6.

 Mariella let Damon wake up after two weeks. Mariella was disappointed when she slept and was always next to Damon. She noticed he was awake, but he didn't wrap his arms around her, and when she lifted his arm over her and fell asleep when she woke up, he had moved his arm away from her. She would have wanted him to cuddle her, but then again, she understood that maybe Charles would be a better candidate for that. If Charles could take her in his arms and purr at her.

Mariella got out of bed and went to make breakfast. She took some turkey bacon, and regular bacon, hash browns, eggs, goose eggs to be exact, and fresh pomegranate juice, her favorite. Then some wonderful rolls suitable for them too, and a selection of thinly sliced meats that she could use to fill out those rolls.

Damon came into the kitchen. He had his clothes on and had showered. Mariella could smell his aftershave and passionfruit mixing this heady mix of seduction and love. She turned to look at him wearing a peach-colored ruffled apron. Mariella had been giving off energy to him the whole time, so Damon was in good shape but was looking at Mariella pretty fucking coolly. Damon had a light pink tee shirt, something that Mimi had bought for him and it looked good on him, and light blue jeans, and this color combo made him look very sexy.

When Damon spoke, his voice was icy, hard, and dangerous: "Darlin, morning. I just hope Mimi gets the care she needs. Lest it be like the last time someone separated me from her when Mimi was dead."

Mariella came and wrapped herself around Damon; he stiffened. He pushed her way. First time for everything.

Mariella said, "The two will take care of Mimi, and it will take time. Mimi was physically very weak, and from what the two have told me, the whole anatomy of that girl has been altered because of that damn Angelus jelly trick. Mimi is going to have major surgery, but they have to strengthen Mimi first so that her straps can withstand the surgery. It's not an easy surgery, and the effects of the jelly we don't know yet. There may be some drugs in Mimi's blood. Three is there to help them. Number four is somewhere. I have no idea where."

Damon was silent. He walked near her, hugged Mariella, and sniffed her.

He said, "Fine, darlin, it's just you and me then. It's fine... or vampire lust. This will be a whole new experience for darlin. I can guarantee it. Time for you to start to learn quite a few new things. Number two just updated me on a few matters. So let's see how fun we can have."

Something in Damon's voice made the hairs on the back of Mariella's neck stand up, and she knew she was in for a vampire rush. Damon had just given her some vampire pheromone, and it was working, but for some reason, Mariella was quite unsure of her state. Something in Damon was now dangerous in that amount that Mariella's instinct told her to flee. 

Damon's piercing gaze locked onto her, his voice barely audible as he tilted his head slightly. "Well, what about darlin? Scared? I can see the fear in your eyes. This will be an experience etched into your memory... Something inside you screams 'Run little wabbit, as fast as you can, or else the big bad wolf gets you.' But darling, it's too late for that..."

In the midst of their breakfast, Damon abruptly rose, seizing Mariella's hands and restraining them with spiked handcuffs. In an instant, she found herself teleported to a dimly lit basement, the air thick with the scent of lust and blood. Damon secured Mariella to a standing frame, a shiver of anticipation running down her spine. A pile of gleaming knives caught her eye, and Damon's cruel gaze intensified.

He taunted, "Oh darlin, I will relish this. I can't promise that when you awaken, you'll feel anything but pleasure. Perhaps a little sore, but tonight, someone else will join in the festivities, and I assure you, he is far from gentle."

With an eerie aura, Charles entered the room, his expression contorted into a beastly coldness Mariella had never witnessed before. The atmosphere grew tense as Charles approached, swiping her neck with a sharp nail, and holding it there.

Softly, he inquired, "What's the matter, Mariella? Cat got your tongue?"

Trembling with fear, Mariella's terror emanated not from Damon, but from Charles. Just as she neared the brink of unconsciousness, Charles withdrew his nail. Suspended in the frame, she felt a searing pain course through her back. Struggling to form words, Mariella could only watch as Charles plunged his hand into her back, slowly tearing out her heart.

Damon observed callously, his satisfaction evident. As Charles devoured her heart, Mariella sensed a strange transformation taking place within her. Damon joined in, and together they consumed her heart, leaving Mariella with a profound understanding that this vampire heat would be truly unforgettable. And not necessarily pleasurable.

But Damon reveled in his sadistic enjoyment, subjecting her to unimaginable agony, while Charles engaged in relentless, forceful intercourse, building up to an explosive climax that seemed to last an eternity. It took time for Mariella to regain her ability to articulate her thoughts. The experience had been deeply disturbing, lingering with an unsettling creepiness. 

