Chapitre 241: 1. Viva La Vida.
Mariella was finally feeling wonderful, but at the same time, she was irritated with herself for being so weak. It had taken a lot of effort to regain control over her powers and her well-being. It wasn't a straightforward process. Some moments reminded her of scenes from the movie "The Exorcist" where she was restrained in bed while a group chanted around her, using their magic and energy to separate her powers.
Then, it took the help of ten damons and Wulfe to construct a whole new system in her mind. Her room, which used to hold secrets from the cat god, had been demolished since some of her powers resided there. Mariella could imagine how smug that cat god would look. It turned out that he had set a trap for her, giving her these powers without warning her about their reactivity.
Mariella had just finished breakfast and was thinking about a game that Mimi had invented. It was such a fun idea, and she wanted to play it more. However, she shook her head, wondering if this would be the last time Mimi would understand or if she had reached her limit. Mariella couldn't really blame Mimi for not being able to handle her meltdown. It had taken a toll on the entire pack, especially with their relocation to the Ireland castle. It hadn't been easy.
Mariella knew that when they returned, she might be in a snappy mood. It was the start of November, and she didn't want to spend Christmas in Ireland, but rather In Halifax with the entire pack. She knew that the children would have grown a lot, and they might not visit anymore, but there was always the possibility of making new ones. The idea of caring for cubs and babies with the pack seemed lovely. But Mimi... Mariella sighed, realizing that they would need to assess her condition first and see if she could be part of the breeding. It would be one thing if others were breeding, and she wasn't.
"Well, I ought to find Damon and talk things over with him, see what he thinks," Mariella thought determinedly.
She focused and sensed Damon a few floors up. She had also noticed that her rooms here lacked the rule of three and she wanted to make them more remarkable, not just rooms that smelled of old sex. For now, thoughts of sex were the last thing on her mind. Some heat would be nice, though.
What Mariella didn't know, or even notice, was that the Pack's alpha female, Mimi Springcove, was subtly influencing her and the other females through the packbond. Mimi's vampire power allowed her to send these hints, which gave Mariella ideas of breeding, heat, and caring.
Mimi had a grand plan to create heat, but not with the Salvatores. She had a little plot to ensure that Mariella would be focused on the Salvatores, but after that, some of Mimi's embryos inside her would activate. Mimi didn't plan to be inseminated during this heat; she wanted to keep the power to herself as the alpha female.
Mariella ascended the stairs, her flowy violet cotton skirt clinging to her legs. Her white satin button-down blouse felt too hot, as there were fires burning in several fireplaces, making the castle warm. Finally reaching the floor where she sensed Damon, she walked along the corridor.
There was no rule of three, and Mariella wanted to learn more about interior decoration rules and techniques. Of course, there was always room for improvisation, but she was eager to learn. She imagined creating a nursery and cub room, holding those cubs in her hands and feeling them move in her belly. It brought a gentle smile to her face.
Arriving at the door where she heard voices, Mariella wondered if Damon was working again. The cool, hard doorknob felt familiar in her hand as she turned it and pulled the door open. What she saw made her scrunch her nose, squint her eyes, and once again feel confused. The stench of old booze hit her nose, and she could hear men mumbling in self-hatred due to their drunkenness.
As her eyes adjusted, she realized there was another pity party going on. Sighing internally, she quickly understood that Mimi was involved. "Of course, Mimi. Fine. I need to see what's happening."
Mariella cleared her throat and asked, "Okay, what's going on? Was it that bad? Why all this drinking?"
In the room, she saw several Salvatores, as well as Magnum and Wulfe. At least numbers one, two, four, nine, and ten were present. Great, half of the Salvatores had decided to indulge in this behavior.
Number four quietly whispered to himself, not addressing Mariella directly, "I never had her. I thought we had more time. I was waiting for the perfect moment."
Number two admitted, "I almost had her. That pink room was so incredibly perfect. Why did I have to ruin everything?"
Mariella acknowledged, "Mimi is upset, rightfully so, because our plans went wrong. But we can overcome this."
Number one looked up, his eyes filled with genuine pain. He held a bottle of bourbon and took a swig before speaking to Mariella, "I tried to talk to her, to explain. I even gave her a ring. But she ended things. She kept the ring, but reminded me we are immortal, and I don't need to fulfill my promises immediately."
Mariella sighed, understanding the difficulty of the situation. It wouldn't be easy to fix, but she remained hopeful.
