Page 73 of Beauty

“You can’t be married.”

“Oh, yes, I can. I’m bonded to them. Trust me. I feel theconnection. I think they both want to murder me right about now.” I felt theirpanic, and now even though I put my shields up, I can still feel the fine edgeof fear and irritation. I wondered if they can feel my willpower.

Niall huffs. “No one on this plane will recognize themarriage. They are Unseelie and obviously up to no good. We will wed, and ourpeople will accept it.”

“I am not marrying you. And I might not know my husbandsvery well in this reality, but I know they will take you apart limb from limb,or rather Shim will burn you to a crisp and then Lachlan will play with yourcorpse.”

Not know them? How can I even think the words? I can be asmad as I like, but I know how they kiss and how they love it when I wrap myarms around them. I know that Lach tends to take the lead, and Shim is the softtouch. Lach is always more closed off, but once he opens up, he throws himselfinto everything with an almost wild abandon. The games we played through ourshared dreams when we were children proved that. Lach would start by watchingand standing to the side while Shim held my hand, but by morning Lach would runand play and scream with us. Shim likes stories. Even as we aged. As our dreamsturned more physical, Shim still wanted to hear stories from my life andmade-up tales.

But that was in my dreams. Dreams, not reality. Reality isTorin killing half the plane. Reality is I’m the last of my line still livingon the plane, and I can’t chase after my dreams.

Niall takes a long breath. “It doesn’t matter. We need toget you to Sir Giles’s province. I sent word that I was bringing you.”

“Did you? And how were you going to explain my absence?” Asfar as Niall knew, I was a heap of ashes in the town square.

He flushes. “That’s why I needed the knife.”

“You were going to find someone to take my place. I’m notsure my father would approve.” Of course I also know how ruthless my father canbe. I doubt becoming a corpse-eating ghost softened him much. “I suppose itwouldn’t be too difficult to find someone with the Finn coloring. And if Fathertaught you, then you could perhaps teach her how to do a halfway decentimpression of me. After all, no one has seen me since I was a child.”

He reaches out for my hand. “I was doing what it took tosecure the throne and get rid of Torin so your father has a chance to be freeand your brothers a shot at coming home.”

I avoid his touch. It isn’t a horrible plan.

“Well, now you don’t need to. You have me.” My course isset. My heart aches at the thought of leaving them. I just discovered my DarkOnes, but the only thought that hurts worse than leaving is the idea of stayingand discovering all the ways they plan to use me.

Niall settles his pack on his shoulder. “You need to change.We’ll have to pose as husband and wife traveling to market or looking for work,but people will ask about that dress. It’s too nice to travel in, and it looksas though it got singed. Come on. Let’s go inside and get you ready. You canpack up some small items. It should be two days’ walk to Sir Giles’s.”

He turns and strides back up to the tower. I follow. I’mplacing a lot of faith in a man I barely know, but my father sent him, and I’llfare better with a pretend husband than on my own.

“I’ll be quick.” I rush up the stairs, already pulling atthe ties of my dress. The wolf shuffles up behind me, utterly ignoring mycommand to stay. I open the door to my small room and let the wolf in. “Youonly listen when you want to.”

I cross to the dresser and pull out traveling clothes. Suedepants and a big blousy shirt. Comfortable clothes.

“I suppose you won’t let me eat him now. No one ever does.”A feminine voice causes me to shriek.

I turn and there’s a naked female on the bed. She’s slight,petite, and graceful, with huge blue eyes and a mass of wavy, sun-kissed brownhair. And the wolf is nowhere in sight. A shape-shifter? A hag can shift.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not a hag. Everyone always assumes I’ma hag. Meg says I’m a werewolf, which is much better than what Dante calls me.Shanimal. Silly name and a silly man.”

Dante? “Dante Dellacourt? My cousin?”

The woman smiles, a bright thing that lights up the room.“Your cousin, my husband. I think that makes us family, Bronwyn. Or should Icall you princess? Your brothers are very informal.”

Tears well. Where there was terror only a moment ago, areluctant hope swells inside. “My brothers?” I’m talking to a naked wolf womanwho claims to be my cousin by law. It’s all too much. “I find it convenientthat you suddenly know my brothers.”

The woman’s eyes widen. “I do not suddenly know Beck andCian. I have known them for a while now. At first I think Beck feared that hewould have to slay me. It’s a good thing he did not try. I would have taken achunk out of his hide. And Megan would have been very distressed. She likes me.She’s my cousin, too. It is good to have family. Although my family is veryodd. I like you. You’re different. You seem to understand the necessity to be abit brutal with your enemies. Which brings me back to my original point. Ithink you should allow me to eat that man. He is going to get you in trouble.”

I ignore the fact that the slender woman seems preoccupiedwith eating people. “Who is Megan?”

“Megan is the queen.”

“My brothers bonded?” Torin did everything he could toensure my brothers couldn’t find a proper bondmate. I heard rumors that greatbattles are being fought in the arena when a bondmate can be found. The rumorsare that vampires and refugee Fae will fight to the death in an attempt topossess one.

The woman nods, a small smile on her face. “A true bond.Your brothers have ascended into their powers. Beckett Finn is a Storm Lord andCian a Green Man. Though he is not actually green. He is normal looking. I amtold the title should not be taken literally.”

Beck and Cian formed a true triumvirate. It’s beyondimagining. “I can’t believe it.”

“They came into their powers a few months ago when theyfound Megan, as the Unseelie twins ascended into theirs when they bound totheir perfect mate.”