The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

I was sitting once again in a quite warm sauna, but by God, I was relaxed. Only the gentle voice of one of the dryads telling me to keep drinking that blood mixture kept me on my task. They knew how to cleanse my vampire alpha power, or at least make it a little cleaner, even if it might not purify fully in one go. At least I suspected it.

It felt so relaxing, and warm-scented water drizzled into the stove, keeping the sauna pretty hot, so the gunk was pushing out of my skin too. It was nothing new. It felt like the last few days I had either slept or been in the sauna sweating the gunk out of me.

The other females in our pack had not joined me anymore; it had only been that one day, and the girls told me they had little different rituals reserved for them according to their roles. But she did not tell me what those roles would be. It was just one more question mark in this whole damn thing.

My mind wandered to my past. Just how happy I had originally been when I had been married to Damon. Then meeting the core; let's just say it was not maybe the perfect way to meet the biggest part of him, but it was what it was.

I could not help but think about how different this time would be. No evil spirit, or if there were, Damon would eat it up; no Damien manipulating him. But then again, he had Mariella, and it was obvious that she had reserved some role—not sure what, not a mere quest, and that told me so much.

Sure, I would be tethered to Damon. That thought brought glimpses of that year I had hidden deep in my mind, in a place where Wulfe would not find it, and a few facts of that year. My left hand touched my right wrist. I had a tattoo encircling my whole wrist in a vampiric language, my name. But Bridgette had placed it there after that year, so the tattoo wasn't very noticeable.

However, at times, it still felt like a burning brand on my wrist. Under my name, there was this ugly tattoo, the tribal kind that those wizards had imbued to my skin, tattooed by Damien's blood, his possession tag over me. 

I had so many secrets, and I intended to keep them. I knew Wulfe might discover them, but he would have to see how it was positioned. Seeing Damon, who looked just like him, wearing his clothes, tormenting and breaking me, might be too much for him.

Once again, I was here, protecting my back. I had to remain strong and show them that my past had no hold over me, even though it may seem otherwise. I could only hope that one day, it wouldn't be a facade, but reality, and I could leave all that behind me.

I was determined to bury it under a load of good or challenging times, maybe even some fun times. This was just the reality of an alpha female's life - keeping her pack safe, happy, and functional.

Perhaps, if after the wedding, Damon continued to want to be with me, spend time with me, maybe then I could tell him. God, I wanted to tell him, but I couldn't afford to be selfish and burden him with my problems. Not even in my daydreams. I would be safe in his arms, telling him about the tattoo, about the year, more or less. But it would be too much for him. It would drive him to be with Mariella.

And there was no one else either, especially not Wulfe. He was way too protective of me, and I had no idea how hard that tattoo was to take out. Was there some residual evilness in there, my memories? Too much for him, too. My boy wonder. 

Maybe I could confide in Alaric, Tim, or Taylor. It might help. But Alaric had become close with Damon again. They were buddies once more, and he might tell Damon because he cared about me. Colin, no, he cared too much and might take action. Charles and Adam were the same, but they could be an option if Damon gravitated towards Mariella after the heat.

However, as Mariella was jealous and hormonal, she might ensure that I didn't have any men. It would be a challenge, but she could do it. I was prepared to do this alone, to have my cubs and my babies, too.

Oh, that time would be absolutely wonderful, watching them grow and seeing their personalities emerge. Who would be calm, who would be cuddly, who would be impatient - there were always a few impatient ones. I called them mini Salvatores. And then there were the mini-me's, patient to the core. It took some effort to get them going, but heaven help us if one of those got upset.

Funny, I had always thought that I would be a terrible mother, and that motherhood wasn't meant for me. But it turned out to be a role I excelled at. It was enjoyable to be a mom, and the best part was being able to pass the responsibility of raising the babies to someone else.

Maybe someday we might raise a whole flock on our own. Who knows? But then again, I would have to set an example like no other, considering our passionate lifestyle. After all, sex came naturally to us, but it would be something we would have to hide from our children, at least until they were older.

Damon and Mariella had shown their cubs, and even other cubs, how cubs were made, litter after litter, and the cubs turned out fine. But they were lustful creatures that grew very fast, so it was different for them than it would be for human children.

I had noticed this during that Christmas a few years ago. These were just a stream of thoughts and ideas flowing through my mind as I was being cleansed. My sarcastic side noted that of course Salvatore wanted my power battery to be as clean as possible, so he could tap into as strong of a power source as possible.

I wasn't going to tell them how to use my powers, but then again, a telepath could quickly extract that knowledge from my mind. Only time would tell what Wulfe had been doing here all this time and what his role was in all of this.

I could feel myself growing more and more frustrated, but it seemed to make the dryads happy. It was as if they wanted to see me angry, and sure enough, it was easy enough to accomplish.

I was good at getting pissed off when needed. By God, I had a good reserve of past things that had pissed me off, and I was sure there would be plenty more in the future. I was meant to be a power battery for Salvatore to feed off of.

There was just one thing I didn't like. It was ironic, truly. I was a power battery, meant to generate and collect power and give it away to my pack, but I was selfish. I didn't want to give my power away, not at all.

I hoped they wouldn't do that damn thing anywhere near me in the future, meaning having my powers leak into my milk. It was a little strange to be nursed by half of the pack, and besides, since I was unique, I continued to leak my powers into my milk, resulting in a vast reserve of power-filled milk that I had frozen.

