Page 24 of Consort of the Dragon King

“I did not mind,” Kitsuki reassured him. “It was nice seeing you being so open and animated with him. In my grief, I sometimes forgot you also had reasons to miss Auslin in his absence.”

It was true Kisano had missed Auslin terribly during the six hundred years he was gone. “I did. Other than Fersen, Auslin was the only non-family member who treated me like a genuine friend and shared my love of reading. He never ridiculed me for preferring learning over fighting.”

“I never held that against you, either,” Kitsuki reminded him.

Kisano smiled wanly. “True, but my bookishness always felt like it was a tolerated quirk. Plus, brothers are obligated to feel certain ways.”

“Mitsuki certainly did not believe in such obligations,” Kitsuki retorted, shaking his head in disgust at their eldest brother.

The comment made Kisano chuckle despite himself. “Auslin owed me nothing, but he offered me more kindness and understanding than I was accustomed to receiving. It should not have surprised me he felt the same way about Maseo, and yet it did.”

Kitsuki scowled at the reminder. “He is too quick to give Nasume’s offspring the benefit of the doubt.”

“You have met Maseo on previous occasions before. What is your take on the situation?”

“I want Auslin to be wrong, but as much as it pains me to admit, I do not think he is.” Kitsuki sighed. “Maseo has always treated me respectfully in our encounters and displays none of the arrogance of his father. It is why I never connected Maseo as being Nasume’s child. He is just so…”

“So what?” Kisano prompted when Kitsuki trailed off into silence.

“Sad? Pitiable?” Kitsuki ran his fingers through his hair. “He seems so beaten down by life. Auslin is right. It makes it hard to hate Maseo when you cannot help but feel bad for him and his situation. Even I was moved to save him from Kio’s wrath when I had the occasion to do so.”

“How awful must his life be that he believes Kio is capable of loving him?” Kisano shook his head.

“If Auslin does not hate Maseo for causing Kio to stray, it is hard to maintain my angry stance on the matter, especially in the face of Auslin’s arguments.” Kitsuki scowled. “I dislike feeling so sympathetic toward Maseo, and yet I cannot help it. What a frustrating situation.”

“For what it is worth, I do not think it is terrible for you to feel lenient toward him,” Kisano said. “Auslin is an excellent judge of character. If he believes Maseo is redeemable, then it is surely true. It is a pity they cannot be friends. It sounds like Auslin is exactly what Maseo needs to heal.”

“If the way my dragon roared at Tyrian’s suggestion that Auslin and Maseo should have been a couple is any indication, it will not put up with the two of them forming a close bond.” Kitsukifrowned. “I hope I never find myself in that situation. I do not wish to ban Auslin from ever doing anything, but I fear what would happen if he let Maseo into his life.”

“Even if it is what fate ordained?” Kitsuki bristled at Kisano’s question. The older shifter asked, “What other reason would Auslin have to not hate Maseo?”

“Then Kizoshi can come here and tell me herself in plain terms that a friendship between them will not have terrible consequences,” Kitsuki said. “Until then, I will hope Maseo keeps his distance.”

“Do you feel that threatened by him?” It surprised Kisano. “Surely, you know Auslin only has eyes for you.”

Kitsuki hesitated before speaking. “Until we finally mate, my dragon remains uneasy that something else may steal Auslin away from us.”

“Fate did not bring Auslin back into your life to take him away again.” Kisano gave his younger brother a sympathetic look. “Sophina is not that cruel.”

“Six hundred years of waiting for his return makes me question that.”

Kisano’s heart broke at how much his brother had suffered in Auslin’s absence. “Do not let Kizoshi hear you say that. She would not be happy about you doubting her best friend.”

A moment of silence passed between them before Kitsuki changed the subject. “What if Auslin was a half-Power?”

The random question caught Kisano off guard. He considered it a moment before answering. “It certainly would explain a lot ofthings, but Auslin does not bear the markings of someone with Divine heritage.”

Kisano frowned again. “There is no trace of Divine heritage in his scent either.”

“Then why ask such a strange supposition?”

“When I was speaking with the head elder mage at the Fate’s Gate Temple, he implied Auslin might be Imeyu’s son,” Kitsuki explained. “This mage is also the same man I met at Fate’s Gate after Auslin disappeared. He apparently has a trace amount of turtle shifter heritage, which has granted him an extended lifespan. It was a most unusual conversation.”

It was a lot of surprising information to take in at once. Kisano focused on the first revelation. “I was unaware Imeyu ever had a son. However, itwouldexplain a great deal about Auslin’s healing and purifying powers. But if Auslin was Imeyu’s son, he would have been recalled to the Divine Realm to serve as the next Healing Power when Imeyu passed to the Beyond Realm.”

“Except Auslin was a child when that happened. When we were at Satsuma’s, I specifically recall her mentioning that Auslin’s father protected him from himself. She called Auslin the son of a secret. What if that is because Auslin’s father was Imeyu?”

“But would the Powers not have reclaimed Auslin by this point as one of their own?”

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