Chapter 1013: Fireworks of firsts
Once the euphoria caused by energy flurries subsided, Talia became aware of her surroundings.
She was standing in the middle of a diagram drawn on the grass by magical means, with Damon holding her. Their friends surrounded them, and everything was so quiet that Talia found her own breathing loud.
Talia's emotions fluctuated by the second.
Joy. Anxiety. Pride. Yearning. Guilt. And it was all wrapped in the layer of sorrow she couldn't shake off.
Talia was overwhelmed when she found her father in the dungeon below the Guardians' castle, and she was happy to see him getting better, and she hoped, she really hoped, that they would make up for their lost time.
She imagined them spending time together and Valerian telling her about every detail from his childhood until she was born, them going to the Midnight Guardians pack, visiting the realm of witches, and him playing with the grandkids she was yet to give birth to… But now it was gone. It won't happen.
Should she be this sad for losing things she never had?
Until a month ago, she thought her father was gone forever, but then she found him, and she allowed herself to dream, only for that dream to be shattered. Why was life so unfair?
Talia was happy for her father; she really was. But at the same time, she was also missing him. So many happy possibilities disappeared from the future. She was back to being the orphan she always was, with the difference that she knew who her parents were, and they were alive yet unreachable. It was all a mess.
Damon's hold on Talia tightened, and he spoke into her hair, "How are you feeling, kitten?" He could feel her emotions, but he wanted her to let them out.
"I'm not sure," Talia responded honestly.
"You did great, kitten," Damon said. "I am proud of you."
"You are?"
"Mhm," he confirmed with a hum. "I know how much Valerian's presence meant to you, yet you didn't hesitate to let him go so he could be with his mate. You have the power to change the continent's landscape, yet you allow people to make their own choices. What you did for your father was selfless and majestic."
Talia didn't think of herself as majestic. "Cassandra's prophecy said that I am a bringer of calamity."
Damon would tell her how that was nonsense, but he knew that those words impacted Talia. Her whole life, people looked down on her, and it took a lot of effort for Talia to accept herself as worthy. If not for Liseli's no-nonsense personality, Talia would still be a timid she-wolf, regardless of how much power she had or how many times Damon told her she was awesome.
The label of a bringer of calamity was hard to ignore, and Damon didn't want to dismiss Talia's feelings.
"Sophia and Isaac will agree with that, but we shouldn't listen to the opinions of people who will give away babies in order to stay in power. Gregory will agree as well, but he saw powerful females as baby machines, and we shouldn't bother with the opinions of creeps. Do I need to keep going?"
Talia got the point. Damon would never speak ill of her, even if she did something wrong.
"I don't care what others think of you because I know you are a compassionate person. I am the luckiest guy in the world to have you as my mate," Damon said while tightening his hold on her.
Talia nodded into his chest. "Thank you, Damon. I need a pep-talk once in a while." And she loved that Damon never shied from complimenting her in a way that boosted her confidence.
"Our pack is lucky to have you as their Alpha," Axel said from the side. He didn't bother to pretend that he didn't eavesdrop on the conversation between Damon and Talia.
Talia looked around to see all their friends stepping into the diagram, closer to Damon and her.
"The Dark Howlers pack is lucky to have you as our Luna," Gideon said.
"We are lucky to have you as our friend," Mindy added to what many nodded in agreement.
"Never call yourself a calamity," Yasmin said and looked at Axel. "If not for you, I wouldn't find my soulmate. How can that be bad?"
Evanora glanced at Edgar, and they both smiled and nodded in agreement with Yasmin's words.
"There is a lot of luck involved with you, Talia," James said. "We are lucky that my father didn't realize who you were while you were staying at the Red Moon pack."
James couldn't believe that he still addressed Alpha Edward as his father, even though the guy was gone, and he was NOT his father. On the other hand, James still didn't visit their old packhouse, where his mother stayed with a male named Chester. James was unsure if he wanted to meet the man who was his mother's sperm donor (how James saw it).