The vampire spree stretched on for a torturous month, enveloping Mariella in a realm of unimaginable agony. With each passing day, Damon unleashed the savage essence within Charles, relishing in the infliction of maximum pain. Utilizing the protector radar, he amplified the torment, targeting Mariella with a cruel energy that ravaged her nerves mercilessly.

The brutality reached new heights as Damon reveled in the desire to slash, stab, and bleed her. While Mariella had always found solace in pain, this experience pushed her to the edge. Countless moments passed where pleasure eluded her, existing solely for the sadistic pleasure of Damon. Finally, the rush climaxed in a cataclysmic explosion, leaving Mariella's last thought as a grateful plea for its end.

Awakening from her drug-induced slumber, she found herself immobilized on a table, her body aching and tender. The memories flooded back, the rush of the vampire's heat, the final explosion, and the horrifying realization of her vulnerability.

Damon perched on a bar stool, an array of knives before him, tauntingly greeting her as "Morning student."

He embarked on a twisted lesson, where possession and jealousy intertwined, reminding her that it was her duty to investigate the unknown. Helpless and broken, Mariella understood that this lesson would forever be etched in her mind, a programmed response to check upstairs in a specific way. Defeated, she abandoned any hope of unloading this programming, acknowledging Damon's mastery over his malevolent craft. Furthermore, she accepted the notion that Damon held the right to spend time with Mimi, a privilege she had forbidden Damon to have. Glancing at her phone, she realized the excruciating lesson had spanned three grueling weeks - an explanation for the persistent soreness that plagued her body.

Two and three operated on Mimi a month later, at which point number one and Charles were holding vampire heat for Mariella, and they weren't the least bit interested in the whole vampire heat. The operation was delicate, and it took 18 hours for them to carefully scoop everything out, rinse, and repeat, trying to get her to grow organs, and not stress too much of her fickle straps.

After the operation, they put Mimi back in the incubator to rest in the warmth and searched for the perfect nest room. They wanted to do this in their own time, at their own pace. The nest was made very carefully and there were a lot of materials too. It took a week to build the nest, and then they were done.

Number three carried the sleeping Mimi gently into the nest, and number two and three let their instincts take over. Their souls sang as they were in the nest, keeping Mimi safe and giving her warmth, closeness, and love. It didn't even take five hours for Mimi to move, and her straps to begin to strengthen. She was hanging on to number three and falling asleep in the nest's safety. They changed places, cleaned the nest, and brought in new materials. No drugs were needed. They just kept Mimi safe and gave her energy shots.

I woke up a little bit, and the first thing that came through was safety. I was completely safe and warm, and Damon was close to me; this was three. It didn't matter. I was safe. I was existing. I hung on to him; I was so fucking happy still that I was there and safe. At some point, I got quite a surprise.

I woke up again. This was number two that I was hanging on to, and he was talking to me, and then, he changed his scent and smelled like my Damon. Talked in precisely the same way, and it was something I never would have believed. I had been so sure that I would never meet this side again that every Salvatore was so whole that they couldn't bring this side out. This was so perfect. It made my soul sing at that point straight up.

But miracles happen, and this was a miracle. It was such a wonderful surprise that I started purring. My soul sang I purred for mere happiness. 

The two said," Baby, you're awake, but it's okay. You're still weak—just rest. We're here. You're safe. Oh, you're purring. You noticed then... you'll never believe, baby, how much I miss you now and then."

He purred, too, and I was so incredibly safe. I did not want to move away from here at all. I felt the number 3 purring behind my back and fell asleep, thrilled. This made my soul sing too loudly.

Mariella went into the kitchen after she had finished getting dressed and showered. She wouldn't let the lesson affect her too much because she knew Damon would be pretty fickle when Mimi got better. Damon's conscience would ring again at some point, and he might try to pull away from Mimi, and she would just have to support and help him then.

Damon was cooking breakfast with Adam and Charles. There were a few other Salvatores there, and they seemed to be quiet. Number four was talking to Charles, glancing at her and something in his eyes made Mariella swallow and her heart skip a beat. Mariella noticed her curiosity starting to rise, as if they had a secret. She noticed Damon had noticed nothing, or he didn't care, but she did. She was curious enough that she had to know.

The number two came into the kitchen, as normal guys, and went to the fridge to get a drink, gulped, and then came out of there. Mariella's nose smelled something strange, and she tried to figure out what it was, frowning and wondering what the smell or fragrance actually was. The scent was calming sweet and comforting same time and it made Mariella want to go and wrap herself around him, but then again something told her that it was not for her. Number four looked mildly disturbed, too. This was too curious. 

