The guys came to the gig after I had been to Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Montenegro, Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Serbia. They went to Turkey to take care of the fight clubs. I had been through them in every country. Damon went to Syria, Iraq, and Iran to eat people as vampire victims again. Bran was in America for negotiations, but he was not interested.
Adam was running fight clubs, and Samuel was running some medical crises. Fine. I'll be fine, I thought to myself. The fleas were damn important in this and, without their input, this would have been an even tougher trip.
Now I wasn't in a relationship mood while I was on the job and even though Damon, so to speak, was trying out the ice with a stick by sending half a dozen, half naughty text messages, I responded briefly and to the point. There was not time for that. I had to keep my mind on this job.
I trudged into the dimly lit hotel lobby in Serbia, feeling emaciated and exhausted. Fury coursed through me, clear in my short temper. While waiting for me in the lobby, Jake quickly pulled out his phone and began texting someone.
I could see the concern in his eyes as he approached me and said, "Hello, miss, let's go to your room and assess your condition."
Irritated, I replied, "I'm fine. I don't need a babysitter."
Despite my resistance, Jake silently walked beside me as we made our way to the elevator. His presence somehow calmed me, allowing my rage to recede slightly. However, the headache from the toxins and the sensitivity to light bothered me.
Jake noticed my discomfort and remarked, "You're not okay. There's still a lot of work to be done, and you have three days. While no one can perform miracles, you can be helped and find some relief."
Finally, we reached my hotel room. It was a simple space meant for rest and treatment of my injuries. Jake surveyed the room, seeing various packets of bandages scattered around. The bed remained untouched, as sleep was elusive, plagued by haunting nightmares. The gig had taken its toll, leaving me with injuries that wouldn't heal easily.
Jake nodded, acknowledging the need for help, and suggested, "Alright, help is on the way. But for now, I recommend you undress. A shower might be too much for you at the moment."
I agreed, responding, "Yeah, I won't be showering just yet."
Determined to create a soothing atmosphere, I drew the thick curtains across the windows, blocking out the harsh sunlight. Seeking relief, I retrieved some ice cubes from the freezer, placing them in a plastic bag and wrapping it in a towel. Wearily, I sank into one armchair.
Meanwhile, Jake diligently cleared the room, discarding empty packaging and gathering the full ones. I pressed the cold pack to my forehead, offering some respite from the dull ache. I knew what awaited me soon, and the thought filled me with dread.
The tissues that made dental stuff in my sinuses, and my frontal sinuses were inflamed and irritated, causing this throbbing headache and light sensitivity. I would have to empty my teeth, enduring the initial pain as pus or secretions were released. Though it would become easier over time, the process was always excruciating.
I slowly was thinking of getting up from the chair, when a sudden knock on the door startled me. Jake hurried to answer it, and I strained to glimpse the visitor, but all I could hear were muffled voices.
Squinting my eyes, I kept them closed until Damon's voice broke through the silence, asking, "Baby, what's wrong with you?"
Curiosity got the better of me, and I finally opened my eyes.
With a nonchalant tone, I replied, "Just a headache. I'll be fine."
Damon grumbled, burdened by his heavy sports bag, and spoke to Jake, "Fine, glad you called. Miss needs support then to Italy, and I can't make it, but Magnum can. But first, we have to deal with that creature in there. What the hell is wrong with it?"
Jake nodded in understanding, his footsteps echoing as he roamed around the room. Eventually, he found himself in the bathroom, where he noticed empty jars with lids, some with holes drilled into them. These jars once contained dental supplies, but a few jars were turned upside down, still damp, as if recently rinsed.
Picking up one jar, Jake inspected it. Several fang marks on the lid suggested some sort of re-purposing. Exiting the bathroom, he approached Damon, who had opened his sports bag and was searching through it.
"The bathroom is full of rinsed jars, and the lids have multiple holes. Here's something left over," Jake informed Damon, handing him the jar.
Damon's brow furrowed in confusion. Disposable jars were the norm. Even Mimi knew that. He took the jar in his hand, opening the lid cautiously and taking a sniff. A curse slipped from his lips. This wouldn't be as simple as he had hoped, and a hotel room wasn't the ideal setting for what needed to be done.
