. “You have a power, Meggie. You have a

  magical pussy. It was sleeping with you together that brought us into

  our power. That vagina of yours is pure gold, lover.”

  Meg gave Cian a playful shove and rolled her eyes while he and

  his brother had a good laugh.

  “Don’t go expecting to use it on anyone else,” Beck said as

  though the thought had suddenly occurred to him. “That only works

  on the two of us.”

  Meg walked up to him and gave him a saucy smile. “Yes, Beck, I

  was planning on opening up shop. I was going to hang a sign on the

  cottage door and charge for it.”

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  Beck’s eyes narrowed. He exchanged a glance with his brother.

  “This is that sarcasm thing she warned me about, right?”

  Cian leaned in for a kiss from his wife. It was swift and sweet.

  “That it is, brother. Our sweet Meg is very good at sarcasm. I don’t

  think we have to worry about her with other men. Now that you’ve let

  yourself off the leash, I suspect you’ll be between her legs three times

  a day. Try to remember I need her, too.”

  Beck stole a kiss as well, though his was neither quick nor sweet.

  His tongue plundered like the pirate he was. When he let her go, Meg

  held on to his arm to steady herself. “I promise nothing, Ci. And you

  seriously underestimate me if you think it’s only going to be three

  times a day.”

  The downside to having two husbands suddenly became very

  obvious to Meg. “Let’s talk about this, boys.”

  Whatever else she had to say was lost as two of the villagers were

  riding up to the cottage. They rode swiftly, each man leaning forward

  in the saddle with great determination. The very air around her

  became tense. Beck reached for the sword on his back. It was in his

&nb
sp; hand as they made their way back to the cottage.

  “Your Highnesses,” one of the young men called out. Both of the

  men dismounted and made courtly bows.

  “Niall, Eiric,” Cian greeted the men. “What has happened?”

  “’Tis the miller’s daughter,” the one Meg thought was Niall said.

  There were tears in his eyes.

  “Bri?” Meg asked, feeling her stomach clench. She was a sweet

  girl of barely sixteen years. Meg had spent an afternoon with the girl

  and her parents. What had happened to her?

  “Yes, ma’am,” Eiric confirmed. “There’s been an accident. Her

  father begs Your Highnesses to come and figure out what has

  happened to his daughter.”

  “How bad is it?” Beck asked the men.

  “’Tis bad, Your Highness,” Niall replied. “Very bad. The miller

  needs his Kings.”

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  Cian and Beck shared a look between them.

  “One of us should go and one should stay here with Meg until we

  determine if it’s safe,” Beck said.

  “The women have gathered at the miller’s house,” Eiric offered.

  “Bri’s mother is very distraught. The queen would be very welcome

  there.”

  “Assign a guard to the house,” Cian ordered.

  “At least three,” Beck added.

  Beck turned to her, but Meg knew her duty. “Don’t worry about it.

  I’ll get dressed and go to Bri’s mother. Niall can take me. You and Ci

  go and find out what’s going on.”

  Beck sighed and leaned down for a kiss. “Stay safe, wife.”

  Meg held Beck’s hand as she reached up to kiss Cian. It felt so

  right when the three of them were physically connected. “You two do

  the same. Come and get me when you’re done.”

  Beck whistled, and Sweeney appeared from the fields where he

  tended to run free during the day. As her husbands followed Eiric,

  Meg raced into the cottage, promising Niall she would be swift.

  Meg quickly changed into soft brown trousers and a linen shirt.

  She shoved her boots on and laced up the black vest that completed

  the outfit. She had a more formal dress, but she wanted to be prepared

  to work if she had to.

  Meg grabbed her satchel and draped it across her shoulder so it

  hung over her torso and rested against the opposite hip. She made sure

  she had the small medicinal kit Flanna had taught her to use. Just as

  she was going back out the door, the vampire computer caught her

  eye. She picked it up and slipped it into the satchel. It couldn’t hurt. If nothing else, it played movies from the Vampire plane. Perhaps a

  movie would entertain the children.

  “I’m ready, Niall,” she called out as she walked through the door.

  “Niall?”

  He was on the ground, his head at the oddest angle. Meg tried to

  get to Niall, but before she could reach the young man, a hand

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  grabbed her arm. Ice seemed to flow up her skin, causing her to

  shiver.

  “Not so fast, Your Highness,” a deep voice said.

  Meg’s stomach turned as she looked up into red eyes. They

  smoldered from a cadaverous face. Meg remembered that face. It

  haunted her dreams. The Planeswalker’s skin was taut across his

  sharp bones like a corset that had been pulled far past its wearer’s

  comfort.

  “What do you want?” Meg asked, forcing herself to breathe

  deeply.

  There was no point in struggling. She could feel the strength in the

  demon’s claws. At this point, the wicked talons the demon possessed

  were merely brushing against her skin. Meg had no doubt they would

  sink into her flesh if she gave him the slightest provocation.

