As I walked toward my bedroom, which was more of a den than a place for passion, I noticed that I hadn't spent much time there yet. Demon and Lepard had recently installed a new, large bathtub for me, complete with massaging jets. Its soft bottom and slightly molded side were perfect, allowing me to lean forward and get my back massaged as well.
The room itself was decorated with pastel, light blue satin curtains featuring white clouds, and the bed was a light yellow with peachy tones and swirls, also made of satin. The pillowcases were a simple, solid pink.
A large, empty IKEA dresser waited for my new clothes, which were currently stacked on a soft seat at the foot of the bed. I planned to unpack them and put them away later.
My intention was to watch old movies from the 1990s and 2000s while indulging in treats from a large cooler. This cooler held not only Coke, champagne, and white wine but also several bags of my potent blood from the dark elf king, along with other various treats, many prepared by Number Five, and some sweeter options. As I mentioned, I was now focusing on self-care and doing what I wanted, rather than constantly thinking about others.
I had already placed some of my clothes in the laundry chute. Wearing only my panties and a t-shirt, I was preparing my bed and gathering towels and bathrobes. Then, I began my stretching routine. It wasn't overly strenuous, but my body enjoyed movement, and standing all day in the kitchen, concentrating on sugar work and directing the children, had left my muscles stiff and sore. A hot, massaging bath would undoubtedly be beneficial, but first, I had to complete my routine.
While standing and bending backward, reaching for the floor with my hands, I gradually transitioned into a handstand. As I began to open my legs to stretch my hips, the door opened, and Number One stepped in.
He closed the door, approached me, and began to offer directions: "Darlin', stretch more, but keep your back straight. See, you're bending too much. Tighten up your core."
He placed his palm on my stomach, ensuring I tensed my abdominal muscles, and made sure I was in the correct position.
He continued directing, "Now, open your hips more, wider, good. Bend your knees, straighten your toes. That's it. Now, pull your legs together and twist your hips, bringing them to your left side."
His hand guided my movements as he felt around my muscles and posture. I remained silent, but I couldn't help but wonder why he was here; I thought I had directed him to care for the children.
"I've solved the acoustic problem, so there are no more midnight wakings for others. Number five now has Mariella helping him out, so, as I said, I'll be with you tonight. I'm not sure what we'll do yet." He explained calmly.
Finally, I stood up and said, "Well, I'm going to take a bath, and then I have movies to watch."
He grunted and walked to my revamped dresser, opening it to find it empty.
I explained, "This is a fresh bedroom; it used to be one of the storage rooms, but it's been emptied, and the boys installed a tub for me."
He asked, "Why so many bedrooms? I mean, we could do with fewer."
I replied patiently, "I currently have 14 children. They will grow up and at some point want their own rooms, so it's good to have options, not that I'll force them to live in a wing, but still. And if you knock me up again, that's even more kids, plus Mariella's brood."
He nodded, not having thought of that. It was typical for men, but usual for me, to think ahead, making plans, backup plans, and their backups.
He said to me, "Well, you go and have a bath. I'll go get a few more things, as this is still a work in progress."
I didn't think anything of it but walked to the bathroom, took off the rest of my clothes, and sank into the hot bath I had drawn earlier. It was heavenly. As the door was partially closed, I heard him coming back in at one point, but I had no idea what he was doing. I had put my massaging jets on, and I was currently lying partially on my front, letting the jets massage my back too. It was perfect, sheer pleasure.
"Oh, naughty wife, I see. Good thing about the tip Wulfe gave me about checking up on you," Damon's voice came from behind me.
He soon walked to the other end of the tub, looking at me and taking off his clothes too. "Hmm, it fits two. Don't worry, let's take a bath together, unless you can't keep your fingers to yourself. Move over, and then later on, we can watch movies and eat. What movies have you planned? Not Marvel, I guess."
I rolled to sit up, then stopped the jets as he came to sit on the tube as well, all his naked glory. He sighed, satisfied, as he sank into the water.
"You know, baby," he said, "I seldom take baths, but I should take more, as this is perfect."
I nodded, replying, "I love baths; they relax me so wonderfully."
Damon's voice was rather dry as he responded, "A well-known fact, darlin'. You and bathtubs are not very feasible unless you are supervised."
