Page 30 of Mage of the Dragon Prince
Kitaro chuckled. “You are more than worthy to stand by my side, Vanra. But I believe my sister would take umbrage at your last assertion.”
While part of Auslin was secretly dying at Kitaro’s compliment, he was more in shock over the other revelation. “Wait, you have asister?”
“Why does that surprise you?”
Auslin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Earlier, you only said you had two brothers.”
“In the cave, you only inquired if I had any brothers,” Kitaro replied. “You did not mention sisters, so I did not bring her up then.”
“Does she live somewhere else?” Auslin asked. Kio had never once mentioned having a half sister.
Kitaro nodded. “Yes, she resides in the Divine Realm. She spends very little time here in the Living Realm.”
“Is your sister a Power or an Inciter?” Auslin asked in shock. They were the only two beings in the Divine Realm who could travel to the Living Realm.
“Half-Power. She is the child borne of my father’s passionate rivalry with the War Power, Arenthia. Kizoshi was blessed with an exceptional command of both the powers gifted to her by her mixed heritage. She is quite the force to be reckoned with, especially given she inherited both of their fiery tempers. She has very little interest in the creatures of the Living Realm, so she spends almost all her time in the Divine Realm.”
Auslin recognized the name Kizoshi immediately as the reigning War Power in his time, who had a fearsome reputation. She had come to power after her mother passed to the Beyond Realm when Tatsuki had been killed in battle. She had declared there was no creature left in the Living Realm that was worthy of her efforts. Auslin felt foolish for never connecting Kizoshi to Kio and Kitsuki through the Tatsuki connection.
“Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me your sister istheKizoshi?” Auslin asked in disbelief, needing to be certain.
“You know of my sister and yet knew nothing of me? How hurtful,” Kitaro teased in a mocking tone.
Auslin immediately felt awful for theunintentional slight. “I’m sorry! Please don’t take it personally. I only know more about Powers because of my activities at the temple and?—”
Kitaro waved away Auslin’s concerns. “I jest, Vanra. No real offense has been taken.”
“I’m still sorry.” Auslin stared down at the water, feeling like he had somehow failed Kitaro by not knowing of him. It also made him wonder why he had never heard of Kitaro in his own time. Thinking that Kitaro didn’t survive into Auslin’s time in the present made his heart hurt. He tried to push the dark thought out of his mind.
“Please do not feel bad,” Kitaro said in a gentle voice. “I did not intend to cause you any emotional disturbance.”
The comment confused Auslin until he realized that Kitaro most likely had smelled the shift in his emotions. “Isn’t it inconvenient being able to smell emotions like that?”
“Given how quickly you can cycle through a wide range of them, I have gained a new appreciation of the insight my sense of smell provides me with you. Without it, your quick-fire emotional shifts would be utterly mystifying to me.”
“I will try to control my emotions more,” Auslin promised, not wanting to be any more of a burden to Kitaro than he already was.
“There is no need to do such a thing. I find it a fascinating experience.”
It was not the response Auslin had been expecting to hear. “Why?”
“You feel things so deeply, with all your heart,” Kitaro answered him. “Shifters are more reserved by nature, so it has been an interesting learning experience to witness the breadth of your vast emotions.”
Although Kitaro’s words sounded like a compliment, Auslin was still worried. “I feel like I’m subjecting you to something unpleasant by being so human.”
“You should not trouble yourself with such concerns when it is your very humanness that I find pleasant.” Kitaro’s look of fondness made Auslin blush an even deeper shade of scarlet. “You are free to be yourself here, Vanra. I hold no expectations for you to be anything other than yourself.”
“Thank you.” Auslin took a small measure of comfort from those words. However, between the embarrassment and the heat, Auslin was light-headed. “I think I need to get out now, though. The last thing I want to do is embarrass myself further by fainting.”
Kitaro gestured Auslin was free to do so.
Auslin reached over the edge of the inset tub and pulled the towel closer to him so that he could wrap it around himself as soon as he exited the bath. The sudden movement made him feel woozy. He swayed as he stood still for a moment while waiting for the weird feeling to pass.
Kitaro was out of the water and by Auslin’s side in an instant to help steady him. “Are you unwell?”
“No, I just stood up too quick after being in the hot water for so long.” Auslin hated that he worried Kitaro. “I’ll be fine in a minute.”
“Shall I carry you to the bed?” Kitaro brushed his hand against the mage’s flushed cheek.
