Wayde didn’t have time to answer because a round, shining, swirling mass appeared and through the portal five men stepped. The Council had arrived. Wayde stepped back as Alex went to talk to them.
The Council was made up of five sorcerers, two men from the light and two men from the dark. The fifth, Simon, was a direct member of the Shade, an impartial vote that broke the ties and controlled the portals. They were only brought in when a cleanup was needed or when members of their own was in trouble, like now.
Wayde tried to blend into the background, but no sooner had the Council shown up than Simon was making a beeline for him. Wayde sighed. It had taken him twenty-four years to get the man to stop calling him.
“Wayde Wallace,” Simon said as he came to stand in front of him. “A new name I see.”
Wayde didn’t mention that he’d changed it in an effort to escape him. “A new name is prudent every so often.”
“I haven’t seen you since Berlin.”
Wayde smiled. “Good times, eh? I still have part of the wall that came down.”
“Oh, fabulous,” Simon said dryly. “So why would you risk your own neck over a rogue vampire? From what I remember, you liked to run away.”
“Real mature, Simon,” Wayde said with a touch of exasperation. “Let’s not rehash the past. Rogue vampires give us all a bad name, don’t they? And humans aren’t as easy to manipulate, like in olden times. I still have a business to run.”
“Right. Books. I remember.”
Alex began walking to them, obviously done with his interview. Wayde couldn’t take his eyes off the handsome man.
“Oh,” Simon said. “I see how the wind blows.”
“Shut up, Simon.”
Wayde walked away from him and met Alex half way. “Are you through?”
“No, but I’m going to be here awhile,” Alex informed him, running a hand through his hair. “Why don’t you go on home and I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“You sure?”
Alex nodded.“We have to take care of the household, inform the others, and let the human police take credit for Seb’s capture. I still can’t believe I didn’t know. I lived in the same house with him and the only indication that something wasn’t right was when I couldn’t find that Blessed Blade.”
“Thank God you didn’t let me touch it,” Wayde said with a shudder.
“Yeah.”
Alex watched him for a long moment, and all Wayde could do was let the other man sort through his thoughts.
“Wayde, you’re a part of me now but…what about Daphne?”
“I’ve come to love her,” Wayde told him. “I hope you come to love her, too.”
“I might already,” Alex whispered.
“You will come over tomorrow night. Right?” Wayde couldn’t keep the note of uncertainty from creeping into his voice.
He didn’t know what he’d do if Alex turned his back and walked away. Everything was happening so fast, so sudden and he wouldn’t blame the other man in the least if he turned tail and ran away.
But Alex gave him a smile. “Yes.”
And Wayde breathed a little easier.
****
When he got home, Daphne ran into his arms and hugged him tight. He buried his face in her neck and breathed in her delicious scent. After the ugliness he’d just gone through, she was a breath of fresh air. He never realized how much he had craved sunshine until Daphne lit up his world.
She pulled back and looked him up and down. “You have blood on you.”
“Not mine,” he assured her. “I’m fine.”
“And Alex is fine?”
“Not a hair on his head harmed.”
“It’s time for bed,” she told him, tugging his hand and guiding him toward his bedroom. “I can rest now that you’re home and safe.”
He bent and kissed her lightly on her lips. “Alex will be here when I wake up.”
“All right.”
Wayde went to close his door but she grabbed his arm, halting him. When he looked at her she was biting her lip.
“Is everything okay, Daphne?”
“I…I love you,” she whispered.
“What?”
She raised her head and met his gaze. “I love you. I just wanted you to know that, Wayde, no matter what.”
He cupped her face. “Be very sure of those words, Daphne. Once uttered, love is like the moon, forever there. Now sleep. Tonight, we shall talk.”
