"Come here" Solenne called to her mate, Aerilyn bounced towards the Queen who quickly had her arms around the girl, "I can never get enough of you pet" Aerilyn giggled as she was attacked with kisses. They had both had their showers and were pretty exhausted, now they found themselves in the Queen's room on the bed.

Aerilyn moaned at the kisses she was receiving as she fell onto her back, "when did you become so soft?" she joked. Solenne melted at the sight before her, never had she felt this way and the bond was really going full pelt for them both. It was official. All that needed to happen now was for them to mark each other and drink the others blood.

Trailing her hand up the girls body, she stroked her face, "right around the time I met you" not long after they fell asleep, Solenne only slept for a couple of hours but she held onto her mate for the rest of the time. Some time in the night Solenne went to the library to finally look for her grandmothers journals to see if she could find out how her necklace ended up with Aerilyn's family.

She searched the library high and low for it until she eventually came across a few of her journals from across her life, the Queen scanned through the first one but found nothing, it was more about her sons growing up, the mad king and her uncle which she had read before.

The next diary she came across was about her loving marriage to her husband, Solenne's grandad who died before his time. The third and final diary led right up until her death, so she flicked through it. She found an entry that was a year before her death.

July 15th - Today whilst I was out hunting, I was ambushed by men who hunted us, they had been trying to find our kind for a while and today they were successful, they found the Queen. I ran fast but they had managed to shoot something at me, a poison of such, that slowed me down. As I limped across to a house, I came across a young couple and their two children who were little, they saw me, they quickly realised what I was, but they helped me, they took me into their home and hid me. Even as the men knocked they lied for me, I could tell they were the kindest of people.

July 17th - They tended me back to health, I learned of their names, Henry and Anne with their children Aerilyn and Eli, a beautiful family. The little girl happened to touch me today on the arm today as we played, I had a vision of her and my grand daughter Solenne meeting for the first time, I felt the bond.

"How have I not seen this before" Queen Solenne cursed herself.

July 19th- Today I am feeling a lot better, they even let me have some blood from them, in return I have given them my necklace, my favorite one, I know it will be in good hands, it was all I had to give them. The girl Aerilyn now wears it, but she will not to show it to anyone.

Solenne had read enough, she slipped back into bed with Aerilyn, mulling over her grandmothers vision. They were the only two in the family to have visions.

They woke up the next morning in each others arms, "good morning my Queen" Aerilyn smiled cheekily, but it was not that far from the truth, she was her Queen.

Solenne stretched her arms before pulling Aerilyn in tighter, kissing her forehead."good morning pet" they cuddled into each other.

They decided to head for breakfast to meet the others. "Morning" they all told each other. Ev and her mate were there, Prince Matheus, Luanna and Richard, Nilsa and Zenon. It was a full table.

Aerilyn approached the wolf cautiously, who was now looking at her calmly, both were not longer angry with the other. "Hey" Aerilyn said quietly. "I'm sorry about what happened, what I said wasn't true, not at least about you. I appreciate all you have done. I hope we can be friends" she was shy. Alpha Zenon already considered her family since Nilsa and the girl were so close.

She immediately hugged her, "all is forgotten, I understand what you went through, it's okay" she reassured her.

Aerilyn went and sat back down at the table, she couldn't wait to tell Ev everything, they sat next to each other and the Queen was on the other side. "I missed you" Ev admitted.

They side hugged each other. "I missed you too Ev" they smiled.

The food was brought out to them and placed on the table. Solenne placed her hand on the girls thigh, craving her touch. Ev looked down and raised her eye brow. "I see things are going well?" Ev smirked.

Aerilyn nodded, she didn't know whether she was allowed to tell anyone that they were mates, so she kept tight lipped, that was until her best friend spoke. "It's okay, I know already" Ev admitted.

This shocked the girl. "You did?" She questioned.

Evelyn began to tuck into her food, "mhmm" she murmured.

