by Juniper Hart
“It happens,” Hudson agreed. “But the penalty for it is death… for everyone involved.” Audrey’s jaw was almost on the floor.
“What?” she gasped. “You kill the mortals, too?”
“I don’t kill anyone,” Hudson corrected gruffly. “The Council votes, and they arrange for it to happen.”
“Wh—How? How do you kill someone that can’t die?”
“Any living thing can die,” Hudson grumbled, sounding exasperated with the conversation. “Some of us are just harder to kill than others.”
“How, though? How can we be killed?”
“You know, this topic has taken a morbid turn,” he groaned. “I know you’re curious, Audrey, but baby steps, okay? You can’t learn everything today.” Oh, Audrey wasn’t even close to being done.
“You said that I was illegally turned,” she muttered, remembering. “Doesn’t that mean I should be dead, according to this Council?” Hudson tensed visibly.
“Under normal circumstances, that would be the case,” he replied slowly, and she peered at him expectantly. He didn’t continue.
“But?” she urged. “Why are the other women and I different? Or is it just me? What makes us so special?”
“You are special.” Hudson retorted sharply. “I don’t know why they have chosen to give you amnesty, but they have.”
Audrey wasn’t convinced. “What if they change their minds? Am I supposed to look over my shoulder everywhere I go now?”
“Audrey, I’ve been sent here to protect you. If they wanted you dead, they would have done it by now, I assure you.”
“But what if they change their minds?”
“Audrey!” Hudson reached for her hands and clasped them in his. “Look at me!” Reluctantly, Audrey pulled her gaze upward and stared at him worriedly. “You can’t keep running around scared.”
“I’m not scared!” she denied. She wondered how he could tell. No one could ever read her insecurities. She was Audrey Crane, after all. She didn’t have a care in the world.
“You don’t need to be,” he told her softly. “Not of the Council, and not about anything else.” His words filled her with warmth, but there was still a pounding skepticism inside her that wouldn’t quit.
“What about this Gabriel?”
“What about him?”
“I know he’s gone rogue, but why didn’t he take me when he had the chance?”
“I wish I knew the answer to that, Audrey, but I don’t. Maybe you managed to escape and you don’t remember. Maybe he let you go to come back for you later. He’s a top priority for the head of the Lycans right now. That’s why he’s had me watching over you.”
“Watching over me?” she repeated. “For how long?”
“I’ve had my eye on you for about six months, ever since we found out who you were. I don’t think it was easy to find the women Gabriel had turned.”
Audrey blinked uncomprehendingly.
“Why didn’t you ever introduce yourself?” she asked in confusion. “Make yourself known?” She would’ve felt a lot better during the past three months if she had known she had a werewolf watching her back.
“There was no need,” Hudson said, seeming sheepish. “I mean, I didn’t realize how intimately connected we were until I met you face to face, and until I came here, I had no idea you were in the dark about your transformation. If I had known, Audrey, I would have come to you sooner.”
She had to accept that explanation, even if it bothered her on an almost childish level.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Hudson wanted to know. Audrey sank against his body and allowed the robe to fall away, savoring the heat of his skin against her.
“I was just thinking that we wasted six months of this,” she answered honestly, and a strong arm encircled her shoulders affectionately.
“We didn’t waste anything,” he promised her. “We’ve got an eternity to make up for lost time.” He kissed the top of her head and embraced her tightly.
“I have one more question,” she said, and Hudson groaned in exasperation.
“You get exactly one more question!” he chided her jokingly. “What is it?”
Audrey propped her head up stared into his eyes. “You said that the Enchanted have been around for thousands of years, right?”
“Yes…”
“But you’re not thousands of years old, are you?”
Hudson snickered and squeezed her. “Would it bother you if I was?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I was just going to say you age really well.”
“I am two-hundred fifty-six years old.”
“Wow,” Audrey breathed, her eyes wide. “Really?” He nodded. “You’re the oldest guy I’ve ever dated!” She leered at him, making him chortled.
