As I looked at the paper before me, I wasn't entirely sure what to think. It was a marriage contract between Damon and me, but there was also a separate version between Wulfe and me, and yet another between Damon and Wulfe. I wasn't sure if he had done this with Mariella as well, but I was reading the ornamental scroll, trying to understand if this was a good or bad thing.
First, it stipulated my status as vampire queen, Damon's wife, and his eternal mate. It also defined my status as ruler of vampires in specific situations, though honestly, there weren't many of those. Then, there was a list of my duties as a wife, as well as my rights and how I should behave. The contract was written in a very old-fashioned way, and Wulfe was reading his versions, his brows furrowed in concentration.
Damon then said, "So, I'll make these official once this is over. Then you'll have clear directives on what to do in any given situation, what falls under my purview, what goes for Wulfe, and what you are supposed to be doing. That way, there will be no misunderstandings. I'm sorry; I should have done this much earlier, but it kind of slipped my mind. I had this idea a long, long time ago, but everything just got in the way, complications hit, and you know, our life. But now, I've made this." His voice was calm, and he was serious about it.
Surely, the list was quite long regarding my duties as a wife. These included being in his bed, giving my body to him whenever he wanted, obeying him, letting him protect me, and informing him about all possible enemies and those who had wronged me.
The biggest question was how strictly he would adhere to this. I wondered if some ancient magic would bind me to his decree the moment I signed, or if it was merely a formality. I couldn't be sure, and Wulfe remained silent on the matter, offering no assistance.
My status, as stipulated, stated: "In case of absence, the Vampire King, Damon Salvatore, or his chosen guardian of the queen, Wulfe, Mimi Salvatore, Queen of the Night, will act as leader of the vampires, and her word is law. She will have all power over all vampires, regardless of their age, status, or lineage, until such time as the Vampire King or Guardian can take over."
This was a significant development. I questioned whether, once this was finalized, it would loom over me like the Sword of Damocles. Would I be free to act as I pleased, or would I be forced to embrace my role as queen of the vampires? The complications and possibilities swirled in my mind.
Wulfe then spoke, "Well, in case Damon is unable, I should be able to step in. But if I'm also unable, then you, my unicorn, would be the leader, and that's perfectly fine with me. Now, if you're unsure, perhaps we could appoint a few selected vassals, like Adam and Charles, because in the event of an absence, it's likely all the Salvatores would be unavailable."
Wulfe's pale grey eyes met Damon's ice-blue ones, and he nodded.
"We can arrange that," Damon said, "but we can exclude it from this official document. If enemies were to get wind of it, they might try to take them out of the picture as well."
I said in a neutral voice, "Sure, I can sign this, as long as it doesn't permanently bind me or hinder my ability to lead my organization. After all, it's good to know what I'm needed for and when."
Damon replied, "It doesn't bind you per se, but once this is over and it goes public, there will be certain expectations. However, it also protects you somewhat; if someone tries to undermine you or gain more power by using you, this document clarifies who makes the decisions and when."
I slowly asked, "Are you talking about the Originals?"
Wulfe nodded and calmly stated, "As well as Angelus, Spike, and other vampires. And any vampire skank who might think of currying favor with you. So, from my perspective, this is good. It protects you, my unicorn, and that's the most important thing here."
I nodded, realizing that our bond made Damon even more protective of me, which might become a bit bothersome at times. However, I decided to wait and see what the future held. I was ready to play along and trust my soulmates, at least Wulfe.
Damon, on the other hand, remained a question mark; his trustworthiness had been inconsistent over a long period. Sometimes he was on his game, and other times he would relapse, causing me to lose faith in him. But for Wulfe, I trusted him with my life, and with my sanity, what little I had left.
I picked up a pen and signed the contract. After all, it was just one facet of who I was, and it would make things easier. Perhaps I could even use it to ensure no one bothered me with things outside my expertise. However, I was also a triple alpha, meaning an alpha shifter, and in that capacity, I was actually more skilled than Damon.
I wasn't sure how he would react to this aspect of me, or how it affected his perception of himself, but for now, he folded the contracts, nodded, and said, "Good. Now, baby, we need to talk. Just the two of us. Nothing personal, Wulfe, but Mimi doesn't need emotional support from you right now. We have a few things to hash out, just us."
Wulfe calmly stated, "You do recall, Damon, that Mimi, my unicorn, is more of a doer than a talker. Nevertheless, I have things to check on and will monitor her mind constantly, lest you have some fantastic idea about digging up shit from her mind and trying to play the hero."
Wulfe's voice was firm, and he showed no fear of Damon, though this created an intense tension between them. I had no idea what the consequences of this tension would be.
My guess was that Damon's need to speak stemmed from whatever Mariella had put him through during this time, and he needed to try to explain himself to me. So, sure, I could hear him out, not that I needed explanations, but for his sake, I'd listen. I sat there, waiting for him to articulate his thoughts after Wulfe had left.
Damon looked at me and said somewhat laconically, "He protects you pretty fiercely. I can't blame him. I've been a shithead most of the time we've been here, and I hope, I sincerely hope, I can do better. But knowing me, nothing is certain."
I rolled my eyes and replied, "You know me; I'm not much of a talker, but here goes anyway. I'll be brutally honest, and it is what it is, so take it or leave it. I've already had pretty perfect versions of you in my life. And well, you being an alpha male, pack leader, and whatnot, doesn't change a thing if you continue to act like a shithead. Now, you can either start thinking deeply about whatever Mariella put you through, or you can try to hash it out with those other versions of you to see where they differ from you. One thing they all tell me about you is that you don't really know me. You're almost scared of the real me, and you have this fantasy of who you want me to be. When I'm not that person, you explode."
