The skin on the head was smooth, but swollen as precum leaked steadily from the tip. Wayde sucked it into his mouth, using the flat top of his tongue to massage up and down. He held onto Alex’s hips as he started his momentum, in and out on mouth and tongue.
But Alex wasn’t just taking without giving. He turned his body so that they were in a sixty-nine position and his mouth settled over Wayde’s cock like a hot vise. Teeth tenderly and teasingly bit the crown, while his tongue soothed any pain inflicted. It just about drove Wayde crazy.
Together, they worked their own magic on each other, sucking and licking, tugging and jerking, until they were both worked up. Wayde pulled back reluctantly from Alex’s delicious taste because as much as he would love to finish here and now, he wanted Alex inside him when he came.
Alex let out a groan of loss and tried to grab his hips, but Wayde turned around and faced him. He looked into luminous honey-colored eyes, awash in passion, and felt his heart stutter with something different than desire. It had scared him a little, but faced with Alex’s beautiful face flushed with want and need, all it did was make Wayde’s heart burst.
He leaned down and captured Alex’s lips, kissing him almost ferociously. He tasted himself on the man’s lips, a mixture of musk and salt, and wondered if Alex was thinking the same, tasting himself as well. He reached toward his bag on the floor and brought out the lube and placed it in Alex’s hand.
Alex pushed him onto his back and spread his thighs wide, giving him access to Wayde’s dark hole. It dawned on Wayde that Alex would take him chest to chest, face to face.
His hands roamed over Alex’s chest, rolling his nipples between his fingers as Alex opened the lube and poured some on Wayde’s rosette. His fingers gently probed, easing in to massage the opening. Wayde tensed, not sure if he liked the feeling or not. It was…different, being on this end of things. Then Alex sank another finger in and he moaned at the burning sensation.
“Relax,” Alex murmured in his ear and then sucked on the lobe.
“Trying,” Wayde said, taking a few deep breathes.
“Yes, that’s it,” Alex encouraged. His fingers began to saw apart and suddenly Wayde felt them scrape against something that had his body jumping like it touched a live wire.
“That feels nice, doesn’t it?”
“Holy fuck, what was that?”
Alex did it again, and Wayde couldn’t help the delicious moan that escaped.
“It’s your prostrate,” Alex told him. “It’s a nice little sweet spot.”
He stroked again and Wayde shuddered. Suddenly, this had turned the tables. Had he known that it felt that good, he’d had tried bottoming a long time ago.
“Please,” he begged between gasps of air, “fuck me, Alex!”
Alex couldn’t seem to stand it, either. He grabbed his cock and bent to find Wayde’s tight hole. Alex leaned down, kissed him, and entered. There was no resistance as he slid in deep.
“Fuck!” Alex moaned, closing his eyes. “That feels good.”
Wayde agreed was but was beyond speech as he concentrated on Alex’s possession. The cock filled him up and Wayde groaned. His body flushed in mind-tingling pleasure all over and he was on the verge of losing control.
Alex began to move slowly, withdrawing, only to plunge back in, taking a moment between each thrust to let them both really feel the bliss of being joined. Little by little, he increased the tempo until he had a smooth motion going. Wayde’s fingers plunged into Alex’s hair, gripping tight with each surge, urging him on with little rapturous mewls.
Their bodies were tight against each other but Alex wiggled one hand between them to grasp Wayde’s cock, using the steadily leaking fluid to lubricate him, allowing his hand to pump up and down, in time with his hips.
And then all thought, rhyme and reason fled as control fled. Wayde could feel himself letting go, swelling. His fangs came down and he couldn’t help resting them against Alex’s shoulder. He wanted so desperately to sink them into the vein in his lover’s neck, feel the hot blood fill his mouth and he came…but not until he and Alex came together.
“Oh, God! I’m going to come,” Alex gasped. “Bite me, Wayde!”
So Wayde sank his fangs deep just as Alex erupted, spilling his release deep into him.
“Yes!” Alex moaned, his hips undulating wildly over him. He pumped Wayde’s cock faster and faster until he erupted with a splash of hot juice coating his hand. Boneless, he withdrew his fangs and licked the puncture holes sealed before Alex’s sweaty body collapsed upon him, breathing heavily as his heart pounded in his chest. Alex’s arms snuck around him, holding him tightly.
“That was amazing, Alex. Had I known it was that amazing, I would’ve done that a long time ago.”
“You sound like it was the first time you bottomed.”
“Well, a vampire is usually the dominant in a relationship. Taking, but never giving.”
“Wait, are you trying to say—”
“I’ve always been the top,” he clarified. “In the past. But tonight—”
“I was your first?” Alex interrupted him, surprise ringing through his question.
