As the tour concluded back in the kitchen, Mariella exclaimed, "Oh, wow Mimi, please, please let me live here! I mean, you have rooms, and I just want to be in this wing, please, pretty please!"
I was surprised. However, before I had a chance to reply, Charles walked up to Mariella. He shoved her against the wall, lifting her by her throat.
"Why did you plead with Mimi, not me? After all, I am the pack leader, and it is my decision whether you may live here or not. You should try to remember the correct order of whom to ask," he growled.
Mariella nodded frantically, realizing her blunder. Charles was irate with her.
As Charles let her down, Mariella asked, her voice slightly hoarse, "Please, pack leader, may I and my babies live here too?"
Charles smiled beastly.
Still very close to Mariella, he growled in her ear, "By all means, but beware. You might get more than you bargained for. I am in the mood to be a husband, meaning I have expectations of what a wife should be. And you, little one, are lacking in that department, but I am more than willing to teach you."
Mariella nodded. Her eyes flickered to Damon, who was just walking in the corridor, checking on a room, not yet interacting with Mimi, who was tinkering with some meats.
Having undergone a complete renovation, the kitchen featured red rugs and marble countertops, complemented by stainless steel appliances Mariella hadn't seen before. A large refrigerator and freezer occupied one side, and a room seemed to extend from the back, making the space feel surprisingly homely despite its polished surfaces. Perhaps it was the large wooden table in the dining area or Mimi's presence, but it felt like home.
Now that Charles had granted her permission to live there, Numbers Two and Four had located a suitable nursery for her. Located behind double doors, mirroring Mimi's arrangement, one door opened into the short corridor near several bedrooms, with the nursery at the end.
Adam had explained that the babies resided in a special room until they were a bit older. It was only yesterday that the smallest one had exceeded two pounds, and Mariella struggled to comprehend how tiny they were. That was, until Wulfe showed her pictures of Adam and Charles holding one. They were incredibly small, and Mariella understood Mimi's fierce protectiveness.
This development, of course, launched several interrogations from the Salvatores—Numbers One, Two, and Four—who questioned Adam and Charles about their routines and hygiene. Mariella could almost see how much the Salvatores wanted to see and examine the babies. However, after Numbers Five, Nine, and Ten described how wonderful it was to hold them, Mariella felt no jealousy.
She saw an opportunity. Perhaps she could secure more Salvatore care for Mimi's babies, freeing her to care for her own. This would finally allow her time to simply sit, cuddle, and keep her babies in her arms, without the fear of them being taken away.
As I was putting my pheasant terrine into a mold, the tour ended. Mariella was ecstatic, leaving me no time to respond as Charles, having found his confidence, effectively put her in her place, prompting a smirk from Number One.
Number Five then approached me, pressing himself close and asking, "Do you need me, babe? It seems our lair has acquired a whole bunch of new pack members."
Feeling a bit playful and catty, especially since Mariella's girls seemed apprehensive, not to mention my own, who were judging me, I slapped Number Five's ass and purred, "Well, my love, how about you make dessert? I have fresh raspberries, cream, and cake bottoms to thaw; feel free to improvise."
Number Five grunted as my hand made contact, but his eyes lit up. "Fine, I'll get right on it. You know, my baby, raspberries, as tasty as they are, aren't the best for you."
I simply smiled, kissed him, and said, "Take the seeds out, so they don't block my gut."
He hummed as he went to the fridge, and to my surprise, not one Salvatore followed him. I placed my terrines in the baking oven and, after they had left to check the temperature, reached up on my tiptoes.
Suddenly, the hot, hard body of Number One pressed against me, asking, "What are you looking for, baby? I can help."
His dominance rolled over me like thunder, and my alpha power reacted.
Mariella communicated via the hive, "Show him, let him see you're not that easy, unless you are. By the way, Cornick is kind of tense."
I replied, "Charles is the pack leader, and he can be stern. Fair warning; just remember what he did to me. Surely you wouldn't want to be tethered to him for two weeks."
Mariella's voice was contemplative: "Well, it wouldn't be so bad for me; I am a lust creature, and he is one gorgeous specimen."
I rolled my eyes and, for some reason, told Damon via our bond.
Damon murmured in my ear, "Well, if she wants it, I'm sure you can make it happen. You know how to press Charles's buttons, and Mariella is itching to get him riled up, or you could direct her to Adam."
