Bound

young teen. If she had been with him in the arena, she would have

  slapped him silly. “I don’t think my uncle intended to honor that

  contract.”

  The vampire sighed impatiently. “That’s my point, asshole. You

  did everything right. It’s not your fault that it all went wrong. Meg

  saved you.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” Beck asked irritably.

  “Then why did you treat her like crap?”

  “It’s your fault,” Beck snarled, lying through his teeth. Maybe if

  he pissed his cousin off enough, he would go away and leave him

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  alone. “You were the one who was stupid enough to bring her into the

  arena.”

  Dante stood. He walked to the water’s edge, proving he did,

  indeed, have a death wish. “It was the only way I could think to

  salvage the situation.”

  “I can think of another,” Beck replied, narrowing his eyes in

  challenge.

  Dante threw his head back and groaned. “I am not going to inject

  you with cold iron, you asshole. Get over it. If you want to commit

  suicide, I’ll give you the needle, but I won’t push the plunger. I

  wouldn’t just be killing you. I would be killing Cian, too, and I

  happen to like him. I like him a hell of a lot more than I like you right

  now. You had no right to treat her like that.”

  “I know.” Beck didn’t even try to keep the guilt out of his voice.

  “She gave you everything she had, and you tell her to cover up,”

  Dante complained. “No, ‘wow, baby, that was one hell of a blow job.

  You’ve got the sweetest mouth known to man.’ Just ‘cover up so no

  one sees my bitch.’”

  Beck’s anger was on the rise once more. “Hey, don’t you talk

  about her like that. She’s my wife.”

  “Then why is she crying alone? I checked in on her, and she was

  crying.”

  Beck felt his stomach clench. She was crying, and he was the

  bastard who had caused it. “I won’t ever take her like that again. I

  can’t take it back. I can only promise to treat her with respect from

  this point on.”

  Dante rolled his eyes. “You are such an idiot. You honestly think

  that she’s upset because you fucked her? She is heartbroken because

  you fucked her, bonded with her, and then dumped her ass. Seriously,

  you need to take lessons in how to woo a woman because they don’t

  like it when you use them and walk away. Even I know that.”

  Beck marched out of the river, shaking the water off his skin.

  Dante had brought along a towel, and he tossed it toward Beck. Beck

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  did not thank him. “I didn’t dump her. I lost my fucking head. I

  treated her like a piece of meat. Can you blame her for not wanting to

  be near me?”

  “Oh, cos, that wasn’t the problem,” the vampire said, bringing the

  attitude down a notch. “I was watching. Hell, I couldn’t take my eyes

  off it.” Dante left that line of thought at Beck’s low growl. “I think

  she’s more perfect for you than you could have hoped. She enjoyed

  it.”

  Beck twisted his long, dark hair. It would be a bitch to comb out.

  “That was the bond. I flooded her with it. I pushed myself at her.”

  “That is your nature,” Dante said quietly. “But I think you are

  underestimating her nature. She was happy afterward. She wasn’t

  ashamed. You made her feel that.”

  Beck pointed an accusatory finger at his cousin. “You don’t

  understand. Maybe you vampires treat consorts with such blatant

  disrespect, but we do not dishonor our bondmates in such a fashion.”

  When Dante spoke next, he had to talk around his fangs. It let

  Beck know just how irritated his cousin was. “We vampires make

  damn sure that our lovers are satisfied, and after they’re satisfied, we

  thank them and cuddle them. We find out what they need and give it

  to them. If what my lover needs runs counter to what society or my

  father taught me was acceptable, then fuck society.”

  “Don’t you talk about my father,” Beck warned.

  “Of course, it all comes back to your father. He was a good man,

  Beckett, but he wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t a perfect king, and he damn

  sure wasn’t a perfect father. He pushed you too hard, and he

  completely ignored Cian. Cian was supposed to be king, too. He

  didn’t value Cian’s input, so he focused all his time on you. No one

  could live up to his standards. Gods, Beck, when are you going to be

  who you are and not who he thought you should be?”

  “Get out.” Beck would not listen to anyone talk about his father

  that way. He hadn’t been able to save his father, but he could damn

  sure preserve his memory. “Get the fuck out of here. Go back to your

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  cushy little plane and make all the scandalous news you possibly can.

  Don’t come back here. You won’t be welcome.”

  Dante dropped his hands in defeat. “Fine. I’ll go, but I’m only

  going as far your village. I’ll head out and make sure Cian doesn’t

  fade before you can get to him, but you would do well to listen to me.

  You’ll make yourself and that woman you married miserable if you

  deny who you are.”

  Dante stalked off, his lanky body disappearing in the tall, thin

  trees that quaked in the wind.

  Beck wrapped the towel around his waist and sank to the ground.

