As I sat in our living room, now adorned with green curtains featuring golden leaves, grassy decorations, and dark grey, tufted rugs that were pleasant underfoot, the late evening air held the weight of several days since Damon had left for Mariella. It seemed her desires had been awakened, and she had ensnared several Salvatores, which suited me just fine.
I had been occupied with many chores, as there were limited helpers, and the upkeep of the downstairs area, where Mariella had decided to reside, meant fewer hands available on our side. Fine by me. I simply shut out the displays of that world, since it was a big joke to most men this time. With a list of chores in my mind, I set to work.
I prepared food, tackled the laundry, ensured the heating was functioning correctly, and organized the children's clothes, toys, and beds in anticipation of their return in a few days. My food preparation included cutting meat, pre-boiling potatoes, chopping fruits – whatever was needed. And I did this without telling anyone, eating what I wanted, when I wanted, since I was the one making the food.
I logged everything: what I ate, when, and the chores I completed. Although I was pregnant and should have taken it easy, I had no choice. With Mariella requiring six men, a "fuckfest" of sorts, there were six fewer people available for food preparation or chores. Charles was busy with paperwork or downstairs, making sure Mariella ate at least one decent meal a day, but no Salvatore made such demands of me.
I had ensured this. My pheromones were quite effective, and I had learned to wield one particularly handy one, though it might set numbers four and five on edge. I didn't tell them about it; I simply allowed it to waft through the house. It was a very subtle "I am fine" pheromone, broadcasting that there was no need to worry about me, that I was fine, and that they should focus on Mariella. A few additional, smaller pheromones of me being the hive queen, the alpha, and Damon's mate fueled Mariella's jealousy, making her cling to those men even more.
I was considering several ways to earn more money. One idea required some studying, which I wasn't thrilled about. Furthermore, I wasn't even sure if it was feasible because it involved part of the farm, and I didn't understand how that particular aspect was managed.
My thought centered around bull sperm; we had Wagyu, and high-quality Wagyu at that. But did we have bulls? Or had Adam bought calves that we raised? A single dose of high-quality Wagyu bull sperm could sell for over $1000, so there was potential there. However, there were also rules, regulations, registrations, and permits to consider, all of which I knew nothing about and would need to investigate.
Another idea was to expand our online crystal shop, starting with the bracelets. I could create many more and incorporate a game-like element. Many online shops had already done this, so it wasn't a novel concept. However, since we could infuse the bracelets with energy, they might have a stronger appeal in the market.
This, too, required calculations and estimations, and I'd need to research the types of games other shops were using, adapting them for our shop to generate more income. God knows, it was needed. I remembered how expensive my C-section was last time, and this time wouldn't be much cheaper. Caring for preemies and toddlers would demand a lot of patience and time. Then, we'd need to organize our finances so we could focus on being parents again, which wouldn't be easy.
I had so much to do today. I needed to do laundry, take the meats out of the oven, turn up the heat a bit because it was chilly, light a few fireplaces to warm things up, fold the laundry, prepare snacks, eat at some point, make as many flower arrangements as possible during the night, and run the mops and vacuums since the boys were out. I also needed to make sure I had wood for the fireplaces.
The list kept growing in my mind, and at no point was there a voice telling me to "take it easy, you're pregnant, there are others, make them act." Nope, not me. I was the one doing as much as I could, and for now, being pregnant just meant I had a bump, I couldn't eat in the mornings, and I had crazy cravings and no filter between my brain and mouth.
The living room was undoubtedly cozy, but my mind was racing, so I barely noticed the details or who had done what. Lepard had decorated it a few weeks prior, but I hadn't made it a priority to assess his work. My mind was consumed by a mental list of chores, my hyperactivity in full bloom. I wasn't thinking things through; I was simply acting.
Due to my busy schedule and frequent frustration, I rarely checked the hive. I'd assumed Mariella was manipulating everyone, and I wasn't in the mood to witness the Salvatores' weakness for her. However, the reality was quite different, and I was in for a surprise.
Ever since the "VENOMS" syndrome – a peculiar condition that hit me over a decade ago, caused by drinking blood that was too strong, frying my neural transmitters, plunging me into depression, and fundamentally changing me – the pack had been keeping a close eye on me. Some might say for the better, others for the worse, as I became more open with my opinions and feelings, and with a sharp tongue and a knack for inventive words, I wasn't always pleasant to be around.
Our hive, rebuilt after our vampire wedding with the help of Wulfe, the elders, and our family, was permanent. The pack had learned to utilize it more and more, and it revealed a lot about my state. The hive is a large, shared space, whereas normal pack bonds function more like a net, connecting us, usually with the pack leader at the center.
But the hive offered us far more information about ourselves and each other. Yet, I hadn't given it much thought as I rushed through my day, acting and planning as quickly as possible.
In the hive, we all have numerous "strands" – what I call strands – that provide insights into a person's stressors, health, wants, needs, overall situation, and history. One person could have tens of thousands of these strands bundled together.
Over time, I had taught others how to manage their strands, and since the object hadn't noticed their strands were being investigated, I had no idea someone was checking up on me and formulating a plan to deal with me. The hive was our strength; it was the heart of our pack, and something I excelled at.
As the Hive Queen, my vampire strain was the one that could create the hive. I had made the original one, but after Venom's attack, I destroyed it. It was a nasty event, but they rebuilt it at our vampire wedding, and now we had a hive unlike any other. I was still the best at manipulating, using, and interpreting it, but that didn't stop my curious husbands and pack members from wanting to learn, no.
