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    Bound

    Page 26
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    Beck softened. Cian was whole. It had been a long time since

      Cian had been complete. He enveloped his brother, the man who held

      half his soul, in a spine-cracking bear hug. He looked over to Meg.

      “Thank you,” he mouthed.

      Meg’s eyes were suspiciously bright as she nodded.

      “You feel fine?” Beck asked, looking over his younger brother.

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      Sophie Oak

      “I feel fantastic,” Cian replied seriously. “The bond, goddess,

      Beck, it’s amazing. She’s always with me. I can sense her moods

      when she’s not hiding them. She’s perfect.”

      Cian looked back at their wife, and she practically glowed under

      his praise. It made Beck remember the errand he’d gone on before

      leaving the Vampire plane. He reached down into his pack and pulled

      out the gift he’d bought for his wife.

      “I got you a present, Meggie,” he said, holding it out to her.

      He felt like an idiot standing there hoping she liked what he’d

      bought for her. It took her a moment, but finally she took the small

      package from him and looked it over.

      “This is A Tale of Two Cities,” she said, looking at the old book with a growing smile. “Is it a vampire version? Does Sydney Carton

      eat the French Revolutionaries at the end? That would be cool.”

      Beck frowned and shook his head. “No. It’s from the human

      plane. They promised me it was very rare. I thought you would like

      having something from your home. You said you liked books.”

      Meg touched the book reverently. “This is one of my favorite

      books.”

      She stopped, some unnamed emotion choking her words. Cian

      reached out and grabbed her hand. It annoyed Beck that Cian could

      calm her.

      “Do you like it?” Beck asked. He’d searched for hours trying to

      find something to remind her of the world she’d come from. “I could

      get something else if it displeases you.”

      Meg shook her head. “No, Beck, I love it. It’s a lovely gift.” She

      sighed as though making a decision. “Thank you.”

      She walked up and kissed him on the cheek.

      It was a start. His hand went to her waist. He held her to him for a

      moment. He looked down at her uncertain eyes and chose to be bold.

      He cupped her face while he kissed her roughly. “I missed you, wife.”

      Bound

      217

      She was breathless when he let her go. Her hands shook slightly

      as she forced herself to back away. “I should go start dinner. I’ll just

      put this up.”

      She practically ran from the room. Something deep inside Beck

      eased. She still wanted him. Everything would be all right. He could

      ease them into the relationship they both wanted.

      “Damn it,” Cian said, slapping Beck on the back. “Why do you

      think I started the sex play early this evening, brother? I was trying to

      avoid Meggie’s cooking. Don’t get me wrong, the woman can make a

      damn fine cookie, but the rest of it is terrible. I’m dying here, Beck. I

      was going to exhaust her then slink off to Flanna’s and beg her to feed

      me.”

      “It can’t possibly be that bad,” Beck said, shaking his head at his

      brother’s dramatics.

      “Oh, it can,” Cian said.

      Beck remembered that he had a bone to pick with his brother.

      “Why slink off to Flanna’s when there’s an entire festival going on in

      the village?”

      “We should probably talk about that.”

      “Don’t feed me some line of crap about wanting the villagers to

      accept Meg,” Beck replied, cutting off that avenue of escape. “Did

      you think for one minute about how this affects things? Did you

      consider that Torin will know about her now?”

      Cian waved him off. “Torin knew about her the minute you

      stepped into that arena. If I let you hide her, people would think we

      were ashamed of her.”

      “Why does it matter?” Beck shot back. “Who cares what people

      think as long she’s safe?”

      Cian’s gray eyes settled into a stubborn stare. “If you’re so fired

      up about keeping her safe, then let me take her to the Vampire plane.

      She’ll be perfectly safe with the Dellacourts. I’ll get a job at the

      university. Problem solved. You’ll never have to worry about either

      of us again.”

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      Sophie Oak

      “I’m not letting you take her anywhere,” Beck said, feeling a bit

      savage. Did Cian think he could waltz off with their wife? “As far as I

      can tell, you’ve been a bad influence on her.”

      “What is that supposed to mean?” Cian was obviously feeling a

      bit of Beck’s restless anger.

      “It means she’s getting quite the reputation in town,” Beck said.

      “Have you been letting her run wild? She’s met with goblins? She’s

      forcing the young people to do her bidding? This isn’t the way we run

      this village, Ci.”

      Cian’s face twisted in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

      “I’m talking about our wife taking whatever she wants,” Beck

      said, trying to keep his voice low. “Those are new clothes. I can tell.

      As we didn’t have a coin to our name when I left, I’m wondering

      where she got them.”

      Cian leaned against the wall as though he was completely

      unconcerned with his guilt in the matter. “I might have been hiding a

      bit of coin from you. I bought Meggie a dress, and the village women

      liked her so much they sewed her a few pieces. You couldn’t expect

      her to wear the same thing every day. Where are you getting this

      from? She meets with those same women every other day for sewing

      lessons. They love her. Everyone loves her. She’s fitting in

      beautifully. Even the bloody goblins like her. As for the stall she set

      up in the market, those kids are taking a cut. Meg does the baking,

      and the Shaw kids handle the selling. They take half the damn

      profits.”