“Oh, you have so much to learn, Audrey,” Hudson chirped, yanking her into a bear hug.
“Like what?”
“Like I am not a guy. I am your mate, and you are bound to me forever.”
10
Hudson would never admit it to Audrey, but he was bored to tears on the set of the movie, and as much as he wanted to be enthusiastic about being there, he wished he was home—and that Audrey would come with him. It had been a long week of arguing with her on the point.
“I can’t just up and leave in the middle of my contract,” she insisted. “I’ll be blacklisted everywhere!”
“You don’t need to work,” he tried, and she scowled at him with contempt.
“You aren’t going to go all 1950s caveman on me, are you?” she snapped. He bristled in response. He certainly respected her career, but her safety was paramount to any job.
“Of course not,” he conceded, checking his temper. “But it’s my sworn duty to keep you out of harm’s way, Audrey, and I’m better suited to do that with the pack having my back.”
“Do I really need all that protection when I’m a Lycan, too?”
“You don’t know how to harness your powers yet!” Hudson huffed, wondering how she always managed to talk him in circles. “And even if you did, Gabriel is armed with a pack of wolves who don’t play by the rules.”
“It’s a good thing I have you then.” Audrey smiled, and Hudson knew the fight was over. They would remain in Germany until filming was complete before heading back to LA. He didn’t broach it to her, but he hoped she was going to take a break after they returned. He wasn’t sure how much playing roadie he could take.
Even though the cast and crew thought he was her new bodyguard, that didn’t stop them from stealing moments alone inside the trailer when they thought no one was watching. It was the best part of Hudson’s day, and despite his increasing boredom, he was glad he was with Audrey.
He was thinking that when her new assistant appeared at his side, her brow furrowed with upset.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Hudson,” Elisha said in a meek voice. “But Ms. Crane said if I found anything suspicious on her emails, I should give them to you.”
Hudson was suddenly on high alert, and he reached for the tablet in Elisha’s hands.
“Is it from the same sender as the other ones?” he asked. She nodded, her cheeks red, as if what she’d read had humiliated her. Hudson’s jaw locked as he read the message, all in caps lock.
REPLACING ONE BODYGUARD FOR ANOTHER WON’T KEEP US APART.
His finger paused over the keys, the desire to respond knocking the wind out of him.
“Put this in the file with the others,” he instructed Elisha, reaching for his phone. “And make sure you leave the tablet on.” His instinct screamed at him that Gabriel was responsible for the emails, but if he was wrong and he replied to a mentally unbalanced fan of Audrey’s, he would just be stirring the pot. Whoever it was apparently had firsthand knowledge of what was happening on set.
Would Gabriel know who Hudson was? He hoped so.
Two centuries ago, a war had broken out, covertly and deadly, which had eliminated a rebellion who had tried to overthrow Landon and th
e concept of civility. Among them had been Gabriel, but Hudson had been on the side of the angels, and stories of how he had led several west coast packs to victory had remained a much talked-about legend.
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, Hudson thought. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Gabriel wouldn’t get his hands on Audrey any more than he had won his rebellion. Hudson would defeat him again, and hopefully, the Council would exterminate him like the vermin he was. Idly, he wondered what would happen to the rest of the pack. If the women had been spared, maybe they would be, too.
“Hudson?” Elisha’s squeaky voice brought him back to the present.
“Hm?”
“Can I have the tablet back?”
“Oh… No. Leave it with me for five minutes.” She stared at him worriedly, her eyes wide behind owl-like glasses. “It’s fine,” he assured her. “Audrey won’t mind.”
“Oh… Okay…” Elisha shuffled off to the side, looking lost, but Hudson was already reaching into his pocket for his cell phone.
“Boss! Are you coming home?” McAvoy wanted to know.
