Page 76 of Inevitably Yves

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Page 76 of Inevitably Yves

“It is the only thing he has left of his mother. He wants me to keep it safe until we meet again.”

Tears welled up in Auslin’s lilac eyes. “I can’t believe he parted with it.” He wiped away his tears before they fell. “What an amazing sign of his trust that you’ll protect it for him.”

“I will keep it in my private cabinet until then.”

“No!” Auslin’s vehemence caught Kitsuki by surprise. “No, you can’t.”

He looked at Auslin with confusion. “Why do you object? You know they are enchanted with magic, so only I can access them. No one in the castle would ever dare go near it. The pendant will be safest there.”

“You have to wear it.”

Kitsuki blinked in surprise. “You…you want me to wear his necklace?” The nod he received puzzled him further. “Why?”

“Kizoshi told me to trust my gut about Maseo, and it’s telling me you must wear it.” The certainty in Auslin’s voice chilled Kitsuki. “It’s too important not to.”

“You realize there is an enormous risk if I do so, right?” Kitsuki wasn’t sure Auslin had considered the consequences. “If Kio or Nasume see me wearing it, their reactions could have lethal consequences for Maseo because of his association with me.”

“It won’t.”

Kitsuki couldn’t share in Auslin’s certainty. “If I wear it, I might as well announce to the world I intend to claim both of you as my mates. It sends the wrong impression, Auslin.”

“He entrusted it to you, which means only you can protect it. I might not know why, but everything in me is saying you have to wear it.”

Kitsuki’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you not bothered that my wearing it would essentially be an announcement to all that I have a special interest in him?”

“Only two people would know it was related to him. And maybe they need to see it, so they understand they can’t hurt him anymore since he’s under your protection.” Auslin shrugged. “Besides, youdohave a special interest in him. We both do.”

Kitsuki sat up a little straighter in his chair. “Meaning?”

“There’s obviously some reason why we have all connected through Kio. Rightly or wrongly, Maseo is someone who matters to us. My gut is telling me you’re meant to protect Maseo, and I’m supposed to help somehow.”

“Yes, listen to our intended,” Kitsuki’s dragon insisted in his mind. “He understands only we can keep Maseo safe. We protect what is ours.”

“Maseo is a threat to everything I hold dear,” Kitsuki argued. “He would ruin my relationship with Auslin. I refuse to let that happen.”

“Coward,” his dragon hissed at him. “Maseo would not make us choose between him and Auslin. He wants to be with us and ourintended. It is the way of the Ariake clan. You are running from your birthright. He was born for us, the same as Auslin.”

“What’s wrong?” Auslin asked in concern.

Kitsuki’s dragon surged to the surface. “We agree with you. He does not.”

“Why?”

“Because he fears Maseo will ruin our relationship.” The dragon put on the half-wolf shifter’s necklace. “We know he is wrong, and we suspect you agree.”

“Absolutely! Maseo is not a threat to us,” Auslin insisted.

The dragon toyed with the pendant using his claws. “Maseo’s wish is for us both. That is why he isours.”

Auslin tilted his head as he regarded the dragon in control. “Do you mean he’s yours and mine?”

Kitsuki’s dragon nodded. “It is why we must protect him, Auslin. He will not survive without our help.”

“Then we’ll have to do everything we can to keep him safe,” Auslin said with resolve. “And it starts with Kitsuki not taking off that necklace.”

“Agreed.” The dragon retreated, leaving behind an irritated Kitsuki. “Must you support my dragon’s rebellion? He’s incorrigible enough as it is.”

“I will when he’s right.” Auslin came over to give Kitsuki a chaste kiss, then rested his hand over the pendant resting on the dragon shifter’s chest. “You have always been a protector, Kitsuki. We both know you would blame yourself for failing Maseo if something happened to him. When our two greatestenemies hate Maseo, it’s natural we want to keep him safe from them. That’s why we’re in this together.”