On the third floor of the packhouse, Damon was on the bed and cradling sleeping Talia in his arms.
After the episode in the lake, Talia was weak and Damon considered taking her to the pack hospital for a checkup, but his wolf told him that her state was the same as when she healed them and that she only needs rest, so he decided to take her to the packhouse.
In a way, packhouse was a better option because it lowered the risk of anyone finding out what Talia did.
Damon's wolf told him that he should be close to Talia, because the sparks of their bond have the effect of stimulating not only arousal but healing as well, and Damon had no objections. He didn't want to leave Talia's side.
Damon used this time of silence to recollect events from the lake. He saw Talia's eyes flickering with silvery light, and she knew which way Maddox and Tatiana were, and then her whole body glowed. He held her so that the currents don't carry her away, and he was surprised to see that everything around them stilled.
Talia didn't just produce light out of nowhere, but she managed to stop the currents at the bottom of the lake. She was fantastic!
With Talia illuminating the area, it was like he could see through the kelp, and Damon watched Maddox making his way toward Tatiana. When Tatiana was safe in Maddox's arms, Talia relaxed on Damon. As her light dimmed, the water around them started stirring again like no interruption happened.
Damon didn't know the extent of Talia's control over her power, but he knew that it exhausted her.
Luckily, no one else was nearby to see Talia performing something that Damon would describe as a miracle.
The only variable in their situation was Maddox. Did he see what Talia did? Damon didn't know how to explain what happened and to make it believable.
When the silvery light in Talia's eyes disappeared completely, Damon thought of going to the surface with her and at that time Caden mind-linked him. 'What's the status with you? Are you guys OK?'
'Why wouldn't we be?', Damon asked cautiously.
'We saw some light. Maya thinks it's mermaids. Anyway, Max found Tanya and they are coming up. You should come out also.'
Damon smiled. Mermaids will do just fine as a coverup. With Maddox and Tatiana coming to the surface safely, Damon didn't feel the need to linger there. He wanted to focus on Talia and her condition, and he will meet with Maddox later to probe how much he saw.
Damon was quick to come up with an excuse to why he and Talia were not going to join the rest of them. 'Talia stayed underwater longer than she should. I'm taking her to the packhouse to rest. Keep me up to date if anything important happens.'
By the time Damon emerged out of the water, Talia was sleeping in his arms. He carried her to the packhouse under the scorching sun that dried their bodies and he bent at an angle so that his shadow obstructs the sun from hitting her face.
Damon placed Talia on the bed and laid next to her, and shortly after that he heard the commotion as the other guests reached the packhouse.
Caden and Maya told Damon what was going on, so he knew that Tanya was fine and that she and Maddox made up.
With all the unexpected events at the beach, they decided to postpone bonfire and barbeque, and instead they will have a low-key dinner in the packhouse with some mingling afterwards.
Nate, Greg, and Paul announced that they will head to the Shifters in the evening, and there was a chance that others will join them as well.
It was just as Damon hoped it will be. The guests were entertaining themselves and he could focus on Talia.
Talia's eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at the sight of Damon's endlessly blue eyes directed at her.
"How long was I out?"
Damon shrugged. "Not long. We didn't skip dinner."
Talia could hear voices from the garden. Guests!
"How is Tanya?"
"She is fine. With Max. It seems they patched up things.", Damon said while waggling his eyebrows and Talia smiled at his words. His expression told her that Maddox and Tatiana did much more than just patching up.
"Should we join our guests?", she asked.
"Later. How are you feeling?"
Talia snuggled closer to him and mumbled into his chest, "I need more cuddles."
Damon chuckled and tightened his hold on her. He loved when she was clingy. His kitty learned to rely on him for comfort and he wouldn't want it any other way.
"Do you remember what happened in the lake?", Damon asked.
Talia had a feeling this was coming. It's not that she didn't want to think about it, but she remembered that Tanya was in danger and that Maddox went to search for her, and if that were her and Damon… Talia's heart cracked at the thought that something might happen to Damon.
"Do we need to talk about it?", she responded with a question.
Damon let out a long breath. "Yes."
"Why?"
Damon touched Talia's chin to lift her head so that he can see her face. "Do you know what you did, kitten? You created light and stopped currents. I want you to remember how you did it and learn to control it. This time, we were lucky. No one really saw what happened, and thanks to Maya's nonsense, others believe it was the work of mermaids. If anyone knew it was you, we would be in trouble."
"Do you think others would see me as a monster if they knew I did those things?"
Damon looked at Talia helplessly. "We spoke about this, kitten. There will always be jealous people, and some might even worship you. You will see all that once we announce you as my Luna. However, if people find out what all you can do, some of them will start fearing you. Those are the dangerous ones."
Talia nodded in understanding. They spoke about it when they discussed that their wolves can talk, and then again when she healed him and flung two rogues in the air with the wave of her hand.
Damon told her to keep it a secret because being different is not always a good thing. Some will try to control her, or make her power their own, and once they find out that's not possible, she will be in danger. Many Alphas won't tolerate anyone jeopardizing their authority, and Talia's powers will threaten them, even if she keeps a low profile.
Talia took a deep breath and she tried to recollect the smallest details.
"I remember wanting to find Tanya and Max, and then something stirred inside me. It was like I could sense a beacon that told me which way we should go. There was a warm sensation in my stomach… I saw that Max was struggling to reach Tanya and I wished that he can do it…"
