Looking at Bones now made all my childish imaginings pale into nothingness, however. True, Bones was a former-human-gigolo-turned-vampire-hitman instead of a charming prince, but no fairy tale heroine could have felt the way I did, with the man I was insanely in love with asking me on bended knee to be his wife. My throat closed off with emotion. How had I ever gotten so lucky?

Bones made a noise of amused exasperation. “Of all the times for you to be speechless. If you don’t mind, choose one response or the other. The suspense is torturing me.”

“Yes.”

Tears came to my eyes even as I started to laugh at the sheer joy bubbling up inside me.

Something cool and hard slid on my finger. I could barely see it, since my vision was blurred, but I caught a flash of red.

“I had this cut and fashioned into a ring almost five years ago,” Bones said. “I know you think I was pressured into binding myself with you before, but that’s not true. I’d always intended to marry you, Kitten.”

For about the thousandth time, I regretted leaving Bones the way I had years ago. I thought I’d been protecting him. Turned out I was just hurting both of us needlessly.

“How could you be nervous about asking me to marry you, Bones? I’d die for you. Why wouldn’t I want to live for you as well?”

He gave me a long, deep kiss, whispering onto my lips only when I pulled away out of breathlessness.

“I know it’s what I intend to do.”

Later, I was stretched out in his arms, waiting for dawn, which wasn’t far off.

“Do you want to elope, or do you want to do the whole big wedding thing?” I asked sleepily.

Bones smiled. “You know vampires, pet. Always like a fancy show, we do. Also, I know our vampire binding didn’t feel like a real wedding to you, so I want you to have something that does.”