As Midnight Loves the Moon (4 page)

“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.