“Of course I am,” Hudson scoffed, even if it felt like he might never see American soil again. “I need you to look into an email address for me. It’s already been searched, and it’s untraceable through the dark web, but I’m hoping you can work some magic here, all right?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” McAvoy agreed. “What’s the email?” Hudson told him, listening as the tech jotted it down. “Okay, Boss. Anything else?”
“Not for now,” Hudson sighed. “I’ll be home in a week and a half.”
“Yeah?” McAvoy didn’t sound convinced.
“Tell Germain not to burn the company to the ground while I’m gone.”
“There’s a pack meeting,” McAvoy reminded him in a low voice. “Sandoval is huffing and puffing that you’re not here.”
“You tell Sandoval that if he wants to spend the winter in Alberta, he can keep up his bullshit. Trey can manage the meeting—unless there’s something happening that I don’t know about.”
“Nope,” McAvoy replied happily. “All is running smoothly. You do you, Boss.”
“Let me know if you turn anything up on that search.”
“Will do.” Hudson hung up and gestured for Elisha to take the iPad in his hand before turning his eyes toward his lover, who was shooting a scene alone.
She’s beautiful, he thought, studying her classic profile from a distance. In hindsight, the challenges he’d faced to make her understand were comical. Well, maybe not the outstanding warrant for my arrest here.
“Are you and Audrey sleeping together?”
The question surprised him, mostly because Hudson hadn’t seen Audrey’s co-star, Alex, sneak up on him.
“Is that any way to speak to the help?” Hudson asked sarcastically. Alex only glowered at him.
“Everyone knows you are,” he spat. “You’re going to ruin her career.”
“Having sex in Hollywood ruins careers?” Hudson asked innocently. Alex’s scowl deepened.
“Having sex with the help ruins careers.”
A smirk formed on Hudson’s mouth, and he examined the Hollywood-handsome actor before him. He’d seen Alex Suarez in a couple of movies. The guy’s acting left a lot to be desired, but he seemed to have his own fanbase of teenage girls.
“I would think working with mediocre actors would do worse for one’s career than dating a bodyguard,” Hudson mused. “But what do I know? I’m just the help.” The insult went over Alex’s head, as he had suspected it would, with the actor focussing more on another part of the sentence.
“Dating?” he choked. “You’re dating her?”
“Cut!” the director, Mike, screamed. “Alex! What the hell are you doing over there?” Alex’s face turned crimson and instantly drained of color.
“N-nothing!” he stuttered.
“You missed your cue! Again!” Mike was livid, and perversely, Hudson got a kick out of watching the kid fumble over to the set to complete his scene. Alex couldn’t resist a scathing backward look. Hudson waved at him, and he rolled his eyes when Alex turned away.
If I had ever gone to high school, I imagine this is what it would have been like, he mused, shaking his head. It was just one more reason for him to feel nothing but disdain toward the entire process. He casually leaned back against an unused stage light and watched the scene. Alex was too flustered to see it through well, and the director was growing more and more incensed with each take.
“We’re already two weeks behind schedule!” Mike roared. “Because of you!”
“I’m doing my best,” Alex whined, looking humiliated. Hudson almost felt sorry for him.
“Lay off him, Mike,” Audrey snapped. “You don’t have to be a miserable prick all the time.”
“You think he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing?” Mike protested furiously. “He’s a disgrace! Your name is on this movie too, Audrey!”
“I need a break!” Audrey growled and stormed off the set toward Hudson.
“There’s no time for breaks!” Audrey didn’t flinch, and she smiled wanly at Hudson.
“Aren’t you glad you never became an actor?” she asked sarcastically.
“I was one, once upon a time,” Hudson replied, and she gawked at him in disbelief.
“You’re kidding!”
“What? I don’t have the face of a thespian?”
“A thespian—” She burst into laughter and grabbed his arm to hold herself up in her hysterics. “A thespian!” Hudson joined her chuckles, but through his peripheral vision, he saw Alex fuming off to the side. Mike, beside him, looked just as unimpressed.
