CHAPTER EIGHT: HUDSON

"THAT'S NOT happening," Hudson said.

He was actually impressed with how level his voice remained when his dragon was bellowing with rage. There was no way Kit was leaving here. Hudson wouldn't allow it.

A quick glance at Connie confirmed he was keeping his temper under control so far. Good. The last thing he wanted was to force Connie into gaining control, especially in front of another paranormal.

"You do not have the right to tell me what to do with my child," Michail snapped, coming to his feet. "Kit? Pack a bag. You're coming home. It's not safe here."

"He'd be even less safe with you," Hudson said, trying to hold on to his patience. He also stood because it grated having another paranormal stand over him. "As I said, Kage dug into Nox's history. Kage met with the shifter leader of the tribe their mother was from."

Wild-eyed, Michail stared at Hudson.

There was fear in his eyes, and Hudson hated to bring up a painful past, but he needed Kit's papa to understand that he wasn't giving in on this. Kit was staying there.

"We found out about Lennox, Nox's brother. We know the second child, Lennox, was born five minutes after Nox, and that he was a feline shifter like their mother. He's here in San DeLain."

Michail inhaled sharply.

"But I have a feeling that's why you want Kit to leave. You knew if Nox was here, Lennox would be too. He's stalking Kit," Hudson said, deciding to stop beating around the bush. "And I think you know why."

Michail hissed at Hudson.

"O-okay. That was creepy as hell. Papa, sit down please, and no more hissing. Hudson, you too."

Hudson's dragon was tempted to show Michail what a real hiss sounded like.

"Please?" Kit said when neither man moved. "Might I remind you both we're in an apartment building surrounded by humans? Hudson? Please."

At the softly spoken word, Hudson's dragon relented. He wouldn't refuse Kit. As soon as he sat, Michail did too. Hudson didn't need to rattle his balls at Michail to prove who was the bigger man.

"Papa, there's more," Kit said. "I have no idea how to say this, so I'm just gonna blurt it out there. Hudson and Connie are my mates."

"What!"

"So, no, I'm not leaving here. I doubt they'd let me, even if I wanted to."

Connie snorted. Hudson didn't make a sound because, really, Connie said it all.

"Besides that, I don't want to leave. My life is here," Kit said. "I'm a mate to two dragons. And really, you can't say anything considering you're in a three-way relationship too. So, who are you mated to? Mom? Or Pops? Or both, like me?"

"Your mom is my mate, but I love your pops too," Michail said.

"I know that, Papa."

Chris cleared his throat and spoke for the first time. "Grace and I had been married for a few years by the time Michail found us. She was actually pregnant with you. Believe me, there was a lot of talking, a lot of explaining, and then even more talking. He told us what he is, of course."

"And of course we don't have a problem with you being in a poly relationship," Grace said. "We don't have a problem with you being mated to two paranormals, either."

"If anyone can protect you, it's a dragon," Michail admitted. "And you have two of them. But you're not mating any dragon, Kit. You're mating a royal. That makes you a target."

Kit rubbed his forehead. "I'm already a target, but I get what you're saying. Maybe I should introduce Connie again, because I neglected to mention that he's Hudson's right-hand man."

Michail's eyes widened as he stared at Connie. "What rank are you?"

"You know our ranks?" Connie asked.

"It took a few inquiries, but yes," Michail said.

"Hudson is an Ancient, of course. I am a Sir."

Michail relaxed in his chair. He glanced at Kit. "To achieve such a high standing is impressive for someone of that rank. You are indeed safer with them than you would be with me."

Hudson inclined his head to Michail. It took balls to acknowledge something like that to another paranormal, especially when a child was involved. His respect for Kit's papa went up.

"Papa, Hudson said something a moment ago that caused you to react rather strongly. Can you tell me why?" Kit asked.

Michail most likely didn't understand the reason behind Kit asking that, but Hudson did. He needed his papa to admit he knew why Lennox was stalking Kit.

That way Kit didn't have to confess he already knew why. He'd told Hudson and Connie what Gaura had shown him, and it had horrified him. He'd made it very clear he did not want his papa to know that he knew.

"It's… a long story. And it's an ugly one." Michail shuddered.

Chris immediately went to stand behind Michail's chair and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to—"

"He needs to know the basics, so yes, I do need to." Michail turned his attention to Kit. "You see, I knew the brothers. I was part of the coalition—we don't use the word tribe—Kage spoke to. The alpha is Alcaeus Kallergis."

"I apologize. I didn't know the correct term," Hudson said.

"It's not a problem." Michail waved away Hudson's concern. "What do you know about shifters, Kit?"

"Honestly? Not a lot. I've kinda been focusing on dragons," Kit admitted.