Damon retrieved a clean can from his bag and tested it then and there. He walked over to me, crouching down in front of me. As he approached, I could feel his warmth radiating towards me.
He extended his arm, offering me the jar, and said, "Come on, baby, give me a sample. I know it's difficult for you, but we need this."
I had little a choice. Taking the jar in my trembling hand, I let my rage surge through me, hoping it would make this even a little more bearable, sinking my teeth into the lid. A searing pain pierced my head, spreading like a scorching wave through my rage. My eyes felt as if they were about to burst, and droplets of sweat formed on my forehead. My hand shook uncontrollably, and I could feel the thick substance oozing from the jar.
Damon's wrist, warm and reassuring, gently grasped my hand, urging me to let go. "Come on, let go. That's enough," he urged, concern lacing his voice.
Gasping for breath, I withdrew my teeth from the lid. I pressed a towel against my mouth, allowing the putrid rot to ooze out slowly, not wanting to taste it.
Damon stood up and went to talk to Jake.
Damon had watched as Mimi had bitten through the lid of the jar, and his telepathy had felt Mimi's pain. He had controlled his own teeth at that point, which reacted with an almost violent urge to velvet Mimi and subdue her pain.
Damon had kept his expression neutral as Mimi's teeth had dripped rotten blood and thick secretions into the jar. Mimi had shuddered in pain. He hadn't let her bite for more than a few seconds as the pain coming through their bond was too much.
Now he had a sample, but he kept the lid in place and went to talk to Jake.
"Jake, does Mimi have her own house here? Or what kind of base is there? This hotel room is not really suitable for treatment, and that lady needs to be treated."
Jake said, "No she doesn't, but as she was moving to Italy next, Sicily when the Mafia put in place so she has a house in Sicily."
Damon thought for a moment.
He said, "I'm aware of that. But now, first, I have to give some first aid to that creature somewhere,"
Jake said, "It takes less than two hours to fly from here to Sicily and we have our own planes. I can have a pilot ready in probably an hour.'"
Damon furrowed his brow and said, "Fine, do it. I'll velvet that lady, see what I can do before the flight, and then see what's in Sicily."
Jake said, "At least there's a damn good medbay at the base that Colin put in."
Damon nodded and thought. He wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere just yet, and Magnum was going to be helping with the mafia anyway, so getting the lady in shape would be a priority.
Damon came over to me, took the cold pack from my hand and said, " Miss, Jake is getting a pilot so we'll fly to Sicily, go to the base and I'll take a better look at you there. Magnum and Adam are already starting a mafia operation so we've got help, and I'll give them some vampires to help so missy, let's get you fixed up. I'm sure you can guess what's coming. My teeth are filled with black velvet, and you'll go to sleep. You haven't slept for a long time, so the rest is good."
I said, "I've got nothing but this fucking infection. I can stay awake. "
Damon lifted me up and said nothing as he sank his teeth into my neck and I felt the velvet about to rush into my veins as my legs went out from under me and the blissful darkness took me to where there was no pain—only rest.
Damon held Mimi for a moment as she weakened in his grip, and only when his telepathy ensured that she was completely painless did he remove his teeth, lowering her to the bed to rest.
Then he said to Jake, "How long to the airport and when will the plane be ready?"
Jake said, "45 minutes, and the plane will be ready in an hour, so we'll be ready to go soon."
Damon nodded and said, " Pack up Mimi's stuff while I get a few things ready."
Jake nodded. Damon opened the bag, took the collectors, and attached the bag to them. He put the collectors in his teeth and let the material drain. He felt through Mimi. Then he undressed her, shaking his head as he saw the bruises and wounds on her body.
He took the sheets he wrapped her in and threw her dirty, stained clothes in the trash. They then went to the car. Damon put Mimi in the back seat of his car and carried his bag with him, too. Mimi was in pretty damn thin shape again, and the gig had clearly eaten away at her.
But now it was time to get her back in a better shape. There was still a hell of a lot of world rescue left to do. They drove to the airport.
Jake said they arrived at their destination. "is it okay if I come along? I can help with the mafia."
