As Midnight Loves the Moon Read online

  Evernight Publishing

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2014 Beth D. Carter

  ISBN: 978-1-77130-919-6

  Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

  Editor: Laurie Temple

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  Thanks to everyone at Evernight, especially Laurie and Stacey.

  Here’s to new beginnings and new adventures.

  AS MIDNIGHT LOVES THE MOON

  Beth D. Carter

  Copyright © 2014

  Prologue

  Daphne made her way into the dark building, her maid uniform neatly pressed. Her sensible work shoes might be large and clunky, but they were comfortable and had only cost her five dollars at the thrift store. It was night and the wind was blowing sharply, the cold breeze hinting at the coming seasonal change. Fall was fast approaching and with it, Daphne knew she was going to have a buy a few pieces of clothing if she didn’t want to freeze.

  She had to stop as a wave of dizziness passed over her. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest and her lungs felt like they were on fire. She wondered how much longer this damn flu was going to last. It had hit her about a month earlier but it hadn’t eased up. In fact, each day it seemed to get harder and harder to breath, and she knew what that meant. Her frail heart already worked hard to stay beating and being sick was a setback she could ill afford.

  Still, she had to work. It was hard to find a nighttime job so she had to keep this one, working as a night cleaner. Her little problem prevented her from working with the public so the night hours, as well as the isolation of cleaning the office building, suited her to a T. Not taking a deep breath, because that would only send her into a coughing fit, she continued on slowly. The night guard eyed her, so she smiled at him and moved to the bank of elevators. Just before the outer door swung shut behind her, the hair on the back of her neck rose and she spun around, looking into the deep darkness of night. She felt as if someone was staring at her and it creeped her the hell out. She repeatedly hit the close button on the elevator door. Only when she was safely hidden behind the thin metal frame did she let her sigh of relief ooze out.

  Shaking off the sensation, she rode the car down to the basement, where housekeeping was located, and walked into the break room. She punched her time card before opening her locker to stuff her purse and sweater inside the buddy hole. Not that she had to worry about anyone stealing her stuff, because the night crew consisted of the front door guard, the maintenance custodian, and herself. She got her cart, replaced all the items that were about used up, and began her rounds.

  Like always, Daphne began on the top floor, the president’s office, because that took the most time. She vacuumed first and let the dust settle before wiping all the furniture down, including the black leather couch and matching chair. Her head was spinning and all she wanted to do was sit down, but she really couldn’t take the time to stop.

  After taking care of the main office, she moved to the lower floors. By this time and her heart was racing and it was hard to grasp her breath. She had to take a moment to sit down or else she would fall. But she only took long enough to get her heart rate back to normal.

  It took her several hours longer to clean the four-story building than usual. By the time she punched out and stored her cleaning cart, Daphne felt like she was going to pass out. She left the building and began to walk down the street, glad it was empty so late at night. The wind blew fiercely, the cold snaking its way under her sweater to chill her skin and steal her breath. She slumped against the wall, unable to take another step. Her heart was racing again and the world tilted sharply.

  She felt herself sliding and right before she hit the ground, a set of strong arm wrapped around her. Daphne had a quick glimpse of dark, intense eyes before oblivion claimed her.

  ****

  Wayde Wallace stared at the unconscious woman in his arms with a mixture of concern and hunger. It’d been so long since he’d fed and he could hear her heart racing, could smell her blood pumping…wait. He smelled more than just her blood. He could smell sickness.

  Dear lord.

  She was dying.

  Chapter One

  The shadows were all around, reaching for him. Tempting him. It would be so easy to crawl into them and lose himself, but resist them he must. He refused to let his vampire side dominate.

  Wayde pulled the collar on his coat up closer to his neck and then shoved his hands deep in his pockets as he quickened his step. The night was cold as the fine mist of fog clung to him with featherlike tentacles. It was a perfect night for someone like him. If he wished, he wouldn’t have a problem finding someone to feed on, a little taste to renew his life force. One or two whispered words and he’d create such a sensual haze, his victim would be wandering the fog, searching every night looking for him, wanting more.

  With a growl, he pushed on, pushed past his need, his hunger. He’d find some stray animal soon and that would take care of his need for sustenance. As for his sexual needs…all he had to think about was Daphne and his libido died a swift death. His sun was dying and a moral dilemma loomed on the horizon.

  He remembered that first night he’d brought her home and laid her upon the bed in the guest room. She’d been so pale, and already at death’s door. Something inside him urged him to take her, change her, to save her life in any way possible, but he couldn’t do that until she knew what it was like to be a creature of the night. He’d been born a vampire, but he’d seen too many mortals unable to handle the endless tomorrows, and he wouldn’t give her that insanity unless she knew there would never be a sun, never be food. Blood would be her life force.

