his balls tightening. They were getting ready to shoot off. His control
was blown.
It no longer mattered. Meg wanted the orgasm. She slipped a
finger into her cunt, circling her clit with her thumb, her fingers
playing out the images in her head. She closed her eyes and saw Cian
and Beck working furiously over her. The two heads worked in
perfect harmony, suckling her breast and her clit. They loved her
taste. They couldn’t get enough of it.
Cian firmly took hold of their connection. Her own fantasy fell
away as she felt a tingle at the base of her spine. His hand was a fist
now, pounding away at his cock.
An image of Cian between her legs was all she could see now. It
was so real. It was almost as though he was really there with her, his
weight pushing her into the bed. He’d parted her thighs and shoved
his desperate cock deep inside her. He pushed himself in to the balls,
and still he wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to merge with her. He wanted
to be a part of her. God, he needed her so badly. He’d waited for her.
The emotion swept over Meg, making her eyes water. She’d never felt
so desired as she did when the connection was open and his heart was
pouring into hers.
He was pumping into her, and he was close, so close, to giving her
what she desired. Meg’s finger picked up the pace. She plunged two
and then three fingers inside her cunt and knew they didn’t match
what Cian could give her. She spread her legs as far as she could and
curled her fingers up while she pushed the pad of her thumb
forcefully at her clit and then…
Relief, blessed, sweet pleasure as Cian came. His cum spurted up
onto his belly, but he didn’t care. She knew in his mind it was her
pussy he was flooding. He pumped and pumped, the feeling all the
more exquisite because it was shared. Just as she thought she couldn’t
take another moment of his orgasm, her own hit. It bloomed from her
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center, spreading out like a rushing wave across her body. Meg felt
Cian’s surprise as he came again.
It was like the best phone sex ever, and she giggled as she laid
back and tried to catch her breath. A happy languor radiated across
her body. That had been so much more than playful sex. Cian’s
emotions had invaded her as surely as his fantasies had. He’d been
open and honest, and Meg knew there would be no recriminations
from this half of the man. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread
across her face. The happiness she felt was coming from Cian, too. He
was happy. He was well-satisfied, and it wasn’t all physical for him.
He was coming. And not in a sexual sense. She could sense him
physically approaching.
He threw the door open and tossed himself on the bed next to her.
He hadn’t put on his clothes. She should be hurrying to get away. She
needed to be smart about this. Just because he’d been open didn’t
mean this would end any better than it had with Beck. A million
things could go wrong. She should be pushing him away and getting
dressed. Instead, when he put his hand possessively over her stomach,
she found herself moving her head to his shoulder, unable to force
herself to break the connection.
“That was fun,” he said with a wicked grin. He was so beautiful it
made her heart ache.
“Is that the way you invite a woman to play?” It would be an
effective seduction technique. Suddenly she felt so vulnerable. She’d
seen his past. He’d had hundreds of women. They lined up for him.
How could she ever compete?
His perfect face was suddenly very serious, looming over her. His
gray eyes looked almost silver in the soft light of morning. He sank
his hands into her hair and turned her face up to his. “I’ve never done
that with any woman before. I’ve waited my whole life to connect
with another soul the way we did, and we could have so much more,
Meggie mine. You’re my wife, my bondmate. It won’t work with
anyone else.”
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She looked up at him and finally realized he wasn’t his brother.
Technically, he was half his brother, she understood, but they were so
very different. How could she ever find happiness if she never asked
for what she wanted? If she kept telling herself no, she never gave
anyone a chance to say yes.
“I’m scared,” she told Cian quietly.
“I know,” he replied with soft eyes. He leaned down and pressed a
very soft kiss on her forehead, as tender as the pleasure before had
been rough. “How about we do this? Let’s take it slow. No more
overwhelming you with my dirty self-pleasure. I want you, Meggie. I
want you to come to me because you want me, not because I’m the
only one available. Though I am, you understand. I know you are
stubbornly telling yourself we’re not really married, but I wouldn’t
push that if I were you. I am willing to be reasonable. I am willing to
be patient. I am not willing to watch you flirt with another man.”
“I can’t handle the two I have,” Meg admitted. It felt so good to
sink into his strength. It helped Meg to find her own. “I want things,
Ci. I have certain needs that Beckett found distasteful. I’m worried
you will, too.”
