Page 6 of Entwined

Bram went back to chewing on him, only this time, he added tongue.

Darby gently extricated himself, pushing Bram against the pillows by his shoulder. “Yes. I need you to stop.”

Bram stared at him with rounded eyes, as if Darby had broken his heart.

“Y-you don’t like it?”

“No!” Darby took a chance and rubbed Bram’s arm, keeping his touch soft and, he hoped, comforting. “I only meant to stop for right now. You’re very sexy, quite alluring. However, I was thinking we should get to know each other better first, okay?”

“You think I’m sexy?” Bram’s expression had become brighter.

“Yes, very.” Darby gave him a reassuring smile. “Now, tell me more about this place beyond the veil and…” He frowned as he recalled something else Bram had said. “What does it mean when you reach maturity, exactly?”

“There’s so much to tell you about the other side of the veil, but reaching my maturity is very significant for all fae. It’s when we’re ready to mate and find our alpha.”

“You mean, like the age of consent?”

Bram tilted his head. “That must be a human thing, so I don’t know. But it does mean I can finally be impregnated.”

Darby burst out laughing. “With what?”

He mentally chided himself for stopping Bram’s nibbling. They could’ve been making out instead of having a bizarre conversation. I clearly made my dream take a left turn by interfering like that.

Bram jumped from the bed, his wings popping out as he did. Once again, he floated above the floor, but this time, the buzzing sounded much angrier.

“You don’t want our child! I knew having a human as an alpha was a bad idea! Why does fate hate me so?” Tears spilled down Bram’s cheeks despite his furious display. “I would’ve been the best omega for you! I would’ve loved you, our babies and made us a beautiful home. But now, I hope the sun fairies firebomb your whole…your…” Bram balled his fists and growled. “Whatever this filthy place is that you live in!”

With one blink of Darby’s eyes, Bram had vanished. A smell of ozone hung in the air and he whipped away the covers as he shot to his feet.

What the…?

Darby turned the nightlamp up to its full brightness then jogged across the small room, banging his toe into one of the legs of the tray he’d used as he’d eaten his dinner. He hopped the rest of the way to the front door then hit the switch of the overhead light.

No one.

He was completely alone.

Wait. The bathroom.

Darby took a step in that direction, but something cold and slimy squished between his toes. He gasped then glanced down. The kung pao leftovers that Bram had smashed against the wall were now embedded in the carpet. His mind refused to latch on to what that might mean.

Nah. There’s no way that was real. His stomach clenched and he swallowed hard. Not real at all.