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
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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