by Elisha Bugg
"You should be safe, for now," the wolf whispered, bringing her back to reality. The fact she could still hear him disorientating her.
She sighed and climbed down, getting the hint.
Her legs felt a little wobbly, but the wolf stood, supporting her with his strong head, his blue eyes shining wildly in the moonlight as he watched her.
Something about them so familiar.
Chapter Ten
Thane told himself he’d only come this way to check on Anya before making his way to Edwin’s, but he knew it was a lie.
His heart had softened the other night when she'd held and pet him.
She was braver than he'd given her credit for. Most people wouldn’t dare touch him. Some didn’t dare to come near him, even members of the Guard he worked with all the time, but Anya was different.
No matter how much of an arse he was to her, she still came back, still spoke to him and even stood up for herself. Then, surprising him even more, she had touched him as a wolf.
This was dangerous. He couldn’t let her get close to him, couldn’t let her into his heart.
He sighed, glancing at her house, trying to hurry past it before she noticed him. He couldn’t speak to her now, not when he didn’t know what he was doing.
It was too late. He caught her scent on the breeze, guiding his feet toward the large park in front of her home.
The smell intoxicating, luring him into a garden full of flowers and bushes. The rich aroma of magnolia, with a faint undertone of roses and lilies hit him as he stepped onto the grass, but nothing dulled the alluring scent of her as he drew closer.
He saw her and froze, admiring the view of her laying on her stomach in front of him, her feet swinging in the air as she hummed a tune he didn’t recognise. Her rear drawing his attention, tightly clad in some low hung jeans. The barest amount of flesh exposed on her back where her jumper had ridden up from excessive movement. Her skin so smooth and creamy. His mouth watered to taste it.
Remembering how he'd licked her face the other night, he instantly grew hard. If only he were in his human form so he could have kissed her properly. She'd been delighted with the lick, but for him it wasn’t enough, and he feared it never would be.
He could feel himself becoming addicted to the taste of her, so sweet and delicious against his mouth.
Moving closer, he spotted headphones in her ears, which explained the catchy song she hummed and her lack of response whilst she sketched in a journal laid out before her.
Thane knew he shouldn't look over her shoulder, knew it was rude of him to pry, but something on the page caught his eye.
She was drawing him. Well, his wolf form; and it was magnificent. He’d never seen a drawing of himself before, and hers was spot on. Every detail. Every shade. He caught himself smiling again. Something that seemed to come naturally when he was near her.
He circled around in front of her and crouched down on his haunches.
Her head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock.
“T-Thane?” she stuttered, pulling the buds from her ears and pushing herself up into a seated position.
“You should be more careful. Anyone could sneak up on you when you’re lost in your own world like that,” he teased, smirking as she frowned up at him.
He realised he liked playing with her. Liked when she smiled and reacted to him. But he was also afraid for her safety. Whilst she was detached from her surroundings, she was completely vulnerable.
The creature he'd sensed before had been the same one he'd felt in her room all those weeks ago. The same dark and unusual presence that made him shudder.
Never had he come across anything like it. It's lack of scent was disturbing, it’s presence menacing.
Whatever it was, she needed to be more careful. He couldn't always be there to protect her.
“If people didn’t sneak around, I wouldn’t have a problem, would I?” Anya bit back, making him smile yet again.
“I’m glad you haven’t lost that backbone you so recently acquired.”
“I never needed one before,” she huffed, studying his face with curiosity.
He couldn’t help but wonder what she saw when she looked at him. Did she see the resemblance in his eyes?
Her eyes skimmed lower down his body, over his stretched thighs, warming him from head to toe.
She blushed and licked her lips, not attempting to avert her gaze.
Thane watched on, mesmerized as her pink tongue slowly traced her top lip, before she bit down, gently nibbling the bottom.
He had to snap himself out of it. Fast.
“Your drawing is impressive,” he commented in a husky voice, still very much aroused and fighting the urge to push her back to the ground, pinning her with his weight.
“Thank you," she whispered, playing a loose strand of her hair between her fingers as it fell over her shoulder.
“I know it was rude of me to look, but I couldn’t help myself.”
“It’s alright. Usually I don’t show people my work, but it’s nice to know it’s appreciated,” she smiled, brushing graphite dust off the page.
“Why don’t you show anyone? It’s good.”
“My drawings are more like a diary of my thoughts and feelings. They’re, personal.”
He was intrigued what she could be thinking about him, but he didn’t dare ask.
“Mind if I take a closer look?”
She nodded and handed him the sketchbook without hesitation.
He was surprised she trusted him with something so precious after how he'd treated her.
Would she still be so trusting knowing the truth about him?
Thane sat down beside her and traced his finger by the drawing, careful not to touch the lines. He didn’t want to smudge it and destroy the trust she had offered him.
“This is amazing. There's so much detail.”
She smiled at him, her cheeks turning pink as she twiddled her thumbs.
