As I lifted my gaze and smiled at my next customer, asking what they were after, I couldn't help but reflect on what a damn rollercoaster my life had become since Damon had, so to speak, found his balls. He wanted me to interrogate Mariella today, if possible, and next week we have a meeting with the educational board. This meant Damon, our kids, and I would have to appear before them, where people would be appraising the children while we were interviewed.
This was a significant undertaking for Damon, as he had already gone through the process with Mariella, and their children had been approved. They were scheduled to start free daycare three times a week for four hours a day, once a slot became available, as these placements were highly sought after.
Mariella was also working at our occult shop, and she always had one or two of the Salvatores with her, ensuring she wasn't overexerting herself, and business was booming. For my part, I usually had Adam, Charles, Leopard, or Demon with me. Wulfe would help if he were free, but he, too, had returned to work, and I had a few other girls here and there to assist as well.
The men, meaning the rest of the Salvatores, were primarily taking care of the kids while we worked. Although Mariella worked five hours a day, three days a week, I, well, given how much I enjoyed it, usually worked five days a week for six to eight hours.
However, according to Damon, firstly, my hours would diminish as my pregnancy progressed, and this time, there was no chance in hell I would attempt a natural birth or let it go as long as the last time. He also stated, with numbers two, four, and five, that taking care of preemies was much easier than caring for anemic, stressed babies and one damn sick alpha female.
Every time I came home, dinner was ready. I had to eat, spend some time with the kids and babies, and after that, a bath would be drawn, followed perhaps by a massage. This usually kept me busy for most of the rest of the day, as, to be honest, it wasn't just the massage.
My husbands usually seduced my body into a lustful mood and then proceeded to have their way with me until morning. Meaning I was fucked to bits and then some as we were lust packs, and Damon, lustwizard, was father, meaning babies had lust in them as well. I then had to get up and go to work.
Mariella had a similar situation, but it wasn't just the Salvatores who were involved with her; it might be Adam, Charles, the boys, or even Wulfe. We had weekly medical check-ups, and mine usually occurred while I was sleeping, typically knocked out by Damon's little cocktails, which he prepared in his sinuses and injected into my veins—not just his usual concoctions but new combinations as well.
My customer was a middle-aged woman who had come from Canada for a holiday in Minnesota. As she was a plant freak, she eagerly explained that it was kind of her thing to check every flower shop along the way.
She was not too impressed with the old shop in Roseau, as, according to her, it was worn out. The owner was a kind of uppity older female who thought her way of making a bouquet was the only right one, and she rarely listened to customers, as she knew better.
And as I did nothing more than listen and fulfill, to the best of my ability, customers' wishes, my shop was so much better and cheaper, despite Charles and Damon almost raising my prices several times. But still, as those rises were quite small, not even dollars per stem, my customers did not really even notice.
I was making her arrangement with large white roses, seven of them, pink alstroemeria, two multistemmed, scented, huge lilies, almost violet, and they were multiplied, meaning more petals than in a normal lily.
Of course, I had my greens as well, but I used them moderately, letting them accent the flowers and not fill my whole damn thing with greens. That made even a stylish arrangement look kind of cheap.
The woman said to me, "Oh my god, you are a skilled one. That is one amazing piece of work. I mean, I rarely get this kind of decision and someone who gets my drift."
I smiled and said, "Thank you. For me, the customer is the one I am listening to, not myself. And as these stems are enchanted, this arrangement lasts easily over a month, and if you get bored, it will survive even cooler weather, not freezing but still."
She smiled even more. "Oh, no, I will not get bored. This is artwork. I can't wait to show this to my family."
She was very excited, and as I finally got her arrangement ready, she paid happily. She bought stones and cakes and promised to come back, perhaps even bringing her family.
Now alone in the shop, I watched Adam leave with the girls for groceries, as we had run low on some essentials. This was fine, as my shop was still open for another two hours or so, and I might get started on some bouquets for tomorrow. I wasn't sure yet if I would be able to come to work; however, as it was a medical day.
According to the guidelines made by number four, certain parameters, such as my weight, my ability to maintain my temperature, and my vitals, had to be within specific levels. A few blood values were also measured. For instance, he checked my ability to maintain my body temperature by making me strip at the beginning of the medical exam, without providing any clothes or a blanket. Since the medbay wasn't the warmest, he checked my temperature several times, and it had to remain at 104°F or higher. If it dipped too low, he would escalate the testing.
Then there was also my interrogation of Mariella awaiting me. Oh, I know how to be super creepy, and I was actually looking forward to it. However, I had no idea why Damon and Wulfe particularly demanded that I conduct it, and I wasn't suspecting anything.
As I was alone in my shop, humming under my breath and sensing everyone around the hive, I seeped a bit of my power into it. Number One responded, irritated, as he was one of several control freaks who weren't nearly as adept with the hive as I was. He was lazy, and it wasn't innate to him, even though he and Wulfe had both received a portion of my vampire power. They had no idea how to utilize it or mold it, and I certainly wasn't going to teach them, at least not yet.
Just as I was placing my next ready bouquet into the cooler, the door opened, and a woman walked in. What caught my attention was a brief flash of crystal embedded in the doorway, and a slight hitch in her breathing rate. Those crystals would stop anyone with ill will towards me, but she reacted, meaning she wasn't entirely friendly.
However, I wasn't sure if I had seen correctly or if I was just imagining things. She walked in; she was quite tall and thin, wearing a padded coat, her neat brown hair in a bun. She wore some kind of boots and jeans, and as she entered, she looked around, her face scrunched up in a frown of disapproval.
