Page 54 of Lord of the Lone Wolf (Bonded Hearts #3)
The pendant grew hot in his hand, then blazed with an intense blue light similar to the color of Maseo’s soul. It spread up Kitsuki’s arm, enveloping his sword in a shimmering aura.
“Kizoshi!” he called to his sister, who met his eyes with instant understanding.
They charged together with their blades wreathed in power. Kitsuki’s glowed with the blue power of Corina’s wish, while Kizoshi’s burned with the purple-red flame of her Divine authority and dragon magic. When they struck Ishibiya’s barrier, it held for a heartbeat, then cracked under pressure.
But Ishibiya was ready for them, his skeletal form moving with inhuman speed as he raised both hands to defend himself. “You think your pitiful efforts can stop me?” He unleashed a blast of necrotic energy that sent Kizoshi tumbling backward. “I have transcended death itself!”
Kitsuki pressed forward alone, his burning sword clashing with Ishibiya’s claws in a shower of sparks.
The necromancer was faster than any mortal, his attacks coming from impossible angles as he fought with the fury of the damned.
Kitsuki’s arm screamed with every parry and strike, but he could not falter while Maseo hung dying above them.
The green soulflame within Ishibiya’s bones pulsed brighter as he drew upon the stolen essence of a thousand victims. “His soul will make me an untouchable god!” Ishibiya shrieked, landing a blow that staggered Kitsuki.
Kizoshi recovered, and together the siblings pressed their attack. Their blades moved in perfect harmony, each covering the other’s weaknesses, until they found their opening and combined their power in a burst of light as they attacked his soulflame.
“If I cannot have it, then no one can!” Ishibiya’s scream shattered the air as they severed his connection to the Living Realm. His skeleton disintegrated as he fought to maintain his hold.
Kitsuki lunged forward, his burning blade piercing the necromancer’s chest as the last strand of Maseo’s soul threatened to snap. The wish magic blasted outward, not only destroying Ishibiya but also sending healing energy toward Maseo’s suspended form.
His skeleton disintegrated in a violent explosion that sent a shockwave through the clearing and battlefield, taking with it every abomination under his control. Cheers erupted from his warriors as all the lichen disappeared, but Kitsuki heard none of it.
Maseo’s soul, freed from Ishibiya’s grasp, rushed into its rightful vessel like a comet blazing across the sky. But the damage was severe, and his body plummeted from a height that would shatter his mortal bones.
Kitsuki moved with dragon speed, his wings erupting from his back as he launched himself skyward. He caught Maseo in his arms mere feet from the ground, cradling him against his chest as he landed in a controlled crouch.
The half-wolf shifter lay motionless in his arms, his lips blue with the pallor of near death. Welts covered his body in a map of suffering, angry and inflamed, some weeping blood where the necromantic magic had torn deepest.
For one terrible moment, Kitsuki feared they had been too late. But the torn fragments of Maseo’s soul scattered by Ishibiya’s brutal extraction reassembled like pieces of a shattered mirror finding their way back together. Light poured from his wounds as his essence knitted them closed.
Maseo’s back arched when his soul slammed back into his body with the force of a lightning strike.
He gasped desperately for air, his eyes flying open with terror and confusion as his hands clawed at his chest, searching for the wounds that were no longer there.
The marks on his skin faded, healing with supernatural speed as the wish magic cleansed away every trace of Ishibiya’s violation.
“You are safe now,” Kitsuki murmured, pressing his lips to Maseo’s temple without thought. The contact sent warmth flooding through him. He held him closer, his own body trembling with relief and the aftermath of terror.
Only when he looked up did he notice Kizoshi’s knowing smirk.
Heat flooded his cheeks as he realized how his actions might appear to an observer, but he could not bring himself to release Maseo.
Not yet. Not when he could feel the echo of that terrible moment when he thought he had lost him forever.
“Do not say what we both know you are thinking, sister.”
“Luckily for you, it goes without saying, dear brother,” Kizoshi replied as she sheathed her sword, her eyes twinkling with amusement despite the gravity of the situation. “All is well for now.”
Kitsuki scowled at her cryptic tone, though he did not loosen his hold on Maseo. “For now?”