It felt like a waste, but then again, since my power replenished quickly, I wasn't any weaker. Just pissed off. I briefly considered using my milk for cooking, making a bechamel sauce infused with my power, to boost myself even more. But I wondered if the power would still be present in the milk. Hmm, I would have to find a way to check it. 

I allowed my mind to wander beyond the thoughts of what would happen after we finally gave children to the magic house. There were a few complications regarding my future at that time.

Firstly, my public hero status and the press constantly haunting me made me wonder if going back to work would even be an option. I didn't want the press or paparazzi to follow me to one of my bases and expose it in magazines for everyone to see, even though our bases were truly strongholds.

We didn't need wannabe followers flocking to our yard, asking to join in. I remembered how many new members flooded in last time, and I suspected it would be the same this time.

Of course, it was a good thing, but there were always those who wouldn't make the cut, and they might get upset, give statements to the press, or try to ruin our reputation. But it was a problem I couldn't do anything about. It would all be in the future.

As for my immediate future, I was becoming a vampire bride, and a vampire wife, and then there would be a three-day traditional wedding where I wouldn't remember much, only pain, confusion, terror, and heartbeats. It would be interesting to read about our wedding in magazines in the future. I wasn't sure what kind of heat I would get, as I could feel it approaching.

There were little twinges in my lower belly, a few stray thoughts of pure carnality, and a good dose of sex dreams. But I couldn't be sure if there wasn't some mischievous Salvatore sending them to my mind. He had done that in the past, so it wouldn't be anything new if he were behind those dreams.

In the dim warmth of the sauna, I found myself alone with my thoughts, and it amused me that someone like me, Mimi Springcove, leader of the resistance and one of the top trauma surgeons in the world, renowned shifter doctor, and chocolatier, was nervous about the upcoming nuptials.

We had been through this dance with Damon before; I mean a normal wedding, but only once had we experienced this vampire wedding. Despite Damon's and Wulfe's assurances that this time no one and nothing could break the bond that would be forged between us, I couldn't help but wonder if it was a bond of love or a bond of slavery.

Were there other motives behind this for Damon, aside from pure love? But then again, no one is pure in their motives, and we all have some hidden agenda or back idea in our plans.

It was a fact of life that I couldn't expect Damon to suddenly dedicate his life to me. After all, Mariella was everything to him, and it would be a good thing for to him have access to my powers. Maybe it would bring us closer together. It would strengthen our bond, and with my powers in Damon's hands, he might be able to perform miracles and keep us all safe.

My train of thought was interrupted when the girls came to wash me once again, as they did from time to time. I had to enter a bathtub filled with herbal water, similar to the base of a soup. They would then scrub me vigorously until my skin turned red. After cooling the water, it was back to the sauna.

However, this time, after the intense scrubbing, I was placed on my back with a pillow under my head and wrapped in moist, hot wrappings. I could already feel the sweat starting to pour as the hot wraps heated up my body. It wasn't too bad, but I was definitely feeling the heat, especially as steam rose from the stove and the automatic water dispenser drizzled water.

I had no idea how long I had been sweating when all three girls entered and began massaging me through the hot wraps. It felt good, but I could also feel the amount of shit and impurities being released from my body. It was as if layers of gunk were being squeezed out, similar to a lemon being juiced. It was quite exhausting, and once again, I had no idea how much longer this process would take.

Finally, an old woman arrived and ordered the dryads to leave. She had a bucket filled with herbal water, and she unwrapped the sheets around me. Using a rough sponge dipped in the thick liquid, she began scrubbing my skin, covering it with a clay-like substance that accumulated and formed a crust.

She covered my entire body with this mixture, ensuring that the heat remained within the sauna, before leaving the room. Now, I was encased in some sort of herbal cocoon, feeling hot as hell, and unable to wipe the sweat from my stinging eyes, as my hands were also encased. 

This time was different from the last, but then again, I wasn't a werewolf vampire hybrid like I used to be. Now I was a shifter vampire hybrid, a strong creature. Perhaps this change was necessary to cleanse some of my powers. Would I feel any different? Or would Damon immediately absorb most of my powers after the wedding?

I had no idea. It would be what it would be. Who knows, maybe I would actually enjoy this wedding. After all, it was just one more new experience for me to add to my collection.

After what felt like an eternity, a group of girls arrived with small hammers and began breaking the crust that covered me, peeling it off. Underneath was a layer of dirt, signaling that it was time for me to take a shower.

The hot water sprayed on my skin with a powerful pressure, while firm hands scrubbed me with rough sponges. My hair was washed multiple times, though it remained white due to my vampire side always being present.

Surprisingly, I wasn't craving blood or feeling restless. Instead, I was simply exhausted. The wedding would begin tomorrow, and then it would be time to face whatever awaited me. Oh my god, all I wanted was a long and restful sleep.

But how long would I be able to sleep? I had no idea. And how tired would I be afterward? Maybe draining my strength was part of Damon's plan, to make me vulnerable. I had absolutely no clue.

After the shower, I was wrapped in towels, dried off, and even oiled. My skin no longer felt dry, as I was oiled from top to bottom, including every intimate area. My asshole, my pussy. All of them got good oiling. There was no place left untouched by the oil.

Once this was done, I was led to a different room, which was just as minimalistic as the previous one, but completely devoid of any scent except for my own. I was given four tall, ice-cold drinks to consume, still dressed in my bathrobe, just as I had been the first time I collapsed in bed. Tired as fuck, I was asleep almost immediately.