8. Kitsuki

Chapter 8

Kitsuki

I t was a surreal experience for Kitsuki to have anyone touching what remained of his arm, let alone having that person be Auslin. The loving way Auslin caressed him inspired a mix of emotions that Kitsuki wasn't sure how to process after being cut off from so many of them in his centuries of sorrow. He couldn't stop looking at Auslin, still in disbelief that his long-lost love was sitting in front of him. The ice encasing his heart had already thawed, but it was hard to overcome his reticent manners he had developed over the years.

To feel their auras suffused together was a thing of beauty. It almost brought tears to Kitsuki's eyes. He could sense all the love Auslin had for him—and not just for Kitaro. It was hard to believe Auslin had such strong feelings for him from before his trip to the past, but he remembered the stories his Vanra had shared with him. Without realizing it, he had always had a place in Auslin's heart.

Although Auslin wasn't having any success in healing what couldn't be fixed, the experience helped mend Kitsuki's battered soul. He was so lost in the moment that it came as a surprise when Auslin moved his hand off his claiming mark. There was a small ball of silver light in Auslin's palm before he wrapped his fingers around it with a pleased smile.

"Got you," Auslin murmured with satisfaction. He brought his hand up to Kitsuki's arm and slowly pressed the pulsating silver light into his severed arm, where it was absorbed, much to the wonderment of the shifter monarch.

Kitsuki stared in disbelief as Auslin moved his hand downward, revealing more of his new arm. His shifter markings glowed a beautiful icy lavender from his aura combined with Auslin's. It took an agonizing amount of time before reaching where his elbow should be. He held his breath, unsure if it would work or not.

Despite Kitsuki's trepidation, his elbow appeared and continued into his forearm as Auslin poured all his energy into recreating his limb in perfect detail.

Enraptured by the process, Kitsuki watched in fascination as his hand grew under Auslin's careful guidance, each finger fully developing. When the claws appeared, Auslin ran his hand along the length of the new arm, surveying it to make sure it was completely perfect. Satisfied with his work, Auslin broke the link between himself and Kitsuki.

The energy drain from using so much power was too much. Auslin fell back toward the bed. Kitsuki instinctively caught him, staring in shock as he held on to the mage with two hands for the first time in centuries.

Kitsuki guided Auslin to lie down on the bed. He was in utter awe of what the human had accomplished.

Satisfied Auslin was comfortable, Kitsuki studied his new arm. To his great surprise, his markings, which had darkened after Mitsuki severed his arm, were now a bright silver, like in his youth. He held both of his arms out to confirm the brightness had extended to all his shifter lines. Auslin rendered everything perfectly in loving detail.

Kitsuki allowed his dragon to come to the surface. His markings pulsated with more power than before, looking like a mercury river. The power rush intoxicated his dragon, so Kitsuki took control once more.

After Auslin had healed Jaega's hand, his uncle still couldn't summon his magic with it. Kitsuki stared in amazement as a silver flame responded to his call immediately, dancing in his palm as he moved his fingers to manipulate the fire.

It made Kitsuki wonder if his shifter healing had also been restored. While it felt like sacrilege to damage Auslin's work, Kitsuki had to know. He used his claw to make a superficial scratch at the base of his palm. To his relief and amazement, it healed instantaneously. How had a mere human accomplished the impossible?

Kitsuki tentatively reached out with his new hand to brush Auslin's hair away from his face. It was a small, intimate touch, yet it overwhelmed Kitsuki with the enormity of everything that had happened to him since being reunited with Auslin. He kept waiting to wake up and find out it was all a cruel dream. But none of his dreams had been so realistic.

"Thank you," Kitsuki whispered to the slumbering human, meaning it for so many things.

Kitsuki picked Auslin up, moving him higher up the bed so he could put the covers over him. He then tentatively spooned behind Auslin, pulling him close to his chest with his newly reformed arm. He deeply inhaled Auslin's scent, basking in the closeness of being with the human after so long. They still had things they would have to overcome in their relationship, but all that mattered in that moment was that Auslin was there and in Kitsuki's arms, right where he belonged. Everything else could wait.