Page 24 of Walking in Darkness

“What is this meeting? Is, ah, that okay to ask?”

“It’s a monthly meeting of all the paranormal leaders of San DeLain at a restaurant of a mutual friend. We started doing this when Nox became an issue,” Hudson said. “And we’ve continued doing it.”

“Okay. Thanks for telling me.” Kit repeated what his mom had told him. “She also said my papa recognized your names.”

Hudson hit send, then put his cell phone back in his pocket. “I see. Then they shouldn’t be caught off guard when they meet Nelson,” Hudson said. “That’s good. Did she say anything else?”

“No. Although, she said Papa was rather… concerned.”

“Understandable,” Hudson said. “They just found out their human son is involved with two dragons. I also had one of the guest rooms freshened up for your parents. I’d like them to stay here. It would be safer.”

“That makes sense. Not sure they will go for that.”

“I think they will once they know the entire story. I wouldn’t assume your papa is safe, even though he is mated,” Hudson said. “And I also understand why your papa is concerned.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sure he has a million questions. As it just so happens, so do I,” Kit said, a little bit of a bite to his voice. “Anyway, I’m ready if you are.”

It was going to be a long day, of that Hudson had no doubt.

CHAPTER SEVEN – KIT

KIT WAS pretty much lost in his head for the rest of the day. They stopped by his place so he could pick up since they agreed talking to his parents there was best. Depending on how things went, Kit hoped they could move to Hudson’s compound after the talk.

Hudson mentioning that Kit’s papa still might not be safe, even after all this time, had scared the ever-living crap out of Kit. He’d forgotten who Lennox’s first obsession had been. Hudson wanted his parents to stay at the compound, and Kit was all for it. It really was safer than the apartment.

They ate a late lunch, did some shopping, and then returned to Hudson’s compound. Kit overheard Connie telling Hudson the meeting had been moved to next Monday night.

They spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around Hudson’s private pool. Fortunately, there were very few interruptions. They ate dinner in Hudson’s quarters, then snuggled on the couch while watching a movie.

There had been some kissing, but Kit hadn’t been in the right frame of mind, and his mates seemed to pick up on that.

Kit returned to his room, even though Hudson had hinted he’d be more than welcome to stay. He’d thought about it, he really had. But Kit had a feeling he wasn’t going to sleep well tonight and didn’t want to keep them up.

SUNDAY morning was there before he knew it. And sure enough, Kit hadn’t slept a wink. They had breakfast, which was over much too fast for his liking, then it was time to go.

The drive into San DeLain was insane as usual, but they arrived at Kit’s apartment with no trouble. They’d been subtle about it, but Hudson and Connie both kept an eye on surrounding traffic.

They parked and took the elevator to Kit’s floor. Opening the door, Kit ushered them inside. Now it was hurry up and wait. They’d been there yesterday, so Kit had already shown them around. Not that there was much to see.

Kit turned on the TV, and they settled on the couch. He kept flipping through the channels, unable to decide what to watch. Finally, Connie took the remote and picked a program. When sitting became too much, Kit started pacing.

Time dragged on.

Hudson’s phone chimed with a text message notification, and Kit hurried back to him. He waited not so patiently while Hudson checked his phone. He heard Connie’s cell beep also. Both of them got text messages at almost the same time? That was a little odd.

Hudson raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. They should be here in fifteen minutes.”

The butterflies in Kit’s stomach suddenly grew teeth and chomped down. It was ridiculous that he was nervous, but he was. Which, okay, maybe it wasn’t ridiculous—everything he thought he knew about his life had been a lie.

Fine. Fine! Maybe saying everything was a lie was a bit strong. His parents hadn’t actually lied, they just hadn’t told the truth. At least not the whole truth. Was an omission lying? Because they’d certainly omitted telling him a very important aspect of his papa’s heritage.

He really needed people to stop doing what they thought was best for him and just be honest.

“Thanks,” Kit said. Unable to sit down, Kit walked over to the big picture window in his apartment. A few seconds later, Connie and Hudson joined him.

“Not a bad view.” Hudson rubbed his hand up and down Kit’s back.

The gesture was comforting, Kit had to admit. “It’s okay.”

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