“Nope. Dad left Paris that night. He’d decided she’d be better off with the Malmaynes than with him.
Remember, both the Jolouns and Malmaynes were considered Fae of power. Going up against them was no small thing. Add in the fact that he had no clue that Mom had begun to truebond with him, and it just made sense to do what he thought was right. Mom, of course, was heartbroken and refused to go through with the marriage contract. When Papa Joloun locked her in her room and set a few brownie guards, Dad got wind of it.”
“How? I mean, if he wasn’t in Paris how did he find out?”
“Brownies are also earth spirits, and one of the guards was a personal friend of Dad’s and got a message to him. When he found out what was happening to Mom he returned to Paris. By the time he got there he said she no longer looked like the na?ve teenage girl he’d first met. She actually had gray in her hair. With the help of the brownies he broke her out of the Joloun mansion and spirited her away. When Duncan Malmayne caught up to them Mom was in the process of binding Dad to her, over his rather loud objections I might add.”
“Why did he object? He loved her, right?”
“That’s why. He thought he wasn’t good enough for her. Anyway, Duncan, realizing it was a truebond, wished them well, but the rest of the families were outraged. Mom and Dad have nothing against Duncan personally, but the rest of the Malmaynes and Jolouns have made it clear they feel that Mom and Dad are beyond the pale.”
Ruby’s head was swimming with information. “But your parents exchanged Vows downstairs.”
“It’s customary at the bonding of a Sidhe to a non-Sidhe for the Vows to be exchanged, but that’s part of the formal ceremony, not the Binding itself.”
“Oh. Sort of a Sidhe wedding, then?”
Leo kissed the back of her hand. “Would you like to do that, Ruby? Have a full ceremony, with friends and family present, and a long white gown? I’m more than willing to do that, kitten, if it makes you happy.”
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Dare to Believe
Ruby snapped her mouth closed when Leo chuckled. “Is that a proposal?”
“We’re already married, sweetheart, but if you want the formal proposal I can do that.”
Ruby bit her lip. “I need time to think, Leo.” She reached up and smoothed the frown lines on his brow. “I’m not going to run. Didn’t I promise I wouldn’t leave you? I just need to think things through, digest everything you’ve told me. Leo, think about it. It’s been a hell of a week.”
“I love you, Ruby.”
She battled back the tears that started up. His face was totally serious, his eyes sincere and loving despite the hardness of his face. She wasn’t certain she could speak past the sudden lump in her throat.
“Leo…”
“Shhh.” He placed one finger over her lips, his smile lopsided. “You don’t have to say it back, not yet.”
“Shut the hell up.” She felt one of the tears slip past but didn’t care. “You big goob.” Rising, she turned and settled into his lap, cuddling up to him as his arms went around her. “I want us both to wear rings, you hear me?”
“I hear you, kitten.” She felt his sigh of relief as he rested his chin on the top of her head.
“And if you cheat on me I’m cutting off your balls and pickling them.”
His involuntary twitch made her giggle. “Duly noted.”
“Leo?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you too. How the hell did it happen so fast?”
“Does it matter how fast it happened? To me all that matters is that you do.” Leo took her left hand in his and held it out in front of them. Gold sparkles coalesced around their ring fingers until two plain wedding bands appeared. “What design should we make?”
Ruby looked up into his glowing, otherworldly eyes and bit her lip, trying not to laugh. “Horseshoes?”
“Oh, hell.” Leo’s head thumped the back of the chair as the sparkles dissipated.
“With a blue diamond?”
He closed his eyes on a groan. “Ruby.”
“Well, I think ruby balloons would be a bit much, but if that’s what you want…”
He cut her off with a kiss that curled her toes. “I was thinking Celtic knot-work myself.”
“What, not even a green clover?”
Leo nipped her throat. “Look at our hands,” he growled.
Looking down, Ruby gasped. Intricate knot-work rings of white gold sprinkled with white diamonds graced both of their fingers.
“The Celtic knot symbolizes eternity, as does the ring itself.”
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Dana Marie Bell
“So do the diamonds.” She blinked tears from her eyes as she stared at the beautiful rings his imagination had wrought. “Diamonds are forever.”
“You like them?”
Ruby looked up into Leo’s shining eyes and felt her heart turn over. “Oh, yes. I like them. But, there’s one other ring I’d like made.”
“Which one would that be? Your engagement ring?”