As Midnight Loves the Moon (13 page)

“I’m sorry about that, Miss
Sabella
,” he said. “I take it you’ve been in and out of
hospitals too much.”

She nodded. “I was told I would die
in one.”

“And so you left?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I wanted to
live life on my terms.”

Dr.
Rennix
gave her a knowing look. “I see. But you’re getting worse. Sorry about earlier,
that was just a spell to determine what I’m dealing with.
Myxomatous
degeneration associated with an aorta disease, causing the valves to become sufficiently
distorted. That about sums it up?”

Again, she nodded.

“What does that mean?” Wayde
demanded.

“I don’t really need to explain it
all,” Dr.
Rennix
said. “Basically, it’s a congenital
heart defect that Shade magic can’t fix. If I was able to solve human ailments,
Dove Hollow wouldn’t be needed.”

He’s just repeated the exact words
Wayde had said not too long ago. Surprisingly, though, Daphne didn’t feel too
dejected. She’d always known this would be the outcome.

“The definition of magic is only
for the living and only in the now,” Dr.
Rennix
continued. “But the broader meaning of that involves not being able to fix
broken people. I can’t stop people from aging, I can’t stop people from
hurting, and I can’t stop people from dying, Miss
Sabella
.
The most influence I have regarding humans is suggestion and subliminal messages.”

“And diagnostics,” she added.

He nodded. “I can diagnosis in a
second. I can put a person in suspended animation for a couple of days. I can halt
the flow of a rupture. But—”

“But everything dies.”

“Yes.”

She took a deep breath. “Thank you
for your candor. Is there a restroom nearby? I need a moment.”

“Of course,” he said and rose from
behind his desk.
“Down the hall and to the left.
It’s
marked.”

He held the door open and she
nodded her thanks. Thankfully, the bathroom was located in the opposite direction
than the crowded hallway and she didn’t have to deal with those sensations
again.

She pushed open the door to the
women’s room and walked up to stare at herself in the mirror. The idea of
finding a magical cure was a long shot so she wasn’t too surprised to hear the
verdict. Just a few days ago, she would’ve scoffed at the idea of magic even
being real, or of paranormal creatures actually existing. Now the last option
left was whether or not she could let Wayde change her.

Was her love strong enough?

Was his?

He’d never told her that he loved
her. Should that worry her? They were talking about forever, weren’t they? And
what did Alex think of this?

She turned on the faucet and bent
to splash water on her face. She felt a whoosh of air at her back. When she
straightened, a man was behind her. She gasped, but before she could turn or
scream or do something, she felt her body freezing up. Unable to move, she
watched him grin evilly at her.

“One companion down, one to go,”
the man said gleefully. “And Wayde Wallace will be begging at my feet.”

C
hapter Sixteen

Wayde waited in Dr.
Rennix’s
office for Daphne to return, his mind now focused
on convincing her to let him transform her. He’d have to watch her closely,
especially around Alex. A newly turned vampire couldn’t control their
bloodlust. She’d be no better than the rogue vampire he’d just hunted.

All of a sudden, Dr.
Rennix
surged to his feet and ran from his office. He and
Alex shared a look and hurried to follow him. In horror, Wayde realized almost
instantly they were headed to the restroom. Did something happen to Daphne?

There were several sorcerers
gathered around and each looked at one another, perplexed.

“What happened?” he demanded.

“A surge of magic when there
shouldn’t be any,” Dr.
Rennix
said, clearly confused.
He pushed open the door to the women’s bathroom but Daphne wasn’t there. It was
empty. “A portal opened in here.”

Wayde felt his stomach drop and he
shot a horrified look toward Alex.
“Oh, no.”

“What is it?” Dr.
Rennix
demanded.

“Simon,” Wayde said.
“From the Council.”

“Why would he make a portal into a
woman’s restroom?”

“He’s my ex,” Wayde answered.

Dr.
Rennix
blinked. “Are you trying to tell me he kidnapped a human for a petty break-up?”

“I don’t know,” Wayde said grimly. “But
he’s psychotic. How do I track him?”

“I can piggy back the portal,” Dr.
Rennix
said and held up his hand. Instantly, a portal
opened, shimmering opaquely in the overhead fluorescent lights. “You can follow
him.”

