Page 53 of Seduced By Moonlight

They pulled up beside a massive pile of raw materials—stone, wood, metal—all waiting to be transformed under their skilled hands.

Stepping out of the truck, he saw Tank and waved him down. “Evening. Something going on tonight? Noticed there’s a guard at the gate.”

“Just precautions. Recent events have everyone a bit on edge,” Tank replied gruffly.

Recent events—so the accident?

“Right.” Kayden nodded slowly, then gave up pretending to understand. “Actually, I have no idea what that means, but okay.”

Tank snorted.

Seeing that Tank wasn’t going to explain—wasn’t there an old saying about you couldn’t get blood from stone?—Kayden walked toward where his crew was already unloading their gear.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tank pull his cell phone out of his back pocket.

Kayden moved a large section of stone with a graceful wave of his hand, effortlessly gliding it through the air to a new, closer location. The stones settled into place with a soft thud, perfectly positioned for the task ahead.

Kayden’s crew wasted no time setting up lighting so they could see and getting to work. The worksite buzzed with activity beneath the crescent moon ascending over the old stone towers.

The electric charge in the air wasn’t entirely from paranormal energy or power tools. It felt like anticipation… or trepidation. All he knew for sure was that the vibe there was off.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he dragged it out. The cryptic message that popped up on his screen said to please come to Ward’s office.

Ward wanted to meet? Now? Kayden frowned deeply but texted back a simple affirmative before turning to inform his crew he needed a moment and would be back shortly.

And what do you know? Tank was waiting for him.

Making his way toward Ward’s private quarters involved navigating dimly lit corridors that felt more oppressive tonight than usual. They arrived, and Tank knocked twice before being let inside.

Ward looked none the worse for wear after being in a car wreck. He wore his usual leather pants, and Kayden saw no scratches on him, but that made sense. Paranormals healed incredibly quickly.

“Good evening,” Kayden said.

“Hey.” Ward nodded to Tank, who turned around and left. “Please have a seat.”

Kayden calmly took a seat in front of Ward’s desk. God, he felt like a naughty kid who had been called to the principal’s office, and he did not like that feeling. “Is everything okay? Did you have changes you wanted to make?”

Ward blinked at Kayden, and his wings fluttered slightly as they folded up on his back. “Oh. I apologize. I didn’t ask you to meet me for that. No, everything is perfect. I love what you suggested and don’t want to change a thing.”

Kayden ran a hand through his hair. “Then what’s going on? I feel like I’m about to be scolded, but damned if I can figure out why. We couldn’t have done anything wrong. I mean, we haven’t been here long enough todosomething wrong.”

“I’m making a mess of this. Again, I apologize. You and your crew have done nothing. The plans are perfect. I asked you to meet because I wanted to explain what happened last night.”

Kayden perked up. It really was not his business, but he was slowly driving himself insane, wanting to know. “There’s something wrong, isn’t there?”

“I’m afraid so, and since you are in my territory, I should appraise you of the situation.”

Kayden’s interest suddenly went in another direction. “Is my crew in danger?”

“I knew that would be your first worry. You know, you have traits of an alpha.”

“Yeah, no. I’m no leader.”

“Oh? Do you not consider the people who work for you yours?”

Kayden wasn’t getting into his found family and his feelings for them. “I’m very protective of my people, yes. So what’s going on, Ward?”

Ward leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking under his weight. “While driving home from a meeting in San DeLain last night, an eighteen-wheeler veered across the median on the interstate and attempted to collide with my vehicle head-on. Instead, it ended up sideswiping us. They didn’t target the other SUV with me.”

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