Meg turned away because he had seen way too much. Her hands were still shaking from the physical process of bonding.
He was suddenly behind her, winding his arms around her. His hair was loose. She felt it on her skin. “I won’t ever leave you, wife. I know Beckett can be hard to understand, but he is loyal. He won’t abandon you. We’re here for you, Meg. We’re bound together forever, wife. You’re safe with us.”
She didn’t believe that for a second. The door to the bedroom opened, and Meg was glad for the distraction. A small brown woman walked in. Cian gave her a squeeze before shifting to stand at her side. He kept an arm around her. Meg could feel his affection for the strange-looking woman.
“Meggie mine, this is Flanna,” Cian said. “She is a very valuable member of our little court.”
Flanna grinned, showing her gapped teeth. Meg was fascinated by another non-human creature. Despite her aching head, she kneeled down to get on the same level as the elderly woman. It seemed like the polite thing to do. Meg felt Cian’s pleasure at her gesture. The bond made it easy to sense his moods.
“Hello, I’m Meg. It’s very nice to meet you.”
The woman bowed deeply. “And you, Your Highness. I cannot express my joy at this bonding. It has saved us all. Surely Danu herself sent you to us.”
Meg looked up at Cian, hoping he would explain who this Danu was.
He merely grinned down at her. “I’ll give you a full lecture on the religious beliefs of the Fae at another time, sweetheart. For now, our people await. They long to meet their queen.”
Meg was up on her feet in an instant. “Queen?”
Cian’s smile was slow and sure as he leaned over and whispered in her ear. “What do you think they call the woman who fucks the King, my lover? I know you’ve been fucking big brother, and I mean to have some of that, too. I’ll have you in my bed by the end of the week. I promise you won’t want to leave.” With that, he dropped a light kiss on her cheek and walked to the door. “Get dressed, my Queen. We have a party to attend.”
With that, he winked at her and disappeared behind the door. Meg sank to the bed and took a deep breath. She had thought Beckett was a lot to deal with. He hadn’t actively tried to seduce her. Cian had just made a declaration of intent.
“He’s a charmer, that one,” Flanna was saying with a chuckle as she walked to the small closet. She went on tiptoes to open the door and pulled down a sumptuous-looking gown. She turned back to Meg. “I wouldn’t bother trying to hold him off, Your Highness. He’ll be in your bed before you know it. No woman can hold off Cian Finn when he wants them.”
“What about Maris?” The name came straight into her head. She searched her new memories. The blonde Fae bondmate was named Maris.
Flanna looked surprised. She handed the dress to Meg. “He performed a true bonding, then?”
“So he tells me,” Meg replied. The dress was sapphire blue with flowing skirts. There was delicate embroidery around the bodice. “She was his fiancée?”
The small woman nodded. “She was engaged to the princes at a very young age. Their father chose her. She came from impeccable bloodlines. She was very much the lady.”
While the other woman’s voice had been even, there was hostility there as well. Meg regarded Flanna astutely. “You didn’t think she was right for Cian?”
“I didn’t think she was right for either of them,” Flanna said. “Come along, Your Highness. I will help you get dressed while we gossip. It’s a sacred thing in a royal court, and I’ve missed having a queen to gossip with.”
Meg allowed Flanna to pull and prod her into the dress while she spoke. “Maris was a cold girl, and she would have become an even colder woman. Beck accepted the betrothal because Beck always obeyed his father. He convinced Cian to accept it as well, but I know Cian was worried about actually bonding with her. He would never have formed a full bond with her, I promise you that.”
Flanna got on the bed to button Meg’s dress up the back. “He was pretty out of it. I don’t know that he intended to go so far with me. Beck didn’t.”
Meg watched in the mirror as Flanna put the finishing touches on the dress. She looked a little like a faery princess. She was a long way from Fort Worth.
“Don’t let that worry you,” Flanna said, getting off the bed. “Beck has his reasons. He’s done things he’s not proud of. Give him time. Let him come to trust you.”
Shaking her head, Meg stood and smoothed the skirts one last time. Flanna gave her soft slippers for her feet. She had no intention of bonding with either brother any more than she already had. It wasn’t fair, but she didn’t intend to give Cian a chance to hurt her. She would get through the evening and then sit Cian down in the morning for a thorough discussion of how this “marriage” was going to work.
In the meantime, she would get used to her new home. From the sounds of the party going on in the front yard, it seemed as though she was about to meet the entire village. It was time to put her game face on and start that learning curve.
She allowed Flanna to escort her to the door. They walked into the living room. The music was louder out here. The door was open. Meg could see the night was lit up with torches and a huge bonfire. All manner of Fae creatures danced around the bonfire. Some of them didn’t look even vaguely human. Meg felt her jaw dropping and forced it to close. A cheer went up when she walked into the yard.
“Welcome, Queen Meg,” they said as she passed.
She plastered a stunned smile on her face as they welcomed her. Then there was only one person in the whole world as Cian Finn walked up to her. He was so beautiful that Meg felt her heart seize.
“My queen,” he said, bowing. He held out his hand. “A dance for your poor husband?”
Meg let him lead her. When she was encircled by his arms, her head against his chest, she realized that Cian Finn might be even more dangerous than his brother.
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.