As the morning's first bright light finally pulled me from sleep, I groaned, savoring the lingering joy of it. My body, however, felt as though I'd slept for an exceptionally long time. This created an interesting contradiction of sensations.
At one moment, I was warm, relaxed, and content, my muscles like liquid. But then, as I moved, several parts of my body protested, indicating a lack of recent movement. My eyes felt gritty, and it took time to open them fully and rub away the gunk. I felt safe and calm; the hurricane that had been my mind was gone, and I could string two thoughts together without questioning my judgment or motives.
Slowly, I recalled telling Number Five my story about welding, and then… nothing. Just a few bits and pieces here and there, a calm voice telling me to sleep. And my nightmare? It was gone, buried deep, that place no longer present in my mind. I felt Wolfe's influence there. Oh great.
Well, it was what it was, and I might hear more about it later, but for now, I really should try to get my body moving and get up. This was a wonderful feeling, but as I said, the pain was there, too, as my body was built for movement. It seemed I had slept for quite some time, meaning my muscles weren't happy about the situation.
Oh, my babies… they must be… well, cranky: five babies with no mom and a group of men caring for them, plus the girls. I then remembered Damon's Number One and Two turning into ticks, and Mariella having to care for them.
Funny, I wondered how that was going, if she had gotten them to grow that much yet. Not that I was volunteering, but if Damon did what he usually did… well, Mariella did have two holes, so… I giggled out loud at the idea; I guess I was in a catty mood again.
Finally awake, I sat up and walked to the bathroom, my body needing to relieve itself. It was annoying to interrupt my sleep for toilet trips, as much as I loved sleeping. Several doctors, including Numbers Five, Nine, and Ten, had taken an interest in my anatomical and physiological quirks.
I possessed the nifty ability to extract water from my urine, thickening it to reduce my toilet trips. However, according to my husbands, this was detrimental to my health and sometimes caused UTIs. They had performed their magic, with the help of energy and Wulfe, creating a potion that removed this ability, resulting in normal peeing. Though their intentions were good, I missed the days when I could be lazy and sleep instead of needing to piss large quantities.
After my bathroom break, sleep had evaporated, so I went to shower. I started with a cool rinse to wake up my body and get my blood pumping before turning the water warm and beginning to clean myself. As a feline creature rather than a vampire, cleanliness was something I cherished.
I took my time washing my hair three times and thoroughly scrubbing my body with a natural loofah or washcloth because I was feeling itchy. I didn't hate my husbands' scent on me, but since I had been sleeping between the two of them in various combinations, I didn't feel like I smelled like myself.
So, I scrubbed and washed until my strawberry scent was strong enough for my liking. While Mariella might prefer the scent of Damon over her own, I was a strong alpha female who had been building momentum for a long time, and I knew I was the top dog here.
Having finally turned off the water and grabbed my golden Armani bathrobe from the package, I luxuriated in its thickness and length. Wrapping myself in its warmth, I pulled the hood over my wet hair, eliminating the need for a towel, and padded out of the bathroom. However, as usual, I wasn't alone. Numbers Five and Four were perched on my bed, their eyes fixed on me.
Number Five, adopting a doctorly tone, inquired, "Did you scrub your skin off so hard? Fine, let's see what's needed."
I bristled. I hadn't scrubbed that hard, and while I was still itchy, I had lotions I could use. I didn't need doctors monitoring me; my alpha side was in full force. Before I could dry myself, Number Five raised an eyebrow, expecting me to remove my robe.
Number Four chimed in, "Oh, baby, that one looks good on me. Thank you. Now, we have a lot to discuss. You will continue to be a teacher. The girls have been very open about what you've taught them and your nightmares. They'll be gone if they try to come; Wulfe made a spell. And then there's this nice new potion waiting for you. We've taken ours already. It's voluntary, but quite a few Salvatores have taken it, so we know when you have even the slightest issue."
I rolled my eyes. Number Five remarked, "Irritated, are we? This potion works nicely, connects us oh so well, baby. I wonder how you'll be feeling once you have yours?"
I snapped, "I'm not sure if I'm going to take it."
Number Four was amused, his eyes rolling as if I had a choice. I opened my robe and took it off. Both pairs of eyes turned clinical as they examined the few itchy patches on my skin. Number Four produced a bag and, after a moment of rummaging, pulled out a jar.
He approached me, saying, "My special sauce, a little improved, baby. Now stay still. Five, what do you think? Too low on carnitine and leucine?"
He asked Number Five, who had also come to inspect my skin.
Number Five hummed in agreement, adding, "Lack of caffeine, lack of omega 12, 5, and 9 oils, as well as citrus. It gives this knobbly feel, like pebbles on the beach."
I rolled my eyes and tried to make them scratch my incredibly itchy back. Soon, something cold was spread on my back, but it quickly turned to a burning sensation, making me jerk.
"Damn, it burns; it doesn't soothe!" I complained.
Number Four said, "It helps; bear with it. Now, go and dress. We know what to make you eat, and food will be ready soon, and then we can discuss the future."
"How is our tick-growing project going, and by the way, how long have I been asleep?" I asked.
Number Five replied, "You've slept for 18 days. Mariella is currently unable to participate in pack activities because she has some attachments to her husbands."
