章 152: 32. Not A Sinner Nor A Saint.
Charles gently carried Mimi inside, having heard Wulfe say in the car that it had sucked out all the black magic and she should start healing. Although blood still oozed from her wound, Charles used his magic to keep it closed. He was determined to be there for Mimi, holding onto her tightly.
He asked Lepard and the demon to find a suitable cool and dim bedroom where they could all go. They decided not to take her to the medbay but to keep her close. Mimi was beyond exhausted, putting in a tremendous effort to bring those two into the hive.
Mariella had eyes only for them and number one, once again showing her possessiveness. However, Charles had permitted himself to be possessive, too. He didn't mind sharing Mimi with Adam and the boys, but Mariella could have the Salvatores and the rest of the men. Wulfe was also tired and planned to eat something before crashing for the day. He knew Mimi was safe and being cared for, and he would check on her once he had rested. Charles and the men made their way to the chosen bedroom.
Charles settled on the bed, keeping Mimi tightly against him, and said, "Go get the softest and warmest downy blankets for us. She's feeling cold, and we need to keep her warm and safe without putting her on life support in the medbay. She needs us, she needs to be held."
The boys and Adam went to find everything they needed, heading straight to the bedding closet to see what Mimi had procured. They gathered lots of warm blankets, duvet covers, and other necessary items. It would be a cozy little nest, but they wanted to care for her in their own way. Not in a clinical, cold manner, but as creatures who loved her deeply and wanted to be with her.
As they entered the bedroom, Charles had not moved or done anything except hold Mimi tightly against him, allowing her to hear his heartbeat.
Charles murmured to her, "I'm sorry, honey. I should be better. Maybe I will learn."
Adam spoke to Charles, saying, "Let's get her out of that dress, clean her up, and make her comfortable."
Charles responded, "The bleeding has stopped for now, but it's not the time to think about medical matters."
Adam assisted him as they prepared a soft spot on the bed for Mimi, so that they could remove her dress at their own pace. The wound was still quite open, and Lepard had provided thick, soft dressings to protect it. They gathered warm water, washing her gently and ensuring she remained warm, exposing and cleaning only a small portion of her at a time. All four of them were fully focused on caring for her. She was now their top priority.
It took about an hour to wash her, and they decided not to dress her since skin-to-skin contact was important to her. They made the bed ready, with the boys transforming into their feline forms, and Adam and Charles settled into a half-sitting position in bed. Charles held Mimi tightly against his bare chest, wrapping them both in warm blankets, while the boys stayed close by, purring. Adam kept touching her throughout.
The room was dimly lit, even in the summer, as they had closed the thick curtains and created a calming and loving atmosphere for healing. Mimi's weak breathing and pulse were still audible, showing that she was holding on. It had been an incredibly strenuous effort for her to retrieve Numbers ten and Nine into the hive, and Charles knew that she had given everything she had, and more. This would require time.
Mariella had several Salvatores in their bed, with nine and ten asleep. They had not yet regained their stamina, unlike the others. However, Number One was not among the eager ones, and Mariella could sense his troubled state.
She crawled next to him and said, "Go to her. I know you want to. She is now more important to you than me. Go on, I have my hands full trying to ensure everyone's lust is circulating as they should be. So go on."
Damon replied, "No need. Charles, Adam and the boys are with her. Wulfe is still sleeping. Even though I can feel the effects of what we did in my bones, she did most of the work. She gave her all and then some. And here I am, her king, here with you, while those four are with her because they have an overwhelming need to be. They are not selfish, or maybe they are in a way, but Mimi is what truly matters to them. Can I say the same?"
Mariella smiled and replied, "You just answered that yourself, didn't you? You're not really focused on this, but you're thinking about her. You need to be with her. So go to her, be brave, admit it to yourself."
Damon responded, "I don't have the right. I didn't even react at first, I just thought it was nothing."
Mariella suggested, "Come on, let's go to the shower. Nine and Ten need to rest, others can go eat again. And then we can have wolves or something. Let's see how she's doing."
