We had been on an island for a week now. I was sleeping in a hammock outside. Magnum wanted to sleep inside; he wanted some peace and quiet. It was too noisy for him when bats and other nighttime critters made their own sounds.
At night, God came into my dream once again in cat form. I was, once again, sitting on a beautiful beach, feeling this overwhelming feeling of peace and happiness invading my soul. I sat on the beach when god came as a cat, woke up to my lap to curl up, and purred for a while.
Then he sighed and said, " Sorry, Mimi, but Europe is calling a long and demanding job. You wanted to be away from the pack. Well, you got what you wanted. You've got a week to get the information in your head. It is, once again, time for you to save the world, and it is just what it is: your job."
I said, "Fine, I will do it. It is like I have little of a choice, do I? At least I have been healthy for well, a little over two months now. It is, once again, time for me not to be in so good shape. I guess men are unaware of this?"
God nodded and said, "It is free will, and then it is also something that needs to happen. It sounds cruel, and it is cruel to separate you from your pack, to make you face all these things alone, but I trust you. After all, you are almost my masterpiece." Then he walked away before I had a chance to say anything.
I woke up cursing. Why is it always me? Why can't I spend time in paradise? I sat on the porch with my phone and laptop when Magnum came out in the morning. I had worked up at 3 am, so I had made some progress already when I had now, once again, all the necessary information in my mind.
He came to sit next to me and said, "I gather that something has happened. It is time for our vacation to end, right?" His voice was little sad.
I nodded and said, "World-saving gig, over year, hard as hell, and no hope any of the men help me, free will and all. So there goes my perfect little life once again."
He said, "Fuck with it. I will help, and we have our organization as a backup. You don't need those slackers, anyway."
I just grunted, not letting bitterness seep in my thoughts too much. I had to focus and do my job as savior.
I took the coffee cup that Magnum had brought me, and he sat next to me, took out his phone and satellite phone, too, and started working with me. I had written my schedule so he could see what I was up against, and he tried to help wherever he could. But once he called Jake and Rob to ask how it was going, they told him that Sark had again come to the surface and was making many troubles, so fleas were busy, too. Sark had really taken all the fleas as targets, and being safe was difficult. Well, that is just fine and dandy, a minor complication, but I can do this.
There were nasty incoming fight clubs, lots of them, and bad assassinations, tricky to execute, and tight schedules—pretty much those kinds of one-chance hits. Then, there was some sabotage, mysteries, and herb hunting in three different jungles: Amazon, Madagascar, and Borneo. Oh, how I loved going to the jungle to fight after a good fight club tour when I'd be in such not-so-good shape again.
I could direct the fleas to some jobs, but again, I couldn't mess them up too much, as we always had our own things going on. It was going to be quite a year again. Magnum promised to keep an eye on flea problems unless something big enough to require my attention came up. Magnum and I worked a few days from the island in order to get things rolling as well as they could. As Adam had been absent, Jake and Rob promised to take care of the fleas with Magnum's help. God knows how long.
I had quite a lot curse words for Adam too. I knew that he did good work when he did but then when he was not doing his job and rarely he left someone in charge as he had assumed that he could do the job still and then when he could not do it, everything was jumbled up.
Magnum was needed to keep my people safe from Sark and try to come up with new ideas to get Sark back into hiding or then bring him to justice. But that would not happen as he had too many multiple aliases and lots of different things to work around. So I would be relying on myself, but then again, now Mirella could be free again, and Mimosa could, too, so we would do this mostly by ourselves.
Magnum promised to get as much help as possible, but I told him that safety comes first; if someone were helping us, they would have to be absolutely safe, with no risk at all, none. This was going to be hard enough as it is without me getting a trip to Lake Lanier, too. Once we got every little detail done as well as expected, our plane was ready, and we went to a private airstrip, bid farewell to my paradise, and got ready to save the world.
I meticulously planned my schedule and boarded a plane bound for Portugal. As I arrived, the vibrant bullfighting fight clubs came back to life. The sun beamed down, casting a warm glow upon the vast arena where my next challenge awaited. Three imposing adult bulls stood before me, their powerful presence palpable. Dark Fae, exuding an aura of strength, flanked them. The scent of Mimosa filled the air, providing a hint of tranquility amidst the impending chaos. She was standing right next to me.
