As I carried the fillings towards our island, the warm light of the bustling kitchen illuminated everything. The delicious aroma of food mingled with the chatter of our preparations for dinner. I smiled to myself, observing Damon, our number one, who was clearly overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of it all, especially the coffee-making process.
It was amusing to watch the ten Salvatores develop their unique personalities day by day. For example, numbers four and two had become quite knowledgeable about nutrition after reading a book during my pregnancy, particularly regarding sugars and creams.
We all enjoyed coffee with both, though there was a twist. We offered various sugar and cream options. As the Salvatores had honed their ability to detect pheromones, they could discern our individual needs. We kept a list for this purpose, along with a large cabinet filled with neatly sorted packets of different sugars and creams with varying fat contents.
By smelling our pheromones, the Salvatores could determine the exact coffee recipe. For me, today's recipe was five packets of sugar number 5, a specific type of cane sugar, and six packets of cream number 11, the richest option.
Each of us had our own preferences, and the coffee-making station, along with our thermoses, was a dedicated area of the kitchen. Several Salvatores were busy preparing the coffee, ready to bring it to the table.
With the cooking now complete, it was time to move everything into place. Damon, number one, was plating the food for the babies, assisted by number four. This process would soon become even more challenging.
The reason for this practice was the toddlers' access to the kitchen. When things were relatively safe, they would enter, wander around, and we would then place them in their seats to eat. The experience was important for them: smelling, seeing the activity, the hustle and bustle that was our life.
Soon, the kitchen would be filled with toddlers, and everyone had to be careful. The best part, however, was those unexpected hugs and the love they radiated. Damon was unaware of this, as I had instructed number five not to warn him. Feeling a bit mischievous, I wanted to make his day even more surprising and unexpected.
It wasn't the time to be overly concerned with details; I simply carried the toddlers to their seats. I was just about to slice my sea-lion roast when the cooing and giggling signaled the toddlers' arrival. Mariella and Adam explained the situation to Damon, who was once again overwhelmed but focused on plating ten different meats for each toddler's plate.
I felt small hands grabbing my legs, and looking down, I saw Sadie hugging me, reaching to be held.
"Fine," I thought.
I picked her up and continued unwrapping my sealion roast with one hand. She was intently smelling and watching everything around her.
"See, this is sealion, a big seal, and it's quite yummy. Mommy will soon put this into that big machine, which turns this big chunk of meat into the thinnest slices," I explained to Sadie.
She replied, "Eelion."
I smiled and said, "That's right, sealion. Now, let's slide this onto the tray..."
Number five, who was nearby, said, "Baby, let me help you out. What do you need?"
"Fine," I replied, "You can start by pouring the sauces from those big pots and carrying them to the island. The eggs are ready to be put into the béchamel; they're next to that pot. It's eggsauce."
He nodded and began to move the sauces. I took a small piece of sealion, planning to offer it to Sadie, but number one snatched it from my fingers and ate it.
"Thanks, babe, this is tasty. Let me take it to the slicer," he said.
He grabbed my roast and walked toward the slicer. Number four was showing him how to adjust the thickness of the slices, so he chose quite thin slices and turned on the machine.
I said to Sadie, "Well, let's move on, shall we? Oh, we can start to carry these fruits and veggies in there."
Sadie eagerly grabbed a piece of watermelon and crunched into it. Number six came to me, picked her up, and carried her to the table, as she was clearly hungry. They were very strict about babies eating food, not snacks.
Soon, the other toddlers were lifted into their seats, and the girls were placing bibs on them. Each of the babies had their own plate, each a different color. Number one hadn't remembered everything, so he had named them: Dash had light blue, Darien had dark blue, Sadie had pink, Seraphina had yellow, Sabrina had red, Amber had orange, Tiffany had violet, and Candice had green.
All of the plates had been named, so he knew what went to whom. He also took some of our stock and filled the babies' sippy cups so they could drink it.
The warm, wood-colored kitchen table had no tablecloth, but only arcane symbols drawn in the wood for each of us. Our warming unit, with its spell, would warm up the plates placed in its designated spot, but it wouldn't overcook the food, just warm it suitably hot.
Our chairs were comfortable to sit in and at the correct height for all of us. It was truly family meal time, as this was probably the first time in a long time, if ever, that all of us—25 adults and 8 toddlers—were eating at the same table.
The toddlers, given ample space due to their eagerness to explore with their hands, were interspersed among us, though adult supervision was readily available. Soon, it was time to collect our food. Several Salvatores, including my husband and my protectors, were present.
This was a magical, almost supernatural arrangement; they possessed an intimate understanding of my body, knowing precisely what I needed to eat and what I should avoid. I, in turn, was a demanding customer, requiring ten protectors, but the universe had entrusted me with their care as well, and we looked after each other.
It wasn't always easy, as they could be somewhat lax, and I sometimes employed medicinal means to remind them of basic bodily functions, such as the need to relieve themselves. Meaning I gave them a nasty laxative that emptied them fully. We were nearly all "teeth vampires," meaning we could synthesize substances in our sinuses from our blood and inject them via our fangs.
As my protectors, they could block or limit my substance production if I were using too many of my resources. However, I was lazy and allowed them to consume what they wished, intending to reprimand them later. As we prepared to assemble our trays, Damon, with a sharp whistle, spoke in a low voice to Charles and the other Salvatores.
