Page 28 of Bound

The red man looks like he can’t care less what I do. Time isrunning out. I decided to take a chance on Beck, so it only follows I can takeanother. “All right. How do I get back to him?”

The red man is already retreating. “She will tell you.” Iturn and the red man is completely gone. His voice still echoes through thetrees. “Just let her lead you home.”

A shiver passes through me, but there’s nothing else to dobut take the chance. I start toward the river. The horse turns her head towardme, and for a moment I worry that I’ll startle it away. Then the gentle eyeslook right through me, and I feel as if the horse can see to my soul. Now thatI’m close, I can see that there are flowers woven into the mare’s mane. Themare has obviously been swimming in the river because her mane drips with pureriver water.

Feeling more comfortable, I step closer. The horse’s eyesseem luminous in the early morning light. It feels like a magical moment when Ihold my hand out and gently brush the horse. I’m surprised to find the skincold. There’s no warmth in the flesh, but perhaps I’m being fanciful. Ofcourse, if the horse has been wading through the river, it follows that herskin will be cold.

The horse snickers, a welcoming sound. She shakes her headand gracefully leans down, as though inviting me to mount her.

“Okay, but I gotta warn you, I’m not good at this.” Thehorse shakes her mane. Suddenly, I know the horse wants me to haul myself upthis way. “I hope this doesn’t hurt.”

I wrap my fingers in her mane, noting the flowers seem to beattached to weeds in some places. I manage to get my leg over the horse’s backand am pleased when I get into an upright position.

“Piece of cake,” I mutter to myself. My hands are shaking asI try to pull them out of the mane to get a better hold. “Take me back to myhusband.”

My hands seem stuck in the coarse hairs. I pull, but theydon’t budge. I try to shift my legs. They hold fast to the horse’s flesh.

The horse snickers. This time it sounds less gentle, moretriumphant, and not in a good way. The horse’s eyes narrow and become somewhatcruel.

“Oh, shit.” Something has gone very wrong.

The horse rears up and takes off at a gallop. I fly with herand then scream as the horse plunges us both into the deepest part of theriver. I feel the horse stiffen as something hits it, but it doesn’t matter.

My scream is cut off as water begins to fill my lungs.

ChapterEleven

Beck

I panic when I realize she’s run. She did it. Sheleft me. My heart starts to pound. The anger will come later. Now I’m overcomewith fear. These woods are dangerous. What had I been thinking, bringing herthrough here without a proper escort? But then, I can’t afford a proper escort.Damn me, I shouldn’t have purchased a wife I can’t properly take care of. She’sgoing to die here, and then I’ll lie down beside my brother and allow myself tofade.

Maybe that’s what I should have done in the first place.

Stop it. This is no time for doubt or pity. If I’m going tosave my wayward wife, I need to think clearly. Find her trail.

It’s not hard. Meggie doesn’t have any idea how to hide it.Her boot prints are plain in the dirt path. I toss my bow and quiver over myshoulder. I’m fully armed. I have the sword on my back and knives placed invarious sheaths across my body. I toss aside the two rabbits I killed forbreakfast. My appetite is completely gone. All that matters is finding Megbefore something else finds her.

As I begin to jog down the trail, I watch for signs of her,but my mind is caught in a punishing trap.

She ran because I was too rough with her. She gave me asecond chance after I treated her horribly in the arena, and what did I do? Ispread her legs painfully wide and shoved into her as hard and long as I could.I covered her with my heavy body and forced her to take all of me. She is sosmall, yet I pushed myself in, all the way to my balls. It probably hurt. Shesaid she liked it, but I know the truth.

I’ve known that my compulsions are perverse since I wassixteen years old. I had a strong, overwhelming sex drive from the moment I hitmanhood. I tried to hide it from everyone except my brother, who matched me.Cian doesn’t seem to need the same things I do, though. Cian can be gentle andsweet with a woman. I need to bend her to my will. It’s my obsession. I thoughtI found a good match in one of my mother’s handmaids. She was a few years olderthan me and didn’t seem to mind when I ordered her to take my cock in her mouthor spread her legs so I could look at her pussy. She seemed to like it. Myfather found us just as I was discovering the joys of shoving my cock up hertight ass.

I’ll never forget the look of horror in my father’s eyes. Helooked at me like he never saw my before. Like I was a dangerous animal. Fatherbeat me with the flat of his sword. Then he sat me down to explain a few thingsto me.

Sometimes I think his words hurt far more than the sword.

According to my father, the maid went along with myperversions because I was a prince. I had power over her, and she feared me.Which is why she wouldn’t tell me when I hurt her. Which I almost surely had.Women, he explained, are fragile creatures. They required gentleness. Anythingelse was monstrous. If they said they liked my rough ways, they’re lying togain my favor. Father explained that if I treated my bondmate this way, shewould leave both me and Cian, and I would bring great shame to my family.

I was solemn and careful around Maris. There was no sex atall with her, and sexual contact would never have been allowed until we bonded.I vowed to treat her with honor and to never let her know about the beastinside me.

Why can’t I do the same with Meggie? My heart is sick. Icare about her. I’ve seen deep into her soul. I know without doubt that I couldnever have cared for Maris the way I do Meg. No matter what anyone says,bondmates aren’t interchangeable.

Meggie is soft and vulnerable, despite that tart tongue ofhers. She wants to please me. I have to be a man and show her she doesn’t needto. She wasn’t born into Fae society. She doesn’t understand the sacredcontract between a bondmate and her husband. It would be easy to take whatshe’s offering. She’ll never know the difference, but it wouldn’t be honorable.

She’s left the trail here. I can see that she’s almostwalked a complete circle. Maybe she’s back at camp, having learned that thewoods are tricky. Maybe she’s waiting for me.

I will be gentle with her. I won’t allow my rage at herdefiance to show. I damn sure won’t do what I want to. I want to pull her pantsdown, spank her bare ass red, and then fuck her until she begs me to stop. Iwanted to imprint myself on her so strongly she’ll never run from me again.