Axel didn't want to cause trouble, or start a fight he can't win. He needed to be friendly with Damon because he didn't want to make things awkward for Talia, so Axel quickly said to Damon, "Investigating the phenomenon doesn't mean actually going there. We have various ways to get information."
When Damon's shoulders relaxed, Axel continued talking to Talia, "I was reading some old documents and I found a cryptic text that points to the lake, and then I discovered this. Yasmin said that this amount of energy is not natural. There is something down there, something powerful."
"Do you think it's a portal?", Talia asked Axel with concern while looking toward the center of the lake that shimmered under the moonlight.
If there was a portal at the bottom, it was open because a non-active portal wouldn't create any disturbance. Before the portal to the realm of witches was opened, anyone would pass next to that massive rock without finding anything unusual.
Talia remembered the map which showed that there were other portals in this realm, but they were marked as not active. She didn't remember if there was a mark in the lake, but she definitely remembered that the only active portal was the one toward the realm of humans.
Evanora also hinted that there were more portals in the realm of witches. What if the witches also had a lake with unexplained energies at the bottom? Would such a thing exist unnoticed by witches who are trained to sense energies?
Talia was unsettled at the thought that there were other portals in the human realm also. Without knowing where they were and where they led, they could be easily ambushed. What if they were relaxing here by the lake while cyclops invaded Darkbourne?
Axel saw that Talia's expression was changing, and it was not good, so he tried to comfort her. "It doesn't mean this is a portal. It can be many things. Yasmin can explain in detail, but the short version is that when energies are disturbed, nature will try to put things back in place. The currents at the bottom of the lake are not natural, just how the maze and traps in the human realm at the entrance to this realm wouldn't be there normally; those are results of nature trying to restore order."
Talia didn't know much about witches but so far she heard about channeling energy with the help of runes, energy crystals, chants, hand seals, potions, and magic-imbued items, and some of them were more permanent than the others.
Talia remembered how before she poured energy to open the portal to the realm of witches, Cassandra put some rocks in specific places. Those were special rocks that prevented the portal from being closed by nature.
Talia wondered if just removing one of those rocks will close the portal. It could be that easy.
Or maybe those rocks were not foolproof, and the portal would lose its energy in time. If that's the case, then no one closed the portal on purpose, but it just ran out of energy.
Talia puffed her cheeks. "I want to see the text that pointed you here, and I want to talk to Yasmin and see what she thinks. We should involve Cornelia in this discussion also." She wanted to ask Axel if any other pack member went down there, but if Axel couldn't go, then no one else could. She looked at Damon. "We need to investigate this. If it's a portal, we have an opening with an unknown threat. Or maybe it could be a magical item that can help us stay safe."
Damon didn't like this. "And it could be a ticking bomb that will go off when disturbed."
Instead of responding to Damon's obvious disapproval, Talia asked, "You felt it also, right? You know it's similar to what we have in the lake near Darkbourne."
Axel's eyes widened at this information. "You have the same?"
Talia nodded. "I never looked into it, but it looks like the same thing. Strong currents, kelp forest, and no one actually knows what's down there so people are speculating how there are mermaids at the bottom of the lake."
Damon disapproved, but he couldn't ignore a potential threat that was right in his backyard. This didn't look like a vacation anymore, damn it!
"We should check if other packs have something like this.", Damon said.
"You think there are more?", Talia asked.
Damon shrugged. "We both have a lake with an odd thing at the bottom. Do you think this is a coincidence? Or do you think we are the only ones?"
Axel agreed. "We have five more lakes that are deep enough, and I checked them all. Only this one has this oddity, and this one is the closest one to the center of our territory. If you ask me, one odd lake would be a coincidence, but since you have one also, I believe they are definitely artificially made. We should check other deep lakes that are in territories of other packs."
The more they spoke, the less Damon liked this. "It doesn't need to be a lake. It can be a cave or any other difficult-to-reach place. You spent most of your life here, yet you were not aware of what's down there. Talia is sensitive to energies, and she wouldn't look there if you didn't tell her. We need to find out who created this and with what purpose."
Talia leaned on Damon, and she loved how his arms wrapped around her naturally. His presence calmed her down, just as hers soothed his temper.
Her gaze moved over the surface of the lake that glistened under the moonlight, and now that she knew what was brewing at the bottom, she didn't think of the image as serene.
They returned to the room to retreat for the night.
Talia showered and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel, and then she stood in front of the sink while looking at her reflection in the mirror.
"What are you thinking about?", Damon asked from the door. He didn't bother dressing up, knowing that they will sleep naked, so he only had a towel around his waist. He thought she will join him in bed, and they can talk there (and indulge in carnal pleasures) as usual, but she was just standing in the bathroom.
Talia didn't respond, so Damon guessed, "Are you worried about your talk with Alpha Sophia and Alpha Isaac tomorrow? Or is this about the lake? Or are you thinking about our upcoming visit to the Silver Flame Coven?"
"All of it." And none of it. "It's just that stress accumulated over time and…"
"And that's why we came here.", he interrupted her. "A vacation is to unwind." He walked to Talia and hugged her from the back. His chin rested on her bare shoulder, and he looked into the mirror. "But instead of unwinding, you just replaced one worry for another and then added more. Talk to me, kitten."
Talia snorted. "Just how you talk to me?"
Damon cocked an eyebrow at her. "What does that mean?"
"Do you think I don't know how many things you are hiding from me? Of course, it's not on purpose to deceive me, but you think that I shouldn't worry."
"I am used to working on my own.", Damon said to his defense. "Sharing my burdens with you is something I'm working on."
"Fair enough."
He was happy with this response. He kissed her shoulder and he stayed there, his lips moved against her skin as he spoke, "How about we take this to bed?"
Talia grimaced.
"Is there a problem?", Damon asked.
"That's the bed Alpha Isaac and Alpha Sophia used. I'm not comfortable sleeping there."
Damon couldn't believe this. Was that the reason she refused to join him on the bed that afternoon? But he had no intention of sleeping anywhere else.
He grinned. "Who said we will be sleeping? Besides, as proof of dominance, we should leave our scents there."
"Ahhh!", Talia shrieked when he picked her up without any warning and carried her out of the bedroom.
He threw her on the bed and Talia bounced on the mattress. Before she could catch her bearings, Damon was on top of her.
"Let me love you here, kitten. I want to love you everywhere…"
Talia's arousal swelled, making her forget about the discomfort related to the people who were using that bed previously. Her handsome Alpha wanted to love her everywhere, how can she say no to that?
