43. Kitsuki

Chapter 43

Kitsuki

T he 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?"

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent matter at the front gate. Prince Tyrian requires your immediate presence," a guard replied.

That could only mean one thing: Kio was back. "Understood." Kitsuki gave Auslin another kiss. "Please wait here while I deal with this."

Tyrian waited for Kitsuki at the doors to the castle. "Sorry to call you away from your beloved. But we both know this asshole will refuse to leave until he sees you." His grin turned wicked. "Give me the word and I will gladly have the guards kill him as a present to celebrate your Fatebonding ceremony."

"As tempting as that is, my intended would have far too many objections." Kitsuki held in a sigh. "I will deal with him. Keep your guards close, though. I am not opposed to throwing him in the dungeon so he cannot disrupt our ceremony."

Tyrian gave a formal salute of acknowledgment before he followed Kitsuki outside to confront the source of the disturbance.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out about your Royal Consort Fatebonding ceremony with Auslin?" Kio yelled as Kitsuki came over to deal with him.

The shifter king gave a dismissive wave. "Your awareness of the event changes nothing about it. This is your one and only warning to leave in peace. I will not allow your stupidity to interfere."

Instead of answering with words, Kio drew his sword and launched an attack.

Kitsuki used his silver fire to drive Kio back. The temptation to end his life was strong.

"Ah ha!" Kio exclaimed. "I fucking knew it!"

Dealing with Kio was exhausting. "You do not know a damn thing, including how to mind your own business. But that is a lesson I am more than willing to teach you."

"What's going on?" Auslin demanded as he rushed to Kitsuki's side.

Kitsuki held in the sigh that desperately wanted to escape. "This does not concern you, Auslin."

"Of course it does!" Auslin protested.

"Oh, look. The fucking hypocrite has shown up," Kio said with heavy sarcasm.

Auslin's brow wrinkled in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You got all pissed about me fucking Maseo, yet you're letting him do it?" Kio asked, gesturing at Kitsuki. "Why is it fine when he does it, but a problem when I did?"

"Kitsuki hasn't been with Maseo," Auslin insisted. "He hasn't even seen him in at least two years."

"Oh, sweet, innocent Auslin." Kio tutted as he looked at the mage with mock pity. "You really think this fucker is loyal to you?"

Auslin's temper flared. "I know he is. He would never betray me like you did! Unlike you, he's actually honorable."

"Oh, really? Then why is he exchanging jewelry with that asshole?" Kio gestured at Kitsuki's necklace. "Because he's wearing Maseo's pendant and gave that piece of shit a ring to protect him. It sure as shit sounds like they're fucking to me."

"What do you mean to protect him? Did you attack Maseo?" Auslin demanded.

"I was going to send that disgusting waste of life to the Beyond Realm where he belongs, but your intended ruined that plan," Kio said with a cruel laugh.

Tears gathered in Auslin's eyes. "Haven't you hurt Maseo enough? Why can't you leave him alone? Leave us both alone?"

"Because I'm never going to be okay with my asshole half brother chasing after my sloppy seconds."

A threatening growl rumbled in Kitsuki's chest. It was enough to make Kio take a step back in instinctive fear. "Shut your foul mouth before I make sure you can never speak again."

"How could you betray me for this fucker, Auslin?" Kio demanded.

"What are you talking about? You betrayed me!" Auslin took a calming breath. "But none of that matters now. I've moved on and am happier than I ever was with you. Leave! You aren't wanted here."

"Like hell I'm going to let you mate this asshole!" Kio yelled.

"You have no say in this matter," Kitsuki informed him in a steely voice that promised violence. "Either you leave peacefully and never return, or I will end your pathetic existence right here and now."

Kio scoffed at the threat. "That's awfully big talk for someone who doesn't even have a sword on him."

"I do not need one to end your life." Kitsuki summoned his silver dragon fire to his hand.

"Bring it on, asshole. Because I'll kill Auslin myself before I let him become your mate for eternity," Kio snarled. "And once I'm done murdering you two assholes, I'll kill Maseo next!" He launched himself at Kitsuki again as Auslin cried out for them to stop.

