Page 111 of Consort of the Dragon King

Kio snorted. “Of course he didn’t matter! He was just a willing hole, nothing more.”

The callous dismissal flared Kitsuki’s temper. “Do not speak so disrespectfully of him!”

“How does it feel to know Maseo will fuck me and not you?” When Kitsuki’s dragon surged, Kio mockingly laughed at him. “Uh-oh, did I touch a nerve?”

“Be silent!” Kitsuki’s dragon roared.

Kio continued his taunts. “Wow, it mustreallypiss you off that he’ll suck my dick and not yours.”

The temptation to taunt Kio about all the things Maseo would do for him was strong, but his mistake with doing the same to Nasume stopped that impulse. “It would behoove you to stop talking about him,” Kitsuki’s dragon warned.

“After I escape, I’m going to havesomuch fun fucking Maseo in front of you so you can suffer watching me have something you want and can never have.”

Rage rippled through Kitsuki. “He does not belong to you. He will never lower himself to be with you again.”

Kio snorted. “You say that, but he comes crawling back to me every time like the little bitch he is. And since there’s no way your icicle dick can keep him satisfied, he’ll be ass-up, begging me to fuck him like a real man.”

The rage that flashed through Kitsuki’s dragon begged him to do terrible things to make Kio stop running his mouth off, once and for all. But he resisted for his mate’s sake. “I will personally ensure you never touch him. You do not get to hurt him or Auslin ever again.”

“Fuck you! You’re all talk. As soon as I escape from here, you’re fucking dead! I’ll kill all three of you fuckers!”

With a flick of his hand, Kitsuki’s dragon broke Kio’s leg with his magic. The half-shifter howled in pain as he collapsed to the dungeon floor.

“Make no mistake, little brother. We promised Auslin we would not kill you,” Kitsuki’s dragon said with a smirk. “We never promised him we would restrain ourselves from injuring you.”

Before Kio could reply, Kitsuki’s dragon shattered the half-shifter’s other leg. Kitsuki’s dragon derived deep satisfaction from hearing Kio’s shouts while he writhed on the floor. “Let us see you run away and escape now,” Kitsuki’s dragon jeered. He relished inflicting pain on the one who had brought Auslin and Maseo so much hurt.

Kio could only howl in agony. Kitsuki’s dragon enjoyed every moment of his half brother’s suffering in a way Auslin would never approve of if he knew. “Perhaps now you will rethink hurting Auslin and Maseo ever again.”

Despite his pain, Kio remained defiant. “Fuck you! They’re mine!”

“Let this be your final warning that I will do anything for those I love.”

Kio’s eyes went wide before he laughed hysterically. “Love? YouloveMaseo now? Oh, that’s fuckingrich.”

Kitsuki’s dragon stumbled over his own accidental admission. But he refused to give Kio the satisfaction of seeing him flustered. To save face, he shattered the bones in Kio’s hands, savoring the screams it earned him as his half brother squirmed on the ground in excruciating pain. “Let this be a lesson that we will not allow you to hurt anyone ever again.”

He turned his back to leave, while Kio’s swears echoed in the stone dungeon. It mollified Kitsuki’s dragon. He may not have been allowed to kill Kio, but that did not mean the half-shifter would escape unharmed. Kitsuki would do anything for the people he promised to protect.

Chapter 54

Maseo

After his encounter with Kio, Maseo had hoped his sense of foreboding would abate. But his gut told him that something nasty was lurking in the shadows. He couldn’t let his guard down, even though things had grown peaceful after Kio’s departure.

“It’s a shame we haven’t seen that handsome raven shifter hanging around here again,” Elzbieta said as she passed Maseo another chilled mug of ale.

Rylan had overwhelmed Maseo when he arrived to deliver Kitsuki’s letter and ring. Perhaps they could have chatted jovially under different circumstances, but Maseo had learned to trust his gut. When it said the shit was about to get bad, it always gotreallybad. “The last thing I need right now is a man. They just bring problems.”

She snorted in amusement. “By the Powers, don’t I know it?”

“Does that mean your boyfriend is still acting up?” Maseo asked. He had been in Fordani long enough to learn about Elzbieta’s life since she was an open book. Her warmth reminded him ofAuslin’s ability to make everyone feel like a friend—including Maseo, who most definitely didn’t deserve the kindness the mage had shown to him whenever they encountered each other.

She rolled her eyes. “When isn’t he? I don’t know why I put up with him. I must be more of a glutton for punishment than I thought.”

“Take it from me. You don’t want to waste time suffering in a toxic relationship.” Maseo wished he had taken his own advice sooner. “It only hurts more the longer it goes on. And someone as nice as you definitely deserves somebody who appreciates how wonderful you are.”

“I keep thinking I can change him if I shower him with enough love. But you’re right. It’s time to leave him behind in the past where he belongs.” She surprised Maseo with a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for listening to me complain about my situation so much. You also deserve to find happiness, honey. I’ll pray to the Powers we both find true love.”

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