26. Auslin

Chapter 26

Auslin

" A re there any customs that I need to be aware of?" Auslin asked as they walked to the Enchanters. He didn't want to cause offense through his ignorance. "I'm not really sure what I should do."

"Just follow their instructions, and you will be fine," Kitaro said in a soothing voice.

It felt like they had been walking for days before they stopped in front of a large ornamental door with ancient runes etched into it. It slid open to reveal an enormous workroom.

There was so much to look at Auslin didn't know where to start. Jars of herbs lined the shelves. There were all manners of weapons and objects lying around the many tables in the workshop.

Several Enchanters sat throughout the room, chanting and casting spells on the items in front of them, but none of them looked up or noticed the entrance of their guests. Rather than being offended, it fascinated Auslin to see so much magic being used. He watched them with curiosity and awe.

The smoky smell of incense was heavy in the air, giving the area a mystical feeling. It felt like Auslin had somehow stepped even further back in time, to an era when sorcerers had been more common. After the Necromancer War, when the violent necromancers led by Ishibiya had either been killed or driven underground, it was rare to see so many powerful magic users in one place.

A beautiful shifter appeared in front of them, as if summoned from the air itself. He wore an iridescent robe with long sleeves, which shimmered with intricate silver thread embroidery. His white hair was pulled into a simple braid. He had a kindly appearance that instantly put Auslin at ease.

Most fascinating of all was the fact that his eyes seemed to change every time he blinked. They were a beautiful pastel pink, then suddenly they swirled into gray. They turned into sapphire blue before becoming pale green. The shifter markings on his skin similarly cycled through the whole rainbow of colors and intertwined with shades of orange that ran across the spectrum. It was mesmerizing to watch and reminded Auslin of Jaega's markings. Auslin felt rude staring, but he couldn't stop from watching the exquisite changing of the man's eyes .

"Welcome," he warmly greeted them with a respectful bow. "It's always a pleasure to see you, Prince Kitaro. And you must be Lord Vanra."

Auslin wasn't sure if he was supposed to bow back, but he did it anyway. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Fersen, a new Enchanter here in the castle." He smiled at Auslin with a sparkle in his mesmerizing eyes. "It appears you find yourself in need of our services."

The human's cheeks grew pink. "Apparently."

"My Father and Uncle Jaega think it best," Kitaro added.

"Yes, I can see why." The corners of Fersen's mouth turned up in amusement. "I imagine this must be creating some unrest upstairs."

"Unfortunately," Kitaro confirmed with a slight frown.

Fersen gestured for Auslin to come closer. "I can definitely help you, but first, I'll need you to release your protective barrier on your powers."

Auslin glanced uncertainly at Kitaro. When he received a nod in response, the mage dropped his shield to allow his full aura and presence to be felt. He noticed Kitaro's eyes flash silver again.

"Remarkable." Fersen studied Auslin with curiosity before he made the human's shirt disappear.

The mage bit back a complaint about whether that was necessary. Fersen trailed his fingers down his throat to rest over the center of his chest. He meshed his aura against Auslin's, causing it to shift into various shades of purple.

Auslin shivered as Fersen traced an abstract design on his skin. To his surprise, Fersen extracted a glowing amethyst amulet from within him. A black cord grew from within it that fastened around his neck. Only then did Fersen withdraw his power and replace the mage's shirt.

Auslin lifted the pendant to study it. "This will really mask my heat scent?"

"Not just that, but your entire scent," Fersen clarified. "It draws power from your aura, so it will drain you the longer you wear it. However, if you take it off, you'll return to normal with some rest."

"But I feel fine now."

"You'll gradually build up strength to use it for longer periods of time. But don't be surprised when you're tired later. It's draining your energy to power the magic that makes it work."

"Huh." Auslin touched the new pendant, feeling an ancient rune carved into it.

"Should you have any problems, please don't hesitate to come down here. We can adjust it if you need. Also, make sure it always maintains physical contact with your skin. If it's touching your clothes instead, it can't suppress your scent."

