Page 132 of A Soul to Steal

Oddly enough, Gideon flashed him a small smile. “So, how’s that? Are you feeling warmer?”

“I was not cold,” Aleron muttered, lowering his gaze to the flames to look at something, anything, other than Gideon.

“Oh,” he rasped, his tone dejected. “I was freezing, so I thought you may have been as well. Never mind, I guess. At least we can see each other properly now.”

“I do not need the light. Mavka can see in the darkness.”

Once more, he rasped, “Oh.”

Movement caught his attention, the male an attraction for him like a moth to a flame, and he briefly glanced at him. Shoulders turned inwards, he scratched at the side of his hair, ruffling the wet lengths of it. He combed it back even more.

Aleron’s sight shifted to dark yellow as he tilted his skull. Why did he get the impression he’d disappointed him? A shameful knot formed in his gut, since he hadn’t meant to upset him. He didn’t know why he kept saying or doing the wrong thing.

Even earlier, when he’d stated he’d go back to kill that male Demon, he thought it would make him happy. It didn’t; it was a pointless offering.

“You’re really independent,” Gideon laughed off, but even Aleron could tell it was utterly false. “Alright. Well, could you turn around for me?”

“Why?” Aleron asked, while obediently doing as requested.

“I’d rather be near the fire if you don’t need it.” Aleron’s body twitched with each light tap of approaching feet hitting the stone ground. “Let’s check out that wing and see if there is anything I can do to help.”

“My wing?” Aleron squeaked, before leaping forward before Gideon could touch him. He spun back around and stood, towering over him. “My wing is fine. You do not need to check it.”

Gideon’s eyes widened, brows raised in disbelief. “You haven’t stopped releasing whimpers since I asked about it in the storm.Let me look at it. Sometimes massaging the muscles around a sprain can help alleviate the pain.”

Aleron refused to give this human his back, especially since just the idea had his heart rate spiking until he thought it’d sprint out of his chest.

He shook his head, causing the sound of dry bones to rattle from him. “I will heal in a day. There is no need.”

“Turn that feathered rump around right now and sit,” Gideon demanded while pointing at the ground, his green eyes sharpening into a glare.

He stepped back with his sight turning white. “No. It does not hurt.”

Gideon followed. “The fuck it doesn’t!”

Aleron turned to quickly put space between them and found that walking backwards ached his wing. Its current drooping state meant he also almost stepped on it.

Chasing him around the cave, he yelled, “Why are you lying, Aleron?”

He didn’t wish to answer.My wings are sensitive.

Gideon had shown him this. He worried this human putting his hands over them might cause him to do something foolish. Even just the slightest, lightest touch from him could have Aleron’s orbs shifting to deep purple.

He’d never had that reaction with Ingram, only ever this human. Just the thought of this human’s hands all over them had desire tensing his seam.

After a while, Gideon stopped chasing him and Aleron finally turned back to him with his chest huffing in anxiety. The male’s face was red, his expression tight with irritation.

“I’m trying to do something nice for you, man,” Gideon lowly muttered, digging his fingers into his hair to brush it back. “I know I’ve fucked up a whole bunch, and I’m trying to make up for it in my own way. I just want to take care of you.”

His eyes crinkled as they darted off to the side, and his shoulders fell. Then, with a deep sigh, he gave up and walked back to the fire.

Aleron was as far from the fire as possible, but the flames could never warm him more than Gideon’s statement. “You want to...carefor me?”

With his back to Aleron, he crouched down and put his hands forward to play with its heat. He shrugged. “Yeah, but like, I get it. I wouldn’t want me to touch me either after everything.” Then he peeked over his shoulder and waved him forward. “Still, come sit by the fire. Even if you’re not cold, it’ll at least dry all that fur. It must be heavy.”

The rest of his rambling didn’t sink in. Not when Aleron was too busy cupping both his hands to his chest when a strange emotion fluttered within it. It was so light and fluffy that it made his sight turn bright pink.

He wants to care for me.He wanted to help him, touch him, make him feel good.He lit the fire for us then?Not just himself, but because he thought Aleron would be cold and need the light as well?

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