The gig was in Vermont. So I'd bought a pretty damn gorgeous mansion there earlier. Adam's people had put it up as security and hadn't been decorated too much. Adam and Samuel were also coming to stay there, but Bran wasn't. His gig was in Kentucky, so that he couldn't come, at least not at first. I packed a lot of food, supplies, and everything from the fridge for the trip as we drove to the mansion.
The six-story mansion stood tall, its grey facade commanding attention. As we approached, the scent of blooming flowers from the extensive gardens filled the air, mingling with the earthy aroma of the berry and fruit orchards. The sound of water gently trickling in the ponds and the distant chirping of birds created a serene atmosphere. The sight of the tennis court and outdoor swimming pool added a touch of luxury to the already impressive property.
The mansion's many windows flooded the rooms with natural light, illuminating the light wood kitchen with its sleek black granite tops. I could imagine how the scent of freshly baked goods wafting from the top-of-the-line appliances would tempt us to indulge in culinary delights. The crackling fire in the enormous fireplace in the living room would create a warm and cozy ambiance. It was autumn, after all. The light brown swivel chairs beckoned, their cupped seats offering comfort and relaxation.
Venturing into the master bedroom, the panoramic view through the abundant windows took our breath away. The sight of the second pond and the lush forest beyond was nothing short of breathtaking. The enormous bed, adorned with a thick violet duvet, enticed me to sink into its luxurious embrace. It was not consecrated at all, but I didn't even think that while I marveled at everything.
As we toured the house, the meticulously maintained lawns and the meticulously trimmed conifers created a pleasing visual harmony. The slate fences created smaller 'rooms' within the yard, offering the possibility of outdoor dining or leisurely swings. The vibrant flower beds scattered throughout added bursts of color and a sense of rhythm to the otherwise orderly landscape.
Lost in the beauty of the surroundings, the thought of the upcoming harvest season excited my imagination. The possibilities of enjoying this enchanting place on my own became more enticing with each passing moment. This was one of the most luxurious properties in a long time—a real gem.
Samuel was a workhorse so that he might have been at the clinic for a long time. Then, how could Mr. Hauptman always drive back to the house when he had his own house nearer? My mansion was just the right distance from the bakery.
There were several really nice cars in the big garage; they all had the locker already fitted and were fully equipped, so if at some point a rush job came along, it wouldn't be a problem, but now I was looking forward to the next day and my first internship.
Maybe if I could do this in so many places, I could get quite a few jobs for myself, from photographer to vet. I had fucking all the time in the world; I was immortal.
I knew how I had got my spark, and even though an entire pack of fae had merged into me to become a new spark, I didn't know what would come of it.
But what had been pretty weird, well, I had said nothing to Adam or Samuel about it was the way this lion shifter, Curran, had been acting. He'd come in for coffee and wouldn't look me in the eye. If I made eye contact, he always dodged.
He saw me as somehow stronger, but I was a hybrid, a werewolf vampire, and not a shifter. But he called me alpha. He looked very respectful. Adam and Samuel hadn't noticed so much as other people were around.
Then Curran came up to me and said, " My alpha, remember that my pack and I are always ready to help you and your pack."
I nodded and said, "I will give Adam your regards. Thank you."
Curran frowned and said, "I said nothing of the Hauptmann pack. I will speak of your pack when the time is right. My alpha, you will have your pack. "
I nodded. From what I had heard of Curran, he was a bachelor, had never been married, and led his flock firmly. He was machismo of machos, so this behavior was strange.
But I hadn't really thought about it that much. The thought just popped into my head. I had no fae memories, or if I had, I couldn't access them.
The next morning, I went to work in a Tesla. This was a full electric, the latest model, black, and I had insisted on gold stars to decorate it. The stars were actually slightly raised from the surface of the car. As this was custom made, I had now wanted a flashy car. Although this was not a sports car, it was not a full-on SUV either. This was something in between the two.
