The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

It had been three days since I had moved to Michigan to be with Wulfe, Magnum, Colin, and Murdock, and it was far from a holiday with them. First of all, I was working as a hairdresser, and let me tell you, it was quite an experience having men working at the salon. The owner was a handsome, unmarried man who wasn't gay, which caused quite a bit of jealousy drama.

Even Murdock had something to say about it. Colin constantly reminded me that he was my mate and could interfere if needed, or even tell Damon about our bond. I had no time to myself. Wulfe was always by my side, making sure I was mentally okay. He constantly challenged and tested my mind.

I briefly talked with Elena, who was relieved to be out from under the Salvatores. She complained for hours about how awful they were, always bossing her around and making her do everything. I found it slightly amusing, but Magnum and Wulfe were also listening, so it wasn't just a girl-to-girl chat. If Dresden and Constantine had kept me safe before, now I had four people escorting me to work.

Wulfe sat with me all day, learning new hair techniques. I suspected Damon had a strong hand in this. I couldn't work more than six hours a day before we had to go back home to the castle for our first meal. And oh my god, I was fed well. After that, I had to go to our office and have a video call with Damon for work. I dealt with threats and consultations for four hours, and then it was bonding time. We would play board games, have karaoke sessions, or just talk. We had our routine, and it was clear that these four had truly missed me.

Surprisingly, at no point did anyone suggest any bedtime activities. We weren't driven by lust, except for Magnum, but since he wasn't a wizard, it wasn't too bad. He was learning to be an energy creature. As for Wulfe and me, we would never be like that. I didn't have time to cook with them either, but I had made a lot of food for the Salvatores during my holiday or the time I spent alone. 

We were sitting in our fun room, filled with board games and various other things. I had also shown them my beadwork, so that was another activity we could do. I also had a knitting list, ranging from socks to sweaters, so if things started to cool down a bit, I wouldn't need to knit my squares.

However, there was still a list to be completed. Maybe I could convince Elena, Katherine, Wolves, and Mariella to help me with it. I knew that once I knit Wulfe socks, all of the Salvatores would want a pair too.

Wulfe turned to me and said, "You know, this group thing is fun, but I miss these moments with just you and me. No one else. Don't get me wrong, I love being part of the pack and the other girls are great, but..."

I nodded in understanding and replied, "Oh, is it time to get mushy again? Fine, I'll start. I'll give each of you a very mushy sentence, and then you can give one too."

Wulfe smiled, and we continued to have fun and talk.

I began with Murdock, locking eyes with him and smiling, saying, "I never would have thought that you would become my best mentor, friend, and something more when we first met. Back then, I saw you more as a mercenary than an almost father figure who would steal my heart."

Murdock remained silent for a moment before responding, "My butterfly, you are something I never expected to find. You have given me, Tinman, my heart back, and I can assure you, my love, that my heart belongs to you until its very last beat." He smiled warmly.

I nodded, and it was now Magnum's turn. "You know, we go way back, and you, Sergeant Major, are my friend, lover, and savior. I have no idea where I would be without you. The time you were absent from my life felt like something important was missing, and when you came back, it was like the sun started shining again."

Magnum was silent and raised his hand to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand. He gruffly said, "You know how to hit where it hurts, but damn it, Hummingbird, there are no words to describe my feelings for you. You're not from this world, you're something else, and it has been such an honor to be a part of your life and to be in your bed, too."

I smiled, touched by their raw and authentic emotions. It truly felt special. Now it was Colin's turn.

I gazed into his eyes and spoke, "My love, it is an immense honor to be yours. You have saved my life countless times and healed my body and soul. You have filled my heart, my bed, and my very being. I am torn, for it would be a great honor to proclaim to the world that I am your mate. However, I am selfish. If the other bitches in our pack and throughout the world knew of our bond, I would have to fight them off every day. So, let our secret remain hidden from those who do not deserve to know. But know this, even if Margaret has your heart, you have mine. You are deeply embedded within my big heart. When I see you, it is not a shot in the dark, but rather the overwhelming feeling of love raising me up."

Colin looked at me, smiling and nodding. He wiped his eyes, as I had just sent my love to him through our bond, as I had done with others.

I composed myself and turned to Wulfe. He gazed back at me, challenging me, and said, "Come on, Unicorn. Give me your best shot, make me cry too."

I smiled and replied, "Having someone like you in my life feels incredible. Someone so wise, who could teach anyone in the world, has chosen to be with me. Every day, I strive to be the best version of myself, to be worthy of you. You have given me something I have longed for throughout my existence. With you by my side, I no longer have to walk the boulevard of broken dreams, but rather the boulevard of dreams."

Wulfe looked at me, wiped his eyes, and with a thick voice, said, "Yes, you can do this. But, my Unicorn, in my eyes, you are more precious, more unique, and more important than the most beautiful and rarest angel from heaven. You are no angel, and that is precisely why this old beast is so incredibly happy with you. It is as if I have found my beauty."

I also swallowed, on the verge of falling apart, but it felt liberating to express my feelings so openly. We remained silent, gazing at each other, feeling our love shining through our bond. Our relationship was like no other, and it would remain that way.

I finally said, "Do you guys know why I go overboard with my declarations?"

Magnum rubbed his ear, composing himself, and replied, "Well, if I were to guess, Salvatore?"