The two walked away, and Mariella got the food in front of her, sat down to eat, and thought about it as the thing bothered her. For some reason, Damon seemed to be furious, and then again, he put the rage away, replaced by remorse, self-loathing, and bitter acceptance. Mariella concluded that this was now somehow connected to Mimi and was already starting. She tried to understand, but as usual; she did not have all the pieces of the puzzle, so she just did not get it.

But why did it flare up now? Mariella didn't understand, not at all. "Damon, why are you abandoning Mimi again, giving up? Besides, did you smell that weird, sweet smell from number two?"

Damon growled and said, "Yeah, it's ok. I drove Mimi away from me, I took everything out of her, her chakras, her flank organs, her soul, her love for me and if I had just looked back and been braver and, most importantly, trusted Mimi, she wouldn't have had to go through everything and cease to exist. I don't know what would have happened to me if I hadn't gotten her back together. The thought of her reduced to a pile of ashes hidden away in the cellar. I don't deserve her. No, she is safer without me. At least she exists now."

Mariella sighed in her mind. It had started, she said, " Now tell me what that smell is?"

Damon swallowed and said, " Two and three are nesting with Mimi and have been for weeks. It was the nesting pheromone you smelled. They have just put a nest for themselves. That's why number four is disturbed."

Mariella was silent, and she could feel the pain in Damon's voice. He felt this need to nest with Mimi, and even then, he let the others nest with Mimi, but Mariella didn't want the pack to split up, to have her damons and Mimi's salvatores. She didn't want them all to herself, but that nesting thing was about to end.

She knew that number four was not hers, but nesting was something that disturbed her just because ever since that seven years of separation, Damon had wanted to nest with Mimi and she had always prevented him, just because she was a jealous bitch and now, others could do it with Mimi that he had longed to do so long.

"Damon, do you think it's time for that nesting to end? Mimi should get better, not rest in the nest all the time. First of all, think about it. Was this something that you even gave your permission? Well, let's go see, and then I'll show you the truth."

After they finished their meal, Damon wasn't sure whether to stop nesting. He had a nesting instinct, too, but his cruel side was showing, and he realized how crazy Mimi had been once again. It was time to miss a lesson and a little programming on the side, too. 

But first, the nesting should stop, and once Mariella takes care of the males and gets the need to nest away from them, he would have a few weeks to teach his pupil. They walked to the door of the room. The pheromone was more clearly in the air here. He wouldn't tell Mariella any of his plans other than taking care of Mimi, and Mariella would clean up the nest and get those two settled.

He opened the door to the room. It was dim, and in the middle of the enormous bed was a nest made of bedding and pillows. The whole air was thick with nesting pheromones, but this pheromone wasn't meant for Mariella, so it didn't affect her. Serenity and calmness permeated the air in the room and mariella was jealous. For so many reasons, too.

Mariella went into action. First, she went and pulled the curtains away from the window, flooding the room full of light, then she went and slammed a good cocktail into both men, and she was disturbed when she smelt the number two smelling of Mimi's Damon. No, this had to end now. There was only one Damon, and that Mimi's Damon, no. She could not help that number four smelled like him, but her number two, no, this fashion, would soon end. 

Mariella felt threatened, but as the cocktail worked, the smell faded, and Mariella realized that the two had done a spell to get the right smell for Mimi. He had spent for that reason so much time with number four, to get that smell just right. Oh, that he wanted to worship Mimi. Well, soon he would worship her, Mariella thought bitterly. And smug, too.

Damon came up to her and said, "Darlin. I'll take Mimi now and take care of her. Don't worry about it. You have these two to take care of here."

He reached into the nest and slammed a flank into Mimi, who groaned. Then Damon untied her from the two and picked her up in his arms. Mariella didn't even pay attention to what condition Mimi was actually in. She did not pay attention to Damon's soft pronunciation of the word darlin and his overall demeanor. All she wanted was to get these two to notice her, too.

Damon carried his still-sleeping pupil in his arms into his own teaching room; he had several of these. He put Mimi on the table, secured her tightly, and took out his knives, loading them ready.

This time, he took some drugs because she would get the programming. Now, he was so much stronger; this time, the programming would stay and keep them all safe. He hadn't yet finished making a new flank implant or an electric collar for Mimi, and that was one thing he would concentrate on once the lessons were over. She shouldn't enjoy her freedom too much. She had no chakras either, but he had no time to think about that right now.

He looked Mimi over clinically. She was skinny, under 35 kilos, not much more than 30 kilos, but that didn't stop the lesson at all. Nope. Mimi could take it; best of all, she was in a weak condition, so the lesson would sink in even more. Oh, he'd enjoy this, and he never regretted these, never.