CHAPTER EIGHT: HUDSON

“BECAUSE HE’S nuts?” Hudson asked.

“No doubt,” Chris said. “Or maybe he’s decided to show everybody he means business. He has taken quite a few losses.”

“Just about everybody he attacked was connected in the original mission orchestrated by Kage,” Connie added.

“Or maybe his focus has changed,” Hudson mused. “Maybe Lennox has figured out he couldn’t get to Kit or Michail and now has a scorched earth policy.”

Then again, maybe that wasn’t it at all. Maybe this was nothing more than a diversionary tactic, but then why attack Kit’s family? To show Kit that he could? And would?

“I don’t know, and I frankly don’t care,” Chris said. “We’re not going to understand the mind of a madman, so there is no point in trying. This could have been a diversionary tactic, or it could have been a Hail Mary for all we know.”

“But what would be the point?” Kit asked desperately again.

“Again, there’s no figuring out a madman’s mind,” Chris said. “Kit? Please be careful and do what your mates say. This isn’t over by a long shot.”

“Well, we’re planning a wedding, so it damn sure better be over soon.” Kit glared at the phone, then turned to Hudson. “I need you to understand that I’m not a bloodthirsty individual, but I need you to end this. Please.”

“I am a bloodthirsty individual, and I’m doing my best. I want this to end just as much as you do.” Hudson wrapped his arms around Kit’s waist and rested his chin on his shoulder. “Would you like me to bring his head on a platter?”

Hudson could hear Chris laughing over the phone line.

Kit groaned. “Good Lord.”

“No? Just checking,” Hudson said. He was only partially kidding.

“Seriously, though, take care of yourself, Kit. I know having your movements restricted will be hard, but my own mates have informed me that it’s safer than the alternative,” Chris pointed out.

“I understand that, and no, I don’t want to fall into Lennox’s hands. Me or Papa, so we’ll do what we must.”

“Hear that, Michail? Our son is being much more reasonable than you,” Chris said, then snickered at how Michail answered.

“Tell him I heard that, and I am being good!” Kit exclaimed. “And as far as puppy dog eyes go, might I remind Papa I got that from him, even if he is a cat.”

“I’ll make sure to pass it on,” Chris said, chuckling. “Tell Hudson I’ll be in contact, and if he needs anything, let me know immediately.”

“I will. Take care.”

“You too, son.”

Kit disconnected the call. “The bastard attacked my parents.”

Hudson turned Kit in his arms, then kissed him on the forehead. He hated that Lennox was causing such problems not only for Kit, but for his parents too. “I’m so sorry.”

Connie joined them, turning it into a three-way hug. “At least no one there was seriously hurt.”

“There is that.”

Kit sighed heavily. “Is the construction crew still coming Monday?”

“I actually called Kayden earlier. They are, yes,” Hudson said. He’d debated delaying them, but the property that had been damaged wasn’t where they were working. There really wasn’t a good reason for them not to start the construction.

“Okay, with all the attacks that went on, I wasn’t sure if anything had happened to them,” Kit said.

“Kayden didn’t say,” Connie admitted. “I’m guessing no.”

“That’s good, I suppose,” Kit said. “The sooner we can get this done, the sooner we get our bedroom back.”

“I totally—” Hudson’s cell rang again, interrupting him. The sound pierced the quiet morning air, and he let out an exasperated sigh.

“You’re certainly popular this morning,” Kit said.

Hudson clenched his jaw, the muscles in his face tensing as he forcefully yanked his cell phone out of his pocket and stepped back.

Connie leaned in closer to Kit. “I recognize that ringtone,” he said quietly. “It’s his mother’s.”

“Oh.”

Hudson really didn’t have time for this, but ignoring the call would only lead to more issues. She always found a way to get what she wanted, and if he didn’t answer, she would involve her mates. He could almost feel her impatience through the phone. She did not take being ignored well.

“Mother, I don’t have time to—”

A blood-curdling scream of pure anguish reverberated off the walls. “She’s gone! They ripped her from us and took her life! They killed her! Oh Gaura, she’s dead!” Eleanor, one of his mother’s mates, wailed with raw grief and righteous anger.

Hudson’s stomach plummeted to the floor. The sound of buzzing filled his head, drowning out all rational thought. Eleanor couldn’t mean what he thought she meant. That was impossible.

