Talia and Damon stood in the fountain and faced each other while holding hands.
The water reached their knees, and neither of them paid attention to the chill that enveloped the lower parts of their legs.
'Are you sure you want to do this?', Damon asked Talia through their private mind-link.
'Yes. You?'
'Absolutely.'
Talia was confused. 'Then… Why did you ask me if I'm sure?'
'Because you are nervous.'
Talia closed her eyes and took a deep breath before responding, 'I am fine now.' Actually, she just closed off her emotions so that Damon couldn't sense them.
Her nerves were acting out because Evanora's request for a break was strange, and then Yasmin sneaked in a spell for James and Cornelia when the ceremony was supposed to be just a blessing, and Talia and Damon had a history of things going wrong… so yes, she was nervous.
What was to say that the witches won't try something shady to control them or imprison them? What if they want to keep Damon as a sex slave? Before her temper flared, Talia pushed away those thoughts. Since when was she so suspicious and paranoid? Yasmin wouldn't allow for any foul play, but… can she trust them?
Talia glanced at Evanora who stood next to the fountain. Yasmin was there, on Evanora's left, and five more witches stood behind the mother-daughter duo, all of them getting ready to start the third ceremony for the evening.
Talia hoped that she didn't misinterpret Evanora's firm gaze and that it meant confidence and not stubbornness or resolve to do something bad.
Next to the seven witches who were assigned to guide this ceremony, Axel was standing with Keith and Cassandra, and many other witches who seemed eager to get close to Keith.
Damon gave Talia's hands a squeeze, reminding her that he was there.
"Eyes on me, kitten."
Talia smiled at the silly Alpha. Was he sulking because she looked at someone else?
Talia's eyes widened in anticipation when Evanora started chanting, and Talia saw the high-priestess making complex signs with her hands. A few seconds later, Yasmin joined in, and then the other witches.
It started!
Talia quickly turned her full attention to Damon because she didn't want to miss a single change in him.
The energies from the fountain will affect them, and Talia wondered if Damon's powers will manifest. Surely, he got an ability after Talia marked him (more than once!). Damon didn't mention his non-existing powers, but Talia saw him pouting while observing members of the Midnight Guardians pack.
With her peripheral vision, Talia could see the silver flames of the fountain dancing wildly, and the fact that Damon's right side was shining brighter told her that the flames increased. She wanted to see what was going on around them, but at the same time, she was unable to look away from her handsome mate.
Damon could disarm her with a look, a smile, a word, a gesture… and even if he stood completely still, his scent was intoxicating. Everything about him was made to get her attention.
Talia wondered if the chants from witches became background noise because something magical was happening, or because Damon overtook her senses (it wouldn't be the first time).
Damon looked at his adorable kitten whose big, honeyed eyes full of love were directed at him and the admiration he saw in there made him feel accomplished like he discovered a planet or conquered an army of immoral enemies. She had the power to stir his soul, and his wolf, and he was ready to follow her anywhere; across the seas, to the edge of the world, or into a fountain in the realm where witches rule.
The truth was that Damon was not eager to go through this ceremony where he would be exposed to magic. His previous experiences taught him that nothing good happens when someone casts a spell on him. But he couldn't deny anything to Talia, not when he was so excited about a thing they were about to do together. This ceremony was important to her, and he didn't want to be the sourpuss. However, he was eager to be done with this and confirm that both Talia and he will end this evening without any unpleasant effects.
The first thing Damon noticed was that Talia's eyes started shimmering in silver, and the golden tattoos on her skin started lighting up, giving Talia an appearance of a Goddess. His Goddess.
Talia inhaled deeply and smiled at the sensation of energy that tickled her toes and climbed up her calves, thighs… making her feel weightless like physical constraints were voided. It was ethereal.
Were the golden designs on her body lighting up? Probably.
She wished for a big mirror so that she can see this awe-inspiring spectacle. She regretted not getting her phone so that someone records this, and she would watch it later. It would be a wonderful memory of her and Damon glowing in the fountain while magic envelops them.
Talia's brows came together when she realized that Damon was not glowing. It was the opposite; his golden tattoos turned darker.
Based on the two previous ceremonies, the silvery light was supposed to envelop both of them, yet the only light she saw on Damon was the one reflecting from her.
Yasmin's voice grew weaker as she watched the unexpected scene that everyone else was seeing.
The flames of the fountain increased, and the light reflected on the surface of the water, and it started traveling toward Talia and Damon… and then things took a turn no one could predict.
As the silvery ripples reached the couple that stood in the water, they all converged toward Talia, and Damon stood in the dark water.
No, he didn't stand in the darkness, he was the darkness like the light refused to go to him. Yasmin knew a lot about blessing rituals and she never heard anything like this.
Yasmin felt a smack on her shoulder, and she looked there to see Evanora glaring at her. Evanora's hands didn't stop moving.
Yasmin snapped to her senses. She had no idea what was going on, but stopping the ceremony halfway was never good. She needed to finish this. Besides, all chants and hand symbols were for energies to bless the couple, and that can't be bad.
As the ceremony progressed, Talia's body started glowing.
So far, light from Amelia and Liam, and Cornelia and James, morphed to create a blinding sphere, yet with Talia and Damon, only Talia was glowing while Damon was like a manifestation of darkness that swallowed Talia's light, making them appear like he was holding hands with a half-sphere.
"What is going on?", Keith asked no one in particular. He was clueless about magic, but he could feel the witches stirring with anxiety and that told him that something was wrong.
Axel was also there, looking at Yasmin with concern obvious on his face, and Axel's muscles tensed like he was about to rush in there and stop the ceremony. But Evanora was pale again and Yasmin was serious and that told him how it was important to continue.
