Chapitre 158: 38. Obsession.
We entered the grand mansion, unsure of what it truly was. Damon and I led the way, adorned with our crowns and my arm linked with his. We strolled calmly, my black lace silk dress flowing seductively around me, its gold decorations shimmering in the soft glow of the many small lights that adorned the grand avenue of celebration.
This event was meant to honor the elders, making it the perfect opportunity for us to execute our plan. Our thrones were prepared, as well as the table and seats for the other members of our hive. We would dine at our table, but at other times, we would sit on our thrones to converse and socialize. It had all become quite regal nowadays. Our table was exclusive. Only those invited were allowed, and Damon had taken charge of deciding who could attend. Ian remained loyal to him and kept everything in order.
I was adorned with an abundance of jewelry, my dress styled to perfection, and my makeup meticulously applied. My lashes were long and black, my hair dyed with Damon's blood to give off a distinct scent, and of course, there were bite marks on my neck. Deep, bruised marks, just like Damon had on his neck, given by me. A symbol of our paired vampiric connection. We enjoyed biting each other.
Mariella also wore a black dress with golden and red embellishments, while the wolves donned white attire and Katherine and Elena were dressed in red. The men looked incredibly handsome, with velvet jackets, ruffled shirts, and tight leather pants. Number four wore a white ruffled shirt and a blood-red jacket, while numbers one and two were dressed in black and gold. Numbers three, five, and six wore green, with their ruffled shirts in black. The other Salvatores chose dark blue attire with white shirts, and the boys, Adam, Charles, Wulfe, the wizards, and Alaric opted for modern tuxedos without ruffles.
My dress was once again cut open in the front, revealing the necklaces and pendants nestled between my breasts, accentuated by the corset-like design of the dress. It almost felt as if my breasts were about to spill out. I walked calmly, the sound of my heels clicking against the parquet floors, matching the rhythm of Damon's footsteps. We walked with the grace and poise befitting royalty. He took his seat first, followed by me. I had learned proper etiquette meticulously, and now was the perfect moment to see the impact our arrival had made.
Damon was prepared to become my king. His proximity caused my pulse to quicken slightly, as he had also mastered the use of his pheromones. Just sitting next to him aroused me, and a hint of smugness was clear in his expression. I had many spies on my mind, learning my tricks and abilities. He had not yet discovered my ability to leave hints in my blood or extract my life force from it entirely. Wulfe was also digging for these secrets. However, I wasn't sure if I wanted to share this with anyone someday. I was quite selfish when it came to my powers, not easily sharing them.
We sat in our seats, talking and observing. I discreetly hinted to those women when I had put my messages that there would be ten Damons present tonight, and who knew what would happen. Annaliese sat at her table, dressed in a not-so-seductive black dress. It almost seemed as if she was attending her own funeral. Quite proper indeed. Magnum, as usual, was surrounded by females and paid no attention to Annaliese. He would be free after this event, and only time would tell where we were headed and how much help he would need.
About an hour passed since we had taken our seats and spoken to those who sought our audience. It was soon time to mingle, and I would see if Damon was interested in my little surprise. I noticed several females already present, but Damon was still engrossed in conversation with several male vampires. These were the ones I had gifted my blood to, ensuring their loyalty to him rather than to me. Damon was a bit jealous of my control over them, but it was all part of the plan. He made it clear to them that he was my king, that we were together, and their loyalty should be directed towards him first, not me.
None of the Salvatores had noticed certain females. Considering there were over a thousand guests, if not more, it wasn't easy to spot them. But that was the whole point. Damon needed some peace to do his thing before deciding if he wanted to take a more public stance. We stood up and walked around, presenting ourselves as a couple. We stopped here and there, engaged in conversations, and even shared extremely passionate kisses in public.
All of this was so that Annaliese could witness our passion for each other. It wasn't a bad thing for the vampire females to witness this, either. It would only serve to motivate them further in their attempts to entice Damon. And Damon, with his hive-empowered telepathy, would ensure his victims noticed nothing amiss.
Damon was walking through the crowd, unaware of my gift to him. It was finally time to reveal my little surprise to him. I discreetly approached him, took his arm, and slipped the phone into his hand.
