Page 128 of A Soul to Steal

The male stepped closer to them protectively, especially when the female gave a horrible hiss.

“Our daughter can’t fly through weather like this!” She tried to shove the male’s wing away, so he curled his arm around her side to wisely keep her to him. “She will fall or we will lose her.”

“Only a fool would fly through this,” the male said calmly. “And by the state of your twisted wing, you already know how dangerous it is.”

Aleron braved looking over his shoulder. One of his wings was flared threateningly, while the other drooped against the ground. Resting it only seemed to make the throbbing around the base joint worse.

“We need shelter,”Aleron told them, stepping back just enough to reveal his bride.“I will not permit you to stay with him.”

“I thought I smelled a human,” the female said, casting a predatory gaze over Gideon. The hunger in her eyes only solidified that he couldn’t trust them.

“Let me up,” Gideon urged.

Aleron growled down at him, but instantly quietened at the glare he received. He eyed the axe looped to Gideon’s pants before nodding. He promised he would treat them as equals. As much as anxiety crawled inside his gut at allowing Gideon to stand and expose himself, he conceded.

Gideon drew his axe from his trousers and held the handle firm. Aleron couldn’t help stepping slightly in front of him.

With water dripping from them, they stood as a united pair.

“He is my priority,”Aleron informed them.“We will not stay where there are creatures who are a danger. Leave and find shelter elsewhere.”

“This is our home!” the female yelled, gesturing her hand to the right.

Deeper within the cave, he noticed more chambers and light. In this area, a small fire currently warmed some kind of meal in a cooking pot. A table with three chairs was situated nearby, with a mass of blankets that smelt recently used, showing the area was lived in quite regularly.

“Daddy,” the youngling called quietly, clinging to the back of his pant leg. “He’s scaring me. Make them leave.”

“You are asking us to face death, whether that is by you or the storm,” the male said, his voice low and dark. “The child has done nothing wrong, has never killed for her meals, and has never harmed anyone. She was born with half her human features, and yet you would be willing to make her suffer before she dies?”

Aleron examined the...familybefore him.

Despite them being Demons, was this how a normal family was formed? The youngling did look similar to the two adults, and they were both willing to protect her. He observed their dwelling once more, noting it lacked the general nest-like qualities of other Demons.

The male reminds me of the Delysians we met in the Elven realm.His sight once more found the youngling, who reminded him of Lehnenia with her little horns and red eyes.

Then Aleron turned his head to the entry of the cave and looked into the storm that had worsened terribly. His orbs flared orange with guilt before shifting to white.

Most other Demons had been quite horrible to him. They had clawed him, bitten him, and hurt his kindred. Yet these three were beseeching him to be spared. They were also choosing not to attack him for the meal his bride could be, or the addition of humanity he could see they needed.

The male was fully formed, but both females were not far from their completion.

They would not go from theirhome,but they also weren’t trying to harm his bride. They were showing kindness, which was rare for their race.

That kindness was enough for him. He’d never sought to be purposefully violent.

Aleron stepped back and ushered Gideon with him by the use of his wing.“Fine. We will seek shelter elsewhere.”

There had been other lights, although much lower down the mountain. He’d chosen this one as it was higher, would be safer for his human.

The male’s lips tightened as his red eyes darted to the storm. Worry crossed his features as a strike of lightning flashed just beyond it. It was so close the boom of thunder that followed was instantaneous. “I understand your fear. If you promise not to harm us, Duskwalker, I will permit you and this human to stay.”

The female gasped, but he cut her a menacing look.

Aleron shook his head.“I do not trust you.”

The Demon nodded. “Fair enough.”

“Aleron?” Gideon asked, tilting his head with a deep frown creasing his brow.

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