Free As Midnight Loves the Moon by Beth D. Carter Page B

the
finger.
    “When this is over we’ll…talk. Right? You, me, and Daphne.”
    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