Soon, a portal swirled open, blood-red.
Damon nodded. "Safe travels, Princess."
Alzara took a step toward the portal. Then hesitated. "And... thank you again. For saving my life. Umm... if anything happens... any new developnt regarding the orders and such... let ... or the Emperor know. We are very grateful for your help."
Aurora tilted her head, golden-black eyes narrowing as she observed the princess’s reaction.
Alzara’s gaze lingered on Damon before she quickly looked away. Her gaze then flicked briefly toward Aurora, Lirae, and Kate, won who clearly mattered to him more than she ever would.
"Goodbye." She stepped through the portal, and it closed behind her with a soft hiss. The room fell quiet.
Aurora was the first to talk. She crossed her arms and looked at Damon. "Hubby, you picked up another one, didn’t you?"
"Huh? What do you an?" Damon awkwardly scratched his head.
"I an her. That princess was all over you."
Lirae cut in, voice soft. "She was staring at you as if she expected sothing. Or wanted sothing." She looked down, her thumb brushing the edge of her sleeve. "I’m not... imagining that, am I?"
Kate, ever the blunt one, added, "She looked like she was trying very hard not to claim him in front of us."
Aurora snapped her fingers. "Exactly! See? I’m not hallucinating!"
Damon raised both hands defensively. "Hold on. Nobody ’claid’ anything. She was injured, confused, and stuck in the collapsing ruins. I just saved her life-"
"And carried her out," Aurora muttered darkly.
"And protected her," Kate added matter-of-factly.
"And grabbed her on the way out," Lirae gently whispered.
Damon stared at all three of them, sweating profusely.
"Okay, okay, hold up." He rubbed his face. "I didn’t pick anyone up. I didn’t flirt. I didn’t invite her. I didn’t... whatever you three are imagining."
Aurora leaned forward, eyes narrowing like a cat who is about to pounce. "Oh? Then why was she looking at you with those lovey-dovey eyes and her huge tits?"
Damon opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "...I don’t control how people look at ," he muttered helplessly. Then, suddenly rembering sothing, he looked around and found the perfect distraction he needed.
"Hey, my egg hatched. Look at this cute little kitten. How about you three na him?"
Aurora, Lirae, and Kate froze. The tiny black kitten blinked up at them with enormous, innocent eyes. Its fluffy tail flicked once, like a punctuation mark. For three full seconds, silence reigned.
Then...
"HUHHHH?!" Aurora screeched as she grabbed the little animal and squished it against her face. "So cuteeeee! It’s so cute! I love it!"
Lirae also gently nodded. "It’s... it’s adorable..."
The kitten owed, looking at Damon for help. Its eyes showed hints of fear, but Damon looked away, completely ignoring its plight. The three won beca busy with the cat, and he quickly walked out of the corridor into his room, flopping onto the bed. He was so damn fucking tired.
He closed his eyes and exhaled when a knock sounded on the door. "Co in." He said, with his eyes still closed. He could, anyway, tell who it was without seeing.
"I am sorry to bother you, my love." Lirae walked in apologetically.
Damon didn’t open his eyes, but one corner of his mouth lifted. "It’s fine, Lirae. You can co in."
Her steps were soft. She approached the bed slowly, hands clasped in front of her as if afraid she might overstep. She stopped beside him, eyes trembling. "I am so sorry, my love. I... I... I am responsible for everything that happened and everything that you had to go through."
Damon chuckled lightly and sat up. He then pulled the elven princess onto his lap.
Lirae let out a tiny, startled breath as she landed neatly against his chest. Her hands pressed against his shoulders, trembling faintly.
"Lirae," Damon murmured, brushing a strand of silver-crimson hair behind her ear, "what nonsense are you talking about? Hey," he whispered. "Look at ." Slowly, reluctantly, she lifted her eyes.
"This wasn’t your fault," Damon said firmly. "Not even a little. I chose to go. I chose to explore. I chose to push deeper. You didn’t force into anything."
"But I-"
"No." He tapped her lips gently with his thumb, silencing her. "If anything, I should apologize for making you worry so much."
"You’re not angry? Not even a little?"
He laughed softly. "Why would I be angry at the woman who cares about more than anyone else?"
Lirae blinked rapidly, eyes glistening. "I... I was terrified, my love. Truly. I thought I would lose you-"
Not letting her talk anymore, Damon tilted her chin and smashed his lips onto hers.
Lirae gasped into the kiss, her words dying instantly as Damon’s mouth claid hers with a heat that sent her entire body trembling. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, both shy and wanting more at the sa ti.
A soft, helpless sound escaped her throat, half-whimper, half-relief, as Damon deepened the kiss, one hand sliding to the small of her back, the other still gently holding her jaw in place. She lted against him completely, her heart pounding so loudly.
When they finally broke apart, her lips were swollen, her cheeks flushed crimson, and her voice ca out in a fragile whisper. "Damon... is that your real na, my love. I heard the others using it."
He brushed his thumb across her lower lip, eyes dark with affection and sothing far more dangerous. "Yes, and you can call that too. Later. Because right now, we are not going to be doing any talking."
Damon kissed her again and then again. "I have been wanting to do this for a while now." He grinned wolfishly as his hand slid to her waist in one smooth motion, pulling her flush against him until she felt every line of his body.
"D-Damon..." she breathed, though she couldn’t seem to form any thought beyond his touch. Her forehead rested against his, her lashes trembling.
***
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