Cornelia leaned on James. "The whole world is lucky that you are not a power-hungry person. You use your power for the good of people, and if you ever stray from it, we will be here to remind you of who you truly are."
"And that makes me lucky," Talia said.
"You are lucky to have us as your friends," Dawn said cheekily, and Talia giggled when she saw Zina pointing at herself dramatically. Talia didn't notice when her two friends arrived with their mates. Actually, Maya, Caden, Olivia, and Travis were there as well!
Feeling Damon's proximity and knowing that she had so many friends made her feel less lonely because Valerian was gone.
"Thank you, guys. Thank you for everything," Talia said, her voice full of emotions.
"When are you heading out for your month off?" Cornelia asked.
Talia looked up at Damon. "We will go now."
People approached them to wish them fun and to tell them not to worry because they would take care of both packs in Damon's and Talia's absence.
Cassandra was fidgeting from the side, wanting to join in but feeling that she didn't have the right to do so.
Declyn observed all this from distance with amusement. Seeing a Guardian engage in friendships like this was novel, and Talia was the strongest Guardian Declyn ever saw. Her abilities reminded him of old stories about Titans and primordial Gods, and he was itchy to test her strength on the Sphere of Power.
Talia was in the middle of a mass-girl-hug when…
'BAM!'
A huge red explosion filled the night sky. It was fireworks from the lake, and they could see it clearly.
Mates quickly found each other to hold and enjoy the colorful pyrotechnic display.
Damon sat on the ground in the lotus position and placed Talia to sit on his legs. She leaned on him and enjoyed the way his arms circled her protectively.
'Do you like the fireworks?' Damon's voice sounded in Talia's mind.
'Very much,' she responded dreamily. 'Will you ask me to massage your legs again?'
Damon's lips lifted into a smile. 'All three of them.'
Talia's eyes flashed at Damon. 'Shameless!'
'Only for you, kitten.'
Talia shook her head helplessly and focused on the colorful display above.
Fireworks had a lot of meaning for Talia.
The first time Talia saw fireworks was on the night when she and Damon kissed. It was her first kiss.
The second fireworks she saw in person were in the Lightclaw pack when she and Damon made love for the first time.
A lot of Talia's firsts were related to fireworks, and they were all with Damon.
Talia wondered if these fireworks would also signify a milestone. Maybe these will mark the beginning of her life with Damon as a couple, officially. She caressed the ring on her left ring finger, which was a symbol of Damon's commitment to her. After tonight, no one will dare to question her position by Damon's side.
She sank into Damon's embrace, happy to know that the willful Alpha was hers and he was equally happy to have her as his.
…
The fireworks show ended, and people returned to the party, leaving Talia and Damon behind.
"Can we really go?" Damon asked Talia.
"Yes."
Damon helped Talia to stand up.
"Do you need a leg massage?" Talia asked teasingly.
"Later." Damon wanted a massage and much more, but he wanted them to leave before something else came up.
Damon glanced toward the packhouse. Their suitcases were packed, ready for travel, but Talia was not moving. "Is there something we should do before we head out?"
Talia smiled dreamily. "Kiss me."
She didn't need to say it twice.
Damon closed his eyes as Talia's citrusy-sweet scent entered his system. He relished the softness of her lips against his that caused the sparks of their bond to flare and make him tingly all over.
Damon opened his eyes when he heard the clamor of the water.
He gaped when he realized they were in a cave. Did Talia teleport them?
He recognized the cave; it was the one behind the waterfall where they would sneak in when they wanted privacy without being disturbed. The cave was familiar, but everything else was different.
The simple cot was replaced by a queen-sized bed, and there were pillows and blankets, food, and even their suitcases were there.
"Why are we here? And what is all this?" Damon asked while looking around.
Talia wrapped her arms around Damon's neck and smiled slyly. "Weren't you eager for us to leave, so we get time for ourselves?"
"I was but… What about our vacation?"
"Instead of spending hours in flight, how about we use this place? When we get bored here, I can teleport us to our next destination."
Damon blinked while processing this information. The more he thought about it, the more he approved. His kitten was brilliant!
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