Wulfe added, "I was supposed to be with her so she wouldn't be alone. But here I am, and she's somewhere, all by herself, for weeks."
Number four mumbled his thoughts, "We can try to explain, tell her what this meant to us. But even to my own ears, it sounds like a bunch of excuses. I lost her long before I even had her."
Mariella interjected, "This isn't helpful. Drinking won't solve anything. But we have to go back and see how she's doing. Maybe time will help, and you can win her back. Just remember, I'm here for you."
Number two muttered, "Damn, you sound like 'Living Next Door to Alice'."
Mariella fell silent. She relayed the plan to the wolves and girls. It was time to put an end to the drinking and figure out the next steps. They needed to move forward as a pack. Mariella empathized with Damon's pain, but she was confident that he could win Mimi back. If their love had faltered, it didn't mean it was permanent. They just needed something to reignite the spark. Of course, it wouldn't be easy, and it wouldn't happen overnight. But perhaps that night was exactly what they needed.
Mariella was planning her plan. It would give Damon and Mimi the chance to reconnect properly and resolve any lingering issues, and then they would see what the future holds. Mariella wasn't neglecting Wulfe's or Magnum's problems either. They would overcome this obstacle, and it was important for them not to be solely focused on Mimi. They were a pack, and their relationships with each other, both emotionally and physically, were significant. After all, they were a pack driven by desire.
As the men were being dragged into the shower, Mariella casually wandered into the nearest kitchen out of curiosity. She took a look around just for fun, checking on inventory lists of other kitchens as there was a system where one could see what was in which fridge and freezer to see what had been updated and if she could get any idea of what was happening.
Her eyes fell upon the New Hampshire's in the fridge and freezer, which seemed to be quite well-stocked. There was even a separate meat freezer with a list showing its contents. Mariella noticed that there were several new meats, including whole carcasses, rabbits, deer, muntjacs, and venison, hares, as well as a diverse range of game birds. It seemed that Missy had been hunting, and everything looked good. The pack would have plenty of meat.
Unaware of numbers three and six entering the kitchen, Mariella continued to read the list. She also noticed a significant increase in baked goods, indicating that Missy had been kept busy. Mariella couldn't help but wonder what else Mimi was up to. Surely, she wasn't just cooking. What else was she doing?
Suddenly, number three spoke up, saying, "Truly interesting. It's good to know that we have meats available for us."
Startled, Mariella jumped slightly, feeling a bit spooked. The chuckle that emanated from deep within number six's chest seemed somewhat threatening. Sensing the tension, Mariella moved away from the fridge and allowed Salvatores to start preparing food for the rest of the pack.
She took her seat and said, "I know that I am to blame for things getting complicated with Mimi. I have a little plan on how to fix things, or at least get them going in the right direction."
Number six replied, "Save your breath. Mimi is fully recovered from the venoms. She heard the truth when you and Damons had our heart-to-heart conversation. It broke her heart one too many times, if you ask me. And I'm not sure if your little sex games will help with that."
Mariella responded, "Oh, but we have a chance. It's never too late. The only question is, what are Damon's feelings for Mimi? And what are your feelings for her? Everything comes down to that. Do you truly love her for who she is now, or do you just love the person she used to be when she was with you before me?"
Number three glanced at her sharply, furrowing his brows. He didn't have an obvious answer and needed time to think. He knew that whatever he had felt for Mariella after that unfortunate incident had come and gone. She was no longer that important to him. But Mimi? Number six remained silent as well. It wasn't a simple question to answer, and lying would only complicate things further. They did not know what they were truly feeling.
As Mariella gazed at her two husbands, she couldn't help but feel that she didn't fully possess them, that a part of them would always belong to Mimi. And if true love existed between them, it was something Mariella wanted to protect. She knew the ten Salvatores, she could sense them in her soul, yet she also realized how little she truly had them.
It wasn't a painful thought for her; she believed that someday she could choose just number one, and walk away with him. Even though numbers two and four were closer to her, she didn't feel as strongly about them as she did for number one. But even he had a part of him that didn't belong to her, but to Mimi, and it was a frighteningly significant part.
Mariella wasn't afraid of losing number one, but she knew that if he lost Mimi for good, he wouldn't be complete with just her. No matter what she did, it wouldn't improve the situation. Mimi had taken a piece of him, and the only way for number one to be whole, to be the best version of himself, was to have Mimi in his life.
