Damon was so close to Talia now that he could reach her if he only extended his arm, but it was not close enough because she could easily escape his grasp, so he continued inching closer.
"Between the two of us, you don't need me. It is I who needs you, kitten. I need you so I know what it means to be a decent person. I have the largest pack, more money than I could ever spend, and enough influence to rock our society, but none of those are worth a squat without you in my life. I know I asked for your forgiveness too many times already, and I am ashamed that I need to ask for it again. Please, forgive me."
Talia jolted when their legs touched underwater.
Damon slowly spread his arms around her. "Please. Let me hold you. I know you are angry and hurt and it was all my fault. Ask me for whatever you want and I will make it happen, just don't push me away. I need you, kitten. Don't leave me." The last few words splashed on her face.
Talia's chin trembled as she blinked her tears away. She was hurt and upset, and her heart ached because she could feel Damon's emotions and his desperation to get her acceptance.
"Easy, boy…", Talia squeezed through her teeth and Damon swallowed hard. It was Liseli.
Damon cursed under his breath. Why did Liseli appear now? Talia was just a fraction away from him hugging her properly!
Damon lowered his head, but he didn't move away. "Tell me what I need to do to fix this. I will do anything."
'Liseli?', Talia called her wolf. 'Didn't you want me to forgive him?'
'It wouldn't last.', Liseli said. 'I told you not to give in to your emotions. You need to decide with your head so it doesn't happen again.'
'You think it will happen again?'
Instead of answering Talia, Liseli spoke to Damon, "Do you think that being humble will be enough? What is to say that you won't go back to your snotty self the moment this child forgives you? What is to say that you won't go to your philandering as soon as the right opportunity presents itself? When will you be satisfied? When you crush her heart completely? Is that what you want?"
"No. I…", Damon was not sure what to say. Liseli showing up right now had such bad timing.
'Old guy! Get out and fix this!'
'Why would I fix your mess?', Sapa asked in outrage.
'Would you rather let me mess it up further?'
Sapa groaned. 'Fine!'
"Lis", Damon called in a gravelly voice. "Are you really going to make it difficult for these kids to get together?"
Talia narrowed her eyes, knowing that this was Sapa talking, and Liseli responded, "It's just like you to want to kiss and forget. Are you expecting me to dismiss the fact that this boy acted like Rasputin while you were advising him? Maybe this incident can be attributed to dark magic, but what about before?"
Damon shrank a little at these words as Sapa cursed in their mind. Sapa always retracted at the back of his mind whenever Damon was getting frisky. Did Liseli expect that he will stick around and watch!? But if Sapa said that, Liseli would just accuse him of making excuses, and she was still talking angrily.
"Why is the female always the one who needs to forgive? What will the male do to earn that forgiveness?"
"How about an eternity of love, care, and servitude?"
Damon's heart thundered against his chest while Damon's and Sapa's emotions amplified each other, as the duo felt that Liseli's defenses were crumbling.
"I vow that no other woman, ever, will enter my eyes. It's just you, Liseli. It always was only you, just how this boy only has eyes for Talia."
Liseli sneered. "It seems you polished your sweet-talking."
"I had centuries of practice.", he responded and when Talia's expression darkened, he quickly explained, "I practiced in my head while imagining what I will say when we reunite. I never said this to any other woman. I swear." Seeing that she relaxed, he continued calmly. "How about we let them make up? It's still not too late for them to lead the pack run, and then the two of us can complete mating." He touched her cheek gently. "I was waiting to complete mating with you for centuries, Lis. Now that both of us have bodies, and are finally together, I don't think I have any patience left. What do you say?"
'What do you think?', Liseli asked Talia. 'Do you trust that Damon won't hurt you again?'
'No.', Talia responded. 'After everything we've been through, I would be stupid to believe that he won't hurt me. But I know that he wouldn't do it on purpose. Under that handsome and powerful exterior is a clueless dum-dum.'
'Good that you are aware of that.', Liseli said. 'The only thing I give him credit for is that he is learning and changing.'
With that, Liseli retracted at the back of Talia's mind, letting the human part take over.
Damon looked at Talia expectantly. "Kitten?"
Talia gave him a small nod, and in the next moment, she found herself engulfed in Damon's embrace.
The heat of his body contrasted with the icy water all around them and it made her wish to sink into him completely, knowing that it was warm and safe in there. Talia couldn't believe this. Even in the middle of an argument, when she was angry at him, and they were completely naked, he still made her feel safe and she craved his proximity, and she loved it and hated it at the same time.
"I'm sorry…", Damon spoke into her hair. "I am so sorry for everything I've done. I wish that there is bleach to erase my past and all the bad things I've done. I wish that I never hurt you. I wish that I can take it all back, but I can't. I am ready to make it up to you until the end of our lives, just… don't leave me."
Talia exhaled helplessly as her arms moved around his torso.
Damon inched away so that he can look into her eyes.
"I know that one good can't erase a bad, but I will keep doing good things until bad ones are completely covered up and you forget about them.", Damon said in one quick breath. "I will pamper you and spoil you and I will selfishly cling onto you because you are the only one for me. Do you believe me?"
Talia smiled a little. She could feel his emotions and she knew he meant it.
Damon's brows came together in a frown as he rubbed her cheeks. "What's wrong, kitten?"
Talia inhaled a shaky breath. Was she crying? It seemed like it.
Her Damon was back, and she was happy. She really was.
'I love you, Damon.', Talia spoke through their mind-link and Damon froze.
"Oh, kitten…", he said with relief obvious in his voice. "I love you more. I love you the most!" He craned his head and shouted to the night sky, "I LOVE YOU, TALIA!"
Talia's eyes widened in shock. Why was he yelling?
Damon looked at Talia with a boyish grin on his face, and he was about to kiss her when rustling noises got their attention and they whipped their heads to look into the dark foliage.
Someone was coming.