“Eleanor. Eleanor! Why are you calling on Queen Abigail’s cell phone? Stop screaming and—”

“Hudson?”

Hudson flinched when his father suddenly came on the line. “Cyrus?”

“We were attacked by humans who smelled so damn odd. They came two hours ago with their automatic guns. There was no warning. They busted in through the windows. We were totally caught off guard as they swarmed the house. There were so many,” Cyrus cried. “They killed everyone they saw.”

“What?” But that made no sense. As soon as the boundaries were breached, there should have been alarms going off. “What about security at your boundaries? What about security measures in your house? Guards? How did they get inside without you knowing?”

“You know your mother felt that was unnecessary,” Cyrus snapped. “We’re dragons, after all. We are the most fearful paranormals there are.”

It was an argument as old as time, and it still made Hudson want to beat his head against the nearest wall. “What an asinine—”

Hudson gritted his teeth as he left the sentence unfinished. It was a topic that had been argued for centuries, ever since the introduction of guns into society. He’d tried to make his stubborn mother and her equally arrogant mates understand—to see the error of their ways—all to no avail.

There was no use in pointing out that, obviously, being a dragon hadn’t helped either, but by Gaura, he was tempted, even if it was beyond the pale.

The humans his parents had dismissed as weak and insignificant had just proven their strength, and it’d come back to bite them. They didn’t seem to understand that humans might be weaker, but a bullet to the brain could pretty much kill anyone. And now it was too late.

“Do not speak to me like—”

“Cyrus? Who? Who died?”

He knew, of course. His stomach rolled unpleasantly because he knew the name he was going to hear. There was only one person who would cause Eleanor to react like that—Hudson’s mother. Any other death in their court wouldn’t garner such a response.

Hudson glanced over at Kit, who was pale and had his hands covering his mouth. His eyes were huge above his fingertips. Connie had his arm around Kit, and his face was carefully blank, but Hudson could see the concern in Connie’s eyes.

Kit didn’t have the years with Hudson that Connie did, so he didn’t know. There was no way for him to know that Hudson’s relationship with his parents was strained, which was putting it nicely.

“Queen Abigail is dead. They killed her with a dragonbone dagger, of all things. Where the hell did they get something like that? And who would dare attack us? Us? The Fire Court of Dallas? And humans did this? How?”

Hudson squeezed his eyes shut, trying to push away the overwhelming emotions crashing inside him. His mother was gone, and while he couldn’t deny feeling a sense of relief, it was quickly overshadowed by guilt.

He should be mourning her, but all he could think about was their strained relationship and the unresolved issues between them. It was a conflicting mix of emotions that left him reeling.

She’d never been mother material, which was why he was the only one of her eggs who had survived. She’d never loved him —she’d only loved the idea of him. Meaning she had hatched a royal who was strong, wealthy, handsome, and oversaw a strong court.

Eleanor and Cyrus might be Queen Abigail’s mates, but they were never parents to Hudson, which was why he called them by their first names. They were as arrogant and narcissistic as his own mother.

Hudson opened his eyes to see tears trailing down Kit’s face. Oh no, there was no need for that. He pulled Kit into his embrace with his free hand and hugged him gently. Connie came with them.

“It’s okay,” Hudson said quietly to Kit.

Wide-eyed, Kit stared up at Hudson. But, but… your mom, Kit mouthed at Hudson.

Hudson gently shook his head. Kit didn’t get it, but that sentence explained Hudson’s relationship perfectly. Kit called her mom. Queen Abigail was never a “mom.” She had always been “Mother.”

Oh well, he’d explain that soon enough. Wasn’t it odd that his first concern was Kit, and not that his mother had been murdered? Didn’t that speak volumes?

As he watched, Connie went to the attached bathroom and returned with some tissues, which he handed to Kit, who was the only one in tears. Connie understood the situation.

Hudson returned his attention to his phone. He had a horrible feeling he knew who had attacked his mother’s court, just like they had attacked….

Hudson jerked his attention to Connie. “They’re hitting the parents. Call yours immediately!”

Connie’s eyes widened. “But mine aren’t royalty like yours or being stalked like Kit’s.”

“Still your parents. Call now, Connie!” Hudson demanded.

Connie jerked his cell phone out of his pocket.

“Mother of all, no!” Kit whispered.

“Come on, come on,” Connie muttered. “Answer.”