Damon walked into the shower, still lost in thought. Mariella realized he was feeling down, so she tried to boost his spirits. She helped him get dressed, and he chose her clothes. They were soon ready.
Mariella directed the other Salvatores to eat and told them to make sure the wizards would eat as well, along with Alaric and the girls. This would keep them busy for a while. She would help Damon take care of Mimi and make sure the four of them were involved in caring for her, too. She had spent little time with them in a while.
Damon was contemplating what he wanted to do and what he should do. Of course, he should be a doctor and ensure that Mimi received the care she needed. But as he thought about the four of them, none of them wanted Mimi to be in the medbay, in a sterile environment. They wanted to care for her themselves. Maybe that was the route he should take, too. Forget being a clinician and let his heart and soul make the decisions right now. He wanted to keep her in his arms, keep her safe, and wake up in bed, in his arms, not in a patient bed.
They walked towards the room where the four of them were with Mimi. Damon took a deep breath, preparing himself for the sight that always pained him. Despite the time they had spent together and everything they had been through, seeing her in Charles's arms was always a blow to him.
Mariella opened the door without knocking. The room was dimly lit, warm, and filled with the scent of pear, apple, and boys' pheromones.
Charles looked up and said, "She's not going into the medbay to be put on life support. She stays in my arms. She needs love, after all, she is a creature of love."
Damon stepped in and agreed, "I won't take her to the medbay either. She gave her all and more, and I didn't even react at first."
He took a few steps closer.
Damon's voice remained calm as Mariella crawled into bed, not caring about what anyone else was doing.
She nestled into Adam's arms, pressing her head against him, and said, "I need you too. I know you need Mimi, but I need you, please."
Her words were sincere, and Adam couldn't help but pull her close, holding her tightly against him. Lepard and Demon came closer, pressing their furry bodies against Mariella as well.
Charles muttered, "Fine, you can have her too."
He sensed Mariella's need, which had nothing to do with sex; she was simply tired. With the crisis over and a whirlwind of emotions in her mind, Mariella was exhausted. However, she was unsure about her vampire side, feeling weakened as Mimi had shown her what true strength looked like. Adam, the boys, and Mariella teleported to another room where they began creating a cozy space for her. She needed healing too; she wasn't just a creature of lust, there was more to her than that.
Damon took off his shirt and crawled into bed next to Charles, who gave him blankets to keep Mimi warm.
Charles said, "Her wound isn't bleeding as much anymore, but she doesn't have the energy to heal just yet. She's truly amazing."
Damon nodded and replied, "I'll try giving her my blood at some point, but for now, she needs rest. I'll hold her in my arms and keep her out of the medbay. You go take care of Mariella; she needs her protector. Don't feel bad, this is the duty of a protector. You can feel it too."
Charles responded, "The need has grown stronger over the years. I'm not sure if you've lost your grip on Mariella or what, but this need is so much more intense now."
Damon explained, "It tends to get stronger once you get the hang of it. It's a cycle that feeds itself, but a good one. It keeps you going and makes your soul sing."
Charles carefully handed Mimi to him. She seemed so frail and her expression was filled with exhaustion. Damon cradled her in his arms, placing her head next to his heart so she could hear its comforting rhythm.
He said to Charles, "I remember the first night when she curled up next to me. She had been plagued by nightmares the night before, and when she held onto me all night, I didn't even need to give her any drugs. She slept peacefully because she felt safe. It was the first time my soul sang, but I had to leave because she was still so innocent. She moved in her sleep, unknowingly getting closer to me, and I was afraid she would be scared if she noticed my reaction to her closeness." Damon's voice softened as he spoke.
Charles smiled and reminisced, "I remember when she came to the Sicilian house during her world-saving tour. She was a mess, thin as a rail, but she had makeup on, meant to disguise her poor state. She had dressed loosely to hide her thinness, but the pain in her eyes was evident. I had never seen anything like it. She seemed so wild."
