Page 67 of Seduced By Moonlight

“I’ve never seen someone turned to stone before, so excuse me if I was a little fucking distracted, asshole!” Lance growled at Kayden.

“Bite me! And stop yelling. My head iskillingme!”

“Fuck, fuck, I’m sorry. Right, shifting now.” Lance wrung his hands. “And someone needs to attend to Kayden too.”

“I’m fine.”

“The hell you—”

“That’s enough from the both of you,” Mika said. “Lance? Shift. Kayden? Sit down before you fall down. You probably have a concussion. Plus, you used a lot of power back there.”

Concern radiated through Ward. Was Kayden injured? Was he in pain, suffering in silence? “You will see Celine. She’s a skilled healer, and she’ll know exactly what to do.”

“Look—”

“Please?” Ward’s voice trembled slightly.

At least Kayden had the courage to meet his gaze. His eyes were steady and unflinching, filled with a quiet intensity as Ward scrutinized him from head to toe. Kayden’s expression was resolute, his posture confident, as if daring Ward to find something lacking.

Everyone held their breath, and the moment stretched taut between them, charged with an unspoken… something.

“She can help with anything else you might need,” Ward said. “Just tell me. I’ll make sure you get it.”

“Really, I’m fine. I just need to—” Kayden rasped, blood still trickling from his temple. He wavered on his feet slightly. “Shit. Might have spoken too soon. I, ah, need to…. Shit. I’m going down.”

A surge of terror, more intense than anything Ward had experienced in years, coursed through his veins. His heart pounded violently in his chest as he propelled himself forward with a burst of adrenaline.

He caught Kayden just in time, pulling him into the safety of his arms. Terror might course through his veins, but nothing in his entire life had felt as right as holding this man close.

Holding him steady, Ward noticed the blood dripping down Kayden’s face. “No, you’re not fine.”

While Lance shifted, contorting and twisting with a series of bone-jarring snaps that echoed in the stale air, Ward assessed Kayden’s injuries more thoroughly.

“We need to get him back to the castle. Now,” Ward declared, lifting Kayden effortlessly, as though he were no heavier than a child. The urgency in his voice spurred the others into action.

“Holy shit, he’s a fucking white tiger,” Tank said as he elbowed his way to where Ward stood.

“And I swear he’s trying to use all his nine lives as fast as he can,” Mika mumbled as he helped Lance, who now stood on trembling legs in his tiger form.

Lance head-butted Mika, nearly knocking him off his feet.

“Jerk,” Mika said affectionately as he rubbed Lance’s ear.

Lance yawned, exposing his huge pearly white canines.

“Ward, I’ll guide everyone back. You take care of Kayden,” Tank said, eyeing Ward.

Luna stepped up next to Tank. “Emmett, Scarlett, and I will clean up here. What do you want to do with the, ah, new statue?”

“Destroy it.”

Mika sucked in a breath but said nothing.

“Yes, Sire,” Luna said.

Nodding, Ward sprinted through the dark forest paths, Kayden’s head slumped against his shoulder. The rhythmic pounding of Ward’s feet on the leaf-strewn floor mixed with Kayden’s breaths.

He considered taking to the air, which would’ve been much quicker, but he was terrified that Kayden might wake up mid-flight and be frightened. That was the last thing he wanted.

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