Page 107 of The Other Side

“I need to work out exactly what Belem contracted me into. Every fae deal involves a request, an offer and a consequence. Fae trick humans by weaponising the words they use. If something matters to you, they will use it against you. They can use your love, your grief, your envy. Belem used my love and my grief. He stopped me from telling anyone about our deal. He blood-bound me.”

“We did that too. You remember?” Drum reached out, his fingers stopping just short of Osian’s skin. “We were in our tree house. We cut our palms and promised to never lose each other, ever. That’s a blood-oath, too. Maybe it’s stronger than Belem’s. Maybe that’s why we found each other.”

Osian desperately wanted to give Drum hope, but how could two children have spun a magic stronger than a full-blood, high-born fae? Drum didn’t have a single drop of magic in his veins other than the help Osian’s mum had given him as a child.

But as the words settled between them, a cold clarity washed over Osian and it made him understand exactly what he had to do.

“The tree house,” Osian whispered. “Drum…where’s the knife we used?”

Drum blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in Osian’s intensity. “God, I don’t know. Probably buried in soil under the roots of the tree by now. Why?”

Osian sat up, ignoring the rule as he grabbed Drum by the shoulders. “Because that knife was Oliver’s and he’s high-fae. I think that made all the difference. A childhood promise shouldn’t have the weight of a binding contract, but it did. Fae magic feeds on intent and emotion. We didn’t know what we were doing, but we poured absolute, unadulterated love and devotion into that moment when we joined our bleeding palms. Belem didn’t initiate a new bond with me, Drum. He hijacked an existing one to push and pull me between realms.”

Drum’s eyes widened. “You sure?”

“No, not sure but there’s a chance I’m right that Belem’s contract isn’t rooted in his domain. It’s rooted here, in us.” Osian stood up, a fierce, desperate energy vibrating through his limbs. The fading that Leaf had warned him about wasn’t a biological rejection of the mortal realm, it was the tether pulling him back because the anchor was still buried in the earth under that tree.

“I have to go back to the woods,” Osian said. “I have to make sure that knife stays safe, and break Belem’s hold before it breaks us. And I need a present for the Queen. Flowers from your garden.”

Chapter Seventeen

Drum stared at Osian, horror tightening his chest. “You want to go back?”

“I have to,” Osian said, his voice flat with resolve. “I have to make sure we’re both safe from Belem. I need to know the exact words of the blood-oath I made with him. I should have written it down.” He huffed. “He probably ensured I didn’t. But if I don’t sort this out now, it will never end. We’ll never be safe.”

Drum swallowed hard, a cold knot forming in his stomach. “What if you don’t come back?”

“I promise you I will. I swear it.” Osian moved closer, his eyes fiercely intense. “And if something happens that delays me, Leaf will come. Trust no one else, no matter who they claim sent them. Do you hear me? Give your full name to no one. Guard your middle name with your life. Never thank a faery, because thankfulness implies a debt and they will demand payment. Never apologise to one either, because that admits a fault, and they will extract payment for that too. Maybe I should ask Fi and Will if you can stay with—”

“I’m not helpless,” Drum interrupted, trying to mask the tremor in his voice. “There’s no need for that.”

“Ashford’s people—”

“Have no idea where I am,” Drum insisted. “And you won’t be away long. I’ll be fine.”

He forced his biggest, brightest smile to his face, plastering it on like armour. “One thing, though. That list Belem gave you? We should get everything he put on it. Think of it as a tactical bribe. It might disarm him.”

Osian paused, considering it. “That’s a good point.”

“Let’s go inside and place the order. I should be able to get most of it delivered tomorrow. We can hit the supermarket for the food in the morning. I can make up a reason to run to High Burton. Hell, I can probably get the whole lot delivered.”

Drum pushed to his feet, gathering his clothes. If Osian believed this was the only way forward, Drum wasn’t going to let his own terror drag him down. He had to be Osian’s anchor, not a weight around his neck.

But minutes later, sitting at the kitchen table in front of the glowing laptop screen, Drum had to fight to suppress a groan of horror as he looked at Belem’s list. The first few items were benign, but the rest… He’d seen the list before, but actually placing the order made his stomach churn.

“Who knew Amazon sold artisanal cheese?” Drum forced a laugh, his fingers flying across the keys. “Well, a supermarket partner through Amazon, but still.”

He worked his way down the grocery section, ticking boxes. “Sugar, spices, cheese… all right, what’s next?”

“Marbles,” Osian said.

“Why does he want marbles?”

“To give them away, to make children like him.”

“What a creep.” Drum scrolled through the search results. “This selection looks the best. Oh, look, it includes ones that glow in the dark.”

“Add them. Four boxes.”