Page 91 of Beyond the Darkness

There was the sound of a scuffle and then Kit made a small sound of pain.

Hudson grabbed Connie by the shoulder. “It’s all fake. He didn’t actually hurt Kit. Remember that. Also, remember that Kit is no longer human. He’s much harder to hurt. He’s okay, Connie.”

Connie was starting to sweat. His dragon was infuriated. But if Hudson could keep control by Gaura, so would he. But knowing Kit was going through something and that he and Hudson weren’t there—listening to this was making him insane, but he couldn’t walk away, either.

“I told you I would get him for you, and I have. Now let my brother go,” Don said.

“I must admit, I am surprised. You’ve been nothing but incompetent from the moment you joined our ranks as a hunter,” Lennox said. “What Nox saw in you, I will never know. But still, you managed to accomplish what I didn’t think you were capable of. Hello, Kit.”

“Fuck you,” Kit snapped.

Connie let out a sharp hiss, his eyes narrowing dangerously at Kit’s words. What the hell was his mate thinking? Hadn’t anyone ever warned him not to provoke psychopaths? Didn’t he know the danger he was playing with?

“Connie,” Hudson warned through gritted teeth. “Just stay calm.”

“Actually, I’ll be fucking you, thank you very much,” Lennox replied.

Connie turned and put his fist through the nearest wall. Over his dead body that would happen.

“I’m going to force you to mate me, Kit, and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me. Hopefully, that’ll destroy Hudson and Connie. I love the idea that forcibly mating you could kill the dragon king of the San Delain court. Killing his Right Hand is just a bonus.”

A hushed gasp rippled through the bookstore. Connie’s heart stopped, if only for a moment, then his blood boiled with fury. They knew what Lennox’s plan was, but hearing it put so baldly was revolting.

Forcing a mating bite on Kit—and it would be a bite since Lennox was a werecat—would be horribly painful. It could be done on other werecreatures, but Connie wasn’t even sure if the bite could cancel out the soul bond with Kit because Hudson and Connie were completely different creatures than Lennox. Nevertheless, it would be a horrendous situation to put Kit through.

And if the bond did break? Connie wasn’t sure he and Hudson would survive. Hudson’s grip on his shoulder tightened to the point of pain, a stark reminder that they were not alone in this fight and had to maintain control.

“You’re delusional if you think that’s going to happen,” Kit responded, his voice shaky but defiant.

“Am I?” Lennox scoffed.

“I would rather be dead.”

“You’re no use to me dead. The pain it will cause your mates, along with Michail, will be so satisfying,” Lennox said. “You can thank your papa for this. He should not have run.”

“He ran for a reason, and that’s because you’re a fucking nutcase,” Kit declared. “I won’t mate you.”

“You seem to forget your current situation. You are in no position to negotiate, and I did not ask you to mate with me. It will happen regardless, and you will be mine.”

From the depths of the tunnels, the sound of heavy footsteps approached. Lennox laughed, a dark, chilling sound that echoed ominously through the wire feed. “Oh look. My hunters have arrived. Your escape routes are cut off now. You’re not going anywhere.”

Connie itched to shift and tear through every obstacle until he reached Kit. But he remained still, muscles coiled tight, eyes blazing with suppressed fury.

Hudson leaned close, his breath warm against Connie’s ear. “We have a plan. Hold on just a little longer, sweetheart.”

As agonizing seconds ticked by, Don’s voice finally broke the tension. “And my brother? You promised you would release him.”

“The fact that you believed me is completely astounding.” Lennox laughed. “I’m not letting him go. Ever. He’s the first human with mutated mer DNA who has lived longer than a month. He’s a success. But you? You look like you’re due for the grave at any moment.”

“You promised!” Don yelled, then started coughing.

Connie heard a rather large and distinctive splash in the background. “They’re at the underground lake.”

“And you’re an idiot,” Lennox mocked.

“You are a horrible person, and you need to die just like Nox!” Kit screamed.

Then, there was a high-pitched keening sound, like that of a dolphin in distress.

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