Talia was sitting on the grass feeling guilty that she left Damon to deal with so many things on his own, and that she refused Keith's and Caleb's offer for a chit-chat.
But she really needed rest. Mentally.
She couldn't imagine talking with Keith and Caleb about anything that was not Lulu-related and that would only make things worse.
Last night was turbulent and emotional and now that things settled down, Talia was not sure if she was more disturbed by the fact that Lulu died while protecting her, or because Talia killed people.
She didn't mean to kill anyone. It was a moment of anger and anguish and her energy exploded, blasting all rogues in the area, and… they died.
The most unsettling was that it was so easy.
Talia was unable to save Lulu who bled out in a matter of seconds, and Talia harvested lives like a grim reaper who does service in bulk.
Was she the calamity that Sophia and Isaac spoke about?
Talia removed the scarf that was around her neck. It was silky and soft, but it suffocated her, and she needed air.
Talia stopped caring if anyone will see Damon's mark there.
All her previous worries paled in comparison to her killing without trying. She was a murderer.
What if she does it again?
What if she gets upset and people die?
How can she be close to anyone and not worry that she might kill accidentally?
What if Damon came a minute earlier than he did last night? Would she blast him away also? Would she kill her own mate?
Talia took deep breaths to calm down because she didn't want Damon to pick up her emotions. He will think that someone attacked her and come rushing to her rescue.
Talia put the scarf over her face and closed her eyes.
If anyone attacks her, she didn't want anyone to rescue her because when her emotions flare she will kill indiscriminately, like last night.
'You are not a murderer,' Liseli spoke into Talia's mind. 'If you didn't kill them, they would get you. They were the bad guys. You only defended yourself. If they didn't come, if they left you alone, if they didn't try to kidnap you, they wouldn't be dead now. This was NOT your fault.'
'Thanks, Lis. I needed to hear this.' She really did.
Now only to repeat that a million times until it gets engraved into Talia's way of thinking, and she stops feeling guilty about it.
Talia released a slow breath and sank her fingers into the grass on her sides. The sensation of soft blades caressing her gently should be soothing, but this time it didn't achieve the desired effect. Something was wrong.
Her eyes snapped open.
'What's going on?' Liseli asked, feeling that Talia's anxiety swelled.
'Birds.'
'What about them?'
'They are not singing.'
It was broad daylight, and considering that there was forest everywhere, Talia expected to hear the birds sing, and other creatures moving about, but it was completely silent. It reminded her of last night.
Forest creatures acted on their instincts alone, and this quiet usually meant that a predator was around. Danger.
Without thinking, Talia called through the mind-link, 'Damon?'
'Yes, kitten?'
Talia exhaled. What was she doing? Didn't she just say that even if anyone attacked, she didn't want to be rescued?
'Nothing. I just wanted to check what's going on at your end.' Was she getting paranoid?
'Do you miss me?' He asked with amusement in his voice.
'Always,' she replied without missing a beat.
Damon chuckled. 'It's good to hear your voice. Cornelia is preparing a teleportation diagram for Kai and Meg, they will be in the Lightclaw pack soon, just as you planned. Ivy and Lily will also go with them. They agreed to wear blindfolds, but it seems that Kalina told them that Yasmin is different, so Ivy and Lily have an idea about witches. Gideon is preparing for the ceremonies. Right now, I'm figuring out what to do with Grady. He doesn't like the idea of letting the guards beat him up for real, so we will need to improvise.'
Damon spoke quickly even for the mind-link, and Talia needed a moment to process all that information. Did they part ways only about half an hour ago? He did so many things, yet she just came to the forest to sit.
'Kitten, unless you have something urgent, I will focus on what's going on here,' Damon said before Talia could respond. 'Varya is on the verge of biting someone, and Max and Kalina left me to deal with this mess, so I am the only Alpha here. Maya and Caden can't deal with her because they don't want to offend Kalina and Tatiana.'
'Sure, sure. You focus there, I will focus on my relaxation. We will talk when you are done.'
Damon didn't ask about her status, so Talia guessed that Damon was in contact with Caleb and Keith.
Without chatter with Damon, Talia focused on the forest. Everything seemed fine, except that it was quiet. It was like the wind itself stopped.
