It had been five days, and Mimi had been in the arms of every single Salvatore. Even the ten and nine wanted to keep her close, to hold her tight. Mariella was not jealous, as every Salvatore had something to share, and she had heard pieces of their stories with Lilah. As tragic as it had been, Mariella helped them see the beauty in it, how wonderful a creature Lilah had been. Maybe it had been her purpose to be with him. It was a genuine tragedy, but Mariella helped them put it in the past. Soon Annaliese would pay the highest price.
Mimi was getting better by the day, thanks to their love. It was something completely new and wonderful. There was no need to always be so clinical and cold when all they had to remember was that sometimes love was all that was needed. Each of them truly loved Mimi and healed her with their love, as she was a creature of love herself. The most challenging part for Mariella was keeping number one occupied. He was the one who always wanted to hold on to Mimi.
Mariella knew that there was nothing to be jealous of. Number one loved her and besides, there were many men whose love she had not yet won properly, like Dexter, Colin, Alaric, Dresden, Constantine, Murdock, and Wulfe. Each of them was a challenge to her. She did not want to have them just for her, but she was a savior. Every one of them had traumas that she wanted to help them with.
I woke up again, feeling groggy and tired. But this time, I didn't feel drugged, just exhausted. I opened my eyes and found myself in someone's arms, a Salvatore. The scent of passionfruit enveloped me, but I couldn't tell which version of him it was. I had snippets of memories of being in the arms of several of them. Now, I was feeling more alert, and I lazily wondered if I should be worried. Was there something wrong with me? Did they feel the need to have me in their arms? If I was skinny and exhausted, why didn't they just put me in the medbay to be fed?
This version of him, who was awake, noticed me waking up.
He looked at me and said, "There's nothing to worry about, my love. We're just learning new ways. You see, the dragons have told us time and time again that you are a creature of love. You need love, not a sterile medbay. We have been giving you our love, and it has worked wonders." His voice was right about loving, which made me pretty perplexed.
I looked at him, realizing that he was number 8, which was rare for him to have anything to do with me.
He smiled genuinely and said, "You see, baby, old dogs are learning new tricks. Or should I say, we are no longer denying this part of ourselves, but embracing it. You saved us, each and every one of us. It was you who pulled us out. We felt it, and now we're giving a little bit back to you. We have this connection to you, and it has nothing to do with the hive, not entirely."
He stroked my hair and wiped my eyes with wet wipes he had gotten from somewhere.
I shifted uncomfortably as I attempted to change my position, causing him to grunt and say, "Easy there, darling, or else you'll experience a whole new aspect of therapy."
His voice was rougher, his eyes darker, and I could feel his undeniable desire pressing against me. His hot, hard cock was pressing right against me. He was fully naked, unlike some other versions who had worn jeans or pants. I remembered that much, but this specimen was different. I was not the opposite of that sort of thing, not at all.
He was eager to provide me with some physiotherapy when, as if by magic, the door swung open and Number One and Mariella walked in.
Number Eight held me tightly in his arms and whispered in my ear, "Damn, what terrible timing. I know he was spying on us."
I smiled at him as Mariella crawled onto the bed, pulled Number Eight's head towards her for a kiss, and Number One approached, taking me in his arms while I remained wrapped in a blanket. Mariella excited Number Eight even more.
Damon teleported me to another bedroom, gently placing me on the bed and saying, "You now weigh about 42 kilos, which is amazing. You were about 30 kilos at your lowest, so this is new and it is working, so you better start to learn to that you are literally loved into shape. You can stay awake, and eat, and in a few days, we'll have our final party and this will all be over. But for now, my love, I'll draw a bath for you, and then you can dress yourself and go to the kitchen to eat something."
I said, "Well, there was something else wrong with me, right? I have been that skinny before, but I can sense there was more?"
Damon said, "You burned your willpower out, meaning you had no control over your reactions if you were, say, get scared. We would have no idea what you had done, or, like you remember, your bloodlust. your willpower was way too weak to control your rage, and it was one thing that we did, ate your rage, kept it under control, and made you better."