"I am a Eurasian Lynx shifter. Like the werewolves, and yes, they exist—"

"I know, Papa. I've met one," Kit said. "But that's another long story."

Michail sighed unhappily. "So many long stories. You've been exposed to a lot, haven't you?"

"Yes, but it hasn't been all bad." Kit flashed Hudson and Connie a smile. "Keep going, Papa."

It might have just been a quick look, but the sentiment warmed Hudson's heart.

"Well, like the werewolves, we have alphas, betas, and omegas. I am an omega."

Kit blinked.

Even Hudson admitted he was caught off guard. From his understanding, omegas were often… sheltered. Michail didn't strike him as an omega. He'd not only survived Lennox, Michail had struck out on his own. Hudson reminded himself that omega didn't mean weak. Lennox had certainly found that out.

"Our alphas are our leaders. Betas are the organizers, and omega are… the calming influence in a pack. We're also the smallest of our kind and usually less… hardy. Some see us as weak."

"I can see that. Wait, wait!" Kit waved his hands in front of him frantically. "That didn't come out right. I didn't mean you're not hardy. I meant I remember you as a calming influence from my childhood. And anyone who thinks you're weak is an idiot."

"Thank you. That means a lot. So Lennox was appointed to be the next alpha of our tribe. At the time, no one knew what Nox was. But both brothers were strong and violent. Aggressive. Oddly enough, Lennox was the more levelheaded of the two. He became interested in me."

Kit shifted uncomfortably between Hudson and Connie.

"Actually, he became obsessed with me. That's all you need to know. But to carry on his line, he was required to mate. I had assumed that would be the end of our relationship. I was wrong." Michail swallowed heavily. "He made it very clear he was unwilling to give me up, and I was equally unwilling to live in such circumstances."

"Papa," Kit murmured.

"I'm okay. It was a very long time ago. I fled and started a new life, and eventually, I met Grace and Chris. I knew who she was to me. I also knew she was married and loved her husband. Fate looked favorably upon us. They both fell in love with me and I them."

Chris squeezed Mikhail's shoulder. "I'm bi."

"As am I," Michail added. "Most shifters are. Kit, you might not be of my loins, but you are my child. I loved you the moment you opened your mouth and screamed the walls down."

Kit's laugh was kind of wet as he jumped to his feet and hurried toward his papa. Michail stood and wrapped his arms around Kit. Grace and Chris crowded close.

The love between the four of them was obvious. Kit was very lucky in that respect.

"Okay, how about a break?" Connie asked. "I'm sure we can all use a drink. We've been talking for quite a while."

"That sounds lovely, but there's still something else we need to share with Kit," Grace said.

Kit pulled back from his papa. "What? What?"

Hudson knew, but it wasn't his place to say.

"Sweetie," Grace said, taking Kit's hands.

"Oh hell. What, Mom?"

"It's nothing bad, I promise. But you know your pops, and I love your papa. And with him being a shifter, his lifespan is longer than ours. We couldn't stand the thought of him going on without us, so…"

Kit started grinning.

"Okay, not the reaction I was expecting," Grace said. She tilted her head as she stared at Kit. "Huh. Why do I have the feeling you already know what I'm about to say?"

"Because I do. Because I had the same conversation with Hudson and Connie." Kit was practically bouncing on his toes. "Papa extended both of your lifespans, didn't he?"

Hudson cleared his throat. "Um, probably not in the way you're thinking, though."

Kit let go of his mother's hands and turned toward Hudson. "What do you mean? There are other ways to do it?"

"Oh dear," Michail said, quickly glancing between Kit and Hudson.

Hudson was the one now holding both of Kit's hands. "Yes, your papa extended their lifespan. But not in the way we will extend yours. Dragons can't change a human into what we are. You're either born a dragon or you're not."

Kit pursed his lips. "Wait just a minute. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I changed your mom and pops. They're shifters like me now," Michail admitted.

Kit's mouth dropped opened. "You're shifters! Oh, come on, that's awesome!"

Bemused, Chris shook his head. "And here we thought you'd freak."

"Of course I'm freaked! My parents can shift into cats. How awesome is that!" Then Kit gasped. "Wait!"

"And here it comes," Grace said, rolling her eyes. Opening her purse, she grabbed her billfold, opened it, and took out a folded bill, which she passed to Chris. Then she did the same with Michail.

"I got to see this!" Kit yelled. "Holy cow, you guys! I gotta see this!"

Connie scrubbed a hand over his face. "Um, Kit, it's really rude to ask—"

"Hold on, did you guys bet on my reaction?" Kit demanded.

Chris outright laughed. "I told you." He elbowed Michail as he pocketed the money.

Chuckling, Michail slipped the money into his front pocket. "It's okay, Conrad—"

"You can call me Connie. You are my mate's parents, after all."

