78. Maseo

Chapter 78

Maseo

T he obsidian castle loomed large in front of Maseo. The imposing architecture struck fear into Maseo's heart. He had never intended to return to Norello as long as his father lived. It didn't feel like a homecoming as much as it did a death march. It would be a miracle if Maseo walked out of the castle alive. But he was determined to do it so he could warn Kitsuki and Auslin about the danger they were in because of Nasume's machinations.

" Run ," the dragon magic protecting him urged in an insistent whisper. But Maseo knew there was nowhere he could run to be safe from his father's hatred.

That was when he remembered Kio had recognized the ring's magic as Kitsuki's. Given how obsessed Nasume was with Kitsuki, he would absolutely notice the source of the magic. It was sure to send Nasume into a murderous rage Maseo wouldn't survive. Especially not when Nasume had access to Divine weapons, which were the only things that could break the protective barrier Kitsuki cast around him.

His every instinct warned him not to do it, but the risk was too great. Maseo shoved his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders forward as Gamino led the way into the castle. He used it as a cover to slide the ring off to hide it. Since the magic in the ring hadn't activated until Maseo wore it, he hoped it would help it escape his father's attention.

After weeks of enjoying the safe embrace of Kitsuki's magic, Maseo almost cried out at the loss. He had never felt colder and more alone, completely bereft without the security of Kitsuki's comfort surrounding him. It left him distraught and uneasy as Gamino led him to the dining hall.

Nasume sat at the head of the table, his yellow eyes full of disgust as Maseo approached. He pointed at the seat next to his. "Sit."

When Maseo didn't act fast enough, Gamino shoved him into the chair, holding him down as if he intended to escape. But there was nowhere for Maseo to go. He kept his eyes focused on the glass of wine in front of him.

Nasume gestured for Gamino to step back into the shadows. He turned his attention to Maseo. "Do you have nothing to say to me?"

Maseo shook his head. He knew better than to answer a trick question like that.

Nasume backhanded Maseo hard enough for him to taste blood. "Are you suddenly too good to speak to me?"

"No, Father," Maseo said in a flat voice. He scrambled to say anything he could think of to appease Nasume. "You look well."

The shifter monarch picked up his wineglass, then gestured for Maseo to do the same. "Let us toast to the good fortunes of Kunushi."

Maseo mechanically did as his father demanded. "To Kunushi." Maseo raised his flute, taking a drink only after Nasume did. He had to hold back a grimace. Normally, his father preferred sweet Alsarian berry wine. But it would figure he'd chosen a bitter varietal for Maseo, which tasted like the decay of death. His eyes teared up as the alcohol burned all the way down as he drank it.

"What do you think of the wine?"

Maseo hesitated before answering. "It differs from what I remember." He was proud of himself for remembering not to use contractions when he spoke. It was something his father was a stickler for, which was why he rejected such formal speech when he was on his own. "The berries do not taste like they are from Alsari."

"That is because they are not." Nasume chuckled at a private joke. "They are from the mountain region west of Kalindi. I got it special for you."

Maseo forced himself to take another sip, even though it felt like drinking fire. "Thank you for your considerate kindness."

"Speaking of Alsari, I heard you were staying there for a while." Nasume said it casually, but Maseo knew better than to trust his father's nonchalance. Junbe must have reported back to Nasume about their encounter at the tavern. "Any particular reason?"

Maseo shrugged. "The beaches are nice this time of year."

"And it has nothing to do with the fact Alsari is so close to Valzerna?"

No, it had everything to do with getting as far away from you as possible , Maseo thought, although he would never say the truth out loud to his father. "Absolutely not."

"Funny, because I heard from one of my spies you were spotted in Tiora recently."

"They must have been mistaken."

Nasume once again slapped his son. "My men do not make mistakes," he hissed. "Admit the truth. You went to see Kitsuki."

"I did not," Maseo insisted. He took another nervous sip of the wine, although it burned in his stomach like a pit of lava. "And I know you can smell I am telling the truth. Even if it were true, Kitsuki would have no reason to meet with me."

