As Midnight Loves the Moon Read online

  And now, Wayde was in her life. Had he been serious last night? Despite knowing she basically asked to trade room and board for sex, and how that made her sound, she didn’t regret it, because she had this feeling that time was running out for her.

  The intercom buzzed and Daphne hit the connect button.

  “Hello, there is a Detective Alexander Malden here to speak to Mr. Wallace,” the front desk man said.

  “Oh,” she said. “Please send him up.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The connection clicked off and Daphne waited for a few minutes until a knock came at the front door. She opened it and saw a tall, handsome man holding up a badge. She blinked, quite stunned at his rugged beauty. Wayde was the epitome of a refined gentleman, complete with nice manners and a caring nature. But this man’s looks reminded her of a sexy bad boy come to ravish her, and her imagination went into overtime. He had shoulder-length, dark hair, honey-colored eyes, and a goatee that made her want to rub her face against it to see how soft it would be. In fact, the only thing that marred his beauty was a bandage on his chin.

  Their eyes met and held, and a thousand butterflies fluttered in her belly. Good Lord. Her mouth went bone dry, even as moisture collected between her thighs. How could this man turn her on with just a look? She thought that reaction had been reserved for Wayde, but this policeman also had magic power over her libido.

  “Hello, Ms…?”

  “Oh,” she said and felt a blush heat up her cheeks. “Daphne Sabella. Please come in, Detective.”

  She swept her hand into the condo.

  “Please, call me Alex,” he murmured as he moved into the large home. She saw he was looking over the place, taking in the expensive décor and even more expensive furniture.

  “Wayde is asleep,” she said as she closed the door. “He works at night and sleeps during the day.”

  “Of course,” Alex muttered and she detected a hint of mockery in the tone. “Would you mind, then, if I asked you a few questions?”

  “I suppose not. Would you care for something to drink?”

  “Water would be great.”

  She smiled and walked into the kitchen to pour him a glass of ice water from the refrigerator. A moment later, she handed it to him.

  “Would you like to sit?” she asked, as she gestured to the living room.

  “After you.”

  They sat, and she was keenly aware of every movement he made. It was like knowing there was an electrical wire spitting sparks and she was unable to escape from it.

  “How can I help you?”

  He took a drink of the water and then sat the glass aside.

  “Two women were murdered a couple of blocks away,” he said. “We’re questioning everyone in the neighborhood to see if they saw or heard anything suspicious.”

  “Oh, my gosh,” Daphne whispered, appalled. “No I didn’t, but I’ve been sick. I was out of it for a while with pneumonia.”

  “And Mr. Wallace?”

  “He nursed me back to health. I don’t think he left the condo for a week. Everything was delivered.”

  “And you’re…okay?”

  She cocked her head to the side.

  “Your pneumonia,” he added. “Are you all right?”

  “Oh, yes. Thanks for asking. I’m improving every day.”

  “Good,” he said, with a small smile that seemed to sucker-punch her.

  She inhaled sharply, wondering how he managed to make every one of her nerve endings supercharged with electricity. “Are you staying with Mr. Wallace for a while?”

  “Oh,” she said, sadness settling over her once more. “No. I probably will be leaving as soon as I’m back to full health.”

  “Do you live nearby?”

  “No,” she answered, shaking her head. “I live in South Side.”

  He frowned. “That’s not a very good area.”

  She shrugged, not bothering to reply. She’d heard it all before. Yes, South Side was an area of Shade Rock that catered to more of the low income lifestyle, but that was no reason to flat out call the residents criminals. She knew lots of nice families that lived there out of necessity.

  “Sorry,” he said with a grimace. “That sounded incredibly prejudice. I assure you, I didn’t mean it like that. You just seem like a very delicate woman for such a rough neighborhood.”

  “Oh, and that didn’t sound prejudice at all,” she teased.

  He laughed and held up his hands. “I better shut up now, before I really dig myself into a hole.”

  “It’s all right,” she murmured. “I understand.”

