That…wasn’t awful. It could be worse.
It could be Lyra—or gods forbid,Samuel—chasing him through the woods with the intention of sexually assaulting him.
A rickety bridge appeared before him and Zane darted across it, his momentum too great to turn away. There were gaps and missing boards, and unfortunately, halfway across his foot got stuck and he tripped.
He hit the bridge hard, another full plank falling away beneath him, and cursed when the star crystal blade slipped from his grasp. Forgetting all about his assailant, he hastily reactivated his flashlight app and rushed to the edge in search of the blade. Zane let out a sigh of relief when he saw that not only was the bridge not that far off the ground, but his knife had also stuck between two rocks in the stream running beneath him.
He was in the process of reaching for it when the sound of footsteps approaching reminded him what he was doing and he froze for half of a second, mind struggling to make a decision.
The knife was a gift from Kelevra and meant a lot to Zane but…
It didn’t seem like it was going anywhere.
He’d come back for it.
Sending one last longing glance down at the hilt, he shot back to his feet and ran.
Chapter 5:
It was easy enough to get Zane to go where he wanted him. At first, Pavel thought perhaps the doctor was playing along on purpose, but it became apparent when he tripped and lost his precious dagger that wasn’t the case at all.
He was acting on instinct.
Hot.
Pavel tracked him through the forest, making sure to keep enough of a distance his quarry felt like he was getting away, only snapping a branch or twig here and there to scare Zane enough to switch directions. His actions led Pavel to believe this really wasn’t a kink Zane had ever exercised before. Typically when he hooked up with Kazimir, the two of them met at a hotel, so Pavel had an inkling, but to get confirmation…
He liked that he would be Zane’s first. That he was the only one who’d ever hunted his man down.
The only one.
He was going to be the only one.
Period.
Pavel felt how close he was to snapping and practically groaned when he noticed how close they finally were to their destination. With the darkness still thick around them, hedoubted Zane could make out the towering stone structure he was racing toward.
Sure enough, the delectable doctor darted beneath the stone arch, entering what was left of the courtyard to what had once been a sprawling castle-like manor. The residence had been abandoned in the woods, forgotten until Pavel had stumbled upon it some years ago. He’d claimed the space as his own and knew every nook and cranny like the back of his hand.
The courtyard, which had once been a grand entrance with high stone walls, was missing two sides and had cracks across the cement floor. The front of the manor wasn’t in any better shape, practically the entire siding of the home crumbling. That only worked in Pavel’s favor though; Zane was unable to sense the danger since he couldn’t process the trees fading, making way for walls until it was too late.
Only a few rooms had survived, and none of them were on the first level. Trees had grown through the floorboards, reaching up high and breaking through the roof to let in bright swaths of moonlight.
By the time Zane noticed the change, he was already in the hallway, his steps slowing before he came to a complete stop, his confusion obvious from the set of his shoulders.
Excitement took control and Pavel’s plan to let the other man scramble through the manor a bit was snuffed beneath it. He strolled forward on silent feet, laughing when his hand came up to wrap around Zane’s throat so suddenly the other man yelped.
He shoved him hard, practically tossing him into the room on the left, blocking the doorway as he watched Zane regain his footing and take in his new surroundings.
This room was missing the left and far walls, with only a single stone beam set at the corner and a bit of edging left. From the gaping hole across from the door, the ocean could be heardslapping against the side of the cliff the manor had been built on. A chilly breeze swept through the room, the low whistle almost covering Zane’s shocked gasp as he wildly glanced around.
“What the…” His eyes landed on the far corner, where a bed was tucked against the remaining walls. The roof was intact there as well, shielding that area from the elements. An iron poster bed had been made up, the black silk sheets smoothed out carefully. He stared at the organized pillows for a moment before his gaze slipped to the center of the bed where a thick link of chains had been left.
Pavel was on him in a flash, and because Zane was still so caught up with the chain on the bed, he instinctively retreated, unaware that that was precisely where he intended for him to go.
In his quick perusal of the rest of the room, he’d missed the chain Pavel had previously coiled around the stone pillar, and Zane made another shocked sound when suddenly a heavy metal cuff was snapped around his wrist, locking him in place with only half a foot or so of wiggle room.
“What the fu—” Zane was pushed against the beam, his mouth covered by Pavel’s in his desperation.
