Page 154 of Lord of the Lone Wolf
Silence fell over the chamber, with Kitsuki and Maseo too stunned to react.
“Liros called it a soulrift,” Auslin continued, his voice muffled as he forced himself to explain. “As we pass through Fate’s Gate together, I must pierce your heart on the altar. It’s the only way to ensure you reach the Beyond Realm while maintaining the possibility of return. I don’t need to die because my original journeys through Fate’s Gate made me timeless, making it possible for me to pass between the realms without being dead.”
Maseo was the first to break the stunned silence. “If that’s what must be done to save my soul, then I trust you to do it. Kizoshi told me when I stand at the crossroads of never and always, the path ahead requires me whole, not as I am, but as I was meant to be. Maybe she meant reclaiming my soul when I stood in Shadowfall between Everlight and Blightmare Vales.”
The news troubled Kitsuki. “When did you speak with my sister?”
“General Jaega summoned me earlier when I was visiting the barracks. She gave me a lot of cryptic warnings but also promised I would receive Liros and Sophina’s blessings in abundance by being rewarded by the Powers for my patience,even when it doesn’t feel like it. She urged me not to give up hope. That must be a reference to this situation, right?”
“It is a logical conclusion,” Kitsuki conceded. He questioned why she had neglected to warn him when she was nearby, but that was a problem for another time.
“But what if it doesn’t work?” Auslin asked, wiping away his tears. “What if I do something wrong and kill you permanently so you can’t come back to the Living Realm? What if we lose you forever?”
“Then I’ll have no regrets,” Maseo replied with quiet conviction. “The necromancy will kill me within the week, regardless. At least if my death is in your hands, I have a fighting chance to defeat my father once and for all and return to you both whole. I trust you, Auslin.”
“Liros said once the last obstacle was defeated, it was time to act,” Auslin added. “I think he was referring to Kio. Now that he’s gone, we should move forward with the plan.”
Kitsuki watched the exchange with a heart being torn to shreds. The courage both his mates were showing, their willingness to face the unthinkable for the chance at a future together, humbled him even as it terrified him.
“Did Liros mention anything about the trinity bond?” Kitsuki asked, grasping for some hope to cling to in the darkness of their situation.
“He said it’s only possible if Maseo successfully performs the soulforge and returns to the Living Realm whole,” Auslin replied. “The bond can’t form while his soul remains fractured.”
Maseo’s brow furrowed as he glanced between them. “You mentioned that once while we were in Kunushi, but what does that have to do with me?”
Kitsuki’s dragon stirred with anticipation despite their dire circumstances. It was a conversation he had been both looking forward to and dreading, when he would reveal the depth of his feelings for the man who had captured both his and his dragon’s hearts. “It is your place in the mating bond Auslin and I share. Fate has chosen you to be ours.”
Maseo’s remaining eye widened. “But shouldn’t that make you angry? To have your bond with Auslin disrupted by an outsider?”
“You are not an outsider,” Kitsuki said, cupping Maseo’s cheek with tenderness. “You are the missing piece we did not know we were searching for. Both my dragon and I want you with an intensity that sometimes frightens us. You witnessed my struggle to hold back during your assessment and the war. Experiencing your heat after I had accepted my feelings proved to be a particular challenge.”
“That sounds like a story I need to hear,” Auslin joked.
“Wait, so that wasn’t my imagination playing tricks on me?” Maseo asked in disbelief. “I thought I only saw what I wanted to see.”
Kitsuki chuckled. “No, those were rare moments where my dragon’s unruliness pushed to claim our bond. But I refused to act while Auslin was not present to be part of it.”
Maseo turned to look at Auslin, seeking confirmation of Kitsuki’s words.
The auramancer nodded, taking Maseo’s hand in his. “I’m pretty sure part of me has been falling for you since the moment we met, because I’ve always felt you were a kindred spirit. That’s why the thought of having to kill you, even temporarily, is unbearable. How can I harm someone I’ve come to love?”
“You love me?” Maseo asked in a small voice.
“We both do,” Kitsuki replied.
Maseo blinked back tears. “This whole time, I’ve been trying so hard not to fall for either of you because I didn’t think it was allowed.”
“Not only is it allowed, but it’s also encouraged,” Auslin told him, which Kitsuki and his dragon were in full agreement.
Maseo wiped his tears away before they could fall. “I didn’t want to repay your kindness by ruining everything.”
Kitsuki stroked his hair, unable to resist the urge any longer. “You have ruined nothing. It took some time for me to accept my dragon’s feelings, but I do not question them now. The only reason we have not discussed it with you yet is we agreed not to distract you from what you needed to do during the war. Your injuries complicated that timeline.”
The confession seemed to strengthen Maseo’s resolve. “Sometimes, love requires us to do difficult things for the greater good. If fate wants us to be together, then we’ll find our way back to each other, no matter what obstacles stand in our path. We can only form a trinity bond if we return, so that must mean we’ll be successful.”
The simple faith in his words, the unwavering trust he placed in their bond despite having only just learned of it, made Kitsuki fall for Maseo even more. “Did Liros mention anything else?”
“He mentioned I would need Father’s and Maseo’s mother’s final gifts to make this work. He said they would make everything possible.”
