Page 6 of Edge of Darkness

A soul bond was much like the werewolves with their Fated mates. And Conrad was not his soul bound mate. He was not Conrad’s, either. They werenotFated. The knowledge had been devastating.

But after the attempt on his life, they’d decided it wasn’t going to stop them from being together. Problem was, somewhere out therewasa person who was his bounded mate. Same for Connie.

He had no idea what they’d do if either of them found that elusive being. They were both desperately ignoring that possibility for now. Hudson had cursed their god long and hard over that one.

“Now that we’ve established you don’t know what you’re talking about, when should we go see Austin?” Connie ran his thumb over Hudson’s bottom lip.

“After.” Hudson nipped Connie’s thumb.

Connie raised an eyebrow. “After?”

“Yes, after.”

Standing, Hudson carried Connie to the couch in his office and dropped him on it. For a moment, he simply stood there, staring down at the sexy man sprawled before him with a smirk on his lips. How had Hudson gotten so lucky? Connie was everything he wanted.

Connie trailed his hand down his crisp white dress shirt until it came to rest on the bulge in his dress pants.

Hudson wanted a taste.

“See something you like, my king?” Connie taunted.

It always drove him wild when Connie used his title in that tone. Made him want to pound his chest and roar his ownership of this dragon to the skies.

He also wanted to worship Connie like he deserved—cover him in jewels. Gold. Fine silks. Take Connie to his hoard and lock him inside.

Connie would probably delete his appointment calendar for that, though. The horror. Seriously.

His lover might only be six hundred years old, but he was no helpless maiden to coddle. Connie was also the only dragon Hudson would ever bend a knee to. He’d burn the world for this male—he didn’t need anyone else.

Screw Fate.

His mouth watering, he started to drop to his knees in front of Connie when the hair on his neck stood up. Every instinct he had suddenly screamed to life, and his heart pounded in his chest. Goose bumps rose on his arms, and a shudder racked him. His entire body vibrated.

“What?”

The lazy, sexy look on Connie’s face disappeared and suddenly he was the very efficient and deadly right hand of Hudson Redmond, king of the Fire Court of San DeLain.

Connie was off the couch and standing in front of Hudson in the blink of an eye. “What just happened? You tensed up like you’re on high alert. What’s wrong?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” Uneasy, Hudson stared at Connie. “I was thinking sexy thoughts about you and then suddenly every instinct I had flared to life.”

“Okay.” Connie hurried around Hudson’s desk. Sitting in the huge leather chair, Connie tapped furiously on the computer.

Hudson wandered over and stood behind Connie. “What are you doing?”

“Calling up the cameras to see if our perimeter has been breached.” As he scanned the cameras, Connie pulled his cell phone out and unlocked it. “I’m also calling Torres. As our head of security, he should damn well know if we’ve been breached.”

Just like werewolves, dragons were deeply connected to the land they claimed. While Connie was smart in thinking Hudson’s reaction was based on their territory being invaded, Hudson didn’t think that was what had happened.

Hehadbeen thinking sexy thoughts about Connie, but that hadn’t been all he was doing. Not by a long shot. He’d been thinking things he shouldn’t have.

Hudson stayed silent as Connie talked to Torres. He doubted there had been a breach in their security, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

He wandered away from where Connie sat at his desk to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows in his office and stared outside. The openness of lovely blue skies greeted him, but they didn’t soothe his soul as usual.

What an interesting mess his life had become lately.

He was falling in love with Connie but hadn’t told him yet. The fact that they werenotsoul bound hung over their heads like the sword of Damocles.

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