“Thanks,” Wayde replied as he
nodded toward Alex. Alex pulled a gun from the concealed holster that rested
under his jacket. And then they walked through the portal.

****

“Stay there,” the man told her,
pushing her onto a chair. The portal had dumped them into some type of
warehouse. It was barren except for a single chair and a cage tall enough to
hold a person.

“Who are you?” she demanded. Her
heart was beating erratically in her chest and it hurt to breathe. She was
trying desperately to control her heart rate because the last thing she needed
was to pass out.

“You don’t know me?”

He sounded truly shocked.

“No. I’ve never seen you before.”

“I’m
Wayde’s
ex-lover,” the man said, sounding offended. “I’m Simon. Maybe you’ve heard of
my name.”

“Sorry,” she said, trying hard to
make it sound like she wasn’t sorry at all. “What type of asshole abducts
someone from a hospital?”

Simon narrowed his eyes on her and
once again she felt that odd, otherworldly feeling, as if she were being
stripped from the inside out.

“You’re sick,” he finally said.

“Do you think that makes you a
genius?”

“Snarky.
I
was wondering what Wayde saw in you. Of course, I knew him by another name.”

“Fascinating,” she said. “Now,
return me.”

“Oh, but you just got here. And my
last plan failed abysmally,” he muttered.

Something cold went through her. “What
plan?”

Simon waved his hand. “That whole
rogue vampire thing. I made sure that Shade cop turned to frame him, but I
never thought Wayde would confront the rogue. That surprised me.”

“You were responsible for three
women being killed?”

“They were human. What does it
matter?”

Daphne didn’t even try to answer
that. She saw him lift his pant leg and a light blue glow came from under the
seam.

“What is that?” she asked.

“It’s a Blessed Blade,” he told
her. “Vampires can die in only a handful of ways but the Blessed Blade will
guarantee it. All he has to do is touch it. Creatures born of the night can’t
survive touching something sacred.”

“I thought vampires had some light
in them,” she whispered.

Simon shrugged. “Not enough to
protect them. Now, stay put while I go figure out how to catch the other
companion.”

At that moment, a shimmering light
appeared, widening to form a doorway. Simon pulled the small dagger from its
sheath and
waited,
a fanatical grin on his face. Daphne
didn’t know everything that was going on, but she figured that Wayde and Alex
had figured out somehow to follow them.

They were walking into a trap.

She realized now what she brought
to their relationship. It was the ability to protect Wayde. He’d saved her from
death upon the streets, had brought her into his home and given her love, freedom,
and hope. Now…now she could repay that debt.

And it was over in the blink of an
eye.

Simon raised the Blessed Blade and
rushed toward the portal just as Wayde stepped through. Daphne ran between them
and threw her arms out wide, protecting
Wayde’s
body
with her own. She felt the blade sink deep into her chest and she fell back,
happy that she hadn’t faltered in her mission.

She saw
Wayde’s
face, heard three pops, and felt tears roll out of her eyes. And then Wayde was
biting his wrist and holding it against her mouth, telling her to swallow his
blood. At first, the coppery taste turned her stomach, but after a second it
became more palatable and she drank.

****

Alex had no idea what happened. He
had his gun up, ready for anything, expect seeing Daphne get stabbed. She flung
herself in between them and the Blessed Blade being wielded by Simon.
Wayde’s
arms came around her and down they went to the
ground. And Alex didn’t hesitate. He fired. Once, twice, and a third time to
make sure Simon stayed down. He didn’t move. Alex bent to check his pulse, but
the sorcerer was dead. The third shot had gotten him between the eyes.

He turned back to Daphne and saw
the blade.

“Do I remove it?” he asked
frantically.

“No! She’ll bleed out. Let me give
her some of my blood to stabilize her first.”

He bit his wrist, and once the
blood had welled up, held it against her mouth.

“Drink,” he urged her and after a
fleeing second she latched on. Once she’d taken a few deep drinks, Alex grabbed
the blade and pulled it out of her chest. Blood bubbled up for a moment, but
only until
Wayde’s
vampire blood mingled with hers
and then the wound sealed shut.

