Capítulo 256: 16. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
As the leader of the resistance, I found myself decorating a massive Christmas tree. It brought a smile to my face, realizing the absurdity of my life. On the one hand, I am a fearless leader, taking down bad guys and freeing victims. I am a tough and merciless enemy to those who cross me. But on the other hand, there is a domestic side of me that enjoys decorating and creating a festive atmosphere. Here I was, making Christmas just like the rest of our pack.
It was only the beginning of December, but I knew how quickly the days would pass, and Christmas would be upon us. I meticulously placed glimmering multicolored lights on the enormous tree that grew inside. I added more decorations to ensure our Christmas castle would be perfect. Meanwhile, the men outside were putting up lights to transform our castle into a Christmas wonderland. This was our special place, only occupied during the holiday season.
A wonderful aroma with a hint of eucalyptus wafted through the air, emanating from the slightly blue needles of the massive fir tree. The soft needles didn't bother me as I climbed higher to reach the top. It had been a week since our shopping trip, and the entire pack was now involved in decorating for Christmas. The expressions on the men's faces were quite amusing when I handed them sweaters and ties, but they didn't put them on immediately. They planned to save them for closer to Christmas.
I was dressed in a tight Christmas red velvet dress with green decorative swirls around my waist and hem. It clung to my skin, but it was warm and comfortable. Mariella wore her usual button-down blouse and skirt. She had been spending a lot of time with Damon throughout the week. As for me, I hadn't gotten involved with any of the men. My nights were spent browsing, ordering, or organizing in the hamster storage area.
As I admired the slightly blue needles of the tree, memories flooded my mind. It was funny to think that this tree was bought almost a century ago when it was much smaller. Even though the magical house trimmed the trees during the summer, they still grew. I had several loops of thick, glimmering garlands wrapped around me as I tried to reach the top. In my teeth, I held the top star that I had just bought and wanted to place on the tree. On my right hip, I carried an enormous bag full of baubles, securely strapped across my body.
Damon's absence didn't disappoint me. I understood he wanted to spend time with Mariella. Wulfe and I had our conversations late in the evening before he headed to the potion lab to work on brewing and adjusting potions. I wasn't sure where Wulfe was at the moment. He was keen to decorate, as were some Salvatores, who also pitched in with some cooking. It was typical of them.
I grabbed the next branch, pulling myself a little higher. Soon, I would reach it. It was a battery-operated, multicolored, big star decoration. A bit gaudy for a smaller tree, but perfect for this one. It had multiple choices, from blinking and flashing to steadily changing colors.
Suddenly, a voice from below asked me, "Are you sure you won't fall from up there? You're pretty high!"
It was Alaric.
I replied to him through our pack bonds, "I'm fine. This is fun. I'm about to put the most gaudy star I could find on this tree. Did you know I selected it almost 100 years ago? It was our Christmas of love, and we had such a blast."
Alaric grunted. Soon, Mariella walked by and looked at me.
She said, "Mimi, you know, don't you remember?"
I shook my head. Back then, Damon had a rule that he would always place the top star, but I didn't always adhere to it. We've had a few Christmases here, so sometimes I put them on.
Soon, a calm-voiced Salvatore said, "Are you up there doing my job, baby? What are you doing? A new star? Tsk tsk."
He soon levitated next to me, grabbed the star, looked at it, and said, "Nope, this one goes on the biggest tree, not this one. Let me get the right star for this."
I sighed. Fine, let him put the star. I can start by putting the garlands and baubles in place. I grabbed a thick golden garland, unwound it around me, and reached over. My intention was to start wrapping it around the tree.
However, I overheard Mariella and Wulfe discussing, "What do you think the color theme should be? I was thinking silver, blue, and green."
Wulfe grunted and said, "Ice blue and white, so the blueness of this magnificent tree is accentuated. My unicorn, not the golden one, goes on the other tree. Come down there. You don't have the right colors for this one. I'll have them soon enough."
I bit my lip. Damn council, always showing up when they see that I'm about to decorate and not even asking me.
I jumped down, looked at Wulfe with a raised eyebrow, and said sarcastically, "You do know that there are other blue fir trees around here, right? You can decorate the others with your theme and not interfere with what the Salvatores and I are doing."
Wulfe patted my head and whispered, "Are you cranky because you haven't gotten any? I can always hint it to the Salvatores."
I blushed and replied, "Fine, I'll go find a proper green fir to decorate."