"We appreciate your assistance." Kitaro's words were polite, but his stiff tone made Auslin glance up at him in surprise .

Fersen gave a respectful bow. "As Jaega's mate, it's forever my honor to serve your clan."

"You're Uncle Jaega's mate?" That explained why their entwined markings were so similar. "It's nice to meet you!"

"I look forward to getting to know you better. Jaega has said many kind things about you."

Auslin blushed at the praise. "He's very nice."

Kitaro bowed his head in acknowledgment before turning to walk away. Auslin hurried after him with a final word of thanks.

As they walked back to their room, Auslin touched the necklace under his shirt. "Does this thing actually work?"

"Indeed." To Auslin's surprise, the shifter prince sounded somewhat annoyed. "It essentially renders you invisible when combined with suppressing your aura. Only sound would give you away when wearing that."

"Neat." It amazed him that one little stone could have such a big effect. "That seems like it might come in handy for traveling later."

"Perhaps." Kitaro still sounded irritable.

It made Auslin feel bad. "Did I do something wrong?"

Kitaro's tone turned reassuring. "No, you are fine, Vanra."

Auslin remained unconvinced. "Okay. "

Kitaro cleared his throat. "What did you think of Fersen?"

"I've never seen anyone whose eyes changed like that," Auslin commented in surprise. "It was so beautiful."

"It is a sign of Fersen's exceptional level of magical power," Kitaro explained.

"That's amazing. And he was so nice. I can see why he's Uncle Jaega's mate."

"He is most agreeable," Kitaro agreed. "There are some of the elder male Enchanters who are unpleasant in comparison. They are skilled, but their attitudes are rude."

The last thing Auslin wanted to deal with was more rude people after Mitsuki. "Then I'm really glad we dealt with Fersen."

"Should your time with Uncle Jaega go well enough, perhaps Fersen could assist with further magical training. I am sure he would be amenable to the idea."

Auslin sighed. "That would be amazing, but I don't think I'll ever be that good."

"Do not sell yourself short. Your powers are immense. With more training, you would be more than capable of working with someone as skilled as Fersen."

"If you say so." Auslin still didn't sound convinced.

"Speaking of Uncle Jaega, I believe you have a session with him later today. But first, we will train. "

Though he found his sessions challenging, Auslin had grown to enjoy his training. He could already tell he had made significant improvements in controlling his powers. "Then I guess I should go get ready."

W hile Auslin did his best to hide it, the enchanted amulet drained his power faster than he expected. After wearing it for almost two days straight, his mounting exhaustion made his movements sluggish during practice. However, Auslin's pride stubbornly refused to let him complain about it, so he soldiered on with his training.

"Again," Kitaro ordered, gesturing for Auslin to hold up his wooden sword.

Mentally steeling himself for the oncoming attack, Auslin tried to fend off the dragon prince. But after a few countered hits, he was disarmed and flat on his back with a practice weapon at his throat. Although the limits of his human weakness frustrated him, it felt so good to lie down that he remained as he was. His breathing was labored from the exertion of the past two hours of training.

Kitaro offered Auslin a hand to help him off the floor, which he accepted as he pulled himself to a standing position once more. Before Auslin could process what was happening, Kitaro struck out at him. He instinctively blocked the potential blow and fended off Kitaro's attack, but even on his best day, it would have been a losing battle. And today was far from his best day.

Kitaro finally swept Auslin's feet out from under him, but Auslin took the dragon prince down with him. He ended up pinned under Kitaro as they stared at each other while trying to catch their breath. Auslin was overly aware of the shifter's larger body pinning him in place. Their sweaty bodies moving against each other gave him naughty ideas he really couldn't afford to have with a sexy shifter on top of him.

The awkward moment between them dragged on long enough that Auslin reflexively apologized to fill the silence.

"For?" Kitaro questioned, his voice in his deeper register that made Auslin shiver despite himself. The way the shifter's eyes rimmed with silver was mesmerizing.

It temporarily distracted Auslin, making it a challenge to remember how to form words. "For not being able to train properly today. The amulet is really taking its toll on me, I think."

"I regret it is necessary."

When Kitaro shifted his position, it stirred Auslin's desire. He hoped the enchanted pendant hid that fact from the shifter prince. It filled Auslin with an impossible need to be kissed, and he didn't know how to handle that lust. He had given himself permission to be free of Kio, but some part of Auslin still resisted the urge because nothing but pain could come from giving in when he was so determined to return to his own time.

He held his breath as Kitaro leaned closer, almost as if he intended to kiss Auslin. But a servant entering the training hall startled them by loudly announcing, "Prince Kitaro, King Tatsuki has requested your presence at once in his office."

"Understood," Kitaro said, but it came out as a threatening growl that made the servant disappear after a final bow.

"Is everything okay?" Auslin asked. Why was Kitaro's roughness arousing?

Kitaro closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, the silver had faded from them. "All is well. I will attend to my father. Please use the time to rest." He stood up and offered his hand to Auslin to help him stand. They shared a long, meaningful look that filled Auslin with too many feelings before they parted to go their separate ways.

Once Auslin was left alone to walk back to their bedroom, he found it easier to breathe without Kitaro there to confuse him. Auslin wondered if maybe he was feeling an effect from his heat after all. The intense need he had felt to be kissed by Kitaro surely must have been from that.

It was the only logical explanation for Auslin's arousal—or at least that's what he wanted to believe. But he knew it was because he was becoming increasingly attracted to Kitaro despite warning himself that nothing could come of it since he intended to return to his era as soon as possible. Knowing that didn't change his feelings any, though.

He was being foolish. There was no chance that someone as amazing as Kitaro would ever be interested in Auslin. Kitaro was like a Power amongst men. A human mage couldn't compete on that level.

Although Auslin wanted to fall face-first onto the comfortable bed and sleep, he forced himself to take a bath to wash off the sweat. Despite his exhaustion, sinking into the hot water felt divine. Auslin relaxed into the sensation.

Exhaling slowly, he wondered how long Kitaro would be gone. Usually, it took at least half an hour when Tatsuki summoned him. It was probably safe to give in to his body's demand that he release the sexual tension from being in such an intimate position earlier.

The thought of them lying together in that manner was enough to get Auslin hard. He allowed himself the rare indulgence of imagining Kitaro taking the initiative and kissing him forcefully. The water sloshed in the tub as Auslin's body arched. He lost his inhibitions as his fantasy progressed .

Auslin bit his lower lip to hold in a noise of pleasure at the thought of Kitaro dragging his fangs against his skin. That had always been a massive turn-on for Auslin. He whimpered while thinking about the shifter teasing him with his claws. It rapidly sent him to the edge of his climax. When he imagined Kitaro stroking his cock, Auslin came with a soft cry. All the tension melted from his body.

The guilt wouldn't be far behind, but for the moment, he indulged in the satisfaction of his fantasy. With Kitaro always by his side, Auslin rarely had the opportunity to take care of his basest desires. It was too risky with a shifter who had such a strong sense of smell and hearing, not to mention embarrassing.

Auslin couldn't ignore the ache inside of him for his fantasy to go further than just kissing and teasing touches. He knew what he really wanted, but he was afraid to acknowledge it because of what it would mean for him.

Once he gave himself permission to let his imagination turn more sexual, there would be no going back anymore. It would be impossible to look at Kitaro without thinking about those kinds of naughty thoughts, which would only cause even greater problems.

The last of his energy was fading fast. Auslin got out of the bath. His vision swam for a moment. It made Auslin scowl because if he was already weak after barely two days of wearing the amulet, he would be comatose by the end of the week.

Pushing the thought from his mind, Auslin dried off before wrapping the towel around himself.

When he returned to the bedroom, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Kitaro sitting in a chair by the fireplace, looking at him with an unreadable expression.