"I saw a lot of images, but he was resisting so anything more than a day old was choppy. On top of that, I can't say with certainty how far in the past those memories belong. I am confident that Dex is high in their hierarchy, maybe even their leader. No, he is not the leader…", Talia's voice trailed as she was switching between talking and sending Damon mental images.
"There was a scene of Dex telling Vincent how their leader is sending him to find out about me, so there is definitely at least one person above Dex. And Dex's name is Declyn. Only a handful of them are staying in a castle, while most of the Guardians are living among humans..."
Damon was pleasantly surprised that Talia found out so much information and he was glad that she kept it to share with him first. It made him feel important, above others.
"If they are living among humans, that would explain why we can't locate their bases. I'm not familiar with that castle, but I'm not exactly an expert in that area. Elder Agatha is vested in studying history, so maybe she will have a clue."
"Assuming that the castle is in the human realm.", Talia said.
Damon agreed with this. The possibility of Guardians having their base in a separate realm was something they had to consider.
"What else?", Damon asked.
"Vincent loves to drink. He is mourning the loss of his lover."
"Do Guardians have mates?"
Talia was not sure. "I don't know if they were mates, but I know that he loved her. Based on the clothes she wore in his memories, it's been a long time since she died. She was pregnant and he never saw his child."
Talia's heart tightened while thinking about it. Those were some of the clearest memories she could see from Vincent. It was a woman with long blonde hair and almond-shaped green eyes. He loved her deeply, and he was elated when her belly started showing, and then she was gone, and everything after that was an agony that he tried to numb with alcohol.
The problem with accessing someone's memories was that Talia was transported there to sense everything that the memory preserved, the pain of losing a loved one included.
Damon pursed his lips while thinking. "Right there is a way for you to get this Guardian on our side."
"Really?", Talia snapped to look at Damon with interest. If they could sway Guardians to support them, that would be fantastic! "Tell me more."
"You need to find him a mate."
Talia's face fell. Was this really the time for jokes?
Damon chuckled. "Use your Malia powers and find him a mate. If she is someone from our packs or a witch, he will be on our side."
"You are forgetting one important thing.", Talia said dryly.
"Which one?"
"There is no such thing as Malia powers."
Damon inched closer and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "And you, my kitten, are forgetting that there IS such a thing as Malia powers, and I can prove it by reminding you how all unmated people around you are finding their mates."
Talia was not sure if Damon was serious about her having such powers, but she knew that he was playfully diverting the topic. Damon definitely felt that her mood was dropping while thinking about Vincent's sorrow, and he was helping her bounce back. "Thank you, Damon."
"For?" He had an idea, but he still wanted to hear Talia praising him.
"For being wonderful. For being mine." For accepting me for who I am and not judging me no matter what I do. "You are my home, Damon."
"And you are mine, kitten. And you are mine.", he responded with glee. "Today, you interrogated an enemy like a true Alpha. You started with asking questions he refused to answer, and you did what you needed to do. I know it was hard because it was your first time, but next time it will be easier as you will confirm that these things are necessary and losses are negligible compared to how much you will gain. You have unimaginable powers to protect yourself and your pack. Don't feel guilty about using what's available to you because your strength is what's ensuring the prosperity of your pack. Once outsiders realize you are not a pushover, they will think twice before trespassing and no one will dare to offend you or your pack members."
Talia held her breath while listening to Damon's words. She really needed to hear this, to hear that what she did was not wrong. And it's not that he only said how her actions were OK, but he also praised and encouraged her to keep going. To make it all better, the mate bond allowed her to feel that he meant it. He was really proud of her. Can he be any sweeter?
Talia smiled foolishly while thinking how she didn't need to put pretenses in front of Damon because no matter what she did, he would welcome her with his arms open wide. Damon celebrated her successes, comforted her when she failed, and advised her when needed. Unconditional acceptance. It was a wonderful feeling that caused a pinch in the back of her throat, and she craved an outlet for the emotions that swelled within her.
"I wish that we go to that cave", she said.
Damon didn't need clarifications related to which cave Talia was talking about. "We can go there, as soon as we deal with this Guardian." Damon really wanted to go there and break Vincent until nothing was left of him, but he knew that this was Talia's battle and if he showed his face, it would only make things worse.
Damon's eyebrows shot up when he felt Talia's dainty fingers under his shirt.
"I thought you are tired.", Damon said. His words were a warning that she shouldn't start what she can't finish.
Instead of responding, Talia latched her lips on the left side of his neck, right where her mark was.
A shaky moan formed in Damon's throat as his whole body shook when she started sucking him there. He was on the verge of an orgasm just because she was tending to her mark! Seductress.
"Make love to me, Damon…", Talia's lips moved against his flesh. "I need to feel you. I want to reinforce my mark on you. And I want you to mark me as well." Somehow, she knew that this was important.
Damon growled and, within seconds, their clothes were all over the room.
His kitten demanded carnal pleasures and marking, and how can he say no to that?
Talia could describe her current state as hunger. She was hungry for Damon, consumed in desperate need for his touch and for his presence to envelop her.
Damon wanted to start by sucking on her breasts before burying his face into her sweet pussy to lap at her juices. He loved hearing her cries as she came apart at least once before he gets balls deep into her, but this time Talia's fingers dug into his back as she was not letting him go lower.
Her core was throbbing painfully, seeking Damon's shaft to fill her up and she didn't want to waste time on foreplay.
