53 Kind Of Adorable

She realized her head was in Ash's lap and that his hand rested protectively on her shoulder. Mortification flooded through her when she thought about everything that happened before she fell asleep.

The kiss. The hugging. The crying. All of it. She buried her face in her hands but he didn't seem to notice.

Ruby cautiously twisted her neck to peek at him and saw that he had dozed off with his head against the tree trunk. She very gingerly lifted his hand off of her and got up, kneeling a few inches above the ground while stretching out her arms and wings.

She had been too tired to think much about it before but it truly was amazing that Ash seemed to at least have a vague idea what her powers entailed and didn't want to use them beyond the extent of their deal. She had always been so terrified of someone finding out the truth but there had been no need with him.

There had been genuine anger on her behalf in his eyes when he found out what Flint and Lily tried to do to her. He said she was amazing, among other nice things she had never heard before.

Those words would have been easier to dismiss as flattery if he hadn't also dropped his revenge plan in order to keep her safe. After hearing his horrific story of loss Ruby realized how important that was to him.

She didn't know anything about vampire politics and had never been a proponent of violence but she could tell how much avenging his loved ones mattered to his peace of mind. And he was willing to drop that for her sake.

If Ash truly planned to abuse her powers, there was no way he would put a stop to something so important to him. Originally their association was only because of their deal but he said that could be dealt with later; right now his only concern was protecting her.

No one had cared about Ruby this much since she lost her parents. And then he said they should go 'home' and got all flustered when he tried to explain himself. He didn't get flustered.

That had been kind of adorable. Vampires were sort of like the dark version of elves in terms of appearance (long straight hair, lean bodies, and sharp features) and neither race was what one would consider 'cute.' A better term would be 'elegant.'

But Ash was definitely cute because of the way he behaved sometimes. The contrast between his actions and his appearance was cute in a way she couldn't fully explain.

And he wasn't only cute. He was surprisingly considerate, funny, and interesting to talk to. Ruby enjoyed being around him in a way she didn't with anyone else…but that didn't mean she could trust him with the full truth.

Going home with him now was her best option but that didn't mean it was a permanent solution. She needed to be alone if she ever wanted to be able to take off her glamour and live freely.

It really was a shame. Ash had some nice land and a beautiful garden in progress thanks to their (mostly her) hard work. With the right modern modifications the castle could be a great place to live.

Ruby didn't want to have to hide herself for eternity though. If her own flesh and blood couldn't accept the way she looked there was no way a vampire would.

He was a great friend but that would change in a heartbeat once he saw her without her glamour on. Fae were superficial beings at heart. One trait they all shared was that they loved beautiful things. Ruby was not beautiful and never would be.

The sun began peeking through the trees so a ray landed on Ash's face. He shifted uncomfortably and pulled a face that made it seem like he was about to wake up.

He needed his sleep so Ruby flew in front of him to block it. His peaceful expression resumed and he turned back into a statue. She sighed. It was going to be a very long couple of days doing nothing but guarding each other like this.

===

Ruby was dead beat by the time they made it back to the castle, especially since they had to restock on groceries on the way home from the airport. She really needed a fridge, not just a freezer if she was going to live here properly. And an oven.

Actual lamps in each room would be nice too instead of resorting to those camping lanterns. She might need to drop by the witch coven and get several more of those electricity adapter devices.

She wanted to go lie down in the grass or something—grateful to finally be back in a place that actually had it—but Ash had other ideas. He nervously fiddled with the braid in his hair and wouldn't meet her eyes as he spoke.

"Hey…this is going to sound strange but could you hold onto my arm or something while I finish casting the barrier spell?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"I tried practicing when we were in Las Vegas and noticed I could only do the full barrier when you grabbed onto me in your sleep. I know it sounds crazy but it's the truth," Ash said sheepishly.

He was perfectly serious. How bizarre. But why would she have any effect on blood magic? Was this another part of her rather unique power set or what?

"Show me," Ruby insisted. She wanted to see what he could do by himself as opposed to when she was helping.