"Didn't I tell you not to eat that? Look, you've got the runs again. How many times do I have to tell you that despite you being the pack leader, I am your protector? Witnessing you abuse your body is not amusing to me." Mariella's voice was loud as she voiced her opinion.
Charles, having eaten something that didn't agree with him, was experiencing the unforeseen consequences of their connection. Mariella, tethered to him and witnessing his distress, followed him to the kitchen, fuming.
"Oh, let's see what you're going to eat next," she said, "more diarrhea-inducing stuff, or maybe you want a nice, long bout of hard shit so I can cheer you on while you squeeze it out!"
Charles calmly replied, "Fine, honey, you can be free. I think five days will do for now, but remember this."
As Charles released her, Mariella marched to the fridge and grabbed the pickles that had caused Charles's problems. Damon had used them to load up his teeth, and Charles happened to like them, even though they weren't suitable for him.
It was late afternoon, and I was preparing dinner once again. The Salvatores were on baby-caring duty, leaving Mariella and me free to do other things. My nerves were a bit tight, and I was trying to calm myself by cooking.
Mariella walked over to me and said, "That damn male can be so irritating, and by God, his shit stinks, and he farts, and his toenails, yuck!"
I just smiled, thinking that maybe Mariella could be a distraction now that she was free.
"Do you know I have a robot mop and vacuum?" I asked her. "I use them a few times a week, or whenever I get a chance, but lately..."
Mariella interrupted, "Nope, I had no idea. To be frank, I haven't done much cleaning, as the Salvatores want to do it. What's wrong?"
Having noticed my irritation and knowing how easily I could be riled, she waited patiently. As I prepared my wagyu roll, potatoes, rice, and pork loins for the oven, I turned to her.
"It looks fun," I said, "but when those machines stop and get all messed up, I'm the one who has to mop manually."
She helped me open the oven as I put the meats in, and I added, "Get ready, this is something else."
I walked to the control wall, the center of our operations, where I managed the heating and, more importantly, controlled the robots. I pressed a button, and soon, the whirring began. My horde of mops, five vacuums, and four mops started to roll across the floor.
Mariella exclaimed, "Oh wow, those are something else!"
But then, a small black feline dashed forward and swatted a robot, causing it to stop. It scanned its surroundings before moving again, only to be hit by the cat once more. Demon and Leopard, who had taken smaller forms, saw the robots as ultimate toys, no matter how many times I told them otherwise.
Mariella scolded, "Oh, stop that, naughty kitty!"
She walked towards Demon, who was chasing one of the mops, hitting it and sending it tumbling down the stairs.
"Look at that, was that wise?" Mariella asked.
Demon, unconcerned, went after the next one, a vacuum. He swatted at it, causing it to stop and search for a new direction. I rolled my eyes; boys will be boys, and Mariella was getting nicely riled up. I could feel how much fun the two were having, getting Mariella even more riled up, getting her fuming.
I returned to the kitchen, knowing I had more robots in the warehouse, but for now, Mariella was chasing her husbands, shapeshifters who had taken feline forms and were having a blast. They were originally felines, and perhaps the most animalistic of us, unless I counted myself.
I felt very animalistic at times and had a good deal of instincts at play, being unique and all that. I went back to the kitchen to prep dessert, thinking of making a multitude of Swiss rolls with various fillings. I had plenty of bases in the freezer, made out of goose eggs and nut flour.
I was just walking to the freezer to take them out when Wulfe walked into the kitchen, hopped onto the counter to sit and watch, and asked, "Why is Mariella so... well, loud?"
I replied, "I just explained to her why I can't run the vacuums during the day. She's not very understanding of her husbands having fun. After giving Charles a piece of her mind and then letting him go, I'm thinking of dessert—Swiss rolls."
Wulfe smiled and said, "Hmm, not sure. How about mini-cakes? If we stacked them, filled them, cut them, and decorated them into individual morsels?"
I hummed in agreement. Wulfe and I had been watching cooking shows together for quite some time, whenever we had the chance, and he was becoming quite inventive with new treats.
He continued to ponder, "I could make buttercream, we could color it, make it fancy, and then maybe... Do we still have that ice cream you made, the raspberry lime one? I was thinking maybe mini baked Alaskas too."
