The next day both brothers decided to explore the market area, hoping to find any more clues and live up to their word that they were looking for rare ingredients.
The market was a noisy place with vendors displaying their merchandise in shops or stalls. Some even sold their goods in jute baskets.
Faris and Siroos glanced around keeping an open eye and ears to catch any whiff of news related to Kanyon or Cassandra. A vendor was selling herbs, sealed and preserved in glass jars. Some were fresh and he had placed them neatly into colourful baskets.
"Two for the price of one," he chanted, seeing Faris and Siroos observe his goods.
"How much for the Ghatia roots?" Siroos asked, knowing at least Fownso would be pleased.
"Three silver coins, good sir. I can throw in some Santhia petals too," the elderly vendor kindly said, reaching out with his wrinkled hand towards the yellow-orange petals.
"I will take them. Has the business been good?" Siroos asked while Faris picked up an oddly shaped seed, the size of a fist of an adult male and began to toss it in the air.
"Can’t complain, Sir but this is rich people’s land," the heaviness in his tone was felt by Siroos deep into his bones.
"How come? No equality?" Faris questioned, leaning in and keeping his voice low but friendly.
"How can we be equals to mighty vampires, we are barely humans, trying to survive. We used to have someone looking out for us but..." Fear descended in his eyes and he halted his conversation, quickly wrapping up their purchase and handing it to them.
Both brothers exchanged glances while Siroos paid the vendor and thanked him.
They moved ahead, observing the other stalls.
Someone arrived at the stall they had just left and Faris froze. It was the same scent, lighter than before but there was no mistaking it. Seeing his brother freeze in his tracks with a pained expression, Siroos slowly asked.
"What’s wrong?"
"She is here, the fox shifter whom I mistook as my mate. I can scent her." The anger surged in both brothers as they silently turned to glance back. Faris saw a young woman speaking to the vendor they had just left.
Her straight black hair hid half of her face as she stood speaking to the vendor. Dressed in a thick woollen gown and soft gloves she rubbed her hands together and spoke in a very hushed voice.
"I need more willow bark and that healing balm you made for me last time."
"That’s thrice in the last ten days, is someone hurting you? You can confide in me, Aiko," the vendor softly asked.
’Aiko!’ Faris’s fox spirit repeated the name in his head. The name of their mate.
"Nothing I can’t handle," she answered, trying to hide the pain in her voice but Faris picked up on that.
They turned back so they wouldn’t be caught staring at her.
"That’s her," Faris barely whispered to his brother.
His senses began to be overwhelmed again as the mate bond came alive in his chest like a streak of lightning. The world had begun to ebb away and all he could focus was on her. As much as he wanted to hate her for the damage caused, the bond wouldn’t let him.
"We are going to follow her," Siroos firmly said and he nodded. He needed answers.
Since their scents and faces were veiled under the potion, Aiko failed to recognise them. She slowly began to walk away and both brothers discreetly followed.
Siroos reached inside his satchel and fished out the vial with a potion to make someone unconscious. He quietly passed it to Faris, who glumly nodded.
Both his spirits screeched inside his head at the thought of hurting their potential mate but he ignored them. The anger getting the best of him.
Aiko took a turn and exited the market area carrying the small cloth bag the old vendor had given her. Suddenly she felt the pressure of being watched, pausing in her steps, she abruptly turned but there was no one behind her. Everyone seemed to be busy, minding their own business.
Sighing, she resumed her walk but decided to go through a deserted passageway so if anyone tried to follow her she would just open the portal and disappear.
That was her mistake though, as soon as she entered the deserted passageway, someone strong grabbed her from behind. Before she could scream her mouth was covered by a strong hand, muffling her scream.
A suffocating pungent smell invaded her nostrils and the bag from her hand tumbled to the ground, dropping with a small thud on the hard ground.
She thrashed in the hold but soon the darkness engulfed her and she went limp in Faris’s arms.
He straightened her up and her soft black locks spilled all around her. Faris was lost staring at her gorgeous face, carved to perfection he hadn’t seen a woman as beautiful as her.
The scent of rosemary and wild berries oozed out of her pores to incite him and he had to breathe through his mouth.
How his fingers itched to caress that pointed chin and pink cheeks but he hardened his heart, for all he knew she was an enemy. He lost Ara because of her actions.
His teeth chattered in annoyance as he picked her up in his arms.
"Keep her face turned towards you so it appears as if you are carrying your lover," Siroos instructed, seeing how Faris was struggling against the mate bond. But they had no choice and couldn’t afford to get caught.
"Let’s head over to the room so we can extract information from her," Faris answered. Her scent was jabbing at his heart, urging the mate bond to wrap her lovingly in his arms. He shoved the idea down, hardening his heart.
Arriving in the room they locked the door and placed her on the chair. Her head tilted to the side. Siroos snatched the sheet from the bed and tore it into long strips.
"Bind her up, especially her hands so she can’t open any portals," Siroos instructed his brother.
Faris nodded and began to secure her in place, tying her hands behind her back, her torso, legs and her mouth. So once she would awake, she wouldn’t be able to scream or move.
They then waited for her to gain consciousness and didn’t drink the potion.
Faris wanted her to see him in his true form and be bathed in guilt. He wanted to see her reaction to him.
Now he waited, sitting in front of her with his hands stapled and his saddened yet angered eyes fixed on her angelic face.