“What’s this you’ve started to draw behind?”
“Me-”
“-Riding on his back,” Thane finished for her.
He knew from her huge smile and sparkling eyes that she'd enjoyed running with him, but he never would’ve guessed how much.
Perhaps she wouldn't treat him any differently after all.
No. What was he saying. Of course she'd think of him differently, they all did.
“How did you know?”
He ignored her question, allowing her to think what she wanted as he stood to walk away. Needing to move away from her before he lost himself to his desires.
She was still just a human, and the wolf needed to remember that.
“Oh. I almost forgot. Edwin was looking for you,” he said, looking back over his shoulder as she sat looking up at him with her hands clasped on her lap. “He wanted to talk to you about the other night at the pub.”
“I guess he saw me with Hugh then.”
“What?” he asked, pausing at the sound of the boy's name.
“Is that not why he wanted to talk to me?”
“I don’t know. Why would you assume it was?”
“He warned me to keep away from him, that he was bad news,” she paused, turning away from him to fiddle with the hem of her top. “I didn’t believe him until I found out what he was,” she muttered to herself, obviously finding out something she didn’t like.
Thane knew he didn’t like Hugh, but he’d assumed it was jealousy as the boy was touching something the wolf considered his own. Was there more to it than that? Maybe the wolf had picked up on something else he didn't like.
“You’re muttering,” he interrupted, smiling when she blushed.
“Sorry. Maybe I should go see what he wants.”
Thane nodded and started to walk away, until Anya jumped up and grabbed hold of his arm, halting him in his tracks to stare down at her hands.
“Sorry. I didn’t think-” she blushed once again, dropping her hand from his arm and plastering it to her s
ide.
“It’s fine,” he reassured her, wanting her to place her hands back on his skin. Needing the contact.
Now he really was in trouble.
She loosened her stiff stance and looked back up at him.
“Where is he?”
“Edwin? I’m headed there now.”
She turned from him and bent to grab her things from the floor, stuffing them in a small canvas bag before joining him on the edge of the grass.
What could she have meant when she spoke about Hugh? What was he? Thane just couldn't forget her words no matter how hard he tried.
She'd been happy enough to spend time with him at the pub, laughing and joking with the others, even if he could sense her discomfort as the boy leaned in close. Why the sudden change in opinion of him? What could he have done?
Really it was none of his business, but what kind of man would he be if he let the boy get away with hurting her.
“What did he do?”
If he’d touched her, hurt her even, Thane doubted he'd be able to control himself. The boy wouldn't see him coming.
“Pardon?”
“You said until you found out what he was. What did you mean?”
“He’s cruel, and malicious, and barbaric, and I want nothing more to do with him.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“No,” she replied, shaking her head with a sigh. “That would have made things a whole lot easier,” she whispered, pausing to stare up at him through her thick lashes, blinking at him several times before scowling. “Why do you care?”
He didn’t know how to respond. He couldn’t tell her that he cared more about her than he wanted to; that her safety meant more to him than anyone else's. If he said the words aloud, it would mean admitting the truth to himself.
He would have to continue the lie, make her think he was the rude bastard she no doubt already thought he was.
“Edwin wouldn’t be pleased if I stood by and let anything happen to you.”
She stopped dead, staring into his face, her eyes watering and her cheeks draining of colour.
He’d upset her? That wasn’t the response he had been expecting, but it was too late to take it back now. She wouldn’t believe him if he tried.
“Tell Edwin I’ll be there later. I’d rather not walk with someone who was only speaking with me to get in his good books.”
“That’s not what I meant-”
“Then what did you mean, Thane? Enlighten me.”
“I...Never mind.”
He walked off, leaving her alone.
It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, but he supposed it was for the best. He needed to push her away. Needed her to hate him enough that she would keep her distance.
It was better that she walked away now than to get tied up in a world she had no escape from.
The hunters would never leave her alone once they found out she knew the truth.
How long could she possibly outrun them for?
He had to spare her a life of constantly looking over her shoulder, dreading the day they caught up with her. Just like Amelia.
Chapter Eleven
Just when Anya was beginning to see Thane’s softer side, he had to go and ruin it, telling her the only reason he cared was because of Edwin.
Why it upset her, she didn't know. He'd been telling her stuff like that since she'd met him. Everything he'd done for her; catching her when she fell. Carrying her home and waiting for her to wake. Even taking her home that night she fainted at the pub. All of it was Edwin's doing.
What a fool she was.
Deep down she knew she had feelings for him. She had since the moment she met him. Nobody enthralled her like he did. He was her drug, craving the next time she was near him.
It was hopeless to try and get close to him. She should just move on and forget about that kiss they shared.
Everything about him screamed trouble, yet she couldn't help herself. She needed more of him.
After waiting for almost an hour, sitting on Edwin's doorstep, Anya finally decided to call it a night.
If he wanted to speak to her that badly, he would have to come to her. She was done waiting.
