CHAPTER TWO: HUDSON

HUDSON’S HEART pounded in his ears, each beat a deafening drum that drowned out all other sound. Connie stood frozen next to Hudson’s desk, his sharp intake of breath and the snarl that followed reverberating in the tense silence.

“Do exactly what Beckett tells you, babe. We’re on our way.” Hudson covered his cell phone with his hand for a second. “Connie, find as many dragons as you can, especially my inner circle if possible, and be by the garage in five minutes to move out.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Turning on his heel, Connie darted from Hudson’s office.

“Beckett?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Protect him at all costs.”

“Of course, Sire.”

The click of the phone disconnecting rang in his ears. Hudson pocketed his cell phone and thanked the dragon gods that he and Connie had been working from home that day and not at his office in San DeLain.

A guttural growl rumbled from deep within Hudson’s chest as he clenched his fists, then a low hiss followed. Smoke trailed from his nostrils, and he surged to his feet. If that was Don trailing Beckett and Kit, the asshole had better pray to whatever God he believed in for mercy because Hudson wouldn’t have any.

When he arrived at his garage, Parker, Audrey, Nelson, and Mitchell from his inner circle were waiting, along with Binny and Jane, two other dragons from his court.

Hudson squeezed Connie’s shoulder briefly before addressing his dragons and explaining what was going on.

“Are we sure it’s Don?” Audrey asked.

“No, unfortunately, but Beckett is positive they are being followed, and he’s also reasonably sure it’s a white Chevy truck, which Don does drive. Regardless, we take no chances.”

“Understood,” Audrey said.

“Parker and Jane? You’re with me. Audrey and Binny, you’re with Connie. Nelson and Mitchell? You’re going to try to catch that little bastard. Here’s what we’re going to do.”

After Hudson explained his plan, he motioned for Parker and Jane to follow him to one of the massive SUVs. He owned several personal cars, but these were for when something with a little more protection was needed. Plus, several of his inner circle drove them when they ran errands for Hudson.

Audrey, Binny, and Connie took one, and Nelson and Mitchell brought up the rear in yet another SUV. Hudson glanced in the rearview mirror as he backed out, unsurprised to see his eyes the color of his dragon.

This might be the human way of handling the situation, but his dragon was all for taking to the skies, finding Don, and setting him and his vehicle on fire.

The hum of the SUV’s engine filled the cab as they pushed the speed limit as much as they dared. Once they were on the outskirts of Wrightwood, Hudson stopped, his tires screeching against the pavement.

His fingers trembled as he quickly typed a message to Connie, instructing him to take position. Parking the SUVs smack in the middle of the road, they waited. The sound of his pounding heartbeat was almost deafening.

The seconds ticked away, each one feeling like an eternity as he waited for Beckett’s vehicle to come into view. Then they saw Beckett’s car coming at them like a bullet with another vehicle following them.

The gap between him and Connie was razor-thin as Nelson and Mitchell’s SUV barreled through. Their vehicle hurtled down the road toward Beckett and Kit, and Hudson thanked Gaura there was no oncoming traffic. Then he saw it—a white truck braking abruptly behind Beckett. His dragon roared in his head.

Guess that answered that.

With a screeching U-turn, it raced in the opposite direction. Trusting Nelson and Mitchell to deal with that, Hudson waited anxiously for Beckett and Kit to make their way through the barrier. Gripping the wheel tightly, he and Connie pointed their SUVs in the direction of Beckett’s vehicle and followed.

Flooring it, he pulled in front of Beckett while Connie took up the rear. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to act—to stop the SUV, forcefully extract Kit, and make sure he was perfectly fine.

But for once his dragon was the voice of reason—Kit would be much safer at the compound than out there in the middle of the road. Anxiety tightened the bond between the three of them, and even though he was stressed, he could tell that feeling was coming from him and Connie, not Kit.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to pull himself together. If Kit could be composed, then he and Connie could too. They could. Just as soon as they got back to the compound and Kit was safe. Probably. Possibly.

Dammit.

Amusement sped down the bond, followed by soothing reassurance. Dragon gods, Kit was trying to calm them down. Connie’s sheepishness followed instantly, but the bond did relax.

The atmosphere in the SUV was thick with tension, each second feeling like an eternity as Hudson tried to maintain his facade of calm and collected. His knuckles turned white as he counted down the minutes until they reached his compound and parked.

Beckett had barely managed to shut the engine off before Hudson opened the passenger door and dragged Kit out.

“Whoa!” Kit exclaimed.

Hudson wrapped Kit up and just… just breathed. Kit was there, and he was fine. Maybe if he repeated that a few million times, his brain would get the message.

