With a growl, the demon’s form darkened, and hedissipated into a cloud of shadow. Ember stepped back as the shadows faded like an afterimage from her view. This was it—the dream was over, it was ending in disappointment, and she would wake up feeling worse than she had before going to bed.
Can’t even get a man in my dreams.
And then those shadows reappeared, thickening and solidifying to form the demon’s body.
He snarled a curse and stormed to the window, which he thrust open fully. Before Ember realized what he meant to do, he leapt out into the night. She heard his huge wings beating the air as she rushed forward.
Bracing her hands on the window frame, she leaned forward and scanned the sky for sign of him. But the demon was either gone or blended in so well that he was effectively invisible.
“That conniving, meddlesome little shit!” the demon growled from behind Ember.
She spun around. Hadn’t he just flown out the window? Yet there he was, standing in the center of her bedroom.
His fists were clenched at his sides, his tail swung furiously, and his eyes glowed as bright as stars. Tendrils of shadows lashed the air around him.
“Um… What is going on?” Ember asked.
“My dear friend manipulated you into binding me with a lunar summoning spell,” he said tightly. “From this full moon to the next, I am bound to you.”
This had to be a dream. There was no way that what she’d seen tonight was real. No way that there was an actual demon in her room, saying he was bound to her. She’d lived in Salem for years, had met all kinds of people, some of whom claimed they were witches or vampires or a host of supernatural creatures, and she’d regularly visited local stores selling items meant for casting spells, charms, and hexes. She loved all of it—all thestrangeness, all the imagination and passion, all the occult vibes.
But Ember didn’t actually believe in magic.
Wishing upon a star had been a childish gesture. She’d never thought anything would come of it. Only hard work made wishes come true.
So if this was a dream…why not enjoy it before returning to her lonely reality? Especially when this demon was everything she could have ever wanted.
Smiling, Ember walked toward him. “Since we’re bound to each other, we could take this time to get to know one another.”
“I am a being beyond the limits of human comprehension. And besides”—he raised a finger, pointing at her face—“this is your fault, witch.”
Unafraid, she curled her fingers around his and drew it down, not releasing it. “And what do I call you, oh terrifying one?”
His inhuman eyes held hers, searching, those shapely eyebrows still angled down. But he didn’t pull away. “You may call me Nyte.”
Ember blinked at him. “Nyte. As in…the night sky?”
“Nyte as in Nyte,” he replied flatly.
She chuckled and stroked his claw with her thumb. “It’s fitting.”
Her gaze dropped his sinful mouth. Stepping closer, she rose on her toes and leaned into him. He tensed and drew back slightly but didn’t step away. Instead of kissing him, she moved her mouth to his ear. “There are ways we can get to know each other that my human mind will comprehend very, very well.”
Nyte whipped his face toward her, putting his mouth but a whisper away from hers. His gaze dipped to her lips as though he was considering kissing her.
Shutting her eyes, Ember tipped her chin up to press her lips to his.
Before their mouths could make contact, he snarled and ripped away from her. “No. I’ve had more than my fill of lust, witch, and I will not succumb to yours.”
Blinking her eyes open, she watched him stalk to a dark corner. The shadows writhing around him dimmed the stars on his skin, making him appear more ethereal, as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall. Those blazing eyes very pointedly did not look at her.
Rejected twice. What the hell kind of dream was this? Her ideal fantasy man was right there—right there—in front of her, and he didn’t even want her. Not only was her dating life a complete failure, but apparently it was the same while she slept. Even her subconscious refused to give her a break!
Maybe this was a nightmare, like he’d said.
She looked at her bed. With a sigh, she placed her hands on it and shoved it back toward the wall beneath the window. The metal frame scraped loudly over the wood floor. When her foot bumped into something, she looked down to find the fallen book. Ember picked it up and set it on the nightstand.
Climbing into bed, she closed the window and lay back, drawing the covers over her legs and up her body. She curled up on her side, and her gaze drifted back toward Nyte, who was still looking away from her.
