Talia started talking to Keith about the Midnight Guardians pack and how they are in a different realm that can be accessed through a portal.
Keith had a question that was burning him since he found out about that pack, "How come no one discovered the portal?"
"They tried.", Talia responded. Axel was telling her about it when she was there. "Portal is surrounded by a natural maze and traps. Paths are enchanted to lead you away from it and energies are preventing electronic devices from working properly. Due to the terrain, the only way to reach it is on foot and unless you know the way, you will find yourself walking in circles. And even if you are right in front of it, you might miss it. It's fantastic, you will see."
Talia told Keith about different passing of time, and how through there they can reach the portal to the realm of witches. She warned him to be cautious of his behavior because the Midnight Guardians pack is aware of the human realm (how they call it), but the witches were isolated in their realm for centuries, and their way of doing things is different.
Keith didn't show any visible reaction when Talia told him how all witches in the Silver Flame Coven are females who wear scarce clothing.
Talia wondered if Evanora will try to strike another deal in order to keep Keith there and other male guards, how she tried to keep Axel with a "mate for mate" nonsense. What about Damon? Maybe Talia should leave males in the Midnight Guardians pack. Just in case.
While Talia worried about witches trying to get her hands on males, Damon was telling Keith about Guardians and Alpha Edward coveting Talia, then Talia said that she is really Axel's sister and that her parents gave her away when she was a baby because of a prophecy, and then Damon told Keith that Talia was far away from the Dark Howlers pack on the first night they were guarding her, and Keith was not sure which one was more shocking.
When Damon and Talia spoke about Talia being the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack, Keith thought that they were oversharing, but now he realized how that version barely scratched the surface.
Will he be able to protect her? She was awesome, and that meant many will want to get Talia on their side or eliminate her. But the biggest problem was Talia's recklessness.
Keith didn't dare to look at Damon, but he looked at Talia grumpily. "You escaped through the window? And Beta Maya covered for you? Do you know that Alpha Damon would make us suffer and not let us die if anything happened to you? How can I keep you safe if you are acting like a toddler? Are you invincible? Why don't you dismiss me or kill me right away? Give me a quick death so that I can avoid endless torture by Alpha Damon…"
Talia was shrinking in her seat while Keith ranted, and Damon chuckled. Damon wouldn't let anyone talk to Talia like that, but he knew that this was Keith's way of showing that he cared, and it was a confirmation that he will guard her right.
When Keith let out the steam, Talia apologized.
"I was not thinking. It won't happen again."
Keith was not sure if he should believe Talia, but he couldn't be angry at her either. This was the first time she apologized to him. And she was cute.
"I will believe you.", Keith said. "This time."
"We will get Shaman to conduct the blood oath tonight.", Damon said. These things worked better under the moonlight, and he wanted it done by tomorrow.
Keith nodded in agreement, and Damon continued, "As Talia's head guard, it's your responsibility to manage other guards. Tell them to get ready by morning. We will be heading out after breakfast. Have a few changes of clothes ready. It might be a few days here, but for us, it will be weeks. Maybe months."
"How many guards will be needed?", Keith asked.
"All of you.", Damon responded without missing a beat. Since they were taking the guards with them, he wanted to maximize Talia's security.
Damon noticed Keith's discomfort, so he asked, "Is there a problem?"
Keith had a whole night to think about his confrontation with Lulu. He thought he had it figured out, but now that he was looking at Damon and Talia, he was not so sure.
"You said that as the head guard, I can decide who will be part of the team.", Keith said to Damon while picking his words.
"Do you want to add someone?", Talia guessed.
"No. This is about Lulu.", Keith said.
"What about her?", Talia probed.
Seeing Keith's hesitation, Damon guessed, "Are you shaking a bush with Lulu, and now it's awkward to work together?"
"No, no!", Keith denied it with haste. The shaking of bushes happened more than two years ago, and that was not relevant.
Damon didn't believe Keith. Damon had a nose for those things, and he was confident that the relationship between Keith and Lulu was not strictly professional, but he didn't want to push for it. "Then, what?"
Keith pressed his lips into a line. How can he tell them that Lulu came onto him last night and when he rejected her, Lulu assumed that was because of Keith's feelings for Talia? Or can he just say that Lulu was jealous of Talia? But they will probably ask for details. Was Lulu really jealous of Talia, or was she upset and saying mean things because Keith rejected her?
"Keith?", Talia called. "Did you fight with Lulu?"
"Something like that."
"Is your argument so bad that you want her to lose her position?", Talia asked. She knew that all six of them took great pride because they were Luna's personal guards. Those positions meant that their skills were acknowledged, and that came with raised status in the pack.
Keith didn't want Lulu to lose anything. As much as Lulu's mouth was flapping without control, she never did anything bad.
Seeing that Keith didn't respond, Talia asked her next question, "Do you think that she will put me and all of you in danger?"
"No." He really didn't think so.
Talia smiled. "Then, she will stay."
Keith was exasperated. Last night, when Lulu came onto him and said all those nasty things, he was confident that she should be dismissed. But now that he cooled off and was facing Talia's genuine smile, Keith was not so sure.
Was there a reason to dismiss Lulu, or was that his bias? Would he think of going to such an extreme if there was no history between him and Lulu and if he didn't have feelings for Talia?
Lulu was a good warrior, and Keith was confident that if she spends time with Talia, Lulu will change for the better. But he couldn't make a decision without talking to Lulu again. Unfortunately, he was running out of time.
Keith got an idea, and he asked Damon, "Can some of the guards stay behind?"
By now, Damon confirmed that Keith was doubting Lulu and even if Keith was wrong, discord in the unit could lead to failure. Talia believed that they were all a happy family and that little spats can be easily smoothed out, but Damon knew better.