  The amusement died down, leaving them staring at each other. Daphne felt that awareness rise once again, unexpected and potent, and everything faded into the background. His honey-colored eyes pulled her in and made her stomach clench as the image of Alex kissing her fluttered through her mind. She even felt her body leaning toward him until he abruptly stood, causing her to gasp as she sat up straight and gathered her wits.

  What the heck had just happened?

  “Well,” he said, clearing his throat. “If you could tell Mr. Wallace I stopped by, I would appreciate it. We’re just…canvassing the area.”

  “I understand.”

  “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sabella,” he said.

  “Please, call me Daphne.”

  “Only if you call me Alex.”

  She smiled and nodded. Then he picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles, before making his way to the door.

  “I hope to meet you again, Daphne,” he said. He held out one of his cards and she took it, looking at it. “Under better circumstances, of course. If you need me for anything, call me.”

  “All right. Good-bye…Alex.”

  He let himself out and closed the door gently behind him. She leaned her forehead against it and dragged in a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. How could two men affect her so much? It was madness. And yet, she had to go change her panties because obviously, madness turned her on.

  Chapter Five

  The bar was dark, unremarkable. It was a man’s bar, one big screen overlooking two pool tables showed the nightly football game, the commentators providing the background music. Wayde sat in a booth in the far corner of the room, able to see everyone from the vantage point. He wore jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers, blending in with every man present. He pulled the label off his beer as he kept his eyes on the door.

  He was waiting for Alex.

  Upon waking, the first scent he’d picked up was Alex Malden. The man had been to his home, had questioned Daphne. Part of him was pissed at that, but another part of him was turned on. Why, he didn’t really know, but the man would not leave his mind. So he decided to send the man a text and have a drink, knowing that Alex couldn’t stay away. He chose the bar because of the humans. They couldn’t very well engage in a massive sword fight in the middle of Sunday night baseball.

  He finished shredding the beer label before picking up his bottle to take a drink when he looked up, and that’s the precise moment his eyes landed on him. Like last night, Wayde felt all the air in his lungs exit with a whoosh and he half-choked on the beer still pouring down his throat. He sputtered, coughed and set the bottle down with a click.

  Finally, he could see Alex’s eye color, a warm honey with long dark lashes around them. They were currently locked on him.

  Alex Malden walked through the bar toward him and Wayde licked his lips. He couldn’t help it. The man oozed sex and all he wanted to do was lick him up like melting ice cream.

  His gaze lingered on the stitches on his chin. “Sorry about that.”

  “Why?”

  “It seems a shame, marring such a handsome man.”

  He watched as red crept up Alex’s neck. The man ducked his head and cleared his throat. Wayde restrained his smile.

  “So why did you come to my condo today? Wait,” Wayde said holding up a hand. “Did you come to ask me for a date? Alex, that’s so romantic.
”

  Alex closed his eyes and let out a huff. “Why don’t we take this outside?”

  Wayde raised one eyebrow. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually meet in a dark alley on the first date.”

  “You think this is funny, rogue?”

  “The name is Wayde, not rogue.”

  “I know your name, vampire. And I know everything about Daphne. She’s beautiful, by the way.”

  “She knows nothing of the Shade world,” Wayde said. “Nothing about me. I would never force that upon her.”

  “Then why is she with you?”

  Wayde frowned as pain lanced through his heart. “She doesn’t have much longer to live. I thought…I thought I could help her.”

  “What?” Alex gasped. “You…you’re admitting that you’re going to kill her?”

  “No, don’t be stupid,” Wayde admonished. “There’s something wrong with her heart. I can hear it.”

  “Oh.” Alex looked like someone punched him in his gut. “Does she know?”

  Wayde shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to urge her to see a doctor, but she’s fighting me.

  He watched the emotions flitter across Alex’s face and it intrigued him. Could he feel something for Daphne as well, someone he’d just met? Was it the sharp sting of desire, like what he himself felt?

  “That’s quite noble of you. Does this automatically make you a good vampire?”

