Page 110 of Walking in Darkness

Hudson grumbled but didn’t argue.

“Hudson and Connie would’ve been incomplete without you, as would you. This is why I asked Fate not to allow a soul bond between Hudson and Connie until they found you. The three of you need each other.”

As much pain as the lack of a soul bond between him and Hudson had caused, he understood Gaura’s point. They were right—it was likely he and Hudson would’ve been so wrapped up in each other they would’ve never accepted Kit, even though dragons often had a third.

But not all did. Sometimes dragons became so obsessed—and that was certainly a dragon trait—that they couldn’t look beyond each other.

More often than not, those relationships burned brightly, but they also burned out quickly.

Could that have happened to him and Hudson? Connie didn’t know, and it no longer mattered, since that never came to pass. Did he like how this had played out? No, but no one promised him life would always be carefree and happy, either.

“I am sorry for the pain that it caused, though.” Gaura took another sip of their drink. “And no matter what, remember the three of you are Fated. You share a soul bond that can withstand the Flames. Hold on to that even in the face of grave danger, and trust in the love that is growing between the three of you.”

Connie blinked. Love?

“Yes, my young dragon, love. The three of you will be a force to be reckoned with. Remember that. And remember that I will always be here.” With a wink, gray smoke consumed Gaura, and they disappeared.

Connie stared at the empty space where their deity had been sitting. One second, they were there, and the next, they were gone. Just like that.

“Well.” Kit swallowed heavily. “That was almost as stressful as the first time. At least they didn’t kidnap me and haul my ass back in time this go-round. There’s that. Good Lord, I don’t know where to begin to unpack all of that.”

“Secrets. So many secrets.” Hudson huffed.

“I don’t know if it’s secrets, so much as Fate intervening in our lives,” Connie said. “But I agree with Kit—where do we even begin with all that?”

Hudson turned toward Kit. “First and foremost, how doyoufeel after drinking our blood? In all the chaos, that was forgotten.”

Kit leaned his head back against the couch cushion and stared up at the ceiling. “Oddly enough, I feel fine. In fact, I really don’t feel any different. Where do I file a complaint because I was really expecting superpowers?”

“Superpowers.” Connie snickered. “But seriously, you don’t notice any differences?”

Kit sat up. “Actually, something happened earlier. When Connie was repeating his vow—and I’m going to call it a vow because I don’t know what else it could’ve been—you were speaking in your native language, right?”

Connie nodded.

“About halfway through, I could suddenly understand what you were saying. You might have been speaking in your native language, but I was hearing the words in English.”

“That’s amazing. So, there has been some effect,” Connie said.

“And now that I think about it, my vision seems to be… clearer? Colors seem more vibrant. I’m also noticing details on things I’ve never noticed before, so my eyesight has definitely improved.”

“What else?” Hudson asked.

Turning, Kit looked out of the sliding glass door that led to Hudson’s pool. “Huh. I can see farther as well. And even though it’s dark, I can see perfectly.”

“Maybe you got some superpowers after all, then?” Connie joked.

“Focus on your hearing. See if you can hear the animals outside,” Hudson instructed.

Kit tilted his head. “Wow. I can hear the crickets like they’re right next to me. How in the world did I miss that? And, and, now that I’m trying, I can hear your hearts beating.”

“I imagine there are other things that have, shall we say, improved, but this was also the first time you took our blood,” Hudson said.

“Your sense of smell will probably also improve,” Connie mentioned. “Which can be a pain in the ass on occasion, true. But it’d be helpful if you could tell who was human and who was not eventually.”

“That would certainly put me at less of a disadvantage,” Kit agreed.

“But I have to say, I’m looking at you and your skin seems more vibrant,” Hudson commented. “And those few lines I’ve noticed are gone.”

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