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  erotic dream. She knew exactly what he wanted. She could see a

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  picture of it in her mind and knew that Beck was putting it there. She

  could have told him that she wasn’t very good at that. Her ex-husband

  had told her that she wasn’t good at anything when it came to pleasing

  a man, but Meg suspected it might be different with Beck. If she

  listened very carefully, he could show her what he wanted.

  With shaky hands, Beck untied the fastenings on his pants and

  roughly pushed them down to his knees. His cock sprang forward,

  erect and enormous. It was thick and long, red at the base but

  gradually giving way to a gorgeous plum color at the head. It pulsed

  in his hand as he stroked himself. Meg could see a bead of milky

  white moisture glistening on the tip. She wanted to taste that cum.

  He moved forward and pressed the head of his dick against her

  lips. “Take me.”

  Tentatively, Meg reached out and brushed the tip of her tongue

  across him, gathering the pre-cum on the head. He tasted salty and

  masculine. As she watched, another drop wept out of the slit, and she

  swiped her tongue across it again. His cock jumped, and pleasure

  curled in her womb. She was already getting soft and moist just

  thinking about taking him in her mouth.

  His hands curled in her hair. She felt the full force of his will like

  a drug in her veins. His voice was dark with need as he pulled her

  head forward. He left no room to argue or for her to think about what

  she was doing. She only knew that she wanted him. She wanted this.

  “Open.”

  She obediently opened her lips, groaning at the feel of his cock

  pressing into her mouth. He was big, far bigger than her ex-husband.

  She only had the head of his dick inside her lips, but she was already

  struggling. He filled her mouth. She whirled her tongue around the

  head of his cock, though the fit was tight. She explored the velvety

  smooth skin. Such soft, silky flesh covered his raging hardness. A

  wave of warmth infused her, and she knew what Beck was feeling.

  His head was thrown back as he fed her his dick.

  “More.” He seemed capable of only one-syllable phrases now.

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  She looked up and saw his eyes were dark and filled with

  unmistakable satisfaction as he watched his flesh disappear into her

  mouth. His hands tugged at her hair, urging her on. He pressed

  forward. Meg found herself struggling to breathe. He was so big, she

  wasn’t sure she could take more, but she had to. It felt so good.

  Beck’s pleasure coated her in need. She whirled her tongue around his

  thickness as much as she could. It was almost more than she could

  take. She could feel what he was feeling. She felt the softness of her

  tongue and the heat of her mouth. She felt how much he wanted her

  hands on him, so she lifted one hand to gently caress his balls.

  “Yes.” Beck groaned as he thrust his hips forward, forcing in

  another inch.

  Meg relaxed and tried to ignore her gag reflex. She swallowed

  around his cock. It seemed to break something in the big Fae warrior.

  He growled, and Meg was almost overcome with his need to

  dominate her. She gave herself up to the experience.

  She knew somewhere in the back of her mind that she should be

  gagging. She should be fighting him off, but the sensation of sharing

  the experience with him was far more powerful than any physical

  reaction. His fierce bliss as he fucked her mouth was beyond anything

  she had every felt. He was ruthless. He shoved himself in her mouth,

  all caution gone. Her pussy was soaking wet, and she was sure if she

  touched her clit she would go off like a rocket. She was giving him

  such pleasure, and it aroused her. She could see herself through his

  eyes. She was sexy and hot. She was a goddess, and he was going to

  tame her. She knew what was going through his mind. He was going

  to fuck her until she promised never to leave him.

  Beck fucked his way to the back of her throat. He shoved his cock

  in, even as he pulled her head forward. The twin sensations called to

  her submissive nature. He was so deep, she could feel his balls hit her

  chin with each thrust. He was close. She felt as though she was in his

  body. An almost painful anticipation was coursing through him. His

  balls squeezed. Meg felt warning prickle tickled at the base of her

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  spine. It was coming from him. He was close, she just felt it. He was

  so close. Instinctively she swallowed around him when he hit the back

  of her throat. Beck threw his head back and roared as he came.

  Meg was suddenly full. Her mouth was filled with his essence,

  and she was suffused with his orgasm. It rolled across her like a

  powerful wave, bashing against her senses. Her womb clenched and

  throbbed. Only Beck’s strong hands kept her from falling over. The

  entire experience had been exquisite and completely draining.

  “Lick me clean,” he ordered, keeping his hands tangled in her

  hair.

  She obediently licked his softening cock, running her tongue

  along his skin. She tried not to miss a drop. It felt so good. The

  orgasm itself had been massive. It was like a high-powered

  locomotive barreling into her. This pleasure was softer, sweeter. It felt

  like tenderness and caring.

