37.

I continued my studies for a few days, always totally focused on what I was doing, so I didn't pay attention to my surroundings. We had taken the time to watch the Pink Panther movies, which had Peter Sellers in it, and Adam had then taken inspiration from the Magnum idea. i.e., He would try to attack me when he had the chance.

Just to teach me how to react and be ready. He knew how focused I was, and I hadn't even noticed that he'd driven up and seen my Ferrari; I'd just ordered groceries for the house. I hadn't gone out to test drive my new car yet, and now I was watching videos of dogs moving.

Adam was ready. He knew I was alone, and he had snuck in. Suddenly, a firm grip grabbed me as I was sitting in an armchair, a tight hand clamped around my throat, and the other hand trapped my arm against my body.

I pulled my legs under me, pushed and got my arm free, grabbed Adam's head, reached back, and punched him in the nose with my fist. I jumped to a standing position in an armchair, turned with lightning speed, and jumped, hanging onto him and grabbing his head, clamping my legs around his waist. 

Well, I was playing naughty, so I kissed him fucking furiously.

He returned the kiss, and then when he broke away to catch his breath, he said, "I hope you don't use that tactic on the enemy again."

I laughed and said, " No, I'll use this."

I sank my teeth into Adam's neck and drank as naughtily as I could. Adam gasped, shuddered, and then slumped down on the couch while I was still torturing him. When I'd had enough to drink, I got off his lap and walked to the kitchen to get the food ready.

I had it ready and plenty of it. I just put it on to heat.

After a while, Adam got his voice back and said, "I'll get even with you. I'll torture you in bed sometimes and really torture you. So that you'll just be wet, fired up, and powerless."

I turned to Adam and said, "Game on, Hauptman, you can dream. You want to see my storage compartment in the car while the food heats?"

Adam looked at me and said, " Not yet. Let's eat first, then I'll deal with you properly, and then somewhere in between, we can look at your car and go to a few safe deposit boxes to take care of some business." 

He got up from the couch, came and kissed me passionately, then he went to see what food was warming up on me and just made me sit down as he, too, gave me food. I don't understand what on earth all men have to feed me?

But fine, I ate what I could get my hands on, told Adam what I had learned, how dogs are judged, also confessed my headaches and how I always forgot to eat.

He looked at me for a long time and said, " Don't worry, honey, I'm here to make sure you get fed. Either you eat, or you get fed downstairs. "

He was in a pretty damn fierce mood. I went into more detail about my blood banks. He typed out the information when I told him what blood was and what type for me. We got eaten, well, then we went downstairs to my bedroom.

Adam didn't mind. We didn't really sleep, but he didn't bother to torture me when we had to have each other; we fucked for three days straight. Eventually, Adam ran out of steam completely, and I fell asleep on top of him.

I woke up to find myself alone in bed.

Adam was on the phone with someone, talking vehemently, and I was about to take a shower when he came in and said, "Satan Bran is threatening me when I don't give him contacts in fleas; he's obsessed with them."

I nodded. Adam was already dressed.

He said, "I need to go in there. Don't go anywhere. Let's look in those safe deposit boxes sometimes."

I nodded. Then I went into the shower after Adam left. It had been a great three days, and I was ready to continue my studies. I was wondering what was next. I'd had two more days of studying when Samuel had arrived. Well, actually, I found myself upstairs in the medbay in the IV when I woke up or came to.

Samuel came up to me and said, " Do you feel wise now?"

I answered nothing as I tried to wake myself up and figure out what had happened.

Samuel continued, "You've now had four liters of fucking strong sugar syrup in your veins, and you woke up, you were unconscious, your sugars were at rock bottom when I came in the house, so I carried you in here, and now I just woke you up. Do you think it's wise to eat every once in a while, missy? "

I nodded and was quite amazed. I said, "Well, I guess I studied a little too hard, but with so many breeds to study..."

Samuel grunted and dripped two more bags, measuring my blood sugar before letting me go. Then I got out of bed and followed Samuel into the kitchen, and he fed me.

