Talia stirred out of her sleep and blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings.
Everything smelled of the forest and dark chocolate, assuring her that Damon's presence was there, but he was not in sight.
Talia was on the bed, alone. The cold bedsheets told her that he left some time ago.
The bathroom door was open, and she could see it was empty. Where did he go?
Talia lifted her head to see that the room was a mess with toppled furniture, broken ceramic, and glass.
It took her a moment to remember that she was in heat. Damon brought her here, and after a chase, they ended up in bed. They were going at it for hours. Did she fall asleep? It looked like it.
Other than slight aches in her back, she was fine. Actually, Talia felt fresh and energized. Her body was not sticky at all, and she assumed that Damon cleaned her up. It wouldn't be the first time.
'Damon?' She called through their mind-link.
'Downstairs,' a one-word response came, and Talia could hear that he was smiling.
Talia's nostrils flared at the scent of bacon and her stomach grumbled. She forgot the sensation of hunger biting her insides.
There were no clothes in sight, so she used a bedsheet as a wrap-around dress.
The path toward the exit was like a minefield, and Talia tiptoed around the glass shards while making her way out of the room.
In the hallway of the upper floor, Talia paused at the handrail while looking down to see a wrecked living room. Everything appeared to be new but broken. Talia had vague memories of running after naked Damon. Did they make that mess? Or did some bandits come while they were busy upstairs? Why was the chandelier crooked? It looked like it was going to fall at any moment.
Talia peeked into the kitchen, and she was greeted by the sight of Damon's muscular back as he was busying himself at the stove. He was wearing only a pair of black shorts that fit snugly around his firm ass.
Her man was cooking, and she had never seen anything sexier in her life.
She took a sniff to distinguish scents of bacon and sausage, and there was some coffee as well. She could see a cup on Damon's right.
Damon peered over his shoulder and smiled at her. "Take a seat, kitten. It will be done in a minute."
Talia obediently sat on the barstool, and she put her hands on the kitchen island. The cold granite felt good under her palms.
She had so many questions, but she decided to keep them for later.
Talia propped her chin with her fist and enjoyed the handsome visual of Damon making food. It was so peaceful, and it felt like home.
'TAK!'
Talia jolted when four slices of perfectly toasted bread popped out of the toaster.
She wanted to get them, but Damon extended his arm, indicating that he will do it, so she settled back on her chair.
"Butter, jam, or both?" Damon asked while arranging toasted bread on the plate.
"I will have whatever you are having."
"Both it is."
Talia stared at him as he applied spreads to the bread. Gods! Even the bread looked sexy in his hands.
"Here you go, kitten," Damon said while putting one big plate on the kitchen island.
There were fried eggs, bacon, sausages, and hash browns. Just the sight of that yumminess made saliva pool into her mouth, and her tummy rumbled loudly.
It warmed her heart to know that Damon was cooking for her.
"Why won't you let me help?" Talia grumbled when he swatted her hand away, preventing her from pouring juice into a glass.
Damon waved his index finger at her, indicating that he won't allow it.
"This is all part of the mating ritual."
Talia's eyes widened. "Mating ritual?"
Damon hummed and lifted her from the chair. He sat on it first, and then he put Talia to sit on his lap.
His arms circles around Talia and he was cutting the sausage into bite-sized pieces while explaining, "When female goes into heat, the mated couple starts with a chase. Any unmated male who dares to come close is considered a challenger. Once that phase is over and the female is ready, the male takes her to a place where they can have privacy and he will take care of her every need and want until her heat is over… and forever."
He poked a piece of sausage on a fork and held it in front of her mouth.
"You need to eat, kitten. Allow me to take care of you. It is my duty and my honor."
Talia opened her mouth to accept his offering. She was hungry.
Her chin shivered as emotions overwhelmed her.
Even after all this time, she was not used to others taking care of her. And this was more special than just normal feeding. It was part of a ritual. Their mating ritual, Talia's and Damon's.
Talia was touched that Damon had all this on his mind, and he managed to do so much for her, yet she was oblivious. He proved again that he was thinking about her and putting her first.
Damon filled Talia's mouth with food, and when her cheeks puffed making her resemble a chipmunk, she leaned on him and chewed happily. It was just the two of them, and her world was at peace.
Damon put a piece of sausage into his mouth. "I'm sure you have many questions." He had questions for her also, like why the hell was she chatting with the Guardian without running away and calling for help? But he decided to leave those for later because it would definitely spoil the mood.
Talia missed the flash of darkness in Damon's expression, as she was thinking about which questions to ask first.
"Where are we? How long are we here? What happened to the Guardian and…" She was not sure if she wanted to know about this. "What about Keith?"
Damon addressed one question at a time while feeding her, "We are in the Blue River pack territory. Max said we can use this place. We are here since yesterday." He smirked. "I tired you out and you fell asleep." He fell asleep also, but he didn't want to admit that towards the end he was reaching his limits. He was pleased that Talia collapsed first, otherwise, that would be a stain on his manly reputation.
"The Guardian…" Damon's brows came together. "He escaped. Max and Tony got the scent of his blood and were looking for him, but they ended up with nothing. It's like the guy vanished into the thin air."
Talia guessed that Gregory had a way to conceal his presence, and probably to disguise himself also. How else would he be able to get into the Blue River pack and approach Talia without being caught? And based on what Gregory said, it was obvious that Gregory was at the party when Maddox and Tatiana tied the knot. He was right there, in plain sight, yet no one noticed him.
"What about Keith?" Talia reminded Damon.
"He will live."
Talia relaxed visibly. She wanted to know more details, but she could see that Damon didn't want to talk about it. As long as Keith was fine, she will talk to him later. Talia vaguely remembered Keith carrying her and her clinging onto him. Will she be able to look him in the eyes?
