In the warm darkness of the bedroom, Number Five sighed. His hand continued to stroke her way-too-bony back, and her breathing caressed his chest in a way no other touch could. He wanted to heal her, but he knew he had to pace himself, as she was barely asleep.
His eyes drifted around the room, taking in the small details: the different small tables, and her dresser, which appeared to be an antique and likely quite expensive. He made a mental note of it; she could use it, but they would have to cast spells on it to prevent it from breaking or being damaged. She was in a vulnerable state, yet her arms encircled his strong body, grasping him like a lifeline, and it made his soul sing.
Number Five felt more alive than he ever had before. He began to understand that if Number One, the so-called original of them, the Salvatore, always felt this way when helping Baby, it was no wonder he tried to capitalize on it. But Number Five knew this was a wonderful feeling, and that each of them deserved to experience it, even those called "fucking machines."
They were still in the process of self-learning, and as part of the Lust Pack, their main magical energy was lust. It made sex a tool to cope and survive, to deal with things. But as wonderful as sex could be, it was not his whole world—at least not with Mariella.
However, with Baby, Mimi, the wife sleeping against him, sex was like two forces of nature colliding, each trying to dominate. Life could offer so many lessons, and he was in the process of learning them. Love… it was one damn powerful feeling, and he was truly experiencing its purest form with Mimi. She was not a creature of lust but of love, and when lust and love meet, that's when life gets really interesting.
The door opened, and Number Four peeked inside.
Number Five shook his head and telepathically said, "Not yet. The poor thing is so damn exhausted; she's sleeping now, and her exhaustion isn't yet in the healing phase. I have to be very careful here; she's not deep enough. But look at the damn dresser. Antique, I think. We should either put a spell on it or move it to safety. There will soon be toddlers in the house."
Number Four nodded, replying telepathically, "Now, we've talked about this. Mimi had a very useful idea: a rotation. We assign roles, post them, and whoever wants in takes a role and rotates. What it comes to her, I think we need to pair up. One of the Salvatores or Wulfe should be with her all the time, and the other one should be with Charles, Adam, or the boys, keeping her safe while the telepath does headwork."
Number Five grunted, too jealous to be keen on sharing the baby, but he put her well-being before his jealousy.
"I will inform you when it is safe," he said. "See, she somehow notices I'm not fully committed."
Mimi muttered, furrowing her brow and tossing her head. Number Four looked at her, worrying, and nodded, backing out of the room. She was in such a deep mess, and it would take a week or more to get her well, but for now, this was what she needed, and she would get it, and so much more.
He could feel her hot, silky skin beneath his fingertips and his mind brushing into hers like a lover's. He was slowly oozing into her mind, like mist in the morning. As she was in such a state, she might instinctively clamp her mind shut, trapping herself in a process. He found balls, big tangles of self-blame, and he knew it was a big task to once more clear her mind.
But he was curious, as he sensed something deeper in her, something she had not dealt with or shown to anyone, and it was one of the root causes of this bout. He could almost sense a rot, something nasty, as he wandered in his wife's mind.
This was their purpose, the Salvatore hive. He was starting to think about their origins, their past, and their story, how this all came to be.
He wasn't sure if "Number One" had ever been truly singular, or if he was just one aspect of himself. Damien perceived him as a threat, locking "Number One" in a mental cage. He treated him like a core, but the reality was far more intricate.
Damon Salvatore, a wizard and vampire over a thousand years old, had a twin brother, the evil Damien. Their parents, a witch and wizard, favored Damien, while the universe had created Damon to maintain balance.
Salvatore's magic, ancient and benevolent, had been corrupted by their grandparents, likely influenced by the Originals, Freya, and others. Once a witch or wizard turned "black," there was no redemption. Their parents, born neutral, were corrupted in the womb by their grandmother.
Damien was destined to be the most powerful "black" wizard of his time, a feat that required twelve magic wielders to harness the Salvatores' magic. The parents, blinded by corruption, saw Damien as the prophesied ruler of their coven.
However, the universe had a different plan. It birthed a mini-coven within Damon – ten versions of himself sharing the same vessel, unaware of their true nature. Then, as children, Damien fell ill. Their parents performed a forbidden ritual, placing Damien within Damon's mind to control his body. Damien believed the core of Damon, "Number One," was the strongest, thus imprisoning him in a mental cage as he gained the strength to do so.
The ten of them had always existed, though they only recently began to understand their individuality. Now, there were ten Salvatores, a hive meant to wield magic. They were healers and protectors, but also creatures of lust.
This was necessary, however, as one of their duties was biblical: procreation, to create powerful offspring in other realms. Their ultimate duty, as number five saw it, was Mimi, the baby. She was, when needed, the strongest creature in the universe, unkillable, immortal, and a savior in her own right. She was also unable to feel fear for herself or death, making her reckless and sloppy in combat.
She was, in essence, chaos personified. The Salvatores controlled her chaos, but they also contained chaos themselves. This was complicated, and number five smiled to himself, realizing how ridiculous and messy it would be to explain.
It was crazy, truly. But it was their life, their story. And for him, he felt created for Mimi, the baby; it was his idea. He had no idea what the others thought, and frankly, he didn't care.
Having loved her so freely was wonderful, and he was healing from the trauma that had caused him to shut off his love. He had been a creature of brutality and carnality, driven by Number One's influence, acting almost like a mindless drone, without considering his own desires.
