Page 22 of Heartflame

“Oh please,” Lysander laughed. “I’m everyone’s type.”

Fuck… this guy was goddamn annoying. Is this what I sounded like to Quill?

I felt a muscle twitch in my jaw. This fae was either genuinely oblivious or he was deliberately trying to get a rise out of me, and I wasn’t entirely sure which was worse. The fact that he seemed to think he had some kind of claim on Quill, that he could just casually invite him to orgies, made my blood simmer.

“Maybe he’s just not interested in your thing,” I said, keeping my voice level even though every instinct in my body wanted to growl at him. “Ever think of that?”

“Nah,” Lysander said with the kind of casual confidence that only came from someone who’d never been told no in their life. “Everyone’s interested in my thing. Quill just needs the right invitation, the right... motivation.”

I turned to look at him fully then, and I must have let something show in my expression because even Dax, the werewolf, shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “He’s not interested,” I said quietly. “Trust me on that.”

“Oh, so you two are definitely a thing,” Lysander said, and there was something almost triumphant in his tone. “That explains why he’s been so distracted lately. He’s usually more focused on his studies.”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I turned my attention back to the trail, waiting for Quill to emerge from the woods. The other runners were still out there somewhere, their positions spread out along the course. But I wasn’t interested in them.

“You know,” Lysander continued, apparently undeterred by my silence, “I’ve never actually asked him directly if he was into guys. He just never seemed interested when I mentioned it. But if you’re⁠—”

“He’s into me,” I cut him off, the words coming out more possessive than I’d intended. “And he’s not interested in your little parties.”

“Fair enough,” Lysander said, and he actually sounded amused rather than offended. “Can’t blame you for keeping him to yourself. He’s got a nice ass.”

That did it. I felt something primal rise up in my chest, a deep rumble that started in my core and wanted to claw its way out. My hands clenched into fists, my claws pressing into my palms. The scales along my spine prickled with heat, and I had to consciously remind myself that we were in public, that shifting right now would be a very bad idea.

“Don’t,” I said, my voice low and dangerous in a way that made even Dax lean away from me. “Don’t talk about him like that.”

Lysander’s expression shifted. The amusement faded, replaced by something more calculating. He studied me for a long moment, and I could see the gears turning behind those mischievous eyes. Whatever he saw in my face seemed to satisfy him because he held up his hands in mock surrender.

“Alright, alright. I get it. He’s yours. Message received.”

But he wasn’t mine. That was the infuriating part. Quill made it abundantly clear every single day that he couldn’t stand me, that I was nothing but an annoyance to him. And yet, every time I got close to him, every time I caught that spike in his heart rate or caught the scent of his arousal in the air, I knew there was something there beneath all that resistance. He wanted me, he just didn’t want to admit it. And I, despite my plans to play it fast and loose at Widdershins, wanted him too. Nobody else held my attention like he did and I couldn’t tell if it was because I loved the chase, or if there was something else going on… something I didn’t want to admit to myself.

But before that thought could take root, a shrill screech split the air. Everyone startled, including Lysander and his werewolf toy.

“THERE HAS BEEN A WARD BREACH.”

It was Dean Thornfield’s voice once again.

“I REPEAT, THERE HAS BEEN A WARD BREACH,” it continued, the voice echoing across campus. “ALL STUDENTS ARE TO RETURN TO THEIR DORMS IMMEDIATELY. ALL ACADEMIC BUILDINGS WILL BE SEALED. ANYONE CAUGHT WANDERING CAMPUS WILL BE DETAINED. I REPEAT, THERE HAS BEEN A WARD BREACH.”

I looked toward the woods, my heart suddenly pounding a mile a minute.

Quill was out there.

I was on my feet before the announcement even finished echoing across campus. My body moved on pure instinct, driven by a fierce protective urge that I couldn’t explain. Quill was out there in those woods with something that had breached the wards, and that was all that mattered.

“Whoa, hold up,” Lysander called out, grabbing my arm. “We’re supposed to go back to our dorms. That’s what the Dean said.”

I yanked my arm free without even looking at him. “I don’t give a fuck what the Dean said.”

“But Quill—” Lysander started, and I could hear the concern in his voice now, the casual amusement replaced by genuine worry. Good. At least he cared enough to be worried.

“I’m going to get him,” I said, already moving toward the bleachers’ edge. “You stay here.”

I didn’t wait for a response. I dropped from the bleachers and started running toward the trail, my body already picking up the pace. I had to find him before whatever had breached those wards could touch him.

I had to save him whether he liked it or not.

Chapter 11