Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Ember turned off the television and tossed the remote aside.
She could only rewind the movie so many times before accepting that she simply wasn’t paying attention to it.
The bed frame creaked quietly beneath her as she reached for one of the books on the nightstand, intending to read more about witches instead, but she withdrew her hand with a groan and flopped back onto the bed.
Her research didn’t feel like it was going anywhere.
She’d read about witches and their history, though most of the available records involved innocent people who’d been accused of practicing witchcraft rather than actual witches.
She’d read about demons, incubi and succubae, and other entities from many cultures, but how was she to know what bits of the myths were based in fact?
As for Nyte’s kind, the nocturni, there was nothing to be found. She suspected that they’d been lumped in with other creatures of the night in most of the old stories, twisted into fairy tales of boogey men and horrors haunting people’s dreams.
She’d delved into books and sources online about witches and covens. There were covens all over the world—especially in Salem, which wasn’t surprising. But again, how could she know where she belonged?
Some people embraced the witch aesthetic, enjoying crystals and incense and all things occult. Others considered themselves witches in a spiritual sense, focusing on intuition, inner wisdom, and devoting themselves to nature, whether practicing Paganism or more personal sets of beliefs.
Some covens seemed more like social groups, ways to bring women together in sisterhood.
Others focused on building community around shared spirituality and rituals.
Many covens partook in volunteer work and activism, seeking to improve their neighborhoods through their actions.
And after sending out some inquiries, Ember learned that a few covens were quite secretive and selective in their membership, following strict rules and revealing very little to outsiders.
Which of those groups actually knew that demons like Nyte were real? Which of them knew how to cast spells, which could teach Ember to use the magic that was apparently in her blood? She doubted her parents knew anything about it, and she wasn’t about to ring them up and ask.
Hey Mom, Dad, do you know if there are any witches in the family? Maybe Grandma had an old spellbook to pass down to me?
Ember was completely lost.
And she knew that if she tried to read tonight, it would be the same as watching the movie. Her eyes would skim over the words, but not a single one would register.
Her mind simply kept drifting to Nyte.
He was the only person she knew who could answer any of her questions. Except he was never around to do so.
Ember hated this distance between them. Hated that she couldn’t talk to him, couldn’t enjoy a movie without him, couldn’t even read without his presence.
She missed him.
Today had been even more brutal because she hadn’t even had work to keep her occupied. She’d woken up alone and had spent her day all by herself in this big old house, neither seeing nor hearing from him at all.
Enough of this.
It’d been eight days of this nonsense. She wasn’t going to let it continue.
Sitting up, Ember climbed out of bed and drew off her nightgown as she made her way to her dresser. Pulling out a pair of black leggings and an oversized black off-shoulder sweater, she dressed and put on socks before heading downstairs.
If Nyte wouldn’t willingly come to her, she’d take matters into her own hands. Hell, she’d even forgone a bra hoping that he’d notice.
She grabbed her keys from the kitchen and tucked them in her pocket as she made her way to the front door. Shoving her feet into her black combat boots, she zipped up the sides, stood, and stepped outside, striding along the walkway toward the sidewalk.
Ember smiled, silently counting each step away from her property.
“Where in the hells are you going at this hour of the night?” Nyte demanded from directly behind her.
She couldn’t stop her lips from stretching into a grin as she came to a halt.
Worked like a charm.
“Oh, just going on a midnight stroll,” she said cheerily, turning to face him.
His expression was furious, with his brows angled sharply down over those smoldering eyes, his lips pressed in a tight line, and his nostrils flared. “It’s not safe to be out here alone.”
“But I’m not alone, am I? It’s so thoughtful of you to join me.
” She moved to Nyte’s side, wrapped her arms around one of his, making sure to press her breasts against him, and peered up at him with a sweet smile.
“I know you’ll protect me from all the things that go bump in the night. Well, all the other things.”
A shudder rippled through his tense body, and his wings quivered as he released a heavy breath. But he didn’t poof away. That was more than she’d hoped for with the way he’d been acting lately. She could feel his tail swinging behind them as though in irritation.
With an exaggerated, exasperated flick of his wrist, he waved her forward.
Before her foot had even come down with her first step, clothing appeared on his body. Though his demonic features remained, she knew he wouldn’t appear that way for anyone else who looked at him.
And she wouldn’t appear to have lost her mind walking with her arms looped around thin air.
“See, isn’t this nice?” she asked. “A quiet night, fresh air—well, fresh-ish air—and pleasant company.”
Nyte grunted in a way that sounded rather skeptical.
Ember narrowed her eyes. “You do like my company, right? Because I would hate to think you used me for sex just to ghost me afterward. I might have to hex your shadowy ass.”
He sighed and shook his head. “Firstly, I’m a nocturnus, not a ghost. Secondly, you don’t know how to cast any hexes. And thirdly, we both know which of us is pleasant company and which is not.”
She chuckled. “I’m sure I could learn how to cast a hex or two.” Reaching up, she brushed a lock of curls from his brow. “Also, I do adore your grumpy demeanor. It’s cute.”
“Cute?” His head snapped toward her, the agitation in his expression replaced by incredulity. “I’m a demon formed of darkness, witch. I’m not cute. I am everything you mortals fear in the dead of night.”
Ember pinched his cheek, and in a saccharine voice said, “Aww, look at you trying to be all mean and scary.”
