Outliers

Nineteen

"You are a dangerous collection of all my favourite things.

An old soul, a heart of gold, and hands that make my body sing."

Nikita Gill

I found Thane in the thick of the trees, far enough out from the main house, that only the those intentionally seeking him out would stumble across him. He was pacing, when I first caught sight of him, those powerful legs stalking back and forth between two ancient trees at a dizzying pace.

When I was only metres away from him, his attention snapped towards me, eyes finding mine in a heart beat. And then he was stalking towards me with that same intensity.

"Show me your wounds," he had demanded, none too politely, the Alpha male as commanding as ever as he grasped my forearm without waiting for me to respond. He hissed through his teeth at the harsh pink line of still healing flesh that ran the length of my elbow to my wrist. A miracle, it had been, that Daniel's sharp teeth had not hit my main artery. I had been so damn lucky.

"When I saw that crowd around the sparring rings, I knew it was you. And when I saw that male shift so close to you, I could have torn him limb from limb," he snarled softly, features tight as his body trembled with what I recognised as a quiet rage. "I haven't felt anger like that in a long time."

"You didn't seem so angry," I murmured, frowning slightly, remembering that quick flash of a grin that I had seen towards the end of my fight, as I smoothed the lines in his forehead with the pad of my thumb. He sighed, leaning into my touch. "But I'm glad you didn't interfere. Jack would have pulled me from the fight as soon as he caught wind of it. Probably wouldn't have let me trained for days afterwards either, in fear of me re-injuring myself."

I felt Thane's body tense beneath mine, his arms wound around my waist and locked at my sides, caging me against his body in an almost bruising hold. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, breathing me in. I could do nothing but stand there, a reassuring hand stroking the length of his back, fingers threading through his silky hair, as he tried to calm himself. It was odd, to see Thane so without composure.

When he finally pulled back, minutes later, he said nothing as he grabbed for my hand and lead me further into the trees. In the daylight, I almost didn't recognise the route we took along a barely existing dirt path through the overgrowth. He lead me in silence, and I didn't dare speak in fear that it would break his composure entirely.

I hadn't thought that the gorgeous pool of water could appear any more stunning than it had that first night Thane showed it to me, but under the brilliant light of the midday sun, the water sparkled turquoise, beckoning me without words to submerge myself in it's refreshing depths.

I went to remove my t-shirt, thinking he had brought me here once again to swim, but a gentle hand on my arm halted the movements. Instead he moved to sit on the smooth rock edge of the pool, bare feet inches from the waters surface. I joined him without further provocation.

"You've been avoiding me. Since we've been back. Since the patrol cabin." He wasn't looking at me as he spoke, his attention cast towards the centre of the pool where that large rock jutted from the water.

My mouth opened to respond and... I paused. Thinking carefully through my next words.

"We've been back for just over a day, and you spent most of the time on patrol of the territories borders. I wasn't avoiding you." Not entirely, not because I wanted to be away from him, but because I had needed those few hours apart to think through what had happened.