Forgotten Days (Fate's Intent Book 6) (9 page)

My father walked in a straight line and opened up six long drawers filled with sparkling rings of every design and color of every precious stone imaginable.

“Wow.” Troy muttered. “This is going to take us all day.”

“It won’t.” Darius argued. “Your eyes just need to scan them and find the biggest one.”

“Also keeping their personal tastes in mind may help them love it more.”

“Okay. Thank you, father.” I said. “No need to wait with us, I think. We can close up.”

“Yes and be sure that you do.” He walked out and we stood in front of the open drawers.

“So, since this is obviously happening, what’s the protocol on this sort of thing?” Darius asked. “Just give it to them and hope they know what it is?”

Troy laughed. “No! I’m sure you’ll have to explain.”

“What? You mean like a speech?”

“Your complaint makes it sound like it will be hard.” I said. “This is Ruby. You know how to talk to her and you’ll do it alone. You won’t have an audience for that.”

Darius let out a long breath. “All right. I’ve got mine. Now what?”

“Go talk to her. We’ll meet up in my room after.”

Chapter 18

Darius

I walked the quiet halls looking for Ruby. All of the servants were downstairs around the ballroom so the palace elsewhere seemed empty. I didn’t know where to look.

Where would Kathryn have taken them because they clearly weren’t in the room we left them in? The thought crossed my mind but I still didn’t know where that would be. I started with the most logical places just by opening doors and checking each room.

I came up to yet another door, opening it and saw no one again. I was ready to turn back but heard voices farther in. I walked through the first part of the room that just had a few chairs sitting around and approached the open arch on the other side.

“Perfect as always.”

I stood in the open space and saw Adele standing up on a platform in a white collared ball gown with a huge skirt that draped out the back with the train wrapping up in itself on the floor.

Ruby, Jaylyn and Kathryn were standing around her, their eyes focused up, not seeing me at all.

“She can wear anything and still look good. It’s annoying.” Ruby sighed.

Jaylyn laughed. “Like you care! You hate dresses.”

“It doesn’t have to be a dress. I said anything.”

“Well, this is just the traditional ceremony gown.” Kathryn replied. “It’s centuries old. She’ll be wearing another for the banquet. She wouldn’t be able to get around very easily in this one.”

“Tell me about it.” Adele muttered. “It weighs a ton.”

I smiled to her tone that I’ve learned expressed how she hated something and kept a comfortable stance leaning up against the entrance while whistling flirtatiously. “Is that Adele? You look like a different person every time I see you in one of those.”

Adele smiled while trying to turn. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah—continue. I just want to steal Ruby away for a minute.”

I walked back into the other part of the room and waited for her to come to me.

“What is it?”

When I turned and met her golden eyes, I was suddenly nervous and didn’t know where to begin. “Ah, I’m not really good with words so—”

Ruby laughed and touched my chest. “It’s all right. It’s just me. You should know by now that you can say anything you want around me.”

I paused and slowly started to nod my head. “Okay. Then I’m just going to say it.”

“You want to get laid?”

I was caught off guard by her remark and smiled. “That’s not what I was going to say but you know I’d never turn that down in the middle of the day.”

Ruby laughed. “Well, say what you wanted to first then we can.”

I took a heavy breath, regaining my nervousness. “Okay. I’ve been thinking about everything that has happened lately—with us and despite all of the downfalls, negative comments and death surrounding us these last few months, they’ve been good to me. Meeting you has definitely been the highlight of my life and I honestly thought that I would never have this opportunity to be with such a beautiful woman—” I got down on one knee in front of her since I guess this was how things were supposed to be done and elegantly took her hand like I was afraid of breaking it. “And ask her to consider the possibility of spending the rest of her life with me.”

Ruby brought her other hand up to her mouth to cover it because she was shaking all over and began to shed tears of joy. “Is this your way of asking me to marry you?”

“It is.”

Ruby nodded her head rapidly, trying to get out her response. “Yes!—Yes! Yes!” I smiled and pulled out the ring I chose from my pocket. A large emerald cut ruby set in a high gold setting was slipped on her finger and she became breathless. “Oh, Darius. It’s beautiful. Where did you—thank you. I love it.”

“And you can remember that I love you every time you look at it.”

Ruby smiled, watching my eyes as I rose up to my feet but something changed and she became—different. “Are you sure about this?”

“Of course I’m sure. Why would you ask that? Are you the one not sure?”

“Yes—I mean—no—I mean—I just wanted to be sure that this is something you want, not something anyone is forcing you into because you’re talking about marriage. Marriage is a big deal. It leads to families and I know that you don’t want—”

I stopped her. I didn’t want her to be worried but it may have been too late because she started to tear up in the bad way. “I want you. That’s all you have to know.”

She rushed into my lips which told me she was over it. I thankfully held her body close to mine and realized how much I wanted this to happen even without father’s pressure. Ruby was my future and I would always welcome it.

“Okay. That makes sense. Yeah but do I have to wear a dress? I just wore one last night.”

I laughed and lifted her chin so she would look at me. “For me?”

She smiled and gave in. “Okay. Now you want something from me?”

She rubbed her hands down the side of me and I felt bad to have to refuse. “As much as I’d love to, I should get to Zayden. I have no idea what I have to do to get ready for this.”

