“It does not wag!”
Ember laughed. “It does.”
He sighed, but his irritation proved both incredibly minor and immensely short lived. “I suppose if it is your preference…”
His magic rippled, returning him to his original form for her while keeping the clothes in place.
She gasped and quickly looked around the store, eyes halting on the entrance. “Can people still see you?”
Nyte’s tail swung forward, its tip brushing her calf. “They’ll see me, but they will perceive my human guise. You alone will see me as I am.”
Something softened in Ember’s gaze as she glanced down at his tail. “Really?”
“Really.”
She grinned. “This changes everything!”
His eyebrows dropped low. “How so?”
“You can allow yourself to be seen as human. Meaning, we can go out and do things together, and you don’t have to remain hidden while we’re here.”
Nyte frowned. “Mayhap I should reconsider this…”
“No way. No takebacks.”
Shaking his head, he chuckled. “Let’s close the shop and head back early, little witch.”
“And now I’ll have you to show off at my side.” Ember slipped her hand into his, clasping his fingers. “I’ll clean this up tomorrow. Let’s go home.”
As he closed his hand around hers, that word echoed in his mind.
Home.
He’d never wanted one as badly as he did right now.
Chapter Eleven
“Why must we go on this double date?” Nyte asked as they neared the entrance of the establishment, The Bubbly Cauldron Brewery. Its brick façade was lit by wall mounted electric lights that fought back the late evening darkness.
“Because I want you to meet Maggie and her husband.” Ember touched his arm, drawing him to a halt. She stepped in front of him, smiling as she fixed the collar of his overcoat and straightened the lacing of the ruffled black shirt beneath.
Nyte gazed down at Ember. She wore a black top that was sheer above her breasts and along the sleeves, a long, layered purple skirt, a black belt adorned with a diamond crescent moon, and high heeled black boots. Her silver and black hair rested in soft curls around her shoulders and back. Black makeup framed her eyes, sweeping out in dramatic wings, and the violet, gray, and white shades of her eyeshadow made the color of her irises stand out beautifully.
But it was her dark violet lips that he couldn’t look away from.
It had become increasingly difficult for Nyte to resist the urge to kiss her as of late, and this certainly wasn’t making it any easier. She was so close, and her scent, more intoxicating than any aphrodisiac, filled his senses.
What would a taste hurt?
Nyte leaned forward, beckoned by those lips…
Ember patted his chest as she met his gaze, snapping him out of it. “Everything will be fine.”
Drawing in a deep breath, he swung his eyes toward the brewery. “I still think this is a poor choice of meeting place. Humans are trouble enough, even without imbibing spirits.”
Not for the first time, his thoughts returned to the men who’d invaded her shop two days ago. Anger crackled through his being at the memory. He could not deny that he’d been far more protective of her since that evening, keeping himself both visible and very near to her, eyeing every person who so much as looked her way.
“Lots of people meet in places like this.” Flattening her hands on his chest, Ember leaned close, tipped her head back, and grinned. “I also plan to be one of those humans imbibing spirits. How much trouble do you think I can cause?”
