[THIRD PARTY POV]
"I forbid that. If they insist, then I'm just a whisper away from you, never forget that," Gideon said sternly, his voice full of power. Criselda just smiled at the young witch, happy that he was finally calming down.
She knew it would take a while, but they would both be okay. Criselda also knew she could handle herself. She had been doing that over the years, but having Gideon beside her all this while, made her feel like she was a good mother. That was all the assurance she needed.
"I know, now go on," Criselda said as she pushed Gideon in the direction of the guest rooms. He needed to get some rest and revamp his energy. He had used way too much today and if this went on without him recharging, then he would be a weakling.
And Gideon of Greroth hated being a weakling.
"Don't miss me too much, Mother," Gideon said, a smile craving his handsome face.
"Goodnight kid."
"Goodnight ma," Gideon said as he watched Criselda walk away from him.
Gideon wasn't sure what was happening right now was okay but maybe he just wanted King Eddison's blood more than anything he could ever think of, and this was supposed to be the best moment.
Maybe there would come a day when he would find his chances, but for now, he would go shower and get some rest.
The young witch of Greroth watched till Criselda disappeared from his sight, before deciding he also needed the shower and sleep that Criselda had suggested. So walking towards the guest rooms, he hummed a slow familiar song.
A song that his parents would always hum to him when he was young. The sound reminded him of who he truly was and what he was fighting for. This song helped him through the many occasions when he had wanted to give up.
So he loved it, because his parents loved it, and because it gave him hope.
As he hummed, he was alert to his surroundings. He knew he wasn't liked by the people of Acrod or even the faction warriors for what he had done to King Edison. He knew there was going to be one fool who would try to take him out, but then he was Gideon of Greroth.
He was only scared of the deities and nothing more.
Not mere wolves, or lycans, or even hounds and vampires that thought they were better than him.
He was expecting it, so he wasn't surprised when he felt a movement behind him, an action that was supposed to shock or even scare Gideon, but had miserably failed, because the witch just continued humming his childhood song.
"Y'know I've been told I'm hot, but I never thought I'd be so hot even in Acrod. Maybe it's one of my good qualities."
Either Gideon of Greroth had gone crazy, or he wasn't the least bit worried that there was a potential attacker so close to him.
'Cause no trouble, Gideon,' he reminded himself of Criselda's words and he waited for the person behind him to do something, anything even.
Gideon didn't want to turn back, because he didn't feel like this conversation would last any longer. He was certain it was something that was out of the blue, and in just that same way, so would it end. So he waited.
If the person behind him had wanted to kill him, then they should have already initiated a fight with Gideon. Maybe it was the lycan king's warrior who wanted to avenge the humiliation of his king, in front of the council of the midlands.
Then again, while that would be a noble thing to do on behalf of Udrad, it would be a stupid thing to do for the warrior. If Gideon wasn't scared of the king, what more of a mere warrior?
Gideon knew the person behind him was a male werewolf warrior. His scent was making the witch uneasy, almost like it was calling onto Gideon. The witch needed to make a decision, and fast, otherwise, he wouldn't know how this would turn out.
He wanted to stay out of trouble and in his dictionary, initiating a bond he wasn't ready to commit to was already part of the trouble. He didn't want that, at least not for this warrior. He didn't want to give him hope, because there was no hope for him and Gideon.
The attraction was something so common and just as it was triggered, so would it be dealt with. And Gideon wasn't worried about it, just as he wasn't worried about his safety in Acrod. He simply didn't give two fucks bout anything in Acrod.
He had other important things to think of, and the werewolf warrior was certainly never going to be one of them.
So far, Gideon had only interacted with two warriors, Grant and Delbert, however, he had a feeling that this wasn't about his actions in the conference room.
This wasn't about him being a rude pain in the ass for the royalties. This was something different, besides, it wasn't like he had humiliated King Cassius of Acrod.
"What you did back there, was brave," a familiar voice said, making Gideon smirk. Of course, it had to be the wolf who thought he was attractive, Grant. Whatever Grant thought he was doing, he needed to stop, because Gideon wasn't going to pay any attention to him.
Right?
Just because they had both felt a connection to each other, didn't mean it was safe for him to be following the witch of Greroth aimlessly in Acrod, even if Acrod was his home.
Gideon had proven time and again, that he wasn't scared of anything or any sanctions, which meant that he was one of the worst people in this kingdom presently, who were worse than the beast outside their borders.
"And what you're doing now is foolish in every sense. I just tried to eliminate a whole lycan king in your home and yet here you are, walking behind me in the dark. Did no one ever tell you to stay away from danger? Or do you not understand their language?" Gideon said with an empty laugh.
He wasn't sure what he had expected, but this certainly wasn't it. This warrior was risking a lot of things by just being here in the presence of Gideon. Whatever he wanted, it either had to be urgent or this man was just out to try a taste of danger.
"That was between you and the king, if anything, you are the first one to attempt that, and survive. If you really wanted him dead, he would be dead. I just wish—" Grant said, but Gideon wasn't about to stand there and get a lecture.
How the fuck had him going to the fucking guestrooms to sleep turned out to be this, whatever this was?
When the fuck had he decided to give a shit about what anyone said other than Criselda and Heide? This was crazy, the kind that Gideon of Greroth wasn't ready for. He wasn't sure of what it was that was keeping him here, but he certainly knew this was a risk he was about to take.
Hopefully, it would be worth it, though he seemed like he already knew none of this would ever be worth even a dime. Not today and not ever.
But what if Gideon was wrong? What if he had gotten so good at pushing people away, that he had forgotten what it meant to live like a normal person?
What if his heart was clouded with so much anger that even the slightest show of affection triggered him? What if? Then again, that wasn't something that he wanted to think about at the moment.
"Spare me your wishes. Last I checked, I don't look like an angel for you to be sending me your wishes. And I'm also not the moon goddess, so this one's a dead-end man. Go find your king Cassius to grant your wishes, after all, you're a warrior of Acrod, no?
"That should get you enough time to talk and tell him what you want. He might just grant your wishes," Gideon said as the warrior just laughed quietly. That was new and instantly made Gideon turn back.
He had been so confident in his statements to the warrior that hearing the warrior let out a beautiful laugh was obviously not part of the plan.
Gideon wanted to replay the beautiful laugh in his head like a mantra. He wanted to make it into music so he wouldn't forget. He wished he would convince one of the musicians of the midlands to make music using the warrior's laugh.
He knew he would pay all the gold and silver on him just to listen to it without a pause or a doubt. This right here was the definition of perfect music, but Gideon wasn't ever going to tell the warrior that.
He wasn't going to try and express himself to this warrior. Who knew, this warrior was probably fucking with his brains. No one messed with Gideon and succeeded and yet all this warrior had to do was let out a quiet laugh and the witch was a whipped man.
What the fuck was happening to Gideon? Even he didn't know.
'Focus, Gideon,' Gideon reminded himself for the hundredth time as he turned to look at the warrior.