Damon nodded. He held Mimi tightly in his arms, and the entire car ride, he'd been spilling drugs. When they got on the plane. Damon put Mimi on one couch, cannulated her, and dripped the bags he'd made.
The trip to Sicily went by quickly, and Damon could drip six bags during the trip. He knew it was a good start, but this would require surgery and recovery. They drove to the base, and Damon carried Mimi there to the medical room. He put Mimi in the scanner first.
The base was swarming with men, but Damon wouldn't let anyone come in and bother him. Then, after four hours, Damon walked out of there, saying nothing to anyone. It was just the smell of a wet dog as he walked out the door and drove away. He was carrying his sports bag with him.
Damien was pleased. He'd just gotten to the surface after his time manipulating Damon about his party and what condition Mimi was in once again when the pack didn't support her. Damon's self-loathing had been so strong that he had come out in the middle of the surgery. Mimi might feel bad, but that only gave Damien satisfaction. One day Mimi would get to experience the sheds for real.
He'd packed her cavities full of dental concentrates made by Damon. They would hurt and ache for a long time. Plus, Mimi's dental stuff would be useless. He'd let Mimi heal, lift her up on the bed, not feed her anything, pack up everything Damon had drained from his teeth, and walk away. He said nothing to anyone.
In the car he called Sark, he would occasionally sell Damon's dentifrices to him, giving him new substances to test, and he had also taken several samples of Mimi. When Sark then told his new best employee where to drop off the samples, Damien did so, and then he went off on his own again. Oh, that Damon would get a damn good pang of conscience if he then let Damon remember a few scenes and he added some of his own feelings to them.
I woke up in medbay in agony, and I had a moment to wonder what the hell had happened. The headache was different, and I felt like I had a brutal pressure in my head. But Salvatore was nowhere to be seen. I wasn't cannulated. I sat up and let my rage come out. I got dressed, still finding that I had demon blades inside me, as I felt a sharp pain inside my stomach as I moved and now I still didn't understand a thing.
I then went to see what the deal was. The base was swarming with people, and when I asked around, I was told that Damon had left about eight hours earlier, carrying his bags, smelling like a wet dog, and talking to some girl on the phone passionately about how much fun they had had at the party. So much for doctor mode, then. Apparently, he was pissed at me about something now. I wasn't sure what, but one sound bet was Jake. I don't know what the fuck he had done to me when I felt like my head was going to split open.
The gig went on. The Italian mafia was next, and I got Magnum to help. It was quite a job. I wasn't well, and when I called Magnum, he informed me he knew about my radar. Fine, I informed him, I'd ask around a bit to see if Colin had any help, and Magnum didn't understand at all why Damon had behaved the way he had. We called Colin, and he came in 24 hours later.
He took me to the medbay, put me to bed, scanned and operated. A week passed, and the headache was gone when I woke up. Colin explained Damon had packed the concentrates into my cavity and he had drained them, flushed them out and got the infection to stop. He had also removed over 80 demon blades from my gut. And now I was ready to move on.
So, I then helped even more with the Italian mafia. It took me about three weeks. Colin then left and next we moved on to the Russian mafia. We stayed in a hotel and destroyed all the Russians that needed to be destroyed. And then the yakuza. That was the hardest one, and that's where Adam came in to help.
Magnum, Jake, and Higgins have been with me all the time now. The job had been going on for nine months when every mafia took a month. But I just had to keep going. Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. Adam left somewhere after the Russian mob.
Higgins and Mimosa focused on sabotage while I had to run the fight clubs, and Magnum was there to make sure Sark wasn't anywhere near. With me on the radar. Magnum helped with Jake if I got worse damage, but Colin had been busy in Ireland, and Samuel kept treating werewolf infections. I had heard nothing about Damon for a long time and didn't even care.
And then the last month was in China. There I was on my own as Magnum, and Jake had to take some time off. Magnum was with Higgins, and Jake went to stay with the family. I had bases in China, but no one there dared to even talk to me when I had a rage completely open. The gig was over once again and had lasted another whole year. I realized I hadn't been in heat for a long time, for several years, and I didn't immediately miss it.