He smirked. I raised my eyebrows, surprised. So they had... well, she had two holes. Having experienced it with Number One, I could tell it must be quite an experience. Two of them, though... At least she was spending quality time with them, with her husbands. I giggled, unable to help myself.
Number Four looked a little perplexed, so I explained, "She has two holes. I can tell the sensation of one is weird, but two? I'm not sure I'd enjoy feeling that internal umbilical cord in my ass."
He smiled as he realized it. They had chosen my clothes for me, and I realized I had missed over two weeks of my babies. I wondered what they were up to now.
Number Five's voice was sour as he said, "They can cry and shit, and they do both at the same time. It's not easy to hold a crying baby when you've just cleaned them; they start to wail and shit again."
I smiled at his tone; it seemed he had become a father figure for my five, and maybe Mariella's three, too. I knew that phenomenon very well, and I was sure it was a universal way for babies to drive their parents crazy. I had a lot of cloth diapers because of that; I would normally put one on when cleaning and shushing before putting on a clean one, just in case.
But oh boy, I was ready to care for my babies and ready to take over the world. I felt so refreshed, so perfect, and it was almost an ecstatic feeling to be free from my mental disease – well, it was a form of disease or illness, almost, or a flaw; in short, I was a nutcase from time to time. But it was fine; I had someone to catch me if I needed it, and it was a freaking wonderful feeling. Life was truly amazing once again.
The clothes they had chosen for me were, once again, quite the ensemble. First, there were lace panties, almost a thong; I rolled my eyes, sensing some seduction was on their minds. Then came one of my thin silk shirts, pure white, and the tiniest one. Consequently, it was quite snug as the silk adhered to my skin, making my nipples visible. My body was very revealed.
Next, a light orange satin short with a wide hem that swished around my thighs, barely reaching my knees, and finally, high-heeled strapped shoes, dainty but bright green. I sighed to myself, thinking that at least I had the colors of the Italian flag on me, or some country, anyway.
After I was dressed, I went to sit at the table to have my hair done. It seemed my hair had grown even more and was thicker, blood red, and shiny; of course, it was gorgeous, but it was sometimes a chore to manage, especially when I tried to wash it and put conditioner on.
Now, number five was busy with my hair, while number four was making my bed and putting my bedding in the wash. Oh, would there ever be time for me to do laundry again? It was, and still is, my ultimate Zen activity.
I wondered how well the cooking and feeding of the babies was going. Were they still in their messy phase, or had things changed? I doubted it, as it would take time for them to focus on eating without making a mess.
Considering Salvatore's penchant for cleanliness, a kitchen full of my messy-making machines might have set him off. But surely they would learn. I recalled how much they cursed with my four, and now these… There was no chance to hand them over.
Number five said flatly, "Yeah, they like to paint the damn kitchen with food, as well as Mariella's triplets. And those three use their magic to add the effect... well, they *used* to until Wulfe got a potion ready to bind them. They were angry for two days after that, since their magic was bound. Your five… let's just say I am glad you are awake. Sure, I would love to just sleep next to you, but we did rotate, so everyone has gotten some time with you, as well as learning those little tyrants. And also dealing with obnoxious individuals who call and try to rip you off, for your shop. We've gotten pretty good at dealing with them."
I rolled my eyes, unsure how many they might have pissed off, but fine, we would manage. I wasn't going to worry over that just yet; I was on maternity leave, after all. And my five little babies... it sounded just like what I was aiming for.
I had a few ideas for restructuring the pack; this little snowball was truly up and running as I started to craft my plan in my mind. Of course, it would be for the benefit of the pack, not just for me.
After I finished putting my hair up and fixing my makeup with the special dental substances Number Five had concocted in his sinuses, he turned to me.
"My snowball," he said, "I'm waiting for you to flex that alphaside. I'm more than ready. And by the way, just think: us going out with babies, in town, so those crones can see our five little ones. I'm not sure if we'll keep the naming party at some point, though. The paperwork was done a long time ago. And we have a kicker. Did you know that Number One is only the father of *your* babies? Mariella's triplets are from Numbers Six, Seven, and Eight."
I was surprised, but then again, those three were still in what I called "fucking machine mode," so it wasn't that surprising their efforts had resulted in knocking Mariella up. For once, I was actually happy that one had done his little trick in time to make sure he was the only one able to sire me, so I could have sex as much as I wanted without worrying about getting pregnant.
Mariella, well, one could never know. It would surely be funny to witness her being perpetually pregnant, but then again, she was good at talking, and she might just persuade Number One to knock me up too if I became too smug. So, I curbed my little idea, for now, and focused on thinking of a few recipes, as I had quite an array of meats in my freezers.
This prompted Number Five to comment, "Oh, baby, we can have a cook-off sometimes, or cook as a group. I love the idea of collecting your meals. It gives such new ideas and a chance for me to direct you to choose your meals correctly. But yeah, this will be such a wonderful time. And yeah, keeping Mariella knocked up sounds fun, and baby, I could protect you from Number One, keeping you under me, legs spread..."
I blushed for some reason. It seemed these damn seducers were once again upping their game, but maybe I could rise to the challenge, too.