Yurian, Esma, Aselia and Razian were having dinner in the living room.

"I have a small announcement to make," Aselia cleared her throat and everyone gave her their attention.

"I am going away with Jaguar. I will be back in a couple of days," Yurian’s hand halted near his mouth with noodles dangling down from his fork. Lines of worry had crept up on his forehead.

"Wait! What? Where?" he was perplexed, she hadn’t even told him about her plans. She had been keeping secrets.

"To meet his family in Druhias," Aselia casually answered, her eyes darting between them. Esma almost choked on her food and Razian had to thump her back.

While Yurian’s fork slipped from his hand cluttered on his plate below. His eyes were as wide as saucers, he gawked at her.

"What? He asked nicely and I couldn’t say no. It’s just two days," Aselia didn’t understand their exaggerated reactions.

"Do you understand what that means?" Yurain asked a bit annoyed, still in a shocked state.

"No! Was it supposed to mean something?" Aselia was utterly confused now. She narrowed her eyes at Yurian who was giving her a ’You are unbelievable, partner’ look which she knew too well.

"Rawais! Let your mother talk to Leia. Come we will take a stroll outside," Razian instructed his son, who shook his head at her and reluctantly followed.

"What’s his problem?" Aselia muttered, rolling her eyes.

"My dear! Come with me," Esma offered and they got up to sit by the fireplace. They settled down and she took Aselia’s hands in hers before facing her.

"You know, elves bond for life with their partners?" Aselia’s eyes enlarged at the revelation, she didn’t know.

"What does that mean?"

"It means, they feel attraction towards that person. Slight sparks when their skin comes in contact, heightened heart rate and some similar signs. I experienced that with Razian and I instantly knew he was the one for me, although I am only half-elf. Have you ever experienced something like that with Jaguar or anyone else?" Esma explained and asked.

"No, nothing remotely like that has ever happened," Aselia answered a bit confused as she remembered that the only sparks she has felt were with someone who only exists in her dreams and brain, not with Jaguar.

"Not all elves find love like that and those who do sometimes don’t follow up on it and choose someone entirely different and the bond fizzles out. But it exists nonetheless. It shows he is not your destined to be, but if you want him as your partner you just have to take the next step as he is taking," Esma gently squeezed Aselia’s hands, staring into her eyes to understand if she comprehended, the confusion that peeked back at Esma told her, she didn’t. She sighed and continued:

"A man only takes a girl to meet his family when he is ready to own her at every level. Either to marry her or to start living with her or to have kids with her."

Aselia gulped at her words and the realisation began to hit her as she wondered:

’Kids? Where did kids come from in this?’ and said out aloud:

"I am not sure I am ready for marriage and kids, I am not invested in this relationship as he is."

"I know dear, I know. For elves, the bond is important, they feel empty without it. That’s why, think this through because he is ready for the next step," Aselia placed her head on Esma’s shoulder, her heart weighed down and Esma gently caressed her hair.

"Can I just skip this bond part and give him a chance? Because he has been kind to me and doesn’t flinch away from my craziness," Aselia asked, her eyes staring ahead at the fire crackling in the fireplace.

"If you want that then sure you can but don’t force yourself to love him if you don’t. Love comes naturally, it can never be forced. So go meet his family, have a good time and see how things unfold. Maybe your heart will open up more once you spend a lot more time together."

Esma’s words were comforting and they made sense to Aselia. She wanted to see where this would lead her, but the mere thought of letting him in her heart had her organ splitting and sending qualms of pain her way.

"Esma?" she reluctantly spoke.

"Yes! Dearest," Esma held her close so she was comfortable and could ask whatever she wanted. Knowing it wasn’t easy for her to open up.

"That bond you spoke about. How will I know I have that with someone?" Aselia wanted to know every tiny little detail about it. Maybe it held the key to why she felt repulsed by the touches of males.

"Let’s see, think of it like static electricity but on a smaller level, it will tingle your skin, your heart will be flustered, you won’t be able to control it, and your body will hunger for him, it would be almost uncontrollable. It will be stronger if both of you are elves."

Esma’s words transported Aselia to her wet dreams and she almost blushed. Her brain and body seemed desperate to have that with someone, no wonder it had been putting such lustful images there with a random stranger.

"Thank you for explaining, I didn’t know these details," she had been so consumed with being a hunter that she had forgotten to be a girl and since she wrote that list to accomplish tasks that had been missing from her life, it was turning into a wilder ride.

"Not a worry. So have you planned what you will be wearing?"

"Jaguar said he will be arranging the dress for me. I tried to refuse but he was persistent that it was a tradition and so on. I am letting him do that," Aselia informed her.

"Good, let him do it. Where does his family live?" Esma was curious, he seemed rich if he was going to all the trouble and they had traditions and everything.

"Emeradius City."