Page 1 of Beyond the Darkness

CHAPTER ONE – KIT

KIT PLOPPED down in his desk chair, the worn leather creaking under his weight. The scent of books mingled with the faint smell o-f coffee still lingering in the room.

What a lovely scent.

His desk was cluttered with papers and books—regardless of what his employees thought, therewasa method to his madness. He could lay hands on whatever he wanted immediately.

And speaking of. He pushed everything aside and unearthed his laptop. As he opened it, the screen lit up with a familiar homepage. He needed to check the inventory in his bookstore, especially if he was going to have a book signing by a well-known, local author. But before he even touched his keyboard, his cell phone rang.

Kit fished it out of his pocket, then grinned as he answered. “I was just thinking about you. Was your nose itching?”

“Ha. I thought the saying was that someone was going to come visit you,” Austin replied.

Kit laughed. “Well, aren’t you?”

“Okay, you got me because as a matter of fact, yes, I am.”

“There you go, then. I was just about to check inventory. I’m pretty sure I have plenty of your older books on the shelf, but I’m definitely going to need a good supply of whatever you’re going to promote.”

“That’s not a problem and actually why I’m calling. Could we set up a date for the signing? And I’ve got the newly released book covered. You don’t have to worry about that. I’m also going to bring some swag I can hand out.”

Kit opened the calendar on his phone. “I have the drag queen story hour on Thursdays, so not that day. Mondays I get in shipments, so that day is usually busy. We could do it any Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday. Or Saturdays, which might be better, since a lot of people are off work. But it’s up to you.”

“Let’s do a Saturday.”

“This month or next?”

“Could we do it this month if you have an opening?” Austin asked.

“Sure. They’re all available. Which one do you want?”

“Is the eighteenth too soon?”

“Naw, that works. If you’re bringing all the stuff you need to set up, all I’ll need to do is advertise and arrange some snacks for you and your entourage.”

“Entourage.” Austin snorted. “They’ll love that.”

“I aim to please,” Kit joked. Honestly, entourage was a fancy name for bodyguards, which he also had.

“I’m always up for snacks, and Lanny and I will also promo, of course.”

“Yeah, you’ll probably reach more people than me.” Kit quickly added the date to his cell phone calendar.

“I’ll have Lanny flood social media and my website, along with some bloggers and social influencers.”

Not only was Lanny Austin’s agent, but she was also a dragon and member of the Fire Court, which was led by Hudson. It was a small world indeed. Austin’s mate was Kage, who was the Elder of the Daemons of San DeLain. Kage and Hudson were best friends, adding another layer to their already intertwined relationship.

Kit, on the other hand, was mated to both Hudson, the King of the Fire Court, and Connie, the Right Hand of said King. Say that three times fast. What a tongue-twister. But Kit couldn’t have been happier being mated to such alluring dragons like them.

Their relationship was still in the early stages. They had a small, intimate ceremony, but Kit also desired a grand human wedding, as he was still partly human. It was a strange situation—both Kit and Austin were originally human, but now they were bonded to paranormal beings.

Vampires, mers, and shifters could transform humans into their kind, but dragons, daemons, and gargoyles did not possess that ability. Instead, the only way humans could become one of them was through blood sharing.

Occasionally, the three groups performed this ritual as a gesture of gratitude toward a human who had gained their trust, and by that, the human became a member of their clan or group.

However, it was most certainly done for a significant other. While Hudson and Connie lacked the power to transform Kit into one of them, they were able to prolong his life, halt his natural aging process, and enhance his five senses.

Not only did he possess the ability to heal rapidly, but he was also resistant to all human sicknesses. Could he withstand any type of damage? No, but his durability had certainly increased compared to before.

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