"Maybe it’s a good thing Edwin wasn't home," she muttered to herself as she glanced back over her shoulder toward Edwin's front door.
She was in a foul mood and would likely make an idiot of herself, or lose her temper. If Thane was there, it was guaranteed. Nobody managed to get under her skin the way he did.
Anya kicked a can on the curb and groaned.
Why did she let him bother her?
She wanted to asked Edwin about him. Why he acted the way he did, or how they knew each other, but the man was never around when she needed him lately.
All she wanted was her old, simple life back. The one where she didn't have to worry about things like hunters, shifters, and Thane. Heck even Keri seemed different somehow.
The only thing that never changed was Edwin, and where the hell was he?
She had one last look over her shoulder, back toward Edwin's, wondering whether she should turn around and wait a while longer, when the dreaded fear that someone was watching washed over her. An unforgettable feeling. Only this time, it felt different from all the others. Less intense. Less, chilling.
Maybe this time it wasn’t the mysterious dark figure that kept following her. Perhaps it was the wolf.
Suddenly a loud thud sounded to her left, causing her to spin around quickly to see what was there. She stumbled and missed her footing on the edge of the curb, twisting her ankle and landing in a heap on the floor; half on the path, half in the road.
Cursing she tried to push to her feet, but couldn't. Her ankle sore, already swollen and throbbing with pain that made her eyes water when she tried to put weight on it.
"Damn it," she cried, searching the open space around her for anything that could be causing this unnerving feeling.
Another loud noise sounded in front of her, drawing her attention forward, but she couldn't see a thing.
For the first time she had met him, she hoped it would be Thane that came around the bend.
When nothing happened, she began to calm down, figuring it was just her imagination. There was no imagining the pain that shot through her ankle however as she attempted to stand once more.
A deep throaty growl sounded to her left, then her right.
Whatever it was, it seemed to be circling her; like prey.
Was it the wolf? Had he scared something else away like before?
She heard a grunt from behind. Hesitantly she turned, to see bright amber eyes staring back at her from the shadows.
Her heart stopped.
"Oh god. Please don't hurt me," she begged as something leapt from the shadows toward her.
She closed her eyes and waited for the impact, but nothing happened.
Instead she heard a loud cry of anger and a sickening thud.
Anya peeked between the fingers she’d plastered over her eyes and gasped with terror.
Thane was there wrestling with a full-grown jaguar.
"Run!" Thane shouted over his shoulder. The similarity in his tone freezing her to the spot.
"Anya. Move. Now."
"I-I can't," she stuttered, clutching at her ankle as she continued to stare at him. "My leg."
Thane growled, shoulder barging the jaguar in the side as it jumped for her once again. His strength unbelievable.
He shouldn't be able to fight off a powerful animal like that.
Thane stepped toward her and swore under his breath, turning back to the jaguar that quickly rose to his feet.
The big cat roared, its amber eyes glowing fiercely as it stared at her.
"It's her fault" it snapped, taking another step toward her.
Thane didn't give the creature another chance to speak or attack before he grabbed her in his arms and began to run, the jaguar close on their heels.
Tears fell freely down her cheeks as she look
ed over Thane's shoulder.
Why was he so angry? What could she have done?
She looked up at Thane, struggling to see past her tears as she watched his face.
He didn't look scared, didn't even show any signs of being out of breath, but his eyes were glowing just as bright as the jaguars. Was Thane one of them?
Not daring to ask questions, she snuggled into his chest, savouring the heat and the protection he offered.
She may not understand him or his motives, but she was grateful to him for everything he'd done for her since she'd met him, whether he'd chosen to do them himself, or not.
"Thank you," she whispered against his chest.
He squeezed her tighter, holding her close like she was precious.
Her heart broke.
She knew then that he did care whether he wanted to admit it or not. She could sense it, could hear the unsteady rhythm of his heart as he held onto her.
So why did he keep fighting it?
Anya expected Thane to take her home, leaving her alone with more questions, but instead he brought her to a small and cosy looking house not too far from her own.
A faint light shining from the front room, showing off the minimalist decor inside.
It was his.
"You'll be safe here. He probably already knows where you live."
"I don't understand what I've done," she sniffed, brushing the back of her hand across her puffy eyes.
"I'm sure you did nothing to provoke that."
Perhaps he was right. Maybe the jaguar had mistaken her for someone else, or he'd seen her exiting the hunter's home and assumed she was one of them.
It didn't make sense.
She'd been feeling someone watching her for weeks. Why would he only attack her now if it was him?
"How did you find me?" she asked, trying to fill the silence as he rummaged in his pocket for his keys.
"I was on my way to Edwin's when I spotted you. Then I noticed him."
"Thane!"
Thane spun around with her still in his arms as the jaguar roared his name from the alley behind them.
He stalked out of the shadows, saliva dripping from his canines, the hairs on his back raised.