His features fell into a droll look. “I cannot help but feel my existence is plummeting toward a new low.”
“Oh, don’t be so glum.” She slipped her arm back around his, hugging it as they continued walking. “Enjoy the night with me. You’ve been way too distant lately.”
“And this is your answer to that?”
“It’s working, isn’t it?”
He grunted again. “It shouldn’t be.”
“But it did because you’re worried about me. Because you care about me. Don’t you?”
And considering that he was letting her touch him, letting her hold on to him, maybe he’d been just as starved for contact as Ember.
“Despite myself,” he said through clenched teeth, “I do.”
Warmth bloomed in her chest. She hadn’t realized just how much her heart had ached in his absence, how cold and hollow it had felt, until now.
Ember smiled and rested her head against his arm. They were moving away from the city center, away from the people, the noise, the lights. As they walked, Nyte’s tail occasionally brushed her legs, and once it even started curling around her waist before he abruptly withdrew it.
Gradually, the tension bled from Nyte, and he relaxed.
She gazed up at the sky through the boughs of the trees lining the sidewalk. Though it was mostly clear, with the moonlight illuminating a few lazily drifting clouds, there were barely any stars to be seen.
“The sky here isn’t the same as in Nebraska,” she said softly. “You can’t see the stars as clearly. I think that’s what I miss the most since moving here. Being able to look up and see the whole universe there, with more stars than you can count.”
Nyte tipped his head back to gaze upward. He was silent for a time before he spoke. “I know you’re not afraid of the dark, witch. What about heights?”
Ember looked at him, at the sharp angle of his jaw, at his straight, narrow nose and the sinful curve of his lips. Moonlight fell upon his skin, making the motes upon it sparkle, and glinted off his earrings. Once more, she was struck by how beautiful he was. “I’m not afraid of heights.”
“Good.” In a flash, he swept Ember off her feet into a bridal carry, drawing her against his chest. She had scarcely enough time to let out a startled gasp and wrap her arms around his neck before his wings flared out and he leapt off the ground.
“Oh my God, Nyte!” Her stomach sank as they gained altitude, and she tightened her grip on him.
His clothes dissipated like smoke. Wind rushed around her, fluttering her hair and sweater, sweeping beneath her clothing to chill her skin. And she watched as the ground and the city grew farther and farther away.
Before long, Salem sprawled out below them, the straight lines of its well-lit streets juxtaposed by the dark waters of Salem Harbor butting against them.
“I’ve not brought you up here for you to stare at the world below,” Nyte said, his voice cutting through the whooshing air.
Ember dragged her shocked gaze up to Nyte, blinking against the wind. He was regarding her with a playful smirk. Oh, how she’d missed those smiles of his.
When he came to a stop, with the shadows of his wings billowing behind him, she looked beyond Nyte to the dark, starlit sky. Her eyes widened and her lips parted in wonder. From up here, it looked nothing like it had on the street below.
The heavens were midnight blue spattered with subtle nebulas in violet and pink, all backing countless glittering stars. The waxing moon hung lower in the sky, pure silver and larger than she’d ever seen it.
“You brought me to see the stars,” Ember whispered.
“And you shine brighter than all of them, Ember.”
Breath catching and heart quickening, she met his gaze.
His eyes glowed ethereally, hints of the same blues and purples that were in the surrounding sky swirling around cores of pure white starlight.
The warmth in her chest expanded, spreading through her body and coaxing her closer to him.
He’d rarely said her name, and each time he’d done so had been profound.
That he was saying it now, after days of keeping his distance, nearly brought tears to her eyes.
Her attention flicked to his mouth. “Nyte…”
His fingers flexed, the bite of his claws only reminding her of the pleasure they’d shared and making her ache to experience it again.
There was a possessiveness in his hold that was reinforced when his tail swung up to coil around her calf.
Shadows coalesced around her, cocooning her in their whispery embrace, their insubstantial wisps somehow blocking out the chill.
Nyte’s eyes lingered on hers, blazing with heat, beckoning her closer, closer…
Please… Please, kiss me.
He abruptly looked away. His wings pumped, launching them forward through the sky.
A thrill raced through Ember, tickling her belly, and she squeaked, holding on tight.
But she had no need to worry. Nyte held her close, his arms banded around her in a firm, unwavering grip. He wouldn’t let her fall.
Her hair whipped around her head, and though the air was cold on her face and arms, the shadows surrounding her kept her warm.
They soared through the sky, flying amidst a sea of stars and moonlight.
It was magical. And it was a gift he’d given to her because he’d heard the longing in her voice.
Nyte might have tried to distance himself from her, to stop whatever bond was forming between them, but this was a sign that he was failing in that endeavor.
He didn’t have to do any of this for her. Didn’t have to let her take his arm as they walked, didn’t have to respond to anything she said, and he certainly didn’t have to take her flying and share this dazzling, breathtaking view. But he’d done it all anyway, and he’d done it for her.
Smiling, Ember let go of Nyte’s neck to reach out as though she could touch the stars overhead despite knowing how far away they still were.
“Such things are not for mortal hands to hold,” Nyte rumbled.
She chuckled as she pretended to curl her fingers around one of the stars and bring it to his chest, flattening her palm there. “Then you can hold it for me.”
His eyes met hers, and something softened in them. Her belly fluttered, and it had nothing at all to do with the fact that they were flying.
“Take care with your wishes, mortal…lest they come true.”