Their eyes met. There was no denying that the fires in hers were far more than lust, no denyingthe emotion with which she was looking at him. It radiated into him, pouring from her very being.
And the same emotion pulsed in his chest in response, a perfect reflection.
“Forever,” he rasped before pressing his lips to hers in a possessive, claiming kiss.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ember stood bent over the counter with her arms folded atop it, smiling as she watched Nyte speak to a customer across the shop who was gesturing at Nyte’s clothing. To the man, Nyte appeared human, and he was currently modelling one of the outfits that normally adorned a mannequin. But to Ember, he was the gorgeous, starlit demon he’d always been.
And fuck was he sexy.
A black and purple corset vest accentuated his narrow waist, showing off his broad chest and wide shoulders, and the black shirt beneath it perfectly molded to his lean, muscled arms. Ember’s gaze ran down his body, and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Those black trousers hugged his thighs and taut ass.
Even knowing what lay beneath them, his clothes made her yearn to peel them off and reveal his sinfully hot body an inch at a time. She shifted, rubbing her thighs together as desire kindled in her core.
The past several days had been a complete one-eighty from the prior week. Nyte had rarely left her side, had barely beenable to keep his hands off her. The night he’d taken her flying, when he’d finally given in to their mutual lust and longing, he’d stayed with her in bed until she’d fallen asleep. He’d stayedinsideher. And it’d been that way every night since.
Ember’s pussy and ass clenched with the memory of his cocks, the sensations still fresh from what they’d done this morning before coming to the boutique.
As though sensing her thoughts, Nyte glanced her way. His violet-blue eyes flashed with heat, and the corner of his mouth curved up into a smirk. There was a devilish promise in that brief look that sent a rush of want through her.
I can’t wait until closing.
Someone cleared their throat near Ember.
Startled her from her ogling, she straightened and looked at the woman standing on the other side of the counter, who waited with an armful of items.
“I’m so sorry,” Ember rushed to say, gesturing to the counter. “You can set all that here.”
The woman chuckled as she laid down the skirt, handbag, and jewelry she’d been holding. Leaning forward, she pointed discreetly toward Nyte. “I don’t blame you. He’s hot.”
Ember grinned.
And he’s mine.
Though that wasn’t true, was it? Maybe he was hers for now, but when the full moon rose in five days, he’d be released from the spell binding them together. He’d be free to leave her.
The happiness that had been burning bright inside Ember snuffed out. She forced her smile to remain in place as she chatted with the woman and rang up the items.
“Oh, and this.” The woman plucked up the last pack of incense sticks from the basket next to the register. “I love these.”
“They’re my favorite too.”
Especially since the spicy, woodsy scent reminded her of Nyte.
Once the woman paid and left the store, Ember looked back at Nyte. The man was still chatting with him, chuckling loudly at something Nyte had said. For as curmudgeonly as he often acted, the demon really could be charming when he wanted to be, and he’d taken to interacting with customers in the shop with an ease and enthusiasm that continued to surprise her.
Since there was no one else currently in the store, Ember took the opportunity to head into the back room and get some more incense to restock the basket. She rose on her toes, grabbed the box on one of the upper shelves, and pulled it down.
“Finally!” remarked a high-pitched voice.
Ember yelped, the box slipping from her grasp, as a tiny glowing figure flitted beside her. She fumbled, desperate to keep the box from falling to the floor. Once she’d clutched it tight against her chest, she looked at the sprite. “Starling?”
Starling grinned as she landed atop the box. “Who else would it be?”
A shiver ran through Ember. She hoped she’d never have to learn firsthand how razor-sharp those teeth really were. At a glance, one would think Starling was a fairy from a fairytale, delicate and beautiful, but there was a menacing edge to her beauty. Maybe it was the uncanniness of her more inhuman features, like her third eye, her elongated proportions, and her extra set of arms.
She was a bit unsettling up close.
