Page 201 of A Soul to Steal

Too much was being stated at once, and he didn’t like the idea of holding a tiny ball of potentially violent chaos. Gideon handed them back to Orpheus, and he enthusiastically took them.

Emerie is in the north? I thought with the guild after her, she would have avoided it.Then again, he’d always known she’d find a place to hunker down until the snow season passed.

“Duskwalkers can heal? I didn’t know you could use magic in that way.”

At least that was handy to know.

“You didn’t? But you have bonded with Aleron. I assumed he would have used healing magic with you, especially since you carry his marking scent.”

It took a moment for Gideon to understand what he meant. Once he did, his whole head heated and the desire to shut his legs itched his knees. He didn’t, only because he doubted that would help.

“No. He’s, uh, never done any magic around me.”

“I see.” He cupped the end of his snout and tapped the side of it with a claw. “Actually, since you are both males, I have questions about this.”

“Questions I absolutely will not answer,” Gideon quickly stated with an awkward laugh.

“Why not? I am curious about how two males can fuck, since you do not have a pussy.”

Gideon almost choked on his spit at how honestly and abruptly he’d spoken. “Sorry, man, but that’s kind of private. I’d prefer not to explain it.” With his cheeks reddening, Gideon tried to look anywhere else but his bony face. “Maybe ask Reia?”

“Fine.” Orpheus snorted an annoyed huff. “Since Aleron does not know how to use his magic properly, I will try to teach him all I know before he leaves. Much of it is helpful in taking care of a human. Healing is actually rather easy once we know how.”

“Thanks. I’d really appreciate that.” He offered Orpheus a small, appreciative smile, thankful he’d dropped the sex topic. “You said Emerie went north roughly three weeks ago?”

“This is correct.”

I see,Gideon thought while patting the side of his bent pointer finger against his lips.That’s roughly when we were caught up in the storm. They were either in the Veil, or making their way there, which is why we didn’t find them.

“Where were they before that?”

“The south, mainly the western side before the southlands border. Less people.”

So... while we were in the north, they were in the south, and vice versa.

Then Gideon’s eyes grew wide. “Did you say the west?”

“Yes.”

He winced.Shit. Didn’t we first arrive back in the west? We would have been close to them...His thoughts trailed off before he threw his face into one of his palms.Damn,Aleron knew it. He had to have known they were close by. And instead of going after his twin, he chose to follow me.

The gut-wrenching knot within him, the one that had turned into lead last night and had eased during this conversation, tightened. At this point, he was beginning to feel so ill from it, he feared he’d throw up his emotions despite his empty stomach.

“Your heart rate has increased, and you are sweating. Are you okay? Aleron will be angered with me if you become unwell.”

Gideon would never get used to how easy it was for Duskwalkers to pick up on something so minor.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” The lie tasted sour.

He wasn’t fine, and he hadn’t been fine for a while.

While he was trying to get closer to Aleron, something had been nagging in the back of his mind. He’d never been able to put his finger on it, but it’d been there, constantly eating at him.

His chest felt swollen with an overdose of too many confusing and conflicting emotions. Sometimes painful, other times tender. Hot and cold, soft and then barbed. The backlash of them was driving him insane.

At this rate, he’d start yanking his damn hair out.

Sex with Aleron had been wonderful. He’d deeply enjoyed it, perhaps far too much than what could be deemed normal. The fact his whole brain had turned off, and he’d turned into a horny puddle of goo while he’d been thoroughly humped... He’d never experienced anything like that before.

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