Page 68 of Edge of Darkness

As they approached the breakfast area, Kit got the first inkling of what Connie could have possibly meant. He could hear Hudson’s dragons before he saw them.

Loud. They were loud.

And shit. Was that hissing he heard?

There was also laughing, joking, and what sounded like some good-natured arguing. They entered the area, and the first thing Kit noticed was a long table that could easily seat twenty to twenty-five people. On the back wall, a buffet station had been set up.

There was a group of folks already sitting and eating, several more going through the buffet line, and then some more just standing around drinking coffee and talking.

All conversations came to a screeching halt, and Kit swallowed uncomfortably. Well, that wasn’t noticeable, not at all. Having that many eyes on him was kinda intimidating too, not to mention every last person in there was a dragon. Well, he guessed they were since everyone had red hair.

“As I mentioned in the email I sent out last night, this is Kit Meadows,” Hudson called out. “He’ll be staying with us for the time being. Fire Court, please make him feel welcome and see to any needs he might have.”

Hudson sent an email about him last night? Actually, that kind of made sense now he thought about it. Hudson would need to let his dragons know there was a human bebopping around here.

Those who were enjoying their coffee were the first to come over and welcome Kit. Once they drifted off, Hudson walked Kit over to the buffet line.

It did not escape Kit’s notice that Hudson rested his hand on Kit’s lower back. Nor did it escape his notice that when they went to sit down, Connie pulled his chair out for him.

There were a couple of dragons sitting down from him that waved, then came over and introduced themselves. No sooner had they left, another group joined him, Hudson, and Connie.

“Kit? I would like to introduce you to a few members of my inner circle. These dragons are ones who are the closest to me, who understand me the best, and who I trust to always be there when I need them,” Hudson said.

“Also? If you can’t find me, Hudson, or Beckett? Go to one of them,” Connie said.

“I don‘t know if you remember him or not, but this is Lord Nelson West. He specializes in close combat training, but he’s skilled in many forms of combat. Nelson, this is Kit.”

Nelson was a Black man with some of the cutest freckles Kit had ever seen and long, beautiful dark-auburn dreads. Kit and Nelson exchanged greetings.

“Next to him is Lady Audrey Darnell. Her specialty lies in training our dragon forms to fight,” Hudson said. “Audrey, this is Kit.”

Audrey was a white woman with long, orangish-red hair. Kit noticed she had dimples when she smiled.

After they exchanged greetings, Hudson introduced the dragon sitting next to her. His name was Sir Torres Manchester, and he was in charge of security. He was a Black man with short, fiery-red hair, a mischievous grin, and a sexy jaw line.

“And you already know me.” Beckett winked.

“You do know that Beckett is in heaven, right, Kit?” Audrey asked. “Working in a bookstore? Seriously, I don’t know if thereisa more perfect job for him.”

Beckett nodded. “Not only that, but the place has a very welcoming vibe. I like it there.”

“I’m glad to hear that. That’s definitely what I was going for. And Beckett has been a lot of help to me. He’s always willing to lend a hand,” Kit said.

“Yep, that sounds like Beckett,” Torres said.

The conversation was easy and fun. Kit noticed that the dragons Hudson called his inner circle liked to pick on and tease each other, and Hudson and Connie were not omitted from that.

Kit liked that Hudson’s dragons were comfortable enough to tease him. Royalty always seemed steeped in tradition and rules—and stuffy—not that he’d met a lot of royals, of course.

Halfway through breakfast, Connie noticed Kit’s glass was empty and offered to get him a refill. Hudson offered Kit some of his bacon.

Shortly after Connie sat back down, another female dragon joined them, and Hudson introduced her as Mistress Sheila Walker, their financial advisor. She was a white woman with tanned skin, sultry eyes, and auburn hair that was so rich in color it almost appeared a deep purple.

“There’s a few of his inner circle missing,” Connie said as he passed Kit some napkins. “Lord Mitchell Fields is our weapon specialist. He’s in charge of acquiring whatever the Fire Court needs, weapon wise, and then teaching us to use it.”

“I’m never going to remember all these names,” Kit lamented quietly. “Nor the titles. Which, speaking of, was I supposed to use them? You guys didn’t tell me if I was supposed to. Did I offend anyone, Connie?”

Audrey reached across the table and gently patted Kit’s hand. “I’m not trying to eavesdrop, it’s just that it’s almost impossible to carry on a private conversation around paranormals. Of course you didn’t offend us.”

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