The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

I asked Damon telepathically, "Damon, do you want to show other females that you are still the protector of pregnancy?"

We were finishing our meal when I posed the question.

He grunted and replied in my mind, "They already know, baby. What do you mean?"

I smiled slightly and clarified, "I mean, do you want to flank them, sedate them, remind them how they should act while pregnant?"

He smirked at me and questioned, "What's on your mind? Are you trying to set them up? Why?"

I responded, "I'm just giving them a little temptation. By the time you guys return from the hunt, things should be more lively. But if not, it's not a big deal. Besides, not every male goes hunting, right? So it's not just us ladies, but also other pack members, although not necessarily those who understand the situation."

He replied in my mind, "Do your worst. Let's see if you can make them a challenge for me. I doubt that Mariella would misbehave. She knows how to act when pregnant, and the wolves have also learned their lessons. You must have some good temptations for them. But fine, I'll give you four hours, and then we'll be back."

I nodded, pleased that this was going exactly as I planned. Instead of working against Damon, I had made him my partner in crime. It was us against the world once again. I was good at what I did.

Finally, we finished every last scrap of our meal, and the men were getting ready to hunt. Salvatores, Adam, Charles, the boys, Tim, Taylor, Magnum, and Wulfe were part of the hunting party. Murdock, Dexter, and Alaric were already arranging the deer carcasses and chopping them. It was just us, Colin, Dresden, and Constantine, who were going to check out the house, specifically my not-so-little room of wonders. We were completely innocent as we entered while the hunters took off.

I said to everyone, "I want to show you guys one room first. It's a big space with a lot to offer. It's a great place to rest after a meal."

Mariella smiled and said, "Please show us your ultimate relaxation place."

I walked calmly to the fourth floor, and there it was, on the east side of the mansion. It was one huge space. I opened the opulent double doors, which were pure white, and let everyone step in. 

The first thing they noticed was the scent of flowers, a warm and moist air that filled the room like a greenroom. The walls were lined with large living plants, including flowering orchids and other exotic species. The sound of trickling water was the first thing they heard.

At that moment, Shadow was engrossed with the plants, touching them and speaking to them with a wistful smile, allowing her herb power to unfurl. The first person was captivated. They continued walking, guided by gentle yet bright lights that enhanced the lushness of the plants.

As they walked, they encountered a slight curve in the path, revealing a vast space lined with enormous aquariums. Mimosa transformed into a wolf and began walking from one aquarium to another, joined by Mariella. Dresden and Constantine scanned their surroundings, while Colin nonchalantly walked beside me. He paused by one aquarium to observe the swimming fish, while I continued on.

In the back of the room, there was a massive tank where my goldfish resided. In front of it, there was a comfortable rocking chair, not overly fancy but one of my preferred pieces of furniture for its comfort. I settled into the chair, feeling content. I knew exactly what to do in this familiar space. I had spent a lot of time here before becoming pregnant, and I currently had no pressing issues to address.

Shadow would be completely engrossed with the plants, including the aquatic ones, forgetting about her pregnancy. Damon would likely have to calm her down numerous times. Mariella was preoccupied with all the different fish species, engaging in conversation with them and even stroking a few of the larger specimens. Mimosa continued to roam in her wolf form, something Damon had discouraged during her pregnancy. She would certainly be busy as well, and the fact that they were all pregnant would soon become an afterthought.

Well, all of them except for me. I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. There was nothing wrong with what I had done. I had simply provided them with a temptation, and it was gratifying to see them fall for it completely. Everything was perfect.

The water in the aquariums was crystal clear, and the little goldfish swam eagerly in their spacious tank, eagerly searching for treats. I had always had a fondness for goldfish, even when I was human and even when they were cursing and cussing, just like me. Perhaps they were my fish counterparts. I let my gaze wander, taking in the fifty or so fish of different colors, each displaying their own unique personalities. Some were greedier and hungrier than others, while some were mischievous.

There was a mischievous white fish among the others, a girl fish that seemed to be hard at work. Her little tail would occasionally peek out from the long, dark green leaves of a large plant as she dug around. Some might say she was simply searching for food, but I could see that she had exposed a few roots and was nibbling on them, pulling them out. She was a naughty one. I couldn't help but smile, not noticing that Constantine had walked over and sat in the chair beside me.

