Talia took a deep breath and assessed her state. She still had energy left.
'Lis?' Talia called her wolf.
'I am here.'
'I need your help.'
Liseli didn't respond, but Talia could sense that Liseli was present and focused. They will do this together.
Talia's palms lit up and for the next minute or so, she was focused on healing Arya.
It was not much, but the monitors attached to Arya's body became livelier, beeping in a steady rhythm, almost at the rate of the other two heart rate monitors in the room, on the other side of the privacy curtain.
"I'm sorry I can't do more," Talia said to Keith. "You should call a doctor to see the progress now. I will be back in the afternoon after I rest."
Keith looked at Talia gratefully. "I don't know how to thank you."
Talia's lips formed a tired smile. "Please, don't go there, Keith. I am your Luna. It is my duty to take care of my people."
Damon puffed his chest proudly. Talia addressed herself as his Luna, and he couldn't be happier about it. Also, Talia reminded Keith of her position.
Talia was sorry that she couldn't do more. She could see Keith's uncertainty and dejection, and she couldn't blame him. Talia knew very well what it meant to have little to no confirmation that the other person was your mate. Validating that sparks of the mate bond existed and that she was not crazy meant the world to her, and she was confident that Keith will feel the same joy when Arya wakes up and confirms that Keith is her mate.
Talia was about to leave when she remembered one thing.
"Why are you holding her hand?" Talia asked Keith.
"What should I do?"
"Your proximity will help her get better," Talia said. "Why don't you climb into bed with her?"
Keith lowered his gaze. "I'm not sure if it's appropriate. I mean… What if she hates it?"
Talia shook her head. "You are mates. How can she hate it?" Talia turned to look at Damon. "I remember when Damon was hurt. At that time, I didn't know we were mates, and I couldn't feel the sparks of our bond, but I had a feeling that I should stay close to him. I climbed into his bed and clung to him, and… it helped. Doctor Travis said that Damon had a nearly miraculous recovery thanks to me."
Keith cocked an eyebrow at Talia. "Yeah. Because you can do… your thing."
Talia pointed at the necklace that was hanging around Keith's neck. "You can do it also, Keith. Good luck."
Keith looked into the gap of the curtain through which Talia and Damon disappeared, and then he turned to look at Arya.
His wolf urged him to get closer and hold the female, but his human half told him that she was a stranger. But then… Talia told him that it would help, so Keith steeled his resolve, and slowly, very slowly, he lowered himself onto the bed next to Arya.
He was not sure where to put his arms without hurting her, so he laid sideways with one arm under his head, and with the other hand he reached to hold Arya's.
The sparks of their bond prickled his palm, and he hoped they were stronger than before and that he was not just imagining it.
Talia and Damon walked back to the guest house that Cristian had arranged for them.
Talia promised to meet Ashton for breakfast and join in their morning activities of raft building, and racing, and whatever else they've got planned for kids, but Talia was not in the mood to party, and she feared it would show.
Damon asked Michelle for the food to be delivered to the guesthouse where they were staying, and he said that they wouldn't attend activities because Talia needed rest.
Of course, Michelle accommodated that request, and she said that she would explain it to Ashton.
The walk was no more than a few minutes long, and Talia enjoyed the silence. She observed the forest around them and marveled how everything seemed peaceful like last night didn't happen. There were no signs of rogues, no scent of blood, no sounds of fighting.
"What's on your mind, kitten?"
"How life continues, no matter what happens."
Damon hummed ambiguously.
"Damon?"
"Yes, kitten?"
"Do you have an idea who the traitor is?"
Damon puffed his cheeks. "It could be anyone. Probably more than one."
"More than one?"
"Just how Zina talked to Steph, and it reached rogues, not everyone is a traitor. Some are just excited to share the good news." Damon could see it happening. "Omegas could be gushing how their Alpha prince will have a fantastic party, and then someone asks if it's safe, and they say something like…" Damon changed his voice to make it higher, like a female was talking, "Of course, it's safe. Alpha ordered infrared sensors to be set up everywhere." He changed to his normal voice, "And someone overheard it."
Talia nodded in agreement. It was a possible scenario.
"So then, what do we do? How can we prevent people from talking? Do we keep everything to ourselves?"
Damon didn't have the right answers.
"The fewer people know about it, the safer we will be," he said.
"Should we live secretive lives as recluses?"
Damon loved that idea… just Talia and him, and no one else… but he knew it was impossible.
"There is another side to it," he said. "Secrets have the power to backfire only while you keep them as secrets. If you announce them to the world, for everyone to know, the secrets become less dangerous."
Talia thought of something. "If we announce the existence of Guardians to everyone and what they can do, can that benefit us?"
"Absolutely," Damon said without missing a beat. "People will be aware of them and develop strategies to resist Guardians' powers. However, there is also a chance that some will panic, and some will seek Guardians in a desire to work for them."
Talia liked when Damon would share his wisdom. His voice would be deep and soothing, and she had a feeling that he knew everything.
"Tell me more," Talia demanded.
"About?"
"About anything. I love to hear your voice."
Damon paused and his smile reflected in his eyes. "How about I tell you how much I love you?"
"I'm all ears," Talia said dreamily.
"Ah!" She exclaimed when he scooped her into his arms without warning and started running.
"What are you doing?" She thought he will express his love, and not… this. Whatever it was.
"You said you want to hear how much I love you," Damon said in a steady tone, even though he was running. "For that, I will let my body talk." He shot her a devilish smile that stirred something funny in her stomach.
Talia gasped as graphic images of the two of them flashed in her mind. Naked on the sofa, on the bed, on the floor, against the wall…
"Damon…" She tried to sound angry, but she was already aroused, so her protest sounded more like meowl.
Damon laughed and increased his pace. They were seconds away from the guesthouse. His kitten wanted confirmation of how much he loved her, and he was eager to show her by guiding her to heaven with the movements of his hips.
