Page 3 of Dragon’s Golden Mate (Shifter Nation: Enchanted Over Forty #2)

No. He tightened his grip on the wheel. Kendrick had decided to remain single.

Whether anyone considered it a vow or not, he had a good reason.

There was an immeasurable heartache that came with losing a mate, and that was something Kendrick was bound to do.

He would easily outlive someone like Maeve, so what was the point?

It was easy for the rest of the clan to tease him.

They hadn’t been around as long. They didn’t understand that pain yet.

Kendrick wished he could keep them from the deep, despairing loss that came with knowing you still had centuries left after laying your mate to rest, but he couldn’t. It was the fate of the dragons.

A few minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of the address he’d been given over the phone.

Kendrick leaned forward and looked up through the windshield at the soaring cathedral.

The imposing height of the stone building was accentuated by pointed, arched windows.

The steeple, which rose from the right side of the building, was topped with a magnificent and complicated spire.

This couldn’t be right. He double-checked the address he’d written down.

A knock on his window brought his head up.

A blonde woman waved at him. “Are you Mr. Alexander?” she asked through the window.

He got out and shook her hand. “I am, but you can call me Kendrick.”

“Cassandra Deegan. We spoke on the phone. I’m grateful that you could come so quickly. Part of the success of Deegan Enterprises is due to getting jobs done swiftly and efficiently.” Her hand was cool and delicate inside his. She gestured toward the building. “Shall we?”

“Yes.” He walked forward, tipping his head back to study the building.

“I’m sorry to hesitate, it’s just that I thought this consultation was about tearing a building down.

I was expecting to find a crumbling mess, not a stunning example of Gothic revival architecture.

You really don’t see many buildings like this anymore. ”

“Probably because they’re too expensive to take care of and they fall into disrepair, just like this one. It could certainly use a good power wash, but you won’t see me climbing up there to do it!” She laughed again as she pulled a set of keys out of her pocket.

“That would be a challenge,” he agreed mildly, although he knew the work could be done if the right person were willing. Yes, plenty of dirt needed to be removed. Some of the stone had been etched by years of weather, but it would take considerable damage to affect the building's stability.

“Sorry. I’m trying to find the right key. The guy who sold this place didn’t label anything,” Cassandra said impatiently as she tried to unlock the front door.

“That’s all right.” It gave Kendrick a chance to take in more of the view.

At the top of the steeple, just before it soared into a sharp, conical spire, he spotted a tiny stone face leering down at him.

Feathered wings spread out to the sides, and its tongue lolled down over the edge of the roofline. “Grotesque.”

“What?” Cassandra had turned the key, but now she was tugging uselessly on the big brass door handle. “I thought you were just saying how much you liked it.”

“I do. I was talking about the little stone creature up there. It’s like a gargoyle, but it doesn’t actually serve as a waterspout. Here, let me.” Kendrick stepped forward and took the door handle as Cassandra moved to the side. With one solid yank, the swollen wood jerked free.

“Thank you. Now, then. I don’t think there’s any electricity, so we’ll have to be careful. Oh, and I can’t guarantee that everything is solid and safe in here.” She stepped into the dark interior.

“I’m not worried about it.” Actually, Kendrick preferred old buildings like this, regardless of their condition. It reminded him of other times, when the world was a bit simpler. His eyes easily adjusted to the darkness, and he inhaled.

The interior was as exquisite as the exterior.

Columns lined the aisle of the central nave, rising to a ribbed vaulted ceiling that was almost invisible in the dim light.

Worn pews extended to his left and right, the wood worn to a dull sheen from so many worshippers.

What little sunlight that made it into the building showed him that the windows were all stained glass.

Some of them were broken or cracking, but it was remarkable that any of them remained at all.

Kendrick walked along behind Cassandra, soaking in every detail. “How did you acquire this place?” His voice echoed in the empty space.

“Our company bought it from a private owner.” Cassandra kicked an old hymnal out of the way as she strode forward.

“He thought he could fix it up and turn it into something useful. I’ve seen old churches turned into museums, music venues, community spaces, what have you.

That’s all very admirable, but he quickly found out that there aren’t very many craftsmen available these days who know how to do the work.

You can’t just bring a regular contractor into a place like this. ”

“No, you can’t.” He squinted up toward the gallery, a balcony-like space where wealthier church members probably sat. Another grotesque stared back at him. This one clung to the wall, its catlike face turned around to look over its back.

“Unfortunately, that meant the building just sat empty for a long time without any real work being done. He couldn’t afford to sit on it and keep paying taxes, so he put it up for sale.” Cassandra stepped up onto the altar.

The carpet there had probably been installed a few decades ago. It was threadbare and worn, and it appeared that mold was growing along one edge of it. That could be very costly to replace.

