CHAPTER SIX: CONNIE

CONNIE LOOKED between Hudson and Kit, unsure if his mate understood the gravity of the situation. If a paranormal had been the one to insult Kit in such a way, a swift and brutal death at the hands of Hudson would be the outcome.

She hadn’t been a paranormal, though, but Hudson was still incensed. The tension in Hudson’s body was obvious, as he emphasized his words with sharp gestures.

Connie could practically feel the rage radiating off him, but there were too many humans nearby for Hudson to lose control—humans and their damn smartphones. Which was probably good, all things considered.

He honestly didn’t understand some of the hang-ups humans had about certain things. Paranormals didn’t care who liked dick and who liked pussy.

Now, did they have certain subjects they got sideways about? Of course they did. Bloodlines, in particular, was a subject that paranormals could get obsessed with.

But seriously, who cared how people dressed? Who cared who was fucking who, as long as there was consent and everyone was of age? Connie was more concerned about how trustworthy and honorable a person was, not if they wore a skirt or had a dick.

FORTUNATLEY FOR both humans and dragons alike, no one else made any idiotic comments about how Kit was dressed. Connie breathed a sigh of relief as the tension dissipated.

After much searching, they finally found bedding that satisfied all their preferences. Since it had to be custom-made to fit their new bed, they also purchased several sets of sheets.

It became obvious very quickly that Hudson preferred light and bright colors. Kit was fine with that as long as some of the accents in their new bedroom had some bling. Connie simply wanted something soft and cozy.

They ended up with a mix of light and dark tones. The pops of color would come from the artwork Connie was supplying from his hoard. Hudson arranged for everything to be delivered on a certain date, and they headed off for dinner.

Once they had eaten, they returned to their house for a quiet evening, choosing a movie to watch in bed.

THE PHONE’S incessant ringing pierced the silence, causing Connie to bolt upright, wide awake. Its screen lit up the dark room, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

“Hello?”

Connie turned to stare at Hudson, who had his cell phone plastered to his ear, his face bathed in the blue light of the screen.

With his keen hearing, he could hear the sound of alarms and screams that nearly overrode the fear in Kage’s voice on the other end of the line as he spoke to Hudson.

“When?” Hudson demanded, his face twisted in concern as he spoke into the phone.

The moonlight from the window cast a shadow along his jawline, creating an intense silhouette. His hand gripped the phone tightly, his knuckles white with tension.

Kit slowly sat up in bed, also staring at Hudson.

Connie closed his eyes, brow furrowed as he listened to Kage’s frantic voice on the phone.

“Box truck parked outside of the Dominion that was full of explosives. It was detonated. Essentially four or more city blocks were destroyed. There’s burning debris, rubble, metal, stone, and everything in between. Embers is a mess, as is half the front of the building!”

“Mother of all,” Kit whispered.

“Is Austin okay?” Connie demanded. Embers was the restaurant on the bottom floor of the building Kage, Austin, and their clan lived in.

“He is, thank the dead gods, or this would be a completely different conversation,” Kage answered, hearing Connie perfectly.

“Any fatalities?” Hudson asked.

“Yes, but none from my clan. So far. This just happened, Hudson. Literally ten minutes ago. Thank the dead gods its early Sunday morning.”

“How can I help? What do you need from—Dammit, I have an incoming call.”

Connie snapped his head around as he turned to look at the door, eyes wide with alarm as he heard the rapid thud of running footsteps approaching their temporary quarters. The sound reverberated through the narrow hallway, echoing off the stone walls and adding to the sense of urgency. “Shit, Hudson—”

Suddenly, the air was filled with a piercing wail as the compound alarm blared to life. The sound cut through the stillness like a knife.

Hudson covered the mouthpiece of his phone. “I hear it. Go.” Then he uncovered the bottom half of the cell. “Kage? I’m under attack.”

“Shit!”

“I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”

Connie tossed the rumpled sheets aside, quickly leaping to his feet. He snatched up a pair of night pants that had been carelessly thrown over the foot of the bed and hurriedly dressed himself.

As he made his way toward the door, a cacophony of noise erupted behind him, causing him to pause and turn back in curiosity.

“Kit! No. You stay with me,” Hudson growled as Kit started to get off the bed.

Oh Gaura. Kit was half in, half out of their bed.

Hudson had grabbed Kit by the hand. “It’s not safe, Kit. You must stay here.”

“Dammit, Connie!” Kit glared at him, then Hudson. “Then, then….”

“This is my job, babe. This is what I do. I know you’re scared, but I will be back.”

Kit looked between Hudson and Connie, his lips trembling. “Promise me.”

The little movement almost broke Connie’s heart. “I promise.”

Just as he finished speaking, the door to their quarters was thrown open. Torres and Mitchell stood there, their eyes the color of their dragon and claws extended.

Mitchell was breathing heavily and holding his cell. “I tried calling Hudson.”

“I know. He was talking to Kage. He was attacked just now too. Report,” Connie said as he approached them.

“According to the cameras we have around the territory, a surface-to-air missile hit the border we share with the gargoyles,” Torres said. “There are cabins in that area, along with supply buildings that were damaged.”

Connie knew the exact area. Fortunately, the cabins located there were empty. “Shit! A surface-to-air missile? What the hell? Who dares to attack us?”

