Epilogue
Shadows swirled around Nyte as he slowly walked backward. The dark tendrils adjusted the long-stemmed red roses and black candles lining the foyer, while his hands sprinkled crimson, burgundy, and black rose petals on the floor leading deeper inside from the front door.
Ember had undoubtedly known he was plotting something when he’d left the boutique early today, but that was simply unavoidable. The hours he’d taken off were barely proving adequate to obtain and prepare everything; she was likely on her way home right now, and he wasn’t quite done.
For this holiday, he was taking the initiative. And everything had to be perfect.
Nyte still wasn’t sure if he understood human holidays. They seemed to mean different things to different people, making it difficult to get a true sense of them.
Halloween had been Ember’s favorite, and the city had been overrun with excited tourists and costumed pedestrians in the time leading up to the actual day.
While her enjoyment of Halloween had brought him his own joy, it had also been incredibly busy at the boutique, meaning the two of them had had less time to themselves during the long days.
Of course, he’d stolen whatever moments he could to touch and kiss his witch.
Despite her slowly expanding grasp on her own magic and Nyte’s heart making her effectively immortal, Ember had insisted on living her life as she had before.
At least for now. And he’d been more than happy to live it with her.
Dealing directly with the humans who came into her shop every day remained captivating and fulfilling in ways he could never have predicted.
And when they had the occasional difficult customer… Well, his darling employer had expressly forbidden him from throat-ripping and disembowelments, but he’d had the opportunity to feed upon some exceptional fear from time to time.
Thanksgiving had come next. He and Ember had traveled to her hometown, and she’d introduced him to her family.
They had been openly friendly and accepting of Nyte, even if they didn’t seem to know what to make of him most of the time.
Initially, he’d thought the point of the holiday had been gluttony, but by the time they sat to eat at a large, food-laden table, he’d begun to wonder if it was more about togetherness instead.
He’d been forced to question his conclusion again when Ember’s brothers had each proceeded to eat several plates of food, gorging themselves thoroughly enough that he’d feared their stomachs would burst.
Of course, the bit of research he’d done on the holiday had revealed another dark historical chapter, the effects of which were still rippling through the world to this day.
He’d been unable but to wonder just how much cruelty and brutality humans covered up or ignored to protect themselves from the sins of their ancestors, thus dooming themselves to repeat the same cycles, the same atrocities.
Trying to reconcile what the day presently seemed to be with what it signified historically had been…difficult, and he’d yet to reach a satisfactory understanding.
Christmas had been about decorations, sweets, and gifts.
Again, there seemed to be some deeper meaning to the holiday, but so much of the messaging around it was conflicted.
Ember had explained that most holidays had been commercialized, that they’d become primarily about spending money on seasonal goods.
But when the two of them had exchanged gifts on Christmas morning, all that mattered to him was her radiance, her smiles, her happiness.
Nyte reached up and touched the silver heart-shaped locket dangling from his neck. Inside was small vial of Ember’s blood. He smiled. She’d been anxious when he’d opened the gift and had explained that since she couldn’t literally gift him her heart, she was giving him her life’s blood instead.
He couldn’t think of anything sweeter.
They’d spent New Year’s Eve at Maggie and Levi’s, nibbling on finger foods—none of which contained actual fingers—and playing games such as Pictionary and Charades.
The more wine Ember and Maggie had consumed, the more Nyte and Levi had laughed at their antics.
Nyte truly enjoyed it when they spent time with the couple.
They were the first friends he’d had apart from Starling, and he deeply appreciated how much they cared for Ember.
He hadn’t understood the excitement when they’d turned on the television to watch a glowing ball very slowly and anticlimactically fall, with the three humans counting down out loud once the timer hit ten seconds.
Zero had come with a chorus of cheers. But his confusion had swiftly evaporated, giving way to a burning heat in his core when Ember threw her arms around him and pulled him down into a sultry kiss before whispering happy new year against his mouth.
Now it was Valentine’s Day, and he didn’t care what it meant to anyone else. To him, it’s purpose was clear—love.
