by Juniper Hart
“I told you—I used to be a thespian,” Hudson teased. Audrey didn’t even crack a smile this time.
“Mr. Fowler,” the pilot crackled from over the intercom. “We’ll be landing in fifteen minutes.”
Audrey’s eyes widened. “Wow, already?” she gasped. “I feel like we just got into the air.”
Really? Hudson thought. I feel like we’ve been flying for ten years.
“Why don’t you buckle yourself in,” he suggested, and she rose from his lap.
“You think I’m a pain in the ass, don’t you?” she asked sadly. “I don’t mean to keep giving you such a hard time.”
“I think you’re overwhelmed and you need to fall off the grid for a while,” he replied. “And yeah, maybe a bit of a pain in my ass.” Audrey made a face and sank back into the chair she’d claimed earlier.
“I can’t take the time off,” she told him. “A contract is a contract.” Hudson gritted his teeth.
“All right.” There was little point in fighting with her, and he was exhausted as it was. He thought about how much time had been spent in Germany and how much more he would spend following her from set to set. “Are you going to commit to any more contracts after this one?”
Audrey stared at him in disbelief.
“I’m booked solid for the next two years!” she cried.
“What?”
“Hudson, I’m one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood right now. I have to strike while the iron’s hot. I’m not going to be young and pretty forever…” She trailed off, as if she had just realized what she was saying, her face paling. “Oh, my God!” she gasped. “I am, aren’t I?”
“You are what?”
“I’m going to be young forever!”
Hudson studied her closely, trying to make sense of what was going through her mind this time. Is she happy about that or distraught? He wasn’t sure Audrey herself even knew how she felt about it.
“How do I explain that?” she whispered.
“That’s one of those matters you learn to roll with,” Hudson answered gently.
“How?”
“You can only stay in one place for a generation,” he offered. “You move on and rebuild elsewhere until people start to notice your timelessness.”
“How can you live like that? Always reinventing yourself?” This was all still so new to her. Hudson had to go easy on her.
“It’s the cost of immortality. It’s a good thing.”
Audrey shook her head in disbelief.
“We’re going in for a landing, Mr. Fowler,” the pilot intoned over the speaker. Hudson held Audrey’s gaze, paying the pilot no mind.
“It’s a lot to process,” he conceded. “But it has worked for thousands of years.”
“It’s worked for you for thousands of years!” Audrey snapped. “You have no problem staying behind the scenes!”
A flood of resentment suddenly overcame Hudson, and judging by the look on Audrey’s face, she felt the same way.
She can’t be this selfish, he thought grimly. She’s just been in Hollywood too long. But as he examined the almost petulant expression on her face, he wondered if he had been wrong about her. Doesn’t she see how much I’m giving up to protect her? Doesn’t she realize that I’ve got a life of my own that doesn’t involve jet-setting around the world to make romantic comedies?
“I didn’t ask for this,” Audrey muttered, reading the expression on his face clearly. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“I know you didn’t.” But that didn’t give her the right to act like a spoiled brat, either.
“Is there any way to change this?”
Shock swept through him.
“What do you mean?” he asked, hoping she wasn’t asking what he thought she was.
“I don’t want this,” Audrey insisted. “I don’t want to be immortal. I don’t want to be a Lycan.”
Ire sparked inside Hudson’s veins.
“You’ve been given a gift,” he growled. “You can’t see it yet, but that’s exactly what it is.”
“It doesn’t feel like a gift. It feels like a burden.”
Hudson knew the feeling, but he managed to keep his mouth shut as the plane began its descent. Now he was the one looking out the window in sullen silence.
The plane touched the runway seamlessly, and the craft taxied to a stop on the tarmac before they unbuckled their seatbelts and headed toward the doorway in silence. Audrey fiddled with her phone, deliberately keeping her eyes averted from her lover’s, and Hudson was grateful for the quietness.
You were the one who forced her to speak, he recalled. It’s your own fault.
As the doors opened, they froze in surprise, a mass of paparazzi covering the pavement in a flash of lights and questions.
“Audrey! Is it true that you and Mike Atkins were having an affair?”
“Audrey, is this the bodyguard you’re sleeping with?”
“Ms. Crane, were you and Carrie Cruthers involved in a love triangle with Mike Atkins?”
Audrey looked at Hudson in shock, and his mouth pursed into a fine line of fury.
“How did they know to find us here?” he snarled angrily.
“I-I told my agent I was coming back with you,” she whispered. “I didn’t think she’d alert the press.”
“What’s your name, sir?” another journalist demanded.
“You idiot, that’s not her bodyguard! That’s Hudson Fowler, CEO of Fowler Telecom!”
A din of excitement erupted as the two hurried down the steps without answering any questions, but that didn’t stop the reporters from laying them on.
“Mr. Fowler, are you going to be at Audrey’s side while she pursues her career, or is she going to take a break?” That query caused Hudson to freeze in his tracks, the reality of the question almost slapping him in the face. The words just verbalized everything he’d been trying to ignore for the past weeks, and he knew there was no escaping it now.
Because those are really our only two options right now, aren’t they? Either Audrey gives up her career, he thought, or I follow her around and give up mine.
