Page 35 of Mage of the Dragon Prince
Kitaro began walking Auslin through the various basics of stance and defense, patiently guiding the human through the unfamiliar movements. Auslin keptgetting flustered by all the small touches as Kitaro adjusted parts of his body into better positions.
Once Kitaro felt Auslin grasped the fundamentals of defense, he resumed the practice bouts.
Although he was tiring, Auslin worked hard to defend himself when Kitaro came at him again. It surprised Auslin when he held his own at first and lasted longer than when they had started. However, he was ultimately disarmed, causing Auslin to get increasingly frustrated.
“Do not be discouraged,” Kitaro counseled, but it did little to soothe away Auslin’s irritation over being so unskilled. “You have already shown a marked improvement.”
“You’re being too kind.” Auslin scowled as he picked up his sword from the floor. “I’m awful.”
“No, you are merely a beginner. You cannot expect to become a master before your first lesson is over. Have patience.”
Auslin logically knew that Kitaro was right, but it irritated him he was so incompetent. It also didn’t help his mood that he kept getting distracted during the bouts by Kitaro’s exposed skin, which was impossible to not appreciate. It still made Auslin feel weird to find Kitaro so attractive, but there was no chance of ignoring that the shifter possessed divine levels of beauty.
“You keep holding the sword too far away from your center and leaning forward,” Kitaro said,bringing Auslin’s attention to the present. He stood behind Auslin, guiding the human’s body to press against his.
Auslin’s entire brain went offline at the feeling of being embraced by Kitaro while both were shirtless. He tensed up in shock.
“Relax,” Kitaro requested.
Words failed Auslin as everything in his mind turned to white noise at being so surrounded by Kitaro in his embrace. It felt a lot like perfection. Auslin was unprepared for the experience of their sweat-slicked skin sliding against each other. His instincts were at war between telling him enjoying the moment was an awful idea and memorizing every detail to remember for a later fantasy. The latter made Auslin feel guilty for harboring such a fleeting thought, but that darker part of him whispered he didn’t feel as guilty as he should have.
When Kitaro said Auslin’s name to get his attention, he had to hold in a gasp at the jolt of pleasure that shot through him at the sound of the shifter’s sensuous voice caressing his ear. Auslin needed to put some distance between them so he could think and breathe normally again, but he didn’t want to leave the comfort of Kitaro’s embrace. All Auslin could do was tremble while his body anticipated the next move.
“Why does this distress you so?” Kitaro asked.
Auslin couldn’t get his voice to cooperate with him. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Justembarrassing?” Kitaro’s teasing once again sent a flurry storm of emotions through the human mage.
Auslin was closer to the cusp of arousal than he should have been. “You’ve made your point.”
“Have I?” Kitaro slid his hands along Auslin’s body to shift his position once more, letting his claws trail against Auslin’s skin. It earned him a shiver in response.
Auslin had always had a weakness for that sensation. It sent a powerful burst of arousal through him as he fought to hold in a sexual moan of desire that was dying to escape. It was mortifying when Kitaro could smell his body’s betrayal.
“Are you trying to humiliate me?” Auslin softly asked in anguish. He was the worst kind of person for not being able to resist his primal response to such stimulus.
“Think nothing of it, Vanra.” He released Auslin and took a step back to give the human some room.
Auslin’s self-loathing burned over the assumption Kitaro let go out of disgust.
“I do not profess to understand where your thoughts are at the moment, but all is well,” Kitaro told him. “Do not beat yourself up for something you do not deserve.”
Auslin couldn’t bring himself to look at Kitaro. “How can you stand being subjected to me? To my scent?”
“You continue to labor under the impression that I find it objectionable. The truth is, I find it most enjoyable.”
“But you can smelleverything,” Auslin said with frustration. “How do you not hate it? Hateme?”
Kitaro guided Auslin to turn around to face him, but the mage steadfastly stared at the floor. “Vanra, look at me,” Kitaro softly implored, but to no avail. “I apologize that my teasing went too far. I did not intend to cause you such distress over something you cannot control.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears burned in Auslin’s eyes that he refused to let fall.
“You have done nothing wrong. Please understand you owe me no apology.”
“Yes, I do. I’m theworst.”
“No, you are far from it. I am the one who is at fault here. Regardless of whether you believe me, I enjoy your scent and find your ever-shifting emotions endlessly enthralling. I should not have indulged my curiosities about your reactions at the expense of your peace of mind. I apologize for making you feel as if you had something to be ashamed of.”