Of course, what was more noticeable was the soaring stained glass behind the pulpit, topped with a rose window.

Kendrick tipped his head completely back and spun in a slow circle, imagining just how the light would’ve come into this place when everything was new and clean.

It probably made the priest look like he’d been sent straight from heaven.

He wasn’t a religious man, but this building moved him. His dragon was stirring, and his vision was sharp as he took in all the little details. “Remarkable.”

“There are some offices back here.” Cassandra led the way through a door in the transept.

Here, whatever original grandeur the church held had been wiped away by renovations from about the seventies or so.

Paneled wood lined a short hallway that led to a couple of restrooms and offices.

The ceiling had been dropped and tiled. Though there was no electricity, it was easy to imagine the awful light that would’ve come from those fluorescent boxes that hung every few feet.

He peeked into one room that must’ve been used as a daycare or for teaching Sunday school classes. A wide green chalkboard on a stand featured the weathered remnants of children’s drawings.

“Tell me exactly what you’re looking for from me.” Kendrick followed Cassandra out of the modern area and back to the altar.

“Well, you know how it is with these old buildings,” Cassandra said flippantly.

“People drive by them every day without giving them a second thought. As soon as they hear it’s about to be demolished, they freak out.

I admit, I’m just as disappointed as the next guy when something like that happens, but this is business.

If we preserved everything we ever made, we’d never have the room to make progress. ”

“I see. So you’d like me to give an evaluation regarding whether this building should be saved or destroyed.

” This wasn’t the first time the request had been made of him.

He was a practical man, and he perfectly understood that some things simply didn’t stand the test of time.

In his centuries on this earth, he’d seen entire kingdoms rise and fall.

“Yes. I don’t think it makes any sense to move forward without it. I’ll have to file for other permits and such, but all of that will come afterwards. What do you think?”

Kendrick once again looked up and noticed something he hadn’t seen before. A fierce bird arched out from the wall, its wings stretched wide and its eyes watchful over its vicious beak.

He blinked and tipped his head. That bird hadn’t been there before. He would’ve seen it. And the feathers on its belly didn’t quite look like feathers at all. Were those runes?

No. He rubbed his eyes. The thing was made of carved stone, just as the others were. He was distracted, and he simply hadn’t noticed it. At over eight hundred years old, his mind was allowed to slip every now and then.

Cassandra was heading back down the aisle. “The plaster is crumbling, and these hardwood floors are shot,” she noted. “I wouldn’t dare to sit in one of these pews, especially if they were too close to some of the windows.”

“The plaster and the floors are superficial.” Kendrick stepped off the altar, leaving the bird behind. “They don’t have anything to do with structural stability. Same with the pews. As for the windows, many churches are now covering them with acrylic to keep them safe.”

“Is that your official evaluation?” She rounded to look at him, keeping one foot turned out. Her green eyes blazed even in the semidarkness.

Kendrick chuckled. “That would be the equivalent of judging a book by its cover. A quick once-over just won’t do it.

I’ll probably need to get up on the roof, take some surveys of the outer walls, and do a little research on the repairs that it does need so I can give you the best recommendation possible. ”

She checked her watch. “I have an appointment I need to get to. Can we schedule another time?”

“Certainly, and I can look up a few things in the meantime.” Kendrick would enjoy this project. It would be a good distraction.

Cassandra gave him a curt nod. “I’ll call you. Please do remember, Mr. Alexander, that safety and liability are my utmost concern.”

As she turned for the main door, Kendrick noticed a much smaller door off to his right. “What’s through there?”

“Hm? Oh, just an old coat room.”

He stepped over and peeked inside. His curiosity always got the better of him when he was in old places like this.

Nothing was particularly noticeable, though.

As he turned back, he found another creature staring at him.

This one sat perched on a newel post at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the gallery.

His batlike wings arched powerfully and purposefully from his back, but his wide eyes and protruding lips gave him the look of a rather concerned little goblin.

His toes were curled around the top of the post, and more runes were carved into the backs of them.

Sensing that Cassandra was getting impatient, Kendrick hurried out the front door. He helped Cassandra pull it shut so she could lock it. She once again promised to call him to set up another appointment before she zoomed off in her little luxury coupe.

Kendrick got into his vehicle more slowly, wishing once again that he’d walked.

It would’ve given him more time to think about what he’d just seen.

This was no ordinary church. Much of the main architecture was in line with its era and style.

Though gargoyles and grotesques weren’t as widely used there as they were in other parts of the world, they weren’t unheard of.

They usually weren’t on the inside of the building, though. They were placed on the outside, staring down at parishioners as a reminder to repent of their sins before walking into the cleanliness of the church.

They definitely didn’t have runes on them that labeled them as guardians of sacred sites.

He scratched his jaw as he turned onto the road. Kendrick needed to figure out what was really going on with this church.