When I told him about the adrenaline implant, he was curious and wanted to see it. Colin was in Ireland for the time being, so after I had eaten, I went and opened the hatch. I also showed both guns to Samuel. He reminded me to be careful because the stuff in the tranquilizer gun was really powerful.

He studied the implant for a long time but didn't put it in me when there was no need.

He looked at me and said, "You would only use it when you wanted to study, and you wouldn't remember to eat. Besides, this is a good applicator. You'll get it put in you as soon as you need it."

I went back to my studies, and now Samuel was in the house, taking another gigantic pile of tests on me and also samples of my liver—enzyme stuff. I didn't ask any questions. But when my studies were disturbed because I had to go out to eat all the time, or so it seemed. Adam came back a week later, and now he was ready to look at the safe deposit boxes. 

It took us over a week, but I cleared out quite a fucking lot of safe deposit boxes as they had just piled up. Adam made sure everything was in the right place, and he had a couple of account offices where he took some shares and money that had nothing to do with Bran, so he really shouldn't know anything about my assets.

I also loaded up my cards so that if I wanted to, I could buy something nice for myself, another island then. Then it was time to go to the university for a few lectures, and oh fuck, it was fun.

Half the time I studied listening to the lecturer and then observing people. I could now be as pretender as I could and take on a proper student role, to be a human being or at least pretend to be a human being. I was always at the university for 10 hours on weekdays, and then I always came to the house.

My pink Ferrari attracted attention, especially the handsome Adam, who drove it when he dropped me off and picked me up every day. I got a hell of a lot of questions, and yes, we girls got all excited about our adventures. 

Adam and I had some fucking intense nights, well when I came home, first, I had to eat when there were two guards, and then when I tried to go to the shower or wherever my horny mate followed me, took me in the shower, and then we continued our activities on the bedside.

I didn't regret or even hesitate at all to be with Adam. Damon had made his choice, and he had chosen the others. Adam had chosen me, and I was happy to accept him. I can be impossible in bed, and Adam told me he didn't even mind feeding me when he really suffered the two weeks I spent in that cell throwing up.

But Salvatore is what he is, and that's his problem if he doesn't want to be with me. We had a relationship, too, and Adam laughed at the marriage license. If we went along with it, then I wouldn't be married to Damon. 

I would have my first dog show in two days. Adam would stay home now as he was doing his flea work again so no one would bother me, and he had his own business to run now. I drove to the show. I was actually nervous, and I had been to a few informal shows.

Adam had got some werewolves in their wolf form, and I had to judge them. Adam and Samuel were in the group. They didn't want prizes, but I had to write a review of each one, and that was tricky as Mimosa had jumped free, too. I did not know the breed standard of werewolves, but I wrote a review of each wolf.

 Who had a long hip or an arched stomach line, who ran a bit unevenly, and Samuel wanted to read every review. Then Samuel went through the wolves that I had noticed untoward movements or other problems, and well, those wolves got Samuel's full attention, and I didn't think everyone was so damn happy about it. 

I had tried to write my reviews neutrally so that no one would be offended, but I tried to write what I felt, and I did it honestly. I didn't just praise everyone. Adam was in good shape when I went through him, and then I got a ride the night before the show. After trying his balls, too; I had to feel them to find them both.

I was thinking about all this when I parked my car and went inside. The dogs would be judged outside, and the weather didn't look so great now so that rain could be on the way. I then went to sign in and introduce myself. 

First, there was a brief run-through of the day, and then I got my mentor or, rather, the judge I would be paired with. This was a man, and oh fuck, the eye rested.

I was wearing a red jacket, pencil skirt, tights, low-heeled shoes, and a white silk shirt under the jacket. Had undone a couple of buttons and had bought myself a pearl necklace that was around my neck. My blonde hair, still with pink stripes, was now neatly braided by Adam, and I had a reasonable amount of makeup on my own teeth, so no need to worry if it rained. I didn't mind, though. I was the only female judge in the training section, and the judge I was in the ring with looked a lot like Patrick Dempsey.