I nodded and squirmed into a semi-sitting position. So it had been not that simple, like mere exhaustion. Damon went to the bathroom, and soon I heard the sound of water running. When he returned, he had my newest bath products in his hands.
He looked at me and asked, "And where did you get these? Did I approve of them?"
I replied, "Nope, Colin approved them. They're from a place in Ireland that he collaborated with."
Damon opened one of the packages, which I hadn't had a chance to use yet. He smelled it and seemed concerned, sending everything somewhere else.
He looked at me sternly and said, "Don't use them. They might be okay, but your skin is so sensitive and thin that I don't want you to develop a weird rash. I'll come up with a product for your baths that will be foolproof and safe, with a pleasant scent. It might take some time, but with the help of the Salvatores and Wulfe, we should be able to create something suitable for you."
I looked at Damon and said, "What aren't you telling me? Something is irking you and fucking much."
Damon explained to me, "Colin might be a good guy, but I don't want you using products that he has made with his bump. Most of those are based on his creations, which is fine, but I can still smell his scent on them. He has the right idea, but I don't want you to smell like him."
He seemed repulsed, angry and upset all at the same time. I simply nodded - we had a strong connection, as the hive had brought us close together. He saw me as his own, so his reaction was understandable. It was almost flattering in a way. It was again a connection that I had sought for so long, but now, once again, I was too scared to be brave and just trust it. I was not worthy of his love. I was beast, killer, monster; I did remember how wonderful it had been to feel his love, but I was not worthy of it.
Damon went back to check if the bath was ready and then returned to unwrap me. He carried me naked and gently lowered me into the bath. He was now able to see me naked without losing his temper, so to speak.
He sat by the tub and said, "I'll make sure you stay awake and don't get too cold. We need to monitor your body's temperature regulation since we've been keeping you warm these past few days."
He started to soon wash my hair, and me too. I was just enjoying myself.
I leaned back as he had washed me and replied, "I think I have some new Angora shirts somewhere, though I'm not sure which room they're in. They'll keep me warm."
Damon looked at me and asked, "Okay, I'll have the boys search for them. Are they stretchy?"
I told him, "They're mine, female-sized, so I doubt they'll fit you. But I can buy you a few if you want."
Damon responded, "Wizard, it's easy to modify those shirts with a simple spell."
I rolled my eyes and replied with patience, "You don't need to have everything I have, you know."
Damon glanced at me, smiling, but there was a hint of dominance in his voice and said, "Those shirts have been something I've wanted for a long time, so yes, I want them. Do you have any angora yarn? I could put it into a machine for knitting."
I retorted, "The yarn is too brittle for machine knitting. It's from my own angora bunnies and spun organically, so it needs to be hand-knitted. I have to knit it myself, for myself." I spoke smugly.
Damon exclaimed, "Angora bunnies, really, baby? I had no idea. They must be cute. It's good to know what we'll have once we get married. I bet I can convince you to knit another sweater for me, this time in Angora."
I rolled my eyes.
I was still enjoying my bath when the door opened and numbers 2, 6, and 10 walked in, carrying my Angora shirts and other belongings.
Number 10 came to me, crouched down, looked at my body, smirking and said, "My savior, quite a view we have here. One might get some ideas from this. Those shirts are so soft, we could make some modifications. Mariella and the wolves are extremely interested in your Angora bunnies, as the Magic House has none. They might want to relocate some of them and breed them."
I replied, "In my farms, we rarely breed them as they are to be cherished, ensuring top-quality angora. Currently, I have 8 farms with about 50-100 bunnies per farm, and around 30 farms with alpacas, llamas, and other rare creatures meant to provide me with wool. I have plenty of experienced caretakers for them.Ex fleas who have gone to civilian lives."
Number 2 then came next to the tub, took a thick towel, and said, "Alright, missy, time for you to get out of there."
I noticed Mariella had also entered the room and was speaking quietly with number 1. I got up from my bath, and number 2 quickly wrapped me in the towel. Several Salvatores had towels as well, and they started drying me off, drying my hair, and rubbing me vigorously to ensure my blood kept flowing and I didn't cool off too much.
