Bound (A Faery Story 1)

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Cian looked down at the soap in his hand and decided that as long

as he was here, he would clean up. He felt grungy. He remembered he

had taken to his bed. It had seemed like a smart thing to do. The big

bed was a familiar place. He always knew where he was. Even if he

got lost in memory, the bed was safe. There was always a voice

whispering to him that the bed was a nice place to be. It was better

than eating or being up and about. He could just sort of drift away.

Cian managed to soap his hair before his mind shifted again, and

he forgot what he was supposed to do. By then his body had become

used to the chill of the pond. It was a simple thing to float on his back

and gaze up at the sky.

The sky above him was a vibrant blue. The puffy white clouds

took on various shapes and forms. Some of the damn things reminded

him of mathematical equations. The shapes could be described

mathematically. He had always wanted to study math. His father had

promised him when he turned nineteen that he could go to live with

his aunt for a while on the Vampire plane. Beck was going to learn

their fighting techniques and make political contacts. Cian was going

to the university. He was going to study. It would be marvelous. He

couldn’t wait to meet other students and talk to professors. He wasn’t

going to the same school as his cousin, but they would be close. He

would be surrounded by books.

And he could get away from the stuffy old court. Someone was

always watching him, waiting for him to screw up and break the rules.

He didn’t always follow protocols or behave in a matter befitting a

prince of the realm. His father would sit him down and tell him how

much he was embarrassing his brother and his fiancée.

But Cian would be free on the Vampire plane. He could meet

some girls who didn’t look at him like he was a fool. They wouldn’t