"Do it, my unicorn," Wulfe said in my mind. "Sounds like fun, and don't worry, we have plenty of baby carers here."
"Fine," I replied to Mariella via the Mother Hive. "Do you want to rile Charles up?"
"Fine," I continued. "Go to the fridge and take something. He hates it when someone is nibbling when dinner is about to be served. There's a nice bowl of chicken nuggets – I made them not spicy – and then there's Adam's chocolate pudding."
Mariella smiled as she walked toward the fridge. Charles had been talking with Number Eight about our unique heating system. Essentially, residual heat from the baking oven or fireplaces would be directed into the walls. A special new polymer absorbed the heat, and once one wall was warm, the whole room would heat up.
This was done via pipes that ran into the walls, with a clever system of hatches. These could be opened slightly to let some heat seep in, or fully opened when baking or cooking was done, warming the rooms right up. The polymer retained the heat nicely, and since the house was well-insulated, we didn't have to warm the oven daily; twice or thrice a week was more than enough.
I was trying to check on my oven's temperature, meaning I could open the hatches a bit to lower the temp, as I was making those terrines. Damon had plucked this from my mind and was curious.
As Mariella walked into the fridge, opened it, and took a bowl of my nuggets and the chocolate pudding, Charles's head snapped toward her. He muttered something to Salvatore as he walked to Mariella.
"If you could put them back, dinner will be in an hour," he said sternly. "No need for you to snack, as that is not ideal for you."
Mariella, feeling less compliant, replied defiantly, "I've been eating like a damn rabbit for weeks! I've been bedridden, and I had to squeeze three huge babies out of my body. I know I'm a bit on the flabby side, but I am going to enjoy myself. And this time, damn corn-dick, you don't get to give me a bowl of rabbit food and order me to eat it, and give me my special peritoneal massage!"
She yanked the bowl closer. Charles took a breath, and Damon, still near me, nodded almost imperceptibly.
Charles then said to Mariella, "Last chance, put them back. Behave, or else..."
"Oh, please, Charles, you do nothing to me," Mariella snarled, taking a nugget and heating it with a flick of her fingers. "You're too in love with Mimi and working in that shop, so stop posturing and let me have my treats."
Charles remained silent, but he projected his packleader power at Mariella. He plucked the dishes from her hands and returned them to the fridge.
"Fine, you asked for this," he told her. "You want to get to know me? Fine, let's be really close, shall we?"
Mariella's smug smile curved her lips, while I rolled my eyes. Everyone in the kitchen fell silent. Charles acted swiftly. Mariella had special cuffs embedded in her wrists. With a flick of magic, he produced the cuff from her right hand. He had a special magical clip on his belt. He took Mariella's left side and made her wrap her right hand around his waist so her cuff snapped in place. A tiny flick of his magic fused Mariella's clothes to his left hip, trapping her, just as I was.
Her expression remained smug, but Charles wouldn't make it easy.
"Anything you need help with, my love?" Charles asked me.
"Ask Number Five," I replied. "I gave him free rein on dessert, so make sure everyone gets it and you can check it's suitable for your charges."
He nodded and pulled Mariella with him toward the dessert-making part of the kitchen, near the coolers, away from the warmth of the cooking station.
Damon murmured in my ear, "Now behave, baby, or else I'll do the same to you. Just think, being attached literally to me... for weeks. Of course, we could make it like before."
I blushed, unable to help it as I recalled his very inventive punishment from long ago – being tethered to him, on his lap, his cock in my pussy for two weeks. He sure cleaned my mind back then, but oh my god did he fuck me, and then some.
I said as calmly as I could when I felt a vibration on my wrist, "It seems Sadie is awake. I've given the babies names: the girls are Sabrina, Seraphina, and Sadie; the boys are Dash and Darien."
"Oh, those are so cute!" Mariella exclaimed, helping Charles chop up mint with her left hand, still oblivious to how angry Charles was with her, but surely, she would learn.
"Well, let's go check on the babies," Damon said to me. "Come on, you too, Wulfe."
I rolled my eyes. Wulfe, however, was not alarmed. In fact, he looked almost bored, and I wasn't sure what he was planning. After making sure nothing was going to burn, I had time to check on my babies. My breasts ached again, and I saw Number Five looking at me while Number One frowned slightly. I wasn't sure if they were having a conversation, and I wasn't too keen to butt in.
