Page 82 of Consort of the Dragon King

Kisano rubbed his chest with an anguished expression. “How do you endure this restless feeling crawling under your skin that is ready to steal you away in a single moment?”

“Uncle Jaega and I will help you train to get better control, Kisano. It will get easier.”

“I am so sorry.” A sob broke free from him. “I never meant for any of this to happen.”

His heart went out to his older brother. “There is nothing to apologize for, Kisano.” He stroked his brother’s hair to soothe him. “Do not use this as an excuse to put distance between yourself and Sephen.”

“I want him so much it hurts,” Kisano confessed in a pained whisper. He tightened his hold around his knees. “I should not yearn for him so, and yet…”

“You owe Sephen a proper explanation about what happened,” Kitsuki told his brother. “Otherwise, he will worry himself to no end about this being all his fault.”

“And what if this happens again?” Kisano demanded.

“There is no ‘if,’ brother,” Kitsuki gently warned. “It is merely a matter ofwhenit will happen again. You will learn how to assert yourself over your dragon instead of crawling away to hide and requiring Auslin’s help to return to yourself once more.”

“So that was what I felt.”

Kitsuki hoped to give his brother some peace. “We will begin your training when you have recovered your strength. You should rest now.”

“But you are so busy with the last-minute preparations for your Fatebonding ceremony,” Kisano protested.

“While your concern is appreciated, I am never too busy for you,” Kitsuki assured him. “Please do not feel badly, Kisano. You have everyone’s support.”

“Thank you,” Kisano whispered. “I apologize for the trouble.”

“It is no trouble, dear brother,” Kitsuki reassured him with another squeeze of his shoulder before leaving.

Chapter 39

Kisano

As soon as he was alone, Kisano hid his face against his knees as he wrapped his arms around them. It was pathetic, but he couldn’t help but wallow in his misery over what had happened. He couldn’t stand the feeling of his dragon pacing inside of him like a restless animal inside a cage. Kisano desperately wished his dragon would go back into hiding again.

When there was a knock on his door, Kisano assumed it was Kitsuki returning to say something he forgot to mention earlier. Much to Kisano’s shock, it was a concerned Sephen who approached him with caution.

Kisano immediately tensed as he felt his dragon reacting to the appearance of his heart’s desire. “You should go,” he warned in a strained voice.

The hurt on Sephen’s face physically pained Kisano. “Is it because I did something wrong?”

It horrified Kisano that Sephen would blame himself. “No, I am the one in the wrong who should be apologizing.”

Sephen walked a little closer. “I was so worried I hurt you.”

“It was not you, Sephen. I lost control and put you in danger.” Kisano burned with a shame his dragon did not share.

“But I was never in danger,” Sephen protested. He sat on the bed next to Kisano. “I wasn’t scared.”

“You should have been,” Kisano whispered. He surely would have been if he knew the graphic details of what his dragon had intended to do if Kisano hadn’t shifted first.

Sephen hesitated before touching Kisano’s arm. “I know you would never hurt me, Kisano.”

“You say that, but what my dragon wanted to do was unforgivable.”

Sephen looked hurt. “Is it because I’m human?”

Appalled by the very thought, Kisano hurriedly reassured him. “No, of course not.”

“Then why?”

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