  It was a long time before he rose, and the whole time he sat

  wondering if the vampire wasn’t right.

  * * * *

  Meg tried very hard not to feel anything. Cara’s small hands

  smoothed the soft fabric over her shoulders. The little gnome had to

  stand on a chair to reach her. Meg knew she should be helping, but

  she felt so empty that she allowed the gnome to dress her as she

  would a doll. She had merely answered the female’s softly spoken

  commands. Lift your right leg. Lift your left leg. Bow your head so I

  can get the shirt on. Cara sang quietly while she worked. Everything the little gnome did was soothing.

  In the mirror, she could see that she was wearing what looked like

  suede pants, though god only knew what kind of animal had actually

  given up its skin for them. Her shirt was a little tight in the chest, so

  she immediately buttoned the collar up to her throat. It wasn’t

  flattering. It looked much better unbuttoned. Unbuttoned, it showed

  off a creamy expanse of skin and a faint hint of round breast. Meg

  thought it looked rather sexy. But Beck hadn’t found the sight of her

  naked body sexy at all. Cara had wrapped a leather belt around her

  waist then helped her into a pair of knee-length boots. Her hair was

  braided and marigolds were woven into it.

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  All Meg could think about was how she was going to get away.

  “Well, look at you,” a low voice said. “Fae Barbie.”

  Meg shook her head. As upset as she was, the vampire made her

  smile. He might be the only thing she halfway understood in this

  strange world. “You have Barbies, too?”

  “Oh, yes,” Dante co
nfirmed. “My sister filled the house with

  them. I used to have my soldiers take them hostage. She had to pay

  me to get them back. It was my first business. The consort Barbies

  come with bite marks on their necks. I bet yours don’t have that.”

  “No,” Meg said and sort of wished Dante had been the one she

  was tied to. She was bouncing all over the place emotionally, but she

  couldn’t help it. At least he had a sense of humor, and apparently, his

  plane had things she was used to, like running water and indoor

  toilets.

  “Hey.” Dante brushed a tear off her cheek. “None of that. It’s

  going to be all right. You’ll see.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine.” It would be perfectly fine once she got

  the hell out of here. Someone would be willing to help her. She didn’t

  buy that no-going-back crap. If she got here, she could get back.

  Dante’s perceptive eyes narrowed. “Don’t run. It won’t go well

  for you. There are things in that forest you can’t imagine. Promise me

  you won’t run until you meet Cian. Please, just give him a chance to

  be less of an asshole than Beck has been this afternoon.”

  “If he’s anything like his brother, there’s no point,” Meg said

  bitterly.

  “But he isn’t, sweetheart. That is the point. Cian is the intellectual

  half. He is also the more romantic half,” Dante mused. “It’s odd how

  they split. Beck is all the hard and pragmatic bits. He’s all about

  responsibility and honor, while Cian is playful and instinctive.

  Sometimes I think Beck got the short end of the stick. Of course,

  Beck is not the one who lies down from time to time and decides to

  fade because the world is too much for him. It’s all very dramatic,

  trust me.”

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  Meg huffed and began to pace. “You are seriously telling me that

  this Cian person isn’t really Beck’s brother, but the other half of him.”

  Dante looked thrilled. “Her little human brain works! Yes, that is

  what I’m telling you. Two bodies, one soul.” Dante gently touched a

  finger to her forehead. “You bridge the two right here. They balance

  through you. You complete them.”

  “And if I don’t want to complete them?”

  The vampire smiled sympathetically. “Just meet Cian. You can’t

  begin to understand Beckett until you meet all of him. And he wasn’t

  disappointed in you, sweetheart. He was upset with himself.”

  “Sure he was.” She’d heard that one before. It’s not you, Meg. It’s

  me.

  “He was,” Dante said seriously. “He has odd ideas about how a

  bondmate should be treated. On his plane, a bondmate, especially one

  of royal blood, expects to be treated like a princess. I think they all

  have sticks up their asses, if you ask me. It took my mom years to

  relax and learn to take my father in stride. Right now, Beck sees you

  as a perfect little possession, and he wants to take good care of you.

  Watch him. You’ll see. He won’t let you do anything. He’ll wait on

  you hand and foot.”

  Meg sighed. She had worked since the day she turned fifteen. No

  one had ever accused her of slacking off. Of course, she hadn’t had

  much of a choice. “I’m not asking him to do that. I’m not a princess.”

  “I know that. You know that. Teach him that. You’ll all be

  happier if you’re a fully functioning member of the team rather than a

  porcelain doll they take down and very gently make love to, but only

  after asking politely.” Dante shuddered as though the very thought

  made him ill. “You are the best thing that could have happened to

  him. Work on Cian first. He’s the openly passionate one. He’s the one

  who never wanted that polite bargain where he loved you from afar

  because he was worried his passion would be too much for you.”

