A Shade of Vampire 40: A Throne of Fire(19)

I pulled her gently back into the castle, heading for the towers. I was pretty sure I’d seen sentries at the watch posts when we’d arrived—maybe I could politely request some privacy…there had to be some plus points to being emperor.

“Where are we going?” She laughed.

“You’ll see…”

“I didn’t think you knew this castle?”

I don’t.

“I know everything, Shortie. You should know that by now,” I teased, hoping she bought my bluff.

The door to the tower was open, and I smiled broadly down at Ruby as we made our way up the stairs. After some effort—I hadn’t expected the climb to be quite so high—we reached the top. A small wooden doorway led out to a narrow platform built around the tower. The only thing between us and a mile-long drop was a thin iron railing that only reached up to the top of my shoe, clearly for decorative purposes only.

“Um, you don’t suffer from vertigo, do you?” I asked, feeling slightly queasy as I looked down.

“No…but this is slightly scary, Ash.”

“But look around,” I replied brightly, “the whole of Nevertide…”

This was a mistake.

“It’s amazing,” she conceded slowly. “But why have you brought me up here?”

“Well… I thought it might be nice. Romantic, maybe?”

She started to giggle, covering her mouth with her hand, doing her best to hold it back.

“I’m so sorry,” she gasped. “I don’t mean to laugh…It’s just… this is terrifying. I feel like I’m going to plummet to my death at any moment.”

“I know,” I groaned, half laughing, half disbelieving that I’d messed this up so badly. “I didn’t really have time to plan this.”

“Plan what, though?” she replied, trying to collect herself. “I don’t understand. If you want to spend some time together, let’s just go back to our room?”

The words were said with a shy smile, and I kicked myself. Why hadn’t I just done that? We would have had privacy there. Why did I have to go and make this so complicated? Ruby turned back toward the door, beckoning me back down the stairs.

I wanted to follow, but I was fast losing my nerve. If I didn’t say it now, I was afraid I’d never get the words out of my mouth.

“Ruby, wait,” I called out.

She turned, looking at me expectantly.

“I have something I need to ask you. I know things are…unsettled between the two of us, but I wanted to say this now rather than later…just in case anything happens.” I took a few moments, trying to breathe—to say the right words.

“Ash?” she questioned, her voice high-pitched and frightened. “What’s going on? You’re acting really weird, has something happened?”

I shook my head, realizing that this most definitely wasn’t coming out the way I wanted it to.

“Ruby, please just listen. I wanted you to know how much you mean to me—how I couldn’t have gotten through the last few weeks without you, not even close. That you make me feel like the luckiest man alive, even just to be near you—”

“I feel the same way,” she interrupted.

“Good, but can you just—”

“Seriously, Ash,” she continued, moving away from the door and back toward me, “I can’t imagine what I would have done without you.”

“Ruby!” I yelled her name, trying to get her to listen.

Instead, she jumped backward in surprise. Her eyes widened as her foot caught in the iron bar. She stumbled, her arms flailing outward in the air. I caught her around the waist, holding on for dear life, but it was too late. Most of her body weight had fallen backward, and as I grabbed hold of her, I felt us both falling into thin air.

“ASH!” she screamed, her nails digging into me.

“HOLD ON!” I bellowed, crushing her to me as we free-fell from the tower.

Hexorn, come!

I mentally called the name of the only bird I knew well—the one who had saved me from the earthquake at the Fells. I quietly prayed that he was training with the rest of the flock…

Suddenly I was jerked from beneath, my back slamming into the soft, feathery back of the bird. I heaved a sigh of relief, and looked down at Ruby. She still had her eyes closed.

“It’s okay, Shortie. We’re safe, it’s okay.”

“Ash?” She opened her eyes, staring up at me. Her fingers reached out to feel the surface she’d landed on. She inhaled a huge gulp of air when she felt the feathers of the vulture.

“Ash?” she asked again.

“Yes?” I murmured softly.