บท 220: 20. One Of Us.
As Mariella and Damon entered the kitchen, I, Mimi Springcove, the protector and alpha female, was engrossed in my tasks. I overheard their conversation, which made it clear that they were aware of our activities here. Mariella's initial jealousy quickly faded as she became occupied with her own responsibilities.
At that point, I hadn't bitten each of the Salvatores yet, as I was in the process of preparing them. I had managed to make them empty their bowels and as a reward; I offered them one of my special buns. It may have been a crude method, but it was effective and spared them from undergoing any surgical procedures. These buns were made using special nuts, a small amount of wheat flour, and other ingredients I had discovered during my time in the jungle.
Naturally, the Salvatores were initially skeptical and hesitant to try my creations. However, their curiosity eventually got the better of them, and a few of them came over to see what I was doing and what I had to offer. This led to a small battle as they attempted to snatch my supplies and make something for themselves.
I remained stubborn and resolute, although it did result in me needing to visit the gym a few times to blow off some steam. Overall, things were going well until number one decided it was a great idea to work right beside me. There was a reason why I kept the Salvatores at a distance - as their protector, having them near me constantly provided me with valuable information.
However, this proximity also required me to take action, whether it was making them empty their bowels or employing other tactics. I was too tired to explain this to "number one" and the combination of cooking and fulfilling my role as protector had exhausted my mind. I was not yet healed fully.
I was focused on making pork chops for number five. He was low in certain fatty acids, and pork would do the trick. My irritation grew even more as number one further limited my options. I groaned in my mind because I needed to make a few adjustments here and there, but not right now.
Well, I had my ways of dealing with that, too. I had my molecule concentrates ready. I had prepared them and could use them at some point to be able to my dentals. I tried to ignore the growing list of tasks when number one leaned over my shoulder to read my notes. The smell of his warm breath blowing on my cheek gave me a headache. Well, at least my fangs could give him something.
I grabbed a jar and effortlessly bit through the lid, revealing the dark pink glittery strawberry-scented velvet inside. Oh, he was tired and needed to sleep or he was just annoying me.
After I had drained about 350 ml of my velvet, enough for a year as one ml was a dose, I handed my jar to him and said in a sarcastic voice, "My teeth seem to think that you need to take it easy for the next year or so. The dose is one cc. So there you have 350 doses of my strongest velvet, for you."
Damon smiled crookedly and replied, "Oh, you poor thing. If you can't control your fangs, I can always shut them off completely. But thank you, I'm sure we can use this."
His voice was sugary. I grunted and continued to glaze the chops for number five.
Damon commented as he smelled the glaze, "Well, well, what do we have here? It smells really good. I can almost taste it."
I replied, "Nope, these are for number five and I'm trying to focus. It's not easy to make food for ten lazy creatures with longer deficiency lists than my arm. So back off, you're not on my list yet. I'll deal with a few Salvatores at the same time."
He said to me, "Oh baby, I can help if you're overwhelmed. Making these smoothies isn't that hard."
I turned around and looked at him, focused, and added him to my list. Hmm...I was looking at the list of what he was missing. Fine, let's keep him busy. I reached over my counter, grabbed a plate, and then took out two big meaty rib racks of lamb from the oven. I served them with a sauce made from offal, which was actually pretty tasty. To top it off, I added my homemade pasta and three bottles of coke.
I handed the tray to number one and said, "Have at it. Start with those, and then we'll see what's next."
He walked up to the table to eat. There were already Tim, Taylor, Dresden, and Constantine eating. It seemed that Mariella had made sure her charges were eating, too.
I continued by placing those chops in the oven. Next up, let's tackle some of number one's problems, so I needed meat. I walked up to the fridge, specifically our meat fridge, and grabbed three kilos of New York strip from highland cattle, pork belly from Mangalitza, and even some giraffe meat. I had a lot of exotic meats available, thanks to my connections at the zoo, so this was also a bit of a test kitchen for me.