Damon cursed himself. He was weak and pissed off by his own nature. He'd seen taming Mimi's vampire side as just a job, and even though they'd been hot in bed, Mimi had sensed it. And then, when he'd gotten pissed at Mimi anyway for forcing him to feed, he'd just flanked Mimi in her sleep and gone off to fuck one of his regular girls. Fiona.

Been with her for six weeks now. Fiona was tall; she had enormous boobs, but not silicone ones, just organic ones, and no brains in her head. Hence, she was really stupid but good in bed; she didn't demand a relationship; she was always ready to please and let Damon be on top, and they went to the cinema and shopping.

Then Damon realized that he fucking had a better relationship with his girlfriend than with his own wife. He was getting really disgusted with his own behavior, and he realized he was a terrible partner, a really lousy husband. And what the fuck is Mimi doing with him, anyway? But he'd better go to the pack, just once in a while.

He knew he had justified his behavior first out of rage, and then because Mimi had fleas, he assumed she would start working and not care what he did. But then, as he gently felt his wife's mind after weeks, saw her studies, this enjoyment, and this time with Adam, he blamed himself even more for how damn good a time with Mimi he had missed. Fiona no longer felt like a good option, and he decided to see if she wanted to do something with him and if he could teach her to come in his arms. 

Damien woke up. Damon's self-loathing, accusations and guilty conscience finally woke him up and strengthened him. Where Damon could eat rage, Damien ate Damon's self-loathing and self-reproach and got a hell of a buzz out of it.

He felt himself getting stronger and continued to manipulate his brother, whispering in his ear how Mimi had been with Adam every night, how they had gone to Mimi's bank vaults in her new car. Damon didn't know he was being manipulated.

Still, the cycle of self-reproach and self-loathing was ready, weakening him, unknowingly giving him power over the evil inside him, and the cycle was complete. Damien had now learned the best way to gain power, as he understood how to feed the potent emotions surging inside Damon, manipulating him to feel them more and more, feeding and strengthening him.

 Damon started driving back to Chicago, called Adam, and confessed to him what he had been doing for six weeks. Adam bragged about how he and Mimi had had a great time, how much Damon had missed, and he realized it; cursing his own weakness on the drive, he drove to the house. Adam then dropped him off at the showground, where Mimi would be a judge for the first time.

He went into the audience to look, took the show catalog, and looked for the rings Mimi would be in. He still didn't know what this whole thing was going to be. What they were going to be. He regretted deeply for the whole six weeks, and now that sense of strength, that clarity he had got from the wedding, was all gone, and his mind felt as confused as ever; he now sort of couldn't find his darling side at all.

All he felt was confusion, his own feelings. Regret and self-loathing. And he tried to get himself sorted, but the longer the day went on, the worse it got. Damon watched and felt his hands clench into fists. Finally, the day was over, and Damon walked up to Mimi's fancy new car and felt even more enraged and jealous. 

Damien was ready. He had been manipulating Damon all along, feeding off his emotions, getting this jealousy and rage really out in the open. Soon, he would be in power, and then he really wouldn't go to Fiona, but Mimi wouldn't know that.

He had considered exposing himself to Mimi and watching her try to save Damon, but not yet. He wanted to get stronger and enjoy himself, make his own plans for the future. Even though he felt strong and powerful, he was also realistic and had made contingency plans in case he died inside Damon because he couldn't know the future. Still, he had a way of preparing for all eventualities: a contingency plans contingency plan.

That was the best way to go. He had learned it from Mimi when she had talked to Damon about the flea business, and once he was back in power, it would be time to make contingency plans and plans, too. On the other hand, he was waiting to see what would happen if Damon destroyed him in his mind so that his plans came true, but then again, Damon's body and Mimi and his relationship, Well, that was so delicious to sabotage in this body.

The show day went well. I got pretty well all the dogs, and the co-judge gave me some good tips to shorten the judging even more. He was a cheerful man, and the ring adjudicators were also young men.

But what I didn't realize was that my lovely husband had come and watched my dog show, and seeing me in the ring with several strange men for several hours a day put him in a bit of a bad mood. There had still been quite a few male handlers showing their dogs. It was a grueling but rewarding day. 

