Page 171 of A Soul to Steal

“I am... sorry,” he stated softly.

With his brows drawn, Gideon swiftly twisted to face him. Then he let out a sharp breath. Water splashed as he turned completely and launched forward to cup the sides of Aleron’s head.

“Holy shit. Why are your orbs orange?”

Concern was evident in every one of the lines in his furrowed forehead, the tightness of his lips, and even the muscle ticking in his jaw.

Surprised by Gideon’s expression, the oddity of him asking about his sight colour change, and the way he held his bony face,Aleron reared back slightly. Only to hold Gideon’s wrists to keep his soft hands against his skull as Aleron peered into piercing green eyes reflecting his own face.

“I did not mean to hurt you.” Not just once, but twice.

And that was only what Gideon had been vocal about. Were there other times Aleron had foolishly harmed him? He’d bitten the male a few times, not enough to break skin, but he could see the bruising imprints of his fangs on Gidon’s leg, even through the water.

What I almost did...If Gideon hadn’t stopped him the many times he’d needed stopping, Aleron would have hurt his precious bride.

He’d been so excited, finally receiving some of the attention he’d been starved for, that Aleron acted thoughtlessly. He’d let his instincts take over when he should have wisely held back.

A mild chuckle fell from his lips. “It’s fine, Aleron. You stopped when I asked.”

Grumbling, as he wasn’t satisfied with that answer, Aleron only released Gidon’s hands because it was obvious he wanted them back. Gideon’s lips parted to say something, just as Aleron intended to apologise more.

A hissing squabble from the other side of the mountain rendered them both silent. They simultaneously looked into the shade of the forest.

Currently where they stood, the last of the day’s light shone over them. Not much longer, and the entire area would be shielded in shadow.

“There are Demons nearby,” Aleron informed him. “There are not many, but their scent lingers here, as if they live within the mountain.”

Aleron pointed to the peak behind Gideon. It wasn’t a large mountain, but it would be plenty of cover for those that didn’t wish to go back to the Veil.

“You’re kidding me,” Gideon bit out. His nose crinkled as he let out a disgruntled groan. “I was hoping we could camp here for the night. We better hurry up then.”

Then the human cupped some water and brought it to Aleron’s chest, and he tilted his head at him for it. None of Gideon’s scent was upon Aleron, only his own. It clumped the fur on his stomach and pelvis, and even coated his shaft currently slipping back inside him.

His head tilted the other way when Gideon’s ears reddened as he proceeded to wash Aleron as well.

He is cleaning me?Perhaps his original assumption of Gideon rejecting it was incorrect. He’d like it to be.Is cleaning afterwards a human custom?

Then he remembered a time from Tenebris.

When a human male had helped to wash a female with a wet cloth, soothing her and giving ‘aftercare’ as Gideon had explained.He is caring for me?

When the worst of it was rinsed off by the handfuls of water sluiced over his chest, Gideon stood. Then a dimness slipped over them and Gideon bounced out of the water and rushed to his clothes.

“We’re cutting it close.” Hopping around on one foot at a time, he shoved his legs into his pants. “Maybe if we head towards the border, we can find a good spot to camp for the night.”

Aleron watched him for a few moments before standing fully and looking down at himself. The orange in his sight faded to dark yellow as he touched his wet abdomen.We touched.

Of course he hadn’t expected it. In Tenebris, Aleron had needed to be the one to instigate such intimacy.Does this mean he feels the same way as me?He wanted to ask, to know.

Aleron brought his gaze back to Gideon, who was slipping his arms through his shirt sleeves.But in the afterworld... even after we touched, he asked all these silly, confusing questions.

He’d still been hesitant with Aleron.

Cupping the top of his skull, he dug his claws in, wishing he could think clearly. Why did all the answers seem obvious, and he just couldn’t grasp them?

The male picked up his guitar case and swiftly turned to him. “Well?” Gideon offered a small smile, and it was like a balm to Aleron’s aching mind and heart. “Are you going to hop out of the water, or have you decided you want to become a fish?”

That smile, that humour... just his bride being his old self, let Aleron know it would be okay. He needed that more than anything right then.

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