My life had settled into a certain rhythm, even after being sedated for three days following my tumble. Afterward, I was monitored more closely than the Crown Jewels, meaning I had constant company and no personal time. However, I was quite adept at snatching a few minutes here and there for myself.
Now, I lay in a semi-sitting position in my bed, sighing happily. Despite my body being bloated, cumbersome, and heavy, this was something that truly made my heart sing. My "twingirls," Seraphina and Sabrina, were slumped and sleeping, their heads resting on my belly, as they had been feeling their unborn siblings moving and wiggling within me.
Sadie was also slumped against me, a bit higher up, her hand draped across my belly. My boys, Dash and Darien, slept in my arms, curled up against me on either side, their warm breaths fanning my chest.
We had watched a live-action Disney movie, and tonight it had been "Beauty and the Beast." They were now fast asleep, and I let them remain on me, finding the moment incredibly wonderful.
Demon, one of my husbands, had been with us in his feline form, a black jaguar. He had slept through most of the film, curled up at my feet. I had just given him time to go and eat something. The children were still awake when he left, and they had dozed off about thirty minutes earlier. I intended to let them sleep on me all night, without telling anyone.
"My unicorn, my turn to come and entertain," Wulfe said from the doorway as he walked in, noticing the sleeping toddlers. "Oh, fine, let me get the boys to help with the kids."
I replied, "No need, let them be."
Wulfe rolled his eyes, and soon Number One walked in too. He was now on the clean side, meaning my side. Mariella's children still had chickenpox, so her side was the "dirty" one. Our living space was divided into two: clean and dirty. This meant each side had its own caregivers, and no one crossed from dirty to clean without undergoing deep cleansing and disinfecting protocols, which took almost 45 minutes.
This measure was in place to keep everyone safe. Not only did Mariella's toddler have chickenpox, but at least Ashley and Britney had it too, and it could take two weeks or more. Afterward, the other two older girls might also contract it, so this was a slightly longer project. Mariella's tiny preemies also required time and care, and things were busy on both sides.
"Babies and toddlers will sleep in their own beds; it's non-negotiable," Number One stated.
Though his expression was neutral, I could sense tension in his neck and shoulders, a reflection of my own attitude when I felt he was giving orders. My alpha side flared, and I snapped.
As usual, my sentences clearly agitated him, and even more so because of our hive mind. Mariella, too, was communicating with me through it, and her own attitude towards Number One was often quite snappy.
"Let them be," I replied. "There's no need. I'm fine with them. We watched 'Beauty and the Beast,' and they loved it. When they started wiggling, they hummed and talked to their siblings. Besides, they want to sleep next to me."
Just then, Number Seven and Eight, along with Adam and Charles, entered. Each of them took a sleepy toddler, and Wulfe took Sadie, who was very important to him. Meanwhile, Darien was my special little guy, Dash was Daddy's boy, always wanting to spend time with Number One or Two, and Seraphina and Sabrina loved Adam and Charles. So, we had our... well, "favorites" might be too strong a word, but they were special ones. Of course, I loved them all equally, but that was just how things were.
Number One came to stand beside me as the toddlers were carried away.
"You'll soon get a new batch of food," he said. "What movie is next? I'm free now, so it's my duty to care for you."
I rolled my eyes. "Demon is on duty. He's eating, so you don't need to be here."
He looked at me. "Demon is off to sleep. He has wood chopping and piling tomorrow, as well as meat cutting. Charles has paperwork, and Adam has to check on our farm. Your idea about semen has been approved, and we already have the first doses sold. Wagyu semen is highly priced, so I'm with you. Now, what movie shall we watch?"
I rolled my eyes again. Fine, he wanted to. Who was I to stop him?
"Titanic," I said. "It's been centuries since I last watched it. Literally, I was human back then, and one of my dogs had just died. It was a good movie; I'd seen it before, but it was still good."
My voice grew nostalgic. I still recalled the whole thing vividly: how my dog had just peacefully passed in her sleep, and in the morning, I'd noticed my older dog doing something strange. She was covering the dead one, her own pup. Well, this pup had been 14 years old, but still...
Damon admitted, "Well, I must confess, I've never seen this movie. Wait, oh yeah, I saw bits and pieces when it first came out. I was with my usual group of girls then, and I'd just come to have some fun when Kelly, who was blonde, dumb, but busty, was all teary-eyed. I was a bit surprised, but she confessed she'd been watching the movie and just couldn't stop crying when Jack died."
I smiled and confessed, "For me, the ultimate tearjerker has always been Armageddon. I just... I mean, when Bruce Willis gives his last message to his daughter, it is just..."
Damon smiled and said, "Well, maybe we ought to watch it someday, together. See if I get too teary-eyed."
I rolled my eyes and said, "Oh, really? Now you sound like Wulfe. Want me to make you cry? Though I'm not sure what kind of movies make Wulfe cry, if any."
Rolling my eyes again, I flicked the movie on. At the same time, I reached for the edge of my bed, pressing a button. Adam and Charles, along with Number Five and Ten, had installed a clever locker system under my bed. This meant I had something to do, like wirewrapping or bracelet making.
With the press of a button, the locker slid out and rose, opening to allow me to select what I wanted. I chose wirewrapping, as May and Emmylee had given me a few orders for new models, and I had some designs I planned to try. I took a box full of my wires, my pliers, and a few boxes of stones, as well as tiny beads and chips, placed them near me, and then let the locker slide back down.
