I guess I was a little wrong about what happened yesterday with Himitsu. I'm not sure why it was that he ran away from me and wouldn't even talk to me, but it wasn't because he hates me. And it wasn't because he didn't recognize me, for sure.

I ended up falling asleep in my little garden hiding spot last night. I cried until I did fall asleep though, and I didn't wake until I felt the guard who had found me shaking my shoulder. He was really sympathetic, but he had to take me to the king, and I understand that.

The king wasn't happy about my hiding. He didn't do anything to hurt me when I was dragged in front of me, except to take me a little more violently than usual. That scared me, because he's hit me several times for lesser things than hiding from him for the whole night. But all he did was yell, and fuck me.

I was tense and worried for the whole hour before he started gloating about how I was going to get my punishment during dinner. I was told that it was going to be a formal dinner, with full court including the heir, and that my punishment was going to be the entertainment. Of course, knowing what was in store for me, partly, wasn't much of a soothing thing for my nerves.

I was dressed and groomed to look my best for dinner, even though I was most likely going to be publicly beaten or something similar. It was Marie again who got to prepare me, and like the first day, I was amazed to realize that the person staring back at me from the mirror was really me.

Nothing different actually happened until the guards entered the chambers where I had been prepared and was at the time waiting. They were two huge wolf spirits, men I knew were two of the strongest in the king's guard. They were carrying a large, heavy iron shackle with them, which one fastened around my ankle as soon as he was near enough to me.

Then I was led out of the room, the chain attached to the shackle weighing down on my ankle and making walking fairly painful. I had to hurry too, because the wolf guards were setting a fast pace while keeping hold of my arms. If I slowed my arms would be wrenched out of their sockets.

As I was brought into the hall I looked around at the people at the huge table. Specifically, I wanted to see if maybe for some reason Himitsu was there, though I couldn't think of any reason for him to be at the high table. To my surprise he was there, just to the right of the head of the table. I could feel his eyes on me, and I knew then that he had recognized me yesterday.

The thing is, I could plainly smell how upset he was. And angry. He was furious at something, and seeing me had intensified it. I could also smell the fire magic scent on him, so very similar to the king's but brighter, sharper, and much more powerful. To my surprise, his anger scent increased even more when the wolf guard with the chain attached to the shackle snapped it to a ring on the floor. But then the king started to speak.

"I wanted to show everyone my newest pet," he said, and his tail came snaking around to cup my face. Despite my having been looking around before, his tail forced me to look around, and it seemed to linger longer in Himitsu's direction. "He is quite exquisite, isn't he?"

Murmurs of assent and many nods came from the assembled crowd. I could smell a struggle going on for Himitsu. He still smelled of anger, distress, and far too much fire, but the anger was quickly rising.

"Now, I'm sure everyone is aware of the fact that my little fox went missing last night," the king said, and his tail started to absently stroke my face and hair. "He was a very, very bad boy and decided to hide from me, and we didn't even find him until this afternoon. Which is a shame, because now I am going to have him punished. I like a little spunk in my toys, but I cannot let him think that he can get away with disobeying me like this."

I wanted to run away, so that I could never find out what he had in store for me. But the shackle and chain prevented that, as well as the guards and the king. Himitsu's anger scent had continued to grow with every word the king said, and I got the distinct feeling that the king was directing every word at Himitsu anyway. By the time he was done either way, his gaze had shifted directly to Himitsu.

"I have a perfect idea for his punishment as well," he continued, with a sly smile that I think only I could see. "But, for this I will need my son's help. So, Zennith, please come over here."

That shocked me, that he would bring the heir into my punishment. I turned to look at the king in partial disbelief. I didn't think that he would want to let someone else punish me, because I was sure that he wanted to do it himself. But then I heard murmurs, and the sound of a chair being pushed back. I looked back over at the table, just as little curious as to who would be punishing me.

What I saw shocked me. The person who had stood up from the table was Himitsu, and I could smell the anger from him even more than before. In addition, it was joined by a streak of fear or uncertainty.

I felt like the floor had just dropped out from underneath me. Himitsu had told me before that he was a dragon, and I started to believe that for real yesterday when I saw him, but the thought that he's royalty is just a little much. Especially since his father was standing there, ready to have me publicly punished, by Himitsu himself.

I'm not sure what showed on my face, but I saw Himitsu's face fall as I processed exactly what was going on. Also, I could feel the glee and smugness of the king as he watched Himitsu. He probably thought that I was going to be mad at him for being the king's son, but I wasn't.