I walked down the corridor, opened the door, and entered our NICU room. I flicked on the soft lights and heard Sadie fussing, getting ready to wail, and Dash was also awake. Damon walked in, carefully washing his hands first, as did we. I hadn't even noticed Number Four following him, and he scrubbed his hands too.
I went to Sadie, picked her up, and shushed her. "Well, my love, are you wet or just hungry? Oh, let me see."
She was still swaddled. I hadn't used their clothes that much, as swaddling kept them warm and calm, but I was noticing them growing, meaning my small clothes would soon fit them a little better.
"Fine, we could try." I muttered to my daughter.
Damon walked next to me, his voice quiet and full of careful awe. "Oh my God, you are tiny. Oh, don't cry."
He looked at me. "Can I?"
I rolled my eyes as Wulfe was smiling smugly, and I gave Sadie to Damon. Wulfe, as usual, was directing him on where to change and what was where. Number Four was checking on Dash and picked her up as Wulfe nodded at him.
"You are so damn tiny. We need to make sure you are fine. How in hell do you care for something this tiny?" Damon number four muttered as he too went to change him.
As Damon number one, unwrapped Sadie, whose swaddle was dirty, I said, "Put it in the basket. I'll do laundry tomorrow. There are clothes for her, red striped ones. I haven't used much of their clothes yet, as they have been too big, but they have grown a bit, so they might just fit them better."
Sadie wailed, her tiny face red with anger as the cooler air hit her skin. Damon used his magic, a warm, golden glow emanating from his palm as he carefully removed her dirty diaper. He talked to Sadie, who remained unconvinced that magic was good for her. Dash, one of the most sensitive empaths, felt her distress, causing him to cry out as well.
This confused Number Four until Wulfe said, "Remember, empaths – he feels for his sister."
Number Four muttered, "Maybe they should be bound, those powers."
Wulfe responded, "We'll do it slowly. They've used their powers to map out the world, and losing them might be too distressing. Even Number Five isn't sure if they're like Mimi, needing those powers, and since they're so tiny, we're not risking it. They need to grow and thrive, and even the possibility that losing those powers might hinder them is not an option."
Damon nodded. He had wiped Sadie and distracted her with his magic, so she was less upset, but Dash had gained momentum and was wailing. This caused the other three to start fussing and waking up. Wulfe and I went to pick up the twins; I took Sabrina, and he took Seraphina. Damon was still dressing Sadie, who did not want clothes, preferring skin-to-skin contact.
I told Damon, "She might not appreciate that; she usually wants to be cuddled skin-to-skin."
Damon smiled and said, "Well, too bad, little lady. Daddy isn't going to let you rule here. Now, let's put your clothes on and get you fed; you, my love, need to grow."
Sadie looked at him, unhappy but not crying. Number Four had finally calmed Dash, and I had given Sabrina to Wulfe, who was sitting in a rocking chair, trying to calm the babies down. There was no need to change them, and they weren't that hungry, only startled awake. I took Darien, rocking him and humming. He, too, was sleepy and not too upset yet, so I might be able to calm him down as well.
Number Four smirked as he had calmed Dash and asked, "Where's the bottle? This might be hungry."
I directed them to sit and gave them ready-made bottles, warning, "They are cluster feeding, so this might take time and more nappies, but I'll leave you guys to that and go make dinner."
Damon nodded, actually smiling as he was feeding my tiny preemies.
Oh yeah, I thought of them as mine in my mind, as they were more mine than his. Regardless of what he was doing, it wouldn't change things when Mariella's little lesson of being tethered to Charles ended. As wonderful as it might be to have Damon doting on my five, I had to keep my realities straight.
Mariella moving closer meant she might try to get five and nine, as well as ten, under her control, or spend time with her "babies". She might try to push Damon to bully me, making my life a living hell, but I was fine with it.
This was a big house, and I had Adam, the boys, Wulfe, Charles, and a few Salvatores. If she aimed for those who were currently with me, well, I just might have to take some more. This time, I wasn't going to let her take and leave me with nothing. I was going to take some of them, after all, there were ten of them, and she just couldn't keep them all.
Her girls weren't that lustful, and Charles being in such a wonderfully snappy mood, things would surely be challenging for me, too. I wasn't in the mood to be a nice, obedient wife; I had my own things to do, and I wasn't going to ask permission for every single thing.