Page 17 of Edge of Darkness

Hudson had set up a clubhouse with pool tables and darts for those dragons who didn’t want to come to the main house. Hudson’s private compound was gated with a secured entrance. They were, after all, out in the middle of nowhere.

His house was a twenty-three hundred square foot, one-story home with stunning lakefront views. It had five bedrooms and five full baths, along with two half bathrooms located throughout.

They were surrounded by natural wildlife and wooded acreage. On the property there were two tennis courts, a community pool, two basketball courts, and two lakes. One lake had boat docks for the court’s use. Spread out over his territory were his dragons’ homes.

“Glad to see I didn’t have to pry you out of your office after all,” Connie said as he walked over and sat down next to Hudson on the couch. “What are we watching?”

In front of them was an entertainment center with a massive TV in the center with shelves expanding outward. It took up the entire wall.

Hudson was flipping through the channels, a frown on his face. “I don’t know. Nothing looks good.” Sighing, he dropped the remote onto his lap. “I’m restless.”

Connie tucked his leg underneath him and leaned into Hudson. “Yeah? Any particular reason why?”

“I honestly have no idea, but I’m unsettled.” Hudson rested his arm on the couch behind Connie and gently played with his hair. “I can’t shake the feeling that something is about to happen.”

Connie knew better than to ignore Hudson’s words or blow them off. The male was a thousand-year-old Ancient and a king of dragons. Even though Connie knew Hudson intimately, he still didn’t know the full scope of Hudson’s powers. If Hudson had a feeling something was about to happen, then something was definitely about to happen.

“Any idea if that something is good or bad?” Connie fought back a shiver when Hudson’s fingers brushed across the nape of his neck.

“I… I don’t think so?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?” Connie asked, resting his head against Hudson’s shoulder.

“I wish I knew.” Turning his head slightly, Hudson kissed Connie’s hair. “I don’t think what’s coming is bad, but I have a feeling it’s going to be complicated—whatever ‘it’ is.”

“We’ve dealt with complicated things before. We’ll deal with this too,” Connie reassured Hudson.

“I know. And thank you. You’re the only one I trust enough to share stuff like this with.”

And wasn’t that just sad, but that was the burden of being a ruler. “I’m glad you can talk to me. Hey, why don’t we turn our dragons loose for a little while? Maybe you need a good, rousing flight to help you relax. What do you say?”

“You know, that sounds like an incredibly good idea. It’s been a while since I stretched my wings. Come on, last one in the air is a big pile of dragon shit!” Hudson yelled as he launched himself off the couch, running toward his bedroom.

“Dammit!” Connie raced after Hudson, laughing as he dodged the clothes Hudson threw back at him. For a thousand-year-old dragon, sometimes Hudson could act like such a child, but he only did it around Connie.

Thank the dragon gods he could bring that side of Hudson out.

Connie started stripping as he ran, following Hudson through the bedroom and out to the private deck. He ducked as one of Hudson’s shoes went sailing past his head.

Laughing hysterically, he hopped around, trying to get his own shoes off. When he finally managed to get naked, he took a moment to study Hudson.

The gods had truly broken the mold when they made Hudson. All that long, dark red hair, pale skin, and his deep brown eyes featured prominently in Connie’s dreams… and in his waking moments too.

His eyes were focused on the lean-but-muscular body standing in the soft moonlight. Hudson stood with his head thrown back, his arms out to his side as he stared up at the sky. Moonbeams caressed his skin. Connie wanted to trace where the light touched… with his tongue.

Connie reminded himself to keep his mouth shut because Hudson needed to take to the skies more than he needed a romp in the grass. But it was so tempting to tackle Hudson to the ground and kiss every square inch of skin he could find. His cock was so hard it hurt.

Slowly, Hudson faced Connie. “I can smell your desire.”

“Big shock there.” Connie dropped the last bit of his clothing and put his hands on his hips. “You’re naked in front of me. I mean, what did you expect?”

“Eternity, Connie. I expect eternity. With you.”

Connie’s mouth fell open. Of all the things he’d been expecting Hudson to say, that hadn’t even made the list.

How had they gone from the silliness of just a moment ago to this? They’d decided to throw caution to the wind and start a relationship, yes, but they hadn’t really spoken about their feelings. Until now. Once again Hudson left Connie reeling.

“Yeah?” Connie prowled toward Hudson, and when he reached him, he took Hudson’s face into his hands and kissed him softly on the lips. “I’m not sure an eternity is long enough. End of time sounds good to me.”

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