They’d been walking for six hours and had just crossed a small ridge when they found themselves in the borderlands. Gone was the baking red desert, replaced by low, rolling hills covered in long, blue grass. Drew was fascinated by the grass and dropped to his knees to examine it closely. Leila jumped down as well, scratching and pecking, and eating her body weight in grass.
“I think you should be able to try from here,” Zach said, looking around to judge precisely where they were.
Drew nodded, brushing his hands on his jeans as he stood up. “Here goes nothing, I guess.” He held out his hands and Leila flapped her way up and he held her close. Then he closed his eyes and Zach felt his ears pop as Drew began to gather his power.“nusquam par domui1.”
The air grew heavy and charged, and the hairs on Zach’s arms stood on end. Thunder rumbled as the sky was lit up with lightning, and dark storm clouds rolled in. The sheer amount of magic Drew was wielding made Zach’s teeth ache, and yet his boyfriend was hardly breaking a sweat.
Wind swirled around them before it coalesced into a vortex, spinning faster and faster as it gathered dried grass, the odd twig, and even an inky black feather Leila had left behind. The side of the vortex seemed to collapse in on itself, leaving behind an opening. Drew opened his eyes and nodded at Zach. “It’s done. We can leave.”
Reaching out, Zach took hold of Drew’s elbow, since both hands were occupied with his familiar, and guided him forward. They stepped into the vortex and in the blink of an eye, they were back in theirkitchen.
Zach breathed deeply as he looked around the familiar space, noting the oven was now empty and there was a note on the clean countertop.
Turned off your smoke alarm, threw charcoaled remains found in the oven in the trash. I assume Drew has been cooking??? Call me the moment you’re back. Kensington.
“I think you might be in a bit of trouble with the Grand Master,” Zach said with a grimace as he showed Drew the note.
Drew scanned the message and then shook his head. “Fuck that. He can wait until tomorrow. I need food, a hot shower, and then sleep.”
Zach couldn’t deny feeling the same, and he quickly began assembling some turkey and salad sandwiches while Drew refilled Leila’s water and food dishes. They sat together at the breakfast nook and demolished their meals, washing it down with a can of Coke each. Leila left her mix of pellets and grains after a while to share some of the salad from Drew’s sandwich, and it was a serene moment. No one was chasing them, no one was trying to harm them, and no one wanted their heads.
“It was kind of Kensington to clean up,” Drew noted before he shoved the last of his crust into his mouth.
“Mmm,” Zach agreed. “I imagine we may owe the neighbours an apology if our smoke alarm had been going off for a while.”
“I was really looking forward to that pie,” Drew said mournfully. “Maybe I’ll try agai—”
“No!” Zach half shouted, shaking his head vigorously. “If you want pie, we can just buy some. No more baking!”
“I’m sure I can’t fuck up that badly a second time,” Drew protested.
“But is it really worth the risk? I don’t think so.” Zach collected their plates and popped them in the sink to deal with later. “Come on. The shower is calling my name almost as loudly as the bed is.”
With an adorable pout on his lips, Drew stood and scooped Leila into his arms before depositing her on a cushion on the couch. Zach bit his lip to keep in the complaint about that beinghiscushion. He’d notsurvived for over two thousand years without learning when it was safest to hold his tongue. Instead, he headed through to the en suite off their bedroom and got the shower running.
The hot water felt heavenly, and Zach’s eyelashes fluttered shut as the first cascade hit his shoulders. He stood there for a long moment, hardly even aware of the sounds of Drew undressing, just enjoying the feel of the hot water caressing his skin. The glass shower door opened and Drew slipped inside the cubicle before wrapping his arms around Zach from behind and plastering their bodies together.
“Can we just stay here all night?” Drew asked around a moan.
“As good as it feels, I think our bed will feel even better. How about a compromise?” Zach asked.
“Oh?”
“We stay in here until we’re nice and pruned, and then we head to bed where I’ll give you a massage?”
Drew hummed as he considered this. His forehead was pressed against Zach’s back and his breath felt cool compared to the heat of the water. “Counteroffer?”
“Go on.”
“We stay in here until we’re pruned, but instead of a massage, we get each other off in here, and then go straight to sleep once we’re in bed?”
Zach chuckled. “I believe I find that counteroffer more than satisfactory, Mr. Phillips.”
“I’m so glad you do, Mr. Angelo,” Drew said.
Groaning, Zach turned in Drew’s embrace. “I still can’t believe you allowed Simon to use that as my surname on my new ID.”
“Come on, it’s funny!” Drew grinned impishly at him.
