Page 2 of Beyond the Darkness

He didn’t know if it was the same for Austin since it wasn’t something they’d talked about, but he hoped one day they could. He assumed Austin got the same benefits he did, as that made the most sense. This wasn’t something he could ask just anyone.

Kit leaned back in his chair. “That should work. You always have a good turnout.”

“Could I stop by tomorrow and drop off some boxes of books? Maybe the table too? Denisha and I have some errands to run anyway, so two birds with one stone.”

“Sure. That sounds fine. Just bring it all. I have room. Tomorrow is a Wednesday, so I don’t have anything going on. How would you guys feel about doing lunch?” Kit asked.

“See? That’s why I like you—great minds think alike. I was going to ask if you wanted to do that.”

“Lunch it is. Do you want to order and eat in or go out?”

“We can talk business, then go out to eat. How does that sound?” Austin asked.

“I like it. But to give you a heads-up, Beckett will probably be with me.”

“I expected as much, especially since the current issue is unresolved.”

“Very true.”

The current issue being Lennox was on the loose and still targeting Kit. Even if Lennox wasn’t a problem, Kit knew he would never be able to go anywhere alone.

Hudson had made it explicitly clear that Kit would always have a bodyguard as the mate of a dragon king. A small smile played at the corner of Kit’s lips as he remembered the conversation.

Connie had been in agreement until Hudson mentioned that he, too, as a mate to a dragon king, would require a bodyguard. The expression on Connie’s face was priceless, but he wisely chose not to argue with Hudson.

“How about Denisha and I stop by around eleven? That’ll give us time to unload everything I need for the signing. We can talk whatever business we need to, then leave for lunch.”

“That’s perfect,” Kit said. “Okay, I’ll see you guys tomorrow at eleven. Thanks, Austin, for using my little bookstore.”

“Oh no, don’t thank me. I benefit from this as much as you do. Besides, you and I’ve been trying to have lunch since forever.”

Kit chuckled. “That’s very true. I’m looking forward to it. See you then.”

“See you!”

Kit disconnected the call and slipped his phone back into his pants pocket. This wasn’t the first time Austin had done a book signing at his store, and it probably wouldn’t be the last, but hopefully this one wouldn’t turn into the nightmare that the last one had.

Of course, therehadbeen some good that came out of Nox attacking Kit and then mimicking him—Kit had met his mates, so he did have Nox to thank for that.

Unfortunately, Nox’s brother was now stalking him thanks to something that had happened in the past between him and Kit’s papa, Michail. It was ugly and messy, and even though Kit wasn’t a violent person, he wished the Astor brothers werebothdead.

Kit sent Beckett a quick text message letting him know what the plan was for tomorrow before he forgot. Once that was done, he turned his attention back to his laptop.

A BIT before five o’clock, Beckett stuck his head into Kit’s office. “Quitting time. You about ready to go?”

“Yeah, give me just a few more minutes to close down, and I’ll be ready.”

After Nox’s initial attack on Kit, Kage requested that Hudson keep a close watch on Kit’s safety. As a precaution, Beckett was assigned to act as an undercover employee.

Despite all the changes that had occurred since then, Beckett remained in his role, alongside a few other dragons, and was still dedicated to protecting Kit’s well-being.

Hudson was taking no chances. Kit’s bookstore was also protected with wards, preventing anyone with malicious intent from entering the premises. The wards had only been triggered once before.

As it turned out, Beckett and Kit had a lot in common, including a love for the written word. Their friendship had grown quickly, and since they both resided at Hudson’s estate, it was only natural for them to commute together to work.

This arrangement also provided extra security for Kit while on the road, which was one of Beckett’s primary responsibilities.

Just like every other red dragon, Beckett had some shade of red hair—one of the telltale signs of a red dragon. His piercing brown eyes—another sign—held wisdom and age far beyond his youthful appearance of mid-thirties.

---