The toddlers were already eating and everything was in place, he said, "Okay, we'll do this a little differently. Tomorrow is medical day, so get ready for that. But right now, I've asked each of the protectors for their protectees' latest reports. We'll do it like this: each of us will get a Salvatore to plate for you. You can fill up your tacos, but we'll ensure your meats and carbs are on point and that there isn't too much 'trash' on your plate."
His gaze locked on me, and I tried to appear innocent.
He continued, "So, pair up, girls first. The Salvatores are waiting. And if someone is feeling lazy, go and sit down; we will bring food to you. Now, what I've gathered, I suspect your lab values aren't ideal for most of you, at least for the girls: Baby, and Mariella, you might have to get some boosters intravenously. No negotiation."
I rolled my eyes.
Number Five, standing near me, said, "I heard you rolling your eyes, my love. Just start to accept this new way of life."
I remained silent. The girls were a bit overwhelmed as they walked with their trays. May was planning on taking a good amount of salads and watermelon, but Number Three stopped her, piling elk, horse, and pork onto her tray, along with plenty of sauces.
Feeling lazy, I walked to sit down. If the Salvatores wanted to compile my tray, go ahead; I could eat. I wanted to get my fitness as perfect as possible, and letting my protectors feed me was one efficient way of doing it. Soon, Damon was grabbing a tray and started to fill it for me, stopping here and there to ponder if he would allow me to have something, or if something else would be more beneficial for me.
I didn't mind; all the food we had was tasty and perfect, so it was a treat in any case. It was funny to see Rose trying to take more watermelon as Number Three stopped her and piled horsemeat and sauce for her, muttering something about the carb plate being too big, and no need for so much of those.
The babies were eating, watching us, also smelling the food and seeing others starting to eat too. Sure, someone might try to be a little bit fussy, wanting something from an adult's plate, but soon hunger took over, and they tasted yet another piece of meat.
It seemed my fish was a hit, as Damon had molded it into a stick. Those were fun to eat; the babies loved all kinds of different textures. I was smiling as Amber took one fish stick, and Mariella, who was closest to her, didn't notice her daughter planning something other than eating.
A half-eaten, soppy, sticky stick landed on Mariella's hair.
"What the fuck!" she exclaimed.
Amber, seemingly enjoying the situation, smiled and, with a less distinct pronunciation, echoed, "Uck!"
She had immediately picked up on the word, delighted to have her mother's attention. Mariella rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile as the toddler beside her grinned broadly.
Damon, in a calm but flat voice, said to Mariella, "My love, watch your language, will you? No need to teach your daughters to cuss so young."
Mariella bit her lip and remained silent, while Charles smirked at his wife's reaction. He walked toward Mariella, carrying a tray for Lily, and whispered, "My wife, do I need to give you a lesson in front of the whole pack?"
Mariella blushed and stammered, her equilibrium shaken. Married to ten Salvatores, as well as Adam, Charles, Damon, and Leopard, she, like me, had fourteen husbands, and some of them were determined to remind her of that fact.
I focused on eating as Damon placed a heavily laden tray in front of me. The taco shells were overflowing with meat, my sauce cups were reduced to one, and there was an extra plate of meat, eggs, and cheese. Additionally, there were several large mugs filled with smoothies, not fruit cubes.
Fine. I picked up a taco shell and tried to take a clean bite, hoping not to spill too much. But, it was overfilled. I had to abandon my attempt and use utensils to eat some of the meat before trying again, or else I would have been messier than the toddlers. What disturbed Damon most was that I was sitting with Charles at one end of the table, while he was at the other with Mariella, near their toddlers.
He focused on Mariella, ensuring she ate in the correct order, while Charles was occupied with Seraphina. Seraphina, easily distracted by her twin sister, was a handful, as were the twins.
I began to analyze my toddlers' individual quirks, which became clearer each day. Sadie was independent, a mini-me, bossy, and always wanting to be first. Dash lived up to his name, always running and dashing around. Darien, my cuddlebug, inherited my patience, meaning he wasn't easily fazed but also thought before acting. Though his thoughtfulness didn't always help, he could be withdrawn, needing encouragement to play and laugh. This led me to ponder his latent potential, and that of my twins, Seraphina and Sabrina. Always plotting, always doing what was forbidden, and always together, they sometimes distracted adults to execute their plans.
I wondered what Wulfe thought of Darien; was he just a quiet boy, or did he possess telepathy or empathy? Thinking about the future, I knew these five would give me gray hairs and truly test my patience. Unsure if I wanted more children, I didn't notice the slight smile forming on Damon's lips, as if he'd had a good idea. My mind forgot I lived among telepaths, and my thoughts weren't private.
As we finally ate, surrounded by the smell of food, sounds of laughter, and the babbling of children, it was a wonderful family feast. Yet, I wasn't finished with Damon. A storm was coming, and I had something to unload, but not yet, not here. I didn't even know when or how it would happen, but I knew in my bones it would be a big explosion.
I focused on eating, knowing that dessert would require some effort to plate since it was an ice cream stand. Each of us could choose what we wanted, and it was fun to set it up. Afterwards, I would clear the kitchen while the men bathed the toddlers.
The girls would have a free night to shower or relax; it was just our routine. If you handled baby duty during the day, you got a free bath at night, while others would bathe the babies and put them to sleep.
Tomorrow, I was on baby duty and planned to use the baby gym, though I wasn't sure if Damon would participate. A lot can happen in a short time, and events can change quickly. Despite my careful planning, I knew I couldn't prepare for everything.