Mimosa was my companion for this pair fight, and Mirella made it clear that she was not a fighter. Undeterred, I adorned myself with protective clothing, mindful of the division demons, their teeth eager to pierce my skin. These creatures were known for their ability to shed teeth and inject drugging venom into their opponents, a constant threat that I aimed to avoid. The crowd erupted in cheers, not for me, but for the dark elves who swiftly attacked, their bright red suits taunting the bulls and aggravating them with poisoned daggers.
Fortunately, my loyal vampire wolf, fueled by bloodlust for battle, swiftly dispatched the bulls, allowing me to focus on eliminating the elves. It was a grim task, devoid of enjoyment. Black witches and wizards emerged, causing further damage, but my healing abilities brought solace. Mimosa and I became an unstoppable force, our purpose transcending mere combat to outright slaughter. The year ahead, we were promised to be arduous, with no respite in sight. The faster we exterminated our adversaries, the greater their numbers seemed to multiply, as there were no limits to our daily conquests.
Yet, fueled by rage, we pressed on relentlessly. Our opponents now faced an indomitable force. Hope, however faint, still lingered for them. Portugal was just the beginning. Spain, France, Germany, and its notorious 17 worst clubs posed a greater challenge than the last. Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia lay ahead, a daunting path that offered no room for intimacy or pleasure.
After Magnum took a hit on a previous mission, I was forced to attend to some less glamorous tasks. Fortunately, I was surrounded by dependable allies like Jake and Rob, who proved invaluable during these trying times.
Then I just kept going. There was no relief and no flexibility in the schedule, but I was in work mode. Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands. Every country had a fight club, and often, these were very demanding kills, so I had to be super focused.
My condition went downhill steadily, but my rage grew, and that was my driving force on this gig. I could have called in time to men, Adam, Damon, or anyone else, but I didn't. I was way too pissed off, too far gone in my rage, so I was killing the machine with purpose, nothing more than that. I didn't need anyone. I had Mimosa; she was as enraged as I was, and Mirella tried to help my condition whenever she could.
But the fact was, I did not have an appetite, no feeling of hunger, and my rage was blown out, so I was not a good girl and ate; I was a soulless killing machine saving the world, and my body was the least of my problems. My inner beast was getting stronger, my vampire side boosted itself fight after fight. The acrid scent of gunpowder hung in the air as I moved swiftly, my footsteps echoing off the cold concrete walls.
Murdock was otherwise engaged. He was hot on Sark's heels, determined either to kill him or drive him so deep underground that he would not surface anytime soon. And it didn't help that the distant sounds of chaos and destruction filled my ears again. I had been on this Europe gig for eight months, my senses constantly bombarded by the sights and sounds of danger.
Something happened to Bran, and I became Marrok again. The metallic tang of blood mixed with the earthy scent of the jungle as I fought to finish the fight clubs, get mafias under control, go to the jungles, and take care of Marrok's business and possibly flea business at the same time. The heat and humidity clung to my skin, intensifying my burning anger. Try to control your rage and your lust for taking lives so you won't send it all over the werewolves of the USA and Canada.
The weight of responsibility pressed down on me, making each step feel heavier than the last. It was once again giving yet another layer of difficulty to this hellish tour across the globe, but I had my work to be done, and as they say, what doesn't kill you makes you only stronger, well I do have some recovery to ahead of me, but I will manage just fine.
When the European gig finally ended after 15 months, Bran was just recovering, and the marrok power was gone from my head. The air felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I had been Marrok for a record seven months, and it had been a crazy job, but I had pretty fucking well put everything in order. Being marrok was not a straightforward task, and in the middle of the freaking hard world-saving tour, it was even harder. But I did it anyway, with the help of Mimosa. The gentle scent of flowers wafted through my mind, bringing a sense of calm amidst the chaos.
I just knew Bran wouldn't keep it in order, but now I didn't care. Mirella had been very important to this job, too, and she and Mimosa were resting in my mind as we got it done. We got the whole goddamn gig done. I left the herbs and plants once again to Dresden, disguised my condition, and went to Monaco to recuperate and sort out the flea business. The salty sea breeze brushed against my face, soothing my weary soul. I let Jake and Rob take a leave. Magnum was back to work, but he was kind of weathervane from time to time, so I had to get a good grip on things and get something done.
It was not hard work to sit behind the desk and focus on the matter at hand, prioritize whenever possible, and try to let some control out of my hands. It was difficult, as I had become quite a control freak. I know my straps were fine. I had no medical emergency right then, so I could afford to do this. However, my judgment was maybe a little clouded because I had my rage fully on again, and it prevented me from feeling tiredness, pain, or weakness.