“Hudson, come on,” Audrey urged, yanking his arm, and he had no choice but to follow her through the airport to escape the barrage of voices.
It didn’t matter how far they moved from the paparazzi, though—the issue was still there.
What are we going to do about this?
13
Audrey didn’t need to be told that she wasn’t welcome. The feeling was palpable, and while no one was overtly rude to her, the sentiment was the same—the pack saw her as an outsider who didn’t belong among them. One man, Sandoval, stared at her deadpan with glittering black eyes that seemed to bore into her soul.
Do I even have a soul anymore? she wondered.
“I like your movies,” Sandoval leered from his spot on the sofa. His arm draped casually toward her on the opposite end, and even though he wasn’t touching her, he made her distinctly uncomfortable.
“Thank you,” Audrey replied stiffly, looking around for Hudson. He had disappeared into another room with two of the other pack members. To discuss me, undoubtedly. She didn’t even want to be there, but she was quickly learning that she had little say in what she could and couldn’t do anymore. Most days, she longed for the solitary life she’d managed to lead before Hudson had shown up and turned her world upside down.
Shame washed over her.
He’s trying his best to protect you, and you’re giving him nothing but grief, she thought, but it was impossible not to resent the situation which had been thrust upon her. Nothing was the same, and it never would be again. She was still a Hollywood actress, one who was due on set the following morning, in fact.
She was looking forward to some semblance of normalcy, but was there any?
“Does it feel weird kissing all those guys when you’re in a movie?” Her head whipped back toward Sandoval, and she scowled at his tactless question.
“What?” she snapped, ev
en though she’d heard him perfectly well.
“I mean, it’s gotta feel weird, right? Think of all those guys you’ve made out with, none of whom were your boyfriend.”
“Sandoval, get lost,” Hudson snarled, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Sandoval lost his sneer and jumped as if he’d he been burned.
“I was just trying to make our guest comfortable!” he protested.
“Audrey is not a guest!” Hudson retorted. “She’s a member of our pack, whether or not you want to accept that.”
The pack members’ eyes shifted away at the words, and Audrey bristled.
I didn’t ask to be here, either! she wanted to scream. I’m not any happier about this than you are! But she didn’t say anything and instead studied her hands.
“If anyone has anything else to say on the matter, spit it out. Now and in front of Audrey,” Hudson continued. He seemed harder than when she had first met him. In the recesses of her memory, she remembered her first encounter with him in the woods.
Even then, he was so nonchalant, she thought. Now he’s stressed all the time. I did that to him.
“You know our concerns,” Tyler muttered, his gaze still averted. “Gabriel.”
“If you think that Gabriel can overtake us, you are in the wrong pack,” Hudson bit back. “He’s got nothing but a bad attitude and a criminal mind. We’ve got thousands of years of Lycan blood between us.”
“Technically, though, Audrey still belongs with Gabriel. She’s part of his pack.”
“You’re wrong.” The statement was flat and left no room for argument. “Audrey has been placed with us by order of the Council. She is part of us now. If anyone has a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with Landon Burke.”
“Landon Burke isn’t our pack leader!” Sandoval hissed. “You’re supposed to be, but you’re too busy following your wife around the world and being a groupie.”
Audrey balked, her eyes widening to rest on Hudson. Was that what they thought? That Hudson was her lapdog? Humiliation painted her face red as she looked from unfamiliar face to unfamiliar face, their animus suddenly comprehensive.
They think I’ve got him wrapped around my little finger!
“He doesn’t need to follow me anywhere!” she cried before she could stop herself. “I can take care of myself.” There was a general grunt of disbelief, and Audrey rested her eyes on Hudson. He didn’t meet her gaze.
“Do you have a problem with my leadership?” Hudson asked in a controlled voice. It frightened Audrey, even though he didn’t raise the pitch of his tone in the least. Silence met his inquiry, but the tension was mounting among the members at such an alarming rate, it felt like charged electricity in the air.
“Well?” Hudson yelled. “I’m asking you point blank! Get it all out in the open, Sandoval. Stop blurting out shit and then clamming up. That’s not how we do things!”
Sandoval paled but shook his head.
“No,” he muttered. “I’m just saying that you’ve got enough going on without having to…” He didn’t finish his sentence.
“Without having to what?” It was Audrey who spoke this time, the defensiveness almost choking her. “Without having to babysit me?” She leaped from the couch, trembling with the unjustness of the situation.
“Audrey,” Hudson said. “Sit down.”
“No,” she refused. “I need some air.” She stormed out of the clubhouse, the wolf cave that the pack had in the middle of the Angeles National Forest.
“Audrey!”
Dammit, Hudson, just leave me alone! She couldn’t run from him—not that she wanted to. I just want to enjoy him like a boyfriend. I don’t want all this guarding and protecting nonsense. We’ll never be a regular couple.
The idea was almost amusing. How could two Lycans be a regular couple, anyway?
“I just need a few minutes to clear my head,” Audrey told him begrudgingly. “Can’t I even have that?”
“You know I can’t let you out of my sight,” he said softly, his face losing the terseness he’d shown inside. “Not that I want to, either.” She turned and cocked her head up to stare at him.