His laugh rumbled through his chest as he pulled her close. He
tangled their legs together. “I don’t find much distasteful sexually, my
lover. Why don’t you explain what you want? I saw flashes of it, but I
don’t completely understand. I liked how you looked tied up and
spread out for me.”
Meg took a deep breath and proceeded to explain Dominance and
submission to Cian. He was patient and asked questions.
“You want me to make decisions for you?”
“No.” Meg was sure of that. “That’s the way it works for some
couples, but I would rather we had a partnership in our daily lives.”
“And at night, when we’re alone, I’m your Master,” Cian said, his
voice hoarse. His hands tightened around her, and she could feel his
cock starting to revive. “Your body is mine, and I do what I want with
it.”
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Meg sat up and looked down at her husband who was, once again,
sporting a huge erection. At least he seemed willing to hear her out. “I
haven’t tried this with anyone, Ci. I don’t know what I’ll like and
what I won’t. Hell, at this point I’m not even sure it was what I liked
or if I was just overwhelmed by the bond. I have to admit I’m curious
and a little scared by all of it.”
“You liked what Beck did to you,” he pointed out. Meg could tell
he was carefully thinking out the problem. “Whether it was the bond
or your own needs, you enjoyed yourself.”
Meg nodded. “I loved it. It was the best sex I’ve ever had. I should
warn you, though, I hadn’t had great sex before that. It had been
mediocre at best. Beck was upset afterward. He doesn’t think I should
like it. It can’t work if the Dom hates h
imself for dominating his
female. It kind of defeats the point.”
Cian propped himself up on one elbow and brushed the hair back
from her face. “He’s fighting himself, darling. He’s trying to be
something we’re not. Give him time. Meanwhile, I am more than
willing to explore this with you. I’ll admit I’m not the dominant half. I
am very carnal, but I tend to be softer than Beck.”
“If you don’t…”
His finger came up to her lips. “Hush, I’m still male, my lover. I
think I can handle it just fine. How about we make a vow? I’ll fulfill
your fantasies to the best of my ability, and you’ll do the same for
me?”
Meg grinned. “Deal.”
He sat up and kissed her firmly. “But, for now, we work on being
friends. I want you to take this time I’m giving you, Meg. I’ll back
off, but the minute you say ‘yes,’ everything changes. Do you
understand?”
She nodded, seeing the trap he had laid. She would have to be
very careful with her words for a few days.
He laughed. “Smart girl. Now go get dressed. You’re entirely too
tempting like that. We have work to do.”
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“Thank you,” she said softly. She leaned over and pressed her lips
to his.
Cian’s smile was rueful. “I’m glad I have your gratitude, wife,
because my dick is cursing me.”
Meg laughed, and they got up, dressed, and got ready to face the
day.
* * * *
Liadan O’Neill watched as the idiot, Cian, ran from the barn
toward the cottage. He was naked, and there was no doubt he was a
man on a mission. She had seen the human walk toward the cottage.
She had no idea why they had spent the night in the barn, but it
looked like they were moving their little lovefest inside.
She had to admit, he was a lovely man. He couldn’t help it. He
looked exactly like his better half. If Cian Finn had been anything like
his brother, her job would have been infinitely easier. She could have
seduced Cian and put a blade through his heart. She had one she had
made especially for him. It was cold iron and easy for her small hands
to use. She had cursed the blade herself and tested it on that moron
she’d been forced to call her husband for years. She’d needed her
husband to get her into the village. It had taken a long while to find
the right plane, and once she was here, she needed to get close to the
princes. Her husband had come in handy. When he’d discovered her
true nature, she’d tested her weapon. It had proven thoroughly
effective. Life as a widow had given her the freedom she needed.
Liadan didn’t dare try to use it on Beck. His instincts were too
well-honed when it came to battle. His hands were quick, and he
could disarm her in an instant. He was the warrior. There was no
doubt about it. Liadan shivered slightly when she thought about all
the times she’d been forced to smile and welcome him to her bed. He
was a predator. Even though he asked politely, she could feel what he
wanted, and it disgusted her.
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It had occurred to Liadan that the brothers were protected on
many levels by their odd nature. Beck was protected by his fighting
ability, but Cian had some strong defenses against her as well. He
seemed to sense something was wrong with her. Liadan had caught
Cian watching her as though trying to figure out what she was. At
first, she’d worried Cian would give her away, but he’d never called
her out.
Still, he had not joined his brother in her bed. Liadan was glad that
Beck hadn’t figured out she’d attempted to seduce Cian first. She still
hated him with a vengeance for turning her down.
