11. Ivory Tower.

Being at work was as demanding as always, and the days turned into weeks. I had so much to oversee and no time to plan my own mission. I extensively tested guns with Murdock and others, as well as new bullets. I went to the NSA place, where they assigned my new division. I was sworn in and got to meet my team, seeing what we were doing. It took a few days each week for me to be there, teaching and assessing our capabilities.

It was enjoyable to strategically position my official team against Sark, while my resistance pushed him from another direction. It was a multi-pronged attack, I had many targets, including Krycheck. He was known as the Dark Angel in certain circles, as he would seduce women and then discard them after using them. He was on the NSA's list of persons of interest, as there were human victims involved. I had to hand him over to the appropriate authorities.

It was also fun to utilize the fancy new satellites that the NSA had, ensuring that my targets were indeed corrupt. It was the first of February, and I couldn't help but wonder if the vampire heat within the pack was well done. It had been over four weeks, and they rarely took longer than that, sometimes even less time.

However, my phone remained quiet with no messages or calls, indicating that they still had something to do. I was too busy to delve into that matter at the moment. Just as I had received one of my upcoming assignments from the NSA, which was not a rush job, someone knocked on my door while I was on the phone with my contact in Bolivia.

I ended my call and said, "Come in, what's the matter?"

Stacy opened the door, the creaking sound filling the room, and said, "You have visitors, several of them."

I said, "Send them in, and thank you."

Soon, the door was opened, and Mariella and the wolves walked in. Mariella looked awful, her eyes red and puffy, her hands trembling, and the wolves seemed visibly shaken as well. I had no time to react when Mariella rushed towards me, her body trembling as she wrapped herself around me, her sobs echoing in the room.

"He divorced me... he left me... he didn't love me anymore," she cried.

I kept on shushing her, the scent of her tears filling the air.

Mimosa chimed in, her voice shaky, "Damon, all of them divorced us. The boys, Adam, and Charles too. They want to be vampires. Wulfe and Magnum are with them too. Damon has a new woman."

I was flabbergasted, my mind struggling to find the right words for a few minutes. Finally, Mariella calmed down a bit, her sniffles filling the silence. I let her sit, locked my door, the sound of the latch clicking into place, and activated a privacy spell.

"Start from the beginning," I said.

Mariella took a deep breath, her voice trembling, "Well, the vampire heat was amazing. I mean, it truly was. And then a few days ago, we were in Ireland, and I was just planning on trying to convince them to give me the black goo. I mean, Wulfe must have a lot, but I haven't been able to get him to give it to me yet. And then someone called Damon. I heard it was Nick. Well, he and Number Two went to meet him, and then... a few hours later, everyone teleported somewhere. And the next morning, Damon came back with this tall, busty, black-haired woman, holding divorce papers. He had gotten a divorce from me. Wulfe and Magnum were with this woman too. And he... he smelled like passionfruit. He dispelled our pack, as you might feel. You got all of your powers back as all the bonds are gone."

I sighed, the weight of the situation settling on my shoulders, and said, "Did he give a reason why?"

Mariella sniffed, her voice filled with sadness. "He said he's a vampire, not a damn house cat. And that I never let him truly be a vampire. Our vampire heat made him see it."

I was quiet, the room filled with a heavy silence, and finally said, "I have a sinking feeling that this is not natural. We need to investigate and see what we can do."

Mariella nodded, her eyes filled with determination.

I pressed the intercom and called out, "Alaric, come here. Bring Taylor, Tim, Murdock, Colin, and Dexter too. We have a crisis."

I stood up and paused for a moment.

Turning to Mariella, I asked, "What do you want to do?"

She replied, "I want him back. I need him. Even though it hasn't been that long, I can't stand this emptiness."

I nodded and said, "We'll look into this. I have a bad feeling, but I won't say anything just yet. It might require some extreme measures."

Mariella looked at me with desperation and said, "If I can't have him back, I'll go back to heaven and merge myself back with God. I can't exist without him."

Trying to calm her down, I responded, "Let's not make any hasty decisions, alright?"

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Alaric, along with the others, entered the room.

I informed them, "Damon divorced Mariella and disbanded the pack. Wulfe and Magnum are with him. Nick called him and then this happened..."

Murdock looked at me and asked, "Annaliese?"

I nodded and said, "If it's her, this requires..."

Alaric interrupted, saying, "Yeah, it does. Damon told me what a bitch Annaliese was, but she was his sire and he was powerless against her."

I replied, "Nick must be upset about what happened to Rebecca, Cole, and Freya, but he has some reckoning coming."

