Bound (A Faery Story 1)

underestimate the vampires. They might seem soft because their true

passion was business, but they were fierce predators. When the fight

began, they would be in touch with their primal natures.

“Your Highness,” a young Fae said, not quite meeting his eyes as

he walked past.

He was the first of ten men who walked past him. Beck could feel

their disappointment. They had paid their money and laid their hopes

on the line, too. Beck tried not to feel guilty. He had to do whatever it

took to save his brother.

“Bastard,” one of the vampires spit as he walked up to Beck. His

fangs were out, a sure sign of his rage. “Don’t even try to pull that shit on me, Finn. You aren’t a late entrant. Those fucking gnomes kept

you out of sight until it was too late. None of us would even have

tried, knowing you were going to be here.”

Beck was very still, though his eyes watched every move the

vampire made. He looked vaguely familiar, but then, vamps often

looked the same to Beck. “I paid my money like the rest of you. I

wasn’t responsible for the list of competitors.”

The vampire sneered, and now he had others backing him up. The

sidhe had all left, but the vampires were standing against him. “Right.

You don’t have any sway with the gnomes.” His voice was filled with

sarcasm. “They still see you as their king. Are you taking a cut?”

Beck’s eyes narrowed. A few of the smarter vampires took a step

back. “I just want the girl. I’m not getting anything out of this except

the girl.”

Bound

45

He tamped down his rage with ruthless precision. He thought

about Meg sitting in the stands watching. He’d have given years off

his life for her not to watch him. He didn’t want her scared of him.

“We’ll see about that.” The vampire’s fangs were already long in