Page 71 of Mage of the Dragon Prince
The threat had Kitaro on his feet, his magic summoned to his hand with his dragon in full control.
Tatsuki slammed his hands on the table, making Auslin jump. “That is enough, Mitsuki! Have you forgotten that Vanra is under our protection? Or do you intend to threaten us as well?”
Bristling in seething rage, Mitsuki gave Auslin one last glare. “This is far from over, human,” he spat in disgust before angrily storming out of the room.
Kitaro’s dragon was still tense with the need to fight.
“Calm yourself, Kitaro,” Tatsuki told his youngest son. “Mitsuki was merely making idle threats out of embarrassment.”
“We will not stand for it!” Kitaro’s dragon exclaimed.
Tatsuki gestured for Kitaro to sit. “Be at peace. We will punish him later. You have our word.”
“It is not enough!” Kitaro’s dragon snarled. “We wish to?—”
Auslin interrupted Kitaro’s dragon by reaching out to squeeze his hand to calm him. “I’m fine, Kitaro. I’m okay.”
His dragon looked down at Auslin in confusion. “How can we allow such unforgivable threats toward you?”
“I’m not asking you to forgive him,” Auslin told Kitaro as he gently tugged on his hand to encourage him to sit. “I’m only asking you not to do anything you’ll regret.”
“The only thing we will regret is not doing something about this,” Kitaro’s dragon darkly stated.
“We will see to it, son. There is no need to involve yourself and make things even worse.”
“Please,” Auslin requested as he looked up beseechingly at Kitaro’s dragon.
Auslin’s pleading gaze made Kitaro’s dragon recede. Kitaro was back in control when he said, “Mitsuki does not deserve your kindness of sparing him.”
With the fight finally over, the servants brought over food for Auslin and Kitaro. Although Auslin was still shaken, he knew it was important to act unaffected and eat like everything was okay. Only then did Kitaro do the same as Tatsuki transitioned into talking about how Auslin’s training was progressing.
Later that night, Tatsuki summoned Auslin. The human’s stomach churned with anxiety as he stood outside the door to the shifter monarch’s room. He was convinced the king would punish him for speaking out, and he would have deserved it. He should have kept his opinions to himself, especially with Mitsuki there.
Although Tatsuki had been nothing but kind to him since that first night, Auslin still jumped at the sound of the shifter monarch’s booming voice. “Enter!”
The door automatically slid open, leaving Auslin no choice but to step into the room. It was devoid of almost any furnishings, except for a small alcove with a flower arrangement. More puzzling was that Auslin didn’t see Tatsuki anywhere in the relatively empty room.
“I’m out here,” Tatsuki called out from the outside veranda. He was lounging on his balcony, looking out at the moon over the gardens. There was an impressive waterfall that emptied into a large pool that made Auslin want to go for a swim.
The darkness made Tatsuki’s markings look like fire in the night. He gestured for Auslin to join him. “Please, sit.”
Auslin bowed, then gingerly sat down.
“You seem nervous,” Tatsuki said. His expression was unreadable.
“Because I’m terrified I’m in trouble,” Auslin admitted. His heart hammered with fear. It made him wish he had his scent-suppressing amulet. “I shouldn’t have spoken out at dinner. It’s not my place to say anything.”
“You were not incorrect,” Tatsuki told him. “Your logic was sound. Mitsuki was angry because he could not refute your tactic.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s angry with me for a lot more reasons than just that,” Auslin replied with a bitter laugh. “I’ve known that since the first time I met him.”
That drew a chuckle from the shifter monarch. “He is not subtle about his hatred. We were impressed you stood up to Mitsuki tonight.”
“It was probably more stupidity than bravery.” Auslin sighed. “I really shouldn’t be giving him even more reasons to hate me.”
“You have nothing to worry about. He has been dealt with accordingly.”
Auslin blanched at the implication. “That sounds ominous.”
