Page 91 of Walking in Darkness

No, wait, that wasn’t exactly right. The need was to see Kitdrinkthe blood. This was either Connie or Hudson. It was overwhelming and all-encompassing. The drive to protect him, to claim him, nearly leveled him. It was a lot. Almost too much. No, it was too much, and he gasped.

“Easy.”

As soon as Hudson spoke, that overwhelming need backed off. Hudson. That had been Hudson. Or rather, Hudson’s dragon. Kit choked back a slightly hysterical laugh.

That wasn’t the first timethathad happened, but it was the first time he could clearly feel how much it bothered them he hadn’t taken their blood.

“I felt that too,” Connie said.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to flood the both of you with that. My dragon got a little out of control.” Hudson shoved his hair out of his face.

“It really bothers him, doesn’t it?” Kit asked.

Hudson looked at Kit, and Kit caught his breath. He’d seen Hudson’s dragon looking at him from behind Hudson’s eyes before, but suddenly there was a presence there.

A heavy, powerful presence looking at him.

“Shit,” Connie muttered. “Hudson? You’re not thinking about partially transforming, are you? I’m not sure that’s something Kit’s ready to deal with in bed.”

“We are concerned.”

Kit flinched. That wasn’t Hudson’s voice, not even remotely. It was much deeper and growly. It kind of sounded like a mixture of male and female voices. Was that just what they naturally sounded like—because it was very reminiscent of how Gaura sounded.

“Dragon gods,” Connie whispered.

“You’re the dragon, aren’t you?” Kit asked. Thank fuck Hudson wasn’t partially transforming because Connie was right. He wasn’t sure he was ready to make love to Hudson in that form.

Not that he was repulsed, but he hadn’t seen it often. And quite frankly? It looked nothing like Hudson’s human form.

“So vulnerable. Humans break easily. We. Cannot. Lose. You. Must protect,” Hudson snarled. “Take our blood.”

“Shit.”

Kit agreed with Connie, although he didn’t take his eyes off Hudson. “I know. I know you’re worried. So am I. But this is something you can’t force.”

Hudson growled.

“I care for the both of you. You are my mate. Connie is my mate. But if you force this, I’ll never forgive you. Would you do that to me?”

“No,” Hudson finally admitted. “But you are vulnerable. We… fear.”

Connie sucked in a breath.

“You fear something will happen to me?” Kit asked.

“We fear you will die before you take our blood and grow stronger.”

Kit slowly nodded. He’d thought something similar when the accident on the interstate had happened, that he could easily die. Very easily. Life had no guarantees, and on top of that, he had a nutcase stalking him.

He wanted a life with them. Kit already knew that. But his biggest reservation was the actual blood itself.

Or was it?

Did his problem stem from having blood forciblytakenfrom him like Nox had done? Maybe it wasn’t actually the blood at all. Maybe it was just the act. Or at least the lack of consent.

Holy shit. What a time to stumble upon that.

“You’re right,” Kit suddenly declared. “Something could happen to me. I don’t want that. Connie doesn’t want that. You don’t want that.”

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