Even without direct access to the intellectual half of the King, she
had almost managed it. Her magic was strong. Though Cian had been
protected at night, by Beck when he was around and that nosy little
brownie when he was not, she had managed to enter his dreams as a
mist. It was a particular talent of hers. Her sisters had always been
jealous of the ability. She simply poured her will into a spell and
wrapped it in the mist that always surrounded the pond. It found its
way to Cian. It whispered to him. It brought out all his fears.
In the end, it had been simple. Cian was weak. He had chosen to
fade rather than live in a world where he had no hope of bonding. He
had been close to complete chaos. Liadan had been mere days away
from convincing the idiot to kill himself once and for all, and then
Beckett Finn would be easy prey. He would have quickly dissolved
into a death machine, and there would be no choice but to put the king
out of his misery.
Then that bitch showed up.
Liadan watched the cottage, trying to come up with a way to deal
with the new problem she had. The “Queen”—she couldn’t believe
these idiots were calling her that—presented a uniquely troublesome
problem.
If the legend was correct, there was the distinct possibility that the
twins’ power could be greatly increased by bonding with a strong
mind. While Liadan doubted the human was a truly strong mate, she
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didn’t want to take the chance. Beck was strong enough as it was, and
Cian with a Green Man’s powers scared her. If word got back to Tir
another civil war would follow. She had to stop that.
She felt a warmth at her heels.
“Hello, Ain,” she said with more affection for her black cat than
she had ever felt for another being. She stooped over, and the cat
gracefully leapt into her arms. The cat did more for her than any other
being had.
“There she is,” Liadan said, pointing out their enemy. The
‘Queen’ walked out of the cottage with a dumb smile on her face,
holding Cian’s hand as they walked toward the barn.
It would be simple if she could just kill the bitch, but she was
certain that yesterday Cian had destroyed that plan as well. According
to the gossip from the party the night before, Cian had fully bonded
with the human. If Liadan killed her, there was the distinct possibility
her victim would be able to send the image to her husband.
It was too risky. She couldn’t change forms again, and she didn’t
intend to be revealed as the hag she was when a lynch mob came.
She watched the outcast prince teach his second-rate mate how to
milk a cow. She had played a very careful game. It would be stupid to
risk it now. The game had changed with the insertion of the human.
What she needed was a new plan.
Liadan smiled as she thought about all the vampires Beck had
fought in the arena for the right to mate with that ridiculous human.
He’d probably made them very angry. It was the one decent move
Torin had managed on his own. Limiting the vampires’ access to
consorts had made them more amenable to certain negotiations. There
were sti
ll vampire families that were loyal to the outcast King, but
others were much more reasonable. Perhaps it was time get in touch
with one or two.
“I didn’t mean yes that way, Ci!” The human’s squeal carried
across the field as she playfully avoided Cian’s hands.
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Cian would be sad when the human was dead or gone. Liadan
didn’t care which. The vampires would probably rather take the girl.
They had their uses for one with her unique talents. With Beck off the
plane, she might find some vampires desperate or arrogant enough to
think they could kidnap a consort. Or some might just look for
revenge and kill the bitch.
Either way would lead to Cian’s fading and Beckett’s death. Once
they were gone, Torin could reopen Tir na nÒg, and she would march
back into the homeland a conquering hero. She would take her place
beside her sisters as the King’s counselor. Their place would be
assured.
Liadan turned toward home, her familiar nestled firmly in her
arms. She could hear the newlywed couple playing. Let them have fun
now. Theirs would be a short marriage if she had anything to say
about it.
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Chapter Fourteen
“What is it?” Cian sat in the kitchen looking at the small, flat
cake-thing his wife had been working on for days now. Meg had been
working on other things as well, but this odd bit of food was her labor
of love.
Cian had been busy laboring in the fields that fed the village. He
spent the day working on his irrigation system with the gnomes. At
night, he’d been entertaining the Fae who had come from all over the
plane to welcome the new Queen. They were setting up large tents on
the land around the village. It was like a great fair had come to town.
Cian was happy with the coin that was now flowing around the
village as visitors spent money and traded goods with the locals. It
had been a long time since his people had anything resembling
prosperity.
Meg seemed to think she had something to trade, too—this odd-
looking thing she was prepared to force on him. She looked so cute
with an apron over her day clothes and flour in her hair. She looked