The bowls with desserts were placed in front of Talia and Damon, and Talia rotated the bowl while enjoying the visual of that culinary masterpiece.
Damon smiled while looking at Talia whose eyes were sparkling, and he knew she was happy. He gave himself a mental thumbs up for organizing this evening. The princess treatment and delicious food managed to improve Talia's mood, and that was all he wanted.
Just the dessert was left, and they will move to their next destination.
After dinner, Damon planned for a relaxing walk by the river. They would hold hands and enjoy the city lights reflecting in the water, Talia will lean on him, he will whisper sweet words, and it will be perfect.
Unaware of Damon's thoughts, Talia inched closer to the dessert. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of charred fruits that still had a hint of liquor. It was novel.
Without any warning, Talia's stomach churned.
After a second of hesitation, Talia dashed into the bathroom, leaving behind confused Damon, the main chef, and his two assistants.
Damon was right behind Talia, wondering what happened. One moment she was smiling at the dessert, and the next one she ran like the devil was chasing her.
Damon's insides tightened when he saw Talia hugging the toilet bowl while her dinner was coming out the same way it got in, in violent gushes.
Damon hovered above Talia, unsure what to do. Her whole body was convulsing and if he hugged her or pulled her away, she would vomit all over the place.
"Is the Miss alright?"
Damon whipped his head toward the door to see the main chef and his two helpers there.
Why would Talia be sick suddenly? Did they poison the food?
Considering that Talia was a werewolf, this extreme reaction could be caused only if wolfsbane was mixed in the food.
Before anyone could react, Damon was gripping the chef's neck, lifting him off the ground.
"What did you put in the food? Who sent you!?"
Damon could think about a few potential culprits right away. Was it Alpha Edward? Rogues? Guardians?
So many people wanted to harm him or Talia, but how could they know that Damon will bring Talia here? He booked this dinner only a few hours ago! Damon called favors and paid extra to make it happen on such short notice and to keep everything secretive. For someone to set up this ambush would be improbable, but not impossible.
The chef's legs dangled in the air. He didn't expect to be attacked, but even if he suspected it, there would be no way for him to avoid this.
Damon moved faster than human eyes could follow.
The poor chef tried to pry Damon's hand open, but it was in vain. Damon's grip was unyielding.
"What did you do to her!?" Damon squeezed through his teeth as fury consumed him.
'FLUSHHHHH!'
Damon didn't react when Talia flushed the toilet.
'I am fine…' Talia's voice sounded in his mind.
Damon's head whipped to look at her. She was pale as a sheet of paper, crouching while holding onto the toilet bowl. He wanted to go there and comfort her, but first, he needed to cancel the cook's life subscription.
Anyone who dares to harm Talia will not find a good ending.
'How is that fine?' Damon asked.
'I mean… I am not poisoned.'
Damon's brows came together in confusion. 'If you are not poisoned, why are you puking your guts out?'
Talia wiped her mouth with the back of her palm. 'I think…' She took a deep breath and used her voice to say, "I'm pregnant."
'A pup! A PUP!' Sapa howled in Damon's head and Damon stood frozen as Talia's last word echoed in his mind.
Damon's whole world narrowed to the little woman in front of him.
"Say that again," Damon said breathily.
Talia glanced at the main chef whose face was turning from red to purple. "How about you release the man before you commit murder?"
The main chef plopped to the ground and coughed violently while his two helpers dragged him away from Damon.
In two quick steps, Damon was next to Talia, getting down to a squat to stare at her. "What did you say, kitten? Did I hear you right?"
Talia smiled a little. "I think I'm pregnant."
"You think?"
Talia shook her head. "I don't think. I know."
'THUNK!'
Damon fell to his knees with so much force that Talia worried if he shattered his kneecaps.
Damon cupped Talia's cheeks with his palms and his eyes anxiously explored every inch of her face, as if he was trying to confirm that this was really happening.
"A pup," Damon said under his breath, and then he kissed her on the lips.
Talia struggled to push him away. She just vomited, and it was gross, but Damon didn't care. He loved every inch of Talia, regardless of how dirty or smelly it was.
Damon wrapped his arms around Talia and pulled her to sit on his lap.
They sat like that, on the floor of the restroom while holding each other in silence. They didn't talk. There was no need for words.
Damon and Talia opened up their bond to share emotions that matched. Excitement, joy, anxiousness, love. There was a lot of love. It was surreal.
Damon turned his head to the right when a hubbub of people entered their private room.
It was the manager, the main chef, two helpers, and a few other people. They looked around before all following the manager into the bathroom where Talia and Damon were.
The manager was visibly troubled.
"Uhm… Mr. Blake… Our main chef says that you nearly killed him. Do you mind explaining what's going on?"
They would call the cops right away if Damon was not such a high-profile customer. He paid for one room like he was booking the whole restaurant.
Damon grinned. "She is pregnant."
The manager was confused. "Is that why you nearly killed our chef?"
Damon glanced at the man who covered behind his manager.
"Nearly killed him? I don't NEARLY do anything. If I wanted to kill him, he would be dead," Damon said like it was a totally normal thing. "Now, if you want to extort money or extra tips, there is no need for that. Just put it on the tab. Or feel free to call the police. In either case, stop spoiling our moment."
The manager didn't know how to deal with this, so he stared at Damon and Talia for a few long seconds, nodded, and left the room. Other people followed the manager gingerly.
"Will they cause you trouble?" Talia asked.
Damon pressed his lips on her temple. "Don't worry about it, kitten. We have money, and if they call the police, I just need to make a call and the report will disappear."
If these were werewolves, Damon would use his aura to remind them who is in charge. Unfortunately, humans required a different approach.
Talia was relieved to see that no one stopped them when they were leaving the Medallion, and there were no police either. She was not worried that something might happen to Damon. She was worried about humans. If anyone dared to stand in their way, Damon might really kill someone.
