Chapter Thirteen
It was the horrible sound of the rooster crowing that woke Meg the next morning. It sounded like the damn thing was right outside her door. Meg tried to burrow under the pillow to escape the dreadful racket, but there was something attached to her little pillow, and it wouldn’t move an inch. An arm wrapped itself more tightly around her waist and pulled Meg closer.
“Damn it,” Meg cursed as she tried to get out of bed. She was tangled in a quilt. She tried to orient herself. She was on the little cot in the barn, and she quickly found herself on her ass in the middle of the cold, dirt floor.
“It’s too early, lover.” Cian’s Irish brogue was even thicker when he was drowsy. His hand came out seeking her once more, but he didn’t open his eyes. “Get back in bed. We’ll eat the rooster for dinner tonight, I promise.”
“You aren’t supposed to be in my bed, damn it!”
Meg gave her clothes the once over. She searched her memory. What happened last night? How had she ended up in bed with Cian when she’d promised herself she wouldn’t? Why was she wearing a gold ring on her left hand?
She seemed to still be wearing enough clothes. Her lovely dress was on the lone chair in the small room, but she had on the thin shift that went beneath it, and she still had on her underwear. It was a good sign.
Cian rubbed his eyes, yawned, and stretched his big body. He, on the other hand, didn’t appear to be wearing anything. His glorious frame was on full display. “You told me you refused to sleep in the big bed. You told me you needed independence, and the only way you could have that was to live in abject poverty, with not a single comfort to your name.”
“I doubt I put it quite like that,” Meg complained.
She remembered last night, up to a point. There had been dancing and singing. She’d discovered that Flanna was a brownie. Meg had laughed and said that they ate brownies on the human plane. She then spent the better part of an hour explaining that she wouldn’t be coming after Flanna’s grandchildren. Sweets might not be a big part of Fae life, but ale was. It was the ale that did it. It had been slightly sweet and had a hell of a kick. Every time she finished a mug, someone put another in her hands.
Cian scratched his belly. It shouldn’t have been sexy, but it was. His gray eyes opened fully for the first time. “No. You took a lot longer to explain it. It was quite the lecture, my lover. There was something about making your own way and roaring because you’re a woman. I didn’t understand it at all, and I consider myself a smart man. The only part I really got was when you told me we had to live here.”
Cian showed no ill effects of the enormous amount of ale he had downed. He had to have doubled her intake. The boy could drink.
“No, I said I needed to live here,” Meg corrected. Now she remembered that she had kissed Cian. She had been slightly drunk, and everyone was urging them to kiss. Meg had meant to placate them with a little peck, but Cian had dipped her back over his arm and overwhelmed her. His tongue had slipped into her mouth and had its way with hers. He’d rubbed his body against hers, and she’d felt every inch of his intent. He’d gotten her so hot she might have done him right there.
She needed to stay away from him. He was always touching her. The night before, he’d held her hand or had his arm around her waist all of the time. There hadn’t been a single moment she wasn’t aware of him.
Cian’s face was sweet as he sat up and crossed his legs. He paid no mind to his nudity, or to his morning friend. “I know. You think living here will prove something to Beck. I don’t think so, but I’m willing to go along with what you want. Can we get a bigger bed, though? It was cramped last night. I have no idea how we’re going to fuck on that.”
Meg gasped. He hadn’t heard a word she’d said last night. “We’re not. Cian, we need to talk.”
“I can do that,” he promised with a sober look on his face.
Meg couldn’t take her eyes off his enormous erection. It lay almost flat against his belly. “How do you expect me to hold a serious conversation with you like that?”
He shrugged. “You’re my wife. It’s my permanent state around you. It would probably go away if you jumped on top of me and bounced around for a while. Well, it wouldn’t go away for long.”
Getting to her feet, Meg turned away from the too-tempting sight. Her second husband was proving even more troublesome than the first. She needed to get properly dressed and get her day started. Perhaps then she would be better equipped to handle Cian. Her day clothes were still in the cottage. She would take some time to collect herself and then see to the farm.
“I’m going to get dressed. You…I don’t know. Just take care of that,” she said, avoiding the delicious sight of him as she stumbled out of the room.
She expected to step out into the leftover destruction from the night before, but the yard was pristine once more, without a sign of what had gone on. The gathering had been huge, with everyone in the village showing up to dance and drink. She had been introduced to sidhe, brownies, trolls, gnomes, and some dwarves down from the mountains. They had toasted Cian’s health and the twins’ marriage. Everyone spoke of Beck with great fondness, and Meg had learned a lot about her wayward husband. He had saved many of the people of the village at great cost to himself. For years after the civil war, he had worked hard to settle refugees from his home plane.
It would have been very easy for the king to settle on the Vampire plane. The Dellacourts were a wealthy family who would have taken in Beck and Cian. He could have lived in luxury, and no one would have blamed him. Instead, at seventeen, he decided to establish a village on a safe plane to give his people a home.
Beck was their protector. Without him, the Fae would have dispersed and more than likely had trouble surviving on their own. Cian had given his brother all the credit for founding their own little kingdom. He’d explained to Meg that he had simply followed his brother’s lead. Beck had been the one to take charge in those dark years after losing their parents. Hearing the love and admiration for Beck did nothing to ease the ache in Meg’s heart that he couldn’t love her.
Meg walked slowly, not minding the early morning’s chill. It really was beautiful here. There was a gentle mist coming up from the pond. She saw the cows contentedly eating grass in the distance. The sky was a soft watercolor of blues, pinks, and oranges. It was similar to her plane, but it felt so different. Even the air here was gauzy and sweet. The whole world seemed quiet and still. A wistful thought stole over her. She could be happy here. Meg took a deep breath and continued on toward the cottage.
