Page 50 of A Soul to Steal

Gideon burst into a fit of laughter, which only made Aleron’s growl deepen. “If you don’t like it, you can put me down and go pout, you giant, overgrown feather duster.”

“No,” he barked. “You will stay there as punishment.” Aleron did big bird stomps towards the exit of the cave, knees lifting high as his heavy feet slapped against the stone. “And what even is a feather duster?”

His chuckles only grew more persistent.

Hurry up, Aleron. I’ll be waiting.

The feel of the human against Aleron’s back popped each bubble of festering irritation with satisfaction. He fit there, slotted nicely between his heavy wings. If he chose to, he could easily cross them and trap Gideon forever.

Unfortunately, he was annoyed. Deeply annoyed, even.

I do not know how to approach him.

Gideon was hesitant. Any chance Aleron had at reaching out to him was often stolen by their conversations, the clumsiness of going around dense forestry, or his own worry. Unsettling worry that had been caused by Gideon, stirring questions he didn’t have the answers to.

Why must my partner be female?This seemed to weigh on Gideon, but Aleron just didn’t see the problem. He cared not for the gender of his bride, so long as they made him content. And this little human made him very content.

Well... usually. Currently, he was being a massive thorn in the side. Enough so that Aleron wanted to bash him over the head with the arch of one wing, so he could smack some sense into him.

But... he did say it is possible between two males.So why didGideon have to make it so complicated?

I want to touch him again.He was eager to do so.What if he pulls away from me? What if he asks all those stupid questions again?

He was beginning to feel like his affection towards the human was... wrong. Not to Aleron – it just felt right – but from the world’s perspective.

‘What if I hurt you?’ Why does he think this? He is small and feeble. I could easily crush him.

As Aleron continued to carry Gideon on his back while he crossed through the first area they’d ventured, and then up the tunnel to leave, his vision kept changing colours. One minute it was red in anger, then white in worry, to reddish pink in embarrassment – even though he didn’t know why – and lastly, blue due to sadness. He didn’t think he’d ever had this many sight changes all at once.

All the while, Gideon continued to chuckle on his back. His fur and feathers puffed with an intense thrill, happy to be the cause of it, and yet his skin tightened with strain. Was the human laughing at him or with him?

He ceased walking when something became apparent.My head and chest hurt.He wanted to whine at the emotions that toiled within him, as they finally snuffed the enjoyment he’d been feeling.

“Why’d you stop?” Gideon asked, his laughter dying.

Aleron couldn’t answer, unsure why his feet didn’t want to pass the very last strange lights within the tunnel. He attempted to piece together his muddled thoughts, but they unravelled like fraying twine he lost his bewildered clasp on. He hated the blank spaces within his mind; the missing fragments that made it obvious he was an incomplete creature.

At his silence, Gideon lowered his legs to be put down. He relinquished his hold on the human, letting him slide down when an uncomfortable weakness softened Aleron’s muscles.

This unending day weighed on him. These unrelenting questions hammered him.

The source of his disquiet was the human male.

In his keeping, he had a confusing but alluring little beast. Every laugh Gideon produced ached his chest, every smile bruised him. The solemn look he often wore tried to swallow him whole, simply because Aleron didn’t know how to fix it.

Gideon’s personality often made him bigger than he appeared. Bright and warm, he could also be cool in a calming sort of way. Easy to laugh, willing to teach, and brave enough to fill the quiet when Aleron didn’t know how.

He was patient, whereas Aleron lacked that temperament. He didn’t know how the human could wait or hold back. Not when Aleron thought his impatience had turned into a parasite that threatened to eat him from the inside out.

He didn’t even knowwhatcraving constantly struck him, yet a wave ofeverythingtold him to move, touch, taste, consume until he’d satisfied something.

His chest heaved with deepening breaths.

We are so different.He wondered if their differences in heart, mind, and body were the problem. Did Gideon desire him at all? Or was only Aleron lost in all this?

Over time, he’d slowly realised that Gideon had become the most mesmerising creature he’d ever seen. Somewhere along the line, Aleron had turned into a fuzzy moth, ever chasing this human’s handsome, transfixing light. He started cherishing him in ways he utterly didn’t understand, which hurt his chest. He craved expressing them. He wanted to let his instincts take over and lead him as they had his whole life.

Aleron worried if he were to try to instigate something with Gideon and was pushed away, he’d somehow hurt Gideon’s spiritual body here with his claws by trying to keep him close. What if Aleron did something foolish and grabbed the human’s soul in frustration and permanently harmed it?

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