  “I am good vampire,” Wayde replied. “What are you by the way? Not a sorcerer. Or a werewolf.”

  Alex ignored the question. “You’re telling me it’s a coincidence that two people have been drained dry not two blocks from your condo? I thought vampires were territorial.”

  Wayde frowned. “We are. Two blocks?”

  Alex nodded. “Near Westrin Park. Now let’s step outside.”

  Wayde looked behind Alex and noticed their conversation had gathered a few watchers. His gaze flickered back up to the handsome cop. “I suggest you sit down,” he said softly. “We’re attracting human notice.”

  Alex glanced over his shoulder, probably to double check he told the truth, and slid into the booth, staring at him and carefully keeping out of his reach. “You think by distracting me in a bar, I won’t kill you?”

  “You’re so bloodthirsty. Again, I ask you, why do you want to kill me? I’m not your rogue vampire.”

  Alex’s eyebrows skyrocketed. “Right.”

  “I’m not,” he stressed. “I’m a bookstore owner. I deal in extremely rare books, usually pre-Gutenberg printing press, although I never turn down a book in excellent condition from around 1040 to the mid-1800’s. Beer?”

  “No,” Alex answered with a low growl. “Listen, you tried to kill me yesterday—”

  “You attacked me,” Wayde interrupted. He pushed his beer aside and kept his eyes steady on the warrior in front of him. “And if I wanted you dead, you’d be dead. As you learned last night, I am able to hold my own.”

  “I’ve come better prepared.” Alex opened his jacket a little more to show his gun.

  “Ah. Your master plan is to take me out back and shoot me?”

  “Of course. Your suggestion, remember?”

  “Of all the things I said last night, that’s what stood out?” Wayde chuckled. “Listen, I have your sword at my shop. You can stop by anytime to pick it up.”

  “I don’t actually plan for you to be alive for much longer.”

  “Then I beg to differ,” he replied. “Have you ever killed a vampire before?”

  He saw the answer before Alex muttered “no.”

  He shifted forward in his seat, leaning toward Alex, who stiffened at the gesture. Then he focused on Alex, blocking out everything around them. The noise, the smell, the crackle of vinyl seats all faded as he called forth his hunger. It rose sharply, like it always did, waiting eagerly to be sated. It was heat and power and magic, all rolled together, bursting forth like an invisible web. And as soon as he captured Alex’s eyes with his own, he knew he had the man.

  “I want you,” he murmured, weaving his spell. He knew that his voice took on a husky timber, that his eyes blazed with blue fire, and that his pheromones heated up. “Do you want me too, Alex?”

  “Yes,” he answered in a bland, monotone voice.

  “Then shall we go into the alley, like you suggested?”

  Alex nodded.

  Wayde rose and held out his hand and Alex took it without hesitation. At their touch the raw, gripping need coursing through his body instantly transferred into Alex’s as well, cementing his absolute control. He walked through the back exit, letting the door swish shut softly behind them.

  He had him. It would be so easy to crush Alex’s neck at that moment, but the man’s beauty had already sucked him under. There was no way he could kill the cop, even though Alex Malden believed him to be the rogue monster. And he so needed to taste, to feed. Alex was from the Shade, one of his own kind. He’d break no law by siphoning off a little sexual energy from him.

  Wayde led the man deep into the shadows and kissed him. Alex’s beard scrapped against his cheek, the soft bristles swirling all kinds of butterflies in his belly. He slipped his tongue inside Alex’s mouth. There was a deep moan, and he wasn’t quite sure if it was his or Alex’s. He deepened the kiss, bringing his hands up to bury in Alex’s hair. He pressed his body close, enjoying how they molded together. Alex stood as tall as Wayde, but where Alex was big and brawn, Wayde was streamlined and corded sinew.

  It was rare that Wayde found someone who fit his body so well. He loved feeling the hard abs under his fingertips, the jut of a large cock nestled against his own. He felt his hunger flare, almost out of control. Wayde broke the kiss to draw in a lungful of air and refocus. His fangs elongated, pulsing with need. It would be so easy to let his fangs sink into his neck. To drink deeply and sate the hunger that cat blood could never quench.