  And then it was gone. The connection was cut abruptly, and Meg

  felt cold at its loss.

  “What am I doing?” Beck asked in a rough voice. He let go of her.

  She fell to the sand, completely exhausted.

  She watched through languid eyes as he tucked himself back in

  and refastened his trousers. She felt so peaceful and sweetly lethargic.

  Now he would tell her how pleased he was with her. He would kiss

  her and hold her. He would see to her pleasure. It would feel so good

  to make love with him.

  He didn’t look pleased as he reached down and hauled her up into

  his arms.

  “Cover yourself,” he ordered harshly.

  She noted her robe had come open. Her breasts were bare, the

  nipples puckered and wanting.

  Meg began to come out of her pleasure-induced haze. Just minutes

  before, she wouldn’t have cared if she had been completely naked to

  the world. She had only cared about pleasing Beck, but now a flush of

  shame suffused her. What had seemed so loving before now seemed

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  perverse without his kindness. She was confused. He’d seemed

  pleased with her, but his demeanor now told a different tale.

  She pulled the sides of her robe together so she didn’t offend him

  with her nudity. As he carried her out of the arena, she kept her hands

  at her sides, sensing that he wouldn’t welcome her touch.

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  Chapter Five

  She wouldn’t touch him.

  Beck kept his face painfully passive as he marched back to the

  tent Rhys had put together for the compatibility ritual. If everything

  had gone as it should have gone, he would have taken Meg back
to

  this tent and very gently, respectfully made love to her in front of two

  witnesses. Rhys would have been one, and the vampires would have

  selected one. It was a simple ritual to prove he could take care of her

  sexually.

  Instead, he had proven that he was an animal.

  Now she wouldn’t look at him, and he didn’t blame her. He had to

  hold her tight because she refused to put her arms around his neck.

  Cara was at the door to the tent and held it open as she eyed him.

  She looked at the pale female in his arms. Beck knew what she was

  seeing. She was looking with pity on the woman he had just married.

  He had treated her like a whore. Beck sighed inwardly. He avoided

  Cara’s eyes. He’d never treated a whore that way.

  Beck laid her down as gently as he could on the bed that had been

  prepared for them. It was covered with thick, soft blankets and

  pillows. Flowers had been strewn—marigolds, St. John’s Wort, and

  shamrocks. It was a lovely setting and would have made a beautiful

  bridal bed. Instead, he’d shoved her to her knees in the middle of a

  bloody arena and throat-fucked her in front of a crowd.

  He tried not to think about how soft and sweet she looked lying on

  the bed. There was nothing he wanted more than to climb into bed

  beside her and attempt in some way to make up for the way he had

  treated her. He wanted to kiss her and hold her. He wanted to tell her

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  how much she was already coming to mean to him. He wanted to beg

  her forgiveness and promise to never, ever treat her that way again.

  She wouldn’t believe him. He was obviously a man of no honor.

  He’d proven it in the arena today. If he had a shred of honor, he

  would walk away from her now. He could provide her with nothing

  but a dying brother and a ramshackle brugh on a meaningless plane of existence. He should allow Dante to take her to his plane. At least

  there she would be fed, clothed, and taken care of.

  “Clean up.” His words were harsh to his own ears. “We leave in

  an hour.”

  “Sire,” Cara blurted, looking startled. “Surely you cannot expect

  your bondmate to travel this evening.”

  He stared down at the little gnome. He had been raised to be a

  king, and though he was no longer that man, he still expected to be

  obeyed without question. It had been bred into his character. A king

  never explained his actions, even when they were wrong. He was sure

  Cian would have knelt and explained himself to the small woman, but

  then, Cian would never have been in this mess in the first place. Cian

  would never have screwed up so badly with a woman that she

  couldn’t stand to look at him.

  “If you have a problem with it, I’ll take her now,” he said softly.

  The little gnome held her ground, but he could see it cost her.

  “No, Sire. I will make sure she is ready for the long and arduous

  journey.”

  Beck strode to the door. He needed a bath, but he wouldn’t disturb

  hers. If things had gone as planned, he would have cleaned her up

  himself. He would have shown her how tender he could be. He would

  have eased into the hot tub with her, kissed her, and washed her hair.

  “If she runs, I’ll hold you and yours personally responsible,” he

  growled. He was somewhat satisfied by her nervous nod.

  The waning sunlight was still hot on his skin. That would change.

  He knew by nightfall the forest would be cold. If he took her out

  there, she would have no choice. She would have to cling to him for

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  warmth and protection. Perhaps out in the forest she would begin to

  learn to trust him.