"That is not what he said." Nasume stood up, then closed the small distance between them. He tilted his son's chin to force their gaze. "He said he would rather fuck you than me."

Maseo's breathing hitched. He could smell his father was telling the truth. It was incomprehensible to Maseo why Kitsuki would have any kind of sexual interest in him. In what world was Maseo lucky enough for someone as amazing as King Kitsuki to be attracted to him? His father had to be wrong. Kitsuki had made his choice by mating Auslin. There was no place for Maseo in the dragon king's life.

If that was true, then why did he give you a ring to protect you? Maseo's inner voice taunted.

"Tell me what you did to steal him away from me," Nasume commanded in a tone of voice that threatened violence.

"I did nothing!" Maseo tried to keep his panic under control. "I have not seen him in two years. I would never pursue him when I know how you feel about him. He does not want me!"

"Then why was he telling the truth when he said he would rather be with you than me?" Nasume's hand slid down to Maseo's throat, his claws digging into his flesh in a silent threat.

"I have no idea!" The burning in Maseo's stomach grew worse as it churned with anxiety. "I have not spoken a word to him in two years."

"But do you want him?"

"He has a new bondmate. There is no reason for him to want me."

Nasume punched Maseo hard enough to knock him to the stone floor. He hauled his son up, who groaned in pain. "That is not what I asked you. Do you want him to fuck you like the little bitch you are?"

"No," Maseo denied in a strangled voice, barely able to speak from the crushing grip his father had on his throat.

Nasume's nostrils flared. "You are lying ."

"I am not!" Maseo's vision blacked out on the edges as he struggled for breath.

"I would rather kill you than let you steal away what is rightfully mine." Nasume threw his son to the stone floor with a sickening thud . He kicked Maseo in the stomach hard enough to make the half-shifter wretch. It made the burning fire in his stomach burn even worse as his vision blurred. "Once my men are through with you, I will send your corpse to Kitsuki so he can suffer, knowing he can never have you. And then in a few months, I will bring my army of dead souls down on Valzerna, slaughtering him and his shitty human mate for the indignities they have inflicted on me. I will not stop until I rule every kingdom in Talwyn."

Maseo wanted to question what his father meant about an army of dead souls, but he stayed focused on their main argument. "Why bother? Kitsuki does not care if I live or die." Maseo groaned in agony. What was in the wine that made him feel on the brink of death? "I do not matter to him."

Nasume slammed his foot down on one of Maseo's knees, causing the half-shifter to shout in pain at the sickening crunch. "Why do you keep lying to me?"

"He does not love me!" Why did saying that out loud hurt almost as much as his destroyed knee?

"You are right about that. Filth like you does not deserve to be loved, let alone by someone as great as him." Nasume kicked Maseo in the ribs hard enough to break them. "Never forget he is mine !"

Maseo's temper flared. If he was going to die anyway, he may as well get some payback. "Then why is he mated to Auslin and not you?"

Nasume's next kick fractured Maseo's jaw. The half-shifter groaned in agony, but the injury had still been worth it. It hurt to talk, but it didn't deter Maseo. "Beat me all you want. It does not change the fact Kitsuki wants literally anyone but you."

The shifter king crushed Maseo's hand under his heel, shattering his bones. The pain was so severe Maseo couldn't even cry out. When Nasume didn't get the desired reaction, he kicked Maseo's leg hard enough to fracture it.

"Just fucking kill me already," Maseo moaned. A swift death would be better than his body being shattered one bone at a time.

"Oh, you are not nearly that lucky," Nasume said with a villainous laugh. He snapped for his right-hand man's attention. "Gamino. I am tired of speaking to this worthless existence. Let your boys have fun with him in the woods."

His henchman stepped out of the shadows. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will summon my most vicious soldiers to destroy him."

