99 Unprecedented

Ruby's heart was heavy. She couldn't take away future possibilities from Ash if he did change his mind later. Then he would resent her and she wouldn't be able to bear that.

"I can't," she said miserably. "If you do change your mind someday and hate me for it I wouldn't be able to handle it. Don't we have a good thing going now? Why change it?"

Ash blew out a frustrated breath. "Because I'm sick of the wall you keep up expecting me to leave. I'm really not going anywhere and there is no better way to prove it to you. I've known that there is nowhere I would rather be than by your side since before I even knew you had feelings for me.

"My resolve has only strengthened over time seeing how good things are with you. I can honestly say that living without you wouldn't be living at all. I've said it before and I'll say it again—you and Flora are my family. I don't need anything more than that. Why won't you believe me?"

An excellent question. Why couldn't Ruby believe him?

It might have something to do with how miserable he had been when she first met him when he thought she wasn't looking. He had truly grieved the loss of his coven. Wouldn't it make sense to want to have that sort of thing again once the grieving process was complete?

Another possible explanation was the fact that everyone she ever loved left her eventually in the end. Her parents died. Her aunt and uncle betrayed her. Flora would probably leave too once she was grown up and didn't need her anymore.

Ruby had been so happy having him around these past several decades. Happier than she thought was possible but she was equally afraid of losing that happiness.

On top of everything else, wasn't it too ridiculous for a vampire and a fairy to get married? She had never heard of an interracial marriage occurring. Not once. If anyone found out, they would likely be mocked.

If Flora ever got a boyfriend and wanted to introduce him to her family what would she even say? 'Hey, this is my cousin and her vampire husband'? That would reflect weirdly on her too; no rational fairy would accept a family like that.

"Ash, I really—" Ruby hedged.

He placed both hands on her shoulders and looked at her very seriously. She could see his red eyes glinting under the shadow of his hood.

"Do you love me?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then marry me," Ash said simply. "Forget about all the other things. We already went over this when we decided to date, remember? There is no need to go over it all again. If you could trust me with your wings when we first met…with your secrets as we got to know each other…with your heart…can't you trust me with your future too?"

Ruby truly didn't have an argument for that. She did trust him. More than she had ever trusted another living being.

He was the first fae to accept her as she truly was with no ulterior motives. Her first friend. Her first kiss. She had shared an awful lot of firsts with him over the years. What reason did she have not to experience all of her lasts with him too?

Tears filled her eyes. If she truly could cast aside all of her inhibitions she would be able to be with him forever like she had done her best not to dream of. Ash was offering her the rest of his life.

He had climbed up the side of a castle for her while not able to see properly due to his cloak because he was worried about her. Because he loved her.

The future was a mystery but one they could solve together if Ruby accepted his proposal. They could continue to be the team they always had been and neither of them would have to worry about being cast aside anymore.

She smiled at him through her tears. "Okay."

===

They waited until Flora was asleep to cast the spell. It was something all fae knew how to do innately and was a fairly simple process. The lovers had to grasp each other's forearms with opposite hands to form an X before saying their vows.

Ruby and Ash chose to do this outside under the light of the full moon. It wasn't necessary to do so but she put on a ruffled white sundress for the occasion, wanting to make things special. He was somehow on the same wavelength because without prompting he had changed into a pair of black dress pants and a red button-down shirt.

He held out a hair tie and gave her a fond smile. "You should give me a braid to honor the occasion."

The original little braid had long since been taken out but every so often Ash would let her do his hair again. Ruby figured it was because he simply enjoyed having his hair played with. Asking for it now was a sentimental thing to do.

She swiftly braided a lock of hair in the exact same spot as that original braid and tied it off before stepping back to admire her handiwork. Aside from the outfit, he looked exactly the same as he had the day that he saved her life. A braid in his hair and a loving look in his eyes.

Ruby took a deep breath as they grasped each other's wrists. They were actually doing this.

It was completely crazy—unprecedented in the history of the fae—but they didn't care. They were in love and refused to be separated. Once the magic was complete, the only thing that could tear them apart was death.

Ash went first, gazing lovingly into her mismatched eyes with a soft smile on his face. "I, Ash Mayhew, solemnly swear to spend the rest of my long life loving Ruby Gardner."

With the way he was looking at her, it was a miracle Ruby didn't dissolve into a puddle of sentimental goo. Someone she managed to get the words out. "I, Ruby Gardner, solemnly swear to spend the rest of my long life loving Ash Mayhew."