Page 80 of Seduced By Moonlight

“Thanks, guys,” Kayden said. “Now that’s settled, let’s see the game room. We’ve got a couple of free hours.”

Lance snapped his fingers as if he’d just been waiting for that. “Game room it is! You’re going to love it. They have literally everything, from medieval chess sets to virtual reality simulators. It’s insane.”

As they walked into the castle, the earlier heaviness lifted slightly with each step, replaced by a cautious optimism.

They arrived at some fancy double doors carved with images of mythological beasts and heroes. Mika pushed them open with a flourish, revealing a room that stretched indefinitely. The ceiling was a vaulted masterpiece displaying a detailed mural of the night sky.

“Wow,” Kayden whispered, his eyes darting around. There were pool tables lined up on one side, several gaming consoles set up with large screens on another, and even a small bowling alley at the far end.

“You gotta try this one!” Lance declared, heading toward a futuristic-looking VR pod. “Ever fought dragons in virtual reality?”

“Nope, but there’s always a first time for everything,” Kayden replied, a spark of excitement igniting within him.

For the next couple of hours, he didn’t worry about kings or witches or what his job was going to be and instead dove into various games—from holographic bowling where the pins exploded into stardust on impact, to strategy games that involved conquering mystical lands.

Their laughter had attracted some of Ward’s clan, Tank in particular, who promptly challenged Lance to a game of pool.

Kayden was having so much fun he lost track of time, until his power jumped, making him look up. As if on cue, Ward stepped into the game room.

His presence sent a zing of pleasure through Kayden. How was he so commanding in nothing but leather pants and wings? And this was the first time Kayden had seen Ward drape his wings around his shoulders like a cape. He hadn’t known they could do that, and holy shit, Ward’s shoulders were huge.

Kayden’s feet moved before he could think better of it, drawn inexorably toward Ward.

“Hey. It’s time for lunch,” Ward said as he stopped in front of Kayden.

Kayden noticed Ward was close enough to touch, yet he maintained a respectable distance. He understood it, but that didn’t change the fact he wanted to be enveloped in those expansive, majestic wings with Ward. Naked.

It was a tantalizing temptation that stirred his imagination—and other things. Whoa. Where did that come from?

Ward inhaled, then raised an eyebrow at Kayden.

“Oh hell,” Kayden muttered under his breath as he tried to think unsexy thoughts. Damn sensitive noses.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO –WARD

WARD SUBTLY breathed in. He had no clue what thoughts were swirling in Kayden’s mind, but whatever they were, they’d stirred him up, which was having an effect on Ward.

He had never experienced the vivid brilliance of sun-drenched days, had never smelled the air filled with the scent of freshly cut grass.

He’d experienced none of that until Kayden—the scent of Kayden’s arousal was as close as Ward would ever get to it and had spurred a lot of questions in his mind.

Gargoyles had Fated mates, a bond as ancient as their stone forms, but unlike some other paranormals who could rely on scent, gargoyles required a more intimate confirmation.

For them, it was all about the blood. Only by tasting it could they be absolutely certain someone was a Fated mate.

Last night, when Ward had seen the blood dripping down Kayden’s face, he’d been so tempted to swipe his fingers through it and taste it. He hadn’t, for a variety of reasons.

One reason was because it was, well, unseemly. One did not just start lapping at dripping blood, and especially not from one who was just attacked. Not unless one wanted one’s face rearranged.

And, well, he was afraid of what he would find.

He’d always expected his partner to be another gargoyle, and a male one. He knew it would cause issues with the clan elders, since they wanted him to produce an heir.

There were ways around that nowadays with modern technology, thank the gods above and below, but certain elders had already hinted heavily they felt he should mate a female. Even though he’d made it clear that was not happening. Although some members of his clan would happily welcome Kayden despite him being male, there were certainly elders who would not.

But a mate who was not a gargoyle?

That was a different story. Plus, some would not consider him a paranormal, being a teek.

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