Damon stared into Talia's silvery eyes while enjoying the tender emotions mixed with the passion that flooded his senses through their mate bond. By embracing Talia, his whole world was in his arms, and it was wonderful.
"You are expecting a child?" Gregory asked in disbelief.
Damon's expression stiffened, and he turned to glare at Gregory. How dares that nobody interrupt their lovey-dovey time? And why was he eavesdropping?
With a flick of Damon's finger, a ray of darkness hit Gregory in his arm.
As their abilities resonated, Damon and Talia got a better understanding of their powers and how to use them. It was right there but hidden at the back of their minds.
Damon now understood the nature of his ability. It was a manifestation of his numerous fights and desire to be left alone. The darkness he carried could cancel other people's energies to the point of stopping time and accelerating aging.
Talia was pure and full of light, while Damon was dirty and shrouded in darkness. Her ability could heal, and his would cause rotting.
They were opposites that coexisted in perfect harmony.
"Don't you dare talk casually to my mate!" Damon squeezed through his teeth.
Gregory's eyes were full of horror as he stared at his arm, which was turning gray as the flesh was drying out. His nose was broken, he was covered in bruises, and his face was swollen like a swarm of bees attacked him, but this was terrifying.
"What is this?" Gregory asked in disbelief. "Make it stop!"
"Where is Yasmin?" Talia asked.
"In there..." Gregory cried while pointing at the castle. "Third floor. Make it stop!"
"Who else are you keeping there?" Talia continued probing.
Gregory shook his head frantically. "It's Yasmin and two kids. We only held them inside. There are three more Guardians, maybe four, and people in the dungeon."
Talia waved her hand, and a ray of silvery light shot into Gregory's arm.
Gregory stared at his arm, which became blissfully numb as the flesh was regrowing. He lifted his head in slow motion toward Talia.
"How are you related to Astraea?" Gregory rasped.
Talia paused. "How do you know her?"
"Ha… ha… ha…" Gregory laughed in slow motion. "No wonder you are so powerful. Why did it take me so much time to figure it out?" He looked at her crazily. "You belong with us."
Damon growled. "No one tells my mate where she belongs!"
Talia leaned on Damon. He was possessive, protective, and sexy.
"Don't allow a nobody to upset you," Talia said and turned to look at Gregory. "Without his powers, he is like a human. I wonder at what rate he will age."
Gregory's eyes widened. "What?"
Gregory tried sensing his energies, but there was nothing. Only then he became aware of the excruciating pain that wrecked his body.
"What did you do? Give it back!" Gregory shouted at Talia.
Talia ignored him. She spoke to Axel. "You heard the man. Yasmin is in there, on the third floor. Focus on your bond and find her. Take a few people with you in case you bump into more guardians."
"I will go with him," Evanora volunteered. She was curious about Talia's and Damon's abilities and the Wilkow sisters, but it was more important to find Yasmin and confirm that they were unharmed.
Serena, Feya, Sandy, Tyler, Varya, Grady, and a few more people volunteered to go with Axel and Evanora in search of Yasmin.
"Can you not kill them? I will have a few questions for them." Evanora said while gesturing toward six Guardians lying on the ground helplessly. They were all drained of energy after Talia and Damon took away their powers.
Talia confirmed that they wouldn't kill them. But what should they do with them?
"Others won't cause problems," Declyn said while approaching the crowd. "Whoever was loyal to Gregory answered his summons to come to his aid and face you."
"That doesn't mean they won't be dangerous," Caden said.
Declyn shook his head. "None of us is disturbed by everyday matters. I believe that today's overwhelming win was mostly because these six people didn't expect that anyone could endanger them."
"That's close enough!" Damon growled at Declyn.
Declyn stopped advancing, and he raised his hands. "I mean no harm."
Maddox snorted. "For someone who doesn't mean no harm, you took the role of a spectator when one side wanted to take females of the other. If you have a shred of decency, you would see that your comrades were out of line, and you would act on it."
"Fair enough," Declyn said. "Now what?"
Talia responded. "I want you to tell your people that we won't pursue them if they leave us alone. If we hear that you are meddling in our affairs, you should expect to end up like those six. I won't think twice before removing your abilities and turning you into mortals."
Declyn nodded in agreement. Some of his acquaintances would probably welcome that as they wished for death that was not coming. "How are you related to Astraea? We didn't see her in a very long time."
"She was my mother."
Declyn's eyebrows shot up. "Was? Why are you talking about her in the past tense?"
Talia's breath hitched. "Are you saying she is alive?"
"Our kind can't die. We will move across different planes, but our spirits are too strong to dissipate, and we maintain our consciousness. You can find more information in the library on the second floor of the castle."
Talia wondered if Declyn was talking about the spirit moving on after the body was damaged. Various religions and cultures called it in different ways, but they all agreed it was a one-way transition unless one believed in reincarnation.
No one knew what to do with the six guardians. Tony suggested they put them in the dungeon until they figured out their next steps, and Damon supported the idea.
Damon and Talia were leading the group toward the dungeon.
The stench of rotten flesh and bodily fluids hit them hard from afar.
"You can wait outside," Damon told Talia.
"No, I am fine," Talia responded. It didn't seem fair for her to skip this. If she stayed out of it, Damon would accompany her, and they were the only ones fully equipped to deal with the Guardians.
Most of the cells were empty, and they found one for each newly imprisoned Guardian. Gregory and his five supporters had no strength to resist when thrown inside.
"Astraea's daughter…" Gregory breathed. "Our female is alive and expecting a child. It's a glorious day."
Talia's insides churned, and she wished for an off button so she doesn't hear him anymore.
Other than Gregory's crazed babbling, the dungeon was silent. Didn't Declyn say there were people inside?
Talia moved from one cell to another to peer inside through heavy bars invaded by rust, and she saw traces that someone was there, but it was a long time ago.
Eventually, she found someone. It was a male. His clothes were in tatters, and his emaciated body was dirty, but he was alive.
'Lis?'
'He is a Guardian,' Liseli responded.
Talia held onto the door and was surprised to see it was not locked.
"They didn't bother locking it because no one could escape from here," Damon shared his thoughts.
"Hello?" Talia called while stepping inside.
The male lifted his head and blinked at her. "Who are you?"
"My name is Talia. What's your name?"
He licked his dried lips. "They call me Ed."
