Page 139 of A Soul to Steal

Gideon’s heart thumping against his chest, the warmth of his body, the pressure of him, felt sublime. It quelled the worst of his loneliness.

Sad contentment radiated through him.Thaw for me, little spring.His chest burned, and Aleron wished it would melt him.

For a long while, he basked in the feeling of this human pressed up against him. The fact guilt niggled in the back of his mind for doing this, and he feared Gideon waking to discover this, told him he was probably doing the wrong thing.

He couldn’t help it right then. Hisbright-yellow sight ensured he held on just a little longer. It’d been so long since he’d seen this colour and felt the joy of it – although muted.

He denied the urge to squeeze. He resisted sniffing him. He just softly hugged until his heart and mind realigned and reminded him of what he was waiting for.

He held back his whimper, trying to ignore how this also...hurt.

He retracted his arm and drew back until he was on all fours once more. Then he moved to the other side of the fire, assuming Gideon would want him as far away as possible. Lying down, he placed the hand that had been upon Gideon’s chest over his snout so the lingering aroma on it could soothe him.

It kept the chill from within at bay and allowed him to rest peacefully.

When Aleron woke a few hours later, he hadn’t expected to see Gideon sitting up and looking into the fire. Night still blanketed the world, and he usually slept through the early hours. Restlessly, usually twitching with groans and the scent of mild fear.

Aleron sat up, nervous when he noted the other male’s paleness. The dark impressions under his eyes were more alarming than the way he stared dazedly into the flames.

He often looked sickly when he woke, but not like this. At least, not for the past few days.

“Gideon?” he called, shifting to his knees and a single hand to move closer, only to pause in case he didn’t want him near.

Gideon cast him a tired, weak smile with his eyes closed. “Hey.”

At least he responded, when usually he didn’t.

Even though he doubted he’d receive an answer, he asked, “What is wrong?”

Gideon drew his knees up and hugged his calves. “I had a bad dream.” His lips tightened, his brows furrowing, until he sighed and released both. “No, I don’t think that’s right. I think I remembered something from Tenebris.”

“You do?” Aleron didn’t know whether to be relieved or distressed, considering Gideon’s state.

“Yeah.” He rubbed at his cheek before palming his mouth. “I remember meeting Emerie. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because of the fire, but I vividly remember her scars and her telling me that our parents died in a house fire from her dropping her oil lamp. It kind of shocked me awake. I just can’t imagine what that was like for her, to lose everyone and be in so much pain at the same time.”

Aleron remained silent for a long while, wondering what he could say to help. Nothing truly came to mind, except... “Despite everything, she was very kind to me.”

“Yeah, she was always kind, so that doesn’t surprise me.” Then he looked off to the side. “I’m sure I probably already told you, but my birth parents died when I was eight, so her parents adopted me since our families were close friends. It was a really hard time for me, but one thing always stuck with me.”

True mirth filled his eyes, and colour returned to his features. Even his tiredness waned as he brought his gaze back to the fire.

“Emerie was only five at the time, and she apparently wanted to cheer me up with a cake. Our mother helped her, but she must have turned her back for a few minutes because it ended up being the most disgusting thing I’d ever eaten. I found out much later that she’d accidentally added salt, thinking it was sugar. At the time, I thought she’d purposefully sabotaged it to get back at me for being so sad all the time. So, from that day forward, I’d add salt to her honey milk as a prank. I did it for years, but she never got upset with me over it. When we were teenagers, she admitted it was the only reason why I’d laugh or smile, even though that kind of makes me a jerk as a kid. It just reminds me of how much of a good person she is.”

Gideon shone him a smile and then laughed as if thinking back on it fondly. Aleron didn’t know what to say, but was just happy he appeared much better than moments before.

That was, until his features fell, and he dipped his head forward. “Sorry. I’ve probably told you that story already.”

“No,” Aleron rasped, reaching forward despite the distance between them. “I do not mind. I would like to hear your stories again, as they are important to you. You did not share very many with me, and you may tell me new ones.”

Gideon was speaking with him. This was the first time they were told bythisversion of him, and Aleron would be content to hear them over and over again until time ceased. He would never tire of them.

He would never tire ofhim.

Gideon lifted his head with a frown, seeming unconvinced.

“Please do not stop,” Aleron quietly muttered.

“I don’t know,” Gideon said with an empty laugh, scratching the side of his head. “That was all I have on that.” Then he turned his face towards the exit. “But it doesn’t look like we’ll be leaving any time soon. The storm is still really heavy. I guess I can figure out something else to talk about. I have a lot of pranks Emerie and I pulled on each other, or our friends. They’re all pretty funny when you think about all the planning we put into our schemes.”

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