      “What the hell is she doing selling stuff at market?” Beck asked.

      He was confused by the whole thing.

      “Making money,” Meg said quietly from the doorway.

      Beck turned quickly, taking in her frown. She had straightened her

      clothes and put on an apron. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a neat

      bun. She looked every bit the proper Fae wife about to cook her

      husbands’ dinner. He missed the naughty schoolgirl.

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      219

      “I took care of it,” Beck explained. “We should have enough coin

      to see us through the winter.”

      Meg’s eyes dulled. She shrugged as though it didn’t mean

      anything to her. “I’ll keep it for myself if you don’t want it.” She

      moved toward the kitchen. “And I’ll make sure to pay the women for

      their clothes. I’ll do it tomorrow.”

      Beck ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Meg…”

      She held up a hand to stop him. “Just leave me a list of what I’m

      supposed to do, and I’ll get it done, Beck. I’ll shut down the bakery

      stall, or I’ll work it myself from now on.”

      “I didn’t say that, Meg,” Beck replied. Damn it. He didn’t want to argue with her. “You’re deliberately misunderstanding me.”


      “No, I’m being realistic,” Meg said, her back stiffening with

      pride. “I’m not going to win with you, Beck. I could try to be this

      proper lady you want, but you’ll always remember that you bought

      me in a marketplace. I’ll always be a reminder that you didn’t get to

      be with the bondmate you were promised.”

      Beck threw his brother a surprised glare. “Does she think we’re

      pining for Maris? Where did she get that?”

      “Not from me.” Cian shuddered at the thought. “She knows how I

      felt about Maris. The best thing about having our kingdom ripped

      from us was not having to bed that bitch. She damn near froze off my

      willy every time I stood next to her. I can’t imagine having to put it in

      her.”

      “She wasn’t your type, baby,” Meg said with an intimate smile

      that didn’t include Beck. “She was Beck’s. Look, I’ve thought a lot

      about this while you were gone. I realize that you married me to save

      Ci. That doesn’t mean you have to pay for it the rest of your life. I

      haven’t talked about this with Ci yet, so I hope I’m not being too

      forward, but I think we get along really well. I love him, I really do.”

      “I love you, too, darlin’,” Cian replied sweetly with a wink.

      “So I think that Ci and I should find our own place to live,” Meg

      continued, sounding very sensible. She sounded like she was

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      Sophie Oak

      explaining her plans to redecorate, not ripping his heart out. “Cian

      built this house. He can build a new place for us, and I’ll help him.

      We wouldn’t ask anything of you. I’m making money now, and Cian

      knows how to farm. We just need some land. I think it’s best if we

      make it a clean break. I’ll still be close so I can still do the bridge

      thing, but you can find someone more suitable.”

      “Are you asking me for a divorce?” The question came out as a

      low growl.

      Meg put her hands on her hips. Her eyes were suspiciously bright.

      “It hasn’t been much of a marriage, has it? I embarrass you at every

      turn. You don’t enjoy sleeping with me. It’s for the best. I promise,

      though, that I will try to fix whatever I did wrong in the village. I

      thought they liked me. I thought I was fitting in. Do you mind telling

      me who said those things about me? Maybe if I talked to them, I

      could figure out how to fix it.”

      Beck’s mind was still on the fact that his wife was trying to leave.

      He spoke without thinking. “It was Liadan.”

      “Oh, fuck,” Cian muttered under his breath.

      Meg’s hazel eyes became dangerously narrow slits. “Liadan?”

      “Yes,” Beck said cautiously. “She’s a well-respected woman in

      the village.”

      “I got every bit of brains between us,” Cian said, shaking his head.

      “She knows about Lia, brother. Liadan made sure our wife knew she

      was your mistress.”

      “Are you telling me you come home and the first person you go to

      see is your girlfriend?” Meg asked as she stalked toward him.

      “I haven’t touched her since we got married,” Beck defended

      himself. “It was just chance that I talked to her.”

      Beck could plainly see that Meg was having none of that. She

      picked up the pack he had set down. There was a righteous female

      fury in her eyes. She opened the door and tossed the luggage out. “I

      changed my mind. I’m staying here. You can go live with your

      precious, cold, perfect little blonde. See if I care.”

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      221

      “I’m not going anywhere, wife,” Beck promised, and there was

      steel in his voice. “I’m not getting thrown out of my home, and we’re

      not getting a divorce.”

      “Meg, darlin’,” Cian said, obviously trying to defuse the situation.

      “Why don’t we all sit down and calmly discuss this. We’re a family

      now.”

      “I’m not married to him,” Meg swore between clenched teeth.

