Page 7 of Seduced By Moonlight

“That may be,” Ward acknowledged, hearing the underlying thread of steel in her voice. “But it doesn’t change the fact those witches were trying to sacrifice you using black magic in my territory. You may not have asked for help, but you needed it.” He paused, watching her reaction closely.

“You said you were the one who brought me here?”

“Yes.”

“So is that your human glamor?”

Ward raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer that question. Instead, he asked one of his own. “What do you remember?”

She pressed her lips together, then finally spoke. “Fire. Chants. And then, agony….” Her voice trailed off. “Finally, darkness.”

Something very close to what Ward assumed was pain danced across her expression.

“You were part of a ritual. Remember?”

“The fire and the chanting that I remember were not part of what you stumbled across.”

“What?” That made no sense to Ward. Then again, she was right. When he came upon them, there was no fire.

“I don’t mean to be a burden or a threat,” she continued.

“We need more than that if you expect menotto consider you a danger,” Ward stated bluntly. “You’re very powerful.”

“Fair enough,” she conceded. “My name is Rihanna Norwood. I was part of a coven in another realm—wizards and witches who bend not just elements but dimensions.” Her gaze flicked up to meet Ward’s again. “And something went very wrong during an experiment.”

“An experiment?” Ward asked. “Wait. Did you say—”

“Oh goddess,” Celine whispered. “Another realm?”

“Yes. Instead of expanding our reach across dimensions, it tore through them haphazardly—sending me here. Not long after that, some of the vilest smelling beings captured me. They experimented on me.” Rihanna’s tone was matter-of-fact, but there were hints of anger and pain in there too.

“The hunters found you, and they mutated your DNA,” Ward surmised.

“At first, I didn’t understand what they were doing, but it became frighteningly obvious pretty quickly. With each successful manipulation, they added another paranormal’s DNA to mine.”

“Until they had mutated your DNA with that of vampire, a were, and a mer. The Power of Three,” Ward mused, trying to hide his horror. “Then, what? You escaped?”

“In a nutshell. I went to a coven for help. That was something I shouldn’t have done,” Rihanna admitted. “I expected help. Instead, I got betrayal.”

“So your arrival here wasn’t intentional?” Celine asked.

“No more than yours would be if you suddenly found yourself elsewhere without explanation or consent,” Rihanna countered.

“I’m so sorry. I am so, so sorry our own kind did that to you,” Celine said softly. “But unfortunately, the established coven of witches here in San DeLain are….”

“Evil.” Rihanna finished for her.

Somewhere outside, a raven called. Frowning, Ward glanced at the window.

“Yes. It’s why a lot of us, take me, for example, are not part of a coven. We belong to other clans or packs or whatever. I’m not the only magic user who looked for acceptance elsewhere.”

Ward took in the information slowly. “And what is it you seek now, Rihanna?”

Minutes ticked by, and Ward shifted uncomfortably.

“That’s not an easy question to answer, now, is it? For now, I seek sanctuary,” Rhiannon said. “And perhaps allies. I need to recover, to understand the full extent of what they did to me, and eventually? To find a way to either return home or make a new one here.”

Her lips tightened momentarily.

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