7. Slipping By

“Something wrong?” Daral asked and Aries frowned, no but yes. He felt something tug at his insides for a moment rather sharply. Instinct telling him something was off, that he should be paying attention. He inhaled but normal smells came to him. He came down from the step and turned looking toward the left and the tree line there. He frowned and stepped forward searching it slowly, he also looked at the ground and untouched snow.

“I don’t know, I feel something. Just an odd feeling.” He told Daral who also looked out at the tree line. Something in him instantly thought of Sybil. He looked up at Daral. He could feel her close by he realized, very close and seeing she was the mate chosen for him that wasn’t a shock. However it shouldn’t be that close, and they had just met. So there wasn’t a deeper connection, seeing she was human. So she definitely had to be near him if that set off his radar. He let out a rush of air, he knew the woman was going to be trouble.

“I want you to go find Morris and go down to the alchemist stores. There should be a human woman there. I want to make sure that she is still there. Do this for me?” He said and turned. He had not shared she was his mate yet with others. Didn’t seem smart. 

“I heard about this woman, I’ll make sure. Did she really make a cure?”

“Yes.” He told him and started to head back the way that they came. 

“Where are you going sir?” Daral asked and he glanced at him. 

“I need to go check something at the caves.” He commented and Daral nodded before jogging up the stairs. Aries started forward, he didn’t scent her out here, but he felt her out here close by. She could have come out a different way. He wasn’t sure why he knew she wasn’t in the keep  but he knew. His instincts were damn good, and he’d learned relying on them was a smart thing to do. 

How would she have even found her way out? Then again she was clearly talented, and magic was an art all its own with many areas. He moved a bit faster going down the path and then going right. He didn’t see anything that would say a human came by this way. No scent, no prints but he was annoyed. Clearly she wasn’t going to listen to what he said. 

Not that he didn’t expect it, the moment he told her no he saw how she went silent. Just biding her time, she had things to answer for and now an important role to play with what she could do. He couldn’t afford to let her out of sight. Not to mention what she was to him. Obviously his drive and instinct said to hunt her down and bring her back. Didn’t matter if she was another race. Gods above, why did they have to stick him with a mate that seemed to ignore safety? As if he didn’t have enough on his plate already to have to worry about a mate that was reckless. It might be for good reasons. Still, he had a feeling she was going to take years off his life. 

__Sybil__

Sybil cursed. He was still going  the way that she needed to go. He had nearly stepped right up against her back at the stairs before leaving. She hadn’t breathed, she’d stared right at his chest level and was terrified he was going to move and touch her. She could feel the heat coming off of his body. The scent too, which was that rain like scent she’d smelled before. She just stood stock still and waited while they spoke. She didn’t know what they were saying speaking another language. She saw Aries facial expression and he looked annoyed before he turned and started off down the way. She had to as well and was following behind him at a distance. He was quick, had long ground eating strides. Which she half jogged but was careful to not make a sound. 

He reached the cave entrance first before she did, and stopped as he was greeted by a couple people there. One was a man his height, the other a woman with auburn colored hair. Both were holding weapons. The woman looked short compared to the men, but she was toned an athletic. They were talking and Aires was clearly questioning them. They seemed confused and then shook their heads. 

Sybil saw her chance and she went around them while they spoke. Sybil was terrified the entire time that she was going to make a sound or trip, but she didn’t. Sybil made it into the caves, once in she bolted to the left and felt a smile on her face as she went through the portal. She had what she needed and she’d managed to slip by them again. It was a good feeling, and not she had a mission. What would he really care now? Hopefully he’d leave her be and see her as a lost cause. Or at very least let her get her cure done. She shifted her pack on her shoulder and had a slight smile.

__Aries__

“You’re sure you haven’t seen anyone?” Aries was starting to feel really on edge. 

“No, just Kal came through to talk with you. That was it, we’ve been much more vigilant with the human that slipped through.” Aries looked down at Gela. She was a strong courageous woman, not many of the women fought, but Gela did and she was good at it. He respected her skill, the two of them normally watched this particular entrance, but had missed the human. Though they had scented her, they couldn’t leave their post. At the time Sybil had come through there was a threat of ghoul in the area. So they had not followed her, which was the right choice. Still irritated him, his little slip of a mate was a handful. He just met her and already could tell this.

“I wasn’t questioning your ability.” He told her and she looked a little red for a moment. “This human is different, and has tricks up her sleeve.” He glanced back toward the keep and at the ground. He could still feel her but suddenly it felt like she was a lot farther away. There was this odd freefall in the pit of his stomach. He also noted a couple smaller prints in the snow near them and they were really fresh. He narrowed his gaze and let them follow the prints up to the cave entrance. What a clever little witch. 

“We’ll let you know immediately if we see her.” Aries looked at the cave.

“I think she’s already gone through.” He said and moved up toward the caves. Looked like he was going to have to go fetch her. If she thought he wouldn’t come after her she was dead wrong. Nothing took more importance that a mate. A male was no male if he could not protect what was his. 

 “Daral is in charge until I come back.” He said and they nodded, not questioning where he was going. It was nice sometimes being in charge, other times annoying as hell. 

“Do you need assistance?” Mica asked him and he shook his head. “Be careful sir, the enemy is gaining strength.” 

“Don’t I know it.” He mumbled and went into the cave, he was quick to go down the pathway and into the portal. When he came out on the other side, he felt her again close by. She’d been following or close to it back there. How had he not seen her, what had she done? He’d figure it out, but moved forward. He’d need to find Kal he’d figured out where she lived. He didn’t have a scent, just a sense which wasn’t enough at this time to know for sure the direction she was going. He mentally reached out to Kal and said to keep a close eye on Sybil’s father. If there was one place she would eventually show it was there.