Page 21 of Bound

All I can think about is how I’m going to get away.

“Well, look at you,” a low voice says. “Fae Barbie.”

I shake my head. As upset as I am, the vampire can stillmake me smile. He might be the only thing I halfway understand in this strangeworld. “You have Barbies, too?”

“Oh, yes,” Dante confirms. “My sister filled the house withthem. I used to have my soldiers take them hostage. She had to pay me to getthem back. It was my first business. The consort Barbies come with bite markson their necks. I bet yours don’t have that.”

“No,” I reply and sort of wish Dante was the one I’m tiedto. I’m bouncing all over the place emotionally, but I can’t help it. At leasthe has a sense of humor, and apparently, his plane has things I’m used to likerunning water and indoor toilets.

“Hey.” Dante brushes a tear off my cheek. “None of that.It’s going to be all right. You’ll see.”

“I’m sure it will be fine.” It will be perfectly fine once Iget the hell out of here. Someone will be willing to help me. I don’t buy thatno-going-back crap. If I got here, I can get back.

Dante’s perceptive eyes narrow. “Don’t run. It won’t go wellfor you. There are things in that forest you can’t imagine. Promise me youwon’t run until you meet Cian. Please, give him a chance to be less of anasshole than Beck has been this afternoon.”

“If he’s anything like his brother, there’s no point.” Ican’t help the bitterness that pours out of me.

“But he isn’t, sweetheart. That is the point. Cian is theintellectual half. He’s also the more romantic half,” Dante muses. “It’s oddhow they split. Beck is all the hard and pragmatic bits. He’s all aboutresponsibility and honor, while Cian is playful and instinctive. Sometimes Ithink Beck got the short end of the stick. Of course, Beck is not the one wholies down from time to time and decides to fade because the world is too muchfor him. It’s all very dramatic, trust me.”

I huff and begin to pace. “You are seriously telling me thatthis Cian person isn’t really Beck’s brother, but the other half of him.”

Dante looks thrilled. “Her human brain works! Yes, that iswhat I’m telling you. Two bodies, one soul.” Dante gently touches a finger tomy forehead. “You bridge the two right here. They balance through you. Youcomplete them.”

“And if I don’t want to complete them?”

The vampire smiles sympathetically. “Just meet Cian. Youcan’t begin to understand Beckett until you meet all of him. And he wasn’tdisappointed in you, sweetheart. He was upset with himself.”

“Sure he was.” I’ve heard that one before. It’s not you,Meg. It’s me.

“He was,” Dante says seriously. “He has odd ideas about howa bondmate should be treated. On his plane, a bondmate, especially one of royalblood, expects to be treated like a princess. It took my mom years to relax andlearn to take my father in stride. Right now, Beck sees you as a perfect littlepossession, and he wants to take good care of you. Watch him. You’ll see. Hewon’t let you do anything. He’ll wait on you hand and foot.”

I’ve worked since the day I turned fifteen. No one has everaccused me of slacking off. Of course, I didn’t have much of a choice. “I’m notasking him to do that. I’m not a princess.”

“I know that. You know that. Teach him. You’ll all behappier if you’re a fully functioning member of the team rather than aporcelain doll they take down and very gently make love to, but only afterasking politely.” Dante shudders as though the thought makes him ill. “You’rethe best thing that could have happened to him. Work on Cian first. He’s theopenly passionate one. He’s the one who never wanted that polite bargain wherehe loved you from afar because he was worried his passion would be too much foryou.”

“Beck doesn’t love me.” I’m utterly certain of that truth.“He just met me.”

“He won’t be able to help himself, and neither will you.”The vampire picks up a small satchel Cara filled. He settles it over myshoulder, giving me a sharp slap on the back. It moves me forward a little. “Becareful out there and remember what I told you.”

“And just what did you tell my mate, vampire?” Beck’s eyesare a glacial gray as he stands in the doorway.

I freeze, but Dante merely rolls his eyes. “It’s always Danteor my cos, when he wants something. And when he’s pissed off he callsme vampire. He says it like it’s a bad thing. I’ll have you know that vampiresare the most advanced of all the races. Come to my plane sometime, sweetheart,and I’ll show you. We’re launching a mission to test a deep space shuttle.Vamps in space. It’s going to be awesome.” Dante jauntily slaps his cousin onthe back. “See you at the village. I’ll give Cian your greeting, but I’ll keepmy mouth shut about her. It’s better if she’s a surprise.”

The vampire leaves, and I’m alone with Beck. He’s had ashower, or whatever they take here, and now he’s clean and so gorgeous it hurtsto look at him. His linen shirt is open at the throat. It shows off hisrock-hard chest to spectacular advantage. How had I even thought for a secondhe could want me? I’m not even in his league.

“Are you ready?” The question is asked quietly, but as witheverything the man says, there’s an order to it. He stands looking at me, andmy body heats up, even after everything he did.

If he showed me an ounce of kindness in the arena, I wouldhave been an eager puppy following him without question. I would have writtenoff my previous existence and done everything he asked of me.

I am truly pathetic. He’s done me a favor. “Does it matterif I am or not?”

“No. We need to leave now if we’re going to make it to thelake before midnight. I want to spend the night there.” He holds the flap tothe tent open and gestures for me to exit.

I step out and quickly stop because we’re not alone. “Whatthe hell is that?”

It’s monstrous. It looks like a horse, but someone put it onsteroids and dyed it a dark blue. It’s so dark that one can mistake it forblack, but when the late-afternoon sun hits the thing’s coat, there’s anunmistakable midnight blue shining there.

Beck runs a strong hand along the beast’s back. It’s obvioushe has a fondness for the enormous animal. Even Beck, as big as he is, willhave to haul himself into the saddle. “This is Sweeney. He’s a good boy, aren’tyou? He won’t hurt you, love.”