Page 156 of Consort of the Dragon King

Nasume gestured for Gamino to step back into the shadows. He turned his attention to Maseo. “Do you have nothing to say to me?”

Maseo shook his head. He knew better than to answer a trick question like that.

Nasume backhanded Maseo hard enough for him to taste blood. “Are you suddenly too good to speak to me?”

“No, Father,” Maseo said in a flat voice. He scrambled to say anything he could think of to appease Nasume. “You look well.”

The shifter monarch picked up his wineglass, then gestured for Maseo to do the same. “Let us toast to the good fortunes of Kunushi.”

Maseo mechanically did as his father demanded. “To Kunushi.” Maseo raised his flute, taking a drink only after Nasume did. He had to hold back a grimace. Normally, his father preferred sweet Alsarian berry wine. But it would figure he’d chosen a bitter varietal for Maseo, which tasted like the decay of death. His eyes teared up as the alcohol burned all the way down as he drank it.

“What do you think of the wine?”

Maseo hesitated before answering. “It differs from what I remember.” He was proud of himself for remembering not to use contractions when he spoke. It was something his father was a stickler for, which was why he rejected such formal speech when he was on his own. “The berries do not taste like they are from Alsari.”

“That is because they are not.” Nasume chuckled at a private joke. “They are from the mountain region west of Kalindi. I got it special for you.”

Maseo forced himself to take another sip, even though it felt like drinking fire. “Thank you for your considerate kindness.”

“Speaking of Alsari, I heard you were staying there for a while.” Nasume said it casually, but Maseo knew better than to trust his father’s nonchalance. Junbe must have reported back to Nasume about their encounter at the tavern. “Any particular reason?”

Maseo shrugged. “The beaches are nice this time of year.”

“And it has nothing to do with the fact Alsari is so close to Valzerna?”

No, it had everything to do with getting as far away from you as possible, Maseo thought, although he would never say the truth out loud to his father. “Absolutely not.”

“Funny, because I heard from one of my spies you were spotted in Tiora recently.”

“They must have been mistaken.”

Nasume once again slapped his son. “My men do not make mistakes,” he hissed. “Admit the truth. You went to see Kitsuki.”

“I did not,” Maseo insisted. He took another nervous sip of the wine, although it burned in his stomach like a pit of lava. “And I know you can smell I am telling the truth. Even if itweretrue, Kitsuki would have no reason to meet with me.”

“That is not what he said.” Nasume stood up, then closed the small distance between them. He tilted his son’s chin to force their gaze. “He said he would rather fuck you than me.”

Maseo’s breathing hitched. He could smell his father was telling the truth. It was incomprehensible to Maseo why Kitsuki would have any kind of sexual interest in him. In what world was Maseo lucky enough for someone as amazing as King Kitsuki to be attracted to him? His father had to be wrong. Kitsuki had made his choice by mating Auslin. There was no place for Maseo in the dragon king’s life.

If that was true, then why did he give you a ring to protect you?Maseo’s inner voice taunted.

“Tell me what you did to steal him away from me,” Nasume commanded in a tone of voice that threatened violence.

“I did nothing!” Maseo tried to keep his panic under control. “I have not seen him in two years. I would never pursue him when I know how you feel about him. He does not want me!”

“Then why was he telling the truth when he said he would rather be with you than me?” Nasume’s hand slid down to Maseo’s throat, his claws digging into his flesh in a silent threat.

“I have no idea!” The burning in Maseo’s stomach grew worse as it churned with anxiety. “I have not spoken a word to him in two years.”

“But do you want him?”

“He has a new bondmate. There is no reason for him to want me.”

Nasume punched Maseo hard enough to knock him to the stone floor. He hauled his son up, who groaned in pain. “That is not what I asked you. Do you want him to fuck you like the little bitch you are?”

“No,” Maseo denied in a strangled voice, barely able to speak from the crushing grip his father had on his throat.

Nasume’s nostrils flared. “You arelying.”

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