The world steadied around Damon as he set the four women down. Or tried to. Aurora didn’t even give him the chance.
She launched herself at him like a missile, arms around his neck, wings flaring, eyes shimmering with divine outrage.
"Hubby!" she shrieked, shaking him like a rag doll. "You scared me! You disappeared! You didn’t answer! You didn’t send a message! You didn’t leave a note! I thought you died! You’re not allowed to die! Ever!"
Damon panted. "Can we go back home first and then have this talk?"
"No!" She pressed his face into her chest. Before he could pry her off, Lirae stepped forward, quiet, calm, trembling. She didn’t leap. She didn’t shout. She just placed both hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look directly at her, crimson eyes burning with emotion.
"You said you would be careful," she whispered. "You said I should trust you." Her lip quivered. "But then you disappeared for an entire day into the most dangerous place in the region without a single word."
Ellora too looked at him with various emotions swirling in her eyes. It looked as if she wanted to say something and do something, but all she could do was quietly bow. At the same time, she activated a teleportation rune for everyone to head back to the Blood Hall.
Damon thanked her wordlessly, and the vampiress blushed. He urged the group to get in first. Ellora and Lirae walked in obidiently. Alzara stared like a deer caught in headlights, but she too walked into the portal. Finally, Damon walked into the portal with Aurora still clinging to him like a baby koala.
The desert disappeared, and Blood Hall’s familiar black walls, carved with ancient vampiric runes, once again surrounded them.
Aurora lifted her head only when the portal closed behind them, black- golden eyes wide and still glossy with leftover tears. "You’re not allowed to scare me like that," she declared fiercely. "Ever again. I will put a divine leash on you. I’m not joking. I’ll do it."
Damon opened and closed his mouth speechlessly. "Shall we go to my private quarters and talk?"
Aurora puffed her cheeks, clearly wanting to continue clinging to Damon forever. But to his surprise, she loosened her grip just enough to let him move, though she remained latched to his arm like a possessive shadow.
Lirae walked beside him silently, her fingers brushing his sleeve now and then, as if confirming he was still there. Alzara followed stiffly behind them, still processing everything and wondering what the hell she was doing here.
Ellora also looked like she wanted to go with them, but she excused herself and went back to her duties. The group silently walked to Damon’s private wing.
Several crimson eyes were staring at them currently. Blood Hall looked busier than usual, and the vampire foot traffic had increased several times.
Vampires hurried back and forth with scrolls, relics, supply crates, messages, far more movement than Damon remembered seeing in days. Even the Elders were out, conversing in hushed tones, and low-ranking bloodlings scrambled around like panicked ants.
But every single one of them stopped the moment they spotted Damon. Or rather... Damon’s situation. A fallen angel glued to his one arm, a strange elven woman on the other, and another human being trailing behind like a confused hostage.
Naturally, Aurora was still the most eye-catching.
"Oh?" Aurora raised a brow. Damon briefly explained what had happened. Obviously, he left some parts out.
Alzara’s cheeks burned at the omissions. He definitely left out the embarrassing parts. He definitely wasn’t mentioning how he touched her and teased her. But the next second, her shoulders drooped a tiny bit.
Of course, nothing more would happen. She reminded herself of who she was, a human princess, a light faction princess. She had no place here, in this strange and intimate circle where all three women orbiting the bloodsucker were extraordinary in their own rights.
How could she even compete with these women? How could she possibly stand next to them?
"The Emperor must be looking for you," Damon said gently. "Why don’t I open up a portal to someplace near the royal palace?"
Something in her chest pinched. He was being polite, respectful, and proper. Exactly what a man does when he is drawing a clear line. Alzara dipped her head to hide the brief flicker of disappointment. "Yes... that would be best."
***
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