He remarked, "That tank is bloody huge! Are those goldfish?"

I nodded in response, and he watched them for a while before saying, "They're funny, always so active."

I replied, "They have personalities. Look at that big green plant. There's one naughty little girl in there."

He noticed the mischievous fish as well, watching her with a smile. "Bloody hell, she's really tearing up that plant, that little Mimi fish," he commented.

I shook my head, knowing that I wasn't as mischievous as her.

As I continued to watch that little fish, I relaxed and noticed just how active the other females were. Shadow was busy tending to the plants, now getting some help from Colin and Wizard. She would tell them what each plant needed, and soon there was a shuffle of plants going on.

Mimosa was also quite active, borrowing some of the male fish as she wanted to sample their food from the automatic feeders. Apparently, the fish didn't like their food. Mariella joined in, not hesitating to plunge her arm into the aquarium, moving plants or petting the fish, even offering her blood to the vampire plecos. 

I shifted my gaze to the next tank, which, while not massive, was still quite big. It was filled with guppies, and there were plenty of them - both boys and girls - resulting in a multitude of fry. I turned my chair to get a better view, marveling at the various shapes and colors of their tails.

It was then that Colin joined me, sitting by my side and also admiring the guppies.

I turned to him and remarked, "This is my guppyland. I have separate tanks for males and females in order to prevent fry, as our fish hatchery requires. However, this tank is my personal one, where I can enjoy all the different varieties."

Colin's presence and calmness brought a sense of peace to me, allowing me to relax a bit more.

He smiled and asked, "I know you well enough to know that you have some sort of plan here. Care to share?"

I looked at him mischievously and replied, "Well, this is just my little gift to Damon. It keeps him occupied, you see."

Colin shook his head in amusement. I stood up and walked over to a nearby shelf, where I had a collection of large books about different fish species and breeds.

I grabbed a catalogue specifically about guppies and handed it to Colin, explaining, "Here, you can see the names of the different breeds, their values, and what it takes for them to be recognized. There are some pretty strict fish enthusiasts out there."

Colin grunted and began flipping through the book, occasionally glancing at my tank to see if he could identify any specific breeds.

I pointed and said, "Over there, the males and females are separated. Take a look up there; you might get lucky."

He walked over to the tanks to investigate further, while I continued to observe my guppies. Among them, there was one male with a white body and a vibrant large fan yellow tail, as well as an almost black female. I pondered what kind of fry they would produce, as well as the potential offspring of my pink-tailed leopard-patterned male, crossed with a bright red female. There were numerous fry of different ages hiding among the plants in the tank.

It wasn't even four hours when I heard voices getting closer. The females were as busy as ever, not thinking much. Meanwhile, I was having a heated discussion with Colin about my guppies. He had become obsessed with finding all the correct breeds, but I didn't want to bother them.

I enjoyed having a variety of fish in my tanks. Colin insisted on cataloging each fish and putting their pictures in a database so our hatchery would have all the information. However, I didn't want him messing with my big tank, which he saw as a priority.

My voice was a bit tense as I told him, "Colin, please leave this alone. This is my tank, my fish, and we don't need to catalog them."

Colin replied, "Mimi, just try to understand. It's just a small sample, a picture. We can ensure that every genetic line stays diverse. We can even exchange fish with other breeders."

I rolled my eyes and said, "For God's sake, they're just guppies, not the rarest species in the world. Let my fish be!"

Suddenly, Salvatore's silky voice whispered in my ear, "Baby, they are our fish, not just yours. I agree with Colin on this. Guppies may be a common species, but living in this pack makes them special, even as aquarium fish. So cool it off."

I swallowed my response. Soon, the Salvatores were all over the place.

Colin asked me, "So, what was your plan?"

I sat and looked, noticing Damon's tense expression as he watched Mariella plunge her arm into one tank, waiting for the vampire plecos to come and feed. He walked up to her, and soon Mariella's expression turned dreamy.

I softly remarked to Colin, "You see, Mariella just got hit by her sedative organ. Damon has rules about what pregnant females can do, and that definitely doesn't include walking all the time or plunging their hands in the aquarium, especially considering the infection. Shadow should take it easy too, instead of constantly walking. And as for Mimosa, well, Damon wants us to be in human form."