"Can I help you?" I asked politely, stepping closer to the mysterious woman who seemed to hold my shop in disdain.
She turned, scrutinizing me from head to toe, and muttered, "I'm not sure. You have a fancy place, yet your prices are the lowest. Are you trying to push other shops to the brink of financial ruin?"
I furrowed my brow slightly.
Something about this woman felt off, and since I was alone, it was up to me to handle it. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean. While my prices are competitive, I'm not in the business of ripping off my customers."
She sneered and walked to my cooler, examining my ready-made bouquets. Her gaze was like something one might reserve for a piece of dog shit stuck to a shoe.
"Well," she began in a mockingly condescending tone, "I happen to own a flower shop in Roseau. Since your reputation is quite widespread, I thought I should see what all the fuss is about."
I maintained a neutral expression as she continued to lecture me as if I were a child. I understood that my clothes might make me look young, and I wasn't wearing much makeup, my hair was simply braided.
"I see you could do so much better with proper tutoring. It's sweet, really," she drawled, her voice starting to grate on my nerves. "That you think so much of your customers. And since your shop has only been open a few years, it would be wise for you to seek out someone more experienced and ask for advice."
My rage was beginning to bubble, and I hadn't closed off our hive enough, meaning my bonds with others were not properly secured. And my pissed offness seeped happily into the hive, alerting others. I was starting to get really nicely riled up here.
However, my frustration was interrupted by Mariella, who asked, via our hivemind, "What's going on? Why are you about to boil over?"
Before I could reply, I felt Damon and Wulfe's minds drilling into mine. My own consciousness receded slightly as Wulfe briefly took control, simultaneously assessing the situation. I could feel his rage mirroring my own.
Damon's icy voice echoed in my mind, "Stall her. We're coming with a few guys to show her that industrial spying isn't allowed. Seven minutes, baby. Try to make her spill as much dirt as possible."
As I regained my focus, I kept my tone polite, though a hint of annoyance was evident. "No, thank you. I have experience, my own clientele, and several large orders already under my belt. Now, why don't I show you around? It might give you some new ideas as well." It was my turn to subtly put her in her place.
She asked, "Are you even the owner? I mean, you look rather young, but surely, girl, show me around, and I can tell you how to improve. I can tell that many florists have found my tutoring classes very useful, as well as my tips for pricing. "
I smiled syrupily and said, "Yeah, I am the owner, and believe it or not, I am pregnant again. It seems my husband just loves to keep me pregnant."
I was now playing the role of a floozy, making her underestimate me big time.
She said, "Oh, you poor dear, I know just how taxing it is to have multiple children. I have five, with a 12-year span. Now, I would suggest you hire help. I am afraid it is a bit more expensive nowadays than it used to be, as this town is so small and traveling might take time. But I have a few good suggestions, steady, calm girls. Their minimum wage is about 35 dollars per hour at the start, and they need insurance. I know you are inexperienced with running a business, as it is mostly your family who works here, but sometimes one must hire outside help."
I rolled my eyes, feigned regret, and talked a bit down to her, again in a mockingly sweet tone. "Geesh, too expensive. My own salary is not that much, and I have years under my belt. As I am immortal, looks can be deceiving a bit. I am quite ancient, actually. You see, when one has a large pack like mine, I have plenty of packmembers ready to work here, as this is actually now our pack's business, not just mine anymore. So, oh, here he comes. You should talk to my husband. Damon Salvatore. He is one of our pack leaders, the father of all my children, and these are a few of our packmembers."
Damon, Wulfe, Mariella, and Adam walked in. Damon let his eyes turn black as he glided to the woman, stopped before her, smelled the air, and then fixed his gaze on the side of her neck, where her pulse was throbbing.
Wulfe struggled to keep a straight face as Damon orchestrated his little vampire play. Mariella was clearly pissed off as fuck, defensive even; her fingertips gleamed violet, mirroring her eyes, a sure sign her magic was active. Adam stood a little further away, his eyes yellow, and a low, rumbling growl emanated from him as the woman looked at him.
The woman stammered, "I... I think I ought to go. Fancy place you have, and I'll think about what I said."
Damon's soft voice was as creepy as it was menacing, "Oh, you betcha. A telepathic old vampire here, I could surely have my uses for someone like you. Hmm...Tasty....hungry..."
With a lick of his lips, his sharp fangs peeked out. The female paled and turned around, attempting to walk calmly out. However, she almost jumped and winced as Mariella's fingers shot out a sharp violet burst of magic right into her ass, making her yelp. She then practically ran outside.
Damon walked over to Mariella and said, "No, 'Ella, put your magic down. I already said, behave, or I'll make you."
Mariella's eyes flashed, and she opened her mouth, only for Damon to hiss three words in Italian, and no sound came out from Mariella's mouth.
Wulfe smiled and said to me, "How about we close shop a bit early, and tomorrow the girls can handle this? I need to get those crystals a bit more sensitive for bad intentions and such, not such bodily harm, and I'm not risking you."
Adam, who had been quiet, had dug out his phone. Now, his voice was cold as ice, his expression blank, and his rage was about to erupt.
He stated, "Funny. Did you happen to know that the damn woman's oldest son is actually the leader of the gang of thugs who attacked here when you were expecting Sadie and the others? She is also linked to pro-humanity movements via her multiple husbands, as well as at least three of her sons who have rap sheets."
Damon declared, "Fine. No more working, neither of you, not until we really upgrade this. And I need to talk to the police, inform them as well."
He was clearly pissed off. It seemed our esteemed half-pack leader was once again in an extremely protective mood, and he was not going to take any risks this time around. Well, life can certainly surprise one.