Page 87 of Seduced By Moonlight

Kayden nodded, feeling his heartbeat quicken with anticipation. “Sure, I’m all ears.”

“I’m attracted to you. I’ve told you that. And I think it’s safe to say we have some excellent chemistry.”

“Of that, there’s no doubt.”

“I’m not interested in a dalliance. Or whatever the current word is these days. I want a relationship,” Ward said.

Kayden nodded. “I don’t see you being the type looking for a hookup.”

“There’s nothing wrong with no strings attached sex, but that’s not what I want at this point in my life. I should also mention that gargoyles rarely date outside of their species.”

“I wondered about that. From my understanding, you guys are pretty private and stick to yourselves,” Kayden said.

“That’s true. And in the past, it was much worse than it is now. I’m trying to change that. I’mtryingto modernize my clan, I guess you could say. Someone has pointed out that Time marches on, and those who cannot keep up fall behind.”

“Whoever said that seems pretty smart.”

Ward chuckled. “We won’t tell Tank you said that. That bald head of his is big enough as it is. So? Is a relationship something you’re looking for?”

“I’m not looking for a hookup or even friends with benefits. I’m in my thirties, Ward. Now, I know you guys age differently than us, but I age like werewolves. I don’t have the hundreds and hundreds of years you have. You know that, right?”

“I do, yes, but we’ll circle back around to that in a minute. Are you interested in a relationship with me?”

“Need me to be blunt about it? Yes, I am. I’m not interested in seeing anybody else, either.”

“Yes. I need you to be blunt. And yes, before you ask, there’s a reason for my needing bluntness. I saw you and you instantly attracted me. It was surprising because I’d hired you to do a job for me, and I don’t like to mix business with pleasure.”

Kayden nodded. “I totally get that, because I felt the same.”

“Then there’s the fact you’re not a gargoyle.”

“Nope. Not a gargoyle.”

“But you drew me in a way no one has. Ever.”

“It’s funny you should say that, because my power reacted to you from the moment I laid eyes on you too. That’s never happened to me.”

A huge smile spread across Ward’s face. “I cannot tell you how relieved I am to hear that.”

“Yeah?”

“There’s a concept within my kind—among many creatures in our world, actually. It’s about two beings whose lives are intertwined so deeply that their spirits recognize each other across time and space,” Ward explained, watching Kayden. “It’s called Fated mates.”

He knew exactly what Ward was talking about. Kayden, after all, had two close friends who were shifters.

Mika and Lance had often talked about finding their Fated mates. And apparently Kayden was an idiot because he thought that was something that only applied to werecreatures.

Ward bringing up Fated mates could only mean one thing, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. The idea—when applied to him and his kind—was new. Fascinating yet daunting.

“Fated mates,” Kayden repeated softly, letting the idea roll around in his head. “Do you believe in that?”

“Absolutely. No one in my clan has found their Fated one, but I’ve met gargoyles who have,” Ward admitted. “It’s not some fairy tale, and I believe you may be my Fated mate.”

Woo boy boy. He’d been expecting talk of a relationship, not a joining of souls, and his brain was kinda numb. He also didn’t know what to do or say, but he could see Ward watching him nervously.

“But there is something I need to do first to make sure that weareindeed Fated, and I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about it.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound serious. Not at all. So, what is it you need to do to?”

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