Wayne nodded.
Alex captured his lips with a kiss so tender it almost brought tears to Wayde’s eyes. When he pulled back, Wayde stared at him, trying hard to hold it all together.
“Thank you,” Alex whispered. “That meant a lot, didn’t it?”
“I wanted you to know that you have just as much control in this relationship as I do. As Daphne does.”
Alex smiled and then he relaxed upon Wayde’s shoulder.
They held each other all night long.
Chapter Fifteen
Dove Hollow wasn’t anything like what Daphne was expecting. She’d pictured a huge state of the art facility, perhaps smooth, white marble and stainless steel appliances. But the Victorian looking three-story house blew all her preconceived notions away. Located halfway between the San Fernando valley and Santa Clarita, they’d traveled a long distance on the freeway before turning off and driving far into nothing. At the end of the road was the house with a modest sign that said Dove Hollow and no other explanation.
The driver held the door open for them and Wayde exited the limo first. He held out his hand for her, and Daphne immediately felt the dry heat of Southern California that even night time couldn’t dissipate. She’d always read the desert was cool, but apparently not during a heat wave.
When Alex exited the limo, he grabbed her hand and they followed Wayde up the steps into the cool interior of the hospital. Daphne silently thanked the powers that be for air conditioning.
A woman sat at the front desk and she smiled when she saw them approach. Daphne bit her lip when she saw pointy ears peaking from a head full of red hair.
“Hello,” Wayde greeted, stepping up to the receptionist. “My name is Wayde Wallace. We have an appointment with Dr. Rennix.”
“Yes,” she replied. “If you don’t mind waiting in our lounge, I’ll page the doctor for you. You’ll find we have fully stocked services for vampires and humans.”
“Thank you,” Wayde replied and turned toward Alex and Daphne. He gestured for them to follow.
Daphne had a hard time not staring, but she was suddenly thrust into a world she’d had no idea existed. She suddenly had a new and sympathetic outlook on Alice’s plight as she fell down the rabbit’s hole.
The lounge, as the receptionist had called it, had about a dozen people waiting in it, plus a server carrying a dark tray. He moved around the room, cleaning up glasses as he listened to orders being thrown his way. He skin was dark and two golden cuffs encircled his wrists. Daphne wondered how he could possibly remember everything.
“He’s a djinn,” Wayde whispered.
She blinked. “Like from Arabian Nights?”
“Yes, he’s from the Arabian world. You’ll find many Shade from different parts of the world working here.”
They sat down, but didn’t get a ch
ance to order before a tall, handsome man approached wearing light blue scrubs and a white coat that had the name Dr. Rennix stitched on the pocket.
Wayde and Alex stood up to shake his hand, but the entire time the doctor stared down at her. His eyes were almost surreal, emitting a light that ensnared her. She couldn’t look away. It was as if she were caught in some sort of tunnel, unable to move or escape from the green gaze mesmerizing her. And then it abruptly ceased, as Dr. Rennix turned away. Wayde’s hand encircled her arm and helped her stand and they followed after the doctor. She was slightly dazed as they stepped into an elevator that whisked them down. When the elevator doors opened, Daphne saw that they’d descended into the real Dove Hollow hospital. This was the part that held the antiseptic smell, the white washed walls, and various equipment all belonging to a medical environment. She saw nurses wearing all types of cute scrubs, doctors rushing to and fro, patients hooked up to IV lines walking about, and heard the beeps, bleeps, and rings of a nurse’s station.
It was an environment Daphne was intimately acquainted with. She’d spent half her life in a hospital room and when she’d finally left, she’d vowed not to go back. So when the others walked off the elevator, she couldn’t move. This was her fear come roaring to life, a grim reminder that life really wasn’t worth living if all she had to live for were the injections, pokes and prods of a hospital staff that worked to keep her alive, but didn’t really care about her as a person.
“Daphne?” Wayde’s voice broke through the paralyzing fear gripping her and she turned wide eyes his way, knowing tears fell silently over her cheeks. He wiped them off with his thumb and hugged her. “Daphne?”
“D-Don’t leave me here,” she begged, although she couldn’t seem to talk above a whisper.
“Oh, sweetheart, never,” he vowed. “We’re just going to have Dr. Rennix look you over, make sure that the human doctors did all they could and see if there is anything Shade medicine can fix. Okay? Come with me now, let’s leave this behind us.”
He folded her against her and guided her out of the elevator that Alex was holding open. Dr. Rennix smiled encouragingly at her and a second later they walked into his office. He closed the door firmly behind them, shutting out the last lingering fear tearing through her.
“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.”
Chapter 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.
As Midnight Loves the Moon Page 9