I nodded and explained, "In the beginning, when Mariella came into my life, it was incredibly difficult. At first, I let him go, thinking my love for him had died. But then, when I truly got to know him and tried to build a life with him, Adam, and Charles, the wolves took them away from me as well. Along with Mariella, every time I had some emotional connection with Damon, who I was his alpha, it had to be purely physical. He couldn't handle anything more, so he ran away, more or less, in order to keep me away from Charles. Once he was certain that Charles would be occupied, he left me, alone. Our pack was quite many years of four females, three men and it does not have to be rocket scientist to deduct who was left out."

Wulfe shook his head, and I continued, "That was a long time ago, maybe 100 years or so. Nevertheless, I learned to keep my emotions in check. This affected my relationships with Adam and Charles as well, as they saw me as colder and turned to the wolves. Not because they loved them more, but because Mariella needed to control her energy grid and maintain those protective bubbles, lust energy."

Colin interjected, "It's so wrong what he put you through, yet you keep going back to him, time after time."

I replied to Colin, "I'm not that intelligent. I go to him and always face some sort of backlash, whether it's burning my wings or something else. He knows me too well."

Wulfe then said to me, "Unicorn, you have me and the rest of us. If he burns your wings, I will heal them with my love, and whatever else is needed."

I smiled at him and continued, "To make things even more complicated, several Salvatores are coming back into my life. Like number two, he is not like number four, who I know should be the right version for me, but he's only around occasionally. Number four is more like a flank guy from the wedding. And number two, he was so much like he used to be when he rescued me from the roof, and we had an intense physical connection. Funny how he started off being mean, teasing and affecting my chakras, but then again, he has been there for me over the years, almost more than number one. And he knows how to keep it a secret, so Mariella doesn't notice as much. Of course, given my track record, he will soon come up with something nasty and burst my bubble."

I rolled my eyes, and Magnum chuckled. It seemed like they were enjoying listening to me analyze my love life. Well, this was us, talking and enjoying our time together.

I knew it was the moment I felt the sensation of being chased. Oh, this was definitely the number one doing this one.

I smiled and remarked, "Our esteemed leader of the pack seems a little upset with me. He just sent me feeling chased and haunted."

Wulfe looked at me intently, his focus sharp, and a charge seemed to fill the air. He spoke in a low tone, "No, it's not Damon. You're under attack. Stay put, we'll investigate this. Whoever it is, they're incredibly skilled. Come on, let's go. Unicorn, you stay here and don't move, understand?"

I nodded, attempting to remain calm, but the feeling persisted and fear began to creep in. Damn, fear demon.

Just as they were about to leave, I mustered a weak voice and said, "There's a fear demon and it's making me about bolting, so..."

Wulfe looked at me, muttered something, and replied, "That should keep you still, but I'll secure the room just in case."

Trembling with fear, the sensation grew stronger and desperation consumed me. I needed to break free, to take action, but fear had a tight grip on my mind and panic started to set in. Thankfully, Wulfe's spell kept me in place. Time seemed to lose all meaning as I heard voices from upstairs—Damon, Mariella, and the others were heading down the stairs toward the portal room. I had no time to speak before Damon grabbed the remote, and pressed a few buttons, and a foggy haze flooded my mind until everything faded into darkness.

When I regained consciousness, I was still confined to the chair, alone in the room, and the spell continued to immobilize me. I struggled to free myself, but fear returned, and I desperately tried to come up with a plan before my mind succumbed completely. The pack bonds were tightly closed, and I couldn't reach anyone. I was in deep trouble, clueless about the identity of my attacker and what consequences awaited me.

The door swung open, and as someone walked in, I couldn't believe my eyes. Wulfe had claimed to have killed his so-called brother, but here he was, approaching me. Horatio and his gang, a bunch of troublemakers, stood behind him. He was fat and ugly, not that thin anymore and there was something ratlike him still. 

He stopped and locked eyes with me, saying, "Forget about the others. Focus on yourself. I still have my ships, and you, my dear Flea, have bought me some time. As for your pack, they'll be occupied as well. Let me think... Ah, yes, Wulfe, my brother, and a few of those Salvatores have been sent to a realm filled with seductive and destructive demons. It's hard to distinguish between them. The rest of your group, the girls and wolves, have been sent to another mission. Demons, they have to chase a few of them... They'll be fighting too, but I doubt they'll be in good shape afterward. They'll need a lot of care. You have maybe six weeks, maybe more, to join me on my ship, and I've been keeping a close eye on you. So, let's start with this little collar to prevent you from shifting into a feline or canine form."

One of Horatio's men approached and placed the collar around my neck. I was immobilized and cursed silently. Such bad luck. I had been too happy.

Horatio continued, "The other men will be sent to my various fight clubs, where they'll find plenty of females to tend to their needs. Nice girls who might make them forget about you. The Felinemen and your other men will have soon enough quite the reputation as gladiators, but it's a tough life. They'll get hurt, and those females aren't just seeking fortune; they're skilled nurses. You know how grateful they can be. Let's see if your time in Springcove will continue. No need for you to worry about Salvatore. And that feeling of being chased, sent by Damon? Not him, but his brother Stefan. He's alive, even though Damon thinks he's dead. Stefan has been upgraded and has telepathy, almost identical to Damon's. He's been spying on your mind, too. Who do you think released that energy sorceress in the first place? That was moi. As you can see, this was all part of my plan, and Stefan's too. The Original Boys aren't too thrilled, either. Cole has been freed from whatever you did to him, and he wants revenge."

Horatio's ugly face twisted into an even uglier sneer. I remained silent. I knew I was in deep trouble, but then again, I still had my rage and some semblance of health. All I needed to do was to survive and see where we ended up.