3. Go West.

After I had gotten dressed, Damon was preoccupied with watching other females. I decided to venture further into the dressing room, opening a cupboard to retrieve a small canvas bag. I was not in the mood for fasting for three days after all of the effort that I had taken to get into better shape and needed some caffeine.

Damon seemed unconcerned about this, so I took matters into my own hands. It wasn't that I suspected any ill intentions from him, but he seemed curious about my fitness regimen and tricks. Being my protector, he wanted to learn everything about how I maintained my fitness.

I reached for a higher cupboard and grabbed my caffeine concentrate, a strong coffee concoction I had brewed, boiled down, sweetened with sugar and cream, and infused with gelatin for an extra kick. These treats were coated in icing sugar and stayed fresh for a long time thanks to a spell Wulfe had cast on them.

As I was about to retrieve my box of goodies, I felt a firm male body press against my back, and Damon's hand swiftly took hold of the box.

With a soft grunt, he teasingly remarked, "Oh baby, you're so predictable. Mariella mentioned you had some secret weapons to keep going, and I was skeptical. But now, let's taste."

He sampled one of the treats, letting it melt in his mouth, and his satisfied hum made me realize my oversight.

Damon complimented, "Thank you. These are fantastic. They'll be perfect for our three-day endeavor at the castle. I'll ration them out during our breaks."

He confiscated my bag and box, then inquired, "What else do you have here?"

I explained, "Well, considering I burn calories even in my sleep, a three-day fast isn't really feasible for me now that I've worked hard to get in shape. But I do have something that can help, at least a little."

As I took one drawer open, I found tightly packed, pretty small bags lined up like child smoothies, each with different flavors of energy gels. One bag contained 2000kcal, most of which was absorbable for me, thanks to the team of fleas who had studied my nutrition, particularly Jarod and Miss Parker's invention.

Damon, of course, plucked one bag, opened the cork, sipped, grunted in satisfaction, and then handed it to me, saying, "Go on, eat it so I can get an update on my radar. It's not perfect, but it helps."

While I was sipping the tangy, lemon-flavored energy gel, Mariella walked up to us. Damon also handed her a bag, saying, "Go on, taste Mimi's little invention. You were right, darling; she has some good ideas here."

Mariella obediently took the passionfruit-flavored gel, sipped it, and remarked, "This is good, by the way, for my charges too."

Damon nodded in agreement.

I had finished my lemon-flavored drink and put the bag in the trash. Damon was emptying my drawer of these bags, and I could see a few Salvatores walking in casually, as if it were nothing unusual for them to barge into the ladies' dressing room.

Charles and Adam were here too, along with Wulfe, who approached me, stared at me, and said out loud," Come on, where are they? Out with it! "

I was trying to appear innocent, but Wulfe pressed on, "Your blood stash, chop chop, now is not the time to horde Uber-strong blood and keep it a secret."

Damon raised one eyebrow, and I walked to the other side of the room, moved a rug, and opened a hatch on the floor.

Adam said, "Oh, old-fashioned, fine."

Several salvatores came in, took my bloods, and Damon put them in his bag.

Damon said, "We're almost done here, so we can get going. Our riding trip is about to start, and baby, you can sing as much as you like; who knows, maybe you'll inspire us to sing too."

I was just rolling my eyes; it seemed Mr. Salvatore had found his balls as pack leader, husband, and all that, but I was not going to simply fold over and be a good little Mimi, nope. I was a freaking strong alpha female, and I had my little ways of getting things to happen the way I liked.

Pheromones could be one way, but then again, outside their effect was less, and if there was wind, they might work against me. Still, I had certain little tricks in mind to gain some leeway and not be like some damn dog in obedience training wearing a collar and leash. 

I was walking towards a cabinet when I opened it to find my candy collection. I needed some fuel, and these candies were just right for me. Oh my god, there was also salty salmiac for me. Before I could grab them, a firm grasp on my wrist stopped me.

Number ten whispered, "Uh uh, not those, baby, not yet anyway."

Number one then raised his head from the bag where I was stuffing my goodies, walked up to me, looked at my candies, took them into his bag, and said, "Baby, the idea with the collar and leash, hmm, not bad at all. Just think, I could keep you right next to me while riding to the castle, you in a collar and leash."

I kept my mouth shut as Mariella walked up to us, nudged Damon, and said, "Oh, don't tease Mimi. She is kind of tense. I would suggest a little physical pleasure for her at some point."

Damon looked at my body, smirked, and said, "Yeah, there is that, too."

His gaze was heated enough to make me a little unsure of how this trip would end up. But then again, I might get him and Mariella to have some fun. All I had to do was a few little tricks while keeping my mischievous side tightly under control. It was not easy, but maybe I could pull it off.

However, I did notice other Salvatores, like number two, ten, and even four, looking at me quite sharply. So, my little misdirection was not that easy.

We were soon ready to mount our horses and start our ride. I wasn't sure what kind of terrain we would encounter, but I was ready for the challenge. I hoped that the queen would cooperate and not be too stubborn, but only time would tell.

Thunder seemed eager, so Damon might have his hands full reining in his enthusiasm. I wasn't sure if any of us had chosen easy horses, so this might prove challenging for us all.

