Xiran left the car behind, he flew with so much speed that they were home in no time. They landed just outside their house and opening the door Xiran ushered her in before bolting the door and asking:

"Are you alright?" He asked, clearly panicking. His eyes were wide, twice their usual size. Aselia brushed away the hair from her face, they were a mess because of how fast Xiran had flown.

"I am Xiran, the question is are you?" Aselia could clearly see how troubled he appeared and sounded.

"I need to call Rivan, we need to access what we are dealing with before it hits us," he ignored her question and extracted his phone from his pocket. It was still switched off.

"Xiran! Can we sit and talk about it first, please? Give me your phone. Call Rivan after," she extended her hand to ask for his phone and he kept clutching it. She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him.

"Calm down!" she whispered, rubbing his chest which was extremely rigid.

"I don’t trust him, whoever he was," he gritted his teeth in annoyance, closing his eyes to reel in his emotions.

"I think deep down you and I both know he is who he claims to be. If he wasn’t, you wouldn’t have left him alive and just flown away. You are just afraid," Aselia stared at his tense face.

"Leia! There is more chance that he is my father’s secret creation. Didn’t you hear what he said to us before dying," he opened his eyes and intently gazed back at her.

"He was lying to mess up with your brain so you won’t trust anyone ever again. And that’s exactly what you are doing. Xiran I can read people genuinely well because of my profession and all I got from Sulran was positivity and warmth. Take your time but give him a chance. Isn’t that what you have been waiting for? To get to know your origins."

Her hands grazed his face and he leaned into her touch.

"I need time to think about this. I don’t want to walk into a trap. Let me discuss it with Rivan," he finally answered, his tone softening.

"Good, do that and yes talk to Rivan but remain calm."

"Ok, give me five minutes," he requested and Aselia planted a small kiss on his cheek before heading to the room so he could have some privacy and gather his thoughts.

He turned on his phone and it instantly began to chime with messages and pending notifications. He ignored everything and took out Rivan’s number before placing the call.

Rivan picked up soon.

"Hey! Xi, welcome back to the land of the living," he teased.

"Hi! Yeah, just when I thought life would get easier we got another complication," Xiran then went on to explain everything that had transpired on that mountain.

"Now that is interesting, to say the least. Your father could have created a hybrid using your blood or DNA. We need to go through all the records and information from the facilities. Ask hunters for assistance on the matter. They have all his facilities under them now. And read the diary, maybe we can find some clues in it," Rivan was baffled but he understood Xiran’s concerns regarding trusting someone who appeared out of thin air.

"I agree. We need to be a hundred per cent sure before I let him anywhere near myself or Aselia, I will call Aldridge and discuss this in length with him," Xiran informed him.

"I will send over a few trained vampires, they will keep an eye on the house. Or do you want to shift to my secret hideout?" Rivan asked, knowing that Xiran must be freaking out and wouldn’t want Aselia to be alone.

"No, Rivan. Both of us are done hiding. I promised her freedom and the safety of our home. This is where we are going to stay. Just send some vampires and the diary."

"You got it. Let me know if you need anything else. And yes, Irlana will stay with me so don’t worry about that," Rivan wanted them to make up for the lost time and it was a good opportunity for him and Irlana to take their relationship to the next level as well.

They said their goodbyes and Xiran slouched on the sofa, pondering over the turn of events. He always knew that his mother had a family across the stars but Xiran had given up hope of ever meeting them. And now that the possibility was presenting himself, he was afraid.

What if they didn’t accept him because of his darkened heart and vampiric genes?

He placed the back of his hands on his forehead and leaned back, his visage tormented, reflecting his thought process. His eyes closed.

What if they found him an abomination? The disappointment their Surilla left behind.

His mother was always kind and he had never seen her hurt even a fly in her entire life. Her family would be no different and he wouldn’t be able to fit in with them.

Slipping of her arms around his tapered waist had him jerkily open his eyes. Xiran was so lost in his thought process that he didn’t even hear or smell her. Aselia placed her head on his chest and whispered:

"What’s wrong? Talk to me. I am worried about you," Xiran drew her near and placed a small kiss on the top of her head, the smell of her fruity shampoo hit him.

"Nothing, just me being insecure. My heart is burdened at the prospect of having another family out there. What if they hate me?" Aselia raised herself and placed her hands on both sides of his face before gazing into his saddened eyes.

"No one in their right mind can hate you. You possess the most beautiful heart and precious soul, that anyone can ever have. They will love and accept you with open arms. Mark my words," she kissed the tip of his nose, earning a soft smile from him.

"Let the fear go and accept this new destiny that awaits you," her thumbs caressed his cheeks.

"I will try Leia. Let me sort out some details and then I am hoping to meet him again and find out the truth."

"Good. Should we get some sleep? The bed is cold without you," sweetness in her voice melted him and he gathered her in his arms before getting up.

"Let’s warm you up then," and carried her to his room.