  He stared into Alex’s dazed expression and suddenly didn’t like how the man was looking at him, well, not at him but as if he had been placed under a spell.

  But, of course, that’s exactly what he was, under a spell.

  The thought left a bad taste in Wayde’s mouth. He wanted to fuck and be fucked by Alex Malden so badly that it was almost a palpable taste in his mouth. He traced Alex’s lips with a featherlike touch. Some intangible thread weaved around them and yearning welled within him, making his heart ache. His stomach clenched, and before he really knew what he was doing, he was pulling away.

  Mine.

  The word moved through his mind like a whisper.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered into Alex’s ear just before he turned and disappeared into the night.

  Chapter Six

  Alex blinked and suddenly the world rushed back to him. He could hear the traffic, could smell the rotten leftovers in the dumpster, and could taste the lingering lust of Wayde Wallace on his tongue.

  He put a hand to his lips. They still tingled. His cock was still hard as steel, twitching with untamed desire. His body…yearned. Shit! What had the vampire done to him? He hadn’t even touched him. They had been sitting in the booth, talking and then a cloud had covered his brain and he remembered thinking that going outside, in a dark, deserted alley with a rogue vampire was a great idea.

  Alex hurried down the alley to emerge onto the street. He looked around for Wayde but didn’t see him. He sniffed the air. There was a trace of him, so he ran to his bike and started the engine, slapped on his helmet and took after the faint smell of musk and rum, an interesting combination for a book seller.

  The trail led all the back to the condo from last night. Alex parked his bike and turned the key. Silence greeted him in the ordinary neighborhood. He looked up at the top set of windows and saw him, the vampire, staring down at him. They locked eyes. Anger welled up inside of him. How dare the fucking rogue touch him! How dare he seduce him! He felt violated, shamed. What kind of spell had he used?

  And yet his heart lurched as his eyes clashed with
blue ones. Wayde, he had said. His name was Wayde. He had to shift a bit on the bike, because his rock-hard cock was making it difficult to sit comfortably on the narrow seat.

  He wanted to march into the condo, break down his door and force Wayde to remove whatever enchantment he had put on him. Because he wanted him, wanted him with a passion he’d had never felt before. He wanted to strip the vampire naked, wanted to swallow his cock and drink him down. He wanted to bury himself into that tight ass. He wanted to take and be taken, again and again.

  And then he saw a shadow flutter to Wayde’s right and he saw the woman, Daphne. She didn’t look down at him. Her gaze seemed locked upon the vampire and Alex wondered if she was under some kind of enchantment as well. She hadn’t seemed like she was, but what the hell did he know? He would investigate further, because he had one advantage over the vampire.

  Alex could walk in the daylight.

  With a plan forming in his head, Alex flipped the switch on his bike and knocked down his visor. He forced himself to break eye contact with Wayde and zoomed off down the street, even though every fiber in his body craved the handsome rogue.

  ****

  When Alex marched into his house a few minutes later he was in a horrible mood. He called out Sebastian’s name again and again, until his friend appeared from the top of the staircase.

  “What the hell is going on?” Seb demanded. Alex was slightly surprised at how haggard he looked.

  “I need the blade.”

  “Which blade?”

  “Cut the shit! The Blessed Blade. I need it.”

  Seb marched down the stairs and grabbed Alex’s arm. “Your chin has stitches. What happened?”

  Alex jerked away and ran a hand through his hair and started pacing. Josiah and Tommy had come out of their room to listen.

  “Alexander!” Seb barked. “What happened?”

  Alex blinked and took a deep breath. “I’ve been tracking a rogue vampire.”

  Seb pulled back sharply. “A…rogue? Are you sure?”

  “What do you mean, am I sure? Of course I’m fucking sure! He…he put a spell on me. I need the Blessed Blade so I can hunt him down and kill him without getting caught in another spell.”