Page 230 of A Soul to Steal

Aleron always cupped his hands to his stomach, with his wings drooping ever so slightly. It was subtle enough that he didn’t know if anyone else noticed it, or perhaps he was just more hyperaware of Aleron’s wellbeing. Even if his orbs didn’t change colour, Gideon knew him – knew when he was distressed and anxious.

Gideon also understood how he felt on a deeply ingrained level, since Emerie was now years of experience and growth ahead of him. It bothered him as well that she was brighter, wiser, and more mature than him, but there was little he could do to change that but wait out the years.

His darling Duskwalker, on the other hand, could be aided.

Her orange brows drew together. “What are you trying to say?”

“I know there is a small bandit camp not far from here. I noticed it when we flew over and originally found this place.” He looked away from her when Aleron went roaring across the clearing, with Ingram hot on his feathered tail. “I’m going to take him there.”

“If you’re implying what I think you are, I won’t agree to it.” In the corner of his eye, she sat up straight while her hands curled into tight fists on her knees. “I was a Demonslayer, Gideon. Ispent the last eight years valuing human life, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.”

He clasped his hands tighter with his eyes darkening at nothing. “I wasn’t asking for your blessing, Emerie. I’m asking for your forgiveness.”

“It’s wrong, Gideon!” she shouted, throwing her hands forward in disbelief.

“I don’t give a fuck what it is,” he answered coldly. “Heis all that matters. Well... all four of us. But right now, I’m thinking about him. I know it may not make sense to you, but the moment I put that ring on him, he became my husband in the most unconventional sense. I would fight for him, I’d die for him, and I’d kill for him – just as he would me.”

Their bond would be built on unity and equal footing. What Aleron brought forth, he would try with all his might to do – no matter what it cost him or what unholy, deplorable thing he had to do to achieve it.

Sighing, he leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I’m not going to take him on a continent-wide massacre, Em. I just want him to catch up to Ingram, that’s all. I don’t want him to feel left out, and I want to be able to talk to him about important things without him getting lost or...hurtbecause he can’t understand.”

The last thing I want to do is hurt him,he thought.I’ve done enough of that.But he’d like to give the truth, and all of himself. He didn’t think that was asking too much.

Her silence was heavy, but he refused to be crushed by it.

“Fine,” Emerie eventually bit out. “I get it. I already accepted that one or two humans may get eaten by Ingram if they attack us. If this is something you think you can stomach – how wrong and immoral it is – then I’ll try to forgive you.”

He cast her an awkward glance. “Thanks. I know he’ll appreciate it too. He’s trying so hard not to upset or scare you, so it’ll make it easier if I tell him you’ll forgive him.”

“Ingram is going to want to go with him, you know that, right? He’s not going to let his twin go off into a battle by himself.”

“I figured, but if he could please not eat them so Aleron can, that’d be just dandy. They don’t experience hunger anymore.”

Her lips tightened, and her blue eyes became steely. “When?”

“Soon.” He shrugged a single shoulder. “A day or two, if possible.”

She took a deep inhale and let it out defeatedly. For a moment, she, and everything, was silent, as the weight of his request hung between them.

Then she placed her hand on his shoulder, rudely using him as a leaning board to stand.

“What have our lives come to?” She shook her head as she went down the hill and around the main pool. “You’re lucky I love Ingram just as much, Gideon, and understand why you’re doing this.”

He watched her go, probably hunting down Ingram to have a sulk about her feelings... or something.

Still, he appreciated that beautiful red-haired woman more than words could ever say. He also loved his little, yet older, sister more than life.

He was glad she’d find a way to forgive them.

Gideon knew his life was complete with them both in it, and he’d rather there not be abrasive tension between them if possible. There would be times when they would part, although likely rarely, but he wanted them to always come back to each other’s presences with a collective unity.

Sitting by himself, he rested his elbow against his knee and placed his chin on top of his enclosed fist, wanting to take in his new family from a distance. Aleron and Ingram’s playfulbrawling was interrupted by Emerie. Her orange hair and plain-brown dress glowed in the bright light as they fluttered to the right due to the direction of the wind.

A mild but affectionate smile lifted his cheeks when his Duskwalker immediately directed his bony face towards him. Crawling on all fours, he made his way up the hill, as if he didn’t wish for Gideon to be alone for even a second.

He didn’t move, and just waited.

---