Damon let out a sigh and looked down. "I am sorry. I am not going to… I will take full responsibility for my actions. I should have been straight with both of you from the beginning. I shouldn't have made everything so complicated. It was selfish and immature on my part. If you both don't want to see me again or talk to me again after this, I completely understand. I don't deserve either of you. I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Damon did not look up. He was feeling a lot of complicated things at the moment. There was a lot he could have done differently, and now it was already too late. He looked up again, fully expecting to get slapped by both of them before they stormed out of the room.

But… instead… they were laughing at him?

Damon blinked as he watched both Kate and Aurora burst into laughter.

"Damon, you goof." Kate pulled him closer and hugged him tightly. "If we don't talk to you again and leave you, then how are we going to torture you from now on and make you pay for all of your mistakes?" she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Damon blinked, unable to believe what was happening.

And it was not over. Aurora hugged him from the other side. "My love… I would never leave you. Not in this lifetime. Not in many, many lifetimes to come. Our love is for all eternity."

Damon stood frozen between the two of them, confusion slowly morphing into stunned disbelief. The two of them had accepted things just like that? Was he dreaming right now?

Damon bitterly smiled. "Are you guys secretly planning to kill me or something?"

Kate giggled. "You wish it were that mild."

Aurora smirked, brushing a strand of black-silver-gold hair behind her ear. "You're just lucky we talked things out before you arrived. If you'd walked in five minutes earlier, I might've actually tossed you out the window."

"Only after I froze your junk," Kate added cheerfully.

Damon laughed awkwardly. But even as they teased him, their arms around him stayed firm, warm, and real. The affection in their eyes never wavered. And slowly, Damon let himself relax. Maybe it wasn't about logic or fairness.

Maybe it was just… a strange miracle. Two powerful, terrifying women had chosen to forgive him and accept him for everything he was.

He let out a long breath and leaned into their embrace. "You two are way too good for me."

Kate grinned. "We know."

Aurora kissed his cheek. "And we're going to make you work so hard to prove you're worth it."

Damon smiled, nervous and relieved. "That… that sounds fair." He stood there silently, enjoying the warmth for a while. "I am doomed, aren't I?"

"Damn right you are," Kate and Aurora said in perfect sync, grinning like devils.

Kate was about to say something else when she suddenly started coughing and wheezing. Both Aurora and Damon immediately helped her get back on the bed and lie down.

"Kate, you are not fully recovered yet. Don't push yourself. I am working on getting a better healing potion for you. It's only a matter of time before you are out and about. So until then, please stay here and rest for me?"

Aurora silently walked out of the room to give the two of them some privacy. Damon looked at her, once again surprised by her actions. He couldn't understand how someone obsessed like her would willingly share him.

"She is different, isn't she?" Kate smiled.

Damon let out a sigh and sat beside her. "You have no idea."

"Oh, I do." Kate winked. "Mark kept me updated on a lot of things."

Damon's eyes widened. His traitorous friend.

As if she could read his mind, Kate giggled and pulled him closer, lying on his lap. "He is my brother first, you know."

"I am sorry. I did not plan for this to happen. But seeing her-"

Kate interrupted him. "I know. You don't have to tell me. I saw her too, didn't I?"

"That woman fearlessly threw herself into danger, over and over again, all to give you some time. She did not even care when her soul was being torn into pieces. How could I not see how much she loved you… even after all of this?"

Damon gently stroked her hair as he calmly listened to her. "Understanding is different, but you didn't have to accept it."

"Heh… accept being in your harem, you mean?" Kate giggled.

Damon winced at those words. "Don't make me sound like some sort of perverted guy, collecting girls. I mean, it is the fantasy of many guys. Cough. Cough. Including me. I won't deny it. But fantasy is different than reality. I would never expect or ask anything like that from you."

Kate laughed softly. "But isn't that exactly what you're doing, Mr. Blood God?" she teased, poking his chest. "All these powerful women, falling for your broody charm and your sexy 'I am going to kill you for laying a hand on my woman' eyes." Her fingers brushed against a lock of his eternally tousled mess of hair.

Damon groaned. "You're not helping my guilt here."

Kate smiled up at him, her expression gentler now. "Just shhh. You are overthinking. I already told you. I am fine. I didn't think I would be that kind of woman, but hey, here I am. I love you, you idiot. Even if there are other women in your life, I still love you very much. Please don't ever leave me. I might never be as powerful as them or as useful to you, but I still love you very much."

Damon sighed. "Now, who is the idiot?" He cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away the tear that had begun to trail down without permission. "Don't ever say that. You're already more than I deserve. You're the anchor that reminds me of who I really am. Without you… I'd lose myself."

Kate's lips quivered, and for a second, her strength faltered. She reached up and clasped his hand, her fingers trembling.

"Then promise me. No matter what happens, no matter how many more women enter your life, no matter what this path turns into… promise me you won't forget me. I might be weak, but don't push me aside when things get hard. Let me be there for you. Even if I'm just the quiet one in the background, I still want to walk this path with you."

"I promise," Damon said without hesitation. "If there's ever a day I forget you… Then that version of me isn't me. He's someone else. And I give you full permission to stab that idiot in the face and bring me back."

Kate gave a watery laugh, pulling him into a tight, fragile hug. "Deal. I will stab you right in your stupid smile with a big ass icicle."

Damon smiled against her hair. "I'd expect nothing less from my terrifyingly sweet Kate. And don't say that you are going to be weak? It won't be forever. One opportunity or another will surely come your way, and when that happens, I will help you with everything I have to grab it. We will become stronger together. Alright? For now, just rest. There is no rush for you to do anything."

Damon leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, but Kate was not satisfied with just that. "I am not so fragile, you goof." She pulled him closer and kissed him deeply, her fingers curling into his collar like she never wanted to let go.

Damon's eyes widened at first, then slowly drifted shut as he returned the kiss with a soft fierceness that melted all the tension he had been carrying.

When they finally broke apart, Kate's forehead rested against his, her breath warm and shallow. "That's better," she whispered. "Now go. Go do your terrifying Blood God stuff. But remember, I'll be right here. And I expect a better kiss next time."

Damon chuckled, the sound low and genuine. "Better than that? You're a demanding woman."

Kate grinned despite her exhaustion. "Damn right I am."

Damon stood up, reluctantly letting go of her hand. "Rest well, my sweet idiot."

"Bring me something good. You cannot just give the good stuff to my brother." Kate pouted. "Now that I am in a harem, I expect to be fully spoiled by you."

"Duly noted." Damon laughed as he left the room, closing the door gently behind him. The playful smirk faded from his lips. His eyes hardened, his expression changed. "I will make it up to you, Kate."

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