It was Wednesday, and I was still in my shop as the clock neared 12:30. I realized I couldn't pick up the kids because I had too many orders to fulfill, and customers were milling about. Additionally, I was alone in the shop. I contacted Number Five telepathically; he was at home.
"My love," I asked, "could you go and pick up the kids as well as Mariella? I'm kind of stuck. I have six customers here still browsing, I'm in the middle of making an engagement bouquet, and I have three orders for tomorrow, so this will take a bit more time."
"Fine," he replied, his warm voice reaching me. "I'll see who's free. I'm cooking or sorting out food anyway, but I'll get it done. Don't worry, and try not to overwork yourself, my love."
"Thank you," I said. "I love you, you know that. And remember, Mariella will be tired and need some loving when she gets home. If she's resistant, well, I gave Number One a few books about balancing energies and such, so he's more or less up to date. He can certainly give Mariella a few lectures on why it's important for her to learn to love for real, too, without mixing lust into the mix. We need her actual love energy, and according to Wulfe, she hasn't achieved that yet."
I could feel Number Five's amusement, but he also knew this, as he too had read those books, just like Number One, and had shared the information with all the Salvatores. Now, it was one of the main objectives to ensure each of us had our own lust but also our love. It was all about balance: female and male. This meant Damon and I, we were both equal in upholding our pack, and from an energy perspective, both of our main energy types were equally important.
Mariella had originally made our pack a mere lust pack, and that was what had messed everything up, as our pack was meant to be a lust-love pack. I was a creature of love, and Damon was a creature of lust. Together, we were balance, but as life, free will, and all sorts of things happened, what was meant to be did not happen, and our pack never became perfect. Not until now. I couldn't help but wonder if this was finally the meaning of these 13 years, steering us in the right direction. Was this God's way of finally making us who we were meant to be?
We all experienced lust, which was easily attained as most pack members were energy creatures. Lusting after energy just happened, but love was a far more complex energy to cultivate. I understood this well, so Mariella needed to learn how to love, and Damon did too. His love was present, but he mixed it with lust in almost everything.
Love, however, needed to be pure, and his love for Mariella also needed to be pure, not diluted with lust, but simply pure love. Thus, he was learning as well. Of course, as I was a creature of love, it was easier for them to love me. I gave my love to them, which in turn made their love even more potent, easier to create, and feel.
This was also what Number One was doing; he was trying to love me as much as he could. However, as usual, Mariella was jealous when pregnant. Damon, having learned these facts now, was not so tolerant of jealousy and clinginess. So Mariella was learning about the less pleasant sides of Damon, the one she had thought was hers.
I was processing all this in my mind as I focused on crafting a bouquet featuring blue, green, and silver. It needed to be futuristic, sculptural, and airy, and completed by tomorrow. Fine, I could get it done.
This was actually an arrangement, and they had brought a vessel for me, some kind of vase that looked a bit like a spaceship. A nerdy couple, or he was nerdy anyway. Since his budget was $300, I could certainly manage this, as I could use some fancier stems.
My other orders were not any easier. One was a funeral spray, which tended to take time. Another was a celebratory bouquet for a retirement, and the last was a large one for a grandmother's 92nd anniversary. Each had its own requirements, budgets, and none were quick to make.
As the first customer approached the checkout, I released my stems, dried my hands, and moved to serve her. She was buying several houseplants, had eaten and drunk coffee and cakes, and had grabbed several different fertilizers and whatnot.
After exchanging pleasantries and completing our transactions, the customer, who was from Canada near the border, left the shop with a smile. She promised to tell her friends about me, mentioning that she lived in a large commune of plant lovers with their own Facebook group.
Customers continued to arrive, some requesting bouquets that I needed to create on the spot. While I had a few pre-made arrangements, time simply flew by. I had no time to rest or eat much, as I was constantly attending to customers. I started thinking it might be easier to stay a while after closing to prepare some bouquets for the next day and perhaps work on a few pending orders.
Just as I was planning to close for the day, Damon "number one" telepathically inquired, "Baby, have you closed the shop already? It's getting quite late, and you're pregnant."
I glanced at the clock, surprised to see it was well past 5 pm. Time had indeed flown by, but then again, it was the Christmas season, a busy period where I was making good money.
"I'll close up in a minute," I replied, walking towards the doors. "But I'll stay a bit longer to finish a few urgent orders for tomorrow, as I'm not sure if I'll be able to work after my appointment."
To my surprise, just as I was about to lock the doors, Damon walked in.
He looked at me and announced, "Nope, you are not working tomorrow. We have an appointment, and then you're taking it easy."
Charles and Adam were with him.
Charles added, "Now, show us those orders. These two will fix them and manage the shop tomorrow. It's Christmas, a busy time, so they and a few other girls will be here."
As I led my husbands to my workstation, I noticed Adam closing the doors and putting up a "Closed" sign. He also began shutting off some of the lights.
Damon walked very close to me, smelling my neck and learning my pheromones. He wasn't very adept with them yet, but he was studying. I didn't even consider what my life might be like if he ever became truly skilled with them.
I gathered my papers and handed them to Charles. These were orders I hadn't started yet. On my desk, I had several stems and flowers prepped and cleaned, ready to be made into bunches. However, Adam took them, placed them back in the water, and carried them to the cooler. He then reviewed tomorrow's engagement orders.
I looked at what I had accomplished, wrapped it in paper, and prepared to take it home so it could be made ready. The plan was for them to take it with them in the morning, as they would likely be there all day, and deliver it to its destination.
Damon offered, "I'll drive us home. The boys have their own car and will take those flowers with them to get them done today, so don't worry. It's dark and slippery outside, and I'm not letting you drive alone in these conditions. Grab your things, and let's go; food is waiting."