I went downstairs and found our five big firs, towering over me. I spotted my star perched on top of one of them. None of the trees were decorated, so I decided to start the job myself.
I teleported to my room, where I had stored the decorations I had ordered online. Just then, number four walked by, stopped, and reversed a few steps to open the door.
He entered and exclaimed, "Oh baby, these decorations are brand new and no one knows about them. Fantastic! We're going to have so much fun. Come on, grab some more, and let's go decorate those big trees downstairs."
I replied, "Well, I had some extra time, so I ordered some special items for express delivery. Take a look at these baubles. They're handmade, and they feature our feline forms printed on them."
Number four grabbed one and retorted, "Wow, these are perfect! Let me enhance them a bit."
I showed him my collection of baubles, and he effortlessly created golden strands from his long fingers, weaving them through the baubles. He was pretty good at his magic, I could see that, even almost better than number two had been. Our pictures were now beautifully drawn in gold. The baubles had transformed from plastic to glass, becoming heavier but more precious. Number four smirked, took one, and slammed it onto the floor. Surprisingly, it didn't shatter.
He said to me, "They're pretty durable. Come on, baby, let's go."
Number four had also adorned himself with garlands, replicating my bag and filling it with baubles. We teleported downstairs, and I chose one of the firs to decorate. As I began to climb, I noticed that this tree was pricklier and smelled more strongly of fir, but it wasn't too bad. I quickly ascended and reached the top.
Just as I was about to place my gold garland, a sharp pain shot through my finger.
"Ouch! What the heck?" I saw my fingertip healing itself.
Suddenly, a small feline head popped out from the branches.
Charles spoke to me in my mind, saying, "Hello, honey. I can help you. Just let my paws handle those garlands."
I said aloud to him, "You naughty Cornick, don't you dare!"
I attempted to place the garland again, but Charles, in his feline form, was feeling quite naughty. He playfully bit the garland, tugged at it, and lightly swatted my fingers with his claws, causing little stinging pricks and a steady stream of cussing words to escape my lips.
As Mariella entered the room, she questioned, "What on earth are you cursing about?"
I responded, "Well, Mr. Cornick is here in his sandcat form, having a bit of fun with me while we try to decorate."
Mariella giggled and asked, "Oh, are those some new decorations, hey Damon?" She then went to inquire from number four, "Where can I find them?"
Number four informed her eagerly, and she teleported away. I noticed Adam, Lepard, and Demon in their sandcat forms, playfully climbing the tree and hiding. Mariella was surely going to have some fun too.
Meanwhile, I continued attempting to decorate with Charles, dodging his quick paws and playful mood. He kept pulling off the garland I carefully placed, and swatting at the baubles I managed to position. I spent half of my time preventing him from taking them off. At some point, I heard Mariella's sharp cussing. She had gone to the tree where Adam was, and both Adam Hauptmann and Mr. Cornick were in a playful mood.
Finally, Damon walked in and his amused voice filled the room as he laughed out loud. "Oh... oh, darling. Your bauble... be careful... oops..." He could barely speak due to his laughter when Adam had fun with Mariella's decoration.
Charles was truly impossible. But fine, it was time to fight fire with fire. I teleported my supplies away, transformed into a sandcat, and began playing with Charles in the tree. Oh, the joy I felt when I bit his tail. The whole tree shook and a few baubles fell as we dashed amongst the branches.
This caught Wulfe's attention, and he coolly remarked, "I see that you've lost it, my unicorn, but fine, be a kitten if you want. I'm sure we'll get that tree decorated at some point once you've had your fun."
His voice carried a hint of sarcasm as he watched us fight, hiss, and chase each other.
Damon spoke up, saying to Wulfe, "Oh, let them play. Look, Adam here is feeling quite playful too. See how Mariella tries to decorate? But when you have a playful feline in the tree, it's not that easy."
Wulfe couldn't help but smile and added, "And my guess is that Charles has done something to Mimi, causing her nerves to snap. Poor unicorn. But you see, she's been a bit tense lately, not getting any, and that can make women a bit cranky."
Damon grunted and said, "Oh, I assumed that she and Charles..."
Wulfe interrupted, saying, "Nope. Shadow and Mimosa have those four again, but Mimi has a room full of her orders. She ordered all of these new decorations at night through express order. So she has some material and those baubles that number four is putting up are special. They have her feline forms, and others, too."
Damon's sharp gaze focused on the new decorations and he asked neutrally, "Do you have any idea where that room is?"