"Well, things just happen to me when I'm in the bath," I said, listing off my plans. "I have conspiracy theory, *Armageddon*, *Kingsman* movies, and now *Now You See Me* movies lined up, and maybe *Space Cowboys*."
Damon furrowed his brow and said, "I have no fucking idea what they are, so I'm all up to watch them. I've watched very few movies, so it's good for you to choose new experiences for me."
I sighed and turned some jets on.
Damon grunted and shut them off, his tone again wonderfully dry. "I would suggest not doing that unless those movies are not important, as those jets have a trajectory right into my more excitable parts."
I smirked and asked, "Oh, what's the matter? Will your self-control not hold?"
He replied, "Not if you use those. So, your choice. But first, Wulfe told me one random thought in your mind, and I would like to help you."
I wasn't sure what he was referring to, so I asked, "And what might that be? What do I need help with?"
He looked into my eyes and said softly, sincerely, "Mimi, my love. He showed me the backdoor my brain has created in your mind. I heard it too, how you are pulling this whole pack forward. I am your alpha male, and I also got your knowledge about alphas sharing burdens. So please, let me help. Tell me something, how do you keep this pack going?"
Oh, it was not simple for me to answer. Firstly, I was a control freak, and telling Damon the little things I used to ensure everything went along smoothly would not be easy for me. Then again, quite a lot I did via pheromones, meaning I could smell them most acutely and use that to know what needed to be done—again, not an easy thing to teach or explain. I was racking my brain for something a bit more concrete, something I could use him for.
"As you know, I work with pheromones, which convey a great deal of information. I use this information as the alpha female, caring for my pack. For example, three days ago, Britney came to the kitchen. She didn't say anything, but she was clearly tired of cleaning up after Mariella. Britney had no idea where the books and toys had gone after the kids went to bed, even though she had shown Mariella. However, Mariella had her own ideas, and unfortunately, this confused the kids, as they couldn't find their toys and belongings after Mariella had reorganized everything. Therefore, I moved Mariella to cooking downstairs and sent nine and ten to be with the kids downstairs." I remarked.
Damon looked at me, not saying a word, but he furrowed his brow slightly, a crease appearing between his eyes. I felt a buzz and pressure in my mind.
"Don't fight, just relax; I'm tweaking my brain," he murmured.
I was a bit perplexed, but he soon elaborated, "You see, this is a family, and if Mariella doesn't listen to Britney, she will surely listen to me. But I need to know these things. Now, what else is there? I can sense you have a fucking long list in your mind of all sorts of things, so out with it. Wulfe is also tweaking his part, as he, too, needs to know."
I took a breath, trying to explain some of my processes, but it wasn't easy to make them sound logical. "Well, for instance, I keep my part of the kitchen clean, no matter what I'm doing. Even though we have a kitchen cleaner, it's a bit of help for them if my station is spotless. Many Salvatores don't do that; they just leave crumbs and stains, making kitchen cleaning harder. And I always keep tabs to ensure there's no lagging on chores. For example, we upstairs have weekly bed vacuuming. It's a chore, and it takes time as all the beds, including the kids' beds that have been used, are vacuumed. But since it's not a very fun thing to do, I usually take it upon myself, as no one else does."
Damon said, "Fine, let's implement a bit more to our chores, shall we? First, keep the kitchen clean. Well, let's put those Salvatores on kitchen cleaning duty one after another, and soon we will see, probably, improved cleanliness. Bed vacuuming too, we will make it a chore for at least three people, not just one. One person will handle the kids' beds, one will handle downstairs, and one will handle upstairs."
I could feel him communicating via the hive with someone or several someones, but I didn't butt in. I could have listened, but I chose not to; it was their conversation, not mine.
He remarked a short while later, "Give me more. I need to know. Charles and Adam are aware, too. As I said, we are family. There's no need for you to overburden yourself trying to make things easy for others."
I took a breath, trying to articulate again the things I had been observing.