Charles's voice lowered, matching Damon's tone.
Damon asked, "How did you manage to get her into treatment, then?"
Charles replied, "Adam told me to have a tranquilizer gun ready when she arrived. I wasn't expecting it, but Adam somehow sensed her state. While he created a distraction in the drug cabinet, drawing Mimi's attention to himself, I tranquilized her. It didn't take much to bring her down, and she ended up in a coma for 12 weeks. No drugs, she was completely finished. And now, I'm not even sure if she is even more finished, even if she is not the same creature, much stronger. There should be some mechanism to prevent her from overexerting herself. There is no limit to her when it comes to saving others. Can we make some? Could Wulfe help?"
Damon nodded and said, "For now, no three-month coma, but she will wake up. I'll give her energy and keep her warm. Go on, be with Mariella. I can handle it. We have women in this hive who need to be cared for. When it comes to limiting her, I do need to ask Wulfe. He is our best bet and I suspect he is less happy with her state, too."
Charles got up from the bed and teleported to where Mariella was. He wanted to be her protector, to let his powers work and make his soul sing in a certain way.
Meanwhile, Damon wrapped more blankets around them, holding Mimi tightly against him. He could feel her feeble breathing, but at least she was breathing. Her heart was beating. He gently channeled his healing energy to help heal her nasty wound. Even though she was no longer pregnant, she was still his, and that was all that mattered in her current state.
Damon muttered to himself, unsure if Mimi could hear him, "It's just you and me, baby. I will take care of you, as I always have. I've reclaimed more of my emotional side for you. Perhaps you've noticed. We'll get married, you and I. Our weddings will be perfect, just like before. And oh, the wedding nights! Don't worry about a thing, my love. I've got you."
Time didn't matter to him. He selflessly gave her his protection, his energy, and his love. He didn't deny his feelings for her, and although the past was filled with regrets, he hoped that the future would be filled with love, or at the very least, better times. Of course, they would face their fair share of challenges. Mimi was incredibly strong-willed, and he himself was stubborn.
But once they returned to work, he knew they would make a great team. They would go on missions together, and their life could finally be what it was meant to be. Mimi would become a part of his family, his wife, and his partner. He wasn't sure what would happen to Hive, whether it would be dismantled or remain intact as a pack.
He knew that Wulfe also had a special place in Mimi's heart, but he did too. They had been together for almost 200 years, and it had been one hell of a rollercoaster ride, but they had made it this far. As he held her in his arms, he couldn't help but reminisce about their old times together. It felt so incredibly good, so undeniably right, that it almost made him want to sing out loud.
He spoke softly to her, "You see, baby, I'm here, learning new ways to be with you. I don't always have to be Dr. Damon. I can just be Damon, holding you in my arms, keeping you safe and secure. There is no tomorrow, no past, only you and me."
A slight movement caught his attention. She moved her hand. She was still quite weak, and he hadn't even checked the wound under the dressing to see if it was healing, but he had given her his energy, and his love, and kept her warm. And now, she was moving.
He hushed her gently, rocking her back and forth. "Shh... sleep, my love. Take your time to rest, baby. You're safe here with me. I've got you," he reassured her in a calm and loving voice.
At this moment, she was his top priority, surpassing even Mariella and everything else. He held her tightly, cherishing the feeling.
He whispered softly to her, "You are not a sinner or a saint, but my baby. Do you hear me? Even if we have to spend some time apart, always remember who you belong to. We will find our way back to each other, and we will get married in every sense of the word. I can tell you've learned a lot, so I may need to learn from you too. You inspire me to be a better person for you. With Mariella, it's easy. She accepts me as I am, but you, my dear, challenge me to become a better version of myself, and I gladly accept that challenge. Just wait and see," he whispered lovingly into the darkness of the room.
The only sound that could be heard was the murmuring of an old vampire to his beloved, someone he loved even more than his soulmate. Love came in many forms, and it had taught this ancient creature many lessons.
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