Page 12 of Entwined

“But…how will I know it’s not safe for me, or for the baby? When do I need to make him come back with me?”

His father winced. “Unfortunately, you can’t make him. He needs to accept the transfer of this form to the other side by saying an oath. All you are allowed to do is give him the oath, then he must be the one to say it. Your alpha’s own free will and the words will carry him through the veil. But you can’t warn him that you’re in any peril, or else the oath won’t work.”

Bram swallowed hard. Darby had laughed at him. And even worse, he’d yelled at his alpha, said horrible things. What if hope was already lost?

His father stepped closer then clasped Bram’s shoulder. “I think you already realize what happens if you don’t mate.”

Tears welled in his eyes as he nodded. Refusing to allow an alpha to impregnate him would also cause the withering. For as long as he’d been alive, he’d never once heard of an alpha or omega refusing the bond. They were all filled with so much love, joy and the drive to create, that the mere thought of doing such a thing was abhorrent to them.

Bram tried to control the trembling of his lip. “So…how much time do I have to convince—” He cleared his throat. “I mean, hope that he loves me enough to leave his old life behind?” Bram cringed. Saying it out loud made his task sound even more impossible.

“You’ve been once already.” His da’s voice shook. “Twice more. That’s all.”

“Twice?” Oh no. I’m doomed. “Are you sure the last time counted? We never coupled. We didn’t even kiss!”

“I’m sorry, my dear boy. That doesn’t matter. What counts is that you crossed the veil.”

Bram stamped his foot. “That’s not fair!”

Why had he been so brash? His ma and da had warned him for ages that his impulsive and excitable nature would get him in trouble. He sucked in a sharp breath as another thought occurred to him.

“What about Darby? Is he in danger of withering if we don’t mate?”

His da shrugged. “I wish I knew. We discussed this dilemma at length during the last council meeting, scoured every scroll, but couldn’t find the answer regarding that possibility. Of the three human and fae pairings we were able to find a record of, they had all been successful. The only other information available were the consequences of what would happen if a mating wasn’t fruitful.

“So, no matter what, I have to go back and hope my alpha accepts the bond, for my—and possibly his—sake?”

His da pulled him into an embrace. “Yes, dear boy. But you are filled with sweetness and light, so we must have faith that he will make the right choice.”

Then I must get pregnant right away. Even if the worst happened, at least their baby would survive.

* * * *

Darby slept restlessly, kicking at the blankets, rolling this way and that, punching his pillow then shoving another one beneath it—all in the bid to find the most comfortable position. The exhaustion that had enveloped him before he’d gone to bed wasn’t helping him to stay asleep at all. He drifted in and out of consciousness as his mind tried to will Bram to reappear.

I don’t care if he’s real or not.

All he wanted was to feel the gorgeous, winged creature skin to skin once more. And it wasn’t at all weird that he’d gone to bed sans pajama bottoms and was completely naked—even though he never slept in the nude. Not weird at all.

Darby awoke with a start. Is that…?

He adjusted his eyes to the dim surroundings. He’d left the room dark enough that Bram wouldn’t be scared away, but with a nightlight on the other side of the apartment. He could always rely on the annoying streetlamps outside that glowed through the closed blinds to do the rest of the job for him.

“Alpha Darby?”

Darby yelped—an undignified sound that had seemed loud enough to wake up the entire building. “Bram! You scared the crap out of me.”

Bram hovered into his view and Darby’s chest filled with a surge of happiness. Of course, Bram was stunning. His heavily lashed blue eyes, porcelain skin and luscious lips were only a fraction of his appeal. What drew in Darby more was how innocent and vulnerable he seemed.

Bram wouldn’t lie to me. He wouldn’t cheat or be heartless. Darby wasn’t sure how he knew such a thing, he simply did. Although, he does have quite the temper. Darby smiled. That’s a sign of passion.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you. I don’t know how else to pierce through the veil without it being sudden.”

Bram still hadn’t put away his wings and was too far away in Darby’s opinion. He wanted to touch, to feel the strange connection he’d experienced the last time Bram had been with him. But he wasn’t sure if his advances would be welcome. They hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms.

“That’s okay. I’m just glad you’re here.”

Bram broke into a big smile. “You are? Even after I said those horrible things?”