What bothered me was that Damon was interfering with my horses. I had selected them specifically not to breed, as I preferred it that way. Breeding wouldn't make the horses better, and selling foals was not simple, as finding magnificent homes for them was a challenge.

This was one reason I had abandoned my dream of starting a kennel and breeding dogs. Animal cruelty was common in certain circles, and creating healthy breeds was difficult. Maybe someday, who knows what I would do or not do? The world was full of possibilities, but sometimes choices were taken away; such is life.

Damon sat me down and began fixing my hair. I patiently allowed him to braid it differently and style it the way he wanted. It took him 45 minutes to finish my hair to his liking, and he even touched up my makeup.

I didn't think the horses would care much about my appearance, but perhaps he needed a snack after guzzling 25 liters of my blood. I must have been quite tasty, as always.

I walked to my locker and reached for my wide-brimmed hat on the top shelf. It would hopefully keep my head cooler, as the weather was brutally hot. I wasn't certain what kind of terrain to expect, but I knew it would be scorching outside. 

Mariella approached and complimented, "Nice hat! Do you have more? It's boiling out, and it's a bit difficult to keep the energy shield up against the heat."

I replied, "Nope, this is the only one I have. You manage your energy shield just fine; honestly, you're just jealous of my hat," while smirking.

Damon walked over and cast a small cloning spell, and soon Mariella and the other women had hats on, too. The men wore hats as well, something like Stetsons. I rolled my eyes, but was eager to move on.

I wondered what our journey would entail, knowing Australia featured various terrains from jungles to arid deserts and coastal roads, even snow-capped mountains. There were plenty of options, but I had no idea what the route would be.

I knew we needed to keep a brisk pace since it was quite a distance from my ranch to our castle, but a sharp glance reminded me to correct my wording to our ranch, as he was monitoring my thoughts. 

As we stepped out into the brilliant sunshine, which felt almost like it was trying to boil me alive, a wave of excitement washed over me. This could be a refreshing change from my usual routine, especially since I loved riding horses.

I walked up to Queen, whose mane was now elegantly braided, and I noticed several Salvatores smirking with satisfaction at her stunning appearance. It was clear we were ready for an adventure, as I spotted that the other horses' manes had also been braided, adding an extra touch of flair.

I took a deep breath and prepared myself, as the Queen was quite tall, but I mounted her with ease using a stepladder. Nearby, Damon and the other Salvatores assisted the girls in climbing onto their horses.

And I overheard Mariella exclaim, "This is the tallest horse I have ever ridden! She's so different too—it's like she's raring to go, unlike the calm and lazy ones I used to ride."

Damon flashed her a warm smile and asked, "You good, honey?"

Mariella nodded enthusiastically. Damon then approached Thunderstrom, his own horse, and as he mounted, Thunderstrom neighed irritably and danced a few steps, clearly having his ideas about how the ride should start. As I watched, I couldn't help but think that Damon would have his hands full with him!

As we set off, Queen's long strides were very nice, and it was perfect to be on her back. She was a good horse to ride on, and Damon went first, with the other Salvatores behind him.

We girls were in the middle of the flock. Wulfe soon trotted his horse next to me. His horse was an Appaloosa, smaller than Queen, but just as snappy. It was a mare, not a stallion, and I guess Wulfe wanted a real challenge for himself too, as my mares—like this one, named Gone with the Wind, or Wind for short—were true to their names and quite fast. Wulfe rode well; he was a natural. For most of his life, horses had been his way of getting around, so it was no wonder.

Wulfe said to me, "Are you going to sing?"

I smiled and replied, "Not right now; Queen might not like my singing, and we are just starting our journey. It might turn out that I end up cursing and cussing more than singing as this goes on."

Wulfe responded, "I have a feeling this is not just a three-day trek, so, my unicorn, I guess we will have time to catch up as we go. The Salvatores might be busy with their horses and other females, so we have time to chat."

I smiled; it was going to be fun, just the two of us chatting. But soon, Magnum rode up on the other side of me. He had one of the black stallions with him, and he rode well, too.

He said to me, "Your horse is an enormous hummingbird. I might want to try her sometimes."

I told Magnum, "Well, the Queen might not be in the mood for you to test her; after all, she's a lot like me."

Magnum quipped, "Oh, you mean reckless and sloppy, full of herself with a huge ego?"

I rolled my eyes and replied, "I am not full of myself, and my ego is not that big."

Wulfe chimed in, "Oh yeah, it is. But it's fine; I love you and your enormous ego, too."

I said to him, "Oh, you want to get mushy right at the start? Fine, let me get ready."

Wulfe scoffed and said, "Oh, time for mushy sentences? Fine, I am ready."

But as we were about to start, Number Ten rode next to Wulfe and said to him and Magnum, "Come on, you two; Damon wants to chat with you about the potion for Protector Radars."

I frowned, and as Wulfe took off, I was left to wonder what the freaking potion they were planning. Well, again, I didn't know everything, and maybe that was for the best, at least for now. I freaked out sometimes if someone was planning something for me, like a potion affecting me. I was not good at giving up my powers to others, or my decision-making, for that matter.

The trip, which promised to bring us all so much and enhance our relationships within the pack in a whole new way, had just begun. None of us, not even Damon, could have predicted the significant impact this trip would have on our future and how much everything would change, both for the better and for the worse.