"You have ruined my life since the day you were born, so it is finally time for you to pay for all the suffering you have put me through." Nasume hauled Maseo off the floor by his throat. "By the time they are done fucking you, Kitsuki will never want you again. If you are lucky, maybe they will murder you when they finish with you. Otherwise, I hope you die the slow, painful death that trash like you deserves."

He punched Maseo in the eye before tossing him to the floor. Gamino left and returned with two men. "Have all the fun you want with him in the woods, boys. No one will hear him scream out there. Show him no mercy." He gestured for them to haul his limp body out of the room.

Maseo didn't realize he had blacked out until his body hit the mossy floor of the forest. He groaned in anguish. Everything hurt so badly he could barely remember how to breathe. Death would be a welcomed reprieve.

"I'm the one who informed the king his son went to Valzerna, so I get first crack at him," a man said. It took Maseo a moment to process that the voice belonged to Junbe, the man he'd met at the tavern in Alsari. The sound of him undoing his belt made Maseo's panic rise. "I'm going to enjoy making this bitch pay for running out on me."

"Hey, I have seniority," a deeper male voice argued. "If anyone deserves to tear his hole up first, it's me."

"You may have seniority on me in years, but I'm ranked higher in the army than you," Junbe shot back.

As the two of the men quarreled about who got to rape Maseo first, the half-shifter knew he had to do something before his suffering became even more unbearable. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Maseo slowly slid his unbroken hand into his pocket, allowing him to slip the dragon ring back onto his finger.

Kitsuki's magic activated, once again wrapping around him like a warm, protective blanket. Maseo swore the magic felt distraught at discovering his battered condition. But he probably imagined it in his delirium.

His grasp on consciousness faded into darkness until he heard a sword being drawn. With effort, he cracked one eye open. Junbe stood over Maseo, smirking down at him with a murderous gaze. "I was going to take such nice care of you in Alsari, but you had to ruin that. Now, I'll enjoy fucking you till you bleed. You'll be begging the Death Power to take you to the Beyond Realm before I'm done with you." He positioned his sword to cut off Maseo's clothes to gain access to his body, but Kitsuki's barrier activated. It sent Junbe flying into a tree, where he collapsed with a groan.

The other man charged at Maseo with his weapon drawn, but he was also repelled into a boulder. "What the fuck?"

The two men relentlessly attacked the barrier surrounding Maseo in its protection, but it never wavered. Maseo didn't know how long the assault continued, but they finally stopped swinging their swords as they both heaved for breath.

"Let's just leave him here to die," Junbe suggested. "It's no fun to fuck him if he can't fight back. And look at him, he's almost dead anyway. Where's the challenge in that?"

"Yeah, you're right. He's barely breathing." The other man sheathed his sword. "No ass is worth this much effort."

The two men retreated, leaving Maseo alone in the forest. Tears fell from his eyes as he waited for death to claim him. He felt like the world's biggest failure for not getting any useful information for Kitsuki and Auslin. Even worse was feeling like he let Kitsuki down by breaking their unspoken promise that he would never take off the dragon king's protective ring. He really was as worthless as his father said.

" Fight ," the ring's magic urged Maseo.

There was no point when he was on the threshold of crossing over to the Beyond Realm. The poison wreaking havoc on his system all but guaranteed his impending death. He could feel his heart slowing, and his breathing grew more labored. Maybe his suffering was mercifully coming to an end. It would be a blessing after everything Maseo had been through.

" Fight ," the magic urged him once more. " Live ."

" It's too late ," Maseo told it. His grip on consciousness started to fade into darkness. He welcomed death as a reprieve from a lifetime of being beaten down by people who were supposed to love him. " I'm so tired of fighting a losing battle. No one cares about me, anyway. It's a relief my suffering is finally over ."

" Untrue ." The ring's magic then whispered the one word Maseo never expected to hear. " Love ."

Can Kitsuki's magic help save Maseo? Claim your copy of Magic Whispers to learn more today !

Can Auslin and Kitsuki rescue Maseo before it's too late? Read Lord of the Lone Wolf today to find out what happens next !