Page 109 of Walking in Darkness

“Wait. I call Hudson that as a joke,” Connie said. “It wasjusta joke.”

“But he is old. He’s an Ancient. He’s probably forgotten more than you will ever know, Connie,” Gaura said. “And sometimes life gets to be too much. Sometimes an Ancient will hibernate for hundreds of years. And sometimes, that Ancient never wakes back up.”

Connie gulped. Had Hudson been teetering on that and never said anything? Had there been signs he’d missed? Concerned, he looked at his mate.

“Don’t look at me like that, sweetheart. No, I wasn’t thinking about hibernating, but the ennui was getting harder to ignore,” Hudson said.

“Connie, you are young and energetic, while Hudson is steadfast in his ways, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but he is also resistant to change, especially in his personal life. We probably have his mother to thank for that.”

Hudson grimaced.

“And me?” Kit asked.

Gaura turned to gaze at Kit. “You are the glue that holds them together. You bring balance to the three of you. You temper Hudson’s stuffiness—”

“What? I’m not stuffy,” Hudson claimed.

“Should I bring up how I had to beg you to invest in certain inventions?” Connie demanded. “Remember the argument we had about electricity? Steam engines? Then later it was cell phones. Youreallythought nothing would come from that.”

Hudson huffed.

“Oh, and shall we review the massive argument we had when I talked you into helping fund that little business that got started in that dude’s garage? And several other startup enterprises that are now Fortune 500 businesses?” Connie asked. “Yeah, you can be unreceptive to new or unusual ideas and behavior.”

“And Connie, you can be exuberant to the point where you jump before looking,” Gaura pointed out.

“Golden retriever energy,” Kit muttered.

“That usually applies to someone who’s innocent,” Connie argued. “And I’m certainly not that. I’ve killed just like Hudson has.”

“You never enjoyed it, whereas there have been times I have. But there’s no denying you’re much more amicable than me,” Hudson said.

“ButIcan be amicable.I’mnot royalty,” Connie said, looking around Kit at Hudson.

“The fact is, we both swing too far in the other direction. You can be too nice, and I can be too set in my ways,” Hudson admitted. He looked at Gaura. “That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?”

“Yes, and Kit balances the two of you. He’s certainly not a killer, but he’s also not too nice.”

“I’m not sure calling me the glue is the compliment you think it is,” Kit said to Gaura.

“Is it not? You make each of them stronger, while they are the everlasting love you’ve dreamed about since you were a small boy.”

“Hold on. Are you saying you’ve been watching me since I was a child?” Kit asked.

“What if I have?”

“I, ah, well, um. Huh. Not really sure how to answer that, and I’m not really sure how Ifeelabout that.”

“You never cared about the white knight, Kit. You wanted the dangerous dragon who would protect you, because you’ve needed protection in your life, haven’t you? And now you have them.”

“OfcourseI needed protection. Have you seen me? Not only am I gay, I kinda have a girly look. I like to wear both masculine and feminine clothes. I like my lace and my leather. OfcourseI’ve been threatened over that,” Kit declared. “And ofcourseI’ve lost boyfriends over it.”

Hudson squeezed Kit’s hand. “I love your lace.”

“I think you look hot in a skirt and heels,” Connie said, kissing Kit’s cheek. “AndI think you look hot in leather and chains. We both just think you’re hot.”

Kit looked from Hudson to Connie. “I think you’re both hot too. I’m not gonna lie, though—the fact you can change into a big ass dragon is thrilling.”

“As I said, the three of you balance out each other. You have something they need, and they have something you need.”

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