Dexter went to sit next to Mariella and wrapped his arm around her. It was his way of comforting females, especially in times like these. Colin came over and sat on the other side of her. I could sense his anger through his intense gaze, showing his leprechaun side as well.

I said, "First, we need to find them through surveillance. Once we have eyes on them and confirm that it's Annaliese, we can come up with a plan. And then, I'll have to do something drastic. I have a good plan, but there are many variables and risks involved, and they are not small by any means."

Alaric assured me, "We're here for you, all of you. Mariella, do you need anything? Come on, honey, let's get you some coffee and food."

He helped Mariella to her feet, and Dexter and Murdock assisted the wolves. Taylor and Tim left the room as well. They all headed to the kitchen.

Colin stayed behind and sat on the sofa, saying to me, "What are you planning, my love? As your mate, maybe I should..."

I said, "Annaliese is one strong vampire, and I am about to become even stronger. You know how incredibly powerful I am. With a little creativity, I can give myself one hell of a boost. I'll also enhance Mariella's and the wolves' vampire sides even more. If Annaliese thinks she's still stronger, she better think again. This isn't the old days anymore. I'm here now. I'll create a hive, starting with Mariella and the wolves, and then we'll go after the Salvatores one by one. Annaliese may try to solidify her position with vampire parties, but Lady, hell, let's go with Queen Mimi Springcove, and her hive will be there too, along with the dragons. It would be great if I can get Sylvie and Drake on board as well. I'm ready to fight fire with fire."

Colin nodded, asking, "What are the risks?"

I replied, "I'll become an incredibly strong creature, and there will be an explosion when we free Damon. He won't tolerate my power, so that's something to consider. I'm not sure what this will do to us, and others will also become stronger. Wulfe might not be strong enough to rein me in. So much depends on me and my self-control."

Colin looked at me, slightly worried, and said, "I'll help you. I'll be at those parties too. Annaliese can't get to me because of our bond. But you'll need a lot of parties in your hive, and I'm in."

I responded, "I should be able to release you from the hive once we've completed our mission. I've studied this a bit, but I need to study more. I also have other things to take care of in my life, so it's quite busy. But first, we need to help Mariella and the wolves overcome their initial shock and ensure they don't do anything foolish like I did. However, they have a right to react."

Colin raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

I explained, "Tim and Taylor are both single, as are you, Dexter and Colin. Now, I have no idea how Damon will react or if Mariella will follow my example after the divorce."

Colin nodded, smirking, and said, "I'm available to handle all three of them. It is not a bad idea to have some fun in bed, you know, anaconda is ready to conduct some serious examination of you, too."

 I rolled my eyes, but blushed slightly. Something in his voice was seductive as hell. But I had too much stuff in my hands and now this.

He looked at me and said, "What is it? Something bugging you?"

I replied, "Well, we had a perfect time with Damon at Christmas. I have no idea what this will do to our relationship. It could potentially destroy it. At least he will be more focused on Mariella, so he might see me as less of a threat."

Colin said, "You don't know that. The future can change, nothing is over. I am forever yours. Even if your fairytale has gone bad, it doesn't mean that you, my love, things will never be the same again."

I laughed and said, "God damn it, you're so good at this. Let me think. You incorporated five song titles in one go."

Colin was bewildered, so I explained, "Me and Damon used to play this game where we talked to each other using song titles. And you just included five songs in your sentences."

Colin smiled and said, "I wasn't even playing. I had no idea. I don't listen to music that much, so I wouldn't know the titles of songs."

I shook my head.

Colin looked at me and said, "Despite my past, I do love you. Believe me, I may have a place in my heart for Maggie until the day I die, but I also have a big part reserved for you. You look good, although you could use some sleep. You've gone five weeks without proper rest. Come on, have a nap in my arms. I insist. By the way, what's with you and the FDA? You seem to be quite close with them lately, and you have a lot of work related to them."

I explained to him, "Well, there are certain drugs that I don't want to be around, considering my situation. I'm trying to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. I even have a mission lined up with the NSA regarding this matter."

Colin gazed at me and said, "Care to elaborate? If there are dangerous drugs out there, I should know. I am your physician and the chief medical officer of this organization."

I sighed and replied, "You know, I have developed a resistance to human drugs due to their excessive use on me. Barbiturates still have some effect, but substances like fentanyl, morphine, ketamine, and propofol don't work on me. However, I am an animal, and there are drugs specifically designed for animals that can do the trick. I've made sure that no unauthorized personnel, like Sark or Krycheck, have access to or knowledge of these drugs. They are quite potent. They are what is used for rhinos and hippos. Despite my super metabolism, they can have a strong impact."

