61. Kitsuki

Chapter 61

Kitsuki

A fter leaving Lenwat's castle with a promise to return for a longer visit next time, Auslin and Kitsuki stopped to see Yaro and Tiah before they departed from Zinnia. Yaro appeared as they drew closer to the dog shifters' home. He brightened at the sight of Auslin.

In the blink of an eye, Yaro had gathered Auslin up in a tight hug. "You're really here! I was so afraid I imagined yesterday!"

Auslin's delighted laughter was the only reason Kitsuki's dragon didn't remove his mate from the other man's grasp. The mage teased, "Do you dream of me that often?"

The dog shifter's voice turned sensuous. "All the time."

Before Kitsuki could tell Yaro to release Auslin, a fearsome woman violently ripped the man back. She had sleek golden hair and brown eyes with dark amber markings on her skin. "I leave you alone for one minute and you hug other people?" She released Yaro in disgust. "I can only imagine what would have happened if I had left you alone for two minutes."

"Hi, Tiah," Auslin warmly greeted her.

She gathered him in a tight hug, her anger disappearing. "My dearest Auslin, I missed you so much. Even though I had hoped you had gotten fed up with Yaro and decided to never come back, I couldn't bear the thought of never seeing you again."

Auslin smiled as he hugged her back with a squeeze. "I would never leave without saying goodbye to you, Tiah. I'm so sorry I worried you."

When Tiah pulled back, she wiped tears from her eyes. "You're always too nice to my foolish husband! This is why he acts like the dog he is."

"Oh, so you get to hug Auslin all you want, and I don't?" Yaro playfully complained. "I see how it is."

Tiah slapped her mate on the backside of his head. "Yes, I do, because unlike some people, I'm not trying to molest him!"

Yaro merely laughed in response and got a hard punch in the arm for it.

Kitsuki watched the entire exchange with wide eyes. He didn't expect the fearsome woman to threaten him next. "And you, sir, better take good care of your mate and treat him like the treasure he is, or I will kick your ass all the way from here to the Beyond Realm. Understood?"

"Do you have any idea who you're attempting to threaten?" Yaro asked in amusement.

"I don't care who you are." Tiah gave a dismissive sniff. "Promise me you'll treat Auslin with all the love and respect he deserves, or else I'll inflict a special level of torture on you. Are we clear?"

Rather than upsetting Kitsuki, her protectiveness of Auslin fascinated him. "Crystal."

"If you think I'm bluffing, ask my foolish husband how capable I am of dishing out pain when I'm disobeyed."

The comment made Yaro laugh. "I doubt he's going to derive the same sexual satisfaction from your abuse that I do."

"That's because he's a gentleman and not a deviant like you," Tiah scolded her husband.

"I hope you know that you're threatening the king of Valzerna," Yaro gleefully told his wife. "He could throw you in a dungeon if he wanted."

Rather than showing any shame or remorse, Tiah boldly stood her ground. "You may have an army, but they are nothing compared to my wrath. Remember that if you ever think of making Auslin sad."

Her bravado and dedication to Auslin's happiness impressed Kitsuki. "You have nothing to fear. I exist to love Auslin."

She nodded in satisfaction. "Good." She turned on her husband again. "See, that's how you're supposed to love your mate! You're too busy being a lecherous creep to say anything that romantic to me!"

"Maybe you should be nicer to me, and then I'd embarrass us both by saying that kind of thing to you," Yaro goaded.

"I put up with more of your bullshit than any person should have to deal with," Tiah complained. "Try showing some gratitude sometime instead of always flirting with the first hot piece of ass that walks by you."

Yaro laughed. "If I said something that romantic to you, you'd hit me for it."

"Yeah, because you'd be saying it insincerely and would deserve to get thumped for it," Tiah defended herself.

Her husband got down on one knee with a dramatic flair. "I will love you to the ends of the realm and back again for all of eternity, my beautiful love."

Tiah rolled her eyes before she shoved Yaro on his ass. "You are so full of shit. The only person you love is yourself."

"And Auslin," Yaro impishly added with a wink at the man in question, who looked thoroughly entertained by their interactions.

"Who do you think you are?" Tiah scolded her husband. "Auslin has always been too good for the likes of you, and you know it."

"That'll never stop me from trying," Yaro said with a laugh as he stood up and dusted off his breeches.

She snorted. "That's because you're the biggest fool in Talwyn."

"Of course I am. I fell in love with you, didn't I?" When Tiah protested, Yaro silenced her with a kiss. "But I'm your fool, so you're stuck with me. The joke's on you."

" That's your idea of being romantic?" Tiah shoved her husband hard, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her secret happiness. "I don't know why I put up with your nonsense."

"Because you love me," Yaro taunted. He got hit for it, which made him laugh in delight.

Tiah turned her attention back to Auslin. "I'm so happy you ditched the asshole you were with. Kio didn't deserve you. I suppose he ended up with that sad half-wolf shifter?"

"No, but speaking of Maseo, have you seen him around lately?"

"I fucking wish," Yaro bemoaned. "That pouty, brooding look he always has is sexy as fuck."

Kitsuki's eyebrows arched in shock at his reaction.

Yaro noticed. "What, do you disagree?"

The dragon shifter reflexively touched the pendant he protected. "No, Maseo is undeniably handsome."

"Way too handsome to be with that loathsome piece of shit," Yaro agreed with a nod.

