When Damon and Talia returned to the beach, they saw that Tatiana and Maddox were not in sight, while others were on the towels in the shade that the canopy provided.
Mindy was flipping through fashion magazines that Tatiana brought from Europe and others were divided into two groups.
In one group were Kalina, Tony, Caden, and Maya. Girls leaned on their mates, and they were chatting while sipping chilled beverages and snacking on freshly cut fruits that were arranged on several plates.
In the second group, Paul, Nate, Greg, Axel, and Tyler were playing poker.
And there was one more group, in the far corner of the shade. That's where Dawn, Zina, Ivy, and Lily were. They also relaxed and snacked on fruits while making sure drinks and snacks don't run out for anyone.
Talia and Damon slowly walked toward shallower waters while holding hands.
"Ah!", Talia exclaimed when Damon picked her up before water went below her waist level.
Damon held her close to him, covering her up how much he could with his muscular arms. No one will get to see his woman!
Talia was glad that no one teased them for being absent. Well, at least not yet.
Once they reached the canopy, Talia peered onto the group that was busy with cards.
"Do you know what game they are playing?", Talia asked Damon.
Damon threw a glance at the cards and plastic chips before answering, "Poker." He noticed her curiosity. "Do you want to play?"
Of course! "Will you teach me?"
As an answer, Damon walked to the circle five guys formed and demanded. "Make space for us."
Axel was quick to scoot on the side, but Damon sat on the towel between Nate and Tyler.
Damon's legs were in the lotus position, and he placed Talia to sit there. Talia glanced at Damon and smiled. With everyone sitting on the towels and her being propped higher by Damon's legs, it looked like she was someone important.
She hoped that no one can smell what they did before in the lake. That would be embarrassing.
Damon's arms moved around Talia, and he started telling her the rules, "Everyone gets cards and bets or folds. The one with the strongest hand wins the pot. If everyone folds, the last one standing can pick up the pot without showing his cards. We call that bluffing… you can also raise a bet..."
Talia watched a few hands while Damon was explaining what was going on and when Talia confirmed that she understood what are poker, straight, and a full house, they joined in the game as well.
Damon held the cards, and Talia would decide if she wanted to swap them or keep, and how much they will bet.
Talia truly enjoyed playing poker. It was something novel, and it came with Damon all around her and nothing beats that.
Damon stuck close to Talia with his torso arching above hers in order to shield her gorgeous body from any prying eyes. As much as he enjoyed the sparks that danced over his skin wherever he and Talia touched, Damon was observing his surroundings, Axel in particular.
Damon had a strange feeling about Axel. The future Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack showed unusual interest in Talia from the moment he met her, and even now, while playing poker, Axel was trying to get on Talia's good side.
Damon's insides tightened whenever Axel spoke.
"Miss Talia, that's such a good hand!"
"Miss Talia, you fooled me completely!"
"Ah, Miss Talia, you are good at this game…"
Miss Talia this, Miss Talia that… Damon felt like punching Axel in the face.
How dares Axel act so cozy with Talia in Damon's presence? What is Damon? A decoration?
And couldn't Axel see that Talia was taken and that whatever Axel was offering Talia was not buying? Her smiling and responding was only Talia being polite!
How Damon saw this, Talia didn't slam rejection into Axel's face because Axel didn't really do anything too obvious other than being obnoxiously pleasant, but Damon couldn't wait to catch the bastard on his own. Damon was ready to give Axel a piece of his mind, but first… he needed to put more distance between Talia and Axel.
"How about we play one more hand and then we go and relax on the towel?", Damon asked Talia and he could feel her reluctance to part from the card game. He spoke before she could refuse, "As hosts, we should give attention to everyone." Damon glanced toward the area where Kalina and Tony were chatting with Maya and Caden.
Talia glanced at the cards and then she looked at Damon with a big puppy-eyed look. "How about two more hands?"
"OK.", Damon agreed. When she looked at him like that, he would agree to anything.
Damon and Talia moved to sit with the other group, and it took only a minute for Damon to realize how that was not a good idea either.
Why was Talia inspecting Kalina's tattoos again?
Damon's eyes lost focus for a moment, and in the back, both Dawn and Zina jolted on their feet and scrambled into the camper van.
Ivy and Lily exchanged confused glances and went after the other two Omegas. With Dawn and Zina rushing into the camper van so abruptly, it could mean only one thing: there was some important work to do. Did they forget something on the stove?
Ivy and Lily didn't want to leave their two new friends on their own, so they followed after Dawn and Zina to see if they can help.
Dawn and Zina were rummaging through drawers in the kitchen area when Lily asked, "What are you looking for?"
"A marker.", Dawn said.
Ivy and Lily exchanged confused glances. Dawn and Zina were running like their lives depend on it. Why would a marker be so important?
"What kind of marker?", Ivy asked.
"A permanent one.", Zina responded and exhaled in frustration.
There were not many drawers so they could confirm that there are no markers in the camper van. Does that mean one of them needs to go to the packhouse? Or to Darkbourne to buy one? But Alpha said quickly…
"Will a Sharpie do?", Lily asked.
Zina and Dawn looked at Lily with sparkles in their eyes.
"You have a Sharpie?", Dawn wanted to make sure she heard Lily right.
Lily nodded and went to fetch her purse. A few seconds later, she held a permanent marker in her hand.
"Lily has all kinds of stuff in that purse.", Ivy said. "If the end of the world comes, she will have the basics."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Why are you saying like that's a bad thing? Don't come to me next time you need a tissue, a sanitizer, mints, stain remover, a bottle opener, comb, hair ties, cotton swabs, or a lip gloss."
Dawn gaped at Lily. "You have all that in your purse?"
Ivy stifled a laugh. "She has more than that."
Lily frowned and looked at Dawn and Zina. "Do you want the Sharpie or not?"
"Yes, yes!", Zina was quick to snatch the marker from Lily's hand. "Being prepared for calamity is always a good thing."
Dawn and Zina couldn't figure out why Alpha Damon asked for a permanent marker, without asking for a paper or something he can write on also. Weren't they playing cards and relaxing on the beach?
