Chapter Fifty Five

I awakened the next morning feeling fully rested for once. Lio was lying on his stomach next to me sleeping soundly. His jet black curls were half way covering his face, the rest were fanned out on the pillow. I propped myself up on one elbow, my chin resting in the palm of my hand. With my other hand I started softly gliding my fingertips along his spine. The memories of last night started playing back in my head. The ritual was complete; I was his mate for life now. A lazy smile was fixed upon my lips as my fingers slid back up towards his shoulder blades and into his thick mass of black curls. There were many times I would lay in bed admiring him like this; if I were the first to wake up. This time was different, my thoughts and feelings were different.

The current situation we were in didn’t fill me with as much anxiety as it did before. For once my uncertainty, worry, and doubts were not present to ruin my happiness. While I continued to watch Lio sleep peacefully, he began