Page 99 of A Soul to Steal

Gosh, the fact that Gideon could even mistake him for a Demon... His heart stung.

“As if. You’re the only winged Demon I’ve ever seen.”

“I am a Mavka!” Aleron roared at him, beginning to quake as his hands clenched into tight fists. Aleron himself had been destroyed by Demons! To be called one, compared to one... it was so vile that he wanted to lash out. He pointed to his face. “Demons do not have skulls.” Then he turned to Weldir. “What do they call us? Duskwalkers?”

Somehow, the colour drained even more from Gideon’s face. He looked sickly, and his heart raced as though he was moments from passing out. The tang of his fear worsened.

“A... Duskwalker?!” He threw a hand up and rolled his eyes in defeat. “That’s it. I’m dead.”

“This conversation is going nowhere,” Weldir said, his blurred form moving towards the terror-stricken human shaking upon the ground. “Let me try something. Perhaps I can make him remember.”

Noticing the voice was closer, Gideon’s startled and stark gaze darted around, unseeing Weldir’s approach. It didn’t help that the spirit of the void made no sound as he moved.

Weldir crouched down in front of his human and reached out with one hand. Although he placed it on the top of Gideon’shead, he didn’t seem to feel it. Then Gideon froze, his entire body stiffening as his mouth opened and closed wordlessly. When his eyes rolled back to only reveal the whites, Aleron’s fur puffed in aversion to the unnatural sight.

He let out an anguishedscream.

Aleron tried to accept it, hoping it would bring his Gideon back. The longer it lasted, continuing well past the capacity of his lungs, the more it rippled his wings.

“Stop,” Aleron choked out with a shudder, too familiar with the sound of a human’s agony. Having it come from his own bride... he found it unbearable.

Gideon clawed at the air before he began to convulse.

“I said stop!”Aleron roared, darting forth to intervene. He clawed at nothing.“Stop hurting him!”

With a snarl, Weldir released him and stepped back. Aleron knelt down when Gideon sagged to the side, catching him before his head could touch the ground. The lifeless way the little male lay limp in his big hands, no longer afraid simply because he was too weak, twisted his gut.

Weldir spat out some kind of curse. “He has them. He has his memories – he just can’t access them.”

“Why not?” Aleron whined.

“I don’t know.”

“Why do you not know?!” His sight flared white in Weldir’s direction when he scented blood coming from Gideon.

It welled in one of his nostrils, but he knew it came out of other places due to how much he could smell.

It no longer caused hunger to clutch at his stomach and mind, making him frenzied to sate his unending starvation. He wasn’t given the chance to digest this new piece of himself.

“I am not all-knowing!” Weldir shouted back. “As I said, I thought everything would be fine. I have never done this beforetoday. I have never brought one of my own children back to life, let alone a bride one has chosen. This is new to me.”

“Then... what do I do?” Aleron asked with a whimper, looking down at his unconscious bride.

Aleron brushed the male’s brown hair from his brow, noticing droplets of sweat upon his flesh. His skin felt like ice when humans were supposed to be warm – he’d eaten enough of them to know that.

“Help him to remember,” Weldir stated quietly.

“What if he does not?” He feared the worst. He feared his loving and welcoming bride was lost to him. “What do I do then?”

“He fell in love with you once. Make him do so again.”

I do not know how to do that.He didn’t even know how he’d done it the first time.

Their first meeting hadn’t been ripe with fear. Ingram and Emerie had been there, almost... guiding them to each other. Ingram had taught Aleron much, but it was Emerie who had introduced them, who had eased whatever worry Gideon may have had towards Mavka before they’d even spoken.

Aleron was on his own. He didn’t know if he had enough humanity to help Gideon through this.

He mistook me for the Demon who killed him.

---