Page 52 of Beyond the Darkness

“It’s like we’re in our own little world here,” Kit whispered to Hudson.

Hudson nodded, wrapping one arm around Kit and the other around Connie. “Sometimes I wish we could just stay in this moment forever.”

Kit sighed contentedly. “Me too.”

As they sat there under the starlit sky, surrounded by the sounds of the night and crackling firewood, a profound sense of peace settled over Hudson.

Yes, they would have to return to reality soon—with all its complications and confrontations—but for now, this perfect escape was all they needed.

THEY WENT back to work the next day, which was a Tuesday. Hudson managed to drag his feet until Kit and Beckett finally left.

“Hey, sweetheart, I’ll be back in a moment. There’s something I need to do right quick,” Hudson said to Connie.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. There’s just something I need to do before we leave. Give me about thirty minutes, then meet me in my office.”

“Okay. I’ll see you then.”

The construction in their bedroom made Hudson grit his teeth, but he was a man on a mission. After speaking to Kayden, Hudson stepped into his hoard, a frown on his face.

The wedding rings question had been preying on his mind, and he was still no closer to an answer than he was before on whether he should tell Kit what he was thinking.

From the research Connie had done, wedding bands seemed to be a human thing. Kit hadn’t said anything about them, but they were having a human wedding. Why wouldn’t he want that?

Hudson didn’t have a problem with wearing a ring, although it would have to be spelled so it didn’t shatter when he transformed into his natural form. Same for Connie.

He wanted to surprise Kit—and Connie, although he was pretty sure Connie knew what he had planned. Connie was the one who’d done the research, after all, but that was his thing. He liked research. It was one of the reasons he was an excellent Right Hand.

“So, if I was a human mated to a dragon, what kind of wedding band would I want?” Hudson mused as he walked among the treasures in his hoard.

Hudson honestly had no idea what Kit would want, and trying to put himself into Kit’s shoes was not helping. His mate owned a lot of costume jewelry, but Hudson had never noticed any similarities in what Kit owned. In other words, there wasn’t a certain color or shape he tended to gravitate toward.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Here lately Kit had become obsessed with pearls, but that was most likely due to the pearl body chain Hudson had gifted him. From what he’d heard, pearls seemed to figure prominently in their wedding too.

Hudson stopped at a chest full of gems, thinking. The pearls on top of the mound of stones glistened in the light. “Hmmm. The stone for the wedding bands could be pearls.”

After a moment of consideration, Hudson pulled his cell phone out and Googled what pearls represented. “They can symbolize many things, including love, purity, wisdom, and luck. The meaning of pearls is also varied depending on the occasion, the recipient’s taste, and the color of the pearl.”

Hudson slipped his phone back into his pocket. He liked the idea of using pearls, but he also knew they were delicate. Pretty, but delicate. They were “soft” gems. He didn’t like the idea that whatever gem they went with could possibly erode over time.

There was nothing soft about him, Connie… or Kit, for that matter.

His very human mate had withstood a very traumatic introduction to the paranormal world. There was nothing soft about Kit, so Hudson discarded the idea of using pearls. That gem didn’t fit them.

From across the way, another stone caught his eye, and he wandered over to that chest. The fire opal was a beautiful gem also. They symbolized the joys of the heart.

Kit and Connie definitely brought joy to Hudson’s heart. The gem was rumored to attract money—which was always a plus in Hudson’s opinion. But it was also somewhat delicate, the same as pearls.

Hudson let it fall back into the chest. From the corner of his eye, a red flash caught his attention, and he turned. The large ruby Kit had commented on previously was still sitting where Kit had placed it.

Bending, Hudson examined it. Rubies had always been his favorite stone. He was drawn to the color red, but he was especially drawn to the sharp and brilliant red color of rubies.

Out came the phone again, and he Googled the meaning of rubies. “Okay, they can symbolize love and commitment, making rubies a popular choice for wedding rings.”

Hudson glanced at the stone. So far so good.

“And passion—the ruby’s intense red color can evoke emotions of passion, energy, and life.”

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