Colin smiled and said, "So you set them up, forcing Damon to assert his rules again."

I looked at Colin innocently and replied, "I merely tempted them. I was like a snake in paradise, and they took the bait completely. Shadow won't stop as long as she senses these plants, and Mimosa is obsessed with fish, as you know. I'm just observing, as I have had my time here before I got pregnant."

Colin chuckled and said, "You're a naughty one, that's for sure."

I had to admit it, I was. I sat there, watching Damon as he walked around. The Salvatores were busy checking everything out, and then Colin showed Adam and Charles my fish catalogues. They walked over to Damon and showed them to him. I had various species of goldfish, guppies, bettas, and a few others.

Lepard came up to me and asked, "Where do you have the fry? You know I love them."

I got up and walked to the left and back of the space, where my nursery tanks were located.

Lepard started to see what species I had, and I said to him, "I sorted them before I got pregnant. Hank came to fetch a few batches already, and he promised to send either Kelly, Hilary, or Donnie to get more fry. He hasn't sent me a message yet about when, so I have them ready and waiting. I had a few huge litters of bettas, so there are plenty of them."

Lepard grunted. Damon walked over to us and also checked out the fry.

He said, "I'll send a message to Hank, so you don't need to worry about this baby. Nice job, by the way. Good trap, I must say."

Lepard looked at us a little confused, but it seemed that Damon explained to him telepathically what I had done, as he smiled. I kept my expression neutral.

Colin approached us and said to Damon, "Did you know there's a mischievous little white goldfish named Mimi?"

Damon raised an eyebrow as Colin took him to see my white Goldie.

I showed Lepard a larger tank and said, "Come check this out, it's not an official nursery tank."

Lepard came over and saw a small goldfish fry swimming inside.

Lepard remarked, "Well, it should be. Goldfish are good to have. I'll make sure Damon knows about this, too."

I rolled my eyes and walked over to a rocking chair. My little goldfish was still active, and Damon hadn't had a chance to see it yet because Mariella kept him busy with various tasks. Mariella was sitting and talking when she noticed me and approached to look at my fish.

Colin playfully nudged the mischievous one, and Mariella said, "Oh, that poor plant. She's a naughty little thing, digging up those roots and eating them."

At the bottom of the tank, I had a large group of bottom-feeding species called corydoras, which I affectionately referred to as "piggies." They sometimes spawned, but since they weren't my breeding species, I didn't pay much attention to it.

Just then, Colin sat down with us, and Mariella exclaimed, "Wait, what are they doing? Hey, is that spawning?"

Colin looked and said, "Yeah, it is! Oh, they're spawning!"

I didn't mention that the spawn wouldn't last long.

Soon, the first little goldfish found a treat and started eating, causing Mariella to yell, "Hey, stop it! Don't eat them, come on!"

I explained to her, "Let them eat it. It's a treat for them, and these aren't my breeding fish. They spawn from time to time. As you can see, the females are huge and need to release their eggs. No need to panic."

But she didn't listen and walked over to Damon and Number Two, who were looking at vampire plecos, and explained to them in a heated manner. Eventually, Damon and Number Two joined us, noticing yet another large patch of spawn being deposited on the glass, with a few goldfish swimming nearby, ready to eat.

Damon placed his palm against the glass and casually remarked, "They're fertilized and doing well. I've activated the energy shield. Let's transfer these spawning fish to another tank."

I rolled my eyes, already having a large batch of Corydoras fry waiting for our hatchery. And now, there were even more. I kept quiet, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention.

It didn't take long for Damon to notice the goldfish babies as well, thanks to the lepard showing them to him. Soon, Salvatore's ten, nine, five, and three were also moved to my guppy tank. Damon meticulously took pictures and samples of each fish, placing them in separate tanks. He had been eager to start a guppy breeding program and was particularly interested in the unique forms in my tank.

I remained seated, observing silently. I couldn't help but reflect on how my brilliant plan had only partially succeeded. So many unexpected challenges had arisen, forcing me to watch the complete overhaul of my tanks.

It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but this was just how life went for me. There were always surprises, and maybe, just maybe, I would eventually learn how to navigate the game of my life.