“Okay. I guess now I have more to do too.”

“Oh, hey.” Troy walked in the room and immediately stopped when he saw us.

“Hey.” Ruby smiled. “Looking for Jaylyn by any chance?”

“She here?”

“Maybe.”

“Then could I—”

“Of course. I’ll send her out.”

“Thank you.”

I took her hand before she turned. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

She was seeming a bit nervous when I asked. “Yeah. Of course. Unless—I pass out or—run away really fast screaming.”

I wasn’t completely sure if she was as ready as quickly as she kept saying yes or it was just really starting to hit her.

“Do you two need another moment?” Troy asked. “I could—”

“No.” Ruby cut in with that anxious voice. “Of course not. Don’t be silly. I’ll go get Jaylyn.”

She turned really fast before I could kiss her and headed inside.

“Is she okay?”

I shrugged. That’s the only answer I could think of.

“Congratulations then, well, if she shows up.”

“Don’t say that!”

“I was kidding. I’m sure she’ll be there.”

I hope he was right and started to turn. “Good luck with yours.”

Chapter 19

Jaylyn

Ruby walked back in the room and Adele looked at her with a growing smile. “So?” She was through with her fitting and was just putting on her other clothes.

“What?” Ruby asked, holding her hands behind her back like he didn’t want anything of importance. “Oh, Jaylyn. I just saw Troy. I think he’s looking for you.”

My eyes flickered around the room and I was nervous. “Really?”

Ruby nodded with that same blank expression and I walked passed her, heading out into the other room.

Troy was standing there alone and I jumped. “Oh! You’re here! I thought I’d have to look for you.”

“No. I’ve been looking for you.”

“What were you looking for me for?”

He took a breath and took both my hands. “I know it hasn’t really been that long since we’ve known each other but I don’t think that matters when you’ve found your soul mate.” He slowly got down on one knee and another smile started to crawl across my face. “I truly believe I’ve found mine and I would be honored if you say you think so too by becoming my bride. Tonight.”

My smile was full and I collapsed to his level. “Nothing would make me happier knowing I’d get to spend the rest of my life with you.”

We shared a kiss as he started bringing me back to my feet. “Look, I also know this is soon and you wished that Trever could be here for this, so I want you to know that if you want to wait I’ll completely understand and I’ll wait as long as you need me too.”

I smiled from his gesture and touched his face. “You’re sweet but I don’t need to wait. It could be quite a while before he comes back and I don’t want to delay our happiness at all.”

“I think he would agree.”

He slipped a large oval emerald in a high silver setting on my finger and I gasped. “Troy!”

“Think it will do?”

“It’s gorgeous! Where did you get it?”

“Father let us pick one out from the vault. Suitable?”

“More than! I love it. You’re so sweet.”

We kissed again and I stared down at my reflection in the large stone. My thoughts immediately jumped to the bond I’ve been sharing with Zayden. He hasn’t mentioned anything of it yet so I knew Zayden hasn’t told him and I felt I had to if we were really going to be together by marriage.

“Um, Troy. There is one thing that maybe you should know before we do this.”

He was looking a little confused. “Okay. I thought you liked it or are you just having doubts?”

“Oh, no! Of course not! I’ve said before that I could see it happening and I absolutely love the ring. I just wanted to talk to you about Zayden first.”

“Zayden? What does he have to do with this?”

“Remember how it was explained that when he gets mad or stressed he has to bite something to turn off his gift?”

“Yeah. I remember that. He has to do it until he can get control over it and shut it off himself like we’ve seen Izin do.”

“Exactly. Well, you should know he’s been working on finding that control and he’s been working on it with me.”

“With you?” Troy was still seeming a little confused until he figured out how. “He’s been biting you?”

His voice sounded a little angry from saying it like I feared and I tried getting him to see that it was okay. “It doesn’t hurt me. I’m the only one he can do it to without killing.”

“But I thought he didn’t have to bite a person to get control over it.”

“He does now because he’s already tasted blood while doing it, his own.” Troy paused from replying and it was only making me more nervous. “Troy, please. I want you to be okay with this.”

“How long?”

“What?”

“How long have you been letting him? How many times?”

“Just for a couple of days. Three times.”

I could see some kind of resentment on Troy’s face when he looked back at me. “Why haven’t you told me?”

“We knew you wouldn’t like it but I swear, we were going to tell you. I didn’t want to keep it from you but just the whole aspect of it isn’t the only reason why I knew you wouldn’t like it.”

“There’s something else?”

“It’s what it does to us—the way it feels—sexually.”

Troy looked away from me with a shaking head and turned his back. “I don’t believe this.”

“Troy, please.” I said almost in tears now. “Nothing has happened between us. He just uses me when he needs to. That’s it.”

“And this has nothing to do with how you were supposed to be with him instead of me?”

“Of course not.” I stepped up behind him and put my hands on his back. “I would never change that. I love you. I just thought that you should know this if we’re going to make being together official but if this changes your mind then just say so and you can have this back and I’ll leave. I don’t want to make this any harder.”

“No.” He turned back around and took my hand so I wouldn’t take off the ring. “I don’t want you to leave. I’m not going to let something like this get in the way of spending the rest of my life with you. I just want to know when it happens from now on.”