Mariella stomped into the kitchen, carrying my robots and putting them in place.
She asked, "Sounds nice. Are we having a cooking contest or something?"
Wulfe replied, "Nope, just dessert planning. We've watched some great cooking shows, and I want to try something fancy as well."
Mariella pursed her lips in thought.
I then said to Wulfe, just in passing, "I need to confirm with SUMAC, let her know it's on."
Wulfe nodded.
Mariella frowned and asked, "What's that? Something for your plants, or what?"
I replied, "Nope, it's just my nurse coming over."
Wulfe said, "Well, she's more than just a nurse; she's a Supernatural Maternity Consult—SUMAC. It's just one of the perks Mimi offers for her babies."
Mariella sat down, dismissing the idea, and said, "But she's just a district nurse, checking on babies, their navels, or something."
Wulfe rolled his eyes, prompting me to explain. Wulfe was my soulmate, my other half, and despite my marriages to fourteen others, our bond was special, unbreakable. It wasn't that we were head-over-heels for each other, but we understood each other on a profound level.
"Well, it's not that simple," I began. "Let me try to explain. A doctor treats patients, diagnosing, healing, and prescribing medication. A nurse, working in a hospital, also cares for the sick, and a health nurse, or school nurse, checks on healthy individuals, although they can help with minor ailments too. That's how human medicine generally works, right?"
Mariella nodded.
I continued, "Now, in the supernatural world, where we have less diagnostic ability, less medical expertise, and far fewer specialized roles, professionals have to do more. This nurse, coming on Monday, is a cross between a midwife, doula, obstetrician, and district nurse, all specializing in supernaturals."
A soft, yet distinctly irritated voice called from the doorway, "And pray tell, wife of mine, why haven't I heard about this visit? If she's as educated as you claim, you can be sure that I, your husband, alpha male, and father of those children, will be there. And maybe, just maybe, we can convince her to look at Mariella's babies, too."
Damon, number one, strode into the kitchen, staring at me sternly. I met his gaze directly, not even blinking; I wasn't easily intimidated.
"It's not that big a deal, Damon, so back off. You can come or be present if you want. I'm not sure if they have time to check on extras, and besides, I haven't confirmed it yet; there might be an emergency, and no one would be free."
Damon walked really close to me, pressing me back against the counter. "You can be sure, wife. I will make the confirmation and also inquire about the chance of getting the other kids checked too. It's high time you stop hiding these things from me, as I am your husband."
I added, as I was in a snarky mood. "One of 14," his eyes flashed, his voice stayed soft, yet he wasn't seducing me, "father of our children, your alphamate, alphamale of this pack, your vampire husband, and what else do you need me to be?"
I glanced at Mariella, but somehow Adam had gotten in too, and he was grabbing Mariella, keeping her pressed against him, his large hand wrapped around her throat, dark, long vampire claws visible, eyes ruby red. I took a breath; it seemed the males were a little anxious here, and I needed to defuse the situation.
I kept my voice calm and said, "Fine, I will give you the number to call, my patient number, as well as my birthing number, so they will ask for those. Also, my insurance number. It's not cheap. Please note that if your insurance doesn't cover it, mine does, almost fully, and what's left, my Finnish benefits will help."
Damon took a step back. I walked out of the kitchen, keeping my posture calm and relaxed. Oh, I had such a wonderful array of sentences, but now was not the time. I went to get my information, as well as the phone number and time to call, and handed them to Damon.
And I just couldn't help myself, "Atta boy, you deal with that while I focus on dessert. Maybe I will teach you how to be a good husband for me, too. After all, I am not one spreading my legs and spending my time in bed, but I actually need something done here."
Damon's breath hitched, his hands fisted, and it was only as Number Two walked in and said, "Oh, it's time to feed. Will you come, and Wulfe, do you have the next part of the potion ready?"
Wulfe smirked; he would want to see where my little sentence would have gotten me into, but Number Two had stopped Number One from blowing his gasket altogether.
Mariella, having been abandoned by Adam, was also seeing Damon.
