1. Milk, Toast and Honey

We then moved, and Adam, Samuel, and I went to live in a mansion in Pennsylvania. I wasn't even going to do the flea work; Magnum and Adam had kept it all together well. But we had guests. Every day, the fleas came to visit to see and greet me. My sacrifice had really shocked quite a few.

In Pennsylvania, I was an official dog show judge. I had the rights and then the experience in England, so there were plenty of gigs. But as you might guess, I had an audience. Adam, Samuel, and many fleas were always watching the rings I was judging, and I didn't have to drive anywhere, as there were always drivers.

We had a hell of a time teaching them a few things about judging dogs, and Samuel was very interested in animal health, hereditary diseases, and defects. He had now found a whole new field he could study, too. Adam watched me. Oh my God, he was. I was well-fed. He made sure I got enough breaks during the show, and no one was always asking me to stand up. I could sit, rest, drink, and eat. He would go right into a ring or back room and demand a decent pause for me. I didn't mind. He was known in Pennsylvania, and people respected him. So, my judging wasn't too rough on me. The men, mostly Adam, even chose my clothes and bought them, too. I had shoes and lots of shoes, and I had made a closet for them.

 Adam and Samuel searched the Pennsylvania mansion very hard, and now, no room was to be locked while Mr. Hauptmann checked everything through. We went to the sauna but have done nothing physical yet.

Adam had got me back, and I was fine. He didn't want to let go of me so easily. And I didn't want him to let go of me. I wanted to be in the pack, safe, and part of something. I didn't want to be the leader now, to be the one making all the decisions, but it was relaxing to let others take charge and just enjoy what I was doing. Mimosa was still very exhausted and in no hurry to come out. 

As Samuel delved into his research on dogs and animals, he stumbled upon a new subject that piqued his interest: my bloodlust. He had never thoroughly explored the topic of vampires and bloodlust, partly because of Bran's disapproval. I realized then that Samuel had inherited his father's prejudices, which had influenced his own views. However, being a curious scientist, his fascination grew immensely as he found himself in my blood room.

Inquisitively, Samuel bombarded me with many questions. "Mimi, what is the significance of this color coding system? What does it signify?"

I explained, "It shows the strength of your blood. The stronger the blood, the less you need."

Samuel furrowed his brow and retorted, "Then why not simply drink the strongest blood available? Why do you have all these shelves?"

Surprised, I replied, "I'm just gathering the ingredients for a concoction. I'll mix them to create a blend that's as potent as I can tolerate. Depending on my emotional state, three liters should sustain me for weeks, maybe even a month and a half. My bloodlust is intertwined with my emotions, so intense feelings ignite it rapidly. Damon was diligently assisting me in England, working to control my vampire side effectively."

Samuel's gaze remained fixed on me as he mused, "Fascinating. I've never delved into the study of vampires or their bloodlust. Is the connection between bloodlust and emotions consistent for all vampires?"

I countered, "Not even remotely. Some vampires, like Spike and Drusilla, are soulless vampires. Vampires are created differently; Nick or Elias haven't made them, not at all. I mean, they had their own lines, but there are others that have made some sort of vampires. I learned this at my vampire wedding. "

Samuel continued to listen attentively and remarked, "I need to explore this aspect further to ensure I consider it in my research. What exactly goes into your mixture?"

I responded, "Two elementals, three energy witches with varying abilities, a golden angel, six different demons, and a bag of exceptionally potent dark elves. It amounts to approximately three liters, which I sip from my exquisite crystal glass. Yes, I concocted an overly strong blend in England, resulting in a drunken, blood-induced state. Damon found it quite amusing. I used to be quite wild before he guided me to the point of passing out."

A smile played on my lips as I recollected that embarrassing video. Pouring the bags into a three-liter jug, I carefully swirled the contents with a scoop. Settling into a comfortable chair, I noticed Samuel had also taken a seat. With precision, I poured the blood into my glass and savored each sip. Ah, it was sheer perfection.

The soft, velvety power that seemed to reach my soul was angelic. It caressed my senses like a gentle breeze, leaving a trail of ethereal whispers in its wake. The tight, spicy taste that seemed to spread through my veins was elemental. It danced on my tongue, igniting a fiery symphony of flavors that electrified my palate.

The warm feeling that spread through my stomach and insides was an energy witch, a comforting embrace that infused me with vitality. And the feeling of power that surged through my muscles made me feel invincible, as if I could conquer any obstacle in my path, a true embodiment of the dark elf.

