As Midnight Loves the Moon by Beth D. Carter

innocence.

Chapter Nine
     
    Alex managed to make it out of
Tartarus, although his legs were still wobbly from the incredible orgasm he’d
had only moments before. He walked into the alley and promptly collapsed
against the building, forcing himself to take deep and steady breaths.
    What
the fuck was that?
    He tried to remember what made him
go to Tartarus in the first place. He’d been unsettled, restless from his kiss
with Daphne, and had wanted to blow a little steam. Instead, he’d blown his
load in Wayde’s hand and had watched the man lick it
off his fingers. It had been one of the hottest things he’d ever seen. Even now
the memory made his dick stir to life.
    No! No, he would not think of that
man again! He had to eliminate him. Neutralize the effect to his senses. The
man was a menace to his equilibrium, his work, and his life. Hell, he’d be
doing the universe a favor. Right?
    Right.
    Alex’s mind flashed to Wayde’s soft lips, his long tongue. The man definitely knew
how to work that tongue. What would it feel like as it licked his cock? Rimmed
his hole? The thoughts turned his semi-hard shaft into a pulsing, needy hard-on
that made him want to go searching for Wayde.
    Maybe he shouldn’t shoot the fucker
until after he’d had a blow job.
    Yeah. That’s what he’d do. Blow job
first. Shooting his brains out second.
    ****
    Wayde slammed his front door behind
him with great satisfaction. He was horny and pissed off, which made a helluva
combination. Why the fuck did Alexander Malden believe him guilty? Because the asshole was in lust? Shit.
    He did have one thing right. He
pushed away from the door and headed down the hallway where Daphne’s bedroom
was located. He placed his ear to her door but didn’t hear anything. Slowly, he
turned the knob and the door quietly swung open.
    Her bedroom had a window and the
moon hung low in the sky, already beginning it’s waning decent toward the next
new moon. He knew the cycle intimately. Out of all the Shade species, vampires
and werewolves were the only two cursed with living by the moon. In that
regard, he somewhat envied the fairies, warlocks, and witches. Even the demons and angels to some extent.
    In any case he only had about
another half an hour before daybreak. He looked down upon Daphne’s serene face,
tenderly tracing over her features as if memorizing them. Perhaps he was. He’d
been avoiding her lately, because he’d been so confused about his feelings. He’d
get up and greet her, pretend to drink the coffee she made for him before
heading to his store to work. After several intense hours restoring his books,
he would find something else to occupy his time. Each time he came home, food
would be wrapped up waiting for him in the refrigerator. He would take it,
discard it and place the empty plate in the sink as a gesture that he’d enjoyed
her cooking.
    He bent over and kissed her softly
on the lips, hating when he felt how cold her skin was. He listened hard and hated
how thready her heart sounded. One day she would go to sleep and not wake up.
    Or she would have cardiac arrest
during the day and he’d be unable to help her. Maybe he should take her to Dove Hollow Hospital in Los Angeles . Perhaps
there was something from Shade medicine that could help her that human medicine
could not. Of course, that meant he’d have to come clean about who he was and
who the Shade were.
    But if he didn’t and she ended up
dying, the question was, could he live with that guilt?
    Could he live without her?
    She and Alex were fast becoming special
to him. He was going to have to figure this out, and figure it out fast, because he had a feeling time was running out. He went
to bed still indecisive. His dreams were filled with lustful images of Alex and
Daphne, in some they were even intertwined and holding out their hands for him
to join.
    The moment the sun set, his eyes opened,
but they felt gritty and tired. All he wanted to do was pull the sheet over