The maid had gone along with him because he was a prince. He had power over her, and she feared him. Women were fragile creatures. They required gentleness. Anything else was monstrous. If they said they liked his rough ways, they were lying to gain his favor. His father had explained that if he treated his bondmate this way, she would leave both him and Cian, and he would bring great shame to his family.
Beck had been very solemn and careful around Maris. There had been no sex at all with her, and sexual contact wouldn’t be allowed until they had bonded. He vowed to treat her with honor, and to never let her know about the beast inside him.
Why couldn’t he do the same with Meggie? His heart was sick. He loved her. He’d seen deep to her soul. He knew that he could never have cared for Maris the way he did Meg. No matter what anyone said, bondmates weren’t interchangeable.
Meggie was soft and vulnerable, despite that tart tongue of hers. She wanted to please him. He had to be a man and show her that she didn’t need to. She hadn’t been born into Fae society. She didn’t know about the sacred contract between a bondmate and her husband. It would be easy to take what she was offering. She would never know the difference, but it wouldn’t be honorable.
She’d left the trail here. He could easily see that she had almost walked a complete circle. Maybe she was back at camp, having learned that the woods were tricky. Maybe she was waiting for him.
He would be gentle with her. He wouldn’t let his rage at her defiance show. He damn sure wouldn’t do what he wanted to. He wanted to pull those pants down, spank her bare ass red, and then fuck her until she begged him to stop. He wanted to imprint himself on her so strongly she would never run from him again.
He had almost made it to the hill above the river when he felt her. He felt her terror before he heard the scream. It flooded his body, causing his heart to pound and his soul to ache. She was so scared, and she instinctively reached across the distance to find him. The bow was in his hand as he crested the hill. In one smooth move, he pulled and notched an arrow. He was aiming before he even knew what threatened her.
A kelpie, he realized, horrified at the sight. She was on the kelpie’s back, and it was already taking off. Her scream echoed through the forest. Beck knew it would haunt him. He let the arrow fly, hoping to hit the heart before the horse got away with his wife. Beck heard the thud of the arrow striking flesh, but it didn’t slow the damn thing down. The horse plunged into the icy river and his wife disappeared.
Beck felt her panic. He did the only thing he could do. He forcefully cut the connection between them. He couldn’t do what he needed to do if he was overwhelmed with her fear. Beck rushed out into the river, cursing the cold. He took three deep, long breaths to fill his lungs, pulled out a cold iron knife and dove after them.
The river was clear, and the early morning light illuminated the scene. The kelpie had gone deep. She was sitting patiently at the bottom of the river among the thick reeds that swayed with the current. It would be a peaceful scene except for the woman struggling to survive. She couldn’t. The horse would hold her in place until the river took her life. When she was dead, the kelpie would release her and devour her. If Beck hadn’t found her, all he would have been left with was her heart. The kelpies never ate the hearts.
Meg was still struggling, but he could tell she was losing. Her eyes flared as she saw him swimming toward her. She tried so hard to push her body towards his, as though in her last moments, she needed to get as close to him as possible. He swam straight to her and took her head in his hands. He kissed her, forcing the air he’d held in his mouth down to her lungs. It wasn’t much, but he needed every minute if he was going to save her.
Why the hell had she climbed on a kelpie’s back, he wondered as he tried to saw through the thick hairs holding her down. The horse was having none of that. She kicked out, trying to catch him with her powerful legs. He didn’t dare touch the mane with his own hands, lest he get as trapped as his wife.
The horse caught him in the chest. He flew back in the water, all the air blowing from his lungs. He floated helplessly back up to the surface. His mouth opened instinctively. He dragged air into his chest. The knife was still in his hands. He’d managed to hold onto it.
How long had she been under? How long could a human go without breath in her body?
She wasn’t Fae. Her small body was more fragile. Goddess, he was going to lose her. Beck breathed in one last time and dove again.
This time Meg was slumped over. She moved as the current moved, and her beautiful hair swayed with the reeds. Beck refused to give up. He went straight for the monster who was trying to take his woman. Beck avoided the strong, kicking legs of the kelpie and savagely went straight for its throat. He didn’t even try to keep his hands clear. He forcefully planted his left hand in the horse’s mane. It stuck immediately. He couldn’t move it, but it served as an anchor. If he couldn’t kill the fucker, he would go down with her. He would die as close to his mate as possible.
With a sort of savage glee, Beck shoved the blade he held in his right hand deeply into the horse’s throat. The kelpie, unable to kick him at this angle, tried to use her teeth to bite him. Beck dodged her mouth. He used every bit of strength he had left to drag the blade through the kelpie’s thick flesh. As the water around him clouded with blood, Beck knew he would kill the monster, but realized it was too late. He felt his consciousness begin to fade. They would die down here. Cian would never know what happened. They were too far from each other. Cian would fade, never knowing why his brother hadn’t returned.
Then his hand was free, and he felt himself beginning to float.
He shook his head as his lungs started to burn. He forced himself to move. He had to get a hand on Meg. He pulled at her shirt and started to swim for the surface. He kicked his legs, even though he felt so weary. He used every bit of his will to propel himself and Meg to the air above.
The sun was warm on his skin when he reached the surface and was finally able to breathe in sweet, clean air. Meg was a dead weight in his arms. He knew he had to get her to land before he could try anything. He swam as fast as his legs would take him. Seeing her skin so blue sparked an adrenaline rush that powered him through the water. When he could touch the bottom, he pulled her small frame into his arms and raced to the shore.
“Please come back,” he muttered as he laid her down. He filled his lungs and then opened her mouth. He covered her lips with his, sealing them together and then pushed the air into her lungs.
Nothing.
He tried again, his heart racing. She couldn’t be dead. He would have felt it. He was sure he would have known. But then he’d thrown up barriers. He’d felt like he had to. But if she died alone, he would never forgive himself. She would have died reaching out to him, and he’d coldly closed their bond.
He tried a third time. Suddenly her eyes fluttered, and her whole body convulsed. He quickly turned her over as she threw up the water in her lungs. Her body shook as he pulled her close. He freely opened the connection, letting her feel the relief flooding his body. She started to cry and turned over to clutch at him. Her arms wound around his chest. She sobbed into him.
Beck stroked her hair and rocked with her. He closed his eyes and held her close. She was alive. That was all he could ask for.
Chapter Eight
Meg was still shivering hours later as she sat in Beck’s lap atop Sweeney’s great back. Beck had spoken very little. It seemed like a good thing to let him stew at the time, but it had been many miles since he said a word. Meg was getting tired of the silence.