Page 17 of Seduced by Moonlight (Gargoyles of San DeLain #1)

AS KAYDEN walked away from Ward, he fought disappointment, but he couldn’t afford to get wrapped up in whatever drama was going on between the gargoyles and the witches.

The air was thick with tension, almost crackling with an unseen energy, but Kayden steeled himself, determined to steer clear of the brewing storm.

“Not my monkeys, not my circus,” Kayden muttered under his breath as he returned to his crew.

He hated feeling that way, but he simply didn’t have a dog in this fight. As it was, that witch had already singled him and some of his crew out, and he didn’t like it. Not one bit.

Unlike Ward, who had an abundance of resources and the unwavering support of his clan, it was just Kayden and his band of misfits. None of them were rich or powerful.

He informed his crew of the developing situation and how this would be their last night. Faces around him reflected a mix of disbelief and worry as they absorbed the unexpected news.

Unsurprisingly, several of his crew agreed with him. He sent most of them along with Tank to focus on repairing the interior of the wing, which direly needed attention, assuring them he would join them soon. He dismissed the specialized workers.

“Lance? Mika? A word, please.” Kayden gestured subtly, his hand slicing through the air as he beckoned them to linger after the others had departed.

“What’s up?” Lance asked, Mika standing next to him.

“I didn’t give the crew the full story because it isn’t necessary. However, after the incident with the high priestess, I believe it’s important for you both to be fully aware of the situation. Particularly you, Lance,” Kayden stated.

“That sounds worrisome.”

Kayden told them about why the witches were targeting the gargoyles.

“Holy shit,” Mika said. “That’s scary as hell.”

“It’s horrible,” Lance muttered. “That poor woman. Jesus, why do so many paranormals suck?”

“Hunters. It was the hunters,” Kayden reminded Lance.

“Some of them were originally paranormals who agreed to those assholes’ experiments,” Lance exhaled deeply. “Still can’t figure out why Marianna singled me out. I’m not part of any clan. I’m nobody.”

“Let me ask you something. Did you, by chance, shower before you went out that night?” Kayden asked.

“That’s an odd question.” Lance peered at Kayden. “And your sudden curiosity about my hygiene habits is a bit concerning—”

“Good God, will you just answer the damn question?”

“Temper, temper. But no. All we did was show up here, look around, and then leave. I didn’t see any reason to—well, shit.” Lance ran his hands over his face. “I didn’t shower before I went out.”

Mika nodded. “There’s your answer.”

“But she’s not a shifter,” Lance whined. “I’m a shifter. Mika is a shifter. She’s not .”

“But she is a strong magic user. Plus, she’s involved with black magic. Witches are no more human than people like me, but I guarantee you, she’s not just a witch. As unbelievable as it sounds, she must’ve smelled the gargoyles on you.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Lance looked helplessly from Kayden to Mika.

“Then the three of us went out, and as luck would have it, bumped into her again. Did she smell them on us? She shouldn’t have had, because I know damn well I showered before I went out that night,” Kayden said.

Lance frowned. “But if she started investigating the two of you because you were with me—”

“And if she’s interested in the gargoyles, why wouldn’t she? She’s probably paying attention to anybody the gargoyles are involved with,” Mika said.

“Except the gargoyles don’t really interact with other paranormals much,” Lance said. “They simply aren’t as sociable as, say, the daemons or dragons.”

“Precisely. Then Ward brought us in for some construction work on his castle after a recent attack by hunters,” Kayden explained. “So why would she be interested in us? She’s searching for any vulnerabilities she can exploit against them.”

“Shitttttt.” Lance grimaced.

“It wouldn’t take much to figure out that the both of you work for my company and that I do a lot of jobs for paranormals. Big-name paranormals in particular.”

“Certain groups know your name well,” Mika admitted.

“If she’s watching Ward’s territory, she’s probably noticed our comings and goings,” Kayden remarked. “I bet she knows we’re doing a job for him. Well, we were doing a job for him.”

“Do you think we’re in danger?” Lance asked.

“Honestly, I don’t think so,” Kayden said slowly. “We’re not clan members. We’re not anybody important to Ward—just employees he hired for a job.”

“I agree. Taking one of us as a hostage to use as leverage would be useless,” Mika added. “I can’t see him sacrificing the safety of any member of his clan for one of us.”

