Page 31 of Bound

“Seriously?” He turns my way. “What the hell were youthinking? Kelpies like to eat people.”

I stiffen at the thought of what might have happened. “Itwas going to eat me? You didn’t tell me it was planning on eating me.”

“Well, it wasn’t inviting you to tea.”

Beck hands me down to the vampire. Dante sets me squarely onmy feet.

“It was a close thing. The kelpie took her deep. I had toslit its throat before it would let her go. I damn near drowned myself.”

“That explains it.” Dante rubs a palm across his forehead.“Early this morning, Cian stopped breathing. It freaked me out. I reallythought he was dead this time. He started again after a minute of myfrantically shaking him. I was surprised that worked. He’s weaker than Ithought.”

Beck slaps his cousin on the shoulder. “It’ll be fine now.”He turns to his horse and releases the saddle on its back. With an easystrength, he hefts the heavy saddle with one arm and smacks the horse’s rumpwith the other. “Go on now. Go rest.” The great beast lumbers off to whereverit goes to rest.

“You haven’t seen him.” Dante rushes after Beck. “He’s worsethan ever. I don’t know if you can bring him back.”

I follow the small procession, trying to take in my new homeas I hurry to keep up. It looks a little like a farm out of the shire from Lordof the Rings. If the inhabitants had averaged six and a half feet and leteverything decay around them.

The front yard is badly in need of attention. There’s asmall flower garden, but whatever grew there lost the battle against invadingweeds long ago. There’s also an odd-looking motorcycle leaning against a fence.The bike proudly boasts a Harley-Davidson logo. So weird.

Beck sighs as he looks at the garden, completely ignoringthe bike. There’s an air of unsurprised disappointment about him. “I supposethe vegetable garden is the same.”

“Worse.” Dante’s boot kicks the dirt where there should havebeen flowers growing. “Flanna and some girls from the village came and savedwhat they could. She said she would preserve the vegetables and make jelly fromthe strawberries, but that was all she could promise.”

Beck nods. “I’ll be sure to thank her in the morning. Herfamily is good to us. We’ll need every bit we can salvage if we’re going tomake it through the winter.”

“Damn it, Beck. I can help.”

Whatever the vampire is about to say is cut off by Beck’slow growl. “I’ll provide for my wife.”

I slip my hand into Beck’s. Now is a good time to continuehis training. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

I’m not. I am slightly terrified. The house, or brughas Beck calls it, is small, and though solidly built, there’s an air of neglectabout it. I have more work to do than I could have imagined. I try to let noneof that slip through. I focus on giving off an air of trust and love.

“I promise you won’t go hungry,” Beck says, stroking myhair. He does it unconsciously now. He hasn’t started reaching for me yet, butwhen I touch him, he pulls me close and seems to revel in the contact.

“I know,” I say, giving him a sweet smile.

Beck sighs and squeezes my shoulders. “I’m going in, love.You stay out here for a moment with Dante. Let me get Cian ready. He’d kill meif I let you see him at his worst.”

The door opens and closes behind him. I’m left alone with agrinning Dante.

“The human learns,” Dante snarks.

I roll my eyes and punch him on the arm. I’ve never had anobnoxious brother, but that’s what Dante feels like. In some ways, I’m morecomfortable with him than Beck. “I’ll have you know I’m highly educated,asshole. I have two degrees. How many do you have?”

“Only the one,” Dante allows. His chest puffs with pride. “Igraduated from the most respected business college in America.”

“You mean Vampire America.” I really want to see whatAmerica looks like with vamps in control. “What did you major in? Boozing?Partying? Falling asleep in class?”

Dante looks thrilled with my new attitude. “The real MeggieFinn comes to life, thank the gods. I thought you were a little boring therefor a while, but I caught the faintest hint of bitch, so I had hope. I merelyminored in boozing, though I was excellent at it, thank you. I have a degree inmanagement systems. How about you?”

“English and history,” I reply, looking out at the barn. Itneeds a coat of paint, but it seems solid. There’s a pen with what I hope areregular, non-homicidal sheep in the far field. I’m not going to presume. Afterall, the horses here try to eat people.

Dante snorts. “You studied English? Seriously? You got adegree in a language you already speak?”

“There’s more to it than that.” It’s not the first time Ihad to defend my choice of degrees. “There are novels, and the study of how towrite.”

“The schools must be different there. I knew how to write infirst grade. I guess you’re slower. All I know is my parents would never havepaid for me to lounge around for four years studying a language I already knewhow to speak and reading DLs. Maybe you should have taken a course in how toavoid getting eaten by deadly forest creatures.”