Bound to the Fey (Book Four of The Mortal Champion): (A Supernatural, Fairy, College, Erotic Romance) Read Free Page A

things.
    A hideous, murderous demon.
    A beautiful, loving woman.
    Which was the real Maeve? How could they be the same person? How could my playful Maeve be that murderous monster?
    Gunnar rose from the bed, careful not to wake Corrigan. The room was icy cold, his skin pebbling. He shivered, glancing at Corrigan. How is she not frozen? He grabbed the covers, pulling them over her nude body before he swiftly dressed, his teeth chattering.  
    As he walked quietly down the stairs, careful to set his feet down softly to not disturb Corrigan, Gunnar struggled to remember last night. Most of the bachelor party was a blur. The strippers, dressed as fairies, had been hot, and Gunnar remembered screwing at least one of them. Evan had arranged it on Maeve's behalf.
    She always wanted to make sure I had fun. So why was she so jealous of Corrigan? Why did she try to kill the woman? How did I even end up here?
    The bachelor party had been at some bar in Gig Harbor, a small town on the other side of the Puget Sound from Tacoma. His best friend Evan had set everything up. Gunnar had quickly become drunk on the spicy beer the bar served, and everything was a brown haze.
    “He mentioned something about a surprise,” Gunnar whispered when he reached the base of the stairs. More of last night flooded back. Evan had led Gunnar from the bachelor party, promising Gunnar a big surprise. He had driven Gunnar to this remote house down a long, dark-wooded road.
    Why had Evan brought me to see Corrigan? He knows Maeve hates the woman?
    Gunnar had definitely been attracted to the beautiful, sensual Corrigan, but he had no intentions of ever pursuing the woman. Maeve hated Corrigan for reasons Gunnar had never learned. So despite Gunnar's free pass from his fiancee to sleep with any woman, he knew Maeve would have been hurt if he slept with Corrigan.
    The living room was in as much shambles as Gunnar remembered. The fire had gone out during the night, and a cold, wet wind blew in through the shattered hole in the wall. Maeve had blown her way in like a vengeful demon.
    Gunnar bent down, prodding the piles of ashes that had been Maeve's demonic hounds. What were they? He grabbed the fireplace poker, a length of black iron. Why did this work so well? Maeve had been afraid of it and her hounds had been killed and set on fire by the simple length of metal.  
    There was something familiar about this poker. Gunnar cocked his head, tracing the twisted pattern up the handle to the tip. It was old, an antique. Like the poker Evan bought the day I purchased Maeve's engagement ring. Had Evan bought this for Corrigan instead of Akiko?
    Gunnar placed it in the holder beside the fireplace. He found his coat discarded in the hallway and walked out the front door. The small house perched on a bluff overlooking the Puget Sound. Across the gray, choppy waters, the city of Tacoma climbed the slopes of the peninsula it was built on. Charred holly bushes surrounded the house, and the yard was littered with red and orange maple leaves, the tree completely denuded of its leaves, its branches sagging. The bark had a gray pallor, almost like the massive tree was dead.  
    Evan's car was gone, and Gunnar didn't notice another one in the driveway. There was no garage, only an empty carport. Gunnar walked down the driveway, entering the dark forest that surrounded the house. The trees were thick, the air moist as he walked down the gravel driveway, stepping around great potholes filled with brown water. The growing roar of speeding cars grew louder. Gunnar caught the occasional flash of hurtling cars through gaps in the woods.
    He reached the road, pulling out his cell phone. It was full of messages from Felicity, Brad, Akiko, and Professor Sommer. He ignored them. He almost called Evan, then hesitated. What's Evan's involvement with Corrigan? Why had he brought me here? If he hadn't, Maeve never would have tried to kill me. I'd be happy not knowing that she's...
    ...a murderous