“I woke Parker, Nelson, Sheila, Audrey, Beckett, and Stella,” Mitchell said.

That was basically Hudson’s inner circle and the two Ancients.

“I left Parker monitoring our security cameras while we came here,” Torres said. “The rest of the inner circle, along with Beckett and Stella, are in the security offices. Unfortunately, we don’t monitor air space, so we didn’t have a clue it was coming.”

“Mitchell, take Sheila and Stella with you and see if anybody was hurt where it hit. That area is pretty vacant, so hopefully nobody was there, but still,” Connie said. “Be careful. We may have people invading our territory too.”

Stella was an Ancient and more powerful than anyone else outside of Beckett and Hudson.

“The cameras don’t show enemies on the ground, but we’ll be cautious,” Mitchell said. “What about the fire? I’m pretty sure there is one burning. I don’t see how there couldn’t be.”

“Shift once you get there, hit the nearest lake, and hold as much water as you can in your mouth. Use that.”

“Yes, Right Hand,” Mitchell said, darting off.

“Torres? Grab Beckett and Audrey and meet me outside by the front door.”

“Yes, Right Hand.” Torres hurried off.

Turning, Connie saw that Hudson was dragging Kit toward their master bedroom.

“What’s going on?” Connie asked as he followed them. “Why are we going in here? What about the construction—”

“I’m stashing Kit in my hoard.”

“Over Kit’s objections,” Kit griped as he was pulled along. “Just want to throw that out there.”

There was no missing the scared and furious look on Kit’s face. It hurt Connie to see that. Knowing Hudson, it disturbed him too. Connie would never admit it to Kit, but he was thankful Hudson could do what needed to be done. Connie wasn’t sure he could. Making the hard decisions was why Hudson was such a good king. And this was definitely a hard decision.

“I don’t know if we’re being invaded, and the safest place for you is in my hoard. I’ve shown you where the access is to the tunnel that leads aboveground to the forest.”

“And you’re crazy if you think I’m going to leave the hoard without you or Connie,” Kit snapped as he stood in their walk-in closet as Hudson gained access.

Once the door opened, Hudson spun around and grabbed Kit by his chin. “I cannot do what I need to do unless I know you’re safe. This is the safest place for you. Please, mate.”

“And what about me? I’m all safe in here while you tear around out there doing God knows what.”

“We’re practically indestructible, remember?” Connie chimed in.

“Practically does not mean invincible,” Kit snarled.

“ Please, Kit,” Hudson said quietly. “I need you to do this for me.”

Kit glared at Hudson for a few seconds before closing his eyes and releasing a deep breath. He opened his eyes and stared at Hudson. “Fine. Fine! I hate it, but I would hate it more if one of you got injured because you were distracted worrying about me.”

Hudson kissed Kit’s temple. “Thank you. Do you have your phone?”

“Of course,” Kit said as Connie kissed him on the cheek.

“Wait one hour. If Connie or I do not return to my hoard, use the escape route. Go to Kage immediately. Or Isadora. Understand?”

Kit nodded slowly. “This sucks so hard, but I understand.”

“Thank you,” Hudson said. “Now go.”

Connie stood next to Hudson as they watched the door close to Hudson’s hoard, locking Kit inside. When Hudson turned toward Connie, his dragon showed in his eyes. “Update.”

His mate was absolutely furious. The low, growly tone was a good indication of just how close Hudson’s dragon was to the surface. Connie completely understood because he felt the same. He quickly repeated what Torres and Mitchell had told him as they hurried toward the front door of the main house.

“First Kage, now me.”

“I know. And pretty close together. It makes me wonder if we were the only two who were attacked,” Connie said as they stepped outside. “Do you think it was Lennox?”

“I have no idea, but he comes to mind first, of course.” Hudson came to a stop next to Torres, Beckett, and Audrey. “Report.”

Torres cleared his throat. “I think the gargoyles have been attacked too. There was another big explosion closer to them this time.”

Hudson swore loudly.

“Do you have any idea what is going on?” Audrey asked.

“No, except for Kage was attacked tonight too,” Hudson growled. “And—”

The scream of something approaching fast snagged Connie’s attention. Everybody turned toward the sound. “Son of a bitch,” Connie yelled. “Incoming!”

Hudson ran forward, shedding his human form and soaring into the sky.

Damn, he’s fast. Connie’s breath caught in his chest as he watched Hudson power upward. The moon’s light shone briefly on the huge red dragon as it flew toward a streak of light coming at him.

Connie’s heart skipped a beat as he understood what he was seeing. But he quickly shut that down before it passed along the bond toward Kit. That was the last thing their mate needed, especially when he was locked up underground.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Beckett and Audrey also take to the sky.

The three of them would handle whatever else might come their way while Connie stayed in his human form. Someone had to be able to give orders until Hudson changed back. He watched his mate fly to intercept the missile coming directly at their home.

There was a bone-chilling roar, then a huge line of fire. Within seconds there was a massive explosion, but it was still far enough away that it didn’t cause problems.

What if they hadn’t spotted that missile in time? What if it had managed to hit its target? While it was doubtful any of their dragons would’ve been killed, they could’ve been hurt. Badly. They could lose body parts as easily as anyone else.

And he didn’t want to think what it could have done to Kit, who was not a dragon. Baring his teeth, he answered Hudson’s rage-filled roar with one of his own.

Someone would pay for this.