Chapter Twelve
Wayde opened the door to his condo and stood back, letting Alex into his home. The cop had a rolling suitcase with him. Daphne was behind him, holding a cup of coffee and he saw her glance at him first, as if seeking permission, before smiling at Alex. Truth be told, he was a little nervous to see how they would react together. He saw Alex smile back and little lines around his honey-colored eyes crinkled as he looked down at her. A soft, loving expression flittered through them and it made Wayde relax. If Alex loved her, then everything would be fine.
“I brought my stuff,” Alex explained. “The Council already closed up the house.”
“That’s fine,” Wayde said. “I’ve got plenty of spare rooms.”
“I made coffee, Alex,” Daphne said. “Would you like a cup?”
“I’d love one,” he replied. “Black is fine.”
She nodded and turned, heading into the kitchen. Alex parked his suitcase and then looked at him, one eyebrow raised, and Wayde simply nodded. Yes, he knew what needed to be said. They followed her into the kitchen and sat at the bar while she poured the steaming brew into a cup before handing it to Alex.
“Thanks,” he murmured.
“Daphne,” Wayde said. “Why don’t you sit?”
She grabbed her own mug before taking a seat across from both of them. He thought maybe she did that as a strategic tactic, because as far as she was concerned this about accepting two men into her life.
If only it were that easy.
“Daphne,” Alex said, starting the conversation. “Do you believe in angels?”
She raised her eyebrows, the question clearly surprising her.
“Yes,” she answered. “I’m dying. Of course I believe in angels.”
“You won’t die,” Alex told her fiercely. “I’ll figure something out.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Wayde reminded him.
Alex looked at him grimly. “Never had a we before. At least, not like that.”
Wayde took hold of Alex’s hand and laced their fingers. “Now you do.”
“That’s been running through my mind,” she said, nodding to their hands. “Where could I possibly fit into your lives when you have each other? I’m just a burden.”
“Daphne, I can’t imagine you not being in my life,” Wayde told her as he held out his other hand, the one that wasn’t holding onto Alex. “That’s why you will get better, because from that very first night…you were mine.”
She bit her lip and tears welled up in her eyes. “I was born with my heart valves messed up,” she said softly. “My parents were told I wouldn’t live. They gave up on me.”
“I won’t give up on you,” he vowed.
“Me, neither,” Alex said. “And I think you fit perfectly with us.”
“But Daphne,” Wayde said, taking a deep breath. “There’s something about me that I need to explain—”
“That you’re a vampire?” she asked, interrupting him.
“Yes, that I’m a vampire,” he finished and then blinked. “Wait. How did you know that?”
A faint blush rose in her cheeks as she bowed her head. “I’m sorry. I went snooping in your bedroom.”
Wayde felt his mouth fall open in surprise, but other than mimic a fish, he couldn’t think of something to say.
Daphne turned to Alex. “But you’re not one.”
“Um, no,” he answered. “But I am Shade.”
“Shade? I don’t know what that is,” she said curiously. “I assume, if there are such things as vampires, then there must
be other folklore creatures.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Alex replied. “When I asked if you believed in angels it wasn’t because I thought you were dying. You see, the Shade is the realm that was created when light and dark formed.”
“Heaven and hell?”
He nodded. “That’s one name for it. And right between them was the tiny crack that a mixture of angels and demons spilled into. Good and bad turned into hybrids and the Shade was where most of us were born.”
She glanced back at Wayde quickly before refocusing her attention on Alex. “So what are you?”
“I am Fae,” he announced.
“I thought you were,” Wayde said smugly. “Right from the first time I smelled you.”
“I always thought they were little, with wings, and had funny names like Tinkerbell,” she said.
“That’s fairies,” Alex explained dryly. “Fae are different.”
“Fae are warriors, which explains why he’s a cop,” Wayde added, smiling. “Damn. I got lucky.”
Alex raised an eyebrow.
“I meant,” he added, “you’re wise, and fair and have a very long life.”
“How old are you?” Daphne asked, pointing back and forth. “Both of you.”
