It was time to implement my little plan concerning Mariella. In the two days I had observed her, her behavior had devolved from bad to worse. Damon was seething, ready to explode, and she had even managed to anger Wulfe. I needed to deal with her so the males might have a chance to cool off, and besides, I was more than ready.
This time, it wasn't an opulent bedroom, but something a bit nastier and more vampiric. I was preparing the space, which was down in the cellar. I had brought a bed there, along with shackles and whatnot, and now I was infusing the room with my vampire pheromones. This meant conveying to her that I was the predator, she was the prey, and she was helpless.
My fangs ached; I had a bloodthirst like no other, and the ache in my fangs was simply my need for blood. But soon, I would have some, and then things would progress a bit further too.
Finally, I left my room and went upstairs. I was wearing my usual clothes, jeans and a t-shirt, with my hair in a braided bun done by Adam.
I heard Mariella harassing Damon yet again. "Why don't you, my love, just relax and let me ease you?"
Damon snapped, "For God's sake, if you need something to suck, take a lollipop from the freezer. I am not in the mood. How many times do I have to tell you this?"
Mariella persisted, now trying to play the victim. "I bet if I were Mimi and offering the same thing, you would have no problem letting her suck you off, but you seem to hate me nowadays, as Saint Mimi is so freaking perfect."
Damon's voice, now even more dangerous, stated, "Do not speak about Mimi that way. I do not hate you, but I hate it when you try to be something I loathe—a needy bitch seeing me as mere dick!"
Mariella continued whining, "I am not seeing you as just a dick, but I see you are stressed and maybe you need to decompress. You know, lust helps."
A slap echoed in the air as Damon struck her across the face when she still didn't understand. Oh, she would soon receive a lesson for a lifetime.
I kept my voice perfectly innocent as I said to her via hivemind, "Mariella, are you free? I happen to have some need for blood..."
I infused my message with a touch of my lust, and she soon replied, "Oh, I am more than ready. Males are in a boring mood, and I need some action, some lust too."
Of course, I could feel my vampire side waking up as well, and oh boy, did she have plans after this. Well, I was feeling kind of wild, so I might just let her try her plans. She was still pissed at Wulfe and was planning to show him, this time not letting him prepare. But first, it was my time to enjoy and have my fun.
An hour later, I could see Mariella struggling to wake up. She was clearly disoriented as she tried to open her eyes, strained her neck, and muttered something as my little concoction slowly allowed her to wake up.
"Wakey, wakey, my meal, I am hungry already," I said predatorily, sitting in the shadows so she couldn't see me just yet.
Her nostrils flared as she smelled the air, her pulse picking up as my pheromones hit her, and she began to feel like prey. Oh, yummy. Wulfe had once said that his favorite song was pulse, meaning listening to a heart beating. I had to admit, as I rose and walked towards Mariella, listening to her frantic, slightly uneven pulse felt kind of nice.
"I told you, no lust, more vampiric elements, you see, actions, and well, in your case, behavior and consequences. I am the alpha female, Damon's queen, and whatnot. Our bond is quite damn strong, and I can feel his irritation, anger, and frustration as you just don't get the message and stop pimping yourself to him when he's not in the mood. So, I act. I protect my mate while teaching you, beta female, what happens if you piss off my mate."
I had actually come up with this idea recently, mixing Damon in this too. Maybe, just maybe, Mariella might think twice next time before refusing to listen to Damon's 'no.'
I was dressed in a lace gown, my hair stark white and spiky. My vampiric nature was fully unleashed, fangs gleaming as I approached Mariella. Without warning, I tilted my head and sank my fangs into her thigh. The hot blood filled my mouth as she tensed beneath me, helpless and naked, completely at my mercy.
Mariella was in excellent condition, which meant she would replenish her blood quickly. As supernaturals, we possess an abundance of blood, with a remarkable capacity for rapid regeneration. This meant my meal would be both satisfying and a valuable learning experience.
After releasing her, I wiped my lips with the back of my hand.