Knowing Damon was the perfect target, she approached him, wrapping herself around him and purring, "How about, my love, I show you how good a wife I am? I'll spread my thighs and beg and plead like a good little bitch."
She knew this was the last thing on Damon's mind.
He looked at her dangerously and said, "Now, darlin', if you were getting in me in the bedroom, you could be sure I would have the time of my life, and for you... less so."
The softness of his voice and the glint in his eyes suggested he was feeling "stabby," and I wasn't in the mood to be his victim. It was his way of unloading, but I wasn't receptive.
Mariella, however, pushed her luck, telling Damon, "I'm not in the mood to be your stabby-stabby victim, so forget it. Use someone else. Besides, you haven't touched me properly in days."
Damon pressed closer to Mariella and whispered in her ear, "Don't tell me no, and yeah, I haven't touched you, mainly because you've been tethered to your pack leader. Besides, you don't deserve my touch."
Wulfe told me telepathically, "I mean, this is damn fun to see if that pair end up in a gorefest or something else."
I smiled slightly and said, "Wanna amp it up?"
He nodded. Number Five had just arrived, and I knew he also had a penchant for "stabby-stabby," meaning he liked to stab me or Mariella, sending fear and terror into our minds. He was unloading himself, and while I wasn't traumatized, it was rough, and I wasn't in the mood, as I had so much to do. So, if Mariella wanted it, I could make it happen.
As Mariella watched, I slowly approached Number Five, wrapping myself around him and kissing him. I felt him respond, and though I hadn't had much action in bed lately, and doubted that would change with the demands of the babies, I found myself enjoying the moment. I was, after all, a bit of a nasty little bitch.
Mariella, having disengaged from Number One, approached Number Five and me.
As we finally stopped kissing, she said, "My turn. This version seems to be the mood I need."
Number Five's gaze held a familiar glint.
Mariella had been quite vocal with Charles, which had made Salvatore jealous, as she was essentially stuck with him. I was simply capitalizing on the situation. She pressed her body against Number Five, still somewhat loose and flabby, but her greedy lips found his, and she began to undulate against him like a cat in heat. Number One smiled dangerously.
Number Five led Mariella into a bedroom further from the main wing, ensuring that any vocalizations or emotional outbursts would be contained, shielded from my babies' empathic abilities. I saw several Salvatores following them, and Mariella gathered Ashley and Britney, her girls, to join them. They were in for the surprise of their lives.
Perhaps I was manipulative, but I knew how to manage my time and my interactions with those less perceptive of my intentions. I wasn't sure whether Damon would be available to meet my nurse or if he would even confirm the appointment. However, my email would provide the answer. If not, I still had a few days.
It was possible that once he loosened up, he might engage with Mariella, and that was his choice, not mine. I had merely given him a slight nudge in the direction I desired, a tiny push.
Wulfe was almost howling with laughter in my mind, recognizing my nefarious plan. For him, it was a win-win. Now, we were free to prepare our desserts and finalize everything. Oh, life could be so good. It was good to be an alpha female, cunning and ruthless, with absolutely no self-preservation, but fine, there wasn't much for me to worry about.
"You are damn good at what you do, my unicorn," Wulfe admitted as the kitchen emptied. "I must admit, this is pure heaven. Will you let me make lunch boxes in the morning and put dinner on too?"
I simply smiled and replied, "If you want to, but now, let's make dessert."
Adam and Charles had gone to feed the babies and ensure everything was in order, leaving me to revel in my role as the perfect wife, cooking for my family and having a blast in the kitchen. I'd managed to keep my laundry a secret, doing it at various times when pack members were busy, or I was skilled enough to distract them. It was my little hobby, and I wasn't even letting Wulfe take part.
For him, I had opened one of my large containers full of stones, crystals, raw and tumbled, to be sorted. He had enlisted the help of a few Salvatores as well to assist with choosing which stones I could sell, which he wanted, and what the pack needed. I kept him busy, too.
But right now, he was starting to graft his buttercream as I took my bases to warm up, dug out my ice cream, and egg whites, which I had in their own jug. I let him start to shape his meringue and whatnot as I gathered fruits and berries for our fillings. Music was playing, we were enjoying ourselves, and life was good.