Adam and Samuel had left before me, both with their own cars to drive. My trip went really smoothly, and I had a great time on the drive. I had done nothing here again except gigs now and then, so here was another state for me to study. Maybe on the weekends, I could even go shopping.
I arrived at the bakery and drove to the back, where I was directed by the instructions I had received. I had a parking permit and put it on the inside of the windshield of my car. I grabbed my bag and got out of the car.
I still had my straight blonde hair, and I had put it in a neat, tight braid, and it was in a bun. I was wearing blue jeans and a purple print shirt. I would have my apron reserved for me.
When I walked in, I was surprised and pretty damn positive. There were men working there. The boss reminded me of Brad Pitt, the co-worker I'd be in the same room with, who reminded me of Johnny Depp. Then there was the as-apparent Tom Ellis and dancing with stars from one season of that deaf dancer, Nyle Di Marco.
There were some nice-looking co-workers, though, and I was the only woman. They showed me around the workspace and the recipes, and they were very excited to find out earlier that I had once been Finnish and they could learn some new tidbits from me.
We had a lot of fun, though; I wanted to do anything and learn everything. They wouldn't let me decorate cakes or anything as I wasn't that good at it, but I made dough, baked buns, and showed them curd bread. I also talked about rye bread, and that got them pretty damn excited. The first day went by pretty damn fast, and I promised to teach them and bring tasters when I could.
It was a nice gig, and two weeks would have been a short time, but now I have a new idea: this is what I want to learn. I'd watched this manager decorate cakes for a few hours, and it was something I wanted to learn one day. This Nyle Di Marco lookalike was very good at chocolate making, and I was very interested in it.
When I went to the house, there was no one there, so I spent the rest of my time entertaining myself by first harvesting fruits, berries, and some vegetables from the garden. Ironically, there was a beautiful tomato patch full of such gorgeous-looking tomatoes, but there was no coriander in the herb garden. There were basil, chives, and air onions, which I took with me; I collected all the supplies. I put them in the fridge, and then I retired to one outbuilding.
It was a small house, small and small, by my standards, but not for normal people, so at least 90 square meters, but it was a very good little house. I made the perfect bedroom for myself and then I went and read recipe books and cookbooks that I had brought with me, there were also guides to chocolate making and sugar work, cake decorating, many wonderful things and I really enjoyed reading them all night long. In the morning, I just showered and was ready for the next day.
Damon was fucking mad at himself. He was a weak fool, and oh, he was pissed; he'd been pissed for the whole seven weeks he'd been on this fucking gig trying to get information out of this fucking bimbo. Mimi had heard everything. That had been partly true. He was stressed and needed to decompress, but then why hadn't he been with Mimi, rehabilitating her in bed?
Why the fuck did he have to have the brilliant idea of combining work and pleasure? JoJo was the maid of one of these horseshit fucking vampire families. Not ugly, but stupid as fuck. But she knew how to keep her mouth shut. Plus, JoJo had some fucking horseshit cover in her mind that he just couldn't pick out information from her head. So he'd then gone on a love holiday with her to Hawaii and regretted it after a month, and then the regret only increased.
Adam had called and berated him, told him how Magnum had rehabilitated Mimi and how they were now in Pennsylvania in a pack when Mimi was judging a show. Another god awful lot of missed opportunities to be with Mimi, and when the fuck would he learn Mimi comes first? Even more than in cases of illness.
But now Bran had given him this stupid PR gig, and he was really not in the mood to be a cruise host. He was on for a day and then got off the ship when it stopped at one port. He called Adam, and Adam told him about Mimi's fabulous mansion in Vermont, the two ponds, the outbuildings, and how Mimi works in a bakery.
Again, Damon had been a master baker, a master cake baker, and there were very few dishes or desserts he couldn't make. And Mimi enjoyed it when the strange man, Adam, told him how Mimi had described her co-workers, taught her, and then made him realize that he could have been teaching Mimi himself, not good-looking strangers in some damn bakery.