      Everything inside Beck was starting to boil. His hands twitched as

      he attempted to gain control of the overwhelming desire to prove to

      her who she belonged to. “Are you challenging my claim to you,

      wife?”

      “No, she’s not,” Cian tried.

      “Like hell, I’m not,” Meg snarled.

      “Back down, wife,” Beck commanded. He forced himself to hold

      his ground when his every instinct told him to chase her down and

      bend her to his will.

      “Meg,” Cian said, looking into her eyes. “Don’t do this. If you

      push him, he’ll break.”

      Meg rolled her eyes. “No, he won’t. He’ll politely ask me if I

      might, at some point in the future, maybe want to have lame, boring

      sex with him. If I say no, he’ll slink away and go ask his cold

      girlfriend if she’ll have very vanilla sex with him. I was wrong about

      him. I thought he was a Dom, but he’s just a bully. He wants utter

      control of my life without giving me anything back. Screw that,

      Beck.” She turned the full force of her disgust on Beck. “I won’t do it.

      I won’t live with you. I’ve finally found what I want. I want Ci. Cian

      understands me. Cian gives me what I need.”

      “No, he doesn’t, love,” Beck returned, watching her move. He

      remained still, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. All thought

      of doing this the easy way was gone now. This would go down hard,

      and damned if he wasn’t looking forward to it. “He just plays at it. It’s

      a game to him. I bet you have to tell him what to do.”

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      Beck knew he was right when Meg looked slightly startled. She

      hid it quickly, but Beck caught that little hint. All wasn’t as perfect as Meg would have him believe.

      “He just didn’t understand what I wanted. I explained it to him.”

      “I think I did a damn fine job,” Cian interjected. His eyes went

      from his wife to his brother. Beck knew he was awaiting the

      inevitable outcome of this little skirmish.

      “I know what you want,” Beck growled.

      Meg crossed her arms over her chest. The challenge in her pose

      made Beck’s blood start to pound through his body. “You might

      know, Beck, but you aren’t man enough to give it to me.”

      “Wrong answer, darling,” Cian said, whistling a little.

      Beck struck hard and fast. Meg was on the floor beneath him

      before she could scream. Beck held her easily, though she squirmed

      and looked to Cian for help. There would be none forthcoming. Cian

      wanted this as much as Beck did, and Beck knew it. Beck could feel

      the satisfaction coming off his brother in waves. It had been too long

      since Beck let his beast have its way. Beck knew Cian would enjoy

      the experience so much more because of the woman on the floor. She

      would bridge the two and allow them to share the feeling.

      Beck smiled down at his wife, a triumphant feeling running

      through his system. He gave her the smile of a predator about to enjoy

      a full meal after a lifetime of hunger. “As my vampire uncle might

      say, you wanted the bull, my Meggie. You’re about to get the horns.”

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      223

    &nbs
    p; Chapter Seventeen

      Meg bucked beneath her husband. His weight held her efficiently

      as he sat on her midsection and calmly looked to his brother.

      “Get me some rope,” he said as though asking someone to pass

      the salt.

      Cian walked off to do his bidding.

      “Bastard,” Meg grunted as she tried to force him off. His position

      was perfect. She couldn’t quite strike him, though she tried. “Get the

      fuck off me.”

      Beck looked entirely too pleased for Meg’s comfort. “Language,

      my love. Have you noticed, Ci, that our sweet little wife has quite the

      mouth on her?”

      Cian was smiling broadly as he returned with a length of material.

      Meg recognized it as a scarf she’d bought in the marketplace. “I did,

      indeed, notice the mouth on her. I’ve found when she gets that dirty

      mouth of hers going, it’s best to shove something in it.”

      “Fuck you, too, Ci,” Meg said. Cian was supposed to side with

      her, damn it. He was supposed to understand. He’d spent two weeks

      listening to her and getting to really know her. He’d understood how

      she felt about Beck. It had taken roughly three minutes for Cian to flip

      on her and take his brother’s side. She should have known. Meg tried

      kicking her legs.

      “I suspect there will be a lot of fucking, my lover,” Cian

      promised. “This will chafe less than the rope.”

      Meg looked up at the faces staring down at her. They were twins,

      but she could tell them apart. Besides the very slight differences

      living had brought to their faces, she could tell by their expressions.

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      Sophie Oak

      Cian was looking down on her with a sweetly lascivious grin. Meg

      could tell he was anticipating the sex he thought was coming. His

      hand had already begun to rub against the swell in his pants. Beck

      was an entirely different animal. He just looked hungry. He caught

      her hands when she tried to hit him.

      “No, Megan.” He neatly wrapped the scarf around her wrists.

      “You will behave, or I’ll have you across my lap. I won’t be nice

      about it either. You’ve pushed me too far, love. It’s time we put this

      relationship of ours on a proper footing.”

      “It’s time you let me up, asshole.” Meg tried to kick again.

     


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