Damon's frown deepened at Keith's resistance, and he increased his pressure. "I said, leave."
"And I said, that he should stay.", Talia said to Damon stubbornly, like his Alpha aura didn't affect her not even a little bit.
Damon would be impressed by her tenacity, if not for the pesky fly that somehow didn't leave.
The only thing that saved Keith's neck at that point was the fact that there was some distance between him and Talia. If Keith dared to touch her, Damon would eliminate every part of Keith's body that came into contact with Talia.
Damon glared at Keith who stumbled to get on his feet and the back of his shirt was drenched in a cold sweat like someone poured a bucket of water on him.
Keith's werewolf instincts made him painfully aware of how close he was to being ripped into shreds.
"I'm sorry Talia, but…"
Talia was upset that Keith gave in to Damon's unreasonable demand, but she was even more upset that Damon came here like he owns the place.
He might be the Alpha of the Dark Howlers pack, but he is not her boss!
Damon promised that he will come to the festival, and he didn't. Instead of following through on his word, he ended up getting himself a woman, and then he showed up out of nowhere and spoiled this little peace she managed to create for herself (with Keith and Cinna).
Even for someone as timid as Talia, that was the last straw.
She was done with being pushed around and humiliated.
Talia came to the Dark Howlers pack to improve her life, but thanks to Damon, everything was going downhill. The moment she makes some progress, Damon casts a shadow on it.
At this rate, it would be better if she just stayed in that attic. Actually, anywhere will be good as long as it's far away from this Devil.
"Fine!", Talia exclaimed.
She collected the lunchbox and the plush toy, and stood up. She grabbed Keith's hand. "Let's go."
Damon couldn't believe this. He swatted Keith's hand away from Talia and pulled Talia toward him. "Where are YOU going?"
Talia stepped away from Damon. "You said that Keith should leave, and I'm leaving with him."
"The hell you are!", Damon snapped.
"And what will you do if I don't listen? Spank me again?", Talia hissed.
Keith's mouth hung open. What did he hear just now?
Damon glared at Keith whose knees turned into jelly. At this rate, Alpha will really kill him.
Damon pinched the roof of his nose and exhaled irritably before turning to Talia, "I said that he should leave because I want to talk to you. Or are you fine being here with the coach in his screwing hideout?"
Keith's mind was spinning. First Talia got him into trouble, and now Alpha Damon? How did he find himself in the middle of this (whatever this is)?
Talia paused and her eyes moved to Keith. "Is that true? Is this where you bring women to...?" She couldn't finish.
"It's not like that.", Keith was quick to say.
Keith had no idea why he was denying it. But Talia looked like a disappointed girlfriend while Damon looked like a furious parent who caught his daughter's boyfriend trying to get into her panties. And how did Damon know that this was Keith's hookup spot?
"No one needs your explanations.", Damon squeezed through his teeth at Keith. "Leave, or do you want me to make you?"
Keith saw Damon flexing his fingers into a fist repeatedly and he stepped away on an instinct.
"I was just worried about Talia.", Keith said.
"Talia should be warier of you than me.", Damon said curtly. "Now, scram."
Keith hesitated because he didn't want to leave Talia at Damon's mercy, but the truth was that if Damon wanted to do something, Keith couldn't stop him. Also, Talia said that she is staying in the packhouse, so if Damon was set on doing something despicable, he could do it there without anyone knowing, and not here in the open.
After thinking about his options, Keith realized that staying won't serve any purpose other than him getting seriously injured.
Keith gave a guilty look to Talia and then he scurried away.
Talia couldn't believe this. She clutched her lunch box and the plushie puppy (aka Cinna) and moved to pass by Damon.
Damon blocked her way. "Where do you think you are going?"
Talia was exasperated. "Why are you here?"
"You said that you will wait for me. You said that you will not leave me." All the rage was gone from Damon's voice, leaving only sadness that made him sound like he was pleading.
Talia realized that he was not talking only about the festival, but about the promise she made when he took her to the amusement park.
"I said that I won't leave as long as you need me."
"I need you."
Talia shook her head. "That's not true."
Damon didn't get it. "What makes you say that?"