“Age is relative,” Wayde replied. “I was born in the Shade and came to earth when Sumer in Mesopotamia was thriving. I was curious about humans.”
She blinked and then looked toward Alex questioningly.
“About four thousand years ago,” he said and her mouth dropped open. “I’m not as old as that. I’ve only been around a couple hundred years.”
“Are you both immortal?”
“No,” Wayde said. “Nothing is immortal. We vampires age very slowly and have healing properties that help us regenerate and Fae, I believe, live a couple thousand years. Right?”
“Yes.”
She bit her lip. “Humans must seem very insignificant compared to living as long as that, seeing what you’ve seen. I’m only twenty-three, but I probably won’t see my next birthday.”
“Don’t say that,” Wayde admonished. “And humans are remarkable. The Shade don’t have near the compassion and the love that you feel. Perhaps it’s because you live such a short amount of time, but everything is more vibrant. More alive. I’ve been searching my whole life to find someone that makes me feel like you do.”
“Come on,” she scoffed. “Four thousand years and you’ve never met one person?”
“No, I didn’t say that,” he corrected. “Of course, I’ve had lovers. I’m a vampire. Sex and bloodlust go hand in hand. But that’s different from love. The night I found you, Daphne, I had gotten a whiff of your scent and I followed the trail. I’ve never done that before. It was the same with Alex, and before I knew what I was doing, I began leaking mating pheromones like crazy.”
“I don’t know what that means,” she said.
“It’s like catnip to a cat,” Alex told her. “Annoying as shit.”
“But irreversible,” Wayde said, frowning. “It links our lives and our life spans together.”
“But…I’m dying. What happens to both of you if I die?”
“You’re not going to die,” Alex stated and folded his arms.
“He’s right,” Wayde said and took a deep breath. “We have two options, Daphne. The Shade have a hospital in Los Angeles called Dove Hollow. It was created for the human companions of the Shade, ones that grew into old age or ones that were hurt by our kinds and obviously couldn’t be treated in a regular hospital. I want to take you there.”
“Perhaps there’s a magical solution for you,” Alex added.
“Magic? Like Harry Potter?”
Wayde sighed. “Stories of wands run amuck. No, not like Harry Potter, I’m sorry to say, although I did enjoy the books. Magic has a few conditions. Only for the living and only in the now.”
“Meaning,” Alex translated. “You can’t resurrect the dead and you can’t time travel.”
“I don’t know if your heart is technically in the realm of the first condition since it was a congenital problem,” Wayde admitted. “If natural human ailments were as easy to fix there wouldn’t be a need for Dove Hollow.”
Daphne nodded. “Okay. What’s the second option?”
“I turn you,” Wayde said.
“Oh,” she whispered. “Into a vampire?”
He nodded. “But I’d want you to know what it’s like to live like me. It’s…not easy.”
“Coffins? Garlic? Crosses? Sunlight?”
“Out of all those, only the sunlight affects us, but not because we’re cursed or whatever,” he explained. “The enzyme in my blood that allows me to digest blood and regenerate if I’m wounded is very sensitive to the sun. It will burn if exposed long enough. I sleep through the day to avoid any problems. Humans need about eight hours of sleep and vampires need about twelve. What else…coffins are ridiculous. That came about during the Dark Ages when vampires would borrow coffins to avoid the sun. I get claustrophobic. Garlic, crosses, sparkling like diamonds…nonsense. I can die, although it’s harder to kill me than a regular supernatural.”
“I couldn’t kill a human for blood,” she stated firmly.
“I don’t take human blood unless it’s from a willing donor,” Wayde assured. “And only when it’s for sexual satisfaction. Or, now that I have you both, from you two. I mostly keep the stray population down.”
It took her a moment to comprehend that.
“You eat dogs?” she asked aghast.
