Page 77 of Walking in Darkness

Which was another consideration. The people Hudson trusted most would not be at home. He could leave some of them there, he guessed. But he’d rather they be with him for such a meeting.

He and Connie had originally decided it was best not to take Kit because it would’ve brought up questions neither one of them—at the time—had been willing to answer. Mainly, who Kit was to them. That wasn’t a concern anymore because Kit was well aware he was their mate now. So why not take him? Kage had brought his mate.

Granted, some of the other paranormal leaders had not responded well, but Kage had nipped that little rebellion in the bud with help from Isadora.

If they took Kit with them, word would spread like wildfire, but that was a moot point now—he’d already gotten a phone call from his mother about Kit. Word was out, it appeared.

And it wouldn’t hurt for the other leaders to meet Kit, especially since he was being targeted by Lennox. Mates were revered among the paranormal community. He would hope if another paranormal leader was around Kit and saw he was in danger, they would help.

This was also a decision he had no business making on his own.

Picking up his cell phone, he called Connie. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“Hey. Is everything okay?”

Hudson wasn’t surprised that was the first question out of Connie’s mouth. He’d just seen both his mates that morning at breakfast.

“Everything is fine, but I want to ask you a question.” Hudson quickly explained his thinking about Kit and the meeting tonight.

“I see. Honestly, I would prefer Kit to be with us, and I really don’t give a damn who might get their panties in a wad about it. The concerns we had before are no longer valid, so why shouldn’t we take him?”

“I agree with you, but this isn’t a decision I should make without you,” Hudson said, leaning back in his desk chair.

“Or Kit.”

“Of course. I’ll most definitely talk to him about it, but I wanted to see where you stood on the subject.”

“Thank you for that. You have my answer,” Connie said. “What areyouwanting to do?”

“I would prefer him with us as well. He’s safer that way.”

“I agree.”

“Then I will talk to Kit. Will you be done by lunchtime?” Hudson asked.

“I should be completely out of my cabin by then. I’m about to make a trip to the house to drop off some boxes, so if you hear someone in your quarters, it’s just me.”

“I’ll be in my office if you need me,” Hudson said, straightening in his chair. “So, I’ll meet you for lunch then?”

“Yes. I’ll see you then. Let me know how it goes with Kit.”

“I’ll tell you at lunch, sweetheart. Goodbye.” Hudson disconnected the call and then stared at his cell phone for a couple minutes. Before he laid out all the options for Kit, he needed to call Kage. He dialed the number and waited.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning to you. Are you busy?” Hudson asked.

“Not for you. Is everything okay?”

“Yes, but I have a question for you. The meeting is tonight, and I was wondering what your plans concerning Austin are.”

“I’d planned to bring him with me. Why?” Kage asked. “Oh. You’re asking because of Kit, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Originally, I was going to ask if Kit could visit with your mate during the meeting. I understand that you’d want them to be in your territory, of course.”

“Originally?”

“Well, I said originally because my reservation about taking Kit to the meeting was the questions such a thing would trigger. At the time, Kit did not know he was our mate. That has since changed.”

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