Lazily, I circled the bed and said in a languid tone, "You know, Wulfe did this to me once, long ago. It was our first real meeting, and I suppose Damon never told you. He trapped me and drained me, almost completely. I was a werewolf back then, not as powerful as I am now, and Samuel managed to restore three liters of my blood. Adam then donated his. Let's just say I was under close observation after that."
A slight smile touched my lips. Although it had been a distressing experience, it had also been highly educational. I realized I wasn't just being pursued by human scientists, but by various supernatural creatures as well.
And for them, I held a significant secret, one I planned to bestow upon Damon as a gift: knowledge about one old enemy. This would enable him to handle the situation once this was all over. I knew it was important to him, and I had ensured my gift was perfect.
Mariella muttered, "Oh, wow, you scared me. You attacked, but I have to admit, I am wet."
I just shrugged. It seemed she really loved being utterly helpless. Pondering the perfect set of curtains for one of the rooms, I spoke aloud in a calm voice. Suddenly, I yanked her head to the side and sank my fangs into her throat, ripping deeply into it. She tensed from pain and panic, thrashing, but the shackles held her securely. I fed as brutally as I wanted, unconcerned by her distress or pain, which only made the experience better.
I could still smell her arousal as she couldn't control her body. Well, she was what she was, but for me, the predator in the room, her arousal was unimportant. Only the hot blood rushing down my gullet mattered, feeling the heady life force thrumming within it. I tasted its sharp, ironic flavor with hints of berries and peaches.
It was much thicker than human blood, pure hot silk flowing into my belly, and her frantic heartbeat made the feeding even better for me. Bite marks after bite marks adorned or scarred her perfect, creamy skin. My bites were vicious, leaving deep bruising and drawing blood just as I had intended. Soon, it would be time for phase two of my plan, and after that, phase three, which was currently the biggest question mark.
However, I was willing to test the waters, so to speak, to see what this might yield. It would depend largely on how my plan panned out, but I was fairly sure there would be some serious control of my vampire side. She still wasn't impressed by all that Wulfe had done to her and was planning to use him as a meal, hitting him out of the blue.
But for now, I kept her under control, not letting her out, or else Mariella would be in a world of pain. She could be brutal when feeding. This room in the cellar was dark, essentially a concrete cube, as it was just one of the storage rooms. The bed where I had shackled Mariella had the cheapest, thinnest mattress, but my shackles were sturdy, and it all added to her helplessness.
Yet, this could never be her true vulnerability, as she could never die. So, that little element was missing, which I had had back then when Wulfe had drained me. Even with my experiences, there was always a doubt.
Even today, with an unending spark, I couldn't fully trust myself. A tiny voice in the back of my head would whisper, "What if?" This deep-seated doubt made true vulnerability a challenging sensation to confront, so I hid it from Damon, from Wulfe, and even from Charles.
Mariella, however, would never experience such doubt; she lacked that inner whisper. Still, nothing is perfect, and I was certain my treatment of her was rough enough. Soon, with the introduction of my new element, things would take a significant turn.
Mariella could feel the slight roughness of my lacy dress as I bent over her to bite. She felt my body heat, the pressure of my body against hers, and the hot, painful burn of my bite. She also felt her own weakness as her blood volume ebbed before she could replenish it. Panting, her dark, simmering arousal persisted, frustrating her as it clearly indicated a weakness.
It was time for phase two, which required me to step outside briefly. I informed her, "My meal, we will continue soon, but I have a plan in motion. If you'll excuse me, I need to fetch a few things first."
She merely grunted, barely conscious, as I had just drained her once more. Simultaneously, I infused more of my vampire pheromones into the air, ensuring that any approaching vampire would be overcome by bloodlust.
Transforming back into my human form, I walked upstairs to the children's playroom. My first five children—Sadie, Seraphina, Sabrina, Darien, and Dash—were playing there, with Emmylee and May watching over them, along with my younger set of five.
I addressed the first group of children, saying, "Hey, come on, Mommy is going to take you on a little trip, a kind of lesson. It's fun, I promise."
My tone must have shifted because May looked at me sharply, but I simply smiled and reassured her, "This is my duty as alpha. I need to teach my offspring a few things and take care of others. We will be fine."
