Talia got down from the tree dejectedly. She climbed all the way to the top and looked in every direction, but there was nothing she could see other than trees and rocks and mountains in the distance.
'This confirms we are in the area where Guardians are,' Liseli said. 'Their territory is North of the Dark Howlers pack, and there are no towns for miles from where they are.'
'That's not helping,' Talia said dejectedly.
If her senses were messed up, there was a possibility that a bustling town was right there, yet she couldn't see it.
Talia released a long breath and leaned against a tree. She was tired, mostly mentally.
Now what? She regretted coming here on a whim. She didn't know where she was, or how to get out of there, or where Damon was. It was hopeless. Should she just start walking randomly and hope it was in the right direction?
Talia's ears perked up when she heard crunching sounds. An animal?
"I thought you would come to us through the portal," a familiar male voice reached Talia, and she squinted at the shadow until a ray of moonlight hit him.
Talia's heart rate shot through the roof. It was Declyn.
He stopped when he was only a few steps away from her and regarded her with curiosity. "It's good that I came to investigate the energy surge; otherwise, you would be lost for a long time. How did you get here?"
Talia was confused. He didn't seem surprised she was there, and he didn't look hostile either. She told herself to keep her guard up.
Declyn mentioned an energy surge. 'Was he talking about her teleportation?', Talia wondered. That was almost an hour ago! Or maybe this environment also messed up with her perception of time.
"Does it matter how I got here?" Talia asked.
"It doesn't. But it matters WHY you are here."
Talia didn't like his relaxed way of talking. But then she remembered James' words. The Guardians see themselves as above others, and they are not aware of Talia's abilities. He didn't see her as a threat, and she should use that.
Talia hugged herself. "I'm cold. Is there a place I could have hot cocoa?"
Declyn smiled and gestured in the direction from where he came. "I can offer you tea."
Talia was sitting in a small cabin. There was a square-shaped table with four chairs around it and a worn-down three-seater sofa on the side. The kitchen had only a few necessities, and everything looked old, but the fire crackling in the fireplace gave it a cozy feel. Based on the blankets and the scent of bread, Talia guessed that Declyn lived here.
A narrow staircase led up to a loft that appeared to be used as a bedroom.
Declyn placed a steaming mug on the table in front of Talia and sat on the opposite side of the table, his inquisitive gaze never leaving her face as he sipped from his mug.
"It smells funny," Talia said after taking a sniff of the tea that was brewed with some mix of herbs.
Declyn took the mug from her hands and drank from it. "It's not poisoned."
He put the mug back in front of her.
"How do I know you are not immune to the poison?"
Declyn shrugged. "If I want to harm you, I don't need to make you drink anything."
Talia thought about how that made sense.
She took a sip and frowned. It was bitter.
"Do you want sugar?" Declyn guessed.
Talia refused. "No, it's fine."
Talia thought how this was ridiculous. Rogues were attacking, Damon, Yasmin, and two babies were missing, and here was Talia, drinking tea with a Guardian.
She looked at Declyn whose expression was unreadable. Talia remembered him as a cheery guy who was overly enthusiastic about getting her to use the Sphere of Power again, but now he was serious to the point of making her uncomfortable.
Declyn cleared his throat before asking, "Will you tell me what brings you here, Alpha Natalia?"
"Some people are missing."
"And you came here to look for them?"
Talia bit her lower lip. How much should she tell him? "One of them has a tracker which pointed me in this direction."
"Must be a powerful tracker."
"It is," Talia said. "So? Will you tell me where Damon is? Do you also have Yasmin and her babies?"
"I don't have anyone."
"Are you saying that they are here on their own?"
"No. I said that I don't have them. Every Guardian has a mind of his own. Why don't you go back and save yourself from trouble?"
"Should I thank you for the advice? I have reason to believe that my mate is here, and I have no intention of leaving without him. Will you take me to him?"
Declyn tilted his head and smiled. "If that's what you want."
'Is it that easy?' Talia asked Liseli.
'He doesn't seem to be lying.'
"Yes. That's what I want," Talia responded.
"Do you want to finish your tea first?"
Talia grimaced. "Not really."
Declyn didn't comment. He gulped down tea from his mug, stood up, and led the way outside.
Talia was not sure what to think of Declyn as they walked through the forest in silence.
"You won't ask me more questions?"
"Should I?" Declyn responded with an answer.
"Can I ask you questions?"
"Go ahead."
"Where are we?"
"Canada."
Talia pressed her lips into a line. That was such a generic answer. "Is this the base of the Guardians?"
"It is one of the places where we stay."
"Am I trespassing?"
Declyn shook his head. "We are not werewolves or humans to draw borders and start wars when someone crosses that imaginary line. For us, everything is our territory."
"Dex?" Talia called the name by which she knew him. "You said that you expected me to come through the portal."
Declyn waved, indicating that he didn't want to talk about it, but he still responded with, "Gregory's idea."
Talia's insides tightened at the thought of Gregory. That was the Guardian who caused her to go into heat, and Talia heard that Gregory wanted to take her away at that time and do who-knows-what, and he would if Keith was not there to prevent it.
"Where would that portal take me?" Talia asked.
"To the main house."
Talia was getting frustrated. Why was he giving her short answers?
"Dex? Can you tell me about the situation here?"
Declyn turned to look at Talia. "I believe you are aware of the situation. If you are not, that's probably for the best." And then he continued walking. "I offered you to leave, and you refused. Now… it's too late for that."
Talia wondered, what did he mean by it?
"Is Damon with Gregory?"
"I assume so," Declyn said.
"Will he harm him?"
Declyn took his time to answer this one. "I'm not sure."
Talia pressed her lips into a line. She would feel better if Declyn said that Damon was safe, even if it was a lie.
"Dex? You mentioned the main house. Where is it?"
"Ahead," Declyn responded.
"Are you taking me there?"
"Almost."
Two steps later, some noise from the front got Talia's attention.
Her insides somersaulted when she saw Damon there. He was in a small clearing and didn't seem to be harmed.
Talia was about to call Damon's name when Declyn's hand covered her mouth.
"Wait here and observe," Declyn said. "If you promise not to make noise, I will let you go."
Talia didn't want to wait for anything. Damon was right there!
'Something is wrong with mate!' Liseli shouted in Talia's head. 'I can't reach him, and the bond is weak. I think they are blocking it.'
Talia realized that Liseli was right. She couldn't reach Damon through their mind link.
Without knowing what was happening, Talia decided to cooperate. For now.
She nodded in agreement, and Declyn removed his hand.
"He can't see you. He can't hear you. Not until the trial is done," Declyn said in a low voice.
Talia's brows came together. Damon can't see her? Can't hear her? Wasn't that like Cassandra's prophecy? Was it happening now!? And did Declyn say, trial?
A sense of crisis gripped Talia's heart when she spotted Gregory behind Damon, and there was one more person. It was a female tied to a tree, and Damon was approaching her slowly. Damon extended his hand and cupped her cheek gently.
What the hell was going on there?