“I’ve been so wrapped up in what this is doing to me, I haven’t even thought about how much this is impacting your life. It isn’t fair for either of us, Hudson. We can’t keep doing this. Something’s gotta give.” He bit on his lower lip, and Audrey realized that he’d already come to terms with that. “I’ll hire extra security,” she offered weakly, knowing he was going to shoot down the idea. “I’ll—”
“Your security won’t do a damned thing against Gabriel if he comes for you,” Hudson interjected. “You know that.”
“Then hire some Lycans to come with me.”
“I’m not hiring anyone. You’re my responsibility.”
“I hate it when you say that,” she muttered with a grimace. “I don’t want to be your responsibility. I want to be your lover, and all we’re doing is growing more resentful of one another.”
Audrey looked at him, daring him to argue, but there was no argument. He knew it was true.
“I can’t do this, Hudson. I’m going to end up hating you if I stay here, and if you stay at my side, you're going to lose the respect of your pack and God only knows what else. You have a company you’ve neglected—”
“I have people who can run the company.”
“But you don’t want to do that, either.”
“Audrey, what else can we do? You’re right—one of us is going to end up unhappy.”
“Not necessarily,” she replied quietly, shaking her head. “There might be a solution.” Hudson stared at her expectantly. “The only reason Gabriel is looking for me is that he turned me, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you told me before that he’s incapable of turning anyone else?”
“Right.”
“What if you turned me back?”
Shock and hurt pinched Hudson’s face.
“To a mortal?” he choked. “You want to be turned back?”
“It’s the only way this can work,” Audrey insisted. “Gabriel won’t want me, so I’ll be free to live my life as I did before. The pack won’t be on your case about me. We can lead separate lives—”
“No!” Hudson barked. “No, we couldn’t!” Her brow furrowed, and she scowled.
“Why not?” she demanded.
“Because… Audrey, the Council would never agree to let you run around as a mortal who knows our secrets.”
She hadn’t thought about that, but she didn’t falter. “Technically, I should have already been put to death for being turned. Who’s to say I won’t be given a pass on this? It could also work for the other women. If you want to ensure that Gabriel never gets them—”
“Audrey, we will find him and end this for everyone. We won’t be like this forever.”
“We’re already at our wits’ end with how things are! If he’s evaded capture for this long, Hudson, I’d say he’s gotten pretty good at hiding.” Hudson’s face was almost translucent. “Hudson, don’t say no until you’ve looked into it. Can it be done?”
“I don’t know.” He answered too quickly, which made her believe that perhaps there was a way.
“Will you look into it?” His jaw locked, and he refused to meet her gaze.
“If that’s what you want,” he said tersely. “I’ll find out what I can, but I have a strong inkling that it’s not going to happen.” A familiar annoyance struck Audrey, and she folded her arms over her chest.
“At least I’m thinking of options,” she rasped. “I want us to survive this, Hudson. I have never been so connected to anyone.” He met her gaze with an indecipherable expression in his eyes.
“I want us to survive this, too,” he sighed. “But this isn’t the way.”
“It’s the only way I can think of. Do you have any better ideas than how we’ve already been doing things?” Hudson reached for her, and she allowed herself to be pulled into his strong arms without pr
otest.
“No,” he admitted. “I can’t.”
Audrey tipped her head up to stare into his eyes, and all of the negativity she felt in her bones dissipated. Underneath all the frustration and the chaos, there was a man who loved her, despite her sometimes inconsolable petulance.
I’ve upset his life just as much as he has mine. The only way to get through this is to erase it from existence. Their lips met, and for an instant, Audrey felt like she had before—like a regular woman, in love with this strange and fascinating being.
“I don’t want to lose you, Audrey,” Hudson told her huskily, their heads parting.
“You won’t,” she said. “This is the only way to ensure we stay together.”
“For now,” he conceded, sadness shading his bright eyes.
“Forever,” she corrected, but as the word left her lips, she realized why Hudson was so against her proposal. If I am not a Lycan anymore, I won’t be immortal. And if I’m not immortal, we won’t be together forever.
A small gasp escaped her lips, and she dropped her head against his chest, relishing the sound of his steadily beating heart.
I’ll just have to appreciate the time we have together, she thought, swallowing the lump in her throat. What other choice do I have?
14
The Council of Seven met for an emergency meeting that night, the atmosphere somber.
“Call him in,” Theo, the werebear, intoned, looking like he wished he was anywhere but there. “Let’s vote on this nonsense and be done with it.”
Landon scowled and opened the door, permitting Hudson to amble inside.
“Hudson Fowler, before the Council,” Landon announced and then returned to his seat. Hudson nodded at the Enchanted who perched in their throne-like chairs to peer at him with contempt.
“Thank you for seeing me on this matter,” he managed to choke. There was nothing to be grateful for. The outcome of this meeting could result in death for Audrey. Even asking for such a thing might lead to her execution.
But she knows the risks and she doesn’t care. She doesn’t care that she’ll be ending our eternity together. No matter how against the idea Hudson was, he couldn’t deny that Audrey had potentially found a solution that would ensure her safety.