I got up and walked to the laundry room, where I emptied 13 machines. I then hung laundry from seven of them in the drying room and took the dry ones with me. I also started nine new machines; four of them were drying, so they would take time. While the machines started their cycles after I had put in the detergents and fabric softeners, I began to fold and pile up clothes.
I made sure Mariella's and her kids' clothes were sent downstairs, not folded, just sorted, as well as several Salvatores' clothes, letting them fold their own. Then I proceeded to fold my clothes and Adam's, Charles', the boys', and Wulfe's, and send them upstairs. I would go in and put them in dressers and such. I was planning to get some new clothes; I wanted a few more new, long nightgowns and some oversized t-shirts. We had a huge clothing storage, and I would visit it at night when there were fewer people to bother me, and I would get most of my jobs done.
The reason I didn't keep our display on was that Damon had implemented new parameters, which limited what I could log. This annoyed me, especially since I saw all the red flags while no one else was doing much. Downstairs didn't have this system, this upgraded version, and I suspected Damon was still scoffing at it. Since they were having another "sex feast," I figured there weren't any actual chores to be done.
However, I had no idea what they were actually doing downstairs, although it definitely wasn't a sex feast. Mariella had learned some harsh lessons and was now experiencing the consequences of her actions. Damon kept his promise to the pack, and not just to her. He remembered what I told him, meaning he kept his promise to Mariella in mind.
He never said he would do as she said, nor did he promise to worship her; he only said she was his first and would always be his first. But what did "first" mean? It gave Damon some leeway as he finally started to grow a set of some serious balls. Later, I was less pleased with this, but it wasn't the wrong kind of unhappiness.
I had just finished folding the clothes and sent them upstairs when I went to get some meat outside. I had a whole fatty hog and half a Wagyu in the fire pit. They were ready, so I loaded them onto a huge cart, brought them up with the elevator to the kitchen, and prepared to dismantle them.
I had a few ideas for food, and it was good that the meat was already cooked, eliminating any potential issues. I was planning some stews, and once again, hamburgers, when the kids returned. I planned to get as many ingredients prepared as possible so that when it was hamburger day, it wouldn't take all day to get everything ready.
As I was cutting my Wagyu into primals, my phone chirped. I had emails to attend to, so I covered my meats, walked up to my bedroom, flopped on my bed, opened my laptop, and delved into my emails.
Hmm, new orders, as well as confirmations of flower deliveries for the next three weeks. Good to know. I might be able to work on arrangements soon, since there were a lot of nice flowers coming and some of them would be brought here, as I do arrangements here as well.
I sent Charles the bills I had received, letting him handle them since he was still managing paperwork and caring for Mariella. I could manage the rest. I maintained my pheromones, carefully layering them whenever I left our wing. This meant flooding the area with my "I am fine" pheromone. I had mapped this beforehand, and it was logged in my pheromone dossier.
However, my hyperactive state made me overlook the fact that my husbands now had access to that dossier, including that pheromone. As wizards, they were also learning about pheromones and seeking more knowledge, so they were educating themselves.
This oversight was just one more thing my mind skipped. I had too much on my mind to consider how to keep myself safe, such as using new pheromones instead of the ones I'd provided a sample of. But there would be lessons for me to learn as well.
Next on the list was to run the mops and vacuums, and also clean the windows (we had robots for that). After that, I would put the clothes away in the dressers, make a few sauces, and then eat. After my meal, I would have time to create five or six flower arrangements, maybe a few of the new ones and a few more for our website. Those arrangements usually sold quite quickly.
Then, I might eat again, something sweet this time, and do wire wrapping for two hours. Afterward, I would go get the clothes I had been thinking about, maybe take a shower... no, I wanted a sauna. Yes, I might heat the spa and take a long, hot sauna and swim a bit, and then retire to make some bracelets and maybe watch a few movies, and make sure the heating was on point.
At no point did I even consider asking for help or telling anyone what I was doing. But I did write everything down, just to keep a list of what I had done and what more I could do. This was all due to my hormones and other fun substances my pregnant body was producing to compensate for various deficiencies in my blood and tissues, making me even more hyperactive, which actually worsened the deficiencies. This cycle kept feeding itself until someone might catch me and do something about it.
I had experimented with a few new dishes in the kitchen, including whipped bone marrow. I'd tasted it, but not incorporated it into everything. My plan was to compare different species of marrow, as I had large marrow bones from pork, beef, and various exotic animals. I roasted many of them, scooped out the marrow, and froze it. My freezers were full of bags of marrow, awaiting a test kitchen session.
Perhaps Wulfe might join me, or even Charles, although he might be jealous of my ideas. Then again, he might use them for Mariella. The thought of him using my marrow for Mariella angered me, compounded by pregnancy brain and a few somatic issues. I was a hot mess, and it would be a trying time for the pack to live with me, especially with five temperamental toddlers and everything else.
However, it was also going to be highly educational for us. I had no idea what was happening downstairs, and I wasn't particularly interested. But once the truth was revealed, things in my life would change, although not necessarily for the easier. My lack of a filter made me sharp with my opinions, and I knew how to hit, when to hit, and didn't really care who I hit. Therefore, the pack would need a thick skin to deal with me.