He’d spent every day of the last four months loving Ember, and he would spend every day for the rest of eternity loving her. But he intended to make today special. Today would be a celebration not of some historical event, but of his feelings for her.
Nyte dumped the rest of the rose petals on the foyer’s floor and directed his shadows to spread them out in the shape of a large heart around him.
Once done, he turned toward the front door and looked over his work.
Candles and flowers were everywhere, and in the living room, he’d arranged blankets and pillows on the floor for another movie night, this time with chocolates and champagne instead of popcorn and wine.
More flower petals and candles lay scattered around to provide the proper ambience.
He couldn’t wait to lay her down there and show her every bit of love and affection she deserved.
Nyte stilled. He could feel Ember drawing near, and it made his very being thrum with anticipation. The lights were already off, but he willed the darkness to deepen.
Ember inserted the key into the lock. The tumbler turned, and she opened the door. Outside, night had fallen, but it couldn’t compare to the inky blackness in the house.
She moved to step inside, hesitating when she realized just how dark it was. “Nyte?”
He snapped his fingers, sending out a burst of magic.
The candles closest to the entrance flared to life with purple flames.
The fire leapt from candle to candle, one by one, leading toward him, the flickering violet glow chasing back the total darkness and revealing a starlight sky in place of the ceiling.
Ember gasped, her eyes following the path of the flames until the area around him was aglow. “Nyte…this is…”
The beautiful smile she gave him filled his chest with wholesome, uplifting warmth, and though it was no longer technically inside him, he felt his heart swell.
Closing the door behind her, she locked it and dropped her purse on the floor. “This is incredibly romantic.”
“It’s even more romantic over here.” He beckoned her with a crooked finger. “Come, my witch.”
Slipping off her heels, she followed the path of rose petals. The flowing material of her white skirt fluttered around her legs as she walked. When she drew closer, Nyte held a hand out to her. As soon as her fingers touched his, he took hold and tugged her close.
She laughed as she fell against his chest. Nyte smiled down at her, drawn in, as he ever would be, by her stunning beauty, her radiant smile, and her bright blue eyes. But he was most taken by the love in her gaze as she looked at him.
“So this is why you left early,” Ember said.
“And you’ve no idea how difficult that was to do.”
He’d spent most of the day teasing her. Stealing heated glances, sneaking intimate caresses, taunting her with wisps of shadow trailing up her legs and over her pussy, ensuring that his shirt was unbuttoned just a little more than necessary.
He’d loved it when her cheeks flushed and her breath quickened while she was speaking to a customer.
And he’d reveled in her attempts to hide her desire as he toyed with her clit, thrilling in her struggles to remain composed.
Best of all had been the lustful gazes she’d cast his way.
Ember tapped his nose. “And you know exactly how difficult you made it for me while you were there.”
Nyte smirked, curling his tail behind her and brushing it up her calf. “I’m not sure I know what you mean, witch.”
“Hmm… That’s fine, my demon.” She pressed a kiss to his chin, then another on his jaw. “I’m more than happy to show you.”
Her lips skimmed down the column of his throat, leaving a trail of kisses that made him shiver even as his core heated. His lips stretched into a smile as he tipped his head back to give her better access.
He tensed, hissing through clenched fangs when her blunt teeth sank into the flesh where his neck and shoulder met.
A deep ache blossomed low in his belly, and shadows coalesced at his groin, forming his cock.
Nyte flexed his fingers, tempted to whisk her away to the blankets, to be inside her now. But he would wait.
“Vixen,” he grated as the pleasure-pain radiated through him.
Removing her teeth, Ember let out a soft laugh, and he could feel the curve of her smile against his neck before she kissed where she’d bitten “My sweet demon.”
Her lush lips continued their path, following the length of chain to the locket and then down his chest, stopping at his nipple. He groaned as her tongue teased the spiked piercing.
His body stiffened, his cock throbbing insistently. “Ember…”
She caught his other nipple in her mouth and sucked, flicking that maddening tongue against it. He growled as pleasure unfurled inside him. Closing his eyes, he let his head fall back, his fingers twisting into her hair. He could sense her arousal, could smell it on the air.