Page 16 of Distant Heart

“You didn’t make a mistake,” Illya said suddenly, smirking when Rexton’s head snapped up and his eyes widened. “What you’re thinking is written all over your face. Don’t be so glum. You just need some inspiration, that’s all. Some excitement to help reignite that passion you’ve always carried. For that, you’ve come to the right place.”

The air around them seemed to shift, and all at once, Rexton remembered what it was they were both actually doing here.

He angled his body to avoid bumping into the stair railing again but froze when the look in Illya’s eyes darkened.

“Let’s at least make this interesting,” the Black Hart parroted his earlier words, laughing when Rexton grimaced. “You seem like you’re in dire need of getting your heart pumping. How about I help you with that?”

Rex lifted his hand a second time, but Illya merely shook his head.

“I gave you a moment to prepare, and now the moment has passed. Here’s the new game, baby. Run. If you can stay out of my reach until morning, I won’t insist on holding you here. But the second I catch you, you’re mine to do with as I please, even keep.”

He shouldn’t agree to those terms, but it became apparent he didn’t exactly have a choice when Illya started randomly counting down from ten. For a split second, his mind blanked and he stood there dumbly, mentally scrambling to catch up with what was really going on, but then sense returned to him.

Turning tail, Rex made a run for it for the second time that night.

Chapter 6:

Outside the wind was howling loud enough it helped to mostly drown out the sound of Rexton’s footsteps as he raced through the woods behind Castle Black.

Mostly.

Illya could hear them well enough, tracking his prey through the thick cropping of trees, hunting him deeper into the darkness and further away from civilization. He’d admittedly been surprised when Rexton had ignored the stairs and instead gone straight to the back of the building. Even more so when he’d yanked open the back door and darted out into the cold.

It was snowing now, thick white flakes slowly spiraling downward around them, most getting caught up in tree branches. The woods were still a part of campus, with pathways and lamp posts set up every ten or so feet. If they stayed on one of these paths, there’d be enough light to avoid ice and accidentally tripping over something.

But of course, Rexton was too stubborn for that. He’d left the path ages ago, fleeing on quick and nimble feet as though he really was trying to escape Illya.

Maybe he was.

That thought didn’t sit right with him, and Illya picked up the pace, his vision tuning into his surroundings and adjusting to the shadows. The people of Usurn were used to darkness and had evolved with better night vision than many other species, even those on Vitality. Rexton thought he could see, that he was being sneaky.

But Illya could see better.

A thrill shot through him every time he caught sight of Rexton’s form slipping between tree trunks, and his cock lengthened between his legs when he drew close enough to make out the other man’s harsh breaths.

When was the last time he’d given chase like this?

The last time he’d wanted something desperately enough to bother?

Rexton Xiphus was beautiful and graceful, and there was nothing more that Illya wanted than to throw him to the ground and fuck him brutally in the snow. Take him savagely, maybe even a bit cruelly, so that he’d forever be branded on Rexton’s psyche. Forever a part of him.

Illya’s multi-slate rang suddenly, the shrill noise cutting through the forest. He glanced at the screen, his eyes only lingering for half a second—a second at most—but when he looked back up again…

He cursed and came to a standstill, tilting his head to try and catch any sound of his prey.

His prey who’d wised up.

Or perhaps he’d been wrong, and Rexton had been aware of his disadvantage from the start.

A flash of light to the left caught his attention and his head whipped in that direction. The tiny red glow of the heart pin was unmistakable, and Illya made his way toward it. When there were no movements, his suspicions lifted. By the time hereached it and found the pin had been left nestled in a bush at knee level, the thrill of the chase had returned full force.

His xa’us had a little more fight in him it seemed.

Illya scanned the ground, searching for tracks in the snow. He’d only lost sight of Rexton for a moment, not nearly long enough for the other man to orchestrate an elaborate scheme. He had to be close.

A dark thought hit him then, that there was a chance he’d underestimated Rexton. If he’d misread this whole situation and he ended up losing…Illya’s head tipped back, his eyes finding the inky night sky through the tightly woven canopy above. No, there was still time. He had until morning to catch his Praeda.

Rexton Xiphus wasn’t going to get away.

---