He nodded, unashamed. “And cats and rats. Sometimes I go into the forest and catch a squirrel or two. Had there been vampires around Mongolia during the 1300’s the bubonic plague wouldn’t have spread like it did. There weren’t many of us on earth then and by the time we became aware of it, it had already spread through Italy and up into Europe.”
Now both she and Alex were staring at him with her mouths agape. He wasn’t sure if it was his reference to eating animals or to the Black Death.
“What?” he said gruffly. “That doesn’t turn me into Edward Cullen.”
Daphne laughed at that. In fact, she began to laugh so hard she almost fell out of her chair.
“Anyway,” he said, clearing his throat. “If you knew I was a vampire, why weren’t you scared of me?”
She had to wipe the tears running down her cheeks from laughing so hard, but secretly he was relieved to see her so happy.
“You could’ve easily drank me dry in the weeks I’ve been living here, Wayde,” she said. A slight hiccup escaped. “Instead, you gave me a home. And I love you. It doesn’t matter to me what you are.”
She turned to Alex and took hold of his hand.
“And you, Alex. I want…I don’t want to die. I want to belong to both of you. So let’s go to Los Angeles.”
Chapter Thirteen
They sat making plans, with Wayde on his laptop booking night flights into LAX, when he noticed Daphne’s eyes drooping. She tired so easily lately and he felt time speeding by quickly. The faster they saw a Shade doctor the faster they could decide the best course of action.
He wondered what he’d do if she turned down being changed. Could he just watch her…die? He’d had companions die on him throughout the centuries, but even as sad as those times were, he instinctively knew that if he saw the life leave Daphne it would break him in ways he couldn’t, and didn’t want to, imagine.
Alex rose and walked over to her. He pulled back her chair and swung her up in his arms and then he carried her from the kitchen toward her bedroom with the same grim look upon his face that Wayde suspected was on his.
****
“You don’t have to carry me,” Daphne murmured. “I must be too heavy.”
“Are you kidding?” Alex said with an amused snort. “Once you’re better, Wayde and I will fatten you up. Make you nice and plump.”
“With love handles?”
“And a round ass to spank,” he said with a naughty little grin.
“Oh?” she murmured as she nipped at his ear lobe. “What other wicked delights do you want to do with my body?”
A shiver rolled through his body when he felt her teeth on his sensitive skin and he looked at her in surprise. “Is my woman a little kinky?”
She nuzzled her face into his neck and then gave a little lick. Alex couldn’t believe the exquisite feeling of having her mouth on him. His cock thickened and he paused outside her door wishing he could adjust himself. But Daphne seemed to have her own ideas and cupped his face. She brought her mouth against his and kissed him.
He let her control the kiss. Daphne ran her fingers gently through his hair and he loved the feel of her fingers soothing his scalp. She did a series of teasing kisses, sliding her tongue inside his mouth to dance with his, only to retreat and then press back inside. It was erotic and thrilling and all he wanted to do was kiss her forever. But she pulled back, panting and slightly out of breath and he knew now was not the time for his libido.
Alex rested his forehead against hers. “And when you’re better, I’m going to ravish you all night long.”
“I wish you could ravish me now,” she said, a bit breathless in a non-romantic way.
“Me too, sweetheart,” he replied. He sighed as he sat her on her feet. “Get some rest because tomorrow night you’re going to be poked and prodded in ways that aren’t sexy at all.”
“Okay,” she answered and opened her door. “Good night, Alex.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She closed the door and he made his way back to the kitchen. Wayde wasn’t there. His laptop had been shut down and closed. Alex headed into the living room and saw the vampire staring out the large window, the same window he’d seen him not too long ago.
“She’s gone to bed?”
“Yes,” Alex replied. He ran and weary hand over his face. “I’m worried about her.”
“She tires very easy these days. When she first came here she would stay up all night waiting for me to come home. Now…she’s sleeping more often than she’s awake.”
“Wayde, I’ve got to ask you something…something that’s been bothering me. How do I know these feelings I have are real and not something made up by your pheromones?”
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