Then, the feeling that quenched my blood lust was demon blood. Its essence was potent, like a surge of electricity coursing through my veins, awakening my primal instincts. Glass after glass after glass dwindled, their contents disappearing into oblivion. At the same time, Samuel observed with a watchful eye. He disappeared momentarily, his purpose unknown to me, but I cared not for his whereabouts.

When he returned, he declared, "Miss, I'm going to investigate this now. So, please extend your arm, and I'll collect some blood samples and a sample of your unique mixture."

Mildly stunned, I complied, offering my arm as Samuel meticulously collected many tubes of my blood. He poured my concoction into various test tubes and a measuring cup, causing no harm. I possessed an abundance of blood, after all. With a sense of purpose, Samuel began his meticulous examination, traversing the shelves and extracting samples from different bags, carefully labeling each tube with its corresponding blood type and classification.

I casually mentioned, "Colin has experience in this field. Perhaps you could seek his insight. He made that machine that labels those types of blood."

Samuel grunted vaguely, his attention fixed on his task. He continued to extract samples from an array of bags, undeterred by their multitude. Eventually, he departed with his sea of tubes, leaving me to savor the remnants of my blood jug.

At that moment, I had not yet contemplated the implications of my current situation or where life's unpredictable journey would lead me. All I knew was that I was physically and mentally intact, a state of being that brought a sense of relief. However, I had yet to confront the reality of my week-long demise. I knew that even the incubus could not extinguish the flame within me now.

It was a fact that I had made a sacrifice, a conscious decision driven by the understanding that I was in dire straits. Perhaps I could have approached it differently and sought help from Damon or Adam. Regret and what-ifs were pointless indulgences; dwelling on the past served no purpose. It was time to move forward, embracing the present and the unknown that lay ahead.

The dog shows were nice, and there were them now and then. But I knew I didn't want to get stuck on one thing. So somewhere in between, I would do something else. I got my blood drunk, and after that, I always felt so damn calm, so I went outside to enjoy, sit and take in the surrounding nature.

Adam came and sat down next to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

He said, " Do you know, Mimi, that even though you're here, in my arms, it hurts my soul that we don't have our bond, but there's no hurry. I haven't had time to deal with the whole thing because I had to support Mimosa in the basement. Then after that, well, the whole fucking recovery from that fucking bug, and you know what, that bug was from Bran, you see Samuel has studied all microbes, and we all have unique, really nasty bugs that can be terrible for others, but for ourselves, well we're immune to our own bugs, more or less. And Bran gave you his bug, and it was a very nasty disease for me, too, but I'm fine now. It's been so damn new and changing, and we haven't had time to deal with it all, so hang in there. If at some point, I will, too.."

I nodded, getting his subtle hints about going to other women, and said, "I made a choice, and it stays; Now I'm here forever and ever, and even incubus can't kill me. I haven't processed everything yet, and let's just move on and see what happens."

We sat side by side, and I was still under Adam's arm. He wouldn't let me go anywhere near him, and that was another observation I made. Damon and Adam both lost me and got me back, but only one of them wanted to hold me, and all the while, the other one went off to unload; in other words, fuck women; I had smelled the passion fruit, so I knew he wasn't even mad.

What it said about our relationship I didn't know either, because we weren't a normal couple, not at all and then all this, well we had our problems apparently, but I kept this in mind. If I ever had to take it out on a fight club or something, then I'd have a right, well, I might have a right, but am I the type to just leave someone in cold blood and walk away? How the hell would I know? No such situation had come up yet, and hopefully wouldn't, but I knew that if it ever did, I wouldn't have to feel bad about it at all.

 So we went back inside for dinner again and chatted about random things.

Samuel said, " Bran is coming over. He's got some additional work for us. He knows he was behind the infection, and he stopped eating bugs after Colin showed him a few dozen facts about their suitability for werewolves."

I had heard that Bran had gotten hooked on eating bugs and then fed them to me. The thought made me sick, but I didn't think about it as I concentrated on the delicious food in front of me. Adam and Samuel then chatted about anything..

Samuel reminded me after I had eaten a large portion of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and vanilla sauce. "Mimi Bran is coming tomorrow, and he wants to talk to you, too. You've been fine now for a month or six weeks if your physio is involved, so bear with it. Let's see what he comes up with now. "

I nodded; I had to be a good girl and put up with everything; that's just my life. 

