Page 11 of Consort of the Dragon King

“And then I disappeared as Auslin, which must have hurt.” Auslin regretted it even more now that he knew what the loss would have meant to Kitsuki.

“While I was grateful Sephen told me you had left Kio, I hated thinking of you traveling alone without me to protect you. When you were gone for so long, I feared the worst.”

Auslin looked down in shame. “I’m so sorry.”

Kitsuki tilted his chin up so their gazes could meet. “Do not be sorry. Your disappearance allowed me to meet Vanra. Despitethe centuries of sorrow, I would not change a single thing because you are with me now, when it matters most.”

Auslin threw his arms around Kitsuki’s neck in a hug. “How do you not hate me for leaving you twice?”

“Because I would not have you at all if that had not happened.” Kitsuki hugged Auslin back. “Do not regret what I am grateful for.”

Auslin looked at Kitsuki in awe. “You’re a better man than me. I would have become so bitter if I were you.”

“Whenever it was almost too much to bear, Kizoshi would remind me of why I was still waiting. She always promised we would reunite, so I held that hope close to my heart.”

His comment raised an interesting question. “Did she ever say anything about me as Auslin?”

“She told me to keep you safe at all costs. Those times I saved you in the forest were because she had hinted at where I needed to be. I am grateful she allowed me to protect you with her cryptic warnings.”

“I’ll have to thank her when I see her again. Especially for making sure Mitsuki is no longer around.”

“He was a fool for starting a war when she was the War Power. She would never allow him to have his victory, so I do not profess to understand what he was thinking in challenging the griffin shifters to a battle he could never win without her help.”

“He was always foolish that way. Does it make me a bad person I hope she made it hurt?” Auslin wasn’t the type to hold a grudge normally, but he made an exception for Mitsuki.

“She made sure he met an inglorious end. I will spare you the gruesome details.”

“Please tell me.”

Kitsuki hesitated. “Very well. They dismembered and disemboweled him before burning him alive. She’s very glad he died screaming.”

“Maybe it makes me a bad person, but it’s what he deserved.” Auslin didn’t have it in him to feel bad when he had such terrible experiences with Mitsuki. “He didn’t deserve any mercy when he showed none to anyone.”

“That was Kizoshi’s philosophy as well. While I had no desire to become king, him being dethroned was the best thing that could have happened to Valzerna. We would not have a kingdom if his reign had been long.”

“I told you that you’d make an amazing king.” Auslin finally dared to let his finger drift down to where Kitsuki’s arm had been cut above the elbow. He kept his touch light, almost as if he was afraid that he would somehow hurt Kitsuki’s arm, which had been healed for centuries.

“Okay, I think I’m ready to try.”

Auslin closed his eyes, then reached out with his aura to wrap it around Kitsuki’s. Their auras slowly merged, allowing Auslin to begin healing Kitsuki. Unlike the other times Auslin had healed damage from Divine weapons, nothing responded to his powers. Auslin used more strength, but it made him realize something was missing. At first, he attributed it to the intervening years, but his instincts told him that wasn’t it.

Stretching his senses out as Jaega had taught him, Auslin didn’t know what he was searching for, but he sought what was missing. He furrowed his eyebrows as he continued reaching out, hoping to find anything.

Kitsuki smoothed away the wrinkle of Auslin’s brow. “You can stop. It is enough for me you tried.”

When Auslin was about to give up, he experienced a weird niggling sensation, almost as if his claiming mark was fluttering lightly under his skin. Unsure of what was trying to gain his attention, Auslin refocused his energy, then brought his free hand up to touch the silver lines on his neck, marking him as Kitsuki’s intended. A rippling wave shuddered through his claiming mark, sending a shiver through the human.

Auslin covered the mark with his hand, doing his best to reach out to whatever was summoning him.

Chapter 8

Kitsuki

It was a surreal experience for Kitsuki to have anyone touching what remained of his arm, let alone having that person be Auslin. The loving way Auslin caressed him inspired a mix of emotions that Kitsuki wasn’t sure how to process after being cut off from so many of them in his centuries of sorrow. He couldn’t stop looking at Auslin, still in disbelief that his long-lost love was sitting in front of him. The ice encasing his heart had already thawed, but it was hard to overcome his reticent manners he had developed over the years.

To feel their auras suffused together was a thing of beauty. It almost brought tears to Kitsuki’s eyes. He could sense all the love Auslin had for him—and not just for Kitaro. It was hard to believe Auslin had such strong feelings for him from before his trip to the past, but he remembered the stories his Vanra had shared with him. Without realizing it, he had always had a place in Auslin’s heart.

Although Auslin wasn’t having any success in healing what couldn’t be fixed, the experience helped mend Kitsuki’s battered soul. He was so lost in the moment that it came as a surprisewhen Auslin moved his hand off his claiming mark. There was a small ball of silver light in Auslin’s palm before he wrapped his fingers around it with a pleased smile.

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