Page 78 of Mage of the Dragon Prince
“Forgive me. That was never my intention.”
“Well, if there’s one good thing about this, it’s the fact that Mitsuki will lose it when he sees you’re not scarred.” Vanra placed his hand over Kitaro’s wound, then linked their auras together.
Kitaro had never felt so intimately connected to anyone before. He could feel all Vanra’s emotions as if they were his own. The distress was at the forefront, but the shifter could also feel that some part of Vanra was proud of him for winning. He also sensed the overwhelming fondness that Vanra held for him, which made his heart soar. Could Vanra feel that, too?
Kitaro watched in fascination as his wound slowly began to close and mend itself together. When it finished, it only left blood behind as evidence that there was ever an injury.
When Vanra withdrew his aura, it felt like being plunged into an icy darkness as all the warm sunshinefaded from his world. He wanted to beg Vanra to reconnect with him because he wasn’t ready to let go of that beautiful feeling. But he had no right to ask for such a thing.
Vanra ran his fingers over the now-healed area. “I know you want to protect me, but there has to be a better way than doing that.”
Kitaro reached out to cup Vanra’s cheek in his hand. He held his gaze as he said, “I would do anything for the sake of your happiness, Vanra.”
“Except for not fighting your brother?” Vanra asked with a wry grin. Despite his words, Kitaro could hear the human’s heart racing at his touch.
“Please know I did not seek to fight him,” Kitaro reiterated. “He was the one who challenged me to a fight. I could not refuse.”
Vanra looked down with a frown. “I’m not worth fighting over.”
His words cut deep. It was another painful reminder of how awful Vanra’s companion had treated him to make him believe he was worthless. He stroked Vanra’s cheek with his thumb. “Respectfully, I disagree. I would give my life for your safety.”
“No!” Vanra looked panicked at the thought. “I could never live with myself if you did that. Why would you even say that?”
“Because I have fallen for you.” Kitaro withdrew his hand, ready for rejection. But it was a relief to sayout loud what he had been thinking about for some time now.
Vanra’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what?”
“I have, perhaps unwisely, developed feelings for you,” Kitaro said. There was no point in hiding the truth. “It is why I would do anything for you.”
Vanra stammered a few times before he could form a sentence. “But I’m human!”
Kitaro chuckled. “That does not affect my feelings.”
“But you’re a high-ranking shifter prince,” Vanra protested. “You aren’t allowed to like commoners like me, let alone ahumancommoner.”
“I do as I please.” Kitaro softened his voice as he said, “I am not asking for a reciprocation of feelings. I am merely stating a fact. Please do not trouble yourself over it.”
“No, it’s not that.” Vanra bit his lower lip as he struggled. “I just don’t understand how someone as amazing as you could ever feel anything for me.”
“It pains me you continue to have such a low opinion of yourself.” Kitaro hated how Vanra’s companion was responsible for his poor self-esteem. “I see you as you are, not as you perceive yourself to be. And to me, you are everything wonderful in this world.”
Vanra stared at him in disbelief. “Are you saying youlikeme? As in, more than a friend?”
“That is indeed what I am saying,” Kitaroconfirmed, although he had not intended to confess his feelings. “I am aware you are going to return to your time, but it seems my heart does not care about such details.”
The scent of Vanra’s embarrassment filled the air. “And it’s not only because your dragon responds to my heat?”
“My dragon is drawn to you because I am,” Kitaro explained. “My feelings are my own and have only been getting stronger the longer I am around you. Your heat only amplifies what is already present.”
“But that’s impossible!”
“I can assure you it is not.” Kitaro chuckled at the human’s disbelief. “It is very much real.”
Vanra looked down at his hands. “But what happens when I have to go back to my time?”
It was something Kitaro had been contemplating a lot in recent days. “Even if a few centuries separate our times, it is not that long for a shifter. I would happily wait an eternity for you if it meant I could be with you again.”
“No, that would be awful!” Tears gathered in Vanra’s eyes. “I could never do that to you.”
