Page 57 of Lord of the Lone Wolf
“I’m not sure what that life would look like,” Maseo murmured, his lips brushing against Auslin’s temple in what might have been an accident.
The contact sent sparks through Auslin. “It can look however you want it to. That’s the point. You’d be free to choose.”
“What if I want to stay in Tiora?” Maseo asked.
“Of course. You’ll always have a place with us. Kitsuki may not show it, but he respects your skills and your loyalty. And I…” He paused, struggling to articulate the strange bond he felt with Maseo, the pull that seemed to grow stronger each time they were together. “I consider you a friend. A good one.”
“A friend,” he repeated in a neutral tone.
“Yes, someone I care about and want to see happy.” The words felt inadequate for the complex emotions swirling through him, but they were all he could offer.
Maseo nodded. “I haven’t had many of those.”
“Well, now you do. And friends don’t let friends march off to war without making sure they have something to come back to. You deserve what makes you happy.”
Maseo was quiet for a moment, his thumb tracing small circles on Auslin’s back through his robes. The gentle touch sent shivers through the mage. “Happiness has never been my goal. Survival has always been the priority.”
“Then it’s time you started thinking about it, because when you return from this war, a chance to find genuine happiness awaits you.”
“When,” Maseo repeated, with a small smile playing at his lips. The expression transformed his face, making him more devastatingly attractive. “Not if.”
“Yes, when. Because you’re coming home, Maseo. You must.” Auslin’s voice carried a desperation he couldn’t quite hide.
“For Tiora?”
“For yourself. And…” Auslin hesitated, but his heat made him more honest than he should be. “For me, too. I’d miss you if you didn’t return.”
Something in Maseo’s expression shifted, becoming more intense, more focused. He reached out and took Auslin’s hand, his calloused fingers intertwining with the mage’s more delicate ones. His thumb brushed over Auslin’s knuckles in slow, deliberate strokes that sent shivers up his arm. “Then I’ll make sure I come home.”
Still holding the pendant away from Auslin’s skin, Maseo trailed his nose along the curve of Auslin’s neck. The intimate gesture made Auslin’s breath hitch, and he arched into the contact without conscious thought as he tilted his head in submission, baring more of his throat to Maseo’s exploration.
The half-shifter’s breath was warm against his skin, each exhale sending tremors through Auslin’s overheated body. For a moment, Auslin imagined what it would feel like if Maseo pressed kisses along the sensitive column of his neck. The fantasy left him trembling and flushed.
He could feel Maseo’s restraint in the careful way he held himself, the tension radiating through his frame as he fought against his own reactions. The knowledge that he affected thehalf-shifter was intoxicating, even as guilt gnawed at him for enjoying the power he held over someone other than his mate.
When Maseo stepped away, his jade eyes were dark with hunger as he studied Auslin’s flushed face. The mage’s lips parted, his breathing shallow, and Maseo’s gaze lingered there for a moment too long before he released the pendant, letting it fall against Auslin’s chest. When the charm touched his skin, the masking spell reactivated, but the damage was done. The air between them still thrummed with sexual tension, thick with unspoken possibilities and unfulfilled desires.
Maseo’s hands came to rest on Auslin’s waist, his touch burning through the thin fabric of the mage’s robes. For a heartbeat, they stood with their bodies pressed close, breathing each other’s air. “I should go,” Maseo said, his voice rougher than usual, strained with the effort of maintaining his restraint. “Dawn comes early, and Kitsuki will expect me ready to march.”
Auslin nodded, not trusting his voice. His body still hummed with unmistakable arousal, every nerve alive with a need amplified beyond reason by his heat. The way Maseo looked at him, touched him, held him, awakened desires he’d never expected to feel for anyone but Kitsuki.
“As long as you come back,” Auslin pleaded, unable to shake the feeling that something terrible awaited Maseo in Kunushi.
“You have my word, Auslin,” Maseo promised, his hands sliding up from Auslin’s waist to cup his face. His thumbs brushed across the mage’s flushed cheekbones with infinite tenderness. “Wait for me.”
“I will.”
Instead of stepping away, Maseo leaned in closer, and Auslin’s body went rigid with anticipation. His breath caught in his throat as he waited, his lips parting in unconscious invitation. Every instinct screamed at him to close the distance, to discover what Maseo’s lips would feel like against his own, but his rational mind refused to act without his mate present.
Instead, Maseo pressed a chaste kiss to Auslin’s flushed cheek, his lips lingering for a moment longer than friendship would dictate. It stirred the mage’s lust more intensely than any passionate one could have.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Maseo murmured against his skin. “Kitsuki is the luckiest person in all three realms.”
The words, spoken so close to his ear, sent a shudder of pure desire through Auslin, leaving him weak-kneed and aching. His body responded with an intensity that scared him, his cock stirring with interest beneath his clothes.
Maseo stepped back, his hands trailing down Auslin’s arms before releasing him. Losing contact left Auslin feeling bereft.
After Maseo departed, Auslin remained alone in the room, his body still thrumming with unfulfilled desire, his heart racing with emotions he couldn’t articulate. His cheek burned where Maseo’s lips had touched.
