Biting back a snarl, he tossed the pillow aside and let out a huff as he tucked his tail beneath his thigh. This would be the longest month of his existence if things continued like this.
He shoved himself to his feet and moved away from the bed, away from that concentrated, enthralling scent. “Yes, there are other nocturni.”
Ember turned on the stool to look at him. “And since you’re not born, I’m assuming you don’t reproduce like humans?”
“We do not reproduce at all.”
“So does that mean you don’t have a…” Her gaze dropped to his groin.
Nyte blinked at her. There was a weight to her words, amplified by her pointed stare. Hers was not an innocent curiosity.
“I am formed of the very essence of the night. Every part of me shaped from it, free to be made or unmade. Physical form is a matter of will for the likes of me, not of being.”
Her eyes flared. “You can…summon a dick?”
“Should I so desire, yes.”
“Oh my God, really?” She grinned. “Can I see it?”
“I am not a spectacle, witch. I am here neither to entertain you nor to pleasure you.”
I’m here because that damnable sprite thinks she knows what is best for me!
Ember stuck her plump bottom lip out in a pout. The expression drove straight into Nyte’s core, and it was nearly enough to convince him to acquiesce to her request. Nearly.
He thrust a finger at her with a glare. “I will not be swayed by your charms.”
She smirked and turned back to the vanity mirror, picking up a long object and unscrewing it. “I’ll have to keep working on them then, since I’m this supposed witch.”
Nyte forced himself to spin away from her. By the hells, he was hardly able to resist her already. How was he going to endure until the next full moon?
“What suffering was Starling referring to?” Ember asked.
He gritted his teeth. Starling had spoken far too openly in front of this human, and Nyte had no intention of divulging any details. “That is no concern of yours.”
“I’m not trying to pry. I was just curious.” There was a pause before she spoke again. “She’s your friend?”
“Allegedly.”
Ember chuckled. “She seems to want the best for you. How long have you known her?”
“I’ve known her almost as long as I’ve been aware. Thousands of years.”
“So she’s more like a sister?”
A frown tugged down his mouth. His kind were solitary beings, rarely intermingling as they wandered the night. “I cannot say. Such familial relations are not familiar to me.”
“Family isn’t always blood related. It can be the people you choose. Someone who is close to you, someone who you’re comfortable with, who you can share your most treasured secrets and your hurts with. Someone who will always be there for you no matter what happens.”
“Does it also involve meddling in my affairs and laughing at my misfortune?”
Ember laughed. “It can. I say this from experience as a middle child with two brothers. They’ve laughed at my misfortune, and I’ve meddled with them plenty enough to deserve it. But it all comes from a place of affection.”
Her laughter almost coaxed him to look at her again, but he resisted. It was a delightful sound, one that threatened to ease his irritation and make him forget the circumstances currently trapping him.
And it granted him space to ponder her words.
Despite Starling’s latest plot, she had always been there for him. Her companionship had been constant, steady, dependable, and supportive. She’d helped him more than he could express and had never given up on him.