 I then went to the photography room for the rest of the time. I opened the packages, looked at the different cameras I had got, then chose one and went out to shoot everything I could find. I didn't become a professional photographer, but Mimosa had recovered.

She was vain, so I got to shoot my wolf and a lot, but it was fun; Mimosa was running, jumping, and tearing around, and I was shooting; I didn't even look at what they always came up with when I was shooting her and nature, plants. Then we played paparazzi and sneaked around the house, secretly taking pictures of Adam or Samuel so that neither noticed anything.

I got some pretty damn wonderful pictures of Adam, though, as the secret passages were searched, and Hauptman, well, he wasn't thinking so hard; there were some good little spots where I took pictures of him undressing and getting into the shower, and getting out of the shower, brilliant pictures.

 The next morning, I went for breakfast and enjoyed eating first again and myself. I had spent the whole night printing and editing the pictures I had snapped, and oh, how I was in a naughty mood.

Adam's sacred ritual was to read the paper first, and if he came over, I would be a good Mimi and deliver it to him, except there would be a couple of pictures of Adam. I would be an innocent little Mimi. It would just be a little one-zero for Adam. I still did them, and then Adam came into the kitchen frowning when he saw I was already eating; Adam always wanted to be the first to eat, so I gave him the paper when he had gotten all his stuff together and was off to eat.

The pictures were at the end of the paper, in between, and I was completely innocent as he went on reading his paper. Mimosa was good that she could contain herself when she got free and was devouring the meat that Samuel had put in the enormous cup for her. Samuel had kindly chopped up the meat, so Mimosa could gobble it up quickly.

Then Adam turned the page and stiffened. He took the picture in his hand and looked at it for a moment. I kept my expression basic as he glanced my way.

Then he breathed, "The little bitch is in a lively mood. Oh, I should have remembered these damn secret passages."

Mimosa came over and said, "Yes, we have lots more pictures of you and me. Mimi took a lot of pictures of me yesterday. You can see them sometime."

Adam grunted sexily and said, "I could take this as some sort of seduction."

I didn't have time to answer when I heard Bran and Samuel's voices coming from the kitchen. Adam rolled his eyes, and it was funny. I hadn't found him doing much of that before, and it looked hilarious.

But I said to myself, in a barely audible voice, "The timing couldn't be much worse."

Adam grunted and said, "Yeah. "

Bran walked into the kitchen, not noticing anything we had going on. Adam had already hidden the pictures and was on the move.

Adam said, "I'll be right there, just checking to see if there was a message from China about a project."

Bran said, " Fine, but come back and see if you have some free time, as I have a project for each of you. "

I wondered in my mind what fucking project. 

Bran looked at me and said, "Well, as an apology for the sub-standard treatment I gave you, I've now developed internships for each of us. So we'll go wherever we go, be there for a week or two, get some experience, and see if anyone is our thing. See, you actually gave me the idea for this. How about you just figure out what you want to do and do it? Well, I want to try different places and jobs, and this will help us build a reputation. So I've booked you a job in a fancy bakery, for two weeks. Samuel can go to the animal clinic when he asks about it. I'm going to go to one distillery to see how they make the spirits and wines. It's fascinating. Damon is a cruise director on an ocean cruise. He's currently on a Hawaiian, so he's leaving there, and Adam, oh well, you're here already, you've got a gig on a day cruise ship, you're a cruise director, you socialize with people there, you make their cruise nice. "

I was quiet. Two weeks in a fancy bakery is not a bad gig at all.

I smiled and said," Fine, yes, I'm excited about this gig. I was already thinking about going to cook." 

Bran nodded and said, "Here's your info on the gig, and good luck. Who knows, you might get a new career out of this, too. And again, I was a terrible nurse, but then I didn't have the skills to nurse. I know the bug was mine, and it was from eating bugs. So I'll understand if you don't want to forgive me. "

I just said neutrally, "I'm not an easy patient, but you can learn new skills; your son is a doctor; he can teach you a lot of time and quickly, but that's only if you want to learn."

Bran nodded and said, " Yes, maybe, but now the gigs are calling." 

I realized Damon was in Hawaii, had been with JoJo for six weeks, and now he was going to go on an ocean ship to be a cruise ship host. I didn't mind; I had made progress, and now I was going to try what it was like to work in a bakery. I was excited, and the pretender side would be useful, too, as I would pick up skills quickly with it. This was going to be a really nice gig. I could feel it in my veins already.