“I don’t understand,” he said.
“I don’t either. But I’m vampire.” She made her fangs slide out to show him before retracting them.
“And what about your mindless bloodlust?”
“My what?”
“Wayde told me I had to be careful around you or you’d try to eat me, like, all the time.”
She shook her head. “Actually, I want coffee.”
And she turned away from the window to head into the kitchenette and proceeded to make a pot of the strong brew. Moments later, she was sipping the hot brew with joy.
“I didn’t know I’d be able to enjoy coffee,” she said. “I wonder if I can eat.”
“Are you hungry?”
She sat the mug down and grabbed a banana and peeled it. “I can smell it and it smells so good,” she said. She took a bite. “Mm. I love it. Everything is a little more enhanced and my taste buds are dancing with joy.”
“I think we need to go see Dr. Rennix,” Alex said.
She nodded. “I agree. Somehow, I’m a human and a vampire.”
****
Wayde expected to have Daphne snuggled next to him, but when he woke up he was alone in the big bed. Concerned, he rose and grabbed his pants, zipping them just as he reached the door. If she was too ravenous, she would go after the first blood source she could find, which would be Alex.
He rushed into the living room and saw them watching television. And she was munching on a bowl full of popcorn.
“Don’t eat that,” he said. “You’ll just end up vomiting it up.”
“No, I won’t,” she said.
“No, she won’t,” Alex seconded. “She already ordered everything on the room service menu and ate it. I barely salvaged my cheeseburger in time.”
Wayde frowned. “It didn’t take?”
“No, it took.” She flashed him her fangs.
“She can also walk in the sun.”
Wayde shook his head. “Something’s wrong.”
“That’s why we have an appointment with Dr. Rennix,” Alex said. “Wash up or we’ll be late.”
****
“…So you were stabbed with the Blessed Blade,” Dr. Rennix murmured. “And then you drank vampire blood.”
“I had to,” she said. “If they would have pulled it out I’d have bled to death. Wayde’s blood helped stabilize me.”
Dr. Rennix rubbed his chin as he looked at her. “Perhaps some of the seraphim blessing got into your bloodstream, mixed with vampire blood. Somehow…created a Dhampir.”
She blinked. “A what?”
“Part vampire and part human,” Alex explained. “Although, technically, part seraphim. A hybrid of some sort.”
“How is that possible?” she asked Dr. Rennix.
“I don’t know,” he replied, obviously perplexed. “I don’t know anyone who’s actually gotten stabbed by a Blessed Blade and lived.”
“So she’s fine?” Wayde asked, stepping forward. “She’s…healed? And she won’t revert?”
Dr. Rennix shook his head. “She’s fully, well, supernatural is the best word I can think of. Her heart is strong and healthy.”
Wayde’s shoulders sagged a moment in relief and then he stood straight and smiled at her. “You have all the vampire strengths with none of the weakness.”
“So I’m not going to die?” she asked, needing verification.
“No,” Dr. Rennix said. “In fact, you’ll have a long life, provided you stay away from psychotic sorcerers.”
They all laughed and thanked the doctor. As they walked out of Dove Hollow, Daphne turned to look up at the moon.
“I hope I never have to see this hospital again,” she said.
Alex pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Me, too. Would it be too soon if I said I love you, Daphne Sabella? That I love you both so much?”
“No, because I love you,” she said back to him.
Wayde stopped and it took her few steps before she realized he was no longer beside her. When she looked back at him, he was staring at her with an intensity that stole her breath and made her new heart pound.
“I love you,” he whispered. “Both of you. I never thought a vampire could feel such love but I…I couldn’t live without either of you.”
She took his hand and pressed it to her chest so he could feel how much he affected her. “You once told me not to say that word unless I meant it. Once said, it was like the moon, forever there. Do you mean it, Wayde? Do you love us?”
“As midnight loves the moon,” he murmured.
www.bethdcarter.com
Other Books by Beth D. Carter:
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As Midnight Loves the Moon Page 11
