Their lips finally parted and Aselia was breathless, to say the least, her heart was thumping so loud that Xiran placed his hand over it to calm the ravenous storm he had caused in her.

He elegantly propped himself on his other elbow and began to observe her, the erratic heartbeats were thumping low under the light that lit up her eyes and tattoo.

"I hope all thoughts of his body have evaporated from your mind and only I remain or they still linger and I can go for another session," he drawled out, as he traced his fingers around her perfect mounds.

"No! Let me catch my breath after what you did," Aselia couldn’t get herself to make eye contact with him.

"And what was it that I did?" He casually asked, teasing her.

"You know," she couldn’t bring herself to say how he was almost eating her most intimate part. Her gaze was fixed on his hand.

"Know what?" He began drawing circles on her tummy.

"Stop teasing me," she swatted his hand away, making him laugh.

"I like teasing you especially when you get all flustered and embarrassed by it," he placed a small kiss on her head and she snuggled close to him, seeking the comfort and warmth of his body. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"You are wicked," she reprimanded, hiding away in his chest and he knew the first experience had embarrassed her so he let her be for a while and lovingly combed her hair with his agile fingers.

"There is something I want to talk to you about, Leia," the slight seriousness in his voice alerted her and she finally raised her head and met his eyes. He was already watching her, his grey spheres holding affection.

"I am listening," he tucked the few wandering hair away from her face and lifted her chin.

"Remember if you are not comfortable with the idea, you can always say no."

"Alright, let me hear it first," she answered, getting anxious about what he was about to propose.

Xiran explained and told her everything Sulran had done about their mate bond and how they could travel to Tromalius to complete the bond and meet his family there. The ritual they would have to undergo and he was sure it would involve them getting intimate. He still wasn’t sure where she stood on that front.

"Woah! We can do that? We can travel to another planet?" She almost jumped out of bed in excitement. Her face underwent all kinds of emotions ranging from fascination to jubilation.

Aselia sat up straight and Xiran followed her pursuit, holding her hands in his.

"You want to go with me to a faraway planet, we know nothing about and be part of a ritual we have not much knowledge about?" He specifically asked again.

"Yes, I will follow you to the end of the world too, without thinking. I will go wherever you take me, I will perform whatever stupid ritual there is to be close to you. There is no doubt in my heart," she spoke with so much fervour that her eyes lit up like green light bulbs. He couldn’t stop himself and tightly embraced her.

"Thank you, Leia. It means the world to me," he slowly uttered and she hugged him too, her hands feeling the contoured muscles of his back.

"Honestly, it’s so exciting, Xiran. I mean who gets to travel to an entirely new planet, meet a new race of people and go through their rituals? I can’t wait for it to happen," her excitement was reflected in her words.

"Sulran said he will guide and show me. I need to practice a few times before we take such a big step."

" It swells my heart that you met him. You need a loving family and you are going to get it soon," she separated from him and raising her head placed a small kiss on his forehead.

"You deserve happiness after everything. Let me get a shower and freshen up and then we can discuss further plans of how we are going to do it," Xiran didn’t want to let her go but he was excited to tell her about the markings and their meaning. So he decided to wait for her.

"Be back soon, I have something to show you," he half-heartedly let her go and Aselia hurried to the bathroom to shower and change into fresh underwear, picking up her nightie along the way.

Xiran also got out of bed and changed into comfy trousers and skipped the shirt. He was brushing his hair when Aselia emerged from the bathroom with damp hair and the same nightie she had been wearing earlier.

Seeing him standing there without a shirt made her heart skip a few beats.

"Hey, what did you want to show me?" She approached him, placing her hand on his inked skin and it instantly came to life under her touch.

"This," he pointed to the circular pattern near his chest, "will enable us to travel to Tromalius, along with my wings," his wings unfurled behind him and the silver lining glistened like a neon strip.

"Wow," Aselia’s eyes widened at his magnificence and without thinking her hand travelled to the circular pattern and she pressed on it.

A mesmerizing luminescence began to emanate from it. As if the silvery liquid had awakened, coming alive within its intricate pattern. The glow gradually intensified, pulsating like a heartbeat, and veins of light cascaded through the tattoo’s curves like tiny streams of stardust.

And his wings fluttered as if they possessed a life of their own, glowing with a blinding light of their own and everything around began to swirl. Confusion marred their features as Xiran quickly grabbed hold of Aselia and pulled her to his confines.

"Xiran!!! What’s happe..." the rest of her word was drowned in a muffled scream as the ground and their room vanished in thin air and they were hurled into a whirlwind of space and time.