As he looked at it, I whispered, "Happy hunting. Show Mariella and give us a good show. I tried to gather as many as possible for you to have your way with. Feel free to share with others if you'd like."
He glanced at me, and I pointed to his first victim. A dangerous smile formed on his lips.
He said, "You spoil me, baby. But alright, I'll have my fun. You, however, stay safe. Either one of the Salvatores or Wulfe will protect you. Not sure if I'll share this with anyone just yet."
I walked away as he slipped the phone into his pocket and began approaching his first unsuspecting victim. I wasn't sure if he planned to share his kills or keep them private, a spectacle to warn any vampire females who dared to cross him.
I went to Mariella and Wulfe, saying, "I've given Damon a little gift. Want to see this side of him you've never witnessed before?"
Mariella raised an eyebrow, while Wulfe smiled, having already anticipated Damon's actions.
He said to Mariella, "Follow me. I'll conceal us so no one notices. Unicorn, stay safe." I nodded.
Charles approached me and led me away, glancing at Damon. He asked, "Is he going to...?"
I nodded and replied, "It's my gift to him. Since he can't kill Annaliese, he can at least empty his phone. He needs to release that side of him, and I've suspected for years that he hasn't fully unleashed it. It's quite a spectacle, but I'm not sure if he'll make it public just yet."
Charles guided me to the dancefloor as Damon claimed his first victim. We gracefully waltzed together, the music drowning out the sound of my heels clicking against the polished floor. My silk dress swirled around my legs, the cool fabric a perfect complement to the heated passion in Charles's eyes. Charles was the perfect dance partner and I could feel him in my soul as well. The warm grip of his palm against mine, the glint in his midnight black eyes as his vampire side was out too, the scent of his burning forest, hinting a slight need for blood. He was just perfect.
Damon was clearly enjoying himself, his excitement palpable through our hive bond. However, he kept his true intentions hidden from others. He would use his phone to target his next victim, all to appear as the perfect boyfriend. He would charm them, talk to them, and gain their trust completely before ultimately ending their lives for Annaliese to witness, but no one else. His spell was powerful enough to ensure that.
Mariella, initially perplexed, soon became intrigued and even aroused. Again, I relied on our hive to inform me about everyone's emotions. It was a shame that I was once again too weak for the hive to exist. Nonetheless, it was interesting to sense and understand their feelings.
But then, I questioned whether it was right. Should I even know that Elena was highly aroused while talking to a vampire male, or that Constantine was irritated by a wannabe white witch attempting to seduce him? Dresden was strictly focused on his work, constantly scanning for dangers and enemies. Alaric was consumed by his responsibilities, particularly regarding Harrison, who had gathered a large group of vampires around him. I informed numbers two, five, and seven about this, giving them the option to intervene and prevent Harrison from coming after me.
Meanwhile, Wulfe and Mariella were still enjoying themselves. Mariella's growing arousal made me concerned she might attack poor Wulfe in her current state. I even contemplated whether Mariella could entice Magnum to turn against Annaliese. I wasn't sure what it would take for Magnum to break free from her influence, but an aroused lust queen like Mariella would certainly be a powerful weapon.
We walked near them as they were standing, looking at Damon holding yet another victim, against him so Victim was listening to his heartbeat, calming down even as she was trembling with fear. Sickening crunch was heard as he dug her heart out of her chest, her dress was already bloody as he had bled her first. Mariella was so aroused, ready to act.
I asked Mariella, "Would you like a little job? Considering your current state, do you want to take a hit on Magnum? You're an incredibly aroused lust queen, and as you can see, there's not much on his mind besides women. This could also give you an edge over Annaliese, who isn't very seductive."
Mariella replied, "Fine, I can try. But damn, Damon was magnificent. He truly enjoys this. Why didn't he ever tell me about this?"
I reminded her, "I had planned on sharing this with you years ago, remember? I saw this the first time, it was done in one amusement park, after that we went first time to the club, and that little performance caused some trouble for me later on a cruise. Everything seems to be connected when it comes to me."
She nodded, but she was already ready to make her move for Magnum. Mariella seductively sauntered towards Magnum, successfully capturing his attention. Magnum had always been a ladies' man, and Mariella knew exactly how to handle him.
