Page 23 of Lord of the Lone Wolf
“Originally, I was ready to hate him for being with Kio and making my brother sad. But Maseo was so gentle and sorrowful that meeting him broke my heart, especially when he treated Auslin with respect.” Sephen’s expression grew more animated as he spoke. “Plus, we had an intelligent discussion about Reskin’s books that impressed me. Anyone who appreciates good literature can’t be all bad, right?”
“Do you want to get to know him better?”
“I do,” Sephen said with enthusiasm. “Especially since he’s so important to Auslin. Anyone who matters that much to my brother matters to me, too.”
“Does it not strike you as strange,” Kisano asked, “given the history between Auslin and Maseo through Kio?”
Sephen laughed, the sound warm and genuine. “Have you met my brother? Auslin doesn’t hold grudges against people who’ve been hurt like he was. If anything, that shared experience probably creates a bond between them. Besides, from what I could tell, Kio was the one causing all the problems. It’s not like Maseo or Auslin asked to get caught up in that mess.”
The observation made Kisano pause. “Do you think their connection runs deeper than friendship?”
Sephen slid off the desk to settle in Kisano’s lap. “I believe love has a way of sneaking up on us when we least expect it.” He leaned down to press a soft kiss to Kisano’s lips. “Sometimes what we assume is one kind of feeling turns out to be something different.”
Kisano tilted his head back to look at his mate. “You are wise for somebody so young.”
“I have an excellent teacher, who has shown me our hearts don’t always follow the rules.” He captured his mate’s lips in a tender kiss that tasted of Alsarian honey and home.
When they parted, Kisano rested his forehead against Sephen’s, drawing comfort from the familiar warmth of their mating bond. “Do you believe Kitsuki will find the courage to talk to Auslin?”
“I hope so,” Sephen replied, his fingers playing with the hair at the nape of Kisano’s neck, sending shivers through the dragon shifter. “Though I suspect it’ll take time for him to overcome his fear of messing up what he already has.”
“Sometimes the biggest risk is not taking any risk at all.”
“Exactly. But that’s a lesson people have to learn for themselves. We can’t force it.” Sephen’s expression turned thoughtful, a mischievous glint entering his eyes. “Speaking of which, let’s discuss your conversation with Kitsuki about hypothetical second mates.”
Kisano’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “What about it?”
Sephen settled more comfortably in his mate’s lap. “Do you think I didn’t catch that part about someone needing great intelligence and a passion for knowledge? You were describing somebody very specific, weren’t you?”
Heat rushed to Kisano’s cheeks. “That was a theoretical discussion.”
“Theoretical, huh?” Sephen’s fingers toyed with the ties of Kisano’s robes. “Because the way your voice got all soft and dreamy when you talked about someone who could ‘engage in philosophical discourse’ sounded pretty real to me.”
“You are being deliberately provocative.”
Sephen’s grin turned wicked. “Maybe a little. But I’m also curious. You probably imagined someone brilliant, who writes philosophy that makes your heart race, and whose mind could challenge us both intellectually, right?”
The first teasing hint of Sephen’s arousal made Kisano’s dragon stir beneath his skin, responding to his mate’s growing desire.
Sephen continued. “I mean, there’s only one person who fits that description, isn’t there?”
The heat in Kisano’s body intensified. “It is so impossible that it is not worth considering.”
“Oh, I disagree. Liros joining us is definitely worth talking about.” Sephen’s lips brushed against Kisano’s ear. “He embodies infinite knowledge. Imagine the intellectual foreplay of your two brilliant minds focused on me and exploring every way to bring pleasure and connection. Think of everything he could teach us in bed. We could learn so much from him.”
The idea of sharing his beloved mate with someone as intellectually stimulating as Liros, of watching the Knowledge Power’s legendary wisdom turn toward the art of pleasure, stirred desires Kisano hadn’t known he possessed.
“You’re thinking about it now, aren’t you?” Sephen asked. “Tell me what you’re imagining.”
Kisano’s reserve crumbled under the weight of desire and curiosity. “You would enjoy being the subject of such scholarly attention?”
“From both of you?” Sephen’s laugh was breathless with arousal. “Thinking about the two smartest people in all the realms using discourse as foreplay is the sexiest thing I can imagine.”
Kisano captured Sephen’s lips in a kiss that was hungry and desperate, pouring all his confusion and unexpected desire into their connection. It surprised him that his dragon didn’t experience jealousy or insecurity over the possibility of sharing their beloved mate.
“What if it’s not a fantasy?” Sephen whispered against Kisano’s lips when they parted. “What if there is a chance that someone like Liros could want us the way we want him? Someone whose love for knowledge matches our own, who could see the beauty in what we’ve built together and want to be part of it?”
“Someone who could love us both without ruining what we already share,” Kisano murmured, the possibility sending another burst of arousal through him.