  When he saw the welcoming lights of his building, Wayde shook off the morose thoughts and breathed a sigh of relief. He needed those bright lights around him, not the world of shadow and things that go bump in the night. The doorman, recognizing him, gave a bow and opened the door. As the door shut behind him, Wayde thought he caught a brief, bare glimpse of a man. Tall, dark, sinfully handsome, the type that always made Wayde forget logic and follow the call of his cock.

  He pushed the button on the elevator. The doors opened as if they had been waiting for him and he stepped inside, hitting the button to the penthouse floor. When he opened the door to his home, he flipped on the foyer light. Using that light to guide him to his living room, he walked up to the large bay window overlooking Central Street and Westrin Park, glancing down to see if he saw the man again. He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the tall trees, seeing nothing but natural movement as the fog wound its way in and out of the branches.

  No man, no woman, no sex for Wayde tonight.

  He closed the curtains and turned around, jumping as he saw the silhouette of a woman standing in his hallway.

  “Good evening, Wayde,” Daphne greeted, stepping closer. He leaned over and clicked on the table lamp.

  “Hello, Daphne,” he murmured. “What are you still doing up?”

  “I was worried about you,” she said. “I heard on the news there’s some sort of serial killer out there.”

  “I have excellent fighting skills,” he assured her. “I don’t want you worrying about me. Let me worry about you.”

  She blushed beautifully and glanced down. “I made
dinner.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t have to cook for me.”

  “I’m finally starting to feel stronger. It’s just a way to say thank you, again, for taking me in. I’m feeling much better now, so I probably should get out of your hair.”

  “Don’t be silly,” he dismissed, as he took off his coat and hung it up on the rack near the door. “My home is quite large, as you can see, and very empty. I enjoy knowing the space is being utilized.”

  He saw redness invade her pale cheeks. She was a shy thing, unable to look at him if he was looking directly at her. She seemed like a wonderful throwback to a time long ago, when a woman’s virtue was her most prized possession. He scented the innocence on her and it made him ache for her. He’d craved her the first time he’d smelled her sunshine scent, but he’d been unable to act on his hunger once he’d gotten a sniff of how sick she was.

  He probably should have just left her alone, but something about her called out to him, a part that he didn’t even know existed. He’d brought her back to his home and had called in a doctor to treat the pneumonia lingering her in lungs. And although he knew she was feeling better, he hadn’t yet told her about the heart value defect that he’d detected. After all, how could he introduce that particular conversation?

  “So you’ve been feeling better?” he asked, as he moved to the dinning room. Sure enough, a nice meal was prepared. Chicken it looked like, with corn, stuffing and biscuits. He’d set up a food delivery when he’d brought her into his home and it looks like she utilized the service today. He held out a chair for her and helped her sit down.

  She nodded. “I still get tired easily, but my lungs aren’t burning like before.”

  “I’m glad. Perhaps you should go to the hospital and get an x-ray or something,” he said as he sat down across from her. “For your lungs.”

  “I’m okay,” she told him with a gentle smile. “Besides, I can’t really afford going to the hospital.”

  “Daphne,” he said with a frown. “I’ll cover the cost.”

  “Absolutely not,” she replied firmly. “Wayde, you’ve already spent too much on me. You’re my friend. Not my sugar daddy.”

  He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything as she began to serve him food he neither wanted, nor could he eat. But he didn’t say a word, even as she waited for him to take a bite, which he did because he didn’t want to disappoint her. The food was tasteless and felt like sawdust in his mouth. He only managed to swallow a few bites by drinking gulps of red wine.

  Finally, he couldn’t stand anymore and pushed his plate away.

  “You didn’t like it?” Daphne asked, a slight note of panic in her tone.

  “I loved it,” he lied, smiling. “But I ate before coming home. Had I known you were cooking, I would’ve abstained.”

  “Oh,” she said and bit her bottom lip. “Well, I’ll have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.”

  He watched as she finished her meal, satisfied with how much she ate. She was looking healthier every day, although he could still hear her heart pumping a little off-kilter.

  She stood and began clearing away the dishes, and although he wanted to tell her to forget it, he knew she needed to keep busy. She was one of those people who kept in constant motion, he’d learned, even though she was weak. The week she’d been in bed had been a testament to how sick she really was.

  As she washed dishes and stored the food, he casually went into his private bathroom and promptly threw up every bit of human food he’d consumed. It wasn’t pretty and felt quite nasty, but when his system was purged he felt much better. He brushed his teeth and rejoined Daphne just as she turned out the lights in the kitchen. It was almost four o’clock in the morning.

  “You must be tired,” he said.

  “I am,” she replied. “Would you like for me to cook for you again tomorrow night?”

  “I like eating at my office,” he said instead of answering her. “Besides, I don’t want you working too hard.”

  “I don’t like being idle,” she murmured. “Why do you have to work at night?”