As I moved to empty my cash register, Charles was already there, collecting the money and securing it in a pouch on his hip. He would calculate it at home. He also took a file from my computer, which contained sales and pricing information, to keep track and ensure taxes were paid.
I reached for my coat and boots, only to be gently guided to sit down, with Damon helping me dress. I rolled my eyes, but he was in a remarkably caring mood. I reflected on our history, understanding why it had been so difficult for us to connect and for our pack to function. Now, perhaps, this might work too. However, it would require effort from me, Damon, and especially Mariella.
Suddenly, I felt a significant pressure in my mind as Wulfe seemed to introduce Damon to my "nasty torturer" side, a part I had tried to suppress. As I reflected, it had always been somewhat restless at times.
Damon's will, drawing power from our bonds, combined with his telepathy and Wulfe's powers, hit my darker side, pushing it deeper. I grunted, and Damon furrowed his brow, sensing just how potent it was and how easily it gained more power. It was yet another thing for him to rule over or control within me.
As we finally got out and walked into the car, I still had a slight headache, and I could feel several Salvatores shuffling in my mind, pushing my nasty side down. What was surprising was the true love stemming from numbers two and five, as if they knew how that side had gotten so damn strong, and they almost treated it by loving me, weakening it with love.
Number one got his adjustments on point as he grumbled under his breath.
I explained to him, "Well, I am 20 cm shorter, and despite my pregnant belly, I need my seat closer."
Damon had a hard time fitting into the car at first, as I am quite tiny. But now he had gotten his long legs and taller torso into a better position, and he started the car, headlights flooding the wintry city scenery as we started our way back home.
Five minutes in, he said to me, "You know, I have been doing a hell of a lot of self-study, and what I have realized is nothing to be proud of. I am a manipulator, selfish, cruel, and an immature piece of shit."
He was quiet for a minute before continuing, "Well, you see, Mariella was perfect, physically. Have you ever had something you have always dreamt of, and then you got it? So what would you do? You see, Mariella was physically my dream girl. Perfect body, face, everything, but she was also a blank slate, and I, selfish bastard, did not think twice when I started to mold her into what I thought was a perfect woman. Always willing, worshiping me, being mine, owning me, fawning over me. And I have now realized that perfection, that kind of perfection, is not actually what I wanted. It was just my fantasy, or maybe a collection of my experiences with women and what they lacked, but now, so-called perfect woman..."
He was quiet, fingers drumming slightly on the wheel as he pondered how to continue, but I filled his sentence. "She is boring, dull, right?"
He nodded. I thought for a while about what to say, as it had been a big blow to Damon to realize this, and knowing him, he was blaming himself, but there was still hope.
I said, "Well, it is just a case of you and the pack teaching Mariella to be who she wants to be, not who you told her to be. You see, I read a book."
This got my husband to glance at me sharply and grunt, but he refrained from commenting just yet.
I continued, "It is a book about alpha pairs and their role in the pack. According to the book, it is typical that males and females embody different types of energy, and it is their duty to make sure both of those energies are equally present in the pack, and each pack member is making both types of them, I mean, energy creatures. Now, what our pack has lacked is love."
After a pause to gather my thoughts and take a few deep breaths, Damon grunted, "Please, give me more. I have a feeling you're damn right, and if so, we have ungodly work ahead of us."
"Well, as you've noticed," I began, "I've taught quite a few Salvatores to love. By doing so, they've started to generate their actual, pure love energy. Now, I know you possess love energy, but there's always lust mixed in, and that's not what's needed. We need pure love as well as pure lust; it brings balance. I've gotten them to learn about love and what it is, as I myself am a creature of love. When they sent me their version of love, I sent mine back, teaching them what it is to be loved. You, along with Mariella, mix a hell of a lot of lust into each of our energies, and it just doesn't work. Lust messes everything up. Let me try to explain this one more way."
I paused again, drawing a breath and trying to organize my thoughts into a coherent explanation. Although the idea was clear in my mind, articulating it proved challenging.
Damon interjected, "So, you're saying I need to learn what actual love is, and then I should be able to do it, without lust? But I'm a creature of lust."
"No," I corrected him. "You are an energy creature whose primary energy happens to be lust. Energy creatures can possess different types of energy. For instance, some living in Africa might have solar energy, or those in Japan might have trust energy. It doesn't define you or rule you; it's simply another power you can harness. Now, this is my purest love; try to feel it, try to understand it."
I released a powerful surge of pure love through our bond, which took Damon's breath away.
"Oh, shit, baby," he gasped, "I mean, wow. Phew... lemme put this into the tank. I mean, wow."
"That is me, my love, my purest love, my driving energy," I explained. "Even though I'm not an energy creature, I'm an exploiter. Feel it, and now compare it to your love energy. Feel the difference."
Damon remained silent as we approached the house, our driveway looming ahead.
Finally, he said, "Thanks. It gives me a bit of work to do. I have to take this slowly and talk with the guys."
"You see," I continued, "how to perceive what love is, an energy originating from within you, from your emotions and your history, while lust makes everything purely physical. When combined, we have both spiritual and physical aspects, embodying our pack. Therefore, it is important that each of us can channel both pure and unique energies, reflecting our individuality."
He simply grunted as he finally drove into the yard, which was clear of snow and had an open garage door. He deftly parked the car, clearly deep in thought as he shut off the engine. Now, it was time to go home. I had no idea if my display of love energy had freaked him out, if I had moved too fast, or if he was merely formulating another one of his elaborate plans.
He hadn't mentioned tomorrow's early morning doctor's appointment, and I wasn't about to ask or remind him. Whatever would be, would be, and I decided not to fret over his neuroses. This was simply life within the pack.