Page 48 of Beyond the Darkness

Kit couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. He continuously looked back at the black lake. Finally, as they neared another alcove, he saw it again—a swift movement in the water, almost like a ripple caused by something swiftly diving deeper.

“There! Did you see it that time?” Kit pointed toward where he had seen the movement.

This time Connie and Denisha nodded. “I saw it too,” Connie confirmed. “Something’s definitely down there.”

Hudson paused and looked back at where Kit was pointing. “Okay, we need to assume they’re aware of our presence now. Our priority is to exit without confrontation.”

They reached the end of the underground lake and began ascending toward street level. The air grew cooler and fresher as they climbed higher, but none of them could shake off the heavy weight of what might be lurking below in those shadowy waters.

As they approached their original entry point, Kit finally breathed a sigh of relief. They really didn’t have a better idea where the tunnels led to, but they had made an important discovery—now they knew where the weapons had come from that had been used against them.

They moved urgently back through the winding tunnel. The return journey seemed to pass in a blur compared to the trek to the underground lake.

As they emerged into the musty air of the bookstore, Kit’s tense muscles finally relaxed. They were not out of danger by a long shot, but he was glad to be out from underground. He’d never been in a tunnel before, but he would definitely not recommend it. Minus ten out of ten.

A few moments later, Kage, Austin, Maia, and Torres joined them.

Kage’s expression was tense, and he scanned each of them as they filed in. “An underground lake and there’s something in it, but we have no idea what?”

“Yeah.” Hudson said, his voice low and serious. “Let’s get out of here. I feel like we’re sitting ducks.”

“Agreed,” Kage said. “We need to have a meeting, but I don’t currently have—”

“Portal us to my compound,” Hudson said.

“You must really want to get out of here if you’re willing to travel by the shadows,” Kage joked. “Okay, everybody, hold hands. That way nobody gets left behind.”

Kit clenched his jaw, brow furrowed in determination, as he prepared to travel through the shadows. The dark, murky void seemed to swallow him up as he held tightly to Connie’s and Hudson’s hands, feeling disoriented and uneasy.

He hated this method of travel too, but he knew it would quickly get them where they needed to go. And he trusted Kageto guide them through the darkness. There was no way he would endanger his mate.

As their surroundings shifted and changed, Kit’s grip tightened, his knuckles turning white. He couldn’t wait for this journey to be over, and from the look on Hudson’s face, neither could he.

A few seconds after that, they were standing in Hudson’s office.

Hudson didn’t say anything about their method of travel and neither did Connie, but Torres was a little green around the gills. Kit sympathized. One day he would have to ask Austin how he got used to it.

“Connie? Text my inner circle and let them know we’re in my office. Anyone who is not in the middle of something should come here,” Hudson said. “Torres? Would you stop by the kitchen and ask Stella if she could send some drinks and snacks for us? I have a feeling we’re going to be here for a while.”

“How about some sandwiches? Or whatever she fixed for the communal meal. It’s after lunch.”

“That’s a better idea. Tell her whatever is easiest for her to arrange. Thank you for thinking of that,” Hudson said. “It’s hard to believe that it’s still Monday. Seems like a week has passed already.”

“I hear that,” Connie muttered.

“I had an ulterior motive,” Torres joked. “Okay, so, what does everybody want to drink?”

After Torres took everyone’s orders, he left. Connie slipped his cell phone back into his pocket and nodded at Hudson.

“Okay, everyone, let’s have a seat.” Hudson motioned to the table in his office.

Everybody took a seat, then chitchatted while they waited for Torres to get back. Very soon, Torres returned with Stella, Mitchell, Nelson, and Audrey.

“Sheila and Parker are unable to attend,” Torres said as he helped Stella unload the cart with their lunches. “I’ll update them later today. But I did give them the basics.”

“Excellent. Thank you,” Hudson said.

Everyone was quiet while they waited for Stella to finish up. Once she left, they started eating their lunch.

---