As I left to go to my car, there he was, leaning against my car, asking in a mocking voice, " Well, baby, isn't your new boyfriend coming?"

I stared at Damon and said, " He's not my boyfriend, but you'll have to get your marriage license fixed yourself because your version has the wrong name."

Damon waved his hand and said, "It's done, baby, so are we going to drive back to the house or what?" 

Damien felt powerful. He popped to the surface when he got Damon mad enough and self-deprecating at the same time. Damien laughed in his mind. There was no wrong name for himself in that license. And if he ever got into power permanently, well, baby would just have to learn to be a good wife or else suffer and suffer hard. He watched this as he went to sit in the car. The car was sporty, but he didn't care. It was time to sabotage this relationship some more, not give Mimi and Damon time to be together. He had gotten to the surface now. He had a job to do.

I got in the driver's seat, and Damon got in. I drove up to the house and had my usual road rage going, but now Damon couldn't have cared less if I raged at some car. He was on the phone with Fiona, and Fiona would have so wanted Damon to come over and stay longer than six weeks this time.

I mean, Damon and I haven't always had that much time together. A few days, maybe 6-8 weeks, and most of it is spent wildly fucking. Then Damon whines to me when I'm doing flea work that I'm never available, and so he never comes to the pack when I'm not there. Then some fucking bimbo calls and complains when Damon only spent six weeks with him.

I'm not complaining, even though we might only spend a week. Road rage got a boost, though, when I listened to the whole 50 minutes of his phone sex on the drive home. And he fucking raged at me while talking to Jarod and talking to this Fiona about how he wanted to stick his face between her breasts again and how he liked her pussy hair.

Oh fuck, that road rage forgot pretty fucking fast. 

When the call ended, I said, "Maybe you should go be with Fiona, anyway. Six weeks is a short time for Fiona. For me, it would be a long time, but those priorities of yours are what they are, and I'm clearly not someone you'd even plan on spending weeks with. "

Damon said, " Don't be a nagging baby, you know me, it's just sex, and let's face it, I was pissed off at you for making me feed you, that's why I left, and Fiona, she's dumb as a boot but a good bedfellow. She doesn't make you feed or try to wrestle."

I was silent, restraining myself as Adam's voice in my head calmed me. He knew me so much more intimately now through our bond, and my rage was roasting pretty full blast. We arrived, and I got out of the car. I waited for Damon to get out of the car and locked the doors.

I said again as I went inside. "I'll sleep downstairs by myself!"

Damon said nothing as he followed me inside. I went into my bedroom. I was as furious as could be. Somehow, the whole situation materialized so directly in front of my eyes and when I thought about how little time I was actually spending with Damon at all. We fucked. That's all. Adam and I did other things, but Salvatore and I, it was raw, passionate, wild sex 80-90% of the time we spent together.

I could hear Damon talking to Adam about anything, probably how I overreacted. Adam's voice got louder, and he was yelling at Damon. Then I heard Samuel join the chorus. I went into the shower when I heard Damon yelling at the men that I was overreacting, flirting all day with strangers, and when he was just trying to make me jealous in the car.

Yeah, I overreacted. I fucking overreacted. And then, when I get upset, the bloodlust kicks in. Luckily, I had brought some bags from my blood farm, so I didn't have to eat, at least from Salvatore. I showered for about half an hour, enjoyed myself, and washed all the dog smell off me.

It had been a rainy day, and one dog had been wet. For some reason, I almost had a panic attack when I had to touch the dog that smelled like a wet dog. My vampire side had really gotten a lot stronger, and the little drinking he did during the heat originally didn't hold my bloodlust for long.

This was a disadvantage but also a strength. But now I didn't want to have anything to do with Damon or show how much my vampire side was on display lest he see it as his duty to put it down.

When I came out of the shower, the men were now laughing amongst themselves; apparently, they had had enough fighting, and fuck if I fucking care. I didn't even know when I had my next show, as I hadn't chosen yet. I would have to go to three shows with another judge and get a recommendation from everyone before I would get my rights.