“Your crew is getting a little antsy,” Hudson told her gently. “You should probably get back to it.”
“Screw them,” Audrey murmured, positioning herself on her tiptoes to softly kiss his mouth. Hudson didn’t need to turn to hear the gasp of surprise around them.
And I thought everyone already knew we were a thing, he thought, remembering Alex’s spiteful words.
“All right,” Audrey muttered, falling back onto her flat feet. “I’ll finish this scene, but only because I want to get back to the hotel and ravage you.”
“I think you’ve got that backward,” Hudson teased her. “I’m the one who does the ravaging.”
“We’ll see.” He watched her sashay away, leaving him to be openly gawked at by the other cast and crew members.
“Don’t get too attached, buddy,” one of the cameramen chuckled. “She’ll love you and leave you like she does the rest of them.” The smile faded off Hudson’s face, and he glared at the middle-aged guy.
“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” he growled. The man balked.
“Who, me? No. What would Audrey Crane do with the likes of me?” he laughed nervously. “No, I’m just saying, all the actress types are the same. They just want a boytoy to carry their purses around until something better comes along. It’s nothing personal. It’s just the way it is.”
Hudson’s fists clenched at his side, anger sprouting inside him.
“Audrey isn’t like that,” he snarled, and the man shrugged his fat shoulders.
“I hate to break it to you, bud. They’re all like that. The sooner you accept that, the better off you’ll be.” He hurried away to do a task, and Hudson looked about, noting the same contemptuously pitying looks around him.
What the hell have I gotten myself into? I’m Hudson Fowler, alpha and CEO. I’m nobody’s boytoy! And yet as he thought about it, he tried to remember what else he’d been doing for the past week except following Audrey around like a puppy. It’s just for a few more days, he reminded himself. And then we’re back on my turf.
Why did it feel like he was fighting an uphill battle on the matter?
“And action!” Mike screamed with unnecessary loudness. The clapperboard echoed through the park, and the scene started again.
Suddenly,
Elisha appeared at Hudson’s side once more.
“Hudson!” she whispered, her eyes almost bulging out of her head.
“What?” he murmured.
“The hospital called!”
He stared at her blankly. “What?”
Elisha nodded eagerly.
“The hospital called,” she hissed louder. “Carrie is out of her coma.”
11
“What else did they say?” Audrey demanded from the backseat of the BMW. “How is she doing? Is there any permanent damage?”
“I only know what I already told you, Ms. Crane,” Elisha squeaked. “She’s awake and asking to see you.”
“Is her mom still there? Dammit, I should have been at the hospital more!” Audrey moaned, guilt flooding her in a tidal wave. “I just left her there to rot.”
“There was nothing you could do for her while she was in a coma,” Hudson told her from the driver’s seat. She had insisted on sitting in the back, dizziness overwhelming her when she’d heard the news. She just wanted to lie down until they got to the hospital.
“Why did we have to keep it from everyone else?” Audrey demanded. “Everyone on set is worried about her too, you know?”
“Audrey,” Hudson growled. “Elisha knows exactly what she told you. I’m sure Carrie will explain everything when we get there.”
“But you didn’t talk to Carrie,” Audrey insisted. “You spoke to a nurse.”
“Yes, Ms. Crane.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Elisha, stop calling me Ms. Crane.”
“Audrey.” She hung her head with contrition.
“I’m sorry,” Audrey mumbled. “I’m stressed.”
“It’s okay, Ms. Cr—Uh, Audrey.” The actress peered out the windshield. A dark cloud had rolled in over the city, and she could feel a tension in her head, warning her that rain was about to start.
“How much longer until we get there?”
“We’re almost there.” It felt like they’d been driving for hours, but Audrey knew the reality was much less than that. They had probably been on the road for ten minutes in total. The problem was, she hadn’t learned about Carrie’s wakening before she had finished her scene.