Page 77 of The Other Side

Osian looked towards the door. “That’s his car. Go now before he sees you.”

When he turned to look at his brother, he’d gone.

Osian opened the door to wait for Drum to put the car away, and when he didn’t appear after a few minutes, he went to find him. Drum stood by the garage talking to Leaf. Oh fuck. Leaf turned to glance at Osian, then walked away. What had he said?

Drum looked pale as he headed towards him.

“What did my brother say to you?” Osian asked.

Drum sighed. “Let me get inside first.”

Osian locked the door. Leaf had only had a couple of minutes to talk, so what had he said? Drum slumped onto the couch, put his arms behind his head and massaged his neck before he dropped his arms. Osian sat next to him.

“Why don’t you tell me what he wanted?” Drum said.

Damn you, Leaf. What did you say? “Leaf was sent to get me. Belem knew I’d taken someone into Faeryland through the gate in the Veil I always use, even though it was only for seconds. On this side, I was able to tell Leaf the truth, about the deal with Belem that let me come and search for you. Leaf thinks I was blood-bound from the outset to keep looking all these years. I don’t care… I wanted to find you.”

“Leaf thinks your compulsion to keep looking was fuelled by Belem.”

“I don’t care what the truth is. Finding you was everything. My heart sang when I saw you. Belem never thought it would happen. I’m not going back. I’m staying with you.”

Drum wrapped his arms around him. “I was told tonight that even from prison, Jackson Ashford is having me hunted. He wants me dead. He doesn’t yet know where I am, but they want me to go into a safehouse until the trial. I refused. Temporarily, at least. I asked for three weeks. Which is about how long you have on this side.”

No, no, no! Osian’s heart clenched.

“Leaf said I’m not a faery.” Drum bit his lip. “A disappointing changeling makes sense. Explains why my fae parents hated me so much. I wonder if my birth parents are still alive? Does the faery who took my place still live? Has he been happy? But there’s no point looking. What good would it do to show me what I’d missed? I could never tell any of them the truth without causing pain. Not that they’d believe me. I’m okay with that. I’m not okay about losing you, but Leaf said if you stay on this side, you’ll die.”

“There might be a way round that. He said I’d stop sleeping, that I’d feel ill. My magic would fail and my lifeforce would diminish, which would force me home. But if I kept going back and forth through the gate that Matthew found, maybe I could stop that happening. Anyway, I’m not leaving you. Especially if you’re in danger.”

“Promise to tell me if you feel ill. Promise.” Drum looked into his eyes.

“I promise.”

“Then come to bed.” Drum stood and held out his hand.

Osian took it and let him pull him up.

As soon as Drum had him in the bedroom, he tugged him into his arms and kissed him, licking along Osian’s lips and pushing them open so their tongues could touch. Osian kissed him back, threading his fingers in Drum’s silky hair, rocking into him so their dicks pressed against each other. Overwhelmed by lust, need, want and by love, Osian’s brain short-circuited.

He had no idea how they came to be naked. He had no memory of stripping himself or Drum, but they stood in front of each other, both breathing heavily and Drum was smiling.

“You’re so beautiful,” Drum whispered. “I feel…”

Osian pulled him close. “You feel what?”

“Clumsy compared to you, scarred, damaged—”

Osian put his fingers over Drum’s mouth. “Don’t. Do you think I see that? I don’t.”

He kissed Drum again and Drum wound his arms around his neck. Osian slid his hands down Drum’s back and cupped his arse. And all the time, they kept kissing more desperately as if they were consuming each other.

Osian edged him back to the bed and they dropped down together, mouths still linked. I want you. I want you. I want you.

“Lube in the drawer,” Drum blurted. “I don’t have condoms. I…”

“We don’t need them.”

“Even if I’m not a faery?”