“Woo wee, when you put it like that—”

“Right? I hope by not continuing this contract, she’ll lose interest in us,” Kayden said.

“Let’s hope,” Mika said.

“Anyway, let’s get in there, get as much done as we can, and get out of here,” Kayden said.

“Sure, but I have to say that I’m not thrilled about just dropping this and hoping for the best. What if she doesn’t lose interest?”

Mika shrugged. “We take extra precautions. Maybe some wards or protective spells?”

Kayden rubbed the stubble along his jawline, thinking. “I’ll do some asking around and pay for that, of course. I don’t want to use Ward’s magic user. No point in cutting ties, then using her. Anyhow, it’s a temporary measure, I know, but better than nothing.”

“Do you think that’ll be enough?” Lance asked.

“It’s a start.” Kayden looked squarely at both of them. “And maybe stay out of the clubs for right now too?”

Lance grumbled but nodded. “Of course, you understand that if you don’t want me going out on my own, I’m going to be dragging the two of you with me.”

“Of course you are.” Mika slapped Lance on the shoulder. “We expected nothing different.”

Kayden chuckled halfheartedly. Maybe he could talk Lance into a couple of nights at home. He wasn’t much into the bar scene like Lance.

When they joined Tank and the rest of the crew, he noticed the atmosphere was now fraught with an uneasy tension that hadn’t been there before.

No one had much to say, and a few hours before sunrise, Kayden wrapped up. As he walked outside, he noticed clouds gathering overhead. Well, that certainly mirrored the mood here.

The crew quickly gathered into their vehicles with hardly any of the usual banter that characterized the end of their workdays.

As Kayden drove away from Ward’s castle, every shadow seemed like it could conceal a threat. Paranoia could debilitate in high doses. He knew that. But right now, it also felt like an appropriate response.

Shouldn’t it be getting lighter? Daylight was only an hour and a half away. Why the hell was it so dark out there?

Kayden’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as his gaze scanned the dark horizon. The natural light that should have been gradually illuminating the sky was absent, swallowed by an unnatural blackness spreading like ink in water.

A chill ran down his spine, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

“Shit,” Kayden flick the headlights to full beam, though they did precious little to penetrate the lingering dark.

“Is it me or is it really, really dark out there?” Lance asked from the passenger seat.

“It’s not you,” Kayden said, focusing on the road ahead. “Damn it,” he muttered, adjusting his rearview mirror. He wanted to be home, not out here in the middle of nowhere.

As he crossed through the final protective ward marking the boundary of the gargoyles’ territory, a mysterious figure suddenly materialized in the center of the road. The air shimmered around the person, casting an eerie glow that contrasted with the darkened sky above.

Kayden took his foot off the gas pedal, his mind racing with uncertainty. The engine’s hum softened as his truck slowed, and his grip tightened on the steering wheel.

The figure tossed their hood, and there stood Marianna Crescente, draped in a cloak. She was surrounded by a half circle of witches.

“Oh, fuck me,” Kayden whispered.

They raised their hands, fingers weaving through the air with mesmerizing grace, as if skillfully tugging at invisible threads woven into the fabric of the universe.

From their fingertips, glimmers of green and violet light danced into existence, swirling and merging to form orbs that throbbed with a sickening green energy.

The lights flickered and flashed, casting shadows that twisted and writhed as if alive, painting the surrounding darkness with an unsettling glow.

They’d blocked the road, and a sense of dread crept over him. He couldn’t just barrel through and run them down. Could he? Yeah. Yeah, he could. He stomped the gas.

With a silent command from Marianna, the orbs shot forth like meteorites, striking Kayden’s vehicle. The front tire blew out with a deafening pop, causing it to jerk violently to one side. It swayed under the impact.

“Hold on!” Kayden yelled, his voice barely audible over the roar of the engine and the screeching tires.

He gripped the steering wheel with all his might, his knuckles turning as white as chalk as the car veered wildly toward the looming ditch and the line of towering pine trees.

The landscape blurred past in a chaotic dance, the headlights casting frantic shadows that flickered and disappeared in the dense darkness of the night.

Oh God, they were heading for the fucking trees.

Another volley of magical orbs shot past them, exploding against the ward they’d just traveled through and into a vehicle of his crew.

“That motherfucker!” Kayden screamed.

