Page 69 of A Soul to Steal

She responded without looking back at them, and he repeated what she said.

The child sprung up, her eyes wide. Then she spoke, patting at her chest in excitement. Merikh’s orbs flashed blue for just a second, before he shook his head. The girl’s features saddened as her shoulders drooped.

Although he couldn’t understand the conversation, he figured Lehnenia had asked if her parents could visit, considering what Merikh had asked of Raewyn.

The girl braved peeking at them.

Oh, screw it. She’s only a kid.

Gideon waved at her, and her expression eased, then a tiny smile crept onto her features as she waved back. She laughed when Aleron mimicked her.

Shark-like fangs became prominent, but Gideon couldn’t help noticing her canines were far too large for her mouth. They awkwardly pushed the teeth around them to the sides, forcing them inwards so the others were angled into a vee in the centre of her mouth.

Then she pointed at Aleron and spoke.

“She’s stating that your skull is like mine, and she likes your fangs,” Merikh translated, before a long pause as he listened. “She’s wondering why you’re pink, and how you came to be a Ghost.”

Then he grunted, especially when she turned to Merikh and spoke. She grabbed one of his long fangs with her entire hand and tried to wiggle it with a giggle. Her smile grew bright as she spoke to him, and then shouted at Raewyn, only to come back to Merikh.

Surprised the surly Duskwalker was allowing the child to yank one of his fangs, and then a horn as she rambled on and on, Gideon watched the interaction with fascination.

He’s being really patient with her.More than he expected.

Raewyn came over to hand the child a cup, and she enthusiastically took it with both hands, swallowing its contents with big, loud gulps. Then she sucked in a breath as though she’d forgotten to breathe the entire time, just as Raewyn took a seat next to Merikh.

He put the girl on her feet, pointed to a bag, and stated something in Elvish. She shook her head, so he repeated himself. She pointed at him, stamped her foot, then pointed at the bag.

“Raewyn,” he stated with a cringe. “Please help.”

“No!” She gave a laugh. “If you’re going to ask her to do her homework, you know she won’t do it without you.”

“We have guests.” When he turned his skull to her while still leaning towards the child, his orbs once more a reddish pink, her smile grew mischievous. He grunted. “Don’t say it. Not in front of them.”

When he stood, he wrapped his tail around the child’s ankle and hoisted her off the ground so she flipped upside down. She let out a joyful squeal. Grabbing a bag from the doorway, he shook the child as he walked over to the low table in front of the lounge, sat upon the ground, and placed her on his massive knee.

Together, they opened up her bag, pulled out strange, lime-coloured parchment and a writing utensil made from some kind of bark. Then they worked on the child’s homework together.

“Don’t mind them.” Raewyn’s soft words forced Gideon’s attention forward. “He’s still learning how to write in our language, and she has taken it upon herself to teach him.”

A light growl rumbled from his left. “I told you not to say anything!”

“Why?” She laughed back. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’ve only been here a few months, and no one expects you to learn all of it so quickly.”

He grunted in response before Lehnenia distracted him. Like he couldn’t help himself, Aleron rose and walked over. He crouched down and rudely inspected them up close, violating their personal space.

Since Lehnenia didn’t seem to be bothered, or perhaps due to her happily attempting to start teaching him as well, Merikh allowed it.

All the uncomfortable tension from their earlier conversation was nullified by the little girl. Even though Gideon had mixed feelings towards Merikh, warmth bled behind his sternum atwatching him and the girl interact. He found it even sweeter with the way Aleron looked on.

“Why did you adopt her?” Gideon asked, turning to Raewyn.

It probably wasn’t his place to ask, but the unusualness of the situation brought on many questions.

Merikh was a Duskwalker, she an Elf, and the child a Demon; no one could deny the oddity of all this. Plus, if their relationship were new, and it was true he’d been here for only a few months, in Gideon’s opinion... it all happened too fast.

She didn’t seem like the kind of person to make rushed decisions, considering she was some kind of important councilmember or something. People in governing positions usually had good reasons for their actions, and managed their time and added responsibilities in certain ways. They didn’t make brash decisions like this, especially one so life changing.

As someone who had been adopted himself, he had... feelings regarding this.

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