Page 91 of Consort of the Dragon King

Maseo rolled his eyes at the theatrics. “He’s not here, dumbass.”

“Oh, yeah? Then how—wait, that bastard gave you aring?” Kio’s voice went up an octave in his outrage.

The half-wolf shifter refused to reply. The answer was obvious enough.

“So youarefucking him!” When Kio was met with more silence, his expression turned ugly. “Oh, you’ve fucked up big-time, Maseo. I’ll kill you before I let him fuck you again.” Kio drew his sword, holding it at the ready.

Maseo’s sword was strapped to his back, but he wanted to avoid a fight. “He doesn’t want me! I literally haven’t seen him in two years.” Why would Kitsuki ever want Maseo if he had laid claim to someone as incredible as Auslin? “You’re getting pissed about nothing.”

“Then why is his magic protecting you?” Kio moved closer.

This time, Maseo didn’t care about appearances. He stepped back to keep distance between them. “You’re imagining things because you hate King Kitsuki!”

“Oh, am I?” Kio suddenly rushed Maseo with his sword raised.

Maseo drew his sword to defend himself, but the barrier repelled Kio farther back when he brought his sword crashing down to attack. The confrontation terrified the half-wolf shifter, but he swore he could feel Kitsuki’s magic hugging him closer, whispering,“Safe.” It put him at ease, even though the fight was far from over.

Kio scrambled up with a feral snarl. He launched a flurry of attacks, but he was rebuffed each time by Kitsuki’s barrier. When Kio put his sword away to use his hands to harm Maseo, silver dragon fire flared over the barrier, burning his attacker. Kio howled in pain from the burns now blistering his hands.

As Kio waited for his skin to heal, silence fell between them. There was an eerie calm to Kio’s voice when he finally spoke. “If I kill Kitsuki, his magic can’t protect you anymore. Then I’ll make you fucking regret this. And I’ll kill Auslin and you both for betraying me.”

“Then I’ll live forever because you’ll never defeat King Kitsuki.” Maseo trusted the dragon monarch with absolute certainty. “And how dare you say that Auslin and I betrayed you whenyou’rethe one who cheated on us constantly! You broke our hearts, not the other way around!”

“Pfft, that requires you having a heart to break.” Kio rolled his eyes. “I’m going to enjoy making you and Auslin pay for this injustice. I can’t wait to fuck up his Royal Consort Fatebonding ceremony with Kitsuki in a few days. And once I’m done killing them, you’re fucking next.”

Maseo’s confidence in Kitsuki’s abilities as a warrior made Kio’s threat less scary. “Leave them alone! They deserve to be happy!”

“Ha! The only thing any of you assholes deserve is to be tortured to death.” The cruelty in Kio’s voice sent chills of dread through Maseo. “Enjoy your last few days of freedom, fucker. The next time you see me will be the day you die.”

Maseo watched in disbelief as Kio walked away without any further challenges. Left alone on the beach, Maseo drew solace from Kitsuki’s magic, which seemed to hold him tighter somehow. “I have to warn them,” Maseo said to himself, even though stepping foot in Valzerna would mean almost certain death if Nasume found out.

“Dangerous,” the magic whispered deep in his soul. It sounded like Kitsuki’s voice. “Stay.”

Maseo wasn’t sure how magic could talk, but his instincts told him to obey. What use was a warning to Kitsuki, anyway? He was a thousand times the warrior Kio was. The half-shifter could never land a single blow on Kitsuki. If what Kio said was true, then Kitsuki would also keep Auslin safe.

It was strange. The thought of the two together made him feel heartbreakingly alone, but it also warmed his soul to know they had found happiness with each other. They deserved it more than anyone else. He just wished there was a place for him in their lives.

Maseo wasn’t sure if Kitsuki could hear him through the magic, but he did his best to project his thoughts.Thank you for protecting me. I wish you and Auslin the greatest happiness as mates. Please stay safe.

Chapter 43

Kitsuki

The days flew by in a flurry of activities as the staff at the castle finished the last-minute preparations for Kitsuki and Auslin’s Royal Consort Fatebonding ceremony. What little free time Kitsuki had was dedicated to helping Kisano work on training his newly emerged dragon while Auslin hung out with Sephen. The shifter king was more than ready for all the fuss to be over so he could finally start his life as Auslin’s bondmate.

It felt like ages since Kitsuki had enjoyed a moment alone with Auslin. He relished the chance to be together the night before they could form a mating bond.

“Shouldn’t we have had a rehearsal ceremony?” Auslin asked. Nervousness clouded his scent.

“Do you require practice to walk in a straight line down an aisle and affirm that you swear to be my mate?” Kitsuki teased.

“I’m afraid I’m going to mess everything up and embarrass you.”

It was sweet to see how much Auslin cared about respecting his position as king. “There is no need to put such pressure on yourself.”

When Auslin protested again, Kitsuki gave him a sweet kiss. It was unhurried and gentle yet overwhelmed Kitsuki with the love they shared.

A knock on the door interrupted the beautiful moment. Kitsuki pulled back with a sigh before he called out, “Yes?”

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