My vampire side was stronger than ever and I had my jug of very powerful blood mix in my desk. My inner killer was awake as well, boosting me to find and kill bad guys. Keeping my focus on my work, not on my health.
Damon called to apologize and ask how I was doing, but I had focused on not mind being 28 kilos as long as I got things in order. I just said the gig was over, and I was at work. Then, sometimes, we can look at some time together unless he's got someone else in mind again.
"Baby, you had just a very long and hard world-saving gig; don't lie to me about your health. I am still your doctor." Damon's voice was tight.
It was like he would have wanted me to profess my love for him right at that minute, but no, I was working.
I said, " You go and have another party. Call some witches again to have fun with, but I will not get another uterine infection because of you. I am now working; let's see when I get these affairs so that if you are available again, but this time, Salvatore, I am unavailable."
Damon said nothing but just hang up.
I was pissed off, my rage on full blast, because otherwise, I wouldn't have got anything done. Adam also called with the same thing, and my response was the same: again, I'm busy with the fleas demanding my attention.
Adam said, "Well, I am free; I can help, be your number two like I'm supposed to be once I get these alpha crises to deal with. Bran is overwhelmed once again, and he wants to just focus on lust treatment and such, but it won't be too long when I can help you out."
I said, "I don't need your help. I have managed this far, and it has been well over two years, probably when you last did flea work, so forget it, go and be Bran lap poodle once again. I am working in Monaco, not doing a mission but sitting calmly behind the desk and slowly improving. Saving the world took its toll. My straps are fine, and I am working, not falling over."
Adam said, "You are not telling me everything that I can tell. You see, my mate, my mating bond tells me clearly about something of your condition, and I suspect Damon has the same thing, so if you would please cut the crap and be honest."
I sighed and said. "Jake and Rob took care of fleas for over a year, not taking any vacation. Both of them have someone to be with. Now, they have earned their vacation. What comes to you, well I guess Bran will soon put up another party for you to get back into fucking and drinking. I would rather do my work in peace than trust someone who may do the work. I am pretty tired of going to Lake Lanier to carve names on those plagues, and there are a lot better reasons to end up doing that than sheer laziness on my part. This is my organization, not yours, so go be a lap poodle and have a party."
Adam hung up, too.
Eventually, they enlisted Magnum to come and take a look at my situation. The whole witch thing had once again been Bran's fault when he had given Damon one gig after the wedding. It was supposed to be just an easy gig to kill a bunch of black witches, but those witches had gotten Damon and, through him, the rest of the men. They had given men some love potions or something like that.
Damon was less impressed with Bran's intelligence about that gig, and he swore at Bran that on the next gig, if it were about any sort of witches, he would be much more careful and not trust what Bran said.
Bran himself was overwhelmed when a nasty infection left him frail and thin. Adam, Samuel, and Damon had worked on him for several months because the infection had been so severe. That infection was actually a curse, and it had been given to Bran by one coven leader of those witches who had lured the men into their grips.
Then, after Bran had improved, Damon, Adam, and the Wizards went to eradicate those witches for good and killed three more powerful covens. They had gotten something unique from there. Potions of diseases and symptoms, Damon had seen a unique way to teach his wife if ever there would be a need. One week or two weeks, cursed, let's say, with malaria, would give Mimi good punishment, and then those curses would go away.
I had a comprehensive list of gigs for Magnum, good tips on Sark's new facility, and lots of plans. When Magnum came over for a surprise visit, so I didn't have time to disguise my condition, he took one look at me and said, "Shouldn't you weigh a bit more? You are quite pale and looking like crap, if I am being honest."
I looked at Magnum and said sharply, "I should weigh a lot more, but work comes first. Don't worry, I'll get myself in shape. My straps are fine, so there is no need to fuss. Here are the lists for you. These are a few better tips so you can check them out: one facility is in Baltimore, and one is in San Antonio. Here are already made out plans. Review them. Get someone on board to do those missions and get back to me then. I will probably have something more for you by then."
Magnum took papers and said," I am on it. No need to worry; I will get all of these done in no time, so you get to take care of yourself a little better. Are you sure that you don't want Colin to come over and check you out?"
I replied, "No need. I am fine. You may go now. Thanks for visiting. You can call me next time you come over. I could have offered you coffee or something."
Magnum turned around, stopped, and said, "No, it is not about coffee. You would have just disguised yourself, looking brighter. It is good to see that you are a woman, after all." He smirked as he walked away.