He grunted, rubbed his ear, and looked down, appearing awkward and unsure. He then leaned back into the recliner, which was a semi-brown, soft, but not overly fancy piece. Most of their high-end furniture had been moved into safekeeping for the time being, as children will be children, and there was no need for a fancy recliner to suffer a poopy disaster at the hands of overeager toddlers.
Damon stated, "Yeah, I guess so. I'm not sure if I'm scared of you, but you're certainly not who I thought you were. I think I never bothered to get to know you properly. I mean, I taught you a thing or two about sex and whatnot, but since then, everything that happened has messed me up. I think Adam got to know you far better than I did, as did other versions of me when they were in those vessels and around you at times when I couldn't or wouldn't be."
I raised an eyebrow. He had found a new angle, and sure, those vessels had been there and interacted with me now and then, but had it made any difference? It was hard to say.
"See," I said to him, "you've zeroed in on a new angle here. No other Salvatore has actually talked about the time they were in vessels. Well, numbers four and five did, but not the others. And sure, that might have influenced them as well."
Damon looked at me and said, "I try to do better, I really do. Mariella made me dig into my motives, meaning what I'm jealous of and why I exploded. To be honest, I just don't know, not for sure. What I do know is that I want, no, I *need* to be a decent husband to you and to Mariella, and I am seriously lacking in that department for both of you. I mean, I use Mariella as a sex toy; submission, lust, and sex are all I think of, not her mind or her abilities as a witch, but her body. I realize that makes me so damn shallow."
I replied, "Well, you are what you are, and it's up to you to decide if you need to be someone else. No one else's opinion should matter, believe me. I've learned to be honest with myself; I am who I want to be, and I don't apologize for it. I would suggest you might want to do the same."
He looked at me and grunted. Again, I could sense his uncertainty as he mulled things over. Then, he suddenly switched gears, as if he had just remembered who or what I was. He spoke in Italian, prompting me to answer him back in the same language.
"Mia cara moglie, è giunto il momento che tu mi insegni anche l'arte dei feromoni e come percepirli. Puoi star certa che sarò un allievo molto attento per i nostri studi e ho molte domande ed esercizi in mente. E mi assicurerò che tu abbia tutto il tempo e l'entusiasmo necessari per diffondere la tua conoscenza. E per quanto riguarda le nostre attività notturne, sarò nel tuo letto, facendoti urlare di estasi e nessun Charles o Adam ti farà visita presto, né alcun altro Salvatore. E inoltre, studi medici ora sono settimanali, così come pannelli completi di vitamine e minerali, per te e per i bambini."
Translation: (My dearest wife, it is high time for you to teach me the art of pheromones and how to sense them. You can be sure I will be your most astute pupil for our studies, and I have many questions and exercises in mind. I will also ensure you have all the time and enthusiasm to spread your knowledge. As for our bedtime activities, I will be in your bed, making you scream in ecstasy, and no Charles, Adam, or any other Salvatores will visit you anytime soon. Medical studies, including comprehensive vitamin and mineral panels for you and the kids, will now be conducted on a weekly basis.)
Taking a deep breath, I controlled myself as I formulated my answer. I had initially wanted to craft a few good sentences, but then I decided to simply let them come out. Why bother to behave if he wanted to push my buttons? So be it. My tone was just right, and I could see my sentences hit him before he had a chance to try to correct my pronunciation.
"Damon, cosa ti serve per imparare l'arte dei feromoni? Certo, posso insegnartela, ma la mia domanda è: puoi farlo per più di tre giorni, o saranno solo tre ore? Il mio stato di salute è sotto controllo, non c'è bisogno che tu cerchi di fare il dottor Kildare, i miei altri mariti possono sentire il mio buon umore dai miei feromoni e preparano per me il nutrimento perfetto. E tu nel mio letto, certo, ma d'altra parte, sono piuttosto astuta nel mettere Mariella di buon umore per farti davvero arrabbiare e poi ti ritrovi di nuovo con lei, quindi c'è anche questo, mio re vampiro, anima gemella eterna, marito e a volte bastardo piuttosto arrogante, o moccioso."
(Damon, when it comes to learning the art of pheromones, I can certainly teach you. However, my question is whether you can do this for longer than three days, or will it just be a three-hour stint? My medical status is under control; there's no need for you to play Dr. Kildare. My other husbands can already detect my health through my pheromones, and they prepare perfect nourishment for me. As for you being in my bed, that's certainly an option. But then again, I'm quite adept at getting Mariella in the right mood to truly piss you off, making you focus on her. So, there's that to consider as well, my vampire king, my eternal soulmate, my husband, and at times, rather arrogant bastard or pissant.)
He kept his expression bland, though a muscle in his jaw twitched.
"You still speak too softly," he said to me in a neutral tone. "Do not mumble or try to match my speed. Precision over speed, so we have any chance of trying to understand what you are actually saying. Your vocabulary is quite limited; you could try to expand and use slightly more sophisticated words, rather than sounding like a dockworker in the midst of a huge hangover. It really doesn't work with your status as vampire queen, alpha female. Just saying."
I did not take the bait. Maintaining my own bland expression, I raised a brow and replied, "Did you have anything else? I need to check on my meal planning and other things. I'm not taking language lessons right now."
He looked at me. "Do not worry over food; others will take care of it. Again, no tortilla pockets. We are trying to cut carbs, as those are in excessive amounts, so let's just see what dinner is like. There will be an overhaul of the full meal planning, determining what is good for whom."
With that, he stood up and walked away, the arrogant bastard he was. I remained seated, contemplating what this would entail. Would he follow through, or was this just another one of his ideas that would last three days and never work? Only time would tell.
However, one thing was certain: I was not going to simply fold and let him run rampant. Nope, I had my own plans. This was my kingdom, and while he could come up with plans regarding medicals and other matters, only time would reveal where it all would lead.