But Mimi would probably be furious with him, and he couldn't blame her. He just imagined how Mimi had sat in the bathroom, listening to him seduce another woman on the phone. Mimi must have felt awful, inadequate, and a burden. When it wasn't like that, not to begin with, but somehow he was just so restless, and usually sex unloaded this charge with strangers. Why, he couldn't say.
He would have to show Mimi what this would mean to him and properly with her. He thought of a way. What would be the ultimate way? He flew near Mimi's mansion, Charles flew him, and he had his own car on the plane with him. He'd told Adam to go to Mimi's mansion and try to get things back on track. He'd recognized how totally fucked up he was at these things.
Even if Mimi had come back to life, he should always remember that week and start making memories with Mimi, like they were in England. How fucking hard it was for him again. How he doesn't appreciate what he has. He thought to himself that, of course, after such a terrible thing, she must have expected him to hang around like a burdock, but no, he went off to fuck strangers, and the last memory she had of him was when he was doing his doctor's work on her, not being a husband.
Adam had told him about her nightmares, her insomnia, everything. He had to be fucking better. Somehow. He drove up to a really gorgeous mansion. He had the codes and keys when Adam had delivered them to him. Mimi had been in this house for only a short time. Damon saw a gorgeous black Tesla in the yard with gold star patterns on it.
But Mimi was not in the house. Damon felt around on his telepathy for a moment and noticed that Mimi had cunningly made one of the guest houses into a perfect nest for herself. He walked into the house quickly and went silently inside. It was time for action, not words.
For some reason, Damon wasn't there on the cruise after a day and then came to visit me in my mansion. I had just gotten home from work, was in my little house, had another large supply of cookbooks, and was taking them to the kitchen when he walked up to me, glued me to the wall, and kissed me.
I was surprised and didn't know how to react, but my body did. I kissed back and enjoyed it. I wasn't starving then, and we ended up in bed for the rest of the day. We did, however, dedicate this house pretty damn efficiently from floor to ceiling. In the morning, I was fucked to pieces, but I was looking forward to my day at work.
Damon said, " Fine baby, first of all, I was a total dick. I know you heard me, and I have no good reason. I fucked someone else when I could have spent all these weeks with you. I just don't learn! So I lost you once for a week, and I just don't understand hanging on to you like a burdock. What the fuck kind of husband am I? You chose me, and this is how I reward you."
His confession made my rage bubble a bit, so I got hungry for blood, but I was not showing it, not a bit.
I sighed as I lay on top of him and said, " I made my choice, and you made yours. We just have to live with our choices; I can't be mad at you every day. I just can't. I've had way too much fun, and even though the fucking sergeant major got me in shape, I was pissed off when he spent my rage, but before I go to work.."
I suddenly sank my teeth into Damon's neck and started eating greedily. He grabbed me pretty fucking quick, slammed me under him, and held me so I couldn't eat.
He looked into my eyes, eyes blood red, vampire side showing, and said, "Naughty girl, very naughty girl, fine, I can see now that missy needs some work." He got up off of me and said, " Try that again, and you won't be going to work today. "
Fine, I restrained myself and slipped into the shower to wash up. I had been left with my clothes and put them on. Now, I was wearing thick velvet trousers, a long-sleeved tee shirt, and a bra; my husband obviously wanted to cover my body. I then went to the kitchen to eat.
Damon said, " Come and eat, then when you get off work, let's go to the main house. There are plenty of places to be sanctified."
I nodded. I ate the breakfast my lovely husband had prepared for me. First, he brought me a pitcher of blood, and oh damn, it was a strong; good thing I could down the whole pitcher, but I had to.
I said, "Let's try this everyday life in the pack and see if it works out."
Damon just laughed and said, "Let's see how long we can keep our hands off each other without those night sessions turning into days. The main house beckons. It's got magnificent bedrooms and all the other rooms. "
I just smiled.