She nodded but offered no clarification. “Take Maseo back to your tent for the night. The real fight starts tomorrow.”
“Is Ishibiya gone for good?”
Kizoshi shook her head, her expression sobering.
“Unfortunately, no. Before we could destroy his soul, he released his hold on the skeleton to move to a different one. But he is not your immediate concern.” She gestured toward Maseo, who trembled in Kitsuki’s arms. “Take care of him now. I will handle the rest.”
“We should pursue Nasume while he is vulnerable,” Kitsuki argued, his tactical mind already calculating their next move. “He will not expect us to strike so soon after this battle.”
“If you confront Nasume with Maseo in this weakened state, you will lose the war and his life,” Kizoshi warned. “His soul needs time to settle back into his body. Do the sensible thing and rest. Both of you.”
“We cannot allow Nasume to escape,” Kitsuki insisted. “Not when we are so close.”
“And what will you do if Ishibiya returns during your confrontation with Nasume?” Kizoshi challenged.
“How do you expect Maseo to fight Nasume when the pup cannot stand? You saw how easily the necromancer broke through our defenses before. The only reason you succeeded this time was your wish. There is no guarantee it will work a second time.”
Kitsuki wanted to protest further, but Maseo shuddered in his arms, his breath coming in shallow gasps. The need to protect him overrode all other considerations. “Very well. But we will speak of this before tomorrow’s battle.”
Kizoshi nodded, then turned away to direct the Valzerna forces that had arrived at the edge of the clearing.
Kitsuki spread his wings and took to the sky, Maseo secure in his arms. The flight back to camp was swift, and the fresh air seemed to revive the half-wolf shifter somewhat. By the time they landed outside Kitsuki’s tent, Maseo was more alert.
The dragon king carried Maseo inside, setting him on the bed before kneeling before him. Unable to stop himself, he reached out to touch Maseo’s face, needing physical reassurance that his second mate was still with him. “Are you unharmed?”
“Thanks to you,” Maseo replied with a wan smile, his voice raspy and weak. “I can feel my soul settling, like it’s finding its way back to all the corners of my body. It’s weird.”
The terror of coming close to losing Maseo, of watching his soul being torn away piece by piece, crashed over Kitsuki with renewed force.
His dragon surged forward, overwhelming his control as the reality of what had almost happened struck him.
He dissolved both their armor, then pulled Maseo into a crushing embrace, holding him as if afraid he might vanish.
“We thought we lost you,” Kitsuki’s dragon murmured, his voice deeper with his influence.
He buried his nose against Maseo’s neck.
Beneath the scents of battle, blood, and fear, the familiar woodsy fragrance of Maseo remained, grounding Kitsuki in the reality that he was alive and safe.
“It has been centuries since we have felt this kind of fear.”
Maseo hesitated, then returned the embrace. “I’m okay.”
“We cannot bear you being hurt.” Kitsuki’s dragon refused to release him, instead drawing him closer until he could feel Maseo’s heartbeat against his own chest. The steady rhythm was a balm to his frayed nerves.
“If he had stolen your soul, we would have gone to the Beyond Realm to bring you back.”
“You saved me,” Maseo insisted, his hands moving across Kitsuki’s back in a soothing gesture. “I’m here because of you.”
The lingering fear and helplessness echoing within Kitsuki reminded him of the snake shifters’ ambush on him and Auslin in the past, when he had felt powerless as his beloved almost bled to death before his eyes.
It unsettled him to once again feel so useless in protecting someone who mattered to him.
His dragon pulled Maseo back into a tight embrace, the possessive gesture speaking truths Kitsuki could not yet voice aloud. “Please forgive us for our failure to protect you.”
“There is nothing to forgive,” Maseo said. “You fought for me. You used the wish pendant to save me.”
Kitsuki took back control. “How did you know about that?”
“I could see everything,” Maseo explained, his voice gaining strength. “When my soul was being torn away, I watched from above. I saw you take out the pendant, which glowed when you made your wish.”
Guilt washed over Kitsuki. “It was meant for you to use. Your mother entrusted it to me for your protection.”
“And you used it to protect me as she intended.”