Then, those few times with Mimi had cracked his hardened shell, and he wasn't sure when this true love had started to shine so brightly. It was a feeling he'd never experienced before. Perhaps he had denied it in the past, believing he didn't deserve it, or maybe he saw it as a weakness, especially after witnessing Mimi's repeated heartbreak with Number One. Had this made him see love as something that would inevitably hurt?
He also understood the universal truth that love doesn't fix you if you refuse to change. You must be willing to change to truly heal, and for him, this had been his biggest lesson. Maybe that was why Number One kept repeating the same mistakes, and his cruelty had taught Mimi a harsh lesson: the biggest heartbreak isn't losing someone, but realizing they never cared as much as you did. But Number Five was ready to heal her, move on with her, and show her how a true Salvatore loved. He would heal her and show her the meaning of happiness.
This was also the biggest challenge of his life: to be a real husband, a real spouse, and to be there for her. He had eagerly anticipated the intimate moments with Mimi, wanting Mariella to witness their bliss. He wanted to experience their arguments, hear her frustration, even make her yell at him, followed by the passion of their fucking.
They would have so much fun in bed, and now he would be the one seducing her, making her whimper, making her eyes roll back with pure bliss. There was so much future waiting for them, and he wanted to experience it all, the highs and the lows.
The door creaked open, and Number Four entered. After a few days, he silently carried his bag, filled with supplies for IV feeding. Mimi was terribly thin.
Number Five said, "I'm not sure if she'll tolerate them yet; she's still exhausted. I'm trying to get her to relax and go deeper."
Number Four replied, "I'll be careful. I'll use numbing energy and keep the cannula small. Let's take this slowly."
He moved with deliberate care. In the dim bedroom, his deft hands slipped the cannula into place. He hung the first bag and set it to drip slowly, just to monitor her tolerance.
Number Four said, "Wulfe is still busy, but Charles is free."
Number Five responded, "No, just stay here, be close to her. See? Her breathing has changed a bit since you came near. Her sense of smell is amazing, and she relies on it a lot, so let her smell her Damon."
Number Four put the bag aside, removed his clothes, and crawled into bed next to Mimi, pressing his body against her back, allowing her to smell him. She furrowed her brows slightly in her sleep but soon sighed and relaxed a bit more.
Number Five continued stroking her. Now Number Four was also touching her, as he used to; he missed feeling her on top of him. Both men released their protector power, enveloping her in a cocoon, almost keeping her safe, ensuring she would be alright, and no one could harm her. It was truly time for her to heal, rest, and then the future would be theirs once more.
"Oh my god, I think I found the root, come here," Number Five said to Number Four a day later, after Mimi had finally fallen into a deep sleep, feeling safe.
Number Five had found the original nightmare, and what was amazing was that it *was* a nightmare, not her old memory, but an actual nightmare, and she had never had them before. Number Four's mind slipped in, too, and he saw it as well.
His analytical mind raced as he tried to come up with an explanation. As he looked at the future and past, there was no evidence of it ever happening, meaning Damon eating those babies; so it was a true nightmare, and that meant just one thing: she was evolving, changing again, and this would make things so much harder.
"Time to call reinforcements," Number Four said. "I'll ask Wulfe to come here. This is just a nightmare, and it would mean she's evolving, and if she keeps having these, how the hell are we supposed to know what is an old memory and what is a nightmare?"
Number Five grunted; this was not an easy problem to fix, but maybe they could get it done anyway.
Now, with Mimi still struggling to fall asleep, they had time to confront the nightmares. Perhaps Wulfe could devise a spell to easily identify and eliminate them. However, understanding the cause of the nightmares and what had changed was crucial, though not immediately.
For now, Mimi needed rest, recovery, love, and a clear mind. The men who loved her were employing that very love to heal her. Number Four chuckled in the darkness, amused by a thought. If they were using love to heal Mimi, would they resort to lust to heal Mariella if she were ever in trouble?
He looked at Mimi while Adam lay behind her. Ten days had passed, a grueling period as her mind was a chaotic mess. Yet, they had cleared over 75 percent of the turmoil. Wulfe had also implemented a spell to destroy nightmares as soon as they manifested, theorizing that the babies were behind them, mixing their developing telepathy and empathy into Mimi's love and mind. That too needed their attention. For the time being, they would be busy. Life in the pack, as a family, was undoubtedly a demanding job.
Clearing her mind, Salvatores considered it one of the most rewarding jobs they could undertake. Every single Salvatore, including numbers one and two, who were still as unwavering as ever, wanted to care for the baby; they all loved her and felt a deep need to heal and help her.
They were her protectors, and although it initially seemed odd to have ten protectors for one person, it now felt like they were barely enough, given how demanding she truly was. Her unique mind and triple-alpha status – encompassing alpha vampire, alpha shifter, and alpha female – led her to conceal her weaknesses, pain, and discomfort.
This is where her ten ruthless, merciless, yet loving husbands and protectors came in. They ensured she couldn't hide her struggles, and they constantly tried to sense if she was in trouble. They strove to keep her healthy, ensuring her weight remained above 70 kilos, despite currently being at 58.
Thankfully, her enzymes were now thriving; these special enzymes were essential for her shapechanging and numerous bodily functions. However, they were sensitive to stress, and their levels could plummet during crises, as had happened recently.
Yet again, the Salvatores had a solution: they were her biological halves, meaning they possessed what she lacked, even enzymes. It was a uniquely strong bond between husband and wife, between protectors and protected, and between two halves of a whole.