She immediately opened her eyes.

“Wayde?” she gasped and grabbed
hold of his shirt front. “He was behind the rogue vampire. He said he was
trying to frame you.”

“He turned
Seb
?”
Alex asked furiously. “Damn it. I wish I could bring him back to life so I
could kill that bastard again.”

“It’s over,” Wayde murmured and
kissed her forehead, cradling her close. “Why did you jump in front of me,
Daphne? You could’ve died instantly!”

“I had to save you. Am I cured? My
heart feels strong.”

He shook his head. “Temporary. The
wound will come back as will your weak heart.”

“Then we need to hurry,” Alex said.
“I have to call the Council in on this, but you’ve got to change her now.”

Wayde nodded and stared at her.

“Do you…will you…let me transform
you?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she said immediately. “I
feel so good.
Healthy.
I never want this feeling to go
away.”

Alex pulled out his phone and
placed the call to the Council. They were there within a minute and once he
explained the situation they allowed him to go, agreeing to convene to the next
night for a full disclosure. One sorcerer opened a portal to the hotel and they
rushed through, anxious to finish making Daphne whole again.

Chapter Seventeen

“Are you sure,
Daphne?”

She couldn’t
believe he was asking her that, not when her heart was pumping steadily. Never,
in her whole life, had she felt this strong. She wrapped her arms around his
neck and kissed the corner of his lips.

“Yes,” she
answered.

“Then just
follow my lead,” Wayde said, just before he bent his head and crashed his lips
against hers. He kissed her deeply, slipping his tongue into her mouth while he
traced the contours of her face with his fingers. Daphne felt something deep
inside explode with excitement. Finally, after a life time of wishing and
wondering, she was going to be loved.

When he raised
his head, she immediately turned toward Alex, meshing her fingers in his hair
as she met his kiss with equal ferocity, a woman suddenly born with a need she
never realized existed before. The ache inside intensified, grew, spreading
throughout her whole body and making her hips gyrate against his.

Wayde’s
fingers pulled at her shirt, all finesse gone. She
helped him as much as possible without breaking apart her kiss to Alex, anxious
to feel his hands on her breasts. As he found her nipples, tweaking them, she
began to pull apart Alex’s shirt, popping a button free. His chest was smooth
to the touch, muscular, and she delighted in the wicked sensation of being
sandwiched between her two strong men.

Wayde kissed
the back of her neck and rubbed his cheek against the sensitive skin, causing her
to gasp. She had never realized how arousing her back could be. She watched
through half closed eyes as Alex removed his clothing, admiring his lean body
and smooth muscles.

Once he was
naked, he took her in his arms, claiming her lips again. She distinctly heard
the rustling of clothes and realized that Wayde was also disrobing, the clothes
falling in a pile on the floor.

Then
Wayde’s
hands slid around her. His hands cupped her
breasts, filling his palms with their slight weight and teasing the nipples. She
thrust her chest out, wanting more, moaning as she broke the kiss to let her
head fall back onto his chest.

Alex leaned
over her, nipping and licking all the way down, until he fell to his knees in
front of her, unsnapping her pants and pushing them down, exposing her inch by
inch to his gaze. With one hand spreading her, Alex’s mouth descended. He
licked his way up and down her slit, over and over, until she thought she would
go out of her mind. Her juices flowed and he lapped them up like a cat licking
cream. And then he found the spot that cried for attention, the little bundle
of nerves hidden within its hood, and sucked that into the hot vortex of his
mouth while he pressed his fingers inward. One finger bent, rubbing along the
back wall of her pussy while he continued to suck on her clit.

White-hot fire
roared through her as she went up in flames.

“She’s ready,
Wayde,” Alex murmured, the lower half of his face shining with her cream. Wayde
lifted her and laid her on the bed. Then he spread her legs wide and kissed her
inner thighs, working his way up until he latched onto her pussy. Her body
arched in pleasure as his tongue swept into her channel, licking up and down. He
found her clit and rubbed it gently with circles and just when she thought it couldn’t
feel any better, he withdrew his mouth. Before she had time to protest, his
fangs sank into her thigh.