Page 49 of A Soul to Steal

Gideon’s lips tightened in uncertainty as he wound his arms around his neck.

“Hey... can you explain to me what you’re feeling towards me? It would make it easier for both of us.”

Aleron tilted his skull at that. “Well, you feel warm and light. It would be easy to fly with you like this.”

A chuckle passed his lips as his eyes crinkled in humour. “That’s not what I meant. I mean in here.”

Gideon placed a hand over his fluffy chest.

He didn’t expect Aleron’s orbs to change to a reddish pink, and Gideon wondered if he directed his skull forward to hide them. He’d stiffened under Gideon, and the tension within his big body hinted at nervousness.

“I do not wish to say,” Aleron eventually muttered.

A frown sweeping across Gideon’s entire face. “Why not?”

Aleron’s shoulders, which had been back and firm, lowered and turned inward. “Last time I did so, you questioned everything.”

“Last time?” As soon as he spoke, he realised what Aleron was referring to.

Oh.His head slumped until it was pressing against Aleron’s nape.He said he likes me, and I said it felt a little too fast.

The sigh that left him was in annoyance at himself.

What he’d said back then was true, and his concerns had been weighty. Gideon still had those worries and fears, but now they were tangled with his own desires – emotions he didn’t know he’d begun reciprocating until they became stronger.

“Those questions I asked you... they were important, Aleron. You are learning about everything, and I am learning about you. There are going to be times that we have conversations that are unpleasant, but they are required to ensure an equal balance of understanding. Relationships, no matter what kind, are built on the foundations of communication.”

“Says the one who has not shared,” Aleron bit back. “You ask me, but I have already told you.”

Is that snark I can hear in his tone?Gideon lifted his face to squint his eyes in irritation.

“I already know who I am and understand what I want and feel when it happens. You, on the other hand, are the one who didn’t even know where his dick was. Once you figure out what you truly want, you must initiate. When you do, I can then lead.”

Aleron parted his fangs to give a huff. “Why? You are the one who knows everything. How am I supposed to know what to do or say? I am not the human.”

Gideon released one arm, trusting Aleron to support his backside, so he could grab one of his horns. He yanked it back, forcing Aleron to look at him. Then he jerked back to stop from bashing his own face when he discovered the Duskwalker could twist his neck the whole way around.

“There are terms and labels for it, but what I will explain is that I don’t wish to take advantage of your naïveté. You are a big boy, and I can tell you’re all grown up, but you lack insight. You even lack insight regarding your own body and desires. What if I hurt or confuse you? That isn’t something I want just for my own selfishness.”

As much as Gideon had worries that ached his heart, Aleron was the one who lack humanity. His needs and clarity were more important.

“That is a stupid reason,” Aleron grumbled in a low voice, ripping his horn from his grip to turn his head forward. “You are needlessly making it confusing and hard.”

“That’s because it’s complicated.” He patted him on the top of the skull. “You’ll figure it out, and we have plenty of time for you to do so.”

Apparently, all of lifeless eternity.

This entire conversation had been enlightening for Gideon. The Duskwalker didn’t need to tell him directly. The reminder had been enough.

“But I like you too,” Gideon said, knowing he had to give Aleron something. He felt the confidence of that statement so strongly he didn’t experience a shred of embarrassment. “Just figure out what you truly want. Make sure it’s not because I’m the only human here with you, but because it’sme.”

“I am the only one with you also,” Aleron stated back.

“Yeah, but my feelings don’t make sense, which is why they make sense to me.”

With a growl, and balancing Gideon with only one arm, he lifted a hand to point a sharp claw towards his nose. “You do not make sense, you confusingfuckinghuman.”

Ha! He’s learning how to swear. How fun!

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