The only worry Hudson felt now was for Connie’s parents, who he did like. In fact, he was very close to them.

A few seconds later, relief covered Connie’s face as Leo, one of Connie’s dads, answered.

That relief quickly dissipated when Hudson heard they’d been attacked too, but unlike his mother’s court, they had stellar security like Hudson. No one had been killed, thankfully.

“Hudson?” Cyrus asked.

“Forgive me, Connie was checking on his parents.”

“You need to be focused on yours,” Cyrus snapped.

Hudson barely stopped the growl that rumbled in his chest. “The humans who attacked you were hunters. I told my mother about them. They’re not regular humans. I told her that too. So, yes, I am worried about Connie’s parents.”

“What do you mean?” Cyrus demanded.

How did Cyrus not know this? “Their DNA has been mutated with other paranormals, giving them characteristics of that paranormal, thus making them stronger and agile, plus they heal faster. The leaders here in San DeLain have been attacked several times already. They’re deadly.”

“She knew?” Cyprus said quietly. “She knew ?”

That answered the question of whether or not she had shared the information with her inner circle and mates. “She did. I told her myself and shared all the information I had.”

“She knew and didn’t tell us,” Cyrus said softly.

“This same group of hunters are very well funded, Cyrus, and attacked most of the paranormal leaders here in San DeLain last night and into the morning. They also attacked Kit’s parents.”

“The human?”

This time Hudson couldn’t stop the growl that climbed up his throat. “That human is my mate.”

“Such a shame.”

Hudson almost hung up. “Do not—”

“Anyway. You said that Connie’s old court was attacked too?”

The fact that Cyrus didn’t care about what happened to Kit’s parents was glaringly obvious. All he cared about was that another dragon’s court was attacked.

“Connie is speaking with one of his parents right now, but from what I can gather, yes. But there were no casualties. Isn’t that right, Connie?”

“Yes. There are some injuries but nothing bad. Several hunters were also killed,” Connie said.

“Good,” Hudson growled. The more, the better.

“Yes, yes, that’s good to know. Hudson? We are now a court without a royal. You know one of two things will happen,” Cyrus said.

Hudson did indeed. As soon as word got out, a courtless red dragon royal would take over. There was also nothing to keep the new King or Queen from killing Cyrus and Eleanor. Normally, that was exactly what happened.

Or, the court would disband and the dragons would petition to join other red dragon courts.

“I assume you will offer us refuge,” Cyrus said.

Hudson almost laughed. “You assume wrongly. You have been nothing but insulting to my human mate. I was already hesitant to allow the three of you to visit, considering I was well aware of your feelings toward Kit. I certainly will not allow you to live in the court he resides in.”

Kit’s mouth fell open.

“How dare you?” Cyprus demanded. “You mean to tell me that you would pick a human over your own parents?”

Hudson had been waiting on this for hundreds of years. “You may have helped create me, but you were never a parent. Neither was Eleanor. Neither, in fact, was Queen Abigail. Yes, I pick my human mate over the both of you. Goodbye, Cyrus. Do not contact me again. I wish you the best of luck, though, in the rest of your miserable life.”

Hudson disconnected the call.

“Oh my God, Hudson, did you really just—”

Hudson met Kit’s gaze. “I did. You and Connie are the most important things in my life. I say things because the both of you are even more important than my hoard. So yes, I chose you.”

Kit hurtled himself across the room and threw himself into Hudson’s arms. “But—”

“They would have made your life a living hell, and I won’t have it. They consider humans less, almost to the point of being a subspecies. My mother had already made statements that she would not accept you as my mate, like she had any say in it. We are even blessed by Gaura themself.”

Connie joined the hug. “They would’ve insulted you with sly smiles and cutting words. Attempted to destroy your self-confidence, not to mention endeavor to come between the three of us. If Hudson wouldn’t burn them to a crisp, there’s a good chance I would.”

Kit pulled back enough to look into Hudson’s face. “They are really that bad?”

Hudson nodded. “They really are that bad.”

“Still, she was your mother.”

“I don’t grieve for that, Kit. You must remember, I’m a thousand years old. She managed to kill what affection I had for her hundreds of years ago. If I grieve, it will be for the relationship we could have had and didn’t,” Hudson said, hugging Kit gently. “Besides, you’ll love Connie’s parents. They’re fabulous.”