As Midnight Loves the Moon Read Online Free

night.”
    “Who’s Daphne? Is she human?”
    “Yes.”
    Then, before Wayde could say
anything more, Alex moved and appeared before him in the blink of an eye, the
swords crossed at his throat. Wayde gave a small, bright smile before punching
Alex in his side, a kidney punch that had him buckling. As the swords fell,
Wayde bent himself backward, evading the blade by inches as Alex tried to
recapture his advantage by swinging them.
    Alex righted himself and advanced,
thrusting his sword forward. This time Wayde did a back flip and when he landed
he spun, kicking high. His foot connected to Alex’s left hand and he lost his
grip on the sword. Wayde lunged and caught it. He swung with it and the two
blades met in a clash of metal on metal.
    “Weaponless, my ass,” Alex
muttered. “You failed to mention your little karate skill.”
    “You expected me to divulge all my
secrets?”
    “I suppose talking your opponent to
death is another tactic?”
    “I’m very good at a lot of things.”
    “Yes, I’m starting to understand
that.”
    Alex feinted back, then parried
with a half turn. They faced each other and then started sparring. Easy at first, light and quick, but eventually moving into a more
complex rhythm.
    Alex’s
movements were precise, perfectly positioned, the footwork sure and strong. He
kept his eyes trained on the man in front of him and seemed to anticipate each
thrust or jab with his own unique movement. As muscular as he was, it was not a
hindrance. In fact, he glided around as if on a cloud.
    Wayde matched Alex
thrust for thrust. He wielded the blade with grace, even when Alex’s blade came
down a little more forcibly. Wayde’s muscles tensed
as Alex’s thrust and ducked, jabbed and swiped. He was after vital areas and
was doing a damn fine job of repelling Wayde’s attacks.
    Alex suddenly
bent and kicked out in a sidekick that caught Wayde in the stomach. He expelled
a lungful of breath and buckled slightly, leaving himself open to let Alex
swing around with another kick, trying to knock the blade out of his hand. At
the last second, Wayde managed to jump back.
    Wayde returned
with a greater leap and a more forceful comeback, placing both hands on his
sword and going on the attack. He ducked another kick from Alex and did one of
his own as Alex was recovering, hitting the warrior in the back and causing him
to stumble. Alex recovered quickly and threw his sword up.
    Steel met
steel, the sound of striking metal ringing with its own brand of musical
foreplay through the shipping yards. Then, everything abruptly came to a halt
as Alex pivoted, then did a duck-spin, striking out with the wooden handle of
his sword right into Wayde’s jaw and sending him
spinning. And as he whirled, his blade spiraled downward, and the tip caught Alex
on the very edge of his jaw, where the cheek curled downward.
    The wound was
not deep, but blood ran.
    The coppery
scent hit Wayde sharply and he felt his fangs descend. Hunger roared through
his body and the need to lick Alex’s blood almost had him buckling under the
force of his desire. Whatever Shade species Alex was made his blood smell sweet
and mouthwatering. Wayde walked backwards, his sword held high, in an effort to
escape the gut-clenching craving. Both paused, staring at each other, breathing
heavily. Alex reached up to touch the wound with a finger, staring into Wayde’s eyes.
    “You’re better
with that sword then I thought you’d be.”
    “I was in China for a
while,” Wayde replied, panting slightly.
    “What the fuck
does that have to do with anything?”
    “There were
many battles during the Three Kingdoms era,” Wayde explained. “Right around when Buddhism was introduced to the Chinese.”
    Alex backed
off even further. “This isn’t over, rogue.”
    And then he
was gone, and Wayde was left holding a sword. He looked at it and licked off
the blood. Alex’s blood. It was so sweet, so heavenly,
like ambrosia. Fae , maybe. It made him want the