At the thought of Axel comforting Talia, Damon was torn that someone else supported his mate, because of the stupid thing he did.
Sure, at that time Damon didn't recognize Talia as his mate, but the emptiness he felt when they were apart should have made him stop and think about what was happening. Only Talia could fill the gap in his chest that was shaped so that she can fit in there perfectly, and if he was not a stubborn mule, he would realize that regardless of the mate bond.
Damon held Talia tightly as turbulent emotions shifted and changed, the happiness of their reunion and her holding him mixed with grief and sadness that cracked his soul because he was a complete asshole. Can he ever fix all the wrongs he did to her?
The mental image of Axel and Yasmin celebrating their union with magic and witches was a painful reminder that he never acknowledged Talia in front of his people.
Talia got to see how mates react when they recognize each other for the first time, and every time Talia was genuinely happy for her friends even though Damon never gave her such an experience. Actually, he sullied it because he was with Marcy at that time.
Damon cringed. When Talia saw him for the first time, Marcy was sucking him off, and then Talia faced Cassie, and many other women he shagged without bothering to remember them with the last one being Nora, yet even with all that dirt, Talia accepted him. This same evening Talia saw him close to Marcy, and she was still holding onto him.
Talia was such a beautiful soul and the only thing he did was hurt her over and over again.
Talia was recognized as the MVP of the tournament, others knew her as his assistant, but only a handful of people were aware of how important Talia really was. And she endured all the scornful looks and gossips, and even fought for him. He wondered if he deserved such a wonderful mate.
Damon's turbulent emotions crashed on Talia, breaking the dam that held her together, and Talia hugged him tightly while dissolving into sobs herself.
Talia was happy that Damon was back, she really was, but for days she was ignoring her grief, finding ways to push through her insecurities and keep going, and now it all swelled into an unstoppable tsunami that threatened to swallow her whole.
Damon prayed that she stops crying because it was killing him from the inside, but he knew that she needed to let it out.
He kissed Talia's hair and patted her back gently while waiting for her to cry it out.
Eventually, her sobs subsided, and he said, "I'm sorry that I hurt you so much."
"Don't think that way.", Talia responded through sniffles. "This was not your fault."
"But it is my fault.", he said. "If I was stronger, I wouldn't be influenced by some mumbo-jumbo."
Talia smiled a little. "But you are strong, Damon. You are my strength. Whenever I doubted if I can go on, I was thinking about you. You are my mate, my other half. We are meant to be together."
He wanted to say how he feels the same, but he couldn't because instead of remembering what was important, he was wandering aimlessly like a headless fly and who knew where he would end up if Talia didn't show up to rescue him.
Considering his history, it was only a matter of time before he messes up again.
"How long will the potion work?", he asked, fearing that he will forget about her.
"I'm not sure.", Talia responded honestly. "Six to twelve hours, but it could be less or more."
They tested the potion on Cassandra, but Damon was much stronger than the Oracle, and that could mean that he will resist the dark magic, or maybe he resists the potion. I could go either way. And there was also the variable of Talia using her power to dispel the dark mist that seeped out of Damon's body. With any luck, he won't need more potion in the next two days, but Talia didn't dare to be so hopeful.
"If you feel strange, let me know and I will give you another dose. In two days, on the night of a full moon, I can perform a ceremony that will dispel the dark magic completely."
Damon didn't like this uncertainty. Was there nothing he could do other than wait and hope for the best? "I was stupid before we met, and this incident showed that I am still the same bonehead because I couldn't see that you are everything good in my life. Even if this thing wipes my memories completely, I need a foolproof way of reminding myself that you are my most important person."
Talia smiled a little. She knew he meant it, but how will he accomplish that?
Without letting go of Talia, Damon reached to the side table from where he got his backup phone.
He powered it on and recorded himself with a short message, "Trust Talia and drink what she gives you. You took her to see your parents."
Satisfied with this, Damon sent the video to Talia. "If I forget about you and I refuse to drink the potion, make me see this."
"Will that be enough?"
Damon kept the phone back and gave her a meaningful look. "You are the first woman I introduced to my parents. Even if I forget about you, I will know what it means that I took you there. If you tell me what you saw on that clearing, I will believe you."
"Should I include the detail of you jumping into the waterfall?"
Damon cocked an eyebrow at her. "Include that you jumped after me, and what we did after that in the grass."
Talia pursed her lips, knowing that he was set on teasing her, but she couldn't relax. She was unsettled at the possibility that Damon might forget about her without any warning. It was like they had an expiration date and things could crumble at any moment.
Seeing that Talia's mood was worsening, Damon touched her chin to make her look up to him.
"Trust in yourself, kitten. Trust in us. You have no idea how many times you pulled me from the darkness and showed me the way. I want us to announce you as my mate first thing in the morning. Like that, even if I forget things again, at least our people will know who you are."
Talia disagreed. What was the point of others knowing if Damon would reject her?
"James' plan makes sense, let's not ruin it and risk war. This is the last step, and in the morning we will talk to Marcy. Besides, it won't make any difference if others know that I'm your mate. The only thing I care about is that you know."
"But…"
"No buts.", Talia interrupted him. "I learned that we shouldn't dwell on the past, we can't change it. We shouldn't count that things will get better in the future because we don't know what's coming. The only thing we have is now, and I want to spend my now with you, Damon."
