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 thewhooshingair.
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 wascold 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.
