Page 3 of Beyond the Darkness

The subtle lines etched around his eyes spoke of centuries of knowledge and experience. Beckett stood tall and regal, a hint of power emanating from his very being. An aura of strength surrounded him.

Like Hudson, Beckett was also an Ancient, meaning he was at least a thousand-year-old dragon. The only other Ancient in Hudson’s court was Grand Lady Stella. But unlike Hudson, neither one of them had been born a royal.

Dragons and their hierarchy were a trip.

Kit shut down his computer, stood, and walked out of his office, turning the lights off as he went. Beckett was waiting for him near the front door, and together they left.

It always astounded Kit when he watched Beckett drop into what he called “dragon mode” whenever they were out and about. Now that Kit knew what to look for, he noticed that Beckett inhaled deeply as they walked outside.

Beckett was checking for any unusual scents—which could be anything from shifters in the vicinity to the odd smell of hunters who’d had their DNA mutated.

“Anything?” Kit asked quietly as they walked to Beckett’s vehicle.

“No. Nothing unusual and definitely no feline scent.”

Kit nodded. They’d learned that while Nox had been born a mimic, Lennox was a feline shifter, a Eurasian lynx, as was Kit’s papa, Michail. Well, Kit’s mom and other dad were actually Eurasian lynxes now too, thanks to Michail.

Why yes, Kit had two dads and a mom, along with having two mates.

Kit breathed easier once they were buckled up and had pulled out of the parking lot. It could take anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour, depending on the insanity of San DeLain traffic, to get to Hudson’s territory.

He and Beckett chitchatted as they drove, Beckett constantly checking the traffic around them.

“So, tell me, how are the wedding plans coming along?”

“It’s still very, very early stages, but I’m looking at a couple of venues. One is the Monarch Hotel.”

“Nice. Their grand ballroom is elegant,” Beckett said as he glanced in the rearview mirror.

“Oh, you know of it?”

“Of course. It’s where the annual masquerade ball is held,” Beckett said.

“Wait.” Kit partially twisted in the seat so he could see Beckett better. “Masquerade ball? You did say masquerade ball, right?”

“I did, yes. I’m surprised Hudson hasn’t said anything yet since he and Kage host it, but it’s still several months off. It’stheevent in paranormal society. Invitation only, of course, and the few humans who are in attendance know about us.”

Kit pursed his lips. Why was he just now hearing about this? “It sounds ritzy.”

“A dragon is partly responsible for this event, of course it’s ritzy.”

“Of course.” Kit chuckled. Dragons seemed drawn to shiny, glittery things like gold, jewels, and such. “So. A masquerade ball, huh? I’ve never been to one, but it sounds fun. And fancy.”

“Most definitely. It’s held on the winter solstice, which is December twenty-first.”

“What I’m hearing isnotto have a wedding during that time.”

“I mean, you can have it whenever you want, but yes, itwouldbe less chaotic for Hudson if you didn’t do it around that time frame. Also, you probably don’t want to do it October thirty-firsteither.”

“Okay, and why is that?”

“Raven throws a Halloween Bash at Club Nomadic. It’s not quite as big an event as the masquerade ball, but it’s well attended. It’s the one time of the year we can be ourselves. Well, most of us.”

“I’m going to skin both their heads! I haven’t heard about either one of these parties, and they sound super fun,” Kit groused. “At least I have several months yet to figure out what to wear for these two things.”

“Don’t be too hard on them. With everything that’s been going on, I’m sure they just forgot. Besides, the planning for the masquerade ball is mostly delegated to other people.”

“There is that. I need to do this wedding before the end of the year, then.”

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