  The former heir ignored those who called out greetings to him. He

  didn’t want to hear about his soon-to-be-legendary victory. The damn

  bards would be singing about it soon enough. They had no idea how

  close that victory had come to being a bloodbath. Only Meg’s sweet

  hand had stayed him, and she had paid for her interference. He left

  orders with the stable boy to get his horse ready then made his way to

  the river that ran near the marketplace. He tossed his shirt, boots, and

  trousers on the grass and dove in where he knew the water was deep

  and cold.

  The chill hit his system like a bloody winter blast. He gritted his

  teeth against the bite of pain along his skin. He dove deep, refusing to

  come up for air or warmth. His lungs could handle it. He wrapped his

  hands around the strong reeds, anchoring himself to the bottom. It was

  quiet here. There was no incessant chatter. There was no one to

  constantly remind him of duties that were no longer his. They didn’t

  understand. He had been the deposed King of the Seelie for almost

  half his life now. Couldn’t they leave him be?

  Beck watched a small school of fish swim by. The river was

  remarkably clear and lovely. It reminded him of the river that ran by

  the white palace in Tir na nÒg . His mother would take him, Cian, and

  their sister Bronwyn down, and she would sit with her ladies while

  they swam. Cian would splash their sister and tease her mercilessly,

  but Beck wasn’t able to join their fun. He was expected to act the king

  always .

  “Eyes are always on you, son,” his father would say. “They

  expect Cian to act the fool, but you must be the warrior king every

  minute of your life.”

  What would his father have thought of his actions this day?

  Would his father understand that life had dealt him a horrible set of

  cards and he’d played them the only way that made sense? Or would

  he turn away in shame? Beck rather thought it might be the latter.

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  All of his life he had been trained to ruthlessly hide the beast that

  lived inside him. His own mother had always told him that symbiotic

  twins were considered powerful, but everyone knew they were

  difficult to raise. The warrior half required balance to stop his violent

  nature from running wild. The intellectual half needed grounding or

  he spent his life in daydreams. It was only through bonding with a

  proper mate that the two halves could truly live balanced lives.

  The bonding was a sacred act. It was a gift from the bondmate to

  her husbands. It was to be treasured and revered.

  He had forced it on her when she didn’t even understand what she

  was accepting.

  Finally his lungs burned, and he allowed himself to float toward

  the light. He broke the surface, taking a deep breath.

  “I was wondering if you were going to put in an appearance or if

  you would allow the kelpies to take you.” Dante sat against a large

  tree, his long legs spread out in front of him. He had his tablet out and

  was playing with it. Beck knew Dante was very attached to his

  computer. He was constantly looking for downloads, better known as

  DLs. DLs consisted of everything from entertainment to education.

  “There aren’t any kelpies here.” Beck smoothed his long, black

  hair from his face. “There are some kelpies in the forest, but none this

 
close to a village.”

  The forest where he was about to take his Meg was considered a

  bit dangerous. It was full of all sorts of nasty creatures.

  Dante tossed him a bar of soap. It was pink. The vampire had

  probably stolen it from the females’ tent. Still, it would take the stink

  of battle off him. Beck soaped up, grateful for the cold. It was the first time since meeting Meg that he wasn’t uncomfortably hard.

  Not true. There had been that moment after Meg had swallowed

  him down. Her throat had closed around him, and he’d shot his cum

  straight down. She’d taken every drop of him. Even after he was

  done, she had been so sweet and submissive. He’d wanted nothing

  more than to praise her for her gift to him. He’d wanted to haul her

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  into his arms and fuck that sweet pussy of hers. She wouldn’t have

  said no. She would have spread her legs and welcomed her master.

  She would have been terribly insulted. She was a lady, a

  bondmate. She deserved respect. His wants and needs were perverse.

  She would help him overcome them. Once he and Cian had properly

  bonded, the overwhelming need he felt to dominate his lovers during

  sex would go away. It had to.

  “I don’t understand you, cos,” Dante admitted. The light was

  fading now. The vampire didn’t need the hood of his shirt. He sat

  negligently in the shade, but then, everything Dante Dellacourt did

  had an air of negligence about it.

  “I don’t expect you to.” Beck soaped his long hair. It should have

  been Meg’s job. Washing her husband’s hair was the responsibility of

  a Fae woman. He had given up the right when he treated her like a

  piece of trash.

  “You’re tearing yourself apart over what happened out there, and

  I’m not sure which part is killing you. You aren’t responsible for the

  fact that you’re losing control. You should have been bonded five

  years ago. If I recall, your parents had already betrothed the two of

  you to a nice royal girl.”

  Beck snorted. He remembered Maris. How could he forget? He’d

  known since he was very young that she was his future bondmate. She

  had been a cool blonde and very aware of her position, even as a