Colin nodded and asked, "What are the names of these drugs or their active ingredients? How much do you need to be knocked out?"

II caught sight of Colin and said, "I have some data, but I've been keeping it hidden. I don't want Damon to find out about it. They're weaknesses, and I don't want any weaknesses unless absolutely necessary. Some of them knock me out for a long time. You know, Sark and the others have been sending guys into the jungles to find new plants and substances. They've recently discovered plants that contain substances similar to these drugs. Originally, the drugs were made synthetically, but with the growing knowledge of rainforests, they've found new compounds that can be obtained from certain plants. And I'm not the only one affected by them. My upcoming mission is to go into the jungle to get samples or eradicate a few plants, meaning take them all out, so we have only specimens available but as it does not take much for me to be affected, I have to get creative to protect myself when taking them, as it might be some volatile compound in their roots that could knock me out just by inhaling."

Colin leaned forward, his expression hardening, and said, "Tell me everything, my leprechaun needs to know. We need those plants as soon as possible. I'll help you with a few things when you collect those specimens. I'll teach you how to extract them without putting yourself at risk. But what drugs and what dosage affect you?"

I stood up, went to my safe, and retrieved a printed paper.

I handed it to Colin, saying, "I hope you won't tell anyone like Salvatores about them, at least for now. It's uncertain if they're even coming here, considering Annaliese is in the picture, but just in case."

He looked at the paper, which read: Estimated dosages:

- Daily doses: xylazine, 1-2 mg/kg

- Carfentanil, 0.02µg/kg q24h

- Detomidine, 0.15mg/kg

- Romifidine, 400µg/kg q6h

- Acepromazine, 0.22mg/kg

- Butorphanol, 0.4 mg/kg, q4h

- Tiletamine, 4-5 mg/kg

- Etorphine, 0.2µg/kg q24h

- Azaperone, 0.4 mg/kg

- Dexmedetomidine, 0.03mg/kg

- Meperidine, 10 mg/kg

- Nalbuphine, 3 mg/kg q3h

- Pentazocine lactate, 3 mg/kg q4h

- Chlorpromazine, 1-2 mg/kg q12h

- Medetomidine, 50-100 µg/kg

Colin remarked, "That's some potent stuff. Carfentanil alone, along with these others. No wonder you're in a panic. I'll keep this list in the safe, and I'll start working on antidotes based on your physiology if I can. But I must warn you, it would be most effective if I could test them on you to see their effects. However, I know that's highly unlikely to happen."

I nodded, not feeling up for drug trials at the moment, or maybe ever.

I said, "First, we need to address the situation with Damon and Annaliese. It will be my focus. But that drug thing, it's been on my list for a long time. I have managed to get the FDA to tighten permits for obtaining most of these substances. However, vet clinics and a few zoos are still being robbed. Drugs go missing and the police suspect they end up on the streets, but not all of them. Some of these drugs have been found in nasty places."

Colin grunted, clearly unhappy about this. He stood up, his mouth forming a tight line. I realized he was protecting me, and the knowledge of there being dangerous substances out there for me almost made him lose it. Normally, I would have gone with him to the gym, but I needed to make a plan to permanently remove Annaliese from the picture, so I didn't have the time.

I said to Colin, "Go to the gym, take Tim with you. He needs some workout. This isn't a request, it's an order. Besides, I want you to assess whether his hip is fully healed."

Colin asked, "What's wrong with his hip?"

I replied, "About seven weeks ago, there was a mission. He took big bullets right in his right hip. It required an extensive operation. He's been drinking my blood to heal, but no one has checked if he's fully healed. He's stubborn and evasive."

Colin shook his head and said, "Fine, I'll review that case first, then take him to the gym to make sure he's fit. Magnum is otherwise engaged."

I nodded as he walked away, holding a paper in his hand. I was left to make my plan. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what might be a life-changing decision. I knew myself well enough to know that once I gained some serious power, it wouldn't be easy to control me.

While it was slightly exhilarating to think about how strong I could become, it was also daunting. I had my morals, my restraints, so to speak, and now I was throwing them out the window. My power would be the only thing keeping me in check because, realistically, if I were to free Damon from Annaliese, I would have to be stronger than her. And if her strength was the only thing keeping Damon, what kind of monster would I become? Would I be capable of holding Damon or Wulfe under my control? Would I even care about anything anymore, or would power have fully corrupted me?