45 That Earth Fairy With The Pet Vampire (1/2)

They walked into the kitchen and saw the other two fairies in their element, cooking some steaks perfectly without the use of a stove or oven.

Ruby's stomach rumbled from the delicious scent wafting off of the meat. She hadn't eaten anything since before conducting her business for the day and she was starving! Eating a meal cooked perfectly by a fire fairy was something she had wanted to try for ages anyway so right now the smell was tantamount to torture.

”Oh hey, it's that earth fairy with the pet vampire! What was your name again?” Hestia asked.

”Hestia, we don't refer to other fae as pets,” her mother chided. She shot Ruby an apologetic smile. ”Sorry about her. We're still working on manners.”

Ruby was offended on Ash's behalf but couldn't really hold it against her. Hestia was just a kid. She put on a strained smile. ”It's fine. My name is Ruby.”

”Where's the vampire? I wanted to see him again,” the girl pouted.

”…he's asleep.”

Skye seemed to sense that the young fairy was treading in dangerous waters by talking too much about Ash so she changed the subject. ”Your cooking is getting better and better Hestia! Are you planning on being a chef once you're full-grown?”

The distraction worked and she nodded excitedly, hovering higher than usual. ”Uh huh! Mom says the witches can hook me up with a fake human culinary school diploma and everything. But I have to wait another sixty years, which is totally lame.”

Ruby remembered that innocent level of excitement about working in the nursery. She wasn't allowed to be an official employee until she looked the age of a human teenager but still spent most of her time hanging out there.

She missed plants. Everything was so brown here. Even the canyon she and Ash went to the night before had hardly any trees. She was considering going out and buying a small potted plant for the hotel room to cheer herself up.

She had been feeling weird ever since she found out a bit more about Ash's goal and a plant might make her feel better. Her motivation for helping him had changed and she was still thrown off by that.

Ruby would give him all the money in the world as long as he didn't recklessly go against over sixty vampires by himself. She had this vague, sickening hunch that he had gone into this plan expecting not to survive based on how ill-prepared he seemed when they talked. She couldn't allow that to happen.

Whatever had happened, she wanted her friend to be able to put it behind him and live peacefully and happily. He had a good sense of humor when he wasn't being all broody so it should be possible once he got past whatever was haunting him.

She snapped back to attention when she realized Ember was talking to her. Her mind wandered far too quickly.