  “Beck doesn’t love me,” Meg said. “He just met me.”

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  “He won’t be able to help himself, and neither will you.” The

  vampire picked up a small satchel Meg had seen Cara fill. He settled

  it over her shoulder, giving her a sharp slap on the back. It moved her

  forward a little. “Be careful out there, and remember what I told you.”

  “And just what did you tell my mate, vampire?” Beck’s eyes were

  a glacial gray as he stood in the doorway.

  Meg froze, but Dante merely rolled his eyes. “It’s always Dante,

  or my cos, when he wants something. And when he’s pissed off he

  calls me vampire. He says it like it’s a bad thing. I’ll have you know

  that vampires are the most advanced of all the races. Come to my

  plane sometime, sweetheart, and I’ll show you. We’re launching a

  mission to test a deep space shuttle. Vamps in space. It’s going to be

  awesome.” Dante jauntily slapped his cousin on the back. “See you

  back at the village. I’ll give Cian your greeting, but I’ll keep my

  mouth shut about her. It’s better if she’s a surprise.”

  The vampire left, and Meg was alone with Beck. He’d had a

  shower, or whatever they took here, and now he was clean and so

  gorgeous it hurt to look at him. His linen shirt was open at the throat.

  It showed off his rock hard chest to spectacular advantage. How had

  she even thought for a second he could want her? She wasn’t even in

  his league.

  “Are you ready?” The question was quiet, but as with everything

  the man said, there was an order in there. He stood looking at her, and

  Meg heated up, even after everything he’d done.

  Meg knew that if he had shown her an ounce of kindness in the

  arena, she would have been an eager puppy following him without

  question. She would have written off her previous existence and done

  everything he asked of her. She was truly pathetic. He had done her a

  favor. “Does it matter if I am or not?”

  “No,” Beck admitted. “We need to leave now if we’re going to

  make it to the lake before midnight. I want to spend the night there.”

  He held the flap to the tent open and gestured her out.

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  Meg stepped out and quickly took a step back. “What the hell is

  that?”

  It was monstrous. It looked like a horse, but someone had put it on

  steroids and dyed it a dark blue. It was so dark that one could mistake

  it for black, but when the late afternoon sun hit the thing’s coat, there

  was an unmistakable midnight blue shining there.

  Beck ran a strong hand along the beast’s back. It was obvious he

  had a fondness for the enormous animal. Even Beck, as big as he was,

  would have to haul himself into the saddle. “This is Sweeney. He’s a

  good boy, aren’t you? He won’t hurt you, love.”

  Meg forced herself not to soften. He sounded like he had before

  the events of the arena. She remembered how gentle he had been with

  her when he’d rubbed her to orgasm. She’d liked that almost as much

  as what happened later.

  Meg shook her head. “I’ll walk, thank you.”

  She turned on her heels and started down the road. There was no

  way she was getting
on the back of that thing. She might have been

  born in Texas, but she’d never really left the city. She’d never been on

  a horse, much less an elephant, and that’s what that thing reminded

  her of. Meg ignored the odd looks she received as she walked down

  the lane.

  In the distance, she could see the forest ahead. The trees were

  unbearably thick. Only the road seemed to be clear, as though the

  forest around it was a living thing, waiting to pounce on anyone who

  walked into it. Meg swallowed once, and then twice, thinking that it

  didn’t seem like a good idea to go into that forest. She was just about

  to turn back into town to protest when she felt a strong hand lifting

  her into the air by the back of her shirt.

  “Hey!” Meg screamed in shock as she found herself across Beck’s

  lap. Without thinking about it, she threw her arms around his chest

  and clung to him, afraid to fall off the beast. It was an awfully long

  way down, and there wasn’t a handy ER around to set whatever

  would break.

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  Sweeney huffed and pranced, getting used to the new weight on

  his back. After a few seconds, Beck made a clicking sound. The horse

  took off.

  “Hold on tight, love,” was all he said as he kicked the horse into

  high gear.

  Meg did as he asked, holding on with all her might. The forest

  loomed large, getting closer every second. Like it or not, she was

  going into the woods.

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  Chapter Six

  Meg shivered, even though the fire was crackling nicely. Beck

  had spent the better part of an hour building it. He stoked it until the

  orange and red flames flared and gave a warm glow to their little

  camp. She was all alone with a complete stranger. Oh sure, they’d had

  a couple of sexual encounters, but she didn’t really know him. She sat

  back against the trunk of a huge tree and watched the man who had

  claimed her.

  True to what Dante had told her, Beck had let her do absolutely

  none of the work. He’d helped her off the horse and settled her

  carefully on her feet. His first task was to make a comfortable place

  for her to sit. He’d taken two blankets out of his saddle bags to make