Page 37 of A Soul to Steal

With the nasty venom coursing through him, it likely wasn’t safe for this creature if he were to come closer. He had half a mind to pick it up, lift it above his head, andfuckingtoss it, much like how Weldir had tossed him off a cliff.

He’d learned all kinds of exciting words from Gideon, and was rather pleased that he now had something to show the power of what he wanted to convey.Fucking, fuck, shit, damn.They were harsh, but they could convey much, both negative and positive.

Despite his reservations, Aleron cautiously approached because that was what Gideon wanted from him, and he desired to keep this little human happy. He was beginning to obsess about how he could make Gideon content, and wipe away the often despondent, solemn expression that washed over his features.

He wanted him to associate Aleron with joy, so that he could convince this male to become his bride. Or groom. Or whatever he wanted to be called.

When Aleron crawled closer, lowering, the herd beyond Gideon backed up. Surprisingly, the animal he petted seemed as mesmerised by his companion as much as Aleron often was, staying put.

It wanted to fight with Aleron for Gideon’s affection by being just as obedient. His orbs flared red at it.

“What is it?” Aleron asked in a low tone, wanting the name of it so he could solidify it within his mind as his least favourite beast.

There were many creatures here who had likely been eaten by Demons. This wasn’t his first time seeing these ones in particular.

Like him, it couldn’t scent anything. Aleron couldn’t smell its fear, and it likely couldn’t smell any hostility on his approach.

“I think they’re impala antelope,” Gideon said in a cooing and calm voice, trying to settle the antelope as Aleron came upon them. He gave it a scratch under its chin, and all Aleron could think was how he wanted him to do that to his bony one. “I’ve read about them, but as far as we know, they’re extinctin Austrális. They were one of the first animals the Demons eradicated when they arrived.”

As he spoke, he slipped his other hand over the back of Aleron’s protruding white knuckle bones and directed him towards the beast’s neck. With Gideon’s guidance, he stroked it.

At first, disdain caused his fur and feathers to puff, but it was quickly overshadowed by his own unwitting awe. The green in his sight faded to bright yellow, and he began to enthusiastically stroke the creature as well.

Despite its size, it felt strong, its fur rough, and yet there was a sense of... elegance in the way it held itself. Meekly, it bucked its head, but eventually settled when it must have understood that Aleron intended no harm... for now.

Graceful – that’s how he saw it.

“There is a Mavka who shares the same horns as this antelope,” Aleron explained, eyeing the long, spiralling horns that were similar to his own. However, they were rounder and thinner compared to his, and small, bumpy rings went up their lengths.

“You said you get your characteristics from what you first ate, right?” Gideon whispered as he pet its back, and its short, upward-curling tail flickered with delight. “That Duskwalker must be pretty old then, since they haven’t been around for a long while.”

“I am unsure.” Aleron didn’t even know how old he was.

Aleron’s entire essence wanted to melt when Gideon directed a strange but tender smile towards him. It was so strong that his dimples became prominent once more, and even the tops of his cheeks bunched his eyes.

With a gentle and sincere voice, Gideon said, “I know it’s probably weird to say, but thank you for this.”

His skull tilted sharply. “But I did not do anything.”

“I never would have been able to pet a wild animal if it wasn’t for you allowing me to stay by your side here in Tenebris. I never would have gotten to experience this, and it’s really surreal.” His expression softened to something that made Aleron’s heart swell before Gideon gazed at the creature once more. “It’s pretty rare. You really have to venture away from a village, but I’ve seen a deer before. I couldn’t get close to it, let alone touch it, since they are really skittish towards anything. It would have been even cooler if it was a wolf or a mountain cat – since they’re really dangerous.”

“I do not know these names,” Aleron admitted, but he didn’t feel embarrassed by his lack of knowledge.

Gideon had been very understanding and welcoming of this, and he’d grown increasingly comfortable stating when he was uncertain.

Perhaps it was due to their very limited time together, but Ingram had incidentally made him feel... inadequate. It wasn’t on purpose – his kindred had only wanted to share as much information as he could with him, excitedly explaining everything he’d learned. Yet, he’d realised there was a giant gap of humanity between them.

They were no longer one being split into two. Ingram had become his own person, and in some ways, Aleron had felt left behind. He’d felt inferior.

His other half had changed so much that his inner self almost seemed unrecognisable.

Over the course of their time together, Gideon had managed to erase those insecurities within him. He told Aleron it wasn’t his fault, and that he had potential – he just had to learn it first. Gideon accepted him, from his mind to his heart, and even his body.

He welcomed everything Aleron felt he lacked and then threw it back to him with an evolved version of encouragement. Itallowed him the freedom to state his broken and disjointed thoughts, without the shadow of judgement looming over him.

Aleron appreciated that, and it was a large part of the reason why he’d grown to care for the little human so deeply.

I even asked him to teach me about my body, and he agreed to it.His orbs flickered purple at the back of his head.And he became aroused as well.

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