Page 47 of Bound

I feel a moment of pure panic when I see her lying so stillon the bed. Her legs are underneath her at an odd angle. For a moment, I’m sureI killed her, and I know my life is over, just as I sit back. Then her chestsrises slightly, and I breathe a sigh of relief. She’s alive. She survived theonslaught that bonding with me will have caused.

Gently, I open the bond between us. It’s new, but there issuch strength to it. Her mind is tired but functioning. She’s in a deep,dreamless sleep. Her brain needs respite.

I feel such…everything for this woman. She is brave and kindand…wounded.

I intend to heal her.

I lean down and pull her legs into a more comfortableposition. She sighs and rolls toward my warmth, as though she knows I’llprotect her. I feel a grin cross my face as she cuddles closer.

If I hadn’t just put her through hell, I would consummateour marriage in the physical sense. Had she been conscious, I would roll heronto her back and get between those pretty thighs of hers. I would ride heruntil we both pass out from the exertion. She’s mine. I’ve seen down to hersoul. I know she’s perfect for us.

During our bonding she went through many of the importantevents of my life. And I went through hers. I kiss the top of her head andinhale her sweet smell. So many people have disappointed her. How can they notsee how wonderful she is? Sure she’s quiet, but her mind is quick, and she hasthe most delicious sense of humor. She’s sassy and independent. Her sensualityis completely untapped and unappreciated by the men in her life.

I won’t make the same mistake. I’m considered to be thesmartest man of my generation. I have no intentions of proving dumb when itcomes to my wife. She is an amazing gift.

My hands clench as I think about the last little scene I sawwhen I was in Meggie’s head. I’m going to kick my brother’s ass when hereturns. He’s an idiot, that other half of me. Beck made Meg feel worse thanthat worthless ex-husband of hers.

She’s exhausted. Her entire body relaxes as she sleeps sotrustingly in my arms. I’m going to make her see how beautiful she is. I haveto be careful, though. My brother has dug a deep hole. Beck took her body butrefused to share his soul with her. It’s selfish, and I intend to have a longtalk with him about it. She’s our responsibility. We have to fulfill all of herneeds, and Beck has to see that her needs are different than the women we grewup with. Meg doesn’t want to be a perfect princess on a shiny throne. She needsto work. She needs to contribute. She needs to be valued for all the thingsthat make her unique.

“T à mo chroì istigh ionat,” I whisper. Myheart is within you…

I’m about to kiss my sleeping princess on the forehead whenI hear a knock at the door. Curious, I gently roll away from my wife. I reachfor a shirt and walk to the front of the house.

A small brown female is gingerly opening the door. She’sdressed simply in a dark, threadbare skirt and linen shirt, with a colorfulshawl around her thin shoulders. Her big feet are bare. Her head is a mass ofscraggly, wiry hair and her own thick skin. Her eyes are huge in her small faceand black as a moonless night. She is beautiful. Flanna is a brownie. Thebrownies were domestic help on my home plane.

Here they are nothing short of family.

“Beckett.” She squints, turning her elderly eyes up at me. Iimmediately go to one knee so she can inspect me. She was my nanny throughoutchildhood. It hadn’t taken long to get taller than the brownie who took care ofme, but I always show her proper respect. My throat closes up at the thoughtthat I haven’t really seen her for years. She walks up to me with a smile thatshows her gaping teeth. “I am glad you changed your mind, son. It’s a mistaketo leave your wife alone right now.”

“She isn’t alone, Flanna,” I say, emotion welling in myheart. “She has me.”

Flanna’s jaw drops, and she looks at me with wonder. “Cian?”

“Yes, little mother,” I say. “I assure you, it’s me. Howlong was I gone?”

Huge tears well in her black eyes. “Years, Cian,” sheconfirms as she draws me into her motherly embrace. “I thought you would diesoon.”

“I did, too.” I hug her gently, taking great care with herfragile body. “I am so sorry, little mother. I got lost.”

Tears course over her cheeks. “Where is she? Where is thequeen?”

Cian smiles broadly and wonders if anyone has even mentionedthat part to Meg yet. I doubt she knows she is now the true Queen of the SeelieFae. “She’s asleep. The bonding was hard on her. From what I can tell,everything’s been hard on my Meg, including Beck. You should know I intend tothrash him soundly when he returns.”

Her foot starts tapping. “That will be the day. I thinkyou’ve forgotten which twin you are if you think to fight your brother.”

I send her a slightly shady grin. “Well, I didn’t intend toinform him of my plans to beat him. I assure you, I can have him unconsciousand tied up in no time at all. He always underestimates me.”

Flanna gives me “the stare.” It’s the one that lets me knowI’m in trouble. “Now is not the time to be feuding with your brother.”

I frown. “You don’t know how he treated her. He’s beenselfish and rude. He formed a bond with her, but from what I can tell, hedidn’t actually offer himself. He surely didn’t open to her. She was shocked bythe full bond. She hadn’t felt it before.”

I get to my feet, a new purpose humming through my brain. Ihid something, and now I hope it has survived the years.

Flanna follows me into the kitchen. “Don’t be so quick tojudge your brother. He’s only done what he had to do to survive. Your fatherwas very hard on him.”

“And he has a lot of responsibility, blah, blah, blah,” Isay with a frown. I study the drawers in the hutch. I built it with my ownhands, and I put a hidey-hole in it. “You think I haven’t heard this all mylife? Allowances must be made for the warrior king. All I had to dowas think and learn, but Beck had to fight. Father was particularly hard onBeck, so we should let him be a cold bastard? I won’t let him ruin myrelationship with our wife. She’s everything I could want in a woman. If he’stoo stupid to see that, then he’s welcome to keep to the Liadans of thisplane.”

There’s something about Liadan. There’s something about theblonde woman my brother took as his mistress that nags at the back of my brain.I can’t quite grasp it. It doesn’t matter. I need to worry about Meg now. Ipull the left drawer out and carefully push my hand inside, feeling for thetrap door at the back. It springs free, and there is my treasure.