After a couple of days, I kept myself busy, of course getting comments and reminders about eating, although I was now in good shape, so this time, the lesson was going to take a lot of my fitness down. It was part of the lesson.
I didn't let it get on my nerves so much now, and then the pressure in my head that I was being chased started. But I tried to keep in mind that I could take anything. It helped somewhat and through our bond came a hint of irritation that I wasn't as easy a victim as last time. My time as a leader had toughened me up quite a lot.
I had got the mansion set up enough that I had just gotten a bed installed for myself so I wouldn't have to sleep on an air mattress. I had orders coming in, but this was an enormous mansion with lots of space, so I went out and bought some of the stuff.
I went downtown to buy textiles and whatever else I found. There were several large shopping centers and an interior design shop. I drove my car into the garage and started looking around the shops. I had listed in my mind what I was looking for.
I was in one furniture shop looking at sofas when the salesmen started talking frantically about something. I then went closer out of curiosity and saw Damon drinking from one of the sales assistants, then dropping it on the floor as it was limp in his grip and saying to the other sales assistants, "It looks a bit like he's suffering from anemia, a deadly kind."
Damon then looked up, looked at me with a cold smile, and walked out of the store while the salesmen helped the victim. One was already calling an ambulance, and after a few minutes, I heard the siren's wail, but the victim's heart was beating weakly when the paramedics arrived.
When they heard it was a vampire victim, they followed protocol by quickly giving him a transfusion, tying his neck, and quickly taking the victim to the hospital. I wasn't at all sure if the victim would survive, but I would not interfere. I went to the next store.
Damon said lazily in my head, "Oh baby, your rescue instinct didn't kick in. How strange, you must have let that person die then. Your blood could have saved, maybe, or maybe he would have become a vampire, and you would have been his sire. Gosh, baby, you saw through my ruse."
I didn't comment. I continued shopping. I knew that mere blood would not change one as a vampire. I was keeping my mind on the matter.
Eventually, I had a large shopping trolley with bags packed full as I headed for the car park. I got into my car and started loading things. I left the trolley by the wall and got into the driver's side. There was one huge pitch-black rose on the seat, with a note next to it. I looked at the note. Oh fuck, Jarod's address.
I called Jarod and warned him. He promised to get out of the way. We agreed I'd get in touch by email at some point. The Lord was getting pissed off too, or maybe he was afraid Jarod would get something out of him.
Damon said in my head: "No way, baby. He's just a stranger in your life who's becoming too important to you. So I took him out of the picture, and oh baby, I would so give him a lethal anemia. Somewhere remote where the ambulance wouldn't get there and you wouldn't be there either, or if I had to make him a vampire too, be his sire and then order him not to be with you and make him do some pretty horrible things."
Now I think I should take a break. Somebody's getting pretty nervous. I was trying to be calm, but now I was really getting pissed off. Fucking crazy vampire. I drove irritably to the mansion and started carrying things inside. He had gotten me riled me up and then there were little things happening.
For the first time, I'd bought new doors and locks, which only I had the key to. A new key would be nowhere, even if someone might try to trick his victim into giving him one. Now, it wouldn't work.
The windows were not yet top security, but I had replaced them, and quite a few of them had security alarms and proper locks. I had many bags, and then there were orders coming in, too.
I carried the stuff into the living room, and again, I was surprised and almost screamed out loud. In the middle of the table, there was an enormous bouquet of black roses. Jarod's pictures with the eyes burnt out. Oh, how mature? Then let's play. Wasn't it enough that Jarod was hiding?
Yes, it's just a strange thing that one fucking man can cause such a storm in a glass of water, and I'm never allowed to be jealous when the Lord is fucking half the kingdom? But fine, let it go again. I finally got all the stuff inside, called Adam, and told him about it.
Adam said: "Now that's getting to where I'm going to come in and fix that house up, bring my team in, and then that house is going to be bombproof. I'm going to drive out and get my team first."
I said, "Thank you, I look forward to it. I don't understand why he's doing this. I really don't know why he doesn't scream and yell and argue. It's always this fucking stalking thing."
Adam grunted and hung up. Just knowing that Adam promised to drive and comb the house to make sure nothing could get in brought an added sense of security. I continued to search the house and noticed more small gifts that the satanic stalker had left behind.
I noticed a sexy nightgown on my bed, which also had burnt areas. Additionally, someone had left spiked handcuffs attached to my bed. Oh, fuck, and sixteen of his friends, I thought to myself. My curse word vocabulary had gotten quite many new ideas about this fuckbrained idiot who thought that scaring his wife would be a good way to spend his time.
I went through the entire house carefully. I found black rose petals on the bed, more pictures of Jarod, spiked handcuffs, and even the little fucking cans that the fucking shed had been full of. Every time I found something, a feeling of insecurity and menace grew in my mind.