Talia inhaled a shaky breath, regretting that the beer she drank didn't give her a bigger buzz. Maybe if she was intoxicated, she wouldn't care. If only these unreasonable pesky feelings go away, everything would be so much simpler.
Talia steeled her will and looked into Damon's icy-blue eyes that were full of questions.
"You don't need me, Damon. If you do, you would come when you said you will, and not spend time with some she-wolf you picked up after lunch."
Damon was confused. What she-wolf? "Is that what you think?"
"It's not what I think. It's what everyone thinks."
"Who is everyone?"
"For every festival, you pick up a girl and no one sees you until morning. Is that false? Is everyone lying? Why did you say you will come back? Why did you say you will spend the evening at the fair with me?" Why did you make me feel like I matter? "Was the girl you picked up earlier not good enough? Why don't you pick up another one and leave me alone?"
Talia exhaled in frustration. She couldn't believe that she lost her temper and said all those things.
"I'm sorry, Damon. I said that I will not leave, and I said that I will stay in that room, but I can't. I don't belong there."
Damon touched Talia's chin and tilted her head up so that he can see her face.
"And where do you belong, kitten?"
Talia pressed her lips into a line. Why did he call her kitten? Why was he playing with her heart? Why did he look at her like he cares?
"What do you want from me, Damon?"
"You are asking the wrong question."
"And what question should I ask?"
"This is not about what I want. It's about what YOU want.", Damon said and inched closer to Talia until they were close enough for him to wrap her into his embrace.
Talia felt Damon's warmth all around her and his firm body against hers and his scent… and she hated that somehow she ended up leaning on him. How can she be strong and independent if one hug from the Devil is all she needs for her resolve to crumble?
"You want to leave?", Damon murmured into Talia's hair. "I won't stop you, kitten, but first, I need you to be honest with yourself. Where will you go? Where do you belong? Is there a place you would feel better than right here?"
Talia was stunned. Damon's words were outrageous and confident and… he was right.
She didn't have a place to go, not because she didn't know where, but because right there in his embrace, she felt at home.
Talia looked up at Damon to meet his icy-blue eyes. No matter how she thought about this, it didn't make sense.
Sure, she fell for Damon, but what about him? Why was he sticking to her and giving her hopes that there might be something more than her wishful imagination? Or is he really a cruel person and only playing games with her?
"Why are you doing this, Damon?", she asked in a whisper.
"Because there is only one girl who gets to call herself Mrs. Blake. It's just you, kitten."
Talia didn't get it. "Why?"
"You make me smile, no matter how my day went. Your proximity puts my mind at ease. You make me feel not alone…"
And that did it. Talia's vision blurred with tears in an instant as the dam which contained her emotions gave in.
That feeling of not being alone… she had that as well.
Since she was aware of her existence, Talia was always alone. In the common building which some called the orphanage, and later in the attic. Talia was used to it, that's how things were supposed to be.
However, when she was with this Alpha who suffers from severe mood swings, who makes her feel all kinds of emotions she believed are only for someone else to experience, under all those fears and insecurities, with Damon's proximity and his solid embrace, Talia felt not alone and she didn't hate it. Not even a little bit.
The insulated lunch bag and the plush toy fell on the grass at the same time as Talia's arms moved around Damon to fist his shirt.
Damon's heart cracked because he could feel her emotional turmoil, but he was also a bit happy because he knew that she finds comfort in him.
Talia was not ready to admit the strength of her emotions, but she needed him, just how he needed her, even though she couldn't feel the bond.
Damon picked up Talia gently, and he sat on the ground with his legs crossed in the lotus position before placing Talia to sit right there.
He cradled her in his arms and rocked gently while waiting for her to cry it out.
"It's OK, kitten… let it out…", he murmured and Talia cried harder, releasing all the frustration and helplessness she piled up within her over the years.
Since Damon met Talia, he saw her timid and embarrassed and happy and expressing many other emotions, but he never saw her crying.
He despised every sob which escaped her beautiful lips, yet he knew that this was Talia showing him her vulnerable side. She was opening up to him. Finally.
At that moment, Damon didn't only embrace Talia's body. He embraced her aching heart and her mind full of insecurities, and Damon hoped that he will be able to instill in Talia this sense of belonging that can be experienced only when mates are together.