  “What do I want? Oh, so many things, Your Highness,” the

  demon said with a rueful sigh.

  He towered over Meg at roughly seven feet. His body was long

  and thin to the point of emaciation. He stared down at her. Those eyes

  were pitiless pools regarding her with curiosity. Meg didn’t know that

  she wanted a demon curious about her. “You really are their queen,

  you know. Even the hag has figured that out. Tell me something, have

  the twins come into their magic, yet? I rather think so. I can smell the

  power in this place now.”

  “Why don’t you ask my husbands?” Meg tried. She knew it

  wouldn’t work. Niall was dead not three feet away. The Planeswalker

  hadn’t come to request an audience.

  The demon chuckled. “I think not. I have a contract, you see.

  Someone is paying me to take you off the plane. Odd, isn’t it? You’re

  just a little cash cow, sweetheart. I made money stealing you from

  your plane, and now I make money taking you back. The village hag

  is paying me handsomely to get rid of you. She wanted me to kill you,

  but I told her she didn’t have enough to pay for that. I will have to

  stay away from this plane for a while as it is. If I killed you, I suspect

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  the warrior half might never stop hunting me. I gave the hag a spell to

  take care of him, but I don’t trust her to get it right. I can’t have the warrior pursuing me.”

  “The intellectual half wouldn’t be too happy, either,” Meg

  commented. She was trying not to think about the hag the demon

  mentioned. It was impossible. Someone in the village wanted to hurt

  Beck and Ci. She started to panic. They were in the village right now.

  What if Bri’s accident had really been a trap? “I don’t want to go

  back.”

  A sly smile split the demon’s face. He showed jagged, sharp teeth.

  “Of course you don’t, dear. You’re a pathetic little nothing on your

  plane. Here, you’re a queen.” He shrugged. “It’s kind of a crappy

  kingdom, though. At least on the Earth plane you’ll have running

  water. Look at it that way, dear.”

  “No,” Meg said, pulling her courage around her. “I won’t go.”

  “You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?” the demon asked. “Oh,

  well, we can do it the hard way, then.”

  As the demon brought his fist down on Meg’s head, she wished

  she’d been smart enough to lie.

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  Chapter Twenty

  “Get moving, you bum,” someone muttered as Meg stirred awake.

  She held her head. It was pounding as she pushed the newspaper

  off her body. Someone had covered her with it. As her eyes came into

  focus, she stared up. It was night, but she could barely see the stars.

  There was too much smog and too much light. The stars were so

  bright outside the cottage. Where was she? Only a few nights before,

  she and Cian had lain out in the grass, watching the stars and talking.

  Cian had told her his people’s stories for the constellations, and

  they’d made love on an old quilt beneath the nighttime sky. She

  couldn’t even see the stars now.

  “Cian,” Meg said, suddenly sitting straight up. It did nothing for

  her headache. “Beck.” His name came out as a whisper.

  “Miss, is there something we can help you with?” The question

  came from a middle-aged woman who stood at the end of an alley r />
  beside a well-dressed man. They stared down the short street where

  Meg had been lying against a huge metal dumpster. The smell was

  making her sick.

  “Where am I?” Meg asked.

  “How much have you had to drink, Miss?” the man asked. The

  woman elbowed him and sent him a dirty look. He sighed and

  answered Meg. “You’re in Fort Worth, Texas. You’re not far from

  Sundance Square. Did you get lost?”

  Oh, boy, had she gotten lost. The trouble was she needed to get

  lost again.

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  “Did you see a big guy walk by? You couldn’t miss him. He’s

  really tall.” Meg struggled to her feet. She stretched her stiff limbs

  and wondered how long she’d been out.

  “I haven’t seen anyone really tall,” the woman replied, shaking

  her head. “Do you need a homeless shelter? There’s a very nice one

  on Cypress Street.”

  “I don’t need a homeless shelter,” Meg said between clenched

  teeth. “I need a Planeswalker demon.”

  The man took the woman by the hand and forced her away. Meg

  sighed. She would have to watch her mouth on this plane. She walked

  out of the alley. It was half a block to the beginnings of Sundance. It

  seemed like she was moving through a dream. It was all familiar, but

  no longer hers.

  Or was it? She looked at herself in the window of a restaurant.

  She was wearing brown pants, a white shirt and a black vest. She had

  on boots. It was what she had put on to go see the Miller’s wife. She

  wasn’t crazy. She had really gone to another plane and married two

  beautiful men. They needed her. Tears welled in her eyes.

  What would happen to them? What happened when the bond was

  formed and then shut off? And the demon had said there was a hag

  after them. How was she going to get home?

  Meg was pulled from her panic as she was jostled by a passerby.

  The sidewalks were crowded. Meg found herself pulled along with

  the throng. It was a mix of teens going to the movies, adults out on

  dates, families seeing the sights, and singles looking for the clubs and

  bars that dotted the square. They all had one thing in common. Not a

  one of them would believe she was the queen of another plane with