"He always seemed too nice for that bastard," Tiah added. "I'm surprised you want anything to do with him, though."

"Can I make a really weird request?" Auslin asked.

Yaro gave Auslin a seductive look. "You know I'd do anything for you."

"Except behave," Tiah said with a snort.

"It's highly unlikely you'll see him, but if Maseo shows up in the next couple of days, could you tell him we're heading to Sybir in Odatam?"

The request surprised Kitsuki. "You wish for him to follow us there?"

"I'd feel better if we could meet him and see he's okay." Auslin frowned. "I can't shake the feeling something bad is going to happen to him."

"I'm sure the only bad thing that'll happen to him is he'll have the misfortune of meeting this fool," Tiah said, jerking her thumb in Yaro's direction. "But if we see him, I promise we'll tell him. I can't promise Yaro won't hit on him relentlessly, though."

"Oh, you know I will. But do you have to go to Odatam so soon, though?" Yaro asked with a pout.

"I didn't even get to cook for you yet," Tiah added.

Auslin sighed. "I'd love to stay longer, but we have some things we need to take care of there. I promise we'll stay longer the next time we come."

"You better," she said with a pout. "Are you sure I can't go on the journey with you? I would love a break from this bastard and the chance to find a new mate who will love me properly."

"But who will hit me when you're gone?" Yaro joked.

"Go get in a tavern brawl for all I care," Tiah snidely told her husband. "You're the one who's always saying you have a line of people waiting to steal you away from me. I'm sure one of those fools would be more than happy to oblige you."

Yaro hugged Tiah from behind. "But none of them know how to hurt me like you do." He nuzzled against her neck.

"You are so damaged," Tiah complained, even as she caressed Yaro's arm in silent affection.

"Not even Auslin can fix that," Yaro retorted with a wink over Tiah's shoulder. "Besides, how can you be mad at me for that when you're the one who hit me hard enough to give me a brain injury?"

Tiah elbowed Yaro in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of him. "Oh, please. You've been damaged since day one. That had nothing to do with me."

Yaro grinned at her. "There's no denying that."

Tiah looked exasperated before addressing Auslin again. "I'm so glad you didn't mate someone as dumb as mine."

"We should go soon," Kitsuki reminded his mate. He had a feeling the couple's antics would carry on well into the night otherwise.

"He's right. But please know I missed you both so much. I promise next time we'll stay longer."

Tiah hugged Auslin again. "Please don't disappear again."

"I won't," Auslin promised. "I'll come back to stay with you next time, and we can make up for lost time."

She patted Auslin's cheek fondly when she stepped back. "I'd like nothing more."

"Try not to kill Yaro in the meantime," Auslin teased, making her grin.

"You know I don't like to make promises I can't keep," Tiah retorted, making Yaro howl with laughter. She once again focused on Kitsuki. "You better be good to him."

"I have dedicated my life to his happiness and loving him," Kitsuki stated, making Auslin blush. "He will want for nothing for the rest of his life."

Kitsuki hadn't expected Tiah to hug him. "Thank you for loving him the way he deserves."

"It is my pleasure and honor," Kitsuki replied.

"I'm so happy you finally found love, Auslin." Tiah hugged him a final time. "Thanks for coming back. We truly missed you."

"Do I get to hug him goodbye, or will you hand me my ass for it?" Yaro teasingly asked his wife.

"Fine, you get one hug," Tiah conceded. "But if you grope him, you die."

"It would so be worth it, though," Yaro playfully moaned as he embraced Auslin as tightly as he could. "You can't leave us alone that long ever again."

Auslin hugged him back. "I promise I won't."

When one of Yaro's hands wandered down Auslin's back, Tiah tore him away. "What did I say?"

"Hey, you can't blame a man for trying," Yaro joked with a wink at Kitsuki. "We'll see you around, Auslin. Take good care of him, Your Majesty. My wife's wrath is not something every man can endure."

Nodding in acknowledgment, they said their last goodbyes before Auslin and Kitsuki walked away, leaving the dog shifters bickering behind them. When they were out of earshot, Auslin said, "I appreciate you not getting upset about them."

"I have never seen two people so clearly in love who are that abrasive toward each other." Kitsuki could only shake his head. "I do not understand their dynamic at all."

"Like I said, the roughhousing and fighting is foreplay for them. Trust me, they're already arguing naked."

"It is a mystery to me how Tiah is so protective and loving of you, given her husband's amorous attention for you." The contradiction baffled Kitsuki.

Auslin laughed. "It's because we all know he's never serious. I was so scared of her when we first met because she went off on me for healing Yaro, but now she's possibly the person who is most protective of me other than you."

"She is indeed a fearsome shifter," Kitsuki admitted with a chuckle. "I have to admire her gumption to threaten the likes of me."

"Kio never wanted to go to Zinnia because he was terrified of her," Auslin said with a smile that quickly slid into sadness. "She used to beg me every visit to get rid of him."

"Then I shall do my best to not give her a reason to seek retribution."

Auslin hugged Kitsuki's arm as they walked. "Thank you."

Kitsuki brushed against Auslin through their bond. "My only wish in this life is to be allowed to love you."

Auslin stopped walking long enough to go up on tiptoes to kiss Kitsuki. "I feel the same way."

Many dog shifters who wanted to talk to Auslin stopped them several more times on their way out of the town. It took more time than Kitsuki would have liked to leave, but seeing the outpouring of love for his mate moved his heart. Odatam could wait a little longer.