Page 24 of Beyond the Darkness

And he was totally kicking their asses for that later.

Ugh. They were probably picking up how annoyed he was with them, and considering they were under attack, that was probably not the best thing. Taking another deep breath, Kit slowly released it, trying to calm himself. His fists slowly unclenched.

As he calmed, his muscles relaxed. The room around him, which previously felt suffocating, now almost seemed to expand along with his breaths. He understood their reasoning, and honestly, he couldn’t fault them for it.

Out of the three of them, he was definitely the weak link. He hated that, but there was nothing he could do about it. Oncehe got his emotions under control, he eased the stranglehold he had on the bond.

The tight knot in his stomach loosened, and he could finally take a deep breath without feeling like he was suffocating. He didn’t like it when they choked him off, so it wasn’t fair to do it to them.

As soon as he eased up, a wave of relief flowed over him. Okay, so, whatever was going on up there, at least they seemed to be okay.

Then rage surged through Kit’s veins as a wild, animalistic fury filled him. He caught his breath in shock. Hudson—and that was definitely Hudson’s feelings—was consumed by an intense and deadly anger that radiated from him like a scorching fire that promised to unleash chaos and destruction.

“Holy shit, what just happened?” Kit muttered to himself, because he was positive he’d never felt such anger from Hudson.

A wave of reassurance washed over Kit through the bond, emanating from Connie like a warm embrace. However, it was quickly followed by Hudson’s intense anger. Kit couldn’t be sure if the reassurance was directed toward him, but he assumed it was.

Hudson, oddly enough, seemed… almost disconnected? That really didn’t describe the feeling he got from him, though. The bond was still there, and Hudson hadn’t shut it down, but it was almost as if whatever feelings coming through were almost… secondary?

Like they were Hudson’s but not Hudson’s. Which made absolutely no sense, because of course it was Hudson… unless what Kit was feeling was actually from the dragon.

Suddenly, possessiveness flared along the lines of the bond, along with a primitive feeling of… devotion. Commitment? Dedication? Along with covetousness, cravings,eagerness, and greediness. It glimmered and pulsed with each emotion that passed through it.

The possessiveness was visible as the bond constricted, while devotion and commitment were shown through its steady, unwavering glow. The bond also revealed eagerness and greediness, flickering in anticipation of what was to come.

And at the center of it all was love, radiating with a brightness that seemed to envelop everything around it. Kit looked on, breathless, as he witnessed the power of this love connecting them.

Love?

Kit gulped.

It was a love so pure and all-consuming it was almost blinding to behold. The three of them had been dancing around with that for a while now, but there was no denying what he was feeling was from Hudson’s dragon. Eternal love—something so big and so vast, Kit could barely wrap his human mind around it.

The bond between them pulsed with love and understanding, like two puzzle pieces finally fitting together perfectly.

Wonder flowed along the bond from Connie, along with much of the same feelings he was picking up from Hudson. Wonder and joy, plus warmth. Yup, that was his Connie. Although Connie’s feelings didn’t seem to be quite so primal, so maybe Connie was still in his human form.

The anger slowly bled away and contentment invaded Kit. Kit had never doubted that the three of them were well on their way to falling in love, but this confirmed it.

He was loved.

And he loved.

Kit sent acceptance, happiness, joy, and yes, love back along the bond. It practically vibrated seconds later. There were two very happy dragons somewhere above him.

The timing might have been horrendous, but that was okay too. He wouldn’t trade what he’d just learned for anything in the world.I love them.

Waves of happiness hit him.

They needed to hurry up and come get him.

AFTER WHAT felt like an eternity, Kit was suddenly jolted awake by a surge of excitement coursing through the bond.

It sent a bolt of adrenaline rushing to his limbs, urging him to sit up and scan the room frantically. His gaze was immediately drawn to the hoard’s door. His mates were out there, eager to unlock it so they could finally get to him.

The anticipation in the air was thick and palpable, making it hard for Kit to catch his breath as he braced himself for whatever was about to happen next. At some point, he’d curled up on the floor and fallen asleep. Putting a bed in here and in Connie’s hoard was now a priority if this was where he was going when shit hit the fan.

The door swung open with a loud creak, and Hudson burst through like a force of nature. His strides were long and purposeful, his gaze fixed on the target in front of him. Kit’s breath caught as he watched Hudson approach.

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