Chapitre 107: 27.L.O.V.E In My Car.
I sat in the car, the leather seats cool against my skin. Damon slid into the driver's seat, his presence filling the space. I held my composure, refusing to complain as he adjusted my seat and everything felt slightly off. I played the role of the good girl, keeping my thoughts in check. Damon now had remotes, and I had no desire to be jolted with electricity. It was time for me to behave.
Strangely, amidst the discomfort, a twisted sense of safety crept in. I couldn't quite grasp the identity of the person I had become, the remnants of the spell still lingering. But the knowledge that someone had the power to restrain me, if necessary, didn't feel entirely terrible. Perhaps I would feel angry at some point, but for now, I pondered who I truly was beneath the facade. Maybe, buried beneath all this pretense and my self-proclaimed strength, there was a hidden creature lurking within me. Maybe I had been deceiving myself, thinking I was better than I truly was.
Damon grunted beside me as we drove for a while. "You've tied yourself into quite a talented knot, but we'll help you break free from this funk," he said. "It was you, but at the same time, it wasn't. It's not easy to explain."
I replied, "It was me, beneath all the pretending, beneath my noble savior complex. I am nothing more than a cold, hardened shell of the woman I once was. It's time for me to accept it."
Damon tried to clarify. "Let me explain it in anatomical terms. What remained were your bones, your skeleton. But bones can't move or survive alone. They need more - veins, blood, muscles, joints, tendons - to function. We all have many pieces of ourselves, but this spell stripped away what defines you the most - your muscles and tendons - until only bare bones were left. It's not enough, it's not really you, and yet it is."
His words made sense, but it still took time for me to come to terms with this part of me. What else was I, beneath these layers? What was true and what was not? One thing I found solace in was my improved appearance, devoid of scars. But then again, perhaps my new figure was just a figment of someone else's imagination. I didn't know.
Damon snapped at me, "Change the tune or take a nap. I'm tired of listening to you overthink. It's not helping."
As I began to plan new recipes, my mind filled with a flurry of ideas, oblivious to the dry comments being made beside me. I felt a sense of incompleteness, as if some of my pieces were missing, causing my temper to get the best of me. I had to restrain myself from sarcastically snapping at Damon and seeking his guidance, about suitable subjects to me to think of. Although my mind was brimming with cutting remarks, I could sense that Damon was in no mood to entertain them, expecting swift and brutal feedback.
I had no idea where we were headed, and truthfully, I wasn't particularly interested. I longed to spend time with my six babies, but they were being sent to their new homes as our breeding season was about to commence, and I would soon become pregnant again. I refused to let it affect me, keeping myself composed. It was safer that way. Irritation simmered within me, but as always, I maintained full control, refusing to unravel.
We had been driving for a while when Damon glanced at me, his voice low and dangerous. "I will reveal the purpose of this trip and after this trip I take you to the Pennsylvania mansion. The entire pack will relocate there, and those locked doors will be opened. Don't even think of coming up with excuses to avoid it. It's the pack's house, and we're going in."
Fine. I wasn't thrilled, as it had been my sanctuary for a long time, but given the circumstances of my life, I had limited choices. Damon pulled out a phone from his pocket and placed it on the console. My heart froze as I saw my pink sex phone, the one that contained phone numbers from that one cruise long ago. Those men were surely long gone, having been human over a hundred, maybe even 150 years ago.
Damon said, "Mariella had that memory, along with others. I've looked through each of them, and we're going to meet them. Surely you remember my promise, don't you? Now that you have your flank organ and collar, I have the means to restrain you if you try to hinder me from fulfilling my promise."
Oh my god, he was planning to kill them, and I was powerless to stop him. I refused to comprehend it. Now was not the time to understand or let go. I maintained my composure, not uttering a word or allowing any thoughts to surface.
I hoped that most of them would be dead, and this would not be such a big deal. But then again, I was fucked up. If only I had destroyed that damn phone and not kept it, my penchant for keeping mementos came back to bite me in the ass, and big time. The weight of regret settled heavily upon me.
