From Seduced by Moonlight, #1 in the Gargoyles of San DeLain
His senses heightened as he crept through the trees, and the sounds of the forest grew quieter as he ventured further into the darkness. Very, very odd.
Then Ward sensed it—magic. Black magic.
Suddenly, the usual nocturnal sounds stopped
completely, replaced by a charged silence. His foxy friend darted off, and the
birds darted ahead. Ward’s senses picked up a faint scent among the damp earth
and decaying leaves. It was a scent laced with fear and something
else—something metallic.
Blood.
Ward’s protective instincts surged to the forefront as
he followed the scent trail. The moonlight cast eerie shadows through the
twisted branches, creating patterns that danced on the ground.
Close. He was close. He could smell how close he was,
but there was nothing—wait. Wait. What was that? Was that…? Yes. It was chanting.
As the moon cast a pale, eerie glow over the secluded grove—his secluded
grove—Ward came to a stop and stared in shock. Who were these people who dared
trespass on his land?