  “The books I deal with are fragile,” he answered. “Sunlight could destroy two-thousand-year-old vellum. I still wish you would get checked out.”

  “Are you offering to be my sugar daddy?” she asked teasingly.

  He leaned forward a little, until his eyes were level with hers. “I would be happy to be your sugar daddy,” he murmured and then watched in fascination as her blush engulfed every inch of her body.

  “Wayde?” she asked hesitantly and took a step back.

  He sighed and straightened. “I’m sorry, Daphne. That was…uncalled for.”

  He turned to walk into his library, but her hand on his arm halted him. When he looked back at her, her eyes were glued to the ground and her hand trembled a little. But her shoulders were set firm.

  “Did you mean it?”

  “Excuse me?”

  She took a deep breath and looked up at him. “Did you mean what you said? About wanting to be my sugar daddy?”

  The dynamics between them abruptly changed and Wayde regarded her steadily, with narrowed eyes. “I hope you’re not trying to sell yourself, Daphne. You’re a special woman and I’d be happy to take care of you, no matter if our relationship turned physical or not. But not until you’re completely well and not when you feel obligated to me.”

  He reached out and brought her flush against his body. He felt her breasts smash against his chest, her softness melting into his strength, and he couldn’t help his reaction. Her eyes widened as he ground his hard cock into her belly.

  “Do you feel what you do to me?” he asked.

  She nodded and he watched as she licked her lips with her delicate little tongue.

  “For two weeks I’ve been thinking of nothing but you. You in my bed as I sink into your tight little pussy or lick you until you scream my name with pleasure. But there are things about me, Daphne, which you should know first, because life with me would be different. Okay?”

  Her wide blue eyes dilated and her breath came in little heated puffs. He wanted so badly to kiss her but he knew he wouldn’t stop, so reluctantly, he let go of her and walked toward his bedroom.

  ****

  Daphne watched him walk away, her heart thundering in her chest as her body felt more alive now than it had in twenty-three years of life. His words had turned her on like nothing else and she wished he would’ve kissed her.

  She wondered what he meant by things she should know about him.

  For two weeks she’d been living off his generosity. Wayde had rescued her when she had collapsed and she’d woken up in his extremely spacious penthouse condo. For a good week she’d been too weak to do anything more than sip soup and walk to the bathroom. She’d learned a lot about him in those two weeks. He worked at night and slept through the day. He never ate in his home and occasionally drank red wine. He liked books, which made sense since he was some type of rare-book expert. There were thousands in his library and they covered almost every genre in print.

  And he was incredibly sexy.

  His dark hair, and blue eyes that dripped sex appeal, had featured heavily in her dreams each night since her arrival. She felt almost one hundred percent better and her fascination with Wayde Wallace had only grown. She’d never been the type of girl who indulged in affairs, not when her heart wasn’t working properly, but she wanted Wayde. She wanted to experience what she’d been missing out on.

  Tonight had been the first time he’d given any hint about his desire for her, and just remembering his words made her pussy ache with need. She clenched her thighs together and had to hold back her moan, knowing it was only a matter of time before she let Wayde Wallace claim her innocence.

  Chapter Two

  Alex melted back into the shadows and waited. He had been tracking the rogue vampire for some time and thought for sure he’d catch him in the act of taking a life, but the man just walked home. An innocent business m
an coming home from work.

  Yeah, right.

  Born with the soul of a warrior, Alex fought with a badge, living alongside humans to make sure the Shade didn’t cause trouble. It was his duty to uphold the laws that forbade the citizens of the Shade from interfering in human lives. Sure, they could live among them, could befriend them, or even marry them, but it was forbidden to force human consent or to kill them, which was what had happened twice already.

  Alex would be the first to admit it was a flawed system, like taking a junkie into a crack house. When rogue Shade citizens ended up breaking the one and only law they had, they ended up on his judicial radar. There were no second chances, no trial to stand for. His job was judge and jury, just as he was the executioner. He’d been on the trail of a rogue vampire and it looked like he might have found him.

  Alex watched the building the man had entered and something had him looking at the top floor, six flights up. His sharp eyesight took in every detail. Black hair, sea-blue eyes, clean shaven face and a muscular body. The vampire was standing there, looking, searching, and Alex knew he had to stay sharp on this one, least he become ensnared in the vampire’s seductive pheromones. With one touch, even with as much muscle and strength as he had, he could just as easily succumb to lust as any human male.

  Sighing, he turned and faded into the fog, leaving the vampire behind for now. The rogue was safe in his home and, with the sun rising in only a few minutes, he wasn’t worried about the man sneaking out to find an unsuspecting victim. What Alex needed now was to sleep so his senses would be sharp when he finally faced the vampire.

  ****

  As Alex entered his home, he tossed his keys and wallet on the foyer table.