My voice was calm. "Well, as I said, pheromones. As soon as I smell that someone has a problem, I try to pinpoint what it is and solve it. I don't necessarily ask directly, but I might observe what chores they are doing and if there's an issue. Again, pheromones tell me a hell of a lot. For instance, on Monday, Charles came to the kitchen. He had some issues. I didn't ask, but I saw he had woodpiling and meat-chopping duties, as well as planning meals for downstairs. Meat-chopping and woodpiling wouldn't be an issue, but he had a partner. May and Lily also had woodpiling, and they had their own ideas about how to do it, not asking Charles or listening to his orders, but doing as they wanted."
"And add to that, Charles had planned meals downstairs, but Mariella's trio was once hyper-picky, and her next lot loves to make a mess. She wasn't eager for kitchen duty, even though she might have gotten the kids to eat better. So, little things added up until Charles was pissed off. Still, there was little he could do."
Damon asked, "So, what did you do then?"
"Well, I moved the girls from woodpiling to downstairs kitchen feeding duty, as well as Lepard and Demon. They are brilliant with picky kids. I had my reasons for shuffling people around without telling Charles directly, but I had all sorts of reasons so he wouldn't feel like a failure or too impatient."
Damon was quiet as he contemplated, and then said, "Well, there's now an alert in your brain that whenever you smell iffy pheromones, Wulfe and I get it too, so we can act as well. I am the pack leader, the leading male. Hence, it's fucking time for me to grow the fuck up and do the actual work."
After we had soaked in the bath for a few more minutes, with Damon still lost in thought and possibly communicating with others via hive, he finally spoke. "Well, let's get up, go into the shower, wash ourselves, and then head to movie night. This has been very illuminating, and I know you feel like I'm forcing you to trust me and the others, but baby, sometimes a push is needed. Besides, I'm the pack leader, so this is kind of my duty too – no more hiding and being lazy, letting you handle everything."
He stood up, unplugged the bath, and pulled me up too, directing me towards the shower. He adjusted the water, washed me, and cared for me, all while constantly smelling my pheromones. As he washed himself, my back remained quite itchy, so I reached for my washflower to try and relieve it.
However, he stopped me, grabbing my wrist and saying, "Nope, lemme see."
He turned me around, his nose once again buried in my neck. His fingers traced the itchy spots on my skin as he used his telepathy and our special bond to feel my physical sensations.
I smiled to myself, recalling how our initial passion, our bond, had been so open at one point that our physical sensations had merged. This meant his pleasure and his sensations had bled into me, and mine into him. It took some tinkering to bring our bond into a bit more order.
I must say, it's hilariously confusing to experience male sensations, like throbbing balls or an aching cock shuttling in and out of my pussy, while simultaneously feeling my own arousal. But that was a long time ago, and so much has happened between us since then.
Our bond, as special as it is, was forged with love, loss, emotions, heartbreak, and mistakes. It was far from the easy love we shared at the start.
I found myself accepting that some realities are simply meant to be acknowledged and moved past. My task was to keep my mind focused, resisting the urge to dwell on the past, even though those days, however fleeting, had been truly wonderful. Perhaps the innocence of those times was a contributing factor; I hadn't yet experienced profound loss or faced agonizing decisions, experiences that, over time, wore me down.
As a creature who thrives on love, and having found it so transient, I'd embraced it wherever I could. This led to a significant realization: I had experienced constant, deep love for years from Rob and Jake. Their profound, deep love had likely been a primary reason I persevered, even when I was unaware of my deep need for love.
"Mimi, baby, stop daydreaming," Damon said, interrupting my thoughts. "Those days were wonderful, unlike anything I've ever felt, not even with Mariella. I guess we're meant to be, our souls and beings merged, making us each other's halves."
He was jealous and possessive, and my reminiscing about Jake and Rob clearly didn't sit well with him. Soon, it would be time for me to get cleaned up, choose a nightgown, and settle in for a movie night with my husband.
This, too, was somewhat new to me, but it was just another aspect of a relationship I needed to learn. After all, movie nights and spending quality time together were perfectly normal for couples; I was the one who needed to adapt. It was my turn to learn how to navigate a true relationship, especially since I had always been independent.
Even with Adam, we had separate lives with our work, and while we fucked and did household chores, a truly connected relationship hadn't materialized. Similarly, with Charles, our dynamic was unique, but he, too, largely afforded me my independence. Now, I had the time to learn how to embrace this kind of partnership.