Wulfe smirked and teleported with Damon to that room. Damon was amazed to see piles of garlands, packets of baubles of different kinds, window decorations, mats, and even Christmas blankets or towels. Oh, how busy the baby had been.
Damon thought to himself, "Fine, soon the other Salvatores will come to take the loot as well and decorate more trees. The baby truly needs to learn how to share. I can't wait to spend some time with her."
And weddings, heat. Oh, so perfect.
As we continued to play in the tree, I didn't pay any attention to what others were doing. I was having fun. Fur tufts flew in the air as I grabbed Charles's fur and pulled it out, causing him to yowl and hiss, trying to swat me. He was playful too, biting my tail and causing me to scream.
Suddenly, Salvatore's amused voice said, "You two, come down here so we can put these decorations on. Mimi, stop trying to pluck fur out of Charles and Charles, if you wouldn't bite off the tail of my future wife. Come on, I have a little thing in mind soon enough."
I jumped down, and changed into my human form. My hair was loose, held back by a hairband. My skintight dress was mostly chosen for comfort, but it did show my body. I hadn't bothered with makeup. Damon's sharp gaze looked me up and down, a slight smirk forming on his lips.
He said to me and Charles, "You two, go to the kitchen and eat. There are 3 and 6 waiting for you, so you can have your meal and then come back. Let's see when I have time to make my next plan for the whole pack. Oh, it will be perfect."
I rolled my eyes in my mind as we went to the kitchen, thinking, "What does he have in mind now?"
There had been five interviews in this castle. We had sat on the sofa next to each other, kissing. His hands had been pretty restless, so there was some action captured in the pictures in magazines, more or less.
More celebrity events were expected to happen after the wedding. I wasn't sure what would occur during the heat, but if my plan for a successful breeding season went well, Damon would likely want our cubs or babies featured in magazines.
My sarcastic mind couldn't help but note that it would be a perfect opportunity for him to showcase his family to the entire world, including Sarks and Krycheck. They would know our babies, but wouldn't have access to them.
I had no idea if our vampire wedding would be exactly as it had been before, or if there would be some variation. I wondered how Mariella would react to Damon sleeping with 100 virgins who would eventually be killed. Would there be any variation because of my queen status?
It was hard to predict, but I was determined to spend my Christmas and then just go for it, as I didn't have much choice. One thing at a time. Right now, as we stepped into the kitchen, the Salvatores were already there waiting for us. Smoothies were reserved for me, and three sank his fangs into my neck while number six tasted Charles's blood to see if we needed anything special. Number three didn't seem thrilled.
He said to me, "I can taste stress in your blood. You should try to sleep or have some fun. I'm free, you know."
I shrugged and replied, "I'm not stressed, and it's fun to order stuff. I'm not sure if I'm in the mood for a marathon with you."
He just smirked. He was one damn eager fucking machine. As we were eating, Magnum, Murdock, Colin, and Dexter came in from outside. The lights were finally on, creating a truly magical atmosphere. They were hungry but happy.
Colin looked at me and said, "You know, if you're lonely, I'm free..."
Number three interrupted, saying, "I was there first, so back off. She belongs to me, if anyone."
Colin looked at me with a smile, but we had our secret. I could feel his love for me. Colin had been spending evenings with me, talking and reminiscing by the dying embers. It was our time. We had a bond, and if the Salvatores noticed it too much, jealousy would once again flare up.
But I wasn't even thinking about Damon's next idea. He sometimes had pretty peculiar ideas, and no one could predict what would come out of them. Let's see what the future brings to us. At least I hoped for a perfect Christmas and wedding.
Well, they would be events that wouldn't leave many memories, at least not for me. But I was up for it. Let's see who would be his targets this time. Not that it was something to take lightly, not at all. He could be dangerous, ruthless, and take a life just to prove a point. But despite it all...
The mere thought of being his wife once again filled me with an incredible sense of joy, although the intensity of that thought also frightened me. He was my weakness, my true addiction, my other half - someone I couldn't bear to lose if I wanted to truly be happy.
As I sat there, surrounded by the delightful aromas of food and drink, listening to the chatter and watching others begin to join in the meal, Mariella remained visibly upset while Adam appeared as smug as ever. Damon glanced at me, a smile playing on his lips, as if he had a juicy secret that even Mariella was unaware of - something that I might not appreciate. However, I reassured myself that everything would be revealed in due time.
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