Mariella smirked as the group of Salvatores fussed over me and selected some of my Angora shirts. Mariella and the wolves took a few as well. I couldn't help but think that they were energy creatures and could easily keep themselves warm, but they just had to have my lovely shirts. However, being part of this hive felt much closer than being in a pack, or perhaps I just felt it differently because I was the center of attention. Maybe this feeling was normal for Damon.
But I knew what I had to do after this, and it would be challenging, yet technically easy. I would have to prioritize others over myself, even if they didn't see it that way. I wasn't entirely sure if I was sabotaging my own happiness again, but it was too dangerous to ignore. Defeating Annaliese kept me grounded and gave me a reason to act and function, but after that, with all this power and my hive under my control, I couldn't resist the temptation. I buried those thoughts deep in my mind, so deep that not even Wulfe would have any idea about my plans. I would maintain control, and for those ideas, I would do whatever was necessary.
Salvatores had chosen a light blue cotton skirt and a white satin button-down shirt for me to wear. I didn't need an Angora undershirt because the mansion was warm. As I put on the clothes, I could feel the love and uniqueness of each of them, and I gave them a little burst of my power.
Number two muttered under his breath, "Next time, give me a little warning, baby, so I can be prepared for your empowerment."
I looked at him, feeling wild and having too much fun keeping score with them.
I replied, "It's my decision how I spending my time. This may not have been the perfect summer of love, but I can feel your love with every breath you take. I wonder if there's milk, toast, and honey for me, but when I look at you, what is love? Is it just a physical fascination?"
Before I could say anything more, Mariella came up to me, kissed me, and silenced my well-thought-out score.
Number one chuckled and told Mariella, "Enough, darling. Let her breathe. Maybe she'll learn her lessons in time."
Mariella stopped kissing me and said, "You're too good at that. There's no need to keep score all the time. I just had to make one for you too."
I nodded, surprised by her passion, but then again, she was a very lustful creature.
I sat in front of the dresser as number one put my hair up. I had red hair, but I wasn't in my vampire form right now. I could feel number one suppressing my vampire side slightly. As I suspected, this was something that was going to happen.
He didn't tolerate my vampire side being out any more than necessary. Since it was no longer mandatory for me to be in vampire form all the time, he made sure I stayed in my human form. I wasn't going to fight him, at least not yet. The fact was, my vampire side was about five times stronger than it had been originally, and it was brutally strong.
Soon, it was time to go to the kitchen to eat actual food and then have a talk with the hive about the future what I was going to do, and why. I wasn't going to ask for their opinion, but rather tell them what was going to happen. Damon finished styling my hair and looked into my eyes through the mirror.
He asked, "You have a plan for the future, don't you? Care to share? This is our hive, so we need to make decisions together."
I replied, "I'll talk to everyone once we've eaten. The last party is coming soon, and then we'll be done. The future awaits, and we have to prepare for it too."
He grunted, clearly displeased with my evasiveness. He had wanted to be forewarned, but I didn't want to repeat myself and give him too much time to come up with arguments. However, there was a chance that he might see things from my perspective. You never know, right?
I stood up and prepared to make my way to the kitchen. There weren't many Angora shirts left for me, but I might find some time to knit at some point. Maybe not in the base, but still. I knew it would be tough when there was no more hive, but we would get through it. Life would move on, and maybe one day we would have a hive again.
Damon wrapped his arm around my shoulders, instead of Mariella's, as we started walking towards the kitchen.
Mariella said to me, "I haven't had time to get every single house, mansion, or manor that you have to pack's names, since there's no pack at this time. But by God, I can't wait to see them all."
Dexter, who was also entering the kitchen, said to Mariella, "Did you know that Wulfe, Magnum, Murdock, and I have acquired some of them? She just gave us cards to use, so some of them are our own acquisitions. It's been an honor to work alongside you, princess."
Mariella smiled at Dexter. Those two got along quite well, actually. It was time to start getting ready - first the talk, and then the final party. Maybe after that, we could finally have a real life. Not that mine was completely filled, as work was demanding more and more of my time.