"Well, maybe there is a lesson to be learned," Damon said, his voice dripping with danger. "Oh, some of them have perished, but we will meet their sons or grandsons, 21, Mimi, remember I promised. 21."
"Fine, you promised," I thought bitterly in my mind.
Why in the world can you promise happily ever after or eternal bliss for me, but not prevent the impending death of innocents? Fuck. I was pissed off, but I didn't want to be sedated by that damn organ, so it wasn't the time for a temper tantrum. I might go to the gym once we reached Pennsylvania; I was feeling a little tense.
I just looked out of the car window as we drove. Damon smiled cruelly, his hands gripping the steering wheel with a sense of control. He drove habitually, enjoying the power of my car. He was an excellent driver, but he was no formula driver. I was. I was lost in reminiscing about those times in my mind when he interrupted my thoughts.
"Never again, you hear me? You won't do that," he said with a firm tone. "I won't promise, but I can say that I won't let you near those cars, and neither does Wulfe. So all I have to do is give him a few hints, and he will take care of the rest. You know, being older than I, he has programmed you before. It's not hard for him to put a little stop in your mind for that hobby."
Oh shit. I just started to realize just how big of an issue Wulfe could be. Damon, being seductive and charismatic, had gotten Wulfe under his spell to protect me. Meaning, stopping me from expressing myself. Fine, I had no choice but to notice this little thing in my life and move on. There was no use in getting even more fucked up. I was in no mood for Magnum's unloading. I might do some unloading of my own, but not that, not now.
I had not paid attention to how long we were driving until we drove into a huge parking hall in a bustling shopping center. Damon parked the car, the sound of the engine fading away. I remained seated, taking in the surroundings, when he exited the car. He looked around us, assessing the environment, and then came back to open my door, waiting patiently for me to step out before locking it.
He stood in front of me, reaching into his pocket and retrieving something. As he used his magic, he wrapped a heavy golden-colored chain-link belt around my waist. But there was one loose end that he secured in his own belt. Really, fine.
He firmly grasped my hand and swiftly took the remote control in his other hand. With a press of a button, a thick fog began to creep into my mind, clouding my thoughts. I desperately tried to resist its effects, but then he produced another remote. As a faint tingling sensation encircled my neck, I realized he had just administered a precise amount of electricity to immobilize my anger. Adding insult to injury, he had injected some sort of sinister drug into my bloodstream, making it impossible for me to regain clarity.
Together, we entered a bustling shopping center, drawing attention with our conspicuous belt system. I forced myself to stay focused, refusing to succumb to panic or entertain any foolish notions. The drugs kept me in a perpetual state of helplessness, allowing me to feel the effects, but not enough to regain control.
We approached a man perusing magazines in a shop, and Damon turned to me, whispering in a low and menacing tone, "First we have Jack. This is the man you will soon delete. Pay close attention."
He gave me the phone. So I had to delete the name afterward. We positioned ourselves next to him, and Damon locked eyes with the man, attempting to ensnare him with his charm. The man appeared unassuming, a typical middle-aged individual in decent shape, but the creases on his face hinted at a life filled with laughter. I remembered him - he had been one of the gentle ones, who really had not had the courage to fuck me properly. Years had been kind to him.
I didn't pay much attention to what Damon and Jack were talking about, but soon we walked. Damon led Jack into the bathroom stalls, and he pulled me in with him. Jack followed suit.
Damon turned to Jack and said, "You're about to experience your first vampire's kiss, and I can tell you, it's something that will shake your world."
Jack chuckled nervously, knowing Damon had him under his spell.
Linked by our belts, I couldn't step away. I stood close to Damon as he pressed himself against Jack. He sank his fangs into Jack's neck and began to feed. I stood there, not wanting to witness this gruesome act, but I had no choice. As Jack's pulse started to drop, Damon intentionally sent fear and terror into his mind, the scent of his fear filling the air.
