Page 63 of A Soul to Steal

“That’s not how it works,” she stated with a sigh, rolling her strange eyes.

“But it’s Weldir!” Merikh gestured towards the stone hallway where the rest of the city lay beyond it. “The other councillors almost forbid me from staying here due to my tie to him.”

“Yes, but this is different. Although indeed concerning.” She cupped her chin in deep thought. “There are rules we must obey. One of which is: anyone seeking to speak with our deities with good reason must freely be given the right to formally request an audience with them. Not doing so can result in divine punishment. It has not been unheard of that another god has been locked out of the Nyl’therian realm, so we must allow them to communicate when they desire it.”

“I’d rather not give him anything he wants,” Merikh bit out. “Damn the rules. I told you how I feel about him.”

Raewyn winced before reaching up to hold his skull in her hands. Gideon frowned when Merikh plonked its weight into her awaiting palms. He hadn’t expected the aggressive Duskwalker to show any kind of open affection or vulnerability before them.

Instead of being sweet, she giggled as she said, “Too bad.” He lightly growled at her for it, only to snort out a huff a second later. “This is what is done here, Merikh. Also, don’t you want to spend time with your brother?”

“You should know the answer to that ridiculous question,” Merikh grumbled, licking at the inside of his mouth in irritation. “You know the only person I truly wish to speak to is you.” Then, he quickly added, “And Lehnenia.”

“We still need to work on your social skills.”

Once more, he huffed, but he also rolled his head out of her palms – much like how one might have rolled their eyes.

Gideon had intended to stay quiet, but when Aleron’s wings drooped slightly at Merikh’s reaction to him, a ball of hot iron lit up in his gut.

“The fuck is your problem?” Gideon barked up at Merikh, stomping forward until he was right at the barrier. “In the few minutes we’ve been here, you’ve been an absolute jackass to Aleron. He’s your family. The least you could do is show a shred of kindness towards your own brother.”

Finally, Merikh regarded him.

Gideon narrowed his eyes into a slicing glare, greeting him head-on. At his side, his right hand curled into a tight fist when the desire to clock the bastard across the face struck him.

“I’ll have you know, human, that I take great pride in being the biggest prick any world has ever seen. I have little fondness for my own kind, and a deep hatred for yours.”

Then Merikh lowered himself so he was leaning on his knees. Somehow, the stance made Gideon feel like he was being spoken down to like a child. As though he were inferior, small, and weak.

His voice was low and quietly unnerving as he stated, “I have no doubt your reasons for being here are less than noble. Are you hoping that if you assist Weldir, he will grant you life? You put your faith in a self-absorbed devil, human. Taking advantage of one of my kind, who has already proven he is rather fond of you and has little humanity to realise your impure intentions, is even more despicable. If you were alive, I would have already ripped your tiny little head from your feeble body.”

Before Gideon could yell back to dish out his well-deserved outrage, Aleron’s wings and arms were around him. He lifted him off the ground, tucked him against his chest, and jerked to the side to shield him as though he were a stuffed toy. He let outa beastly growl, and the vibration and depth of it rumbled them both.

“You will not threaten my human,”Aleron barked, snapping his fangs at him. “I asked him to come here. Even with a bride, I see you have not changed.”

Fighting to get free, Gideon yanked a wing down so he could raise his fist to Merikh as he unfurled himself from his feathery cocoon. “If I were alive, I’d hammer a stake through that hard head of yours. Then you could go suffer in the very realm belonging to the father you so obviously hate.”

As though the idea of Gideon attempting that truly humoured him, Merikh’s orbs flared bright yellow. He gave a deep, dark chuckle.

Sensing he intended some kind of cruel response, Raewyn stamped her foot next to him and gestured to the soldiers behind them, grabbing his attention. “Stop it, Merikh. There are people watching, some of whom are still getting used to your presence.”

He rolled his head. “They cannot understand English, Raewyn. All they know is that we are having a disagreement, one which I can state was in protest of Weldir.” He folded his arms across his broad chest. “You know that would work in my favour.”

She threw her hands up, her cane attached to her wrist wiggling in the air at her side, before walking away from him. However, the moment she was upon the soldiers, her composure returned, and she spoke to them kindly and with respect.

Gideon figured she was explaining their request.

“You have upset your female,” Aleron said quietly.

Merikh hummed as his orbs returned to their normal red, and Aleron’s turned to pink.

“She is fine. She knows how I am and how I feel towards humans. She will forgive me later, once I have made amends with her.”

Aleron settled Gideon back on his feet, but didn’t let him go, as if worried he’d charge forward and verbally assault the Duskwalker some more. He considered it.

“What of Mavka then?” Aleron asked, tilting his head. “What have we done to deserve your anger? You have never truly been welcoming.”

Gideon’s features twitched when the aggression in Merikh’s entire body deflated out of him.

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