She nodded, recognizing the authority in my voice, and didn't press further. However, she did ask neutrally, "Are you going to tell Damon?"
I nodded. This was my phase three plan: to let him be the vampire daddy. First, though, I had to teach my children some vampiric lessons myself. It was no use for them to hide their vampire side, to merely drink blood and suppress it, as they grew.
Many of them possessed a version of my rage gene or Damon's, meaning they sometimes had explosive tempers and lacked self-control. In such cases, it would be beneficial if their vampire side was calm, under control, and something they were aware of. After all, if an unprecedented explosion were to happen in daycare or school, their vampire side could exacerbate the situation, potentially traumatizing them, leading to bullying, or causing others to fear them, even their teachers.
I had no idea of Damon's stance on this, but as I led my children towards the elevator, we were on our way to a meal. It was time for them to let their vampire side out and learn how to feed from live prey, to experience eating from a vein.
I clearly remembered how difficult it had been for Apollo, and he had been older than these children. Feeding from a vein was entirely new to him. Therefore, this was one thing I was going to teach my children, and it would also serve as another lesson for Mariella. Simply put, if they misbehaved or upset Damon, I would make a meal out of her for myself and my kids, as it would be what she deserved.
As we finally exited the elevator, the children were a little apprehensive. I encouraged them, "Come on, it's time for a new kind of meal. Now, as we go in, you'll need to do something. Just let it happen and don't be afraid. Mommy is going to change a bit too. As you know, we are vampires. You've been drinking blood since birth, but not like this. And our meal, don't think of her as Mommy Mariella, but just as a meal. Right now, she is just a meal for us. She can accept this, and it is her duty to be our meal."
Sadie asked, "Do we eat pieces of her, or what?"
I smiled and replied, "No, my little one. We will drink her blood, from the vein. I will show you how it's done, and once you get your fangs out, you can dig in yourself. This is perfectly normal for us. There is nothing here to be afraid of, and this is not wrong, not at all."
I opened the door, and the kids walked in, their eyes fixed on Mariella as they inhaled the scent in the air. I smiled, noticing the first white strands beginning to appear in the girls' hair, while the boys' facial features had taken on a more refined look and their skin had grown paler. Dash smiled at me, his fangs peeking out as my pheromones stirred their vampire sides. Their fangs were disabled to prevent poisons or harmful substances, but feeding was still allowed.
Sabrina approached Mariella, gently stroking her bare skin and teasing, "Are you my meal?"
Mariella snarled at me, having regained some awareness. She was as aroused as ever, yet frustrated with herself, directing her anger at me.
"Oh, you bring your brats to feed on me? Just wait until Damon hears about this. He'll make sure their vampire sides don't emerge until they're adults—and he'll punish you for this!"
The kids drew closer as their instincts took over. Darien looked between Mariella and me, and I allowed my vampire nature to emerge, causing the children to sigh in response.
Dash exclaimed, "Mommy, you are so beautiful, wow," his gaze fixed on me.
I moved closer to Mariella, tracing a vein on her arm with my long nail. "This is where you feed. See this vein? Now, go on—sink your fangs in, bite, feel the blood in your mouth, like this."
Taking her arm, I bit down firmly, causing her to shudder and curse softly as I was not gentle. The smell of blood heightened the kids' excitement. I withdrew my fangs and offered Mariella's still-bleeding arm to Sadie, who eagerly bit down, though she fed a bit mischievously, causing Mariella's eyes to roll back in ecstasy as she climaxed intensely.
Soon, the other kids wanted me to show them their spots. One by one, I bit them, allowing my vampire toddlers to feed, while Mariella shuddered through an endless climax caused by the feeding.
She muttered, "Do not stop, oh my God, do not stop," her voice husky, bleeding, and begging.
My little plan was unfolding just as I had intended. Soon, it would be time for phase three: inviting Damon to join us. I hoped he would embrace his role as a vampire father, offering even more guidance and tips to the kids on how to manage their new powers. After all, he had been a vampire for over a millennium and a half. Only time would tell what this would yield for our pack, for my family, and for my children.