Damon said, " Fine, I'll go to the main house and make some food, and I'll look through these books while I'm at it and make sure those fruits and veggies are ok for you."
I said, "I haven't had a taste yet, but oh, there was a nice tomato plant full of tomatoes in the greenhouse; I didn't eat any, didn't touch them."
Damon just grunted. I finished my meal, gathered my supplies, and went to work. Damon stayed home to cook because there wasn't as much food for me as there should have been. Bran always ate my food. He had always taken my food when he was in Pennsylvania, and I had taken what was left over.
I drove my tesla to work in a good mood, taught them how to make a bun, and showed them how to knead the dough by hand. They had powerful machines, and you could make a bigger batch, but I think you have to know when the dough is right when you make a bun.
I gave all the little tips on how to make a good bun, and then I would show them a few braids, and I was already talking about curd pies or butter eye buns. This co-worker of mine, a Johnny Depp clone, was right next to me and felt around as I handed him the dough.
We had a great time when I told them what you could make with the bun, and they knew some customers who would probably be interested in a fresh bun. I was about to have my lunch break and then put the dough up.
Damon had been probing his wife's thoughts all day; her warm contentment came through crystal clear, and Damon knew when Mimi had her lunch break, she would get a little surprise before the big surprise was ready. It would take a while, but he was tough and merciless and would get it sorted out.
He set off to Mimi's 'work' in his SUV and was now ready. He grunted as he felt the flank syringe against his sleeve. Mimi's bloodlust had been a clear sign of how she felt in charge again; it was time to remind her of the facts.
The boss, aka Brad Pitt, came over and said, "Mimi, I think there's someone here to see you."
I hadn't taken lunch when they knew what I could eat, and I was just about to eat a perfect sourdough roll. I wondered who it was, Adam. Interesting. Well, we'll soon see. We went out the back. I was quite surprised to see Damon standing in the doorway. He was carrying a picnic basket, and the look he gave my colleague was pretty much pure aggression.
But I didn't let it bother me. I went over to my husband, wrapped my arms around him, and kissed him. He took hold of me and put the basket on the table.
At the same time, I felt a needle plunge into my lung, and Damon said in my head. "Darling, this place may not quite suit you, but for now, we're going to have lunch, and then we'll see. You are quite unruly, and your husband is here now to put you in your place. "
This flanker was pretty fucking strong again, and Damon more or less had to carry me as he led me out to eat. He fed me and held me all to himself. He had made all the food himself, and it was still warm. The flank didn't dissipate quickly, and I was really drugged; my workmates noticed nothing; they must have seen how in love I was.
After I had finished eating, he looked at me for a long time as he contemplated his next move. Before he could act, then apparently his phone, his girl's phone, rang, and he got up and went to talk to Sarah.
I sat for a while and started getting my mind slightly clearer. I went inside and just watched as he drove away. Fine, I didn't have a problem. He had just reacted, and he was jealous of me.
I finished my day and drove to the house—no Damon there. No surprise. Because every time a bitch calls, Damon goes to the bitch. He's like a little lapdog in that respect. I couldn't be bothered. The food was done, and he had put some berries and fruit elsewhere, and some were then free for the taking. We didn't have to sanctify the house yet. It was not the time.
I went on with my work. I worked all week long. Or five days, and the weekend was always free, during which I decorated the house and explored the yard, which included two other guest houses; I could nest in those at some point.
My gig would last two weeks and then another week on the leftover. I was thinking over the weekend as I was putting things in order that after this gig, I could resume my practice as a doctor. Damon had disappeared from the house, and I didn't even bother to look for his wallet and phone in the room.
So much for trying to get through the day in a pack. Adam and Samuel haven't come back to this house yet either, but that's okay. I can handle myself with Mimosa, who was having so much fucking fun all over the place while she was wrecking and enjoying herself.