Games of deception
Talia thought that the evening was progressing well.
There was music and people, fancy decorations, food, and drinks. The only thing preventing Talia from enjoying it entirely was that she was repeatedly reminding herself not to get too close to Damon. He was next to her, right there, holding her hand under the table; however, leaning on him, cuddling, kissing, and feeding each other were off limits. Talia realized how used she was to those small intimacies with Damon and how awkward it was to stay away.
The good thing was that they were among friends as they shared the table with Maya, Caden, Kai, Meg, James, and Cornelia.
Everyone at the table knew who Talia was and her relationship with Damon, and also about the fact that James and Cornelia were mates.
To the outsiders, James was an interloper at the table that was occupied by the members of the Dark Howlers pack and Midnight Guardians pack, yet James blended in with them quite well.