Page 28 of A Soul to Steal

“Whydo you like me then, Aleron?” Gideon asked, covering his mouth and looking off to the side.

Aleron leaned forward so he could examine his expression, but it was too hidden away for him to even attempt to decipher it. Instead, he tilted his head at him.

“I do not know why, only that I do. Must there be a reason?” His question was sincere, as he didn’t see the need for an explanation. His chest did strange things, and he’d developed an intense desire to be closer to this male.

Their unity of hand holding was just the beginning, one which he didn’t know he could instigate. He would do it often in the future, ensuring a physical connection with him – so long as he did not protest it. Not because he needed to alleviate his worries, but because he liked the way Gideon’s hand felt in his own, secured within his strength.

Gideon whipped his face to him, his strong brows drawing together like he wasn’t expecting such a rebuff. He eventually lowered his hand from his mouth.

“I guess you don’t particularly need a reason,” Gideon grumbled, the pinkness fading as he rubbed the side of his hair-covered neck. “I think what I’m trying to say is that I don’t understand. Wouldn’t you want to do this with a woman?”

Aleron reared his head back, only to tilt it until it threatened to turn upside down in surprise.

“This is only something that can be done between a male and a female?” Suddenly, his sight shifted to a deep blue, not liking this at all. He hadn’t known this was a strict action that could only be performed between two opposing genders.

Does this mean I also cannot have Gideon as my bride?The fluffy balls that had been bouncing around in his chest earlier stilled and grew weighted, like they wanted to sink to his stomach.But I like this human. I would like to protect him.

“Well, no,” he grumbled, once more looking away. This perked Aleron’s head up, his tail feathers vibrating again, but in hope. “It’s absolutely possible between two guys, but I thought you would want to fuck a woman, not me. Your kind seek a bride, right? Well, the term ‘bride’ is generally given to a woman getting married, not a man.”

“It is?” He didn’t know this, nor did he understand why it mattered.

“I guess I just assumed...” he trailed off, before quietly muttering, “I just don’t want to confuse you, is all.”

“‘Bride’ is only for females? Why? I thought it just meant the person who I bond with. You could be my bride.”

Again, Gideon’s ears pinkened. However, this time he didn’t cover his face even though it also darkened in colour. His lips parted.

Gideon turned his gaze to the ground. “Have you been thinking about this with me?”

He then began to rub at his neck, the side of his face, and even ran his fingers through his fringe to push it back. Even though he appeared panicked, not once did he try to take his hand from Aleron’s, which allowed the flare of hope to burn hotter.

“Are... you against this with me?” Aleron asked instead, his way of answering affirmatively. “I am not a human, and I am a male. Do you not like me because of these things?”

“You being a male is absolutely not the problem,” Gideon stated. “I guess I never told you, since it’s not usually anyone’s business, but I’m gay.” Like he’d know Aleron didn’t understand what the term meant, he briefly peeked at him as he said, “It means I like men, not women. And, to be honest, I’m realising you being a Duskwalker isn’t actually a problem for me. I just... like I said, I don’t want to confuse you. I also don’t know how I feel about being an experiment for you. Discovering my own sexuality wasn’t entirely pleasant, and I’m worried that helping you with this might make things harder for you in the future. I also don’t want to be a source of unpleasantness for you. We’re friends, and I don’t want that to change negatively.”

He does not want to be a source of unpleasantness for me? But Ingram said doing this feels wonderful.The human was making it more complicated than it seemed.

Then Gideon turned to him with a beseeching frown crinkling his brow and the corners of his eyes. “You’re... you’re the only one I have here, Aleron.”

Too distracted by this pretty human’s expressions, Aleron didn’t realise they’d passed through a gate. They’d even wandered across a meadow.

He stopped them by yanking on Gideon’s hand.

“I do not care about the gender of my partner, only that they make me feel warm here.” He pointed to his chest, to the place Ingram had told him his desired partner should move him.

Currently, it felt like a mess, and he was rather liking that mixed-up, chaotic feeling within. Its uncomfortableness sprouted confusing pleasure behind his sternum.

“You do this for me, and I would like to touch you in return. But I do not know how to do this. I do not know how or where to touch, which is why I have not done so.”

When Gideon pulled on his arm, wanting freedom, Aleron relinquished their connection for his comfort. Gideon stepped back from him, putting unwanted space between them.

The male put his hands up, as if to ward him away. Aleron let out a snorting huff of irritation at him for it.

“Isn’t this a little too fast?” With his shoulders tucked up, and his face averted, he stated, “You only learned what sex was like a few minutes ago, man. Now you’re spouting all this other stuff, but how the hell are we supposed to know if that’s truly how you feel or if it’s because I’m the only one here? I don’t want to just say yes because I’m curious about you.”

Aleron tilted his head. “Why not? I am also curious about you – and thissex.”

“Because I’m not a woman, Aleron. I wouldn’t be a ‘bride’ but a ‘groom,’ and sex is different for each kind of pairing.”

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