As I was sitting in the kitchen again, cooking and trying to get myself together, an amused voice in my head said: "My Mimi, I'm just getting started. A wicked wife needs to learn what happens when you get involved with strange men and talk to them on the phone for hours several times a week. I know everything. You can be sure of that. My fangs are hard at work. Then you'll be back to see what I can do now."
And he let me feel his satisfaction again. My panic grew. How could a protector become such a fucking good stalker?
Damon was so sure he would get in, and he had proven it. Adam had said that Damon might have just picked up the security code in my mind, and that's how he got in, but they had more sophisticated ways of keeping Damon out of the house.
Damon declared in my mind, "I will get in, and soon, baby, you'll be in the shed, trying again to see if the lesson is sinking in."
I didn't flinch. I would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that I was upset about it, not in the least. Adam was a professional, and if there was one thing he knew, it was safety. He would certainly see at first glance where I was lacking and correct it.
But damn, Salvatore. How did he even know about my call with Jarod in the first place? Maybe he's been asking for my phone records and spying on my thoughts? I hadn't always felt his presence, but then again, I can't know how the power of a telepath feels in my head. Do I even always feel it? As if by magic, I felt Damon in my head. Oh, he's spying on my thoughts then.
At least I got my questions answered, but then again, how the fuck am I supposed to live? Am I not allowed to have any friends to talk to? Why don't I talk to Damon? That is because he's not always around, and then if I've ever mentioned an observation I've made, he hasn't understood what I meant, while Jarod saw what I saw. And it's a damn hard thing to explain to someone who is not a pretender.
Fine. I continued to put the house up and put in bedding and agreed on where the orders would be delivered. I had a lot of beds coming in, and I was getting the master bedroom ready at the same time.
This was my mansion, and I wasn't at all sure Damon would ever come here. So I made myself a luxurious bedroom where I was going to sleep or read, whatever. I also got the other rooms ready in case Adam and I needed to relieve some pressure.
I was wondering a couple of places if I could get Adam excited about wild fucking, and I felt a sharp headache in my head, and also how offended Damon was when it was just the two of us, not Adam. Fine, I didn't bother to irritate any further but continued to hang the pale yellow lace curtains on the window in the master bedroom. He was watching my mind all the time. It was pretty clear.
"Mimi, shouldn't we decorate that room together? I suppose we could put the bed on the other wall." the commentary continued.
I was feeling more and more hounded. This had been going on for over a week now, probably two weeks soon. And the watching went on as well. I felt so fucking isolated and alone, but knowing that Adam was coming helped, and I just had to keep myself together.
It's difficult when you're up against a fucking powerful telepath who can project feelings into your mind, and when that thing is fucked up, those feelings are not good. I knew Adam was going to take a couple of days to drive, and I just tried to hang on.
Black roses were on the table. I didn't sleep; I didn't dare sleep; I just ate the food I made myself from scratch. Now, I didn't give him the chance to drug me by putting something into food.
When Adam drove up, I was relieved. I was glad I didn't run into him. I sat in the kitchen, looking around and trying to keep my hands from shaking. I had just rediscovered black roses in a couple of rooms.
He had five people with him, and they started going through the house very carefully, writing their notes on their tablets.
Adam took me into the kitchen and made coffee, heated the food, and said: "You look quite nervous. I think Damon's making you a bit panicky."
He looked at me very carefully, saw my expression and my shaking hands, and noticed that I hadn't slept at all.
I nodded and said, "Not panicking yet, but feeling chased, hunted. I want to escape, but I don't know where. I'm cornered. Everywhere you look, there's evidence that he's been here. Black roses, medicine jars, syringes, and spiked cuffs on the beds. I know he can get in or is in this house, but I don't know how the hell."
Adam wrapped his arms around me, reassured me, and said: "These guys are my elite group. These guys are so slick that once they have this house secured, there's absolutely no way anyone can get in here. No one. You've got camera surveillance and motion detectors that can spot a vampire. New locks a security system, so Damon can't get to you. We can even build you a safe room. We'll make the windows and everything secure. The men will go through the entire house, and if Damon is hiding somewhere in here, we'll find him, and then I'll take him straight to Dresden for treatment."
Adam held me in his arms for a while, and I calmed down. I could already hear the drill as the men worked. I ate happily with Adam, and we retired to the bedroom. I thought he was just going to put me to bed.
Instead, he seduced me pretty fucking quickly and said: "This will help, take the pressure off, pleasure will help, and besides, Salvatore might get into your dreams, he can't help this."
Adam was in a wild mood. When he had me all to himself, he let me have it. We were sweaty but happy when we finished in the early hours of the morning. I climbed on top of Adam to sleep. He was a very good mattress. I felt safe, and I fell asleep happy.