Page 44 of Bound

There’s no small amount of sympathy in the other woman’seyes. “He told me last night. He asked if I would come up and see if you neededanything. Cian can be difficult.”

Cian stares at the blonde. He comes around and put his handson my shoulders. Every muscle in his body seems bunched and tight, almost asthough he’s ready for a fight. “You shouldn’t be here. Go away.”

“You see. He’s difficult. I hope he doesn’t get violent withyou. I don’t know what Beck was thinking, leaving you with him. He can be soinsensitive sometimes. You know men.” There’s a slight sheen of tears in thewoman’s eyes. She makes a scene of trying to hide them.

The blonde before me is tall and delicately feminine. Shehas a perfect face, with light blue eyes and cheekbones any model would killfor. I don’t buy the tears, though. Those seem fake. I’ve been around enoughmean girls to identify one even on another plane. The woman in front of me hastaken special care to let me know she spent time with my husband. “What can Ido for you, Miss?”

“I am Liadan.” The introduction comes with a slight sniffle.“I live in the house on the other side of the fields. I’ve known the brothersfor several years now.”

“Beck likes her, but I don’t,” Cian says stubbornly.

I don’t like her either. There’s something very cold aboutthe blonde, though she’s putting on a friendly front. “All right, Liadan. Whatcan I do for you?”

She seems put off by my forwardness. “Like I said, lastnight when His Highness visited me, he asked me to check in on you. He wantedme to see if there was anything you needed. He was concerned about his brother,you see. He told me he brought you in to save Cian. The king loves his brothervery much. He is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for his brother.”

“His happiness with you?” I ask boldly because I’m doneplaying around with the woman who has obviously come to size up thecompetition.

Liadan gasps. Her cornflower blue eyes narrow. “Well, ifwe’re going to be plain, then, yes, he’s sacrificing the happiness he’s foundwith me. We’ve been together for almost a year now.”

“I haven’t been with her.” Cian seems very intent on makingit clear he has nothing to do with his brother’s mistress.

“Like I would have you.” There’s a sneer on Liadan’s face asshe looks at Cian. It doesn’t go away when she turns back to me. She doesn’tseem so pretty now. “Look, I’ve heard you’re human, so you don’t know how thisworks. Beck is mine. He has been for a while now. He chose me. Because of hisunique nature, he’s stuck with you. He hopes you can keep Cian alive, and he’swilling to endure this marriage because of it.”

Cian’s hands twitch. Even though we aren’t bonded, I canfeel his anger rising. It makes it easier to ignore my own emotions. I put myhands over his and rub. It seems to help. “You’re upsetting him. I’m not goingto do some hair-pulling, name-calling thing with you. If you want Beck, feelfree to have him. I don’t consider myself married to him, anyway. I am wellaware of the place I have in his life. If you can make him happy, more power toyou.”

Now my husband’s honey looks seriously confused. “You don’tcare that he will continue to come to my bed?”

“I have no intentions of sleeping with him, so go for it,” Isay as simply as I can. Meeting Liadan helps a lot. It explains why Beck is ashesitant as he is. He’s in love with someone else. I wish he was up-front andhonest. I would have helped Cian regardless, and then I wouldn’t have had myheart broken.

The blonde nods. “As long as we understand each other.” Sheturns to go, but then comes back. “He’s going to kill me for this, but I can’tsay nothing. You should think twice before you bond with Cian.”

“I want to bond with her.” Cian’s hands tighten possessivelyaround me. “She is our wife.”

Liadan sighs and rolls her eyes impatiently at Cian. Shedismisses him and focuses on me. “He’s too far gone. If you bond with him,he’ll pull you into his madness. You’ll end up just like him. Beck didn’tmention that, did he?”

I shake my head. He didn’t mention that possibility at all.

“Of course he didn’t,” the other woman says. “You would besafer walking away. There is the slight possibility that Beck would die, buthe’s the stronger half. He would most likely live if Cian faded. It would behard, but he could be stronger for it.”

“I won’t fade,” Cian swears. He seems to be talking tohimself now.

The blonde shrugs. “I thought you should know. Beck is usingyou to his own ends, and it could cost you. You should give it a lot of thoughtbefore you risk your life trying to save a stranger’s.”

Liadan walks away, and I get Cian calm again. I sit down andpull out the computer Dante left me. I pull up the articles I found and rereadthem. Then I go deeper. I find more information on Fae psychic bonding than Icould have hoped for. Vampires are very interested in it as it mirrors theirown bonds with consorts. Sure enough, there’s a possibility that bonding withsomeone as far gone as Cian could hurt me. It’s not a big possibility, but italso isn’t recommended.

And despite what Liadan said, if Cian died, Beck will morethan likely go insane.

I look at Cian as he sits by the fire. He’s watching me,waiting for me to do something or go somewhere so he can follow me. He remindsme of a puppy, eager to please.

If I had half a brain, I would take my husband’s mistress’sadvice and flee the scene. I know I should take a day or two to decide if Iwant to risk my sanity and life for one man who dumped me after two days ofmarriage and another I barely know at all.

If Cian was drowning, would I not try to help him? Everyfirefighter who ever ran into a burning building knows he or she could die.They do it anyway. Because they’re brave. Because they wouldn’t be able to livewith themselves if they didn’t take the chance.

It’s time to be brave.

“You’re a very pretty lady.” Cian’s voice is all smoothtones. There’s a deliciously decadent look on his face. “Can I buy you a drink?My name is Cian Finn, by the way.”

I set the computer down. I’ve never been one to slowly peela Band-Aid off. It’s better to just rip it off and get the pain over with. “Oh,we’re so doing this now.”