All it took was for me to fry a few strips of whichever meat I wanted to use and add it to my collection of ingredients. As I mentioned before, my mind was filled with so much new information that it was exhausting, and sometimes I couldn't control myself and would explode.
First, I spread out the New York strip and seasoned it with salt and herbs. Then, I lined it with the pork belly, added more salt, and placed thin slices of giraffe on top. A sprinkle of rose salt and a little more pork belly followed, and then I filled it with my filling made of pink rice and purple bits of potato. I wrapped it tightly into a roll and covered it with foil before placing it on a tray and then into the oven at a moderate temperature. I made a total of five of these large rolls.
After that, I decided to make a few terrines. I grabbed some large terrine molds and greased them with lard. I went back to the fridge and took out a huge vat of mixed red meat trimmings from the floor. This mixture had a high-fat content of 45-60%, so it was quite strong.
I also took a smaller container of organ mix, which was a few liters' worth of chopped organs. These would be an important part of the terrine, as organs were the best pieces for us carnivores. My little trick of using them had actually encouraged others to incorporate organs into their cooking as well, but not to the extent that I had in my recovery recipe.
As I was carrying my ingredients to the counter, number one had finished eating and came over to see what I was doing.
He commented, "Your use of organs is pretty clever. They're not bad tasting and they add a lot to the dish. I haven't really thought of using them that much, but you've given me some ideas."
Mariella also walked over to see what I was up to. I loaded the trimmings into the food processor, added the organs (about one-third of the volume), along with herbs, salt, and nut oils, and turned on the processor.
Mariella asked, "What are you making here and for whom?"
I replied, "I'm making simple terrines. Number one can use them as meat or put them on top of bread. They're not difficult to make. I use organs to add extra vitamins and minerals. The mixed meats trimmings have about 45-60% fat. There are various meats in the meat fridge, but I have an ingredient library where I keep track of each meat I taste. This helps me plan what I need."
Number one said, "I have one too, but it's not up to date. I need to taste a bit of this and a bit of that. It's a novelty, but useful."
Mariella nodded and said, "I found it. It's nifty, but yeah, it requires some tasting."
I hoped they would leave, but Damon started helping me. He made sure my molds were properly greased while tasting everything in my station - herbs, spices, and meats. Once my mix turned into mush, I took it out and went to the other fridge. I grabbed big trays of eggs - 50 on each tray. I selected four trays containing different types of eggs, including chicken, goose, mallard, and even ostrich and emu.
As I was about to place them on the counter, Mariella exclaimed, "Wow, I haven't checked the fridge because there was stuff on the counters, but we have some nice things here."
Damon grunted and took my notebook. He started reading and studying my recipes and what I had written for each Salvatore I had dealt with so far.
I added four goose eggs to my mixture, along with generous handfuls of certain herbs and three ladlefuls of my nut mixture. The nuts acted as flour; the eggs provided binding, and the herbs added flavor and compounds. As the mixture whirred, I prepared two water baths for cooking the molds.
Damon commented, "Baby, you always have such amazing ideas. I can't wait to taste these terrines. They're not only excellent for you, but also for me. By the way, you should eat something."
I reached for my bowl and grabbed some fruit pieces. I always had them available and made sure to eat them. This was made by number two and this was just one serving, and I had three hours to finish the entire bowl. Since it also contained nuts, I happily crunched away.
Damon then said, "You know, I have to admit, I was foolish after that sauna. Now I realize it was actually you seducing me, and I completely missed it or dismissed it. I'm sorry and angry with myself. Number two understood what you were after, and damn it..."
I looked at him and replied, "While I was sitting on the roof, crying my eyes out, he found me, took me, and showed me his magic. It's no longer just my pink room; it belongs to both of us. It's perfectly designed, and you didn't even notice my five flower columns. As you could not wait to get out of there, so you did not even look at my bathroom noticing my faulty shower products, or my pink living room. Those flower columns were something else. Thankfully, they held up fine despite being antiques."