She would be happy here. Happiness was a state of being. She would just move to that state.
She opened the cottage door and decided to start by getting dressed and fixing breakfast. She would battle the judgmental chickens again, and this time she would try frying the eggs.
“Oh, god,” Meg breathed as a feeling of warmth suffused her lower regions.
She barely managed to close the door behind her as she felt the connection between her and Cian open. It was like someone flicked a switch on in her brain, and the channel had changed. She was suddenly tuned to the Cian Channel, and it was playing porn.
He was stroking himself. She could feel it. His hand was gentle as he stroked from the base of his cock upward, all the way to the crown where he brushed his thumb firmly across the head. There was already wetness there. He used it to lubricate his palm and facilitate smoother strokes. He tightened his hold on the monster, and Meg felt him sigh as he spread his legs and upped the pace.
Little drops of pre-cum wept from the slit of his dick. If she were with him, she would lean over and lick it off. Was that her thought or Cian’s? The connection was so new that Meg had to wonder. A vision of just what Cian wanted her to do flowed over her brain, taking over her thoughts. She would run the tip of her tongue just inside the slit and tease him lightly. His big body would shudder in response and urge her on. He would fist his cock while she sucked the head, begging him to feed her all of his cum.
Meg felt Cian’s chuckle as though it came from inside her own body.
“Bastard,” she whispered.
He knew she could feel him. He was pushing the experience out toward her. It was like she was there with him, almost as though she was Cian. She could feel his pleasure and his intent. He wanted her. Oh, she could feel that. He wanted her so badly. Meg stumbled into the bedroom and threw her body on the bed. She wouldn’t be able to ignore the vision. It felt too good to ignore.
His hand was firm now as he ran it up and down his cock. She writhed on the bed, her legs restless as he caressed himself. He was thinking about her. He’d moved on from thoughts of her mouth to other body parts. He was thinking how good it would feel to have her tight pussy all around him. The muscles of her pussy would clench around his cock, trying to tempt the cum out of him. He wanted to give her his cum. It belonged to her. It was only right for her to take it.
He wanted her on top, her breasts bouncing as she rode him hard. He would love the view from that position. He would grasp her hips and help force her down so his dick could hit her sweet spot.
Her nipples were hard. Her pussy was already soft and wet. Every cell in her body had been taken over by Cian’s assault. He was there with her although their bodies were apart. It was intimate, so intimate. It was a lot like the connection she’d felt with Beck in the arena, though this time she knew what was happening.
Cian pumped his cock. His hand slid from the head down, down, down to the place where the thick stalk met his balls. No wonder men did this an awful lot. It was so different from touching herself. There was a harder edge to it that she found fascinating. It felt really good, and she suddenly knew Cian could do this all morning. He would be careful and prolong the experience. He wanted to keep her in this state. He wanted her writhing and begging. Eventually he would give it to her, but only after he was satisfied that he had the upper hand.
Maybe turnabout was fair play. Cian thought he had all the control. Could she break him? How would he like her pleasure? Would her softness feel as good to him as his rough lust felt to her?
Meg pulled down the bodice of the dress and let her hands find her breasts. She let every sensation flow over her and pushed it toward him. Cian’s state of sexual arousal had her nipples peaked and sensitized. She moaned as she had the twin sensations of Cian’s hand on his cock and her fingers pulling at her nipples.
How did this work? She closed her eyes and fantasized. She wanted Cian. He was different from his brother. He was so open with his sexuality it led her to be open with hers. In her fantasy, she saw Cian climb over her, his big body pressing hers down. She rolled her stiff nipples between her thumbs and her forefingers, tugging lightly. She imagined it was Cian’s mouth there.
He would lick them at first. His tongue would curl around the nipple just before he let her feel the edge of his teeth there. He would bite down lightly, never crossing the line between pleasure and pain. He would bite just enough to make the nipple flare with arousal. He would pop the nipple in his mouth and lave it with affection. Then, because this was her fantasy, she brought Beck in to suck on the other one.
In her fantasy, Beck didn’t deny her anything. He took her breasts because they belonged to him.
In her mind, she saw two dark heads bent over her breasts suckling. She would hold their heads to her breast, her hand sinking into the silky darkness of their hair. Their hands were everywhere.
She felt Cian pick up the pace. His hand was pumping firmly around his cock. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. He was definitely getting the picture. It was time to move on.
Fantasy Cian began to kiss down her belly. He licked and kissed his way south as Beck nuzzled her throat. In her fantasy, she was suddenly tied tightly to the bed. Beck’s hand collared her throat. He told her everything he intended to do to her in a honey-dark voice that left no room for disobedience. He and Cian had plans for their little wife. Cian was going to eat her pussy. Beck would play with her breasts, and after she had come, they would have their pleasure. Beck wanted her mouth. Cian would plunge that hard cock into her pussy. She would be helpless to do anything but feel them. They could do anything they wanted to her, and she would have no defense.
She didn’t need one. They were her lovers, her husbands.
She felt Cian’s deep approval at the image. Her fantasy had become his own. It was everything he wanted, both halves of his soul with one singular purpose between them—her pleasure.
He was getting close. His cock was pulsing as Meg thought about Cian’s tongue fucking her pussy. Cian’s would spear her cunt as thoroughly and ruthlessly as any cock. Beck’s tongue would play on her nipples. Beck would suck on her nipples while Cian would lavish his love on the tiny bead until Meg exploded.
Meg’s fantasy and Cian’s merged into one hot image. She couldn’t tell what she was thinking and what was Cian’s, but she didn’t care anymore. His hand had tightened around his engorged cock. It was purple now as he raced to the finish line. Meg could feel 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 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.”
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.”
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 himself 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.”
“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.
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 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 na nÒg that the twins were alive and had ascended into their power, 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 still 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.
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.