Aerilyn also began to eat, wondering who else knew and how. "But how?" Solenne didn't want to ease drop but she couldn't help it, she was sat next to her. "Everyone knows, it was just so obvious, even Eli knew" that hit a sore note, her brother was no longer here.

If he knew, why did he take her away, she held back the tears and kept herself composed as Solenne rubbed her leg feeling everything she felt. "His last words were 'she will keep you safe' Aerilyn muttered.

Evelyn nodded. "Yeah he tried his best and thought he was doing the right thing, but, unless you experience the bond it's very hard for you to understand what it is like" those words resonated with the girl.

After they finished breakfast Evelyn and Aerilyn went for a walk to have a catch up. "Sooo...is she treating you well?" She was still her best friend and would hurt anyone who hurt her.

Aerilyn blushed. "Yes, very well actually. It's just I want to know more about the bond and what she calls marking" she asked.

"I thought you might" Evelyn smiled widely.

They stopped in their tracks and sat down under a tree that towered above them. "The bond only becomes stronger the more you both accept it, you will always feel a pull towards them, want to protect them. They are your everything and because of this well for the vampire they have a strong urge to mark their territory, you won't feel it as much because you are human. Their fangs will come out when you kiss or at well other times and it's incredibly hard to control"

Well that cleared some of it. "Have you been marked?" She asked her friend.

Evelyn nodded as she twiddled her thumbs. "Yes, It's during sex, you drink their blood and they will drink yours, they will release almost like a venom into you and that will mark you and then you will drink from them. It seals the bond, if either of you were to die, the other probably would too. But before that is the mating ceremony, it's an important custom in the vampire world, sacred, they do not take it lightly"

Aerilyn was taking it in very well. "And are you happy Ev, like really truly happy?"

Evelyn held her best friends hand and looked into her eyes. "The happiest I've ever been" she confirmed.

Aerilyn hugged her. "I'm so happy for you"

Evelyn was hesitant to tell her the next part. "There is something you should know...mating with a vampire, you would be expected to turn into one"

The girls face said it all, she hadn't been expecting it, she thought back to a conversation she had with Solenne.

Aerilyn turned red. "You put the God's to shame with your mortal beauty" Aerilyn laughed.

"Is that some kind of back handed compliment?" She supposed, still in the same spot. Solenne stalked her and moved closer.

Solenne stood in front of Aerilyn closely, savouring the moment, inhaling her scent, all without touching her. "Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time"

Aerilyn leaned closer, looking at Solenne's lips, they were close but they were being careful with each other. "You do have eternity" She pointed out in a low hushed tone. Aerilyn understood that Solenne was implying that she was the most beautiful thing in this world, but that it was fleeting and temporary. Whilst Aerilyn told her that she her beauty will last for eternity.

Solenne lightly kissed her cheek. "What if you could have eternity, would you want it?" She was fishing.

Aerilyn thought about it, she could have mulled it over and over. "It all means nothing without the ones I love" she clarified.

Had Solenne been asking her without even realising? It all made sense now. Eternity didn't seem so bad, it was only Saryn that wouldn't be there for it, but there was something inside of her that still wasn't sure.

They both stood up and began to walk back to the castle. She parted ways with Evelyn after they got back. She knew she only wanted Solenne for the rest of her life and so she went to find her.

The vampire Queen was in her office going through paper work when the human arrived. Aerilyn waltzed to the desk and around it, stopping in front of Solenne who was sat down. "How was your walk?" She asked.

Aerilyn kissed Solenne's head, taking in her scent "enlightening" she replied.

Solenne raised her eye brows urging her to continue on, her eyes mesmerising the human. "How so?" She wrapped an arm around the girls waist.

"She told me all about the mate bond and now I know more, I know that I want you and only you. My choice has not changed" she wanted the ceremony and for the Queen to mark and claim her as hers, they both felt their feelings towards each other, stronger than anything.

Solenne pulled her into her lap, into her strong arms as she fondled her. "If it is what you truly want, we shall set a date love"