When he withdrew his hand, silver light shone from within his closed fingers. He turned it palm up and opened his fist. Ember gasped. The orb of light upon it looked like a star that had been plucked from the heavens, pulsing with swirls of blue and violet just like his eyes.
“Nyte, is that your…”
“I will have all of you, Ember. Forever.”
She looked up from his heart. Though his features were intense, there was vulnerability in his eyes. Reaching up, shebrushed a lock of hair from his forehead before cradling his jaw. “I meant what I said. I am yours to keep.”
“Then keep my heart safe for me, for it is now yours.” Nyte pressed his heart to Ember’s chest. Its light brightened, and she gasped, feeling its heat and its thrumming magic as it eased into her. It moved deeper into her chest, nestling within her heart, becoming one with it. One with her.
She felt it then—all his love for her, blazing and radiant, filling her from within, binding them together. She felthim. Every part of her was suddenly more aware of him. His scent was stronger, his warmth greater, the touch of his body against hers all the more stimulating and thrilling. Each beat of her heart was a beat of his own.
They were interwoven. Bound.
Ember covered his hand with her own, locking her eyes with his. “I’ll always keep it safe.”
With a growl, Nyte caught the back of her head and dragged her mouth to his in a consuming kiss. The touch of their lips, the taste of him, and feel of his claws on her scalp were more electrifying than ever. She moaned, and her eyes fell shut as she kissed him in return, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her breasts to his chest.
She needed him. Needed to feel his body, skin to skin, needed to feel his hands gliding over her, needed to feel his cock thrusting inside her. And she needed it now.
Ember felt his shadowy magic surround them, felt reality disappear for that fraction of a second, felt soft, familiar bedding suddenly beneath her now bare skin.
Her thighs parted, allowing Nyte to nestle between them with his body stretched out over her own. As he kissed her, his hand smoothed down her chest, pausing over her heart—over their hearts—before moving to cup her breast. He kneaded it,caressed it, and rolled her nipple until she was squirming and whimpering beneath him.
“My dear, sweet witch,” Nyte whispered against her lips, his violet-blue eyes blazing into hers. “My love.”
Smiling, Ember brushed her lips over his. “My beautiful, wicked demon.” She wrapped her legs around him, smiling when his tail curled around her ankle. “My wish.”
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 ofHalloween 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 thesins 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.