Kitsuki glanced down at the silver orb, which now hung visible outside his tunic. It burned with Corina’s power, undiminished by the wish he had made. “It seems your mother’s gift is more enduring than I expected.”
“Her love was always stronger than my father’s hatred.” Maseo shivered, trembling with a cold that seemed to come from within. “I can feel where he shredded my soul.”
Concern flooded Kitsuki anew. He pulled Maseo closer, one hand moving to the back of his neck in a protective gesture that felt as natural as breathing. The urge to comfort and shield his unclaimed mate was overwhelming. “His taint will fade. Your soul was stronger than he expected.”
“What did he mean about my magic?” Maseo murmured against Kitsuki’s shoulder.
The dragon king frowned, stroking Maseo’s hair in a comforting rhythm. “I do not know. Ishibiya is a master of deception. He may have been trying to unsettle us.”
“But what if he wasn’t lying?” Maseo persisted, pulling back to look at Kitsuki. “He said I had power. But I can’t use my father’s shadowmancy or my mother’s wishmancy. The closest thing I have to magic is healing faster than a normal human, but that’s nothing compared to a full shifter.”
Kitsuki’s dragon growled at the distress in Maseo’s voice, then pushed forward to take control once more.
Without thinking, he cupped Maseo’s face in his hands, forcing the half-wolf shifter to meet his gaze.
The gesture was intimate and possessive, speaking of bonds not yet acknowledged.
“Whatever power lies within your soul, it is yours alone. Not for your father to use or Ishibiya to steal. Yours.”
Maseo’s eyes, haunted by the trauma of his near death, searched Kitsuki’s face. “But what if I can’t use it? What if it’s sitting there, waiting for someone like Ishibiya to take it?”
“Then we will protect you,” Kitsuki’s dragon promised, his thumbs brushing Maseo’s cheeks. The words carried the weight of a mate’s vow, even if Maseo could not yet understand their full meaning. “Our sister might know more about this. We can ask her.”
A small, wry smile tugged at Maseo’s lips. “Do you think she would give us a straight answer?”
The unexpected question startled a chuckle from the dragon king. “No, probably not.”
Their faces were too close, considering the promises he and Auslin had made to wait. But the need to complete the trinity bond overwhelmed Kitsuki after coming so close to losing Maseo. Kitsuki leaned forward, drawn by the power of their unclaimed mate.
But they had agreed to wait, and despite every instinct screaming at him to claim his mate, Kitsuki would honor that promise. “You should rest. Your soul needs time to heal.”
Maseo nodded, a flicker of disappointment crossing his features before he masked it. “Thank you for saving me.”
“I will protect you,” Kitsuki said, making no effort to hide the depth of his feelings. Let Maseo make of it what he would. “Always.”
Maseo’s breath caught at the intensity in Kitsuki’s voice. “Why risk yourself for me?”
It was a question that deserved honesty, although Kitsuki couldn’t give him the complete truth yet. “Because you are more precious to me than you know.”
“But you have Auslin,” Maseo said, voicing the complication that hung between them. “Your bondmate.”
“Yes,” Kitsuki agreed, the single word holding the weight of his love for the man who had changed his life. “Auslin is my heart. That will never change.”
“Then what am I to you?” Maseo asked.
Kitsuki searched for the right words. “Someone whose loss would destroy me.” He paused, meeting Maseo’s eyes. “Beyond that, there are things that must wait to speak of until after we win the war.”
It was not the whole truth, but it was all he could offer without betraying the oath he had made to Auslin.
Yet even as he spoke the words, Kitsuki knew that watching Ishibiya stealing Maseo’s soul had changed something fundamental.
The mate bond might not be complete, but his heart had already claimed Maseo as surely as it had claimed Auslin.
Maseo studied him for a long moment, then nodded, accepting the partial answer. “I understand. The war comes first.”
“Yes,” Kitsuki said, grateful for Maseo’s understanding even as his dragon raged against the delay. “But after…”
“After,” Maseo agreed. In that single word, Kitsuki heard acceptance, hope, and perhaps the beginning of returned affection.
Outside the tent, the war raged on, with all its dangers and uncertainties. But in their small sanctuary, there was only the warmth of growing bonds and the relief of survival.
His second mate was safe. That was all that mattered for now.