Page 18 of Mage of the Dragon Prince
“Sleep well, Vanra.” Kitaro lowered the fire lamps with his magic to make it darker for the human’s comfort. He then made his way to the left of the bed.
“You don’t have to go to bed because I am,” Vanra said.
“It is no trouble.” He listened to Vanra’s breathing even out as he quickly dropped off to sleep.
It was strange having company in bed, but Kitaro found he quite enjoyed the feeling of another warm body near his. In fact, it was a pity he could not cradleVanra against him once more. He regretted he had not been able to enjoy holding Vanra in the cave for longer before the human scuttled away in terror.
Vanra’s reaction baffled the dragon shifter. He had not feared him as a giant dragon but had seemed downright terrified of him in his male form until he found out Kitaro’s name. Why was that? What reason would Vanra have to fear him for any reason?
The human’s quick-fire emotion changes fascinated him. But his heart still hurt that Vanra had been moved to tears because he was so unaccustomed to kindness. It made Kitaro wonder what kind of man Vanra’s companion was. How could he treat Vanra with anything less than kindness and devotion? He had so many questions, but it felt too rude to bring them up when Vanra had been through so much already. Kitaro could wait a little longer to find his answers.
He turned on his side and watched Vanra sleep. Because of his father’s disdain for them, Kitaro had always assumed humans to be foul creatures, but Vanra was anything but. After his bath, he smelled positively divine. It made Kitaro want to bury his nose in the crook of Vanra’s neck and breathe in deep. It was such a strange impulse. He had never experienced such an urge, but it was powerful with Vanra. So was the desire to embrace him and keep him safe from harm, especially from his undeserving companion, who seemed to bring Vanra only sorrows.
Kitaro resolved to do whatever was necessary to take care of his ward. He couldn’t make up for the pain Vanra’s companion caused, but he could do his best to combat it by treating the human the way he deserved to be spoiled.
Chapter 10
Auslin
Auslin awoke in a cocoon of warmth. He snuggled into the comforts of a luxurious bed and the softest of furs. His mind was blissfully adrift until a noise of shifting sheets drew Auslin’s attention into a more wakeful state. The sight of Kitaro sprawled out, his hair pooled around him, caused Auslin to suddenly bolt upright. Memories flooded back to him. He was stuck in a time that was not his own. The reality of his situation hit him hard. All traces of comfort were gone.
“Do you always wake up this fearful?” Kitaro murmured.
“Sorry.” Auslin fell back down onto the bed with a groan as he buried his face in the pillow to hide his shame. He tried to get his emotions under control.
“Am I still the source of your fear this morning?”
The question made Auslinturn his head so he could look at Kitaro, who was entirely too handsome for someone who had awoken a moment ago. It wasn’t fair that the shifter prince woke up looking so good.
Auslin immediately felt guilty. “No, I got overwhelmed when I realized where I was. Sorry.”
“It is far too early for the tang of fear in the morning.” Kitaro hid a yawn behind his hand.
Realizing that Kitaro’s powerful shifter sense of smell sensed his emotional fluctuations, Auslin apologized again. “I’m so sorry. Wait, what time is it?”
“I have no clue,” Kitaro admitted as his eyes slid close, “but I am certain it is too early.”
The only hint at the hour was sunlight brightening the room through the darkly tinted windows. When had they grown darker?
“Are we supposed to be up at any specific time?” Auslin asked.
“Whenever I feel hungry enough to bother getting out of bed.” Kitaro’s voice grew distant as he drifted back into sleep.
The answer made Auslin smile slightly despite his situation. He never would have expected someone like Kitaro to be so indulgent, but apparently, there were far fewer demands on the youngest son of the Ariake clan. The handsome shifter prince made Auslin’s predicament even more surreal. He was an impossibly beautiful creature who also was unbelievably kind. Surely, Auslin had to be dreaming.
The memory of how Kitaro had looked at himwhile wiping away his tears made Auslin’s heart pound for a different reason. No one had ever treated him so tenderly. It made Auslin ache to feel that way again, albeit without the sadness that precipitated the treatment. Not once had Kio acted as if Auslin and his feelings mattered. Kio had defended Auslin from harm on numerous occasions during their travels, but never once did that thought make his heart beat as quickly as it did when Kitaro swore to protect him. Auslin didn’t understand his own reactions.
With the rush of adrenaline receding, Auslin allowed sleep to reclaim him once more.
When Auslin awoke later in the day, it was to the sight of Kitaro sitting up with the sheets dangerously low on his hips. He gazed down at Auslin with curiosity. “It appears you can wake up without overwhelming fear.”
Auslin blushed at the comment. “I’m really sorry about that.”
“You apologize a lot.”
Another apology was on the tip of his tongue, but Auslin clamped down on the urge todo so. Unfortunately, that left him uncertain of what else he could say in response.
“I suppose it is fortunate for me that as often as you feel embarrassed, it is a surprisingly pleasing scent,” Kitaro teased, which only increased Auslin’s current state of feeling that way.
