Don't Let Them Catch You

10• Scout

Aura's head inclined towards the direction of her invisible companion, the lightning in her eyes burning with life, her body flooding with emotion.

A weight eased itself beneath her arms, lifting her slack limbs.

"We have to go," Amos rumbled at her ear, hand scooping beneath her legs to carry her home.

She watched her body begin to disappear as his magic spread to her, making her invisible to the seeing eye. At this proximity she could feel his heart beat against her cheek. It was a constant steady, unwithering drum, calm in comparison to her own hurried rhythm.

His arms were two warm sinewy vines layered with muscle beneath her body, making her feel secure enough that she allowed herself to surrender to a state of vulnerability. The angels thoughts raced like a team horses, her mind somewhere she couldn't be reached.

She didn't know what to make of it. What the mermaid had meant or who she was even referring to.  It wasn't in her nature to get her hopes up, but the tiniest fragment of her heart yearned for it to be what she needed it to.

Aura couldn't allow herself to think like this without any firm evidence. It would reduce her to weakness.

Leaves danced in the air around them as Amos sauntered back into the forest, heading in the direction to safety. The wind was teasing her, comforting her skin and toying with her hair. It made her smile, momentarily forgetting what the mermaid had last said to her, and the breeze kissed her cheek in response.

Soundless, not even a footprint left behind, Amos was as thoroughly trained as Aura if not moreso. She rarely asked about his past, and gathered information based on the snippets he freely told her about. So far she knew he didn't have a good relationship with his father, and that his mother coddled him, despite the disapproval.

Which was odd to her, as mothers are supposed to be loving. It was expected.

Her on the other hand... he knew everything about her. From what she ate at breakfast, to her most embarrassing childhood memories. Even teased her about those nights she felt a warmth pool between her legs, much to her chagrin.

She didn't quite understand her relationship with him, or why he was always watching her, keeping her safe. But most of all, she didn't understand this tug she felt towards him. As if they were drawn to each other by an invisible thread, which seem to tug harder the older she got.

He never seemed to acknowledge it but he revelled in her nearness. She couldn't tell what he was feeling most of the time since he had developed a mental block against her, but sometimes during moments like this where they were this close to each other, she could almost taste a serene contentment leaking from his walls like honey, spilling onto her.

It calmed her down.

She would never bring it up to him though, she didn't know what kind of conversation it would be. All she knew right now was that she could trust him.

That was all she needed to know—

—Aura grunted in pain as his arms tightened around her. Amos' had stopped walking, his legs frozen in place.

He didn't need to say anything for her to sense the shift in the air herself.

It was at this moment she realised the breeze had stopped trying to get her attention, and had switched to masking as much of her scent as possible.

Something wasn't right.

For a forest full of wildlife, it was far too silent.

Amos carefully set her to the ground beside him, keeping her hidden. Two pairs of eyes scanning the forest floor for anything out of place. It was so dark the shape of the tree trunks could've looked like silhouettes if Aura wasn't smart.