98 Marry Me

Ash sped out of the greenhouse leaving Flora calling after him. "Go get her, dummy!"

How could he have been stupid enough not to explain how he felt about other vampires after all this time? Ruby wouldn't be feeling like this right now if he had been clearer about his desire to stay away from them for the rest of his life.

He called her name over and over as he dashed around their property searching for her. His yells grew increasingly more desperate as time passed and he was still unable to find her. Was she too high in the sky to hear him?

Eventually he looked up and saw something colorful on top of one of the castle turrets. It had to be her but Ash didn't know how he was supposed to get up there. A fall from that height wouldn't hurt him but he hadn't climbed a building in a very long time and might be a little rusty.

He made his way up to his girlfriend as quickly as he could but she wouldn't even look at him. "Ruby? I know you're upset but can you please talk to me?"

"I don't know what there is to talk about," she said coolly. "I want to be alone right now so if you don't mind, get off my turret."

Ash cursed his own stupidity for not noticing how she was feeling earlier. It was obvious she loved him but she always kept herself slightly at a distance by claiming she didn't want Flora to know about them. Now he found out it was only because she was afraid of making things 'too official' in case he left someday.

Ruby had been prepared for him to leave her for his own kind since the very beginning, hadn't she? All that talk about how they could never work out and things would only be temporary had come from a place of fear that hadn't gone away after all these decades together.

How could she possibly think he would ever choose anything over her? Hadn't he proved how strong his love was with his actions?

Maybe actions were the problem. She might be the type who needed words. A promise. The most serious promise there was. He really should take Flora's advice even if it was given in exasperation.

"Marry me," Ash blurted.

===

Ruby didn't want to hear about his encounter with the nearby vampires AT ALL and her emotions were a whirlwind inside of her so she headed out to cool her head. But of course her idiot boyfriend had to tail after her anyway.

She ignored him because all she needed now was time and space to calm down so she could act normally. The thought of him leaving someday threatened to choke her but she couldn't let that show and come across as too clingy.

So why did he have to go and scale the side of the castle to talk to her anyway? She had ignored him for a reason! He should go away now so she could get over her insecurity and pretend nothing happened later.

When Ash said "marry me" out of nowhere she thought she heard incorrectly. There was no way that came out of his mouth!

"Excuse me?" Ruby asked incredulously.

He took her hands in his gloved ones since the sun was still up. She couldn't see his expression since his hood was covering his face but his voice was earnest.

"I said marry me. I've known since the day I nearly lost you that I would never be going anywhere without you by my side but I didn't dare voice that thought because you only thought of me as a friend then.

"I'm not going back to the coven life ever. I have been happier with you in less than six decades than I was with them in over six centuries. Running into that Averill yesterday was nerve-wracking because I don't want to get on their radar.

"If they know what I did to the Cromwells they might perceive me as a threat and try to come after me. I would never let anything threaten the life we have here because I love it so much. I love you so much, Ruby.

"You aren't the only one who worries. If you ever decided to leave me I would have absolutely nothing left to live for. Wouldn't it be better for both of us if we didn't have to worry about that anymore? Please marry me.���

Ruby didn't know how to respond to that. How did he even know she had worried about him going back to his own kind? She had never said anything like that to him before, fearing he would think it was stupid.

"How—"

Ash cut her off, anticipating her question. "Apparently Flora can eavesdrop using trees. She knows more than she lets on."

Flora? That little rascal…what exactly did she know? Oh, that wasn't important right now; she had been proposed to! Did he not realize what a serious commitment that was? What if they both lived another thousand years and got completely sick of each other?!

Her parents had been married though. So had her aunt and uncle. Her acquaintances the Breezes were too and according to Blair, who still called every few months, they were doing well too. All of them seemed happy with their choices.

Ruby already knew that she and Ash were capable of working well together and getting past their differences. She loved being with him and there had been times she hoped they truly could stay together forever.

But there was always that fear in the back of her mind that he would abandon her like everyone else she loved had (aside from Flora). It was made worse by the fact that she knew they were fundamentally different and there was a good chance he would want to go back to being a normal vampire someday.

Was he truly willing to give that up forever? She would never be welcome in a vampire coven if he changed his mind at some point.