Page 36 of Trust No Alpha
“Oh, sorry. I’ll go in the living room.”
“Stay if you wish. You aren’t bothering me.”
Kris relaxed somewhat, but his shoulders remained stiff. “Don’t you usually go for a walk this time of the morning?”
“Yes. But it’s freezing today. And--”
“And you don’t trust me enough yet to leave me alone here,” Kris finished for him.
“That’s not what I was going to say.”
Kris raised a pale eyebrow.
“I was going to say I don’t go every day. Maybe five days a week.”
Kris’s stare moved nervously about the room.
“Maybe after lunch it will be warmer. I can at least show you the yard. Back. Front. The gardens are mostly under snow right now but I can show you the beds. And the winter garden has some green.” He took a deep breath. “No one will see you if you stay close to the house. Only the upper story is visible from the sides. If you go too far out front, though, you can see the whole of it. Keep that in mind.”
“I don’t mean to be a burden on you.” Kris spoke up suddenly. “If you won’t take my money, maybe there’s stuff I can help you with. Around here.”
Thorne smiled to hear him offer again. He could tell Kris, despite his fear of his Father, had been raised well-mannered and educated. But even so, none of that could account for a good heart. Thorne believed you were either born with one, or not. Sometimes the Alphas with good hearts could become ruined, but the ones without—there was little hope they might grow one.
The world was fucked up, but Thorne was doing his best to survive it. And so was Kris. Even if it meant they were both pretty much fated to be alone, they were doing what they could. Running away never solved anything, but sometimes it took one away from worse fates. There was something to be said for that.
Every moment since last night when he’d found Kris, Thorn wondered what had really happened. He worried that Kris might actually be hurt and not telling.
Well, he would do what he could for him. That was all he could ask of himself.
Thorne turned to his computer and switched it on. He worked in silence for about two hours before deciding to take a break. His stomach growled. Breakfast had been hours ago.
He turned to Kris. “Hungry?”
Kris had brought his stocking feet up on the couch and was leaning back against the arm, reading. And by some odd miracle, actually relaxing. It was heartening to see. Like the eye of a hurricane while all on the outside was in turmoil.
“Yes. May I help?”
So polite.“You may.”
They ate toasted cheese sandwiches and soup.
Afterward, they put on their coats and scarves, and Thorne led Kris out the back door and showed him the yard.
“My property stretches back that way over ten acres to those trees.” He pointed.
“It’s beautiful,” Kris said, crunching through the snow to stand beside him.
Their breaths rose in misty clouds above them and mixed together.
Looking at Kris with the white landscape all about him made Thorne’s heart lurch. He’d never seen an Alpha like him, his features streamlined but fine and graceful at the same time. He had the broad shoulders and muscles of an Alpha, with the leanness of youth. His movements were both calculated and flowing, like a cat.
The air was cold but Thorne’s skin heated just to gaze at him. It wasn’t the Burn but something else. Something more.
“Can we walk back that way a bit?” Kris asked.
“Of course.” Thorne made a path through the snow, expecting Kris to follow, but Kris made his own path, sinking in snow to his calves.
The pines were taller on the back acreage, and thick. Their scent filled the air. They bore themselves proudly and made thick shadows on the damp ground where the snow did not reach their trunks. A slow wind rustled overhead, then stopped. The silence all around them was deafening.