This notion drove Mariella to bring the two of them back together, and she also wanted to spend some one-on-one time with Mimi. She wanted to get to know her without the constant presence of men or other distractions. Mariella pondered various ways to make this happen, knowing that barging in would be too obvious. Perhaps, when the entire group was together, she might find an opportunity.
But then again, Mariella realized she was easily distracted by sexual desires, and Mimi, with her pheromones and their effect, was the ultimate temptation. Ah, there it was, an idea forming in Mariella's mind. She was completing her plan when the cranky men, accompanied by others, entered the kitchen with sour expressions and low moods.
Mariella spoke up, "Mimi is in New Hampshire, and that's where we're going next. And Damon, before you remind me I'm not the pack leader, let's remember that we're not under your rule all the time. This isn't a tyranny, is it? So others can have a say too. Besides, you don't seem to be in the mood to make any decisions, do you?"
Damon grunted as he sipped his coffee, which had been handed to him.
Mariella then turned to Wulfe and said, "Welcome to the real pack life. This is what we're all about, making mistakes like this and then trying to fix them. Get used to it; you'll make these blunders too. It's just our way."
Wulfe stared at her with bleary, hopeless eyes. He didn't look as youthful as usual; his true age shone through in his eyes, not his face.
Magnum responded tersely, "Enough, princess. I don't need motivational speeches right now."
Mariella smiled sweetly, unafraid of the grumpy men.
Mariella remarked, "You know, Magnum, this feeling is something we have all experienced many times, and every single time we swore, especially here in Ireland, that we would do better by Mimi. But I'm not sure when we will stop doing this to her."
Murdock replied, "It's simple. When you think before you act. For example, Damon and Wulfe, why did you plan to unload Mariella at the same time as Mimi? Unloading a butterfly is already difficult enough, yet you had to involve Mariella as well. Why? Because you were too overconfident, too sure of yourselves. But if you were wise, you would have unloaded Mimi first and then, only after that, tried to unload Mariella. But then again, as the princess, you were all over the place. I guess you manipulated them, and not just a little."
Mariella nodded and added, "The whole damn demon-chasing situation. We had some nasty fights, and since there was no warning, it caught me by surprise. I've learned my lesson. I have to remember that we have enemies and surprises can come our way."
Dexter grunted, shaking his head, "Why is it that great wisdom always emerges from you after the damage is done? And why the hell did you drag us into your mess? Next time, clean up after yourself. I'm not your hired hand."
Alaric chimed in, "And it's so damn wrong Mimi had to witness the four of you talking in the cruelest way possible, breaking her heart. And now, we're trying to mend her heart and give her some hope. Are you intentionally trying to destroy her, Mariella? Because from where I stand, it sure as hell looks like it!"
Mariella nodded again and replied, "I understand, and I don't have a reasonable explanation, nor should I. But all we can do is try to move on and fix what we can. Let's see how bad this mess really is."
Wulfe added, "Bad enough. I haven't even delved deep into her mind, but I can sense it. She is as pissed off as hell. She's not some pitiful creature waiting for grand romantic gestures. She's a damn strong creature, and if pushed too far, she can react pretty strongly."
Mariella let out a sigh in her mind, refraining from rolling her eyes. Of course, everyone seemed to be filled with doom and gloom. Maybe later things would get better, but she had her own little plan. She would wait for everyone to finish eating before revealing what she had in mind. It was a genius plan that would give her a chance to bond with Mimi. It would also provide Damon with the necessary information, as well as the other pack members, including Colin, Murdock, and Dexter. They would all learn so much during that time, and perhaps, just maybe, it would be the first step in the right direction.
Sometimes, well, pretty often, Mariella felt like they were all blindly leading each other through a maze with no idea of what to do. But it was important to keep going, to keep trying, and maybe one day they would succeed. Somehow, for the first time in her life, Mariella felt that something was missing from this castle. It had lost something, or maybe she had gained something that she needed.
This castle was missing Mimi, and now she was noticing it. It was a strange feeling, but at the same time, it was incredibly important to have. Initially, Mariella had thought that it came from Damon, but in truth, it came from her. Now that she was no longer clingy, jealous, or possessive, she realized the significance of Mimi's absence.
As for the scene in bed, as romantic as it had been, it wasn't a big deal for her. She already knew those things, but it had been nice to hear a man speak them out loud. Unfortunately, it also had devastating consequences. But Mariella stubbornly held onto the belief that true love would prevail. All it would take was just one kiss. One magical kiss.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone