The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

Damon sighed as he climbed out of bed. The entire bed was drenched in blood and various bodily fluids. He looked at the scene with a sense of detachment. Wulfe had warned him that the potion he had been brewing would make Damon aggressive, to the point where even Mariella couldn't handle him.

Mariella lay slumped amongst the dirty sheets and rumpled pillows, her pale skin covered in blood, her expression one of exhaustion. Damon had just given Mariella a potent sedative from his fangs, known as strong velvet, before heading to the shower.

His muscles ached, reminding him of the prick he had been, and he couldn't help but feel like a lousy vampire king who didn't love his queen. Damn it, Mimi had seen right through him. She knew he was weak, and this was not part of his initial plan.

The plan had been for the Salvatores to keep Mariella occupied while he spent time with his queen. But instead, for some reason he couldn't quite fathom, he wanted to ensure that Mariella wouldn't be offended by the bond between him and Mimi. And now, this damn wedding had made him the perfect husband for Mariella, a woman that every guest considered to be lower status.

He hadn't been a king to Mimi, and seeing her talking with Wulfe, witnessing the deep scars in their palms that were almost red and inflamed, while Mariella's scar was faint and barely noticeable, only fueled his jealousy.

Magnum had been a good choice for Mariella, but he couldn't help feeling jealous. He couldn't let Charles be Mariella's guardian, so Magnum had become the second choice. But he saw Magnum as a rival, especially when it came to Mimi. And maybe, just maybe, part of the reason he was trying to keep them apart was because Mariella was jealous of Mimi's influence over him.

Today, he was determined to make things right with Mimi. He planned to go to the wedding suite, a place he hadn't even been to yet, and wake her up. He would help her get dressed, maybe take her to the shower, have rough sex with her passionately, fix her hair and makeup, and then take his queen to breakfast.

Magnum could take care of Mariella. Damon would leave him instructions on what to do and what clothes to choose for her. As he vigorously scrubbed himself in the shower, he couldn't help but think about what would happen today.

They would leave in the afternoon, traveling in their own private jet to Germany, where everything was ready for their wedding. 

Charles had spent a restless night feeling agitated and increasingly overwhelmed by a nagging thought in the back of his mind. As he left the room he had been assigned, he made a mental note to check on Honey, concerned that something might be wrong with her.

However, he was unable to reach her, causing a cold sense of dread to settle in his gut. Hurrying with determined steps, he headed towards Mimi's "bridal" suite, even though Damon was not there. On his way, he caught sight of Adam turning the corner, his eyes blazing with a greenish-yellow hue, his feline nature evident.

Adam tersely remarked as he passed Charles, "Mimi, damn it. Something is seriously wrong with her. Where the hell is Wulfe?"

Charles replied, "His room is next to Mimi's, so we can check there. I've had this feeling all night, and I should have checked on her earlier. I can't reach her, but I can sense her distress."

Adam grunted, his temper on the verge of exploding, making it difficult for him to speak.

Finally reaching the correct corridor, Adam cursed, "Damn it, there should be two guards stationed outside Mimi's room. I heard Damon give the order. Fuck. Let's check on Wulfe first. Maybe he can give us some information."

Charles knocked on Wulfe's door, but received no response. He knocked again, this time harder, and the door moved slightly.

Charles looked at Adam with concern and asked, "Should we inform the Salvatores?"

Adam pushed the door open and flicked on the light switch, revealing signs of a struggle. A fallen table, and broken glass on the floor, and as they ventured further into the room, Adam noticed feet sticking out from under a toppled cabinet. With a few long strides, he reached the heavy cabinet and lifted it upright with a grunt.

Wulfe was unconscious, with a deep gash on his forehead, bleeding profusely. His face was bruised, and his fingers appeared to be burned.

Charles lifted Wulfe onto the bed and examined him, saying, "He's out cold. He may heal on his own once he wakes up, but let's cover him up, check on Mimi, and then inform the Salvatores."

Adam grunted, his eyes still blazing yellow, his hands clenched into fists, and his breathing becoming deeper and faster. Charles decided not to try and calm him down, as his own temper was also flaring up, a rare occurrence for him. 

As they approached the door to Mimi's room, they found it locked. However, with a sharp twist of Charles's strong hand, the lock was no match for his hybrid, vampire shifter wizard abilities.

As they entered the room, Adam quickly flicked on the light switch while Charles hurried to Mimi's bedside. She was moaning in her sleep, with blood staining her bed and oozing from many wounds on her body.

Adam gasped as he noticed a fresh wound, or rather a series of punctures that resembled needle or spike marks, on her arm. She was trapped in a nightmare, and her own body was causing the harm. Whatever was happening, it was extremely distressing.

Charles wasted no time and struck Mimi's face with his palm to wake her up. However, it had no effect. She continued to whimper and toss, trembling in her sleep. Charles tried again, but this time, his action failed to pull Mimi out of her nightmare.

Frustrated, Charles cursed under his breath and suggested, "Let's check the bathroom for a first aid kit. We need to stop some of this bleeding, even if it's just damage control. We also need to wake up Wulfe, but I have no idea how injured he is or what the Salvatores are doing."

Determined to help Mimi, Charles muttered to her, "Hang in there, honey. We're going to help you. Damn it, I should have come in sooner."

They made their way to the bathroom and discovered a fairly large first aid kit. However, Charles knew it wouldn't last long considering the extent and depth of Mimi's injuries. They began dressing her largest wounds, with Charles focusing his attention and starting to mutter in Latin.

His words had a pleading tone as he said, "Sancte amor, me sana amorem meum, adiuva me ut amorem meum illi des, sana iniurias. Incolumem serva. Sancte amor, adiuva me ad quaerendum illum adiuvandum quem maxime in vita mea inmortali amo. Infundat in animam amor meus, servet eam a somnio suo."

Meanwhile, Adam continued applying pressure to the deep gash in Mimi's belly, not bothering to try to decipher Charles's words. Mimi continued to tremble, her eyes half-open and her lips moving, but no sound escaped her pale lips. Wounds were like open ugly maws, bleeding and the smell of fear, blood, and ichor was overwhelming.

As Damon turned the corner, entering the corridor that led to Mimi's room, the distinct smell of her blood hit his nostrils. It startled him, causing him to start jogging, his mind racing with concern about what could have happened. Dread began to form a deep pit in his belly as he approached the door. He more or less attacked the room, his breathing fast and eyes blazing.

Inside, Charles was sitting by Mimi's bedside, his head bowed and Latin pouring from his lips. Damon could feel the intensity of his magic and his love, as they poured into Mimi. On the other side of the bed, Adam, with his yellow eyes, applied pressure to what seemed to be a deep wound in Mimi's belly. Dressing was turning deep red and fast. She was losing blood at a rapid pace. Who the hell attacked her?

Damon asked in a raspy voice, "What the hell happened? And where is Wulfe?"

Adam grunted, his voice deep and grumbly. "Someone attacked him. He's unconscious. Mimi is trapped in a nightmare, and not even slapping her has been able to wake her up. We were hoping Wulfe would wake up and be able to pull her out of this mess."

Damon recalled the events that had transpired on his way to Mimi's room.

That strange woman who had given Mimi the creeps had walked past him, stopping to stare at him for a long, hard moment before saying, "It's true, there's no trace left. What a shame."

Then she walked away. Damon couldn't shake the feeling that this woman was somehow behind whatever was happening to Mimi.

Damon walked over to Charles and said tersely, "Move over. I'm a healer. I can help her more effectively. Go help Wulfe. The Salvatores are on their way. I'll try to reach her. This is a direct attack on both her and me. Damn it, I'm not a good king, not yet."

Charles reluctantly stood up, his shoulders tense, and made his way to the next room where Wulfe was. He noticed Salvatores, numbers two, four, and five, running around the corner heading to Mimi's room. Four had his sports bag with him, while three, six, nine, and ten followed closely behind.

Charles informed them, "Wulfe is here, but he's still unconscious. We're not sure when he'll wake up." Salvatores three, six, nine, and ten went into Wulfe's room to attend to him, while the other three Salvatores entered Mimi's room. A little while later, Adam walked out.

Charles noticed Salvatores focusing on Wulfe, and Nine had informed him about the woman. Determined to find this freaking whore, Charles intended to interrogate her. Despite several telepaths soothing her and providing help, he could still sense Mimi's distress. He could feel her frantic heartbeat and the lingering scent of her blood on his hands.

Perhaps this task would keep him occupied while Salvatores managed to wake Wulfe. Together with Adam, he would uncover the identity of this woman and make her reveal what she had done to Mimi.

Damon sat beside Mimi, pouring his healing energy into her. golden hue emanating from his palms. His hands trembled from the effort as he pushed with all his might, attempting to penetrate the barrier that encased her. Although he could feel her distress, he couldn't break through.

