He watched her walk away from the wooden stand from the narrow ally opposite. He saw her red swollen face and puffed up eyes and that told him all he needed to know. She was upset and fragile from her encounter with the male Skyde.
She was walking away with the same boy from this morning. They were close, this much Aaron knew. He also knew that the boys gaze always gravitated towards her when she isn’t looking. It didn’t surprise him because he’d seen it countless time rounding up Skyde for use in the Pit. There were always humans that became infatuated with Skyde and sometimes the Skyde returned their affections. He’d always been able to keep his feelings in check around them. He never thought that he would find it so hard not to this one attractive.
After a period of thought Aaron had concluded that what he felt around the Skyde was merely an attraction to her looks. She was beautiful that is a fact no one can dispute and she is strong and independent while also being fiercely loyal to her friends. These were qualities that everyone would find endearing. However Aaron knew what she would soon become and what the changes would do to her. He also knew the damage she would do to the people around her. It was unavoidable.
However if there was already Skyde here then what would happen to her? Would she be taken from the village and kept safe or would Aaron be killed by them before he had a chance to find out? He hoped he would be able to take her alive before anything like that happened.
He knew, however, he would have to get closer to her if he was to succeed at his mission. He also knew that he had to keep whatever he was feeling in check so it didn’t become a distraction. However he wasn’t quite sure how he was going to do that.
When he was sure Jean and the boy were at a safe following distance he emerged from the dank narrow ally and began following them in the direction of Jean’s home. At least the ascent to her home would give him time to think of a plan.
Walking back to my home was awkwardly quiet. Rayyan trudged behind me like puppy that has been told off by its owner. Half way up the hill I finally reached the end of my tether and stopped abruptly in the middle of the overgrown footpath.
“Jeanie?” Rayyan said tentatively, as if not to break me.
“Don’t don’t do that.” I say, trying not to cry.
“Don’t do what?” he echoed still talking in a cautious tone.
“Don’t talk to me as if I am a fragile china doll.” I snap my voice quivering as I say every word.
“I’m sorry.” He says quietly after a while.
“You’re sorry.” I say with a sneer. I turn around and look him straight in the eye, hands clenched, my eyes brimming with tears and say, “What good does ‘I’m sorry’ do me?”
“Aw hell Jeanie what do you want me to say? I wish I could have been there to stop it. I wish that I could have protected you instead of that Nomad, but I couldn’t.” He moves towards me and firmly places his hands on my shoulders and looks at me with the same look that he had in the book shop, the one I couldn’t describe and that unsettled me slightly. For as long as I had known him, Rayyan was an open book and it scared me that I couldn’t read him like I usually could.
“Ray?” I say trembling slightly.
“I’m sorry.” He said earnestly. We looked at each other for a second and I collapsed into tears. He moved his hands from my shoulders to around my back, dragging me into an embrace. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my head in his chest sobbing silently.
I hear the snap of a twig from behind us and I immediately release from Rayyan’s hold and look in the direction the sound came from. In the tree line I see a shadow move and my blood ran cold.
