Page 55 of Seduced By Moonlight

“This is going to seem really, really wild, and is probably nothing more than coincidence, but Lance had a run-in with a witch here recently at Club Nomadic.” Kayden repeated what Lance had told him.

Ward leaned forward. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“Can’t say that I’m a fan, either. Lance, Mika, and I went out the other night to Club Nomadic, and sure as shit, she zeroed in on Lance. Again. She sniffed us like shifters do. She was also powerful.”

“Kayden? Can you describe her? Please?”

“Sure,” Kayden said. “She was a beautiful woman with hair that’s an unnatural shade of deep violet, and her eyes were a molten silver.”

“Shit. That sounds like her.”

“I was afraid you were going to say that. It freaked Lance out. Hell, it freaked out me and Mika when she approached us. He did some digging into her. Her name is Marianna Crescente, the High Priestess of the Sisters of the Crescent Moon.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN – KAYDEN

KAYDEN OPENED his eyes. He stretched his arms above his head, feeling the satisfying pull in his muscles, and then tossed the crumpled sheet aside.

Tonight marked the official start of work on Ward’s castle, and anticipation bubbled within him. Yes, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on Ward’s castle—ha, ha—but he also looked forward to seeing the gargoyle himself.

Kayden and his team were prepared to proceed. Ward had examined and approved the samples that Kayden had sent not long after he and Ward had last spoken.

A quick check of his cell showed he had about two hours before his crew would be there. That would give him enough time to shit, shower, and shave.

He’d always believed in maintaining a presentable appearance, even if the job was all about dust and stone—perception mattered in his line of work, especially since he was a teek.

After a quick breakfast, he ducked into his office. As he answered a few emails, he glanced at the sketches spread across his desk. The designs melded ancient aesthetics with contemporary finesse. He couldn’t wait to see Ward’s satisfaction when he finished the project.

Returning to the den, he waved his hand and turned on the TV. A mug of coffee drifted out to him as he caught up on the latest news in the area.

A reporter discussed an accident that had happened on the interstate the previous night involving an SUV and a semitruck. The footage then switched to a black SUV overturned on the side of the interstate, surrounded by flashing emergency lights.

Just as Kayden was about to switch the channel, Ward’s human face abruptly flashed onto the TV screen. Even though Kayden had only seen Ward as a gargoyle, he’d Googled the gargoyle king when Ward had approached Kayden about a job, so he knew what he looked like in that form.

A sudden wave of shock crashed over him, causing his heart to skip a beat. The coffee mug that hovered in mid-air trembled slightly as an icy shiver traced a path down Kayden’s spine.

The sound of the TV reporter’s voice overlapped with the chaotic sirens on the news footage. Kayden was unable to fully comprehend what he just saw, his breath coming in quick gasps.

“W-what the hell?” The fleeting image vanished just as quickly as it appeared, but there was no doubt in his mind that it was Ward.

Ward had a run-in with an eighteen-wheeler? And survived? The quick glance Kayden got wasn’t enough, but at least he knew for sure Ward was alive. He wasn’t sprawled on a stretcher or zipped inside a body bag.

Suddenly Kayden’s breakfast set heavily on his stomach.

Grabbing the coffee out of the air, he took a long sip. He needed to get a grip. Ward had been in an accident. With an eighteen-wheeler. Had he been alone?

Apparently, he was okay. But what had he been doing on the interstate? Had he been going into San DeLain? Or coming back? If he was going into the city, who had he been going to see?

That last thought made him blink. Whatever Ward had been doing, it was none of Kayden’s business. At all. Still, the question circled in his head. As did the need to check that Ward was truly fine. But again, that was none of Kayden’s business. Ward was a client. Nothing more.

If Ward was hurt, someone at the castle surely would have told Kayden. They had humans and other paranormals there during the day. Someone would’ve notified him if they needed to delay construction, right? Only, why would they? He was just the hired help.

“Fuck,” Kayden whispered. That thought really chapped his ass.

Would it be out of line for him to text Ward and ask if he was okay? He could play it off like he didn’t want to waste a trip out there for nothing. Shit. Maybe he just needed to leave things alone.

“And I’m going to drive myself crazy until I actually lay eyes on him.” Kayden pulled his cell out of his pocket. He texted Ward, mentioning he saw the accident on TV and inquiring if Ward felt up to beginning the work that night.

There. Kayden could show he was concerned without overdoing it.

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