'What are we looking for?', Liseli asked Talia.
'I want to know why he came here. How did he get into this realm? Who else is involved? What are his abilities? What are the Guardians? Why are they insistent for me to join them?'
'How about I find out where their base is so we can sneak in there and destroy it from within?'
Talia thought how that would be handy, but… 'Didn't you say that the longer time you spend in his mind, the bigger are chances of him becoming a vegetable?'
Liseli snorted. 'Are you going back to thinking how we can let him go and be friends? Even if he pledges loyalty, there is no way to predict what he will do once he is out of here. He can go back on his words or find a way around them and we won't have any way to confirm that. We don't know about his powers or abilities, but we know that he is underestimating us. Let's use this to get into his mind and find out what we can.'
Talia was aware that Liseli had a point, and even though she was not completely on board with getting information at any cost, Talia also didn't see any other option.
'Are you chickening out?', Liseli asked Talia. 'As an Alpha, you need to take care of your pack. This person knows how to get into this realm, and he is obviously not willing to cooperate. Can you let him go? Are you confident that you can keep him here and he won't escape?'
Talia was tired of secrets and people treating her like she was trash or a trophy to be won based on their limited knowledge about her.
"I am Natalia Moonrider", Talia said in an official tone. "I am the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack, and you will give me the answers I am looking for."
Vincent smirked at Talia whose eyes were lit up in silvery light now, and his smile faltered when her hair started changing color.
…
Talia was exhausted when she exited the cell.
Axel, Meg, and Kai were in the hallway, looking at Talia expectantly.
They saw what happened in the cell through the video feed.
Talia said how she will make the Guardian talk, and then she glowed to turn into silver Goddess-mode, and then… nothing.
For a few long minutes, there was nothing. No one moved a muscle and people watching the feed were not breathing, knowing that there was an intense battle ongoing, a battle no one could see, but the energies emanating were nearly tangible.
Eventually, Talia turned into her normal self, Vincent sat limply on his chair, and Talia walked out of the cell and here they were.
"No one should enter his cell without authorization", Talia said. She really wanted some time for herself, or preferably with Damon, but she knew that everyone wanted answers. "Let's meet in the study."
Talia met Damon in the next hallway; he was rushing toward her from the moment she exited the cell. Talia told him to stay on the side and wait, but he was unable to wait any longer. He could feel that her emotions were unstable and that she needed him.
While Talia was glowing, Damon was unsettled and he wanted to go there and support her or beat up that Guardian into pulp, but Sapa was reminding him that Talia and Liseli should handle this. Damon knew that Sapa was right. The Guardians were powerful, and their biggest flaw was that they were underestimating Talia; not only her power, but her allies as well, and that were cards that shouldn't be revealed until absolutely necessary.
But now that interrogation was over, and Talia was out, Damon was free to shower her with his affection.
Talia looked at Damon and her eyes shook with uncertainty due to conflicting emotions that clashed within her.
She hurt a person. That guy was chained to a chair, and even though Talia knew he was not weak nor helpless, and she guessed that his intentions were bad, he was unable to retaliate, he didn't actually do any harm, yet she hurt him. Did she turn into a monster?
Before Talia said anything, Damon picked her up princess style.
"Rest, kitten", Damon said while pressing his lips on her forehead. "I've got you."
Talia leaned on him and let him carry her. She even closed her eyes to enjoy the comfort Damon's presence provided.
In the study, Damon sat in the chair with Talia on his lap. He had no intention of releasing her from his hold and she appreciated it.
Axel, Yasmin, Kai, Meg, Tyler, Sandy, Keith, James, and Cornelia were there, all anxiously looking at Talia.
Talia took a deep breath and started talking.
"Just as we suspected, Guardians are not werewolves and they are not witches either. I don't know what exactly they are, but I know that Alphas are respecting them for a reason."
"How are their powers when compared to witches'?", Cornelia asked.
"I don't know", Talia said honestly. "You are welcome to try the effectiveness of your spells after he wakes up but keep in mind that will expose you. At this point, he is not aware of the Silver Flame Coven or that we have a portal that connects us."
Talia looked at Sandy and continued, "You saw through him only because he was not expecting it. If he knew about your ability, he would either avoid you or find a way to counter you."
"Are they so powerful?", Axel asked.
"Guardians' strength and speed are on par with Alpha's. On top of that, they have abilities. Their source of power is different from ours. It's not from the moon nor are those energies of nature. It's almost like they are coming from the Earth itself. Vincent's ability is to disguise himself, appearance and scent, and it's not limited only to humanoid creatures. He can turn into an animal, a vase, or a rock. Just by using sight, scent, and touch, no one would be able to tell a difference."
Everyone in the study was visibly uncomfortable with this.
Damon noticed another piece of information. "How do you know his name?" While talking with the prisoner, Talia addressed him as Vin, and now she called him Vincent.
Talia realized that she said Vincent's name. "He was one of the Guardians present at the Council of the Alphas. He introduced himself as Vin. I know, this prisoner looks nothing like that guy, but that only proves how good his ability is to disguise himself."
Talia turned to talk to others. "I can force my way into seeing a person's memories. He was resisting so I used quite a bit of my energy and will need to rest for some time. After he awakens, we will need to assess his mental state as I can't predict what consequences he suffered because of what I did."
Talia wondered if they will think of her as a monster, but Axel slapped his thigh excitedly with, "I knew that you can do much more than healing."
Meg's eyes were shining with admiration while looking at Talia. "You are cool! What else can you do?"
Talia shook her head helplessly. This was not the time for fangirling but she was relieved to see that people accepted her.