What I wanted to do was to get away from the king and run over to Himitsu. I wanted to explain to him that I didn't care if he was the son of the king or not. Just because the father enjoys using me as a bed slave doesn't mean that Himitsu would as well. I love him too much to doubt him like that and I wanted to prove to him just how much at that moment, but I couldn't.

"It has come to my attention that my little fox had a person that he loved when he was still human," the king said after Himitsu made his way over to us. "Of course, you must know this already, because he was one of the humans that I had you watch over to test you before I named you heir, wasn't he?"

That surprised me. I knew that Himitsu had been watching me before I met him since he had told me about that, but he hadn't mentioned that his father had told him to do it. It did make sense to me though, in a strange, twisted sort of way.

"He was," Himitsu said, his voice sounding completely flat and emotionless. I couldn't help but wincing as I heard that tone, because I've heard it before, when he's been angry enough to almost kill. I heard it the first, and only, time he met Tim, when the only reason he didn't kill him was because I begged him not to. I'm sure that he was aware of my wince, but he stayed focused on the king, probably because he thought I hated him.

"Unfortunately he doesn't seem to be able to give up this love of his," the king continued. "And this displeases me, because I feel this is what brought on his little disappearing act last night. So I believe he needs to be punished for his stubbornness. And I want you, Zennith, to do it for me."

I saw the king signal to one of the wolf guards out of the corner of my eye. I was too scared to move my head and look around. Then the king held out a whip to Himitsu. Himitsu didn't take it, though we all knew it was meant for him to use on me. Instead he just stood there, staring at the king.

I watched the two of them, and felt the tension building. I couldn't help but be terrified though. I know the king is powerful, and as much as I love Himitsu, I don't think he's more powerful than the king, which would mean that he has to take orders from him, especially since he's the king's son. I decided then that I wouldn't be angry at Himitsu if he took the whip.

"Take it Zennith," the king said, pushing the whip toward Himitsu, but Himitsu frowned.

"I won't," he said flatly. I could smell the anger rising in the king with that statement.

"What did you say, son?" the king asked, his voice taught with barely restrained rage.

"I said I won't," Himitsu said. Inside I was cheering. "I'm not going to whip Devin just because you're jealous. You have no right to be doing this to him in the first place, and I won't have anything to do with it."

"You are my son, and you will do what I tell you to do dammit!" the king hissed. I tried to keep from cheering or smiling as I saw Himitsu stare back at him defiantly.

"I may be your fucking son," Himitsu said, and I could smell and hear his anger even more than I could the king's. "But I'm not one of your damned slaves! And I will not betray my love just because you felt you had to try and take him from me by bringing him back as your newest bed toy! Devin is mine, not yours, and he is not an object that you can do whatever you want with. I will get him away from you, don't doubt that."

And then with that statement Himitsu closed the gap between us and kissed me. I missed him so much, and that simple act of kissing was enough to send me to another level of bliss. I eagerly responded to him, wanting to throw my arms around his neck, but managing to avoid that just in time, remembering where we were.

It reminded me of the first time I kissed him. Back when I was a freshman in college and so damned lonely that I would probably have been driven to suicide in a year or so. He had come to me and showed me what I hadn't realized, and it was then that I fell in love with him, with that first kiss, though I tried to convince myself otherwise in the years following that magical semester with him.

I would have been happy to stay there with him, locked together in a passionate kiss, forever. Unfortunately, we were in front of the court, and that would not have been a wise idea. I had just remembered that, when he broke off the kiss and leaned forward.

"Hold tight, love," he whispered into my ear. "I'll find a way to get you away from Father, for sure."

And then he turned and stalked away. He shifted shapes as he did so, changing to a full dragon form much like the one the king was in, but much, much more magnificent in my opinion. He looked powerful and damn near unbeatable as he defiantly made his way to the doors. I could smell the confidence coming off of him, just because of a change in form.

The king watched him the whole time. He didn't move, but his eyes did not leave Himitsu until the door had shut behind him. My eyes didn't leave him either, and now that I think about it, I must have looked like a lovestruck fool, standing there and gazing adoringly at my love like that.

But then, as soon as the doors were shut behind Himitsu, the king turned to me, and I could both see and smell, and almost feel the rage he was feeling. I realized that Himitsu's defiance, no matter how wonderful he was and how much it showed that he loves me, was not the best thing in the world for me. The king was, and still is furious at Himitsu, and since Himitsu loves me, he's taking it out on me. To be honest, it's almost like he's jealous of Himitsu.

He probably is. He wants me to be loyal to him, I can tell that. But he knows that I'll never do that, especially since I'm his slave. I love Himitsu, and I will do everything I can to help him when he comes back for me. And I think the king knows that.