"Thank you. It is rude, but it's exactly the reaction we thought he'd have after he got done freaking out," Michail said. "Kit? To shift, it's better if we're not wearing clothes, so—"

"Oh, no. I do not need to see any of you naked. Please, use my bedroom to undress."

And that was how Hudson got to see his mate in the middle of a big pile of lynx shifters.

AFTER KIT'S parents had redressed, Hudson escorted everybody out to his SUV. The trip back to his territory was uneventful, thank Gaura. All in all, he thought their talk had gone very well.

Kit's parents appeared okay with Kit being the mate of two dragons. Kit had accepted his mom and pops being shifters easily too. He hadn't said anything to Kit, but considering the circumstances, he was glad Michail had changed Grace and Chris.

Why? Because shifters were harder to kill, and he didn't trust Lennox any farther than he could throw a dragon by the tail.

They arrived in Hudson's territory, and it secretly pleased him how impressed Kit's parents seemed to be with the condition of his grounds. A shifter had a special bond to the land, so the fact that they complimented him on how healthy his territory looked pleased Hudson.

After a quick tour of the house, he showed them the room they would stay in and dropped off their luggage there. Then he introduced Kit's parents to his inner circle first, and after that, other dragons who happened to be around.

They had dinner in Hudson's private quarters, then drinks out by his pool. When Kit's mom started yawning, they called it a night. Hudson gave all three of them his personal phone number, as did Connie, and told them when breakfast was served.

"If you need anything, anything at all, please call me while we aren't together," Hudson said. "Or Connie. We want you to feel at home here."

"Thank you," Grace said. "We appreciate that. We'll see you in the morning for breakfast."

"I'll walk them to their room," Kit said. "Be right back."

Hudson listened to Kit and his parents' voices drift away. He mumbled a privacy spell under his breath.

Connie smirked.

Once Hudson was done, he rolled his eyes at Connie. "Shifter ears," he reminded Connie.

"I didn't say a word."

"You didn't have to." Smirking, Hudson took his drink and sat on the couch. "Well? Thoughts?"

"Okay, first off, I think they're lovely people," Connie said, taking a seat next to Hudson. "Secondly, I noticed Kit didn't tell them about his meeting with Gaura."

"I agree. But I honestly expected no less with how Kit turned out. And I'm relieved he didn't bring up Gaura. That's dragon business."

"Not sure that's the reason." Connie snuggled closer to Hudson.

"Probably not, but Kit seems to know better than to talk about certain things, even with other paranormals. But we should tell him that dragon business stays in-house." Hudson rested his hand on Connie's thigh.

"Agreed. Okay, thirdly—"

"Thirdly?"

"What's wrong with thirdly? Why is secondly okay but not thirdly?"

"Your mind is an amazing thing."

"I agree. So, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, thirdly is that Lennox is a rank bastard to do Michail that way. Kit's papa is the sweetest man ever. And finally, speaking of Michail, I certainly didn't see him being an omega. I wonder who the alpha is in that relationship."

"Grace is strong-willed, but my money's on Chris."

"Hmmm." Connie pursed his lips as he thought. "Yeah, I can see that. Grace's the outgoing one, but Chris comes across as the powerhouse. He's quiet but watchful."

"I noticed that too. Humans are capable of having alpha-like characteristics."

"He's not human now."

"No, but he was. Those characteristics are now abilities." Hudson had met many humans through the years who had those qualities.

They were often leaders—in wars, of countries, and so on. Others were corrupted by that power, while others rose to be brilliant statesmen. The same could happen in the paranormal world.

Without a doubt, Lennox was one of those who led with fear instead of earning loyalty. Even in this day and age, there were dragon courts led by fear and not honor.

Hudson tried to lead by example. He considered himself firm, but he could offer mercy or compassion when needed. Nothing was ever black or white, especially where power was concerned. Often times, he had to operate in the gray area, and he was okay with that.

He was more than capable of getting his hands dirty.

There were times through the years that court members had screwed up, and he'd had to punish them. But he tried to make the sentence fit the crime.

He also made himself available to his people, sometimes to the point where Connie complained because Hudson had no free time.

But Hudson wasn't an idiot. He knew Connie was slowly but surely structuring his time so that he actually had time off. It really hadn't been a problem in the past because he and Connie worked side by side.

But he was definitely going to enforce a quitting time now that Kit had come into their lives. Why? Because Kit didn't work with him and Connie. His business didn't revolve around dragons and was located in San DeLain.

And Hudson knew how important that bookstore was to Kit. He wanted it to flourish, just as he wanted Kit to flourish. But for Hudson's peace of mind, there were going to be a couple more dragons working there.

Kit was the mate to a royal, after all. He would have protection.