"Fancy, baby," Damon mused. "What are you planning? I haven't done much wirewrapping for myself. Maybe I ought to give it a try."
"No need," I replied. "I need to do a few pieces that have been ordered, and then make new models. The girls want five pieces of new designs, meaning I'll need to make several, and it might take time for me to get them perfect."
He took my notebook, where I had drawn a few ideas. With Valentine's Day approaching, one design was a heart with wings, accented by beads. The heart design was mainly done with wire, with a triangular stone in the middle.
I was planning to try fire opals, as well as strawberry quartz and rhodochrosite, if I had suitable stones. As my stone box was replenished almost every few days, I hadn't fully looked through it yet, as I had to complete the ordered ones first.
Forty-five minutes into the film, I found myself reaching for my pliers, my grip tightening as I bit my lip to suppress a snap. My dear husband, it turned out, was an excellent backseat driver when it came to my wire-wrapping.
"Darlin', don't hurry," he'd say, taking over. "See, let me."
His hands would then enclose mine, guiding the wire around the base more firmly, pushing it with his finger.
"See, keep the tension. Don't just throw a loop; keep it steady all the time. See, let's do this together."
He'd then pull me closer, his arm around me, his hand covering mine as he steered my movements with the pliers, wrapping wire, and murmuring instructions.
While we were married, I wasn't exactly a "mariella" and found doing things so intimately together somewhat challenging. However, he was not about to back down, so we continued. He'd interject comments about the film from time to time, whether it was the costumes, the plot, or the dialogue, before becoming fully immersed again in the jewelry-making process with me.
I could see he was wrapping the wire more tightly and neatly, but then again, I had convinced myself that my more rustic approach gave my pieces their own unique soul. Yet, my husband was as pedantic as could be; everything had to be perfect, with no "fast and loose" methods allowed.
As I selected my next stone for one of my new designs from a box full of chips, I hesitated. I had initially planned to use them in a slightly new way, with "number five" being my first recipient. But then, I wondered if "number one" could handle it. Reading about a certain witch who could use stones to amplify lust and similar effects had inspired me.
I had since discovered more books on the same principle and now had an idea to use tiny chips to embed into men's chakras, specifically amplifying one particular chakra. My relationship with "number five" was the deepest, so he was meant to be my first. However, with "number one" here, I could perhaps try something milder on him, just to test the waters.
"Damon," I began, "I have a little idea. It involves you and me, and it might make our bond... well, something more. But I'm not sure if you're ready to handle it. I was planning on trying this on 'number five' first, but since you're here..."
He looked up from his wire-wrapping, his gaze sharp. "Well, let's give it a go," he said. "Let's see. I'm more than ready."
I took a deep breath, focusing and drawing air in. I could smell him, his pheromones filling my senses. At the same time, I kept my fingers in the box of chips, mixing them slightly. Soon, the scent of bourbon vanilla hit me. Okay, I selected one dark chip; it was moss agate.
"I am going to embed this into one of your chakras, amplifying it," I explained. "Then, I'm going to put my chakra against yours to see if it makes a difference. I hope it's not too strong."
He nodded, his lips quirking into a smirk. He plucked the chip from my hand, focused on it, and without asking, sank it into his heart chakra. Damn, I had planned to use it on his soul chakra, but now it would amplify his love.
Before I could do anything, he undressed me with a spell and pulled my body against his. Despite my enormous belly, he managed to lock our chakras one by one. When our heart chakras connected, a love unlike anything I had ever felt washed over my soul, and he gasped as well.
"Oh, shit, baby... more, gimme more. I feel this, oh my god..." he panted as our love transcended into something new.
I felt it spilling into the hive, igniting everyone, making everyone feel our love, our connection. I shuddered against him, unable to control this tidal wave of emotions flooding from my soul to his and his soul to mine. Time lost its meaning, and as we finally pulled apart, the connection remained.
"Just one fucking chip," he said. "You're truly dangerous, you know that. I want more, but we need to take this slowly. So, no more putting chips on others; we'll do it in a controlled manner, one chip at a time. But now, oh my god, I just want to be next to you. No more wire wrapping, just watch this love story and be with you."
He sent my craft supplies somewhere, pulled my still-naked, pregnant body close to him, and covered us in a blanket. We continued to watch the tragic and short love story of Jack and Rose in Titanic; he held me in his embrace, never wanting to let me go.
A sense of love, peace, and contentment filled me. This was such a perfectly beautiful moment for us. I wanted to savor it, not think about what would happen in the future or tomorrow, but just focus on here and now.
This time felt like a hellish rollercoaster, or at least it seemed that way. One moment, he was cold and distant, focusing on Mariella and her babies or others, and then suddenly, this – this damn perfect love, this connection that felt like nothing before. I wasn't sure where we would go from here or what my life would become.
However, my alpha side was as active as ever. If our relationship was so profoundly affected by this one chip, surely the love between Damon and Mariella would be amplified too, leaving me free to have some me-time if I needed it. After all, I am a hellishly strong alpha female, a triple one, not just a purring, pregnant lapcat all the time, which is what I currently felt like.
But there was more to it than just pure love, which those damn chips had accomplished. Damon was much deeper in my mind, and I could feel smugness emanating from Wulfe, as if this was exactly what he had intended.
This made me think: if my relationship, my love with Damon, was amplified this much, what would happen when Wulfe put a chip in himself? What kind of soul-merging would we then experience? It was a scary, exhilarating, and somewhat daunting thought all at once. But all I had to go on was love. As the song says, "all you need is love, love is all you need." Everything else is just a bonus.