Page 66 of Seduced By Moonlight

His fears were a reality. The signs were unmistakable: Scattered debris lay around Kayden’s truck and one other. The air was thick with smoke, and the once peaceful surroundings were in turmoil.

Kayden stood amid the swirling chaos, facing off with several adversaries. His muscles tensed as he moved with agility and precision, each motion a calculated effort to fend off the oncoming attackers.

Despite being outnumbered, his determination burned fiercely, his eyes sharp and focused, never wavering from the task at hand. Ward had never seen anything as beautifully terrifying.

He dropped from the sky in a swift, powerful motion, landing with a solid thud in front of Kayden. The ground trembled slightly as he settled, his massive form a barrier against the dark magic swirling around them.

His massive wings flared out, shielding Kayden from the onslaught of spells and whatever else the witches might conjure. “Kayden? Get everyone behind the wards! I’ll cover you.”

Kayden didn’t say a word, just staggered to Mika, who was helping Lance, and together they limped over to reach Matt.

Marianna and one other witch were the only ones remaining. Kayden had single-handedly caused significant destruction, leaving Ward thoroughly impressed.

Marianna unleashed a spiral of black lightning toward Kayden and his friends. Muttering a spell under his breath, Ward knocked aside the bolt of black magic that flew toward them as they hurried for the protective barriers.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Lance, his face ashen and smeared with both blood and dirt, leaning heavily on Mika. Matt had ahold of Kayden, who cast a worried glance back over his shoulder.

“Keep moving!” Ward bellowed, his voice thunderous amidst the pandemonium.

Marianna, with a chilling calmness, began chanting, her words twisting in the air like serpents. The dark energies swirled around her, intensifying into a dense orb that pulsed ominously.

Ward tried to counter the spell but missed. He roared as that ball of magic slammed into the wards just after Kayden and his friends passed through.

The energy burst apart, sending ripples through the air and casting an iridescent glow over the surroundings. Relief washed over Ward. They were safe, and the wards held. Ward turned his attention to Marianna and the remaining witch.

Marianna growled, then flung her hands outward, sending a wave of crackling energy at Ward. Then the ground beneath his feet shuddered as tiny pebbles danced into the air as if plucked by invisible fingers.

Ward dodged sideways, the energy missing him by inches and scorching the earth where he had stood moments before. He’d had enough of this. His red eyes glowed ominously.

He turned his deadly gaze onto Marianna… just as she stepped into a swirling portal of shimmering light. The surrounding air crackled with energy as the portal closed, leaving behind only a faint, lingering shimmer in the space where she had stood moments before.

“No!” screamed the other witch.

Turning toward her, Ward channeled all the fear and anger over Kayden being attacked into the one ability that every paranormal feared. He met her gaze. That was her first mistake.

It would be her last.

Beginning at her feet, the transformation process began, a slow yet relentless metamorphosis. The lower part of her dress lay in tatters, revealing her skin as it shifted to a dull, ashen gray, reminiscent of cold, unyielding stone.

The stony texture spread rapidly, overtaking her body with the urgency of an aggressive infection, leaving behind a trail of hardened skin in its wake.

Her screams echoed in the charged air as she desperately tried to cast any spell that might save her. But it was no use. The transformation was not just physical but magical in its roots, stripping her of any ability to manipulate the spell Ward cast.

Her arms, raised defensively, were now frozen in place, gray and lifeless. A permanent expression of shock and fear was etched into her stone face.

Ward allowed himself to relax slightly, watching as the transformation completed itself with a sinister finality. The witch was now nothing more than a life-size statue, her last moment immortalized in cold stone.

The silence that followed was fraught with tension. Ward slowly turned back to where Kayden and his crew huddled behind the protective wards.

“Is everyone all right?” Ward asked as he approached. He surveyed them. Lance still leaned heavily on Mika, looking paler than before but alive.

“We’re, ah, okay,” Mika assured him, refusing to meet Ward’s gaze. “Lance just needs to shift.”

“Then please, Lance, do what you need to do,” Ward said. Of course he noticed how no one in Kayden’s crew would meet his gaze now.

“I, ah, I—”

“Just do it, Lance. You’ve never had a problem stripping before,” Kayden snapped, swiping at the blood on his face.

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