Page 91 of Seduced By Moonlight

“Excellent.” Ward stood. “Also, as a business owner, I understand you have other tasks to handle, even if you’re not currently working on my castle. Do I need to find you an office to work out of?”

Kayden also got to his feet. “Let’s just see how things go. Right now, I can work from my laptop.”

“If that changes, let me know. Also, please make yourself at home. Same goes for Lance and Mika.”

“I will, and we will.” Kayden shifted from foot to foot, then stepped closer to Ward and quickly kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

“You certainly will.” Ward held his bedroom door open so they could leave. With a wave, Kayden headed down the stairs while Ward continued on to his office.

A warm smile spread across his face as his fingers gently traced the spot where Kayden’s lips had softly brushed against his skin. The memory of the tender moment lingered, like the warmth of sunlight on a cool afternoon—not that he knew what that felt like, but he could guess.

A pleasant flutter danced in his chest, leaving him feeling both cherished and content.

He walked into his office and took a seat at his desk. After opening his laptop, he accessed the email from Kage. As expected, it included the case notes outlining what the hunters had done to Rihanna during their experiments with her DNA.

As he reviewed the details, anger surged through his veins. Not even the gods could protect those responsible if Ward ever caught them. The horrors inflicted upon her were beyond words.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Should he tell her about this? Was it necessary for her to know that they’d seen her merely as a test subject rather than as a human being?

If he switched their positions, would he want to know? Absolutely, he would. Since he needed to speak with her anyway, he sent her a text. She replied almost immediately that she was on her way.

Ward waited at his desk, his fingers drumming lightly on the surface as he contemplated the conversation ahead. He wasn’t just concerned about delivering the grim details of the experiments.

He was also worried about Rihanna’s reaction. The information could change everything for her, reshaping her view of her own past and future.

The knock on the door came sooner than expected. “Come in.”

Rihanna entered, moving gracefully across the room. She took the seat opposite him. “What’s going on?”

“I have information from Kage about the experiments on you,” Ward began. Shit, he could still hear the underlying fury in his voice. “But I must warn you—it’s unsettling.”

Rihanna nodded, her jaw tightening. “I’m listening.”

He passed over his laptop, displaying the detailed report sent by Kage. It listed findings from multiple lab tests, genetic modifications attempted on Rihanna’s DNA, and several other vile trials performed on her without her consent or awareness.

When she finished, there was silence—an oppressive, heavy silence that filled the room.

“As I read through that, it’s clear they weren’t merely experimenting. They were trying to recreate the Power of Three. And they did,” Ward said.

Rihanna looked at him sharply. “This isn’t just about them using me as a lab rat. They planned to weaponize whatever they made me into. Fuck.”

“I truly am sorry, Rihanna. If I could, I’d undo what was done to you and send you back to your own realm. Best I can do is assure you we destroyed the lab that held you captive, as were the case notes, so that this can’t be recreated.”

“Thank you. I hate to say this, but Kage took a chance sending this to you.”

“It’s encrypted. Now, did Tank tell you about the blood bags?”

“He did, and he also told me their storage location. Thank you so much for that. And I should tell you, I’ve already had a bag, and I could tell a difference immediately.”

“I’m relieved to hear it. I have the name of Raven’s distributor, so that’s also taken care of. There was something else he told me. There is only one true way to end a vampire’s second life.”

Rihanna raised an eyebrow. “Only one way?”

“Yes. Sun burns them badly but doesn’t kill them. They don’t turn to ash as seen in the movies. You can bleed them until they turn into basically a husk, but it’s still not a true death. Even dismemberment doesn’t do the job.”

“Well, that’s interesting.”

“Do you have vampires in your realm?”

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