67 All I Can Do For Now

"No," Ruby replied honestly. She left out the fact that she knew amethyst wasn't worth much based on personal experience.

She truly couldn't appraise the value of a gem or jewelry piece at a glance but she did have a vague idea of what sold the best after spending so much time around jewelers. Precious stones always did better than semiprecious ones but even those could be hit and miss depending on the clarity of the gems.

"A pity," Dorian sighed. "No matter. I expect you to do this again a few days from now when your powers recharge. And I hope you are aware that you are not allowed to step foot outside of this barrier. If you do, the contract will be void and you and the baby will die."

"I am," she said grimly. "I have no intention of breaching the contract. But I need to know where I am allowed to go aside from my room and outside so I don't break any rules."

"Nowhere. Those are the only two places you are allowed. You are a guest but I cannot have you disturbing the workings of my coven more than you already are simply by being here. The only exception would be if I personally summoned you."

Ugh. She was really going to have to spend the next hundred years bored out of her mind, wasn't she? It would be a miracle if she didn't go mad.

"I understand," Ruby said coolly.

She didn't want to give this creepy vampire the satisfaction of knowing he got under her skin. He was so different from Ash in demeanor that it would be difficult to believe they were the same race if they didn't look so similar.

How did vampires tell each other apart anyway? They had far less diversity than fairies did even among a single element. Every one of them had long straight black hair, red eyes, and sharp faces with fangs.

They were all dressed similarly too. Nobody here was wearing anything more recent than the mid-1800s fashion-wise and most wore long black cloaks with red inner linings.

Ash had been dressed like this when she first saw him without his glamour on too. She supposed it was a standard vampire thing. He still wore his cloak frequently when they were outside in the garden together but usually wore the modern clothes she bought him beneath it.

Not thinking about him was impossible in this place. Ruby was reminded of her friend everywhere she looked. She had been here less than a day and she already missed him terribly.

===

Days passed in a blur. Ruby's sleep schedule was completely messed up from spending so much time with Ash. She tried to adjust back to a schedule that worked with Flora's because the little fairy woke up at the crack of dawn wanting to play.

After Flora complained about wanting fruit snacks and juice boxes and had a tantrum about it they were given several boxes of those to keep in their room as well. The snack foods she wanted really piled up after a while.

Ruby had to ask for a shelf to keep everything on. It was weird how swiftly her every request was adhered to but also creepy because it meant they were monitoring her 24/7.

It was hard to tell because they all looked so similar but it seemed like the vampires guarding them rotated out every hour while the sun was still up so their sleep wouldn't be interrupted too terribly.

They were a stoic bunch so even when they were forced to supervise the fairies outside with hooded cloaks on they didn't murmur a single word of complaint. Dorian's control over them was absolute.

Did these fae even have opinions or were they all mindless sheep following a shepherd? Ruby was positive that Ash wouldn't have led his coven like that. He was too nice.

Flora was happily creating a swing out of branches in a western red cedar tree using her powers as she watched. The little fairy finished her work and beamed up at her cousin. "Look, Ruby! I can't fly but I can swing!"

Her heart broke at the innocence of that statement. Poor Flora didn't understand why she couldn't fly right now but still wanted to experience the rush of the wind on her face. She was able to power the swing by flapping her wings instead of pumping with her legs like human children did.

"It looks great," Ruby said with a lump in her throat. "Why don't you show me how high you can go?"

"Okay!"

She happily clambered onto the seat of the swing and began using her wings to go as high as she possibly could. This was the best she could do given her circumstances and it was painful to watch.

Ruby would never forgive Dorian Cromwell; even if she lived more than a thousand years. He had ruined an innocent young fae's future because he was greedy. She despised greedy people the most.

Had he justified killing off the Mayhews with the same callousness he used to justify murdering Flint and Lily so he could kidnap a baby fairy as leverage? What sort of sick reasoning was that aristocratic head capable of?

"Lord Dorian wishes for you to make more jewelry," the vampire who was assigned to watch them at the moment spoke up suddenly.

Ruby sighed. She had only done it once since they got here so she supposed it would be time to do it again based on the lie she told. "Alright. Give me a moment."

She concentrated as hard as she could so only the small amount of gems she wanted would come through. She crafted a sapphire necklace, a diamond tennis bracelet, and a pair of opal earrings before handing them off to her guard.

"Here. That's all I can do for now."

He accepted her lie and the jewelry before essentially becoming a statue again. Ruby was starting to get used to the silence.