Page 94 of Consort of the Dragon King

“Dangerous?” Auslin repeated with a head tilt. “In what way?”

“I only want to love you,” Kitsuki said as he looked down at their hands. “If I allow my dragon to continue having feelings for Maseo unchecked, I fear you will believe I am betraying you like Kio.”

Auslin leaned over to give Kitsuki a reassuring hug. “The fact that you’re worried about that issue is the exact reason I’m not concerned in the least.” When he drew back, he toyed with Maseo’s pendant on Kitsuki’s chest. “It’s not wrong to want to protect someone the world has been so cruel to. How could we not show love to somebody who has experienced so little of it in his life? It’s why I’m not angry you had Kio taken to the dungeon. Threatening me is one thing. But we can’t risk him attackingMaseo because he’s mad at us. I could never forgive myself for that, either.”

Kitsuki smoothed Auslin’s hair. “The ring I gifted him will protect him against anything except for a Divine weapon.” Kitsuki hesitated before adding, “Because my magic powers it, I felt it activate a few nights ago. It kept Maseo safe.”

“It was probably Kio confronting him.” Auslin sighed with irritation. “Why can’t he just leave us alone?”

“Because he is his father’s son.” Kitsuki frowned. “But he cannot harm you or Maseo from the dungeon. He will not escape.”

Auslin crawled onto Kitsuki’s lap, embracing him with his arms around his neck. “Thank you for taking such good care of us both.” He pulled back to give Kitsuki a sweet kiss. “I’ll never lose my faith in you, Kitsuki. I know my heart is safe with you. We’re fated mates. And by tomorrow night, we will officially be bondmates. Nothing can tear us apart after that.”

The reassurance went a long way to soothing Kitsuki’s dragon.

Chapter 44

Auslin

It was hard not to fidget as Auslin waited for the large doors of the grand hall to open. The Royal Consort Fatebonding ceremony was about to start at long last, but being in front of so many people intimidated Auslin despite his excitement at finally becoming Kitsuki’s bondmate for life.

Kitsuki reached out to give Auslin’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “All will be well,” Kitsuki promised Auslin. He kissed the back of the mage’s hand.

The simple gesture filled Auslin’s heart with joy. He smiled up at Kitsuki, who had waited six hundred long years for this day. His soon-to-be bondmate looked extra handsome in his formal regalia.

Before Auslin could say anything, the doors slowly opened, revealing the enormous grand hall. Over a thousand guests had come to witness the Royal Consort Fatebonding ceremony of the king of Valzerna. Mercifully, Nasume had not shown up to disrupt the event. It was suspicious, making Auslin wonder what the wolf shifter king was up to in his absence. But it was too momentous a day to ruin it with worrying about Nasume.

Auslin’s heart raced at the sight of so many people, but he focused on Kitsuki’s powerful presence at his side as they entered the grand hall to walk down the aisle together, holding hands. He tried not to think about the waves of whispers echoing through the enormous crowd as everyone saw Auslin for the first time. His attention was better spent making sure he didn’t trip and embarrass Kitsuki.

It felt like it took an eternity before they reached the dais at the front of the hall. They walked up the stairs to kneel facing each other in front of Kizoshi, who officiated the ceremony in her capacity as a Power. She was the picture of serenity, wearing an elegant white dress with metallic silver detailing. Her presence as the ceremony officiator calmed Auslin’s nerves somewhat.

“I welcome you all to today’s joyous occasion, a celebration of the great love between King Kitsuki and Lord Auslin.” Kizoshi’s voice carried throughout the enormous hall, thanks to the acoustics manipulated by the Enchanters. “It brings me tremendous pleasure to unite these fated mates for an eternity of happiness and devotion.”

The applause was thunderous. It startled Auslin to hear such loud and enthusiastic support of them. Sometimes Auslin forgot how important Kitsuki was in Valzerna and Talwyn as a whole. He focused on looking deep into Kitsuki’s beautiful blue eyes.

Kizoshi turned to face her brother. “Do you, King Kitsuki, accept Prince Auslin as your royal consort to love and cherish with a faithful heart for the rest of your eternal years?” It surprised Auslin to hear a new royal title bestowed upon him, but he remained silent.

“I swear.” Kitsuki smiled at Auslin.

She nodded before looking at Auslin. “And do you, Prince Auslin, as the royal consort, accept King Kitsuki as yours to love and cherish with a faithful heart for the rest of your eternal years?”

“I swear.” Auslin’s cheeks flushed pink as his feelings for Kitsuki swelled in his heart.

“As they face each other now, they shall face many challenges throughout their long lives. But so long as they are together, there is nothing they cannot overcome and conquer,” Kizoshi continued. “It is in this spirit they join their hands together.”

When Kitsuki raised his hand, Auslin did the same. He once again wished they had rehearsed earlier so he didn’t worry about messing up by doing the wrong thing. Auslin wasn’t given long to entertain such thoughts as Kitsuki placed their left palms together, then interlocked their fingers.

“The left hand is on the same side as the heart, guiding all their actions in love,” Kizoshi said. “Their bonding marks will form on their middle fingers so they are always united in both powers and spirit.”

Kizoshi gestured to the kneeling men. “Prince Auslin, please embrace your auras to bind your souls together forever.”

Auslin easily merged their auras. Kitsuki’s calmness washed over him, setting Auslin at ease despite the pressure of having so many important people watching them in an intimate moment.

He was distantly aware of Kizoshi chanting. Every syllable tightened the connection between Auslin and Kitsuki. His middle finger pulsated with power, which spread all over his body. Auslin watched in fascination as Kitsuki’s silver shifter markings began entwining around his purple Power markings.They glowed brightly with their combined magic and auras. The same happened to Kitsuki in reverse, allowing Auslin to feel his fated mate on a deeper level.

Their auras separated when Kizoshi stopped chanting, but the link between them remained. Auslin delighted in brushing against the sensation inside him which felt like Kitsuki. It sent a shiver down his spine when the shifter king’s magic reacted within him.

Kitsuki brought their linked hands together to place a kiss on the newly formed ring on Auslin’s middle finger made of their entwined lines. Auslin smiled as he returned the gesture.

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