Page 99 of Beyond the Darkness

Kit goggled. “You can cook?”

“Simple things. He can cook simple things, like eggs and bacon,” Connie interjected.

“It’s kind of hard to mess up that,” Hudson admitted.

“Wanna bet? I’ve seen it done,” Kit declared as they left the bedroom. “Believe me when I tell you, I have seen it done.”

Hudson entertained them with cooking disasters he’d had in the past as they left their bedroom and moved into the communal spaces. As Hudson prepared their meal—chopping vegetables for an omelet and brewing coffee—an overwhelming surge of gratitude went through him that they could enjoy this moment. It could have all turned out so very differently.

Stella grumbled as Hudson took over the small sitting area in her kitchen, but she didn’t interfere. All of his court alsoleft them alone, giving them the time to enjoy a simple breakfast together.

They had just finished when Hudson’s cell rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and sighed. “Playtime is over. Duty calls.”

After a brief conversation with Kage, Hudson disconnected the call. “Everybody is meeting back at Whispering Pages Bookstore.”

“Hey,” Henrietta said from the door of the kitchen. “Are you guys done eating?”

“We are, yes,” Kit said, standing with his cup of coffee. “Why don’t we go out to the communal dining area? There’s not enough room for six of us here.”

“Only if you are done,” Henrietta said.

“Kage just called, and everybody is meeting to go back into the tunnels, so we’re done,” Hudson said, following Connie and Kit around the table and into the communal dining area.”

“What’s up, Mom?” Connie asked.

“Well, we were wondering if we could go with you,” Ford said.

“Of course, but are you sure you want to spend your vacation working?”

“We would rather be helping than sitting around the pool by ourselves,” Leo added.

“Then we’d love to have you,” Hudson said. “Connie? Would you text my inner circle and have them meet us here, please?”

“Sure thing,” Connie said, getting his cell phone out.

Once everybody had arrived, they divided up the groups and took Hudson’s SUVs back into San DeLain. Hudson decided against asking Kage to portal them, as he preferred to avoid them whenever possible. Because frankly? The more he could stay out of portals, the better he felt.

THEY MADE pretty good time. It helped that it was Sunday afternoon, so the roads were relatively calm, with traffic flowing steadily. No one seemed to be in a rush to reach their destination.

The gentle hum of engines and the whirring of tires provided a soothing soundtrack to their journey. It was as if the world had slowed down just for them, offering a reprieve from the usual chaos of city life.

When they arrived, there were alotof vehicles parked in front of the bookstore. After circling for what felt like forever, they finally found a spot to park and made their way inside.

Already the bookstore had a different vibe to it.

It still needed a lot of work, but the neglected and desolate air was slowly fading. Hudson greeted the other leaders, who were all there, except, of course, for the gargoyles and the vampires, neither of which could go out during the day.

As soon as they arrived, Kit made a beeline for Fenton and asked about Chester, which made the merchieftain smile. Hudson watched Kit carefully, and he seemed pleased with what the mer told him.

Kage came to a stop beside Hudson, a sly grin on his face. “Are you ready for something truly interesting?”

Hudson rolled his eyes. “As long as ‘interesting’ means good.”

“It’s not just good, my friend. It’s fascinating. During the signing yesterday—and can you believe it was just yesterday?—a young lady approached Austin.” Kage paused, shaking his head. “How was it just yesterday?”

“I know.”

“Anyhow, she handed him a letter she’d written for him. And get this—he didn’t read it until this morning.” Amischievous spark gleamed in Kage’s eyes as he waited for Hudson’s reaction.

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