Page 182 of A Soul to Steal

Why does he remember Merikh and Emerie, but not our time together?Restless once more, he let out a sigh before palming down his skull.No. That is not true. He has regained some memories of us.

Enough to know of his orb changes, bits of their conversations, and apparently bits of them walking while in comfortable silence. Aleron just wished he’d remember the important things. Or, at least, told Aleron of what hedidrecall.

Gideon spun to him. Then with a grin and his eyebrows wiggling up and down, he hiked his thumb over his shoulder. “There’s a massive bed here.”

“Well, yes. It is Merikh’s.” That should have been obvious.

When his features and hand fell, as if displeased by Aleron’s response, he realised he was ruining his bride’s unusually cheery mood. Just when he’d achieved it.

Something is wrong with me today,Aleron thought as he left the cave.

Perhaps it was being in a place that he often frequented with his kindred. It felt wrong to be here without him, and it made him miss Ingram terribly.

Aleron eventually sat in the open clearing and turned his head up at the darkening sky. The waterfall gave a continuousshaato his right, while the gentle winds softly rustled the trees in frontof him. With a defeated slump in his shoulders, his sight shifted to blue.

I do not know what to do.

And he was getting tired of seeing dusk. It signified the end of another day, once more without Ingram.

“Alright, so this was a bust,” Gideon stated as he walked out, slapping his hands together to dust them. “Look, why don’t we find the other Duskwalkers? One of them might know where they are.”

Aleron had already considered this.

He shook his head. “I know the whereabouts of three, but I do not know if they will be helpful. Orpheus is also not welcoming of us, after what we have done to him and his home. I doubt he would have gone there.”

Gideon came to Aleron and crouched between his feet so they were close to eye level. Then he placed a soothing hand on top of his skull.

“Yeah, but didn’t Emerie fight alongside all their brides or something? My memory is fuzzy on the details, but I could have sworn she said something about meeting a bunch of women and their Duskwalkers.”

“Did she?” Aleron cupped the end of his snout in thought. “I did not know this. I thought the Witch Owl was the only one to help her kill the Demon King.”

The male’s brows furrowed deeply. “Really? Didn’t Ingram tell you this in Tenebris?”

“No.” Then Aleron rolled his head when he thought back on what his kindred had informed him of.

Since their time had been brief, they’d spoken of Emerie, of what magic he could utilise if he learned it, and... sex. Aleron hadn’t even known he had a dick until Ingram informed him, and Emerie had gotten in the way of that.

Now that he thought about it... he didn’t actually know how Emerie came to be in the afterworld.I thought she was eaten by the Demon King.

“Oh. I thought you had a reason for not wanting to go to them, and not because you didn’t know they’d formed a relationship with them. I remember Emerie telling me about the other brides.”

See? He remembers such a conversation with such clarity.Aleron wanted to be remembered with the same lucidity.

Gideon looked off to the side and covered his mouth as he rubbed his jaw. “If I had known this, I would have said to go there first, rather than a last-ditch effort.”

Aleron went to stand. “Then let’s go there. I know where Orpheus’ territory is.”

“Hold on there, big fellow.” Gideon fell into his lap to prevent him from rising. “Night will fall soon, Aleron.”

Not meaning to growl at him, Aleron snapped his fangs to quieten himself. “Yes, but I will not need to search the Veil.” His sight morphed to the orange of dusk, mirroring the colour of the very sky above them. “If we are to leave now, I can fly there by tomorrow.”

A Mavka could sprint to the centre of the Veil in a day. With how fast he could fly, Aleron thought he may be able to cross itentirelyin that time. Especially if he flew with all his strength and might.

Anything to be closer to his other half, his kindred. Even if it mayendangerthis human a little.

“But we’re safe here for the night, right? The ward will keep Demons away.”

Unsure of what Gideon was trying to say, he snorted out an irritated huff.

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