Kitsuki's dragon surged to the forefront, giving his magic more strength. He was vicious as he exacted revenge for besmirching his name and for attempting to harm Auslin and Maseo. Kio's sword offered him no defense against fire attacks, which burned him as he screamed in pain.

The only thing that stopped Kitsuki's dragon was the scent of Auslin's anguish. He used his magic to haul Kio off the ground, where he struggled to gasp for air. The temptation to strangle him to death was hard to resist. But he offered Kio a final chance to save his life. Kitsuki's eyes swirled with the silver power of his dragon. "Have you had enough, mongrel?"

"I'm never going to stop until I've ruined your happiness," Kio spat. He struggled to free himself, kicking his feet to find traction where there was none. "Auslin is mine! I'll be damned if I let you take him and Maseo from me, you bastard! I'll kill you all!"

"Wrong answer," Kitsuki's dragon said in an icy tone. He tightened his hold on Kio's throat with his magic.

Auslin tugged on Kitsuki's outstretched arm. "Please stop! It's enough."

Kitsuki's dragon did not relent until the fight went out of Kio's body. He dropped him hard to the ground with a sickening thud . Kio coughed and gasped for air as he writhed on the cobblestones.

The dragon king gestured for Tyrian to summon his guards. "Put this foul creature in the dungeon where he belongs." Kitsuki's dragon retreated as the threat was over. "He is to have a guard on him at all times."

The guards immediately moved into action, dragging Kio away to the castle's dungeon as he groaned in pain.

"Come, let us move inside." Kitsuki knew Auslin would confront him about what happened, but he didn't want it to be in front of witnesses.

Once they were alone in their room, Auslin turned on Kitsuki. "Promise me you won't kill Kio."

"He will live," Kitsuki's said. The unspoken "unfortunately" hung heavily in the air between them. "As much as I wish to banish him to the Beyond Realm for his heinous transgressions, I cannot do so when you will blame yourself."

It surprised him when Auslin looked down, radiating misery. "I know it would be better for us if I let you kill him, like your instincts demand. But I just can't ."

Kitsuki caressed Auslin's cheek, then lifted his face. "Do not feel badly, Auslin. Your human compassion is what makes you so exceptional. Kio is not worth another second of sadness in your life." When Auslin continued to struggle, Kitsuki added, "Kio will remain in the dungeon so he cannot interfere with our Fatebonding ceremony tomorrow. It will also keep Maseo safe from Kio's murderous rage."

Auslin's gaze searched Kitsuki's face for an answer. "What did he mean when he said your magic protects Maseo because of a ring?"

Kitsuki walked over to the seating area to give him time to compose himself before answering. The fireplace activated with his silver dragon fire as he sat down on the couch in front of it. "Exactly what he said."

Auslin sat beside him. "I thought all you did was send a messenger to warn Maseo?"

The subject made Kitsuki deeply uncomfortable, especially when he instinctively reached for the pendant he protected for the half-wolf shifter. "That was my original intention."

"But you changed your mind?"

"I feared a warning would not be enough of a defense for Maseo when he cannot protect himself with magic. Fersen created a ring from my powers, which was delivered to Maseo with the letter."

Auslin looked at Kitsuki with curiosity. "Why didn't you tell me?" It was a relief there was no trace of accusation in his tone. "Knowing that makes me feel better, not worse."

Kitsuki remained silent for several long moments before answering. "Because I am uneasy with the way my dragon reacts to Maseo. We should not care about him, let alone so strongly."

"Does it make you angry I worry about Maseo so much? That I want to show him he could have a happiness like ours?"

"No, because your heart overflows with kindness."

Auslin arched a challenging eyebrow. "Is your dragon threatened by how much I want to protect Maseo from Nasume and Kio? Does he think I love you any less because I can't stop thinking about whether Maseo is safe on his own?"

Kitsuki shook his head. "Shockingly, my dragon does not see your interest in Maseo as suspicious. You would not be you if you did not care for his welfare."

Auslin took hold of Kitsuki's hand, absentmindedly tracing the shifter markings on the back of it. "Then why is it a problem when you feel the same way as me about him?"

"Because it feels dangerous."

"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 attacking Maseo 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.