Number Four's terse voice interrupted, saying, "Stop healing. Let us handle that and focus on finding a way through. I have my bag with me. If we can't break through or wake Wulfe up, we might have to sedate Mimi, possibly even induce a coma, to shield her from this nightmare."

Damon stopped his healing but insisted, "No sedation. We have another wedding coming up, and we can't afford to have her asleep for weeks. Just wake Wulfe up or find a way through this mental barrier."

Now fully focused, Damon searched for any crack or weakness in the barrier, but his telepathy merely skimmed the surface. It was almost oiled, repelling his power.

This infuriated him, especially with the added difficulty of smelling Mimi's blood and sensing her distress, even within the confines of the barrier. Whatever creature had done this barrier was one damn freaking powerful creature. Possibly stronger than him. 

As he finally realized the truth, he softly cursed, "Of course, you selfless idiot. You had to do this. God damn it."

Number Two raised an inquisitive gaze and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Damon replied, "This barrier—it's not external. It's a product of her own will. Unconsciously, she encapsulated whatever harmed her to protect the rest of us, even if it meant trapping herself in an endless nightmare. No wonder we can't break through. It's a combination of her will, her chaos, and her alpha powers."

A tired but determined voice spoke from the doorway, saying, "Well, good catch, but we'll have to remove it layer by layer."

Wulfe stood in the doorframe, looking pale, and leaned against it. "This was some sort of demoness. She attacked me, and we fought. It's the brunette who was watching you. I managed to extract the thought from her mind that she was one of Damien's lovers or something. She believed that even a piece of Damien would still be inside you, but since there wasn't, she blamed Mimi, who originally destroyed Damien,"

Damon could feel his rage rising. His pulse quickened, and it burned in his veins, making him flex his fingers as if he wanted to strangle that damn bitch. He channeled his rage and struck the bubble in Mimi's mind.

Wulfe stepped closer and attempted the same. His expression twisted into a pained grimace, but he held on. Even his breaths became ragged gasps. His skin turned pale, and his headache felt like his skull was about to split open. Yet, the bubble held on.

Something tugged at Wulfe's mind as he struggled to gather his thoughts and remember what he needed to. He gently stroked Mimi's pale face, feeling the cruelty of her past holding her hostage.

Sometimes, it seemed like there was no love in her life, only pain, misery, and suffering. His gaze shifted to the slightly bloody dragon scales, jolting his tired mind.

He snapped his fingers and looked at numbers two and four. "She is a creature of love. She gave you her strongest power, her pure love. Can you weaponize it? Can you use it to create a crack? I just need a crack so I can slip in, stop the nightmare, and help her get free."

As Damon heard this, the realization that she had given her love to those two hit him. It felt like he was failing her once again, and he understood that if he didn't change his ways, he would lose her to those other versions of himself who were wise enough to cherish her.

If only he had been there to protect her. Now, there wasn't much he could do, but he doubted if his love for her would be strong enough to break through. Nevertheless, he had to try. If this had happened to Mariella, his love would have shattered the bubble with a single strike. However, Mariella's will and powers weren't of this magnitude.

Numbers two and four had started using the purest form of love that Damon had ever experienced, and he wanted Mimi to feel it for him too, at least to some extent. As new wounds formed, Damon could sense Wulfe applying steady pressure all around the bubble, causing it to tremble slightly.

Sweat dripped from Wulfe's forehead, and Damon knew that now was not the right time, but they needed him. Mimi needed him. After what felt like an eternity, Wulfe grunted as number two made progress. Damon felt a small crack form on the surface, and though it wasn't completely open yet, he poured his love into it. Number four and two, along with the others, used their telepathy and mental power as intensely as they could.

It felt like hours when Wulfe finally spoke. "It's through. Back out. Soon, I'll go in and see what this is all about. Brace yourselves, Mimi might jerk or scream when I hit it with everything I've got, but let's see what happens."

Wulfe took a deep breath, rolled his shoulders, and muttered, "My apologies, my unicorn, but I have to do this."

With closed eyes, Mimi jerked, and blood started to drip from her nose and eyes. Damon felt a flash of horror as Wulfe opened the bubble before he got the nightmare at a stopping point. Number four placed his hand over Mimi's eyes, healing the burst vessels and stopping her nosebleed.

Wulfe soon said, "She's hiding another session from us. Number one, come here. There's a hole where you can enter. The rest of you, clean her up and heal her so she won't wake up all bloody and distressed."

Number one closed his eyes and saw a large crack in the bubble, resembling the broken shell of an egg, with cracks spreading in every direction. He slipped inside.

It was a shed session, of course. The harsh light of the shed revealed a concrete floor with a drain, damp and filled with the scent of blood and Mimi's insides. Although it was called a "shed," it was a large place, and he noticed five machines lined up against one wall. Sometimes, he had fleeting memories from these sessions, but this was entirely new to him.

It was like a frozen scene, with Damon, or someone who looked like him, wearing a rubber apron, heavy boots, and sturdy gloves, standing beside Mimi. Damon could sense her struggling to breathe.

Wulfe stood on the other side of a cold, hard steel table where Mimi lay. He gently tried to comfort her, desperately trying to bring her back from this nightmare. Mimi appeared almost skeletal, her body a bloody mess below her waist, with mangled legs and multiple wounds on her chest, waist, and neck.

Blood seeped onto the table, creating an image reminiscent of an autopsy table. Damon could see another table in the distance, with a laptop, a dictation machine, and Damien's fucking nasty experiment with those troublesome shells.

Damon spoke aloud, "What do you want me to do? I have no recollection of this one. I mean, I had occasional flashes of it like I sometimes got on the surface, but I couldn't do anything about it. I referred to them as my 'tiny minutes'." 

Wulfe replied, "Come here, and at the same time, treat this as a memory. Start erasing it, fading it away, and removing this oppressive atmosphere. Try to bring Mimi back. I prevented further harm, but my psychic intrusion weakened her willpower. She will recover, but it may take some time."

Damon focused his energy. Initially, the image of Damien vanished, and he tapped into his reserve of empathy. He began absorbing all the emotional energy surrounding him. He knew Mariella might not approve of this, as it caused a strange black goo to form, but it wasn't his major concern at the moment. He was solely focused on healing and helping Mimi.

Damon started by making the machines disappear completely, allowing Wulfe to continue comforting Mimi and trying to regain her attention. Damon also made sure his love for her was palpable, hoping to help her feel his presence.

Wulfe, after noticing Damon diluting the atmosphere and erasing the machines, said to Damon, "Please, I can take it from here. You should try to bring her back from this memory."

Damon moved closer to Mimi. First, he used his healing power to make the gruesome wounds on her body disappear, restoring her legs and calming her mind.

Then, he cradled her upper body against his own, speaking soothingly, "Shh, listen. Listen to our heartbeats, feel how they beat in unison. This is our rhythm. We are married, and everything is going to be alright. Listen, smell, it's all good. Just come back to me. There's no need to hide anymore. I will keep you safe."

Damon had lost all sense of time as the world faded around them. Wulfe's powers were causing the memory to fade rapidly, and Damon desperately wanted to erase this ugliness.

It felt like an eternity when Damon felt Mimi stir slightly, taking a deep breath and smelling him. Her hands tightened their grip on him, as if she was afraid he would disappear and the nightmare would continue.

Damon stroked her gently and whispered calming words to her. It took some time, but eventually, Wulfe joined them on the old Chicago house sofa. They both did their best to soothe and help Mimi.

Then Mimi looked up at Damon and asked, "Why did you choose me instead of Mariella?"

Damon smiled and replied, "You are my baby, my one and only queen, my queen of rain. Are you okay? How about we leave this place and have breakfast with our guests?"

Mimi made a face and said, "I don't feel very queen-like right now, but I'm fine. I remember that woman who attacked. She was a fear demoness, or something like that. She was in the shed when Damien... well, anyway, remember when you yelled at me not to wash your clothes without asking because you didn't want to smell like bergamot, sandalwood, and cinnamon? Well, it turns out that was her smell. It meant she and Damien had some intense time together. Damien told me this during that year, and he found it hilarious to make you yell at me for no reason. He wanted to feel something, but as you know, fear demons don't really affect telepaths. He found this particular one in a government black site, and he set her free after seducing her because she made him feel."

Damon nodded, reflecting on the many mistakes of the past.

He said gently, "Come on, let's go. We'll get you cleaned up and have breakfast. You'll see just how sore Mariella is; I made sure of that. And soon enough, we'll leave for Germany. It's funny, baby, in our last vampire wedding, it was Brianna who tried to poison you, and now it's crazy Damien's lover."

Mimi weakly smiled. Damon smiled back, and with Wulfe's help, they emerged from the cocoon or what was left of it. Damon noticed he was still sitting next to Mimi, who had been washed, and the room cleaned.

He caressed her as she opened her eyes, knowing that she would feel the effects of this ordeal for some time. But they would be fine. They would all be fine.