I was strolling and chatting with Charles by my side, and he was keeping a watchful eye out, just in case someone tried to harm me. We were a couple, and it felt amazing to have Charles with me. I vowed to myself that someday we would have time just for us again. I shared with him the story of the pinecone, making him promise that one day he would find a place for us to fuck in the wild, where some plant part could become our own memento by digging against my ass.
I told him I still had all of our chain belts and dresses safely stored away in Moldova, but he wanted to give them to my children and buy me new ones. He even suggested getting Damon involved in that fashion and maybe making some upgrades as well.
Charles said to me, "My love, honey, there's no need to dwell in the past. Let's move on and find something new for us to enjoy."
I replied, "Alright, but keep an eye on the wolves. They seem a bit lonely. I'm fine, since Salvatores and Wulfe are keeping watch."
He nodded as he noticed Mimosa and Shadow standing with Elena and Katherine, with no male companions. Bran and Samuel were also here, having a conversation with a few vampires, accompanied by Lepard and Demon. Alaric and the wizards were walking somewhere.
I had a little idea of what I was about to do. I had been experiencing headaches for most of our time here, and I quickly realized that my finder's radar was urging me to investigate. And that was one reason why I had separated from Charles. I didn't need him trying to control me. Power and my hive gave the side of me that governed my dark finder radar too many ideas, though whether or not they were good depending on the perspective. I began walking towards the staircase at the back of the hall when a firm grip on my arm stopped me.
Dresden said to me, "Let me guess, your finder radar is on high alert. Alright missy, let's go then."
I had no time to react as Wulfe appeared on the other side of me, saying, "You're a cunning one, I must say, but careless. I told you, I can read your mind. You can't deceive me. So, let's go."
We didn't get very far when Number Eight approached us and said, "I've activated my radar as well as Seven is too ready. We'll join you. Let's take them out as soon as we can."
I rolled my eyes, and both Dresden and Wulfe grabbed onto me as I activated my radar. Eight and seven of them took five items out of the 16 that I had. We planned to retrieve the rest, and they could join us once they completed their tasks. I maintained control as two nervous wizards clung onto me, allowing me to lead the way while being prepared to intervene if necessary.
It soon became apparent that this was a trap of some sort. There were poisonous substances present, and it seemed likely that Nick had informed Annaliese about my radar. I wasn't sure if Harrison knew about it as well, or if Annaliese had got the information from Salvatore's mind or Magnum. However, I was being carefully protected. Wulfe froze me in place when I got close enough to sense whatever was on my radar.
After we were done, Wulfe said to me, "Unicorn, I will fix some kind of alert on your radar. As the hive queen, you can handle it for now. But later on, we will find a way to prevent this from happening. You realize that your radar, if it's only for you, is actually a weakness."
We walked back to the center hall, where I had the chance to witness Damon in action. He approached a woman and engaged in a conversation, behaving like a perfect gentleman. The woman seemed thrilled, and I could sense her joy when Damon expressed his desire to be with her. They shared a passionate kiss, but then Damon's demeanor changed subtly. The females present could feel it, and the woman's expression shifted from love to fear as terror started to flood her mind.
Damon shushed her and said, "Shhh, listen to my heartbeat. Everything is fine."
Pressing her against him. Although his voice sounded calm and loving, there was a cruelness to it that was hard to overlook. He placed his hand on her bare back, instilling fear and terror in her mind. As he continued to shush her, his hand started to sink into her back, causing her to pant and gasp in pain. She was unable to move, trembling with fear as Damon finally reached her heart, extracted it, and she turned into ashes. Damon stepped away just as it happened, looking at me with a raised eyebrow and a cold smile. He was truly enjoying the gift I had given him.
Wulfe and Dresden, returned me to Charles's arms and informed him of my plans.
Charles apologized, saying, "I'm sorry. I'm a bit out of practice with this one. Our little queen is quite cunning."
Wulfe nodded and replied, "Don't worry, we'll keep her safe. We'll soon find out what's going to happen."
I looked around and spotted Mariella and Magnum emerging from one of the alcoves. Magnum was straightening his clothes, while Mariella nodded, indicating that she had successfully freed him. A sense of relief washed over me, and I took a deep breath. Charles put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer, and I could hear Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" playing in my mind. He truly had me. Soon, this night would reach its climax as we witnessed the killing of Annaliese, and this nightmare would finally come to an end.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone