Page 74 of Mage of the Dragon Prince
“You will fail.”
“We shall see about that.” Mitsuki leaned in as if he intended to steal a kiss.
A servant appeared with a squeak of surprise. She fearfully cleared her throat to interrupt. “Forgive the intrusion. Prince Mitsuki, I have been sent by the king to find out why you are late for your meeting.”
Mitsuki gave the servant a withering stare that made her wince. “Understood. I will attend to him now.”
The servant bowed in acknowledgment, but remained where she was.
Mitsuki tossed Auslin aside onto the floor in disgust. “This is not over, human worm. Far from it.”
With that said, Mitsuki turned on his heel and stormed off with the servant.
Auslin trembled on the floor, doing his best tocatch his breath. It terrified him what Mitsuki might do to him in the future. As much as Auslin didn’t want to use his powers against Mitsuki, he wouldn’t have a choice if the shifter attacked him. He prayed Mitsuki wouldn’t put either of them in that situation.
With a shuddering breath, Auslin got up and hurried back to the sanctuary of his room.
Chapter 34
Kitaro
Kitaro nervously paced in his room while waiting for Vanra’s return. Tatsuki’s request to see Vanra alone unsettled Kitaro. It took an effort not to go to his father’s room to find out what was taking so long. He wanted to believe everything was fine, but it was troubling when Tatsuki was known for being unpredictable.
When Vanra returned, Kitaro’s relief immediately vanished at the sight of blood on the human’s neck. Kitaro was at Vanra’s side in an instant. “My father did this to you?” He could still smell the fear clinging to Vanra, making his dragon thrash in his cage. It was why it took a moment for the smell of Mitsuki to register. “Wait,Mitsukidid this to you?”
“Yeah, after I met with your father.”
Kitaro’s dragon came to the surface, ready to confront their brother and punish him for daring toharm Vanra. The smell of Mitsuki licking Vanra’s neck clouded their mind with a jealous rage. “We will make him suffer for this!”
Vanra took hold of his hand to stop him from storming off. “Please don’t. It’ll only make things worse.”
Kitaro’s dragon caressed Vanra’s neck, still marred with blood. “No, we must punish him for daring to violate you. He will not be forgiven for harming you!”
“Please stay with me,” Vanra pleaded. “I feel safer with you by my side.”
Kitaro’s dragon was torn between needing to confront Mitsuki and honoring Vanra’s wishes. But their need to please Vanra and take care of his needs was more important. “You will tell us what happened.”
Vanra interlaced their fingers together and gave his hand a squeeze. “As long as you promise to stay with me.”
“As you wish.” Kitaro’s dragon led them to the bathroom. As much as they wanted to lick Vanra clean and rid him of Mitsuki’s scent, Kitaro would not allow it. They had to settle for merely washing off the blood instead.
The dragon gestured for Vanra to sit on the sink counter. Vanra scowled when his shirt disappeared through magic. “You could have asked me to take it off, you know.”
Kitaro’s dragon said nothing as they produced a washcloth with magic, then wiped away the bloodMitsuki had spilled. They could hear Vanra’s heart race, which was gratifying.
But they still weren’t satisfied once the human was clean. Kitaro’s dragon ran his thumb along the small marks that remained. “We willneverforgive him for hurting you. He will pay for this previous offense.”
Vanra placed his hand over his injuries to heal himself. When he lowered his hand, no trace of Mitsuki’s attack remained. “No, you won’t. Believe me. You confronting him will only make things worse for me.”
Kitaro’s dragon stroked Vanra’s now unmarred neck. They burned with incandescent rage that Mitsuki’s claws had harmed Vanra on their watch. “We are your protector. We cannot allow such an attack to go unpunished. On our honor, we demand revenge.”
Vanra took Kitaro’s face in his hands, meeting his silver gaze. “I’m asking you not to.Please,” he gently pleaded.
While Kitaro’s dragon reveled in the small point of contact, they struggled with obeying. “You are asking us to go against our every instinct.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” Vanra apologetically told him. “It’s unfair of me to ask, but I’ve known people like your brother. If you go after him, I’ll be forced to deal with the consequences of his outrage. He’ll absolutely take it out on me.”
“But we will protect you.” Kitaro’s dragon hated how Vanra seemed to doubttheir ability to do so. It made them burn with a need to prove to him they could defend him.