“Shit. She’s trying to collapse the wards. It let our caravan through, and now she’s attacking that opening,” Lance yelled.

“Matt’s vehicle also got hit. He’s spinning out and—”

Kayden was practically standing on the brakes trying to stop, but the trees were simply too close. His truck hit the tree and the airbag exploded, drowning out Mika’s words. Pain exploded in Kayden’s head.

Through the haze of ringing ears and blurry vision, Kayden struggled to regain his senses. The acrid stench of burned rubber and leaking fuel quickly infiltrated the cab of his mangled truck.

Gasping for breath, he wrestled with the seat belt that constrained him, finally snapping it free with a hard yank. Every movement sent waves of pain coursing through his body.

Outside, shouts and the crackle of flames punctuated the night, drawing his attention to the dangers that weren’t over yet. He crawled out through the broken driver’s window and dropped to the ground.

The scene that unfolded before him was one of utter chaos. Matt’s vehicle had indeed spun out and now lay overturned a few yards away, its underside exposed.

The rest of the vehicles belonging to his crew had stopped and now were parked behind the shimmering ward. The air crackled with energy as the witches launched their relentless assault, their spells colliding with the invisible shield.

Kayden staggered to his feet, his body protesting each movement, but survival and protectiveness drove him on. Blood dripped down his face.

Above, the sky loomed with an unnaturally deep darkness, as if an immense, invisible hand had drawn a heavy curtain across it. The oppressive shadow pressed down from the heavens.

Lance was motionless, suspended by his seat belt. Mika was working to free him from it.

A wave of fury surged through Kayden. A fiery tempest ignited within him, consuming every corner of his being with a searing intensity. His heart pounded furiously, and his hands clenched into tight fists, trembling with the raw power of his anger.

Pain, anger, and fear for his friends coalesced into an energy that danced on the surrounding airwaves, making his hair flutter about his head. Reaching out with his power, he ensnared several witches, lifting them effortlessly into the air.

They hung suspended, grasped tightly by their throats. Their feet flailed and kicked helplessly in the emptiness beneath them, their eyes wide with terror as they struggled for breath, their gasps echoing in the charged atmosphere.

Black fire hurtled toward Kayden with a fierce roar, its fiery tendrils licking the air. In a swift, practiced motion, he raised his hand, flicked his wrist with precision, and energy crackled around him as he redirected the scorching projectile, sending it whirling back toward the witch who’d unleashed it.

Someone was screaming, and it was like nails on a chalkboard. It hurt him. His vision wobbled, the surrounding colors blurring, but he ignored that.

Whoever was doing the yelling, it certainly wasn’t the witches he’d flung into the air, for they were now motionless. Their robes tangled around their still forms, and their awkwardly splayed limbs looked frozen mid-dance. He sent their bodies crashing into the remaining witches with sinister pleasure.

Hurt his friends? Attack him and his crew? He’d show them exactly what a teek could do.

A sudden explosion erupted nearby, sending a shockwave through the air, yet he couldn’t discern what had just blown apart. He wished whoever was screaming would fucking stop. And, oh God, his head felt like it was going to explode too. There was a pulsing pressure in his mind.

The world spun around Kayden, the edges blurring into a haze of pain and fury. He stumbled forward, his footing unsure on the uneven ground littered with debris from the wreckage.

Each step was a battle, his body screaming in protest, but the fierce determination to protect his crew fueled him. Using his power once more, he envisioned a massive hand encircling three of the witches casting spells at the gargoyle’s wards.

He increased his power, compressing them forcefully. A grin spread across his face at their screams, their bodies cracking under the pressure. Their painful sounds stopped once he completely crushed them.

Amidst the chaos, he caught sight of Mika, who’d cut Lance free from the seat belt. Lance looked groggy but alive, which fueled a surge of relief and resolve through Kayden’s veins.

Something warm trickled down his temple, but he pushed the distraction aside.

His eyes fixed on Marianna. She had a twisted smile on her face. He stared her down, a silent challenge. Without breaking her gaze, she raised her hand, and lightning crackled at her fingertips. He drew harder on his power, and his head throbbed .

That wasn’t good. At all. Neither was the fact that he was having trouble seeing Marianna now. His vision was shit.

Just then, an ear-splitting roar cleaved through the night sky.