A few seconds later, Connie plowed into them. They both desperately held on to Kit, and their hearts beat in rhythm, something Hudson had never noticed before now. It was glorious and steadying, and for the briefest of moments, they were one.

“Are you okay?” Connie murmured into Kit’s hair.

“I’m okay. Nothing happened.”

Hudson squeezed both of his mates. “We were worried.”

“Very worried,” Connie agreed. “I was afraid we wouldn’t get to you in time, and all of these harmful scenarios were running in my head. Maybe you shouldn’t leave the compound until this damn situation with—”

Kit wormed an arm out and gently pulled Connie’s hair. “Finish that sentence and I’m going to snatch you bald.”

Beckett climbed out of his vehicle and shut the door. “He’s already threatened to snatch the both of you bald today. I wouldn’t push it if I were either of you.”

Hudson leaned back so he could see Kit’s face. “What did we do?”

“We? I’m thinking this is more of a you situation,” Connie chimed in.

Once more amusement flooded their bond as Kit sighed dramatically. “Why haven’t either of you told me about this masquerade ball coming up at the end of the year? Or the Halloween bash, for that matter?”

“Oh, well, you see….” Blushing, Connie eased out of the three-way hug and glanced at Hudson as if asking for help.

“What?” Kit demanded. “What am I supposed to see, Connie?”

“Um, okay, look.” Connie gulped. “Things have been kind of insane lately and—”

Hudson studied Kit as his mate squared off with Connie. Oddly enough, Kit seemed perfectly okay, and the bond reinforced that feeling. Kit had been scared and worried but not nearly as panicked as Hudson and Connie had been when Kit called.

Kit really was okay and was now giving Connie what for.

Kit suddenly swung around and pointed at Hudson. “You’re not off the hook, either.”

“Connie is my right hand. I really do believe you should focus your ire on him.”

“Oh, thanks. Thanks so much.” Connie crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Hudson.

“Be that as it may, you’re one of the hosts for that gig, am I right?” Kit asked. “So, Connie might be your right hand, but you’re in charge. Well. You and Kage.”

Connie smirked at Hudson.

Not seeing a way out of this, Hudson did what any good ruler would do… and threw his best friend under the bus. “Kage is to blame.”

“Oh really?” Kit asked mockingly, even as he grinned.

“This I have to hear,” Connie added. “Maybe I should’ve recorded this conversation and sent it to Kage, since apparently he’s to blame.”

Hudson’s dragon snorted in his head.

Fortunately, he was spared from having to come up with an answer when he saw Nelson and Mitchell’s SUV approaching. The playful atmosphere immediately dissipated as everyone held their breath, waiting for them to arrive.

When the two stepped out, Hudson’s heart sank. The grim expressions on their faces spoke volumes. A feeling of dread washed over him. “Dammit.”

Mitchell slightly bowed his head to Hudson. “I’m sorry, but we lost him. That’s the bad news. The good news is we’re almost a hundred percent certain it was Don. It was the same make and model as Don’s truck.”

“He says almost a hundred percent because we never got to see the front where the damage is supposed to be located,” Nelson added, also bowing his head.

“How did you lose him?” Hudson asked, a growl in his voice.

Nelson and Mitchell immediately snapped to attention, and a slightly acidic tendril of fear wafted from them, intensifying the tense atmosphere.

Kit glanced at Hudson and wordlessly moved to stand by his side, gently taking his hand.

Hudson looked down at their entwined fingers, then looked up. Concern showed on Kit’s face. Taking a deep breath, Hudson steadied himself. “I am not annoyed you lost him. I am annoyed he had the audacity to follow my mate.”

Nelson and Mitchell let out a collective sigh of relief, and the pungent scent of fear receded. Hudson’s stomach churned with guilt, even though he knew his dragons were not afraid of him. That wasn’t what their reaction had been about.

They were not afraid of him—they were afraid for him. And Kit. And Connie. Every dragon there was well aware of how devastating the loss of a mate could be. Not to mention that out of all of them, Kit was the most susceptible.

“He went down a one-way street, which was packed, and there were a lot of people out and about,” Mitchell said. “It was complete chaos, with people screaming and trying to get out of the way.”

Hudson swore softly. “Was anybody injured?”

“Fortunately, no,” Nelson said. “But it was a big enough mess we managed to lose him.”

“And we still don’t know where he is?” Hudson asked, making sure he kept his voice level. His dragons did not deserve to be subjected to Hudson’s concern over Kit. “He hasn’t been home?”

“The last update we got from Torres was that no, Don has not returned to the house he rents,” Nelson added. “We also do not know where Lennox is, either.”

