Page 21 of Heartflame

Besides, I wanted to see that cute little butt of his as it raced down the trail.

The bleachers were only scantily filled when I arrived. After the attacks on campus, there weren’t many people showing up to sporting events, especially cross-country. I found a spot near the back, away from the main group, and settled in to wait. The afternoon sun was warm on my shoulders, and I leaned into it, letting it heat through my scales.

I scanned the gathered athletes warming up on the field, looking for that distinctive shock of red hair. It didn’t take long to find him. Quill was stretching near the starting line, his lean body folding in half with an ease that made my cock perk up. He was wearing the school’s cross-country uniform, a fitted dark purple jersey that left his shoulders and arms bare, and black running shorts. I’d never seen him like this, stripped down and ready to run. The sight of all that exposed skin made a warm tingle run down my spine and straight to my dick.

“You ever been to one of these before?”

I turned to find a tall, blonde fae man settling into the seat beside me. He had mischievous eyes and a certain grace about him that was altogether inhuman. Attached to his right arm was a hunky werewolf whose clothes were so tight that he was almost bursting out of them.

“Nope,” I said, barely giving the man a glance. “First time.”

“Oh.” He plopped down beside me, the werewolf joining him. “I was hoping you could tell me how this works or if I’m supposed to cheer or something?”

I let out a dry chuckle, my eyes drifting back to Quill. He was doing a quad stretch now, pulling one leg up behind him with fluid grace. “Yeah, I guess you’re supposed to cheer. That’s generally how these things work.”

“Right, of course,” the fae said, sounding oddly relieved. “I’m Lysander, by the way. This is my pup, Dax.”

The werewolf gave me a friendly nod, but I barely acknowledged it. My attention was still fixed on Quill, the way the muscles in his legs shifted and flexed as he moved through his warm-up routine. The purple jersey clung to his torso just right, and I found myself imagining peeling it off him, slowly, to see what was underneath.

“You here to watch someone specific?” Lysander asked, and there was something in his tone that made me glance at him. His mischievous eyes were fixed on me with an intensity that felt almost knowing.

“Yeah,” I said. “That redhead down there. Quill Aster.”

“No shit!” He gave me a hard slap on the shoulder in his excitement. “He’s my roommate!”

I felt my stomach twist. Along with it came a sudden realization that made my skin prickle. Lysander was Quill’s roommate. That meant he’d seen him in various states of undress, that they slept in the same room, that anything could’ve happened between them. The thought made something dark and possessive coil in my gut.

“Yeah?” I turned to look at him more carefully now, trying to remember if I’d seen this fae before. There was something familiar about him, something that nagged at the edges of my memory like a word on the tip of my tongue.

“He’s a good guy,” Lysander continued, settling back in his seat with a satisfied smile. “Bit uptight sometimes. Why do you ask? You two friends or something?”

“We’re doing a class project together,” I said vaguely, my eyes drifting back to Quill. He was heading toward the starting line now, stretching his calves against the fence. The angle gave me a perfect view of his ass, the curve of it evident even through the black shorts. My cock stirred again, and I had to shift in my seat to get comfortable.

“You know, you look familiar,” Lysander said thoughtfully, and I could hear the fae turning his attention fully to me now. “Have we met before?”

I shook my head, still not looking at him. “I don’t think so.”

“Huh. That’s weird.” He paused, and I could feel him studying me with that same intense gaze. “There’s something about you though. Something I can’t quite⁠—”

The starting gun went off, cutting him short. The runners exploded forward in a burst of motion and sound, and my entire focus narrowed down to just Quill. He was fast, I’d give him that. His long legs ate up the ground with an efficiency that was almost hypnotic to watch. The other runners seemed to fade into the background as he found his rhythm, his breathing controlled, his movements economical.

“Come on, Red!” I heard myself shout, then immediately regretted it. Beside me, Lysander turned to look at me with an expression that was somewhere between amused and suspicious.

But Quill had heard me. I saw his head turn slightly, just for a fraction of a second, and then his pace picked up. His body leaned forward, his muscles driving harder, faster. The gap between him and the second-place runner widened with each stride.

“That’s who you are!” Lysander blurted out. “You’re Aeron Pyre! Everyone on campus is talking about you!”

Quill rounded the corner, disappearing into the woods. The other runners weren’t too far behind him. I found myself hoping he could keep up his pace, that he wouldn’t push himself too hard like he had the other day running from me.

With Quill gone, I could turn back to Lysander. “Yeah. That’s me.”

“I thought you might be,” he grinned, scooting a little closer. “You know, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be with a dragon.”

“You and everyone else,” I scoffed. Seriously. Who did this guy think he was?

“Oh… are you and Quill like… together or something?” he asked without a hint of annoyance in his voice. “He never wants to join when I have my boys over.”

That possessive feeling coiled in my stomach again, like a snake about to strike. “Maybe you’re just not his type.”