Damon fell silent and then continued with his preparations at his station. Mariella walked away, too. As I mentioned before, this was the new me - no more sugarcoating or trying to make things better. It felt liberating to freely express myself. It was something different, and I wished I could continue being like this, although it seemed unlikely.
Soon enough, I would revert back to my boring, cautious old self - not hitting where it hurt but trying to be diplomatic. The old me would accept the apology, make it sound like it was my fault, and move on, disregarding the truth.
As I prepared my terrine mixture, I poured it into molds and placed them in water baths before gently putting them in the oven to prevent overcooking. Suddenly, it hit me once again. How could he assume I would be okay with the fact that he had been messing around with Mariella for ten days right in our main bedroom? How dare he think I would just be obedient and try to improve myself for his sake? How dare he expect me to wait for him? The sharpness in his voice revealed his disapproval as if he had been waiting for me to say that everything was fine!
I had no opportunity to express my thoughts as Wulfe glanced at me and said, "Come on, let's go to the gym."
His calm voice grated on my nerves, but I knew that if I didn't obey, he would use his fucking abilities against me. I walked to the gym, hoping my food wouldn't burn, so I set timers for them. I was so furious, swearing and cursing, as I made my way to the gym where Magnum, Wulfe, and numbers two and five were waiting. There were even crystals present, drawing out my rage. But when would Mariella have the time to purify anything when she was busy with her affairs?
I released my anger, directing kicks and hits towards Magnum, knowing that Wulfe knew exactly how to push my buttons. With two Salvatores in the mix, it was quite a challenge, but I was up for it. The rage inside me was intense, bursting out like an infected abscess. Each kick, hit, curse, and scream allowed some of the rage to dissipate, but there was always more to come.
Cooking no longer mattered as my rage continued to pour out of me. Each kick and hit brought relief, bit by bit. Finally, the intensity started to fade. This had been the most intense session so far, and now I felt such an apparent difference in me.
When I eventually made my way to the shower, I glanced at my phone and realized that three days had passed. Not bad. At least I managed to cook something, unlike the Salvatores and the rest of the pack. Who knows what they had been up to during this time? I knew that Magnum, Wulfe, and the Salvatores. There had been several of them as they had switched, but not number one, who had endured my fury, and needed some rest and recovery.
So, once again, the world was my oyster, and I selfishly wanted to find something to do for myself, to live my life. A new idea began to form, something that would be new for the entire pack. But first, they needed to rest and recover, and I needed to take a shower and figure out our next steps. Then, when the time was right, I might be able to present my idea.
After taking a shower, I made my way to my office. It was only natural that I had an office here as well. I grabbed my laptop and checked my email. Ah, the clinic needed consultations, and there were new threat reports. I printed out a few versions of the reports so that there would be multiple copies for anyone else who wanted to read them. Of course, I had my own reports as well.
Next, I printed out case files for the clinic. Carrying my papers, I walked into the upper lounge. I knew that others liked to spend time there, so I decided to go in. Surprisingly, no one was around, but I placed the reports on the table. Then I settled into a massive yet comfortable chair and began reading the first threat report. I let my mind search for solutions to the threats. Only time would tell when the pack would be ready to take action.
It seemed that lust had taken over again with Mariella, Damon, and a few Salvatores in the main bedroom. Mariella was clearly jealous. Both of them were, in fact. However, I didn't care about my personal pleasure. My focus was on what was important. I was the protector, the alpha female, and the leader of the resistance. I was also an agent of the NSA, noticing a few problems that I could bring to their attention to be dealt with. After all, I had my own division within the NSA.
As time went on and I realized a few things, I knew what I had to do. I grabbed my laptop and started writing. It may not be what he was looking for, but I had to do it. There was no other way. It wasn't too bad, as it was for the benefit of the pack, but it was also for my own sake. I truly needed this, and I hoped that everything would be okay one day. I smiled slightly as I fulfilled my duty, realizing that I was a rather stern but effective teacher here. Oh, how they would learn from my lesson.
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง