Damon looked at the little woman in his arms and smiled sadly while suppressing the pinch in the back of his throat. He won't cry, not now when she was looking at him.
Damon was happy Talia was by his side, but the guilt was eating him alive.
During their time apart, Damon felt the emptiness as his instincts screamed that something was wrong, yet he couldn't figure out what it was. He thought he was losing his mind, and somehow, he was confident it was her fault; why else would she confine him in that cave? He was such an idiot.
It was just over a day for him, and so much longer for her. Damon couldn't imagine how Talia felt after he pushed her away and left without acknowledging her for who she was. His mate, his other half, someone to whom he belonged, yet he acted with hostility.
If Talia left him like that, he would… he was not sure what he would do. But here was Talia holding him and trying to conceal any negativity so that he feels better. When did the tables turn, and she started shielding him? And it's not just from enemies, but from his own stupidity as well.
Talia could feel Damon's emotions and she knew that he was blaming himself, even though most of it was her fault.
"I am blaming myself, and you think you were lacking.", Talia said. "We won't get anywhere if we continue like this."
Damon was aware that her words made sense. How was it possible that even with all this mess she kept her cool and knew what to do without crumbling? Damon looked into her eyes attentively. "You are stronger."
Talia was not sure if he said that because of her words, or maybe he sensed that she is the Alpha of a pack now, or maybe… "Of course, I am. You marked me."
He looked at her neck. "Did I?"
Talia's lips lifted into a smile. "And I marked you as well. You are mine and I am yours and we don't need visible marks to prove it. Liseli told me that our souls are entangled, and our bond goes deeper than the skin, just like our marks."
Damon liked the part about their bond being deep, but… "I was still hoping to see a mark." He would look at it every day to confirm that this wonderful woman was his mate, and he would make her wear low-collared garments so that everyone else can see it also.
Talia pressed her palm against his chest. "Do you feel this? Do you feel the connection between us, Damon?"
He put his hand to cover hers. "I do." It went beyond the mate bond, and that was the problem. Every cell in his body was telling him that being with Talia was right, yet he still chose to leave. If he could go back in time, to that cave, he would give himself a good beating.
"This connection is a confirmation that we are meant to be together, Damon. No matter what happens, and no matter how far apart we are, we will find our way back to each other.", Talia said. Seeing that Damon's expression was not good, she thought of reminding him, "Do you remember the amusement park, when I walked away, and you found me with three guys who were bothering me?"
Damon's brows came together while wondering where she was going with that, and he gave her a small nod.
"And do you remember when I fell asleep in the forest, and you found me even though it was the middle of the night?"
Damon nodded again.
"And at the Summer Solstice festival…"
"In front of the clocktower." Damon finished her thought.
Talia smiled. "Yes. And next to the lake when I was drinking beer with Keith. You could feel the bond, and I couldn't. But I was glad that you came for me because no matter the circumstances, with you by my side, I was happy. You found me so many times, and this was my turn to find you."
Somehow, this made him feel a bit better. "Thank you for finding me, kitten."
Talia looked at Damon and she really wanted to kiss him, but they needed to address a few more things.
"Sapa is still sealed. On the night of the full moon, I will need you to go to a designated spot so I can perform a ritual that the witches taught me.", Talia said. "Once the spot is prepared, the ritual shouldn't take more than a few minutes, so we can do it during the pack run without people noticing. We might need a small diversion..."
Damon's ears perked up when he realized how that was the reason why the old creature was not responding.
"Will the ritual help?", he asked.
"It should. The witches analyzed the spell Cassandra used on you. It seems that she combined a few, so the effect of the counter-spell is uncertain, but the two black runes that affected you sealed your heart and your spiritual strength. The potion weakened one of them."
Talia stopped talking when she felt that his anger was rising.
"That Oracle, Alpha Isaac, and Alpha Sophia will pay for this.", Damon squeezed through his teeth.
"Damon?", Talia called. "I need you to focus. We have two days until the pack run and a lot to do. Axel has the Midnight Guardians pack under control, so let's not worry about them for now. We should deal with Alpha Edward and dispel the dark magic. I want Marcy off her delusional throne. Until the spell is broken completely, I need you to pay attention to your condition, so it doesn't deteriorate. You are not alone in this as I can feel the bond, and I will sense if it's closing up again. We will get Sapa back. If the spell in two days doesn't work, we will go back to the realm of witches and try something else. After your condition is stable, we can look at other matters."
Damon's jaw tightened. He knew that she was right, but he felt wronged. Those wretched Alphas wanted to cripple him, and that hurt Talia and endangered his whole pack. How can he live with those grievances? Damon had an urge to punish the culprits as soon as possible, and breaking some bones would definitely calm some of his anger.
Damon's eyebrows shot up when he felt soft lips covering his and igniting a flurry of electric sparks all over his body. It was much stronger than ever before, and he realized that he didn't get a chance to analyze their bond since their marking.
"I missed you, Damon…", Talia said, and then she kissed him again. "Please, until morning, let us be just the two of us."
Damon's insides shook when Talia's longing swelled within him. She really missed him, and she needed more than hugs.