“Thank you both. I appreciate your help this afternoon,” Hudson said. “And I apologize if my brief lack of control made you think you were in danger from me.”

“You would never hurt us,” Nelson said.

“No matter how mad you got,” Mitchell added. “It’s all good, Hudson.”

“Thank you,” Hudson said.

Nelson and Mitchell both bowed their heads again to Hudson, then took their leave.

Connie ran his hand up and down Hudson’s back. “Why don’t we eat in our quarters? We’ve had a scare, and I’m sure it would help all three of us to spend some time alone.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Kit said.

Hudson didn’t argue because Connie was correct. All he wanted to do was barricade himself and his mates in their room and bare his teeth at anybody who came near.

“Hudson?” Connie asked.

Turning his head, Hudson pressed a kiss to Connie’s cheek. “You’re perfect, and that’s a perfect idea. Thank you, sweetheart.”

Color rose to Connie’s cheeks as he cleared his throat. “Take Kit back, and I’ll bring dinner.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure, mate.” Connie winked, then headed toward the front door of the main house.

Hudson didn’t think he would ever get tired of hearing that word in reference to him.

“Come on, you. You’ve growled at enough people today. Let’s get you back to our rooms.” Kit tugged Hudson toward the main house.

“You truly haven’t heard me growl at anybody,” Hudson said. “And I feel I should point out that my bite is definitely worse than my growl.”

“Of that, I have no doubt.” Kit laughed as he hauled Hudson through the front door.

AFTER DINNER, they relaxed with a glass of wine each in the hot tub.

“So, anybody up to talk about venues for the wedding?” Kit asked, nudging Connie, who sat across from him, with his foot. “Got any suggestions?”

“Anywhere you want is fine by me,” Connie said, grabbing Kit’s foot.

“Thanks, but that’s not helpful.” Kit wiggled his toes.

“I guess the first question should be whether you want indoors or out. Isn’t getting married on the beach popular with humans?” Hudson asked.

“I suppose so, but that’s not something I’m interested in. I want it indoors, and I want a big, fancy, and black-tie blow-it-out-of-the-water type wedding. Any objections?”

“I have none.” Hudson shrugged. “I think Connie and I would both agree that whatever you want, you’ll get.”

“I realize that, but there are three of us in this wedding. There’s nothing in particular either of you want to add? Nothing?”

“Lots of food,” Connie said, lifting Kit’s foot. He pressed a kiss to the insole, then let it go.

Kit snickered. “Of course, and that tickled.”

“Hmm. I would like to waltz with you,” Hudson said. “It’s a type of dance—”

“I know what it is,” Kit assured Hudson. “I might need to take some lessons, though, because, yeah, that’s not the type of dancing I do.”

“I can see it—the two of you are going to look gorgeous. The waltz is more of Hudson’s dance, but I would also like to dance with you.”

“So, we’re going to have an indoor wedding at somewhere fancy, and the venue needs to be able to host a reception with enough room for dinner and dancing,” Kit mused.

“There are plenty of places like that in San DeLain. Oh, I would ask that we do stay here in the city, all things considered,” Hudson said.

“I agree,” Connie said, sipping his wine.

“I had assumed. My parents are going to want to come, of course,” Kit added.

“We have room here in the compound,” Hudson said. “They can stay either in the main house or at one of the vacant cabins in my territory.”

“Maybe one of the cabins. I’m not really sure I want them in the same house as me on my wedding night. I don’t care where we spend that night,” Kit admitted. “As long as I’m with you guys, that’s all that matters.”

“Don’t humans do something called a honeymoon?” Connie asked. “We could do that later. After the Lennox situation is over.”

“Yup, it’s a thing, and I like that idea. We’ll figure out where we want to go later, then. So, venues?” Kit asked again.

Connie listed a few places, as did Hudson.

“Also, there is the Monarch Hotel,” Hudson added, sipping his wine. “It is very regal.”

“Ostentatious,” Connie murmured into his wineglass.

“I’m quite fond of it,” Hudson said.

“It certainly meets the standard of what you’re looking for,” Connie agreed. “I’m okay with it too.”

“Well, then, I’ll call tomorrow and check to see if they have any dates open,” Kit said. “It’s kinda last minute.”

“Pick the date you want, and I’ll make sure the hotel accommodates us,” Hudson said. “I know the owner. If another wedding is booked for whatever day you want, I’ll pay them to pick another venue, if needed, and even double their budget.”

Kit blinked at Hudson, who was now sitting next to Kit. “For real?”

“Of course.”

“Good grief. Money definitely talks it seems,” Kit said. “Okay, the Monarch Hotel it is! And why are you both sitting so close all of a sudden?”