Page 136 of Bound (A Faery Story 1)

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He moved to touch her, but she stepped back. He was just trying

to keep her in line. Being physically affectionate with her had worked

so far. It wasn’t surprising he would try it again. “Sure.”

He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “Meggie, don’t cry. It

will be fine. We need money. I have to work. I told you I spent the

last of our gold on the tournament.”

She stood stiffly in his arms, knowing better than to try to break

free. She would only make a fool of herself, and she’d done enough of

that lately. “Fine.”

He sighed and seemed reluctant to let her go. His hands found her

hair. “I’m sorry about last night. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

She shrugged and wished he’d just go ahead and leave. “I won’t

bother you with it again. I didn’t understand.”

She knew he’d been fighting something. She’d just been wrong

about what he had been fighting. He didn’t want to have sex with her.

She was convenient, and he was male. He needed sex, but he’d

obviously found the experience distasteful. He always shut down the

bond. Now she knew why. He didn’t want her to know how he really

felt. It should have been obvious even without the bond. After all, he

had chosen to sleep in a barn rather than sleeping with her.

Bound

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And yet she’d felt his need the night before. It had broken over

her like a wave crashing on a beach. She’d seen little pieces of his

soul. There was a kindness in Beck that didn’t mesh with his current

cruelty. He loved his brother. He’d risked his life to save her. At

times, she’d felt a genuine affection come from him. The confusion

had her in knots. But in the end he couldn’t possibly want her if he

was willing to leave her.

He smiled slightly, a little uptick of his lips. “You just don’t

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