Damon slowly removed his fangs and turned to me, saying, "Come on, your turn now, baby. Don't worry about the cleaning effect; I'll give you substances to stop it. I told you, you'd get your hands dirty. Finish him off."
I swallowed, knowing that I had killed bad guys before by draining them, even humans. But, this was a difficult task. However, the substance coursing through my veins compelled me to obey. I approached Jack, gripping him tightly, and sank my fangs into his neck, starting to drink. Damon continued to send waves of fear and impending death into Jack's mind, causing him to tremble under my grip. Finally, his heart stopped.
Damon said to me, "Drink up, take as much as you can. Keep going. I'll teach you how to be a true vampire."
I sucked the blood from Jack's vein, even though his heart no longer beat.
Minutes passed, and Damon finally said, "Good, now he's truly dead. You can stop now."
He had kept his telepathy open, ensuring that our victim was truly lifeless. It was somehow creepy, but he was teaching a lesson here, so there was no hope for any of them. There was no way for me to hope that someone would find them and save them.
I could still feel the warmth of Jack's blood trickling down my throat, diluted and weak. The sensation of him fading, dying in my hands, was overwhelming. As we left the stall, his lifeless body remained behind.
Damon turned to me and said, "I should have taught you this lesson centuries ago when you became a vampire. But never mind, I will teach you now. You will learn to feel it."
I was about to say that it has not been centuries since I became a vampire, but it had been almost two centuries ago. It was one thing that I had to learn. Time goes on. It was a chilling thought, just how fast time goes on and how short human life is.
We continued walking through the shopping center, surrounded by potential victims. He repeated the process, approaching them, leading them to the stall, and either killing them himself or making me do it. I had to take the lives of ten innocent people. We drove to various locations throughout the city, targeting mostly the sons and grandsons of those who had been on that cruise and had sex with me. He kept his promise, ensuring their deaths. His jealousy, and possessiveness it was things of their league.
I did my part of the killing, dirtying my hands so to speak as I had no choice here. What was unsettling was that it started to feel good, despite my drugged state. I found pleasure in the act of taking a life, fueled by the past and my vampire nature.
Damon spoke to me, "It's time for you, Mimi, to grow up. You're a vampire, and this is what vampires do - kill humans. Just because you drink supernatural blood doesn't mean your vampire side doesn't crave this. I'll give you a formula to suppress the cleansing process, so you can give in to this need sometimes. It's just a part of who you are, and there are no innocents. Wulfe has told you this repeatedly. Some may deserve redemption or a chance to live, but remember how difficult human life is - the struggles, money troubles, and little things that made your life so hard. By sparing these individuals, you're letting them off the hook while fulfilling your true nature."
I didn't respond. He kept me drugged and obedient, ensuring the effectiveness of this powerful lesson. I wasn't sure what would come next. In just a few hours, we had killed 21 men, and the phone we used was destroyed. As we drove towards the Pennsylvania mansion, where the pack would meet us, I sat in the car, contemplating what lay ahead.
As the effects of the drugs wore off and the electricity in my collar ceased, my mind raced with thoughts of what to do next. One thing was certain - I was going home. The Pennsylvania mansion had been my sanctuary ever since I purchased it, and though I wasn't sure if the pack considered it their home, it was undeniably mine. I longed to return and finally live my life again. I didn't have any grand plans this time, as fate always seemed to divert me towards work or saving the world. It was time to go with the flow, to see what the future held.
Uncertain if there would be a breeding season, I observed Damon's demeanor towards me and suspected that others had undergone surgery. Still, I made sure to keep my thoughts private, reserving a special place in my mind where I could contemplate freely without him eavesdropping.
Finally, we arrived at the yard of Pennsylvania Manor. There were no other cars present, as they would arrive through the portal room. I let out a sigh as I gazed upon my grand home, its exterior showing signs of wear and tear. Perhaps it was time for a fresh coat of paint and some renovations. The vast gardens held the promise of bountiful harvests to come, and the scent of ripening strawberries filled the air. It felt good to be home.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone