The Doyennes' Worldly Convergence

Chapter 4 -What Were You Thinking

Izzy

No one ever warned Mia and I that coming back to the coven was essentially like baby sitting. Scratch that, it's worse. And a little heads up in regard to what the job fully entailed would have been nice. Everyone here is literally hundreds of years old, yet we still have to make sure they all abide by the rules and that order is upheld. At their age, they should all know better.

But I guess it's no one's fault, not really. Our grandparents ran the coven without even being here. Between their visions and the respect everyone gave them, it was effortless for them. Grandma's brother Xander and his wife Stephanie did a great job at pretending to be the ones in charge for years, but that was just for appearances. After our grandparents decided to take their own lives and requested that Mia and I take over, Xander, Stephanie, and our parents did the best that they could from within, while Mia and I stayed at Gypsy Rain to raise Layla, Freya, and Falco .... but once we moved back, there was a lot of loose ends to take care of, and respect to be earned.

At first, Jay and Damian had it the hardest. The looks they received from the old school purists were infuriating. I'm sure they were disgusted by the thought of their leaders' lines being tainted. Then they had all found out about how Peter was a pure-born vampire brought back from the underworld, a direct descendant of Romulus with demon blood. Blood that I happened to drink to survive. That Mia drank my blood to gain the power he had given me. How she and I shared that with Jay and Damian by remarking them. Imagine the looks on everyone's faces when they all realized that the mixed breeds their leaders brought into the coven were technically purer blood than they themselves could ever be. That'll teach them to judge books by their covers .....

The vampire way has evolved so much over the centuries. Where vampires used to be ruthless monsters, killing for food as well as sport, covens have formed with rules to protect vampires as well as humans.

Each coven is a little different, but for Raven Sanitarium there are a bunch of us that work in different hospitals. We basically steal expired blood and fudge the records. Illegal? Maybe, but it goes to good use and doesn't go to waste. We also supplement with animal blood from butchers when needed. But in all honesty, our favorite is fresh blood from donors.

Raven Sanitarium is seen by the public as a privately owned wellness clinic. It's our home as well as a place for haematolagniacs .... humans with a fetish for blood, specifically those addicted to being bit and having their blood drunk. Those addicts are our donors.

It might sound like we're enablers, but we give those humans a safe place to go. We have a list of approved donors, those who get tested for diseases, background checks to make sure they're legit, even lie detectors to make sure they're safe. We follow our own rules to make sure that humans aren't hurt or taken advantage of, they're only allowed to donate once every 56 to 112 days, and we never discuss names with anyone. Just like legal and professional prostitution, our clients' identities are kept safe. A lot of work goes into it, but it's a win-win. We not only get blood, but we get paid a flat fee as well ..... and their kink is satisfied.

Now, if only things were that simple with Lian.

"I can't believe that none of the asphyxiation people checked out yet," Lian grumbled as we walked down one of the hallways of the refurbished castle.

"You know that Aiden is in charge of doing the background checks, so finding approved matches for you isn't going to be easy."

"He seriously needs to stop being so picky! It's not like I'm making out with them or anything. I mean, I could ...."

I whipped my head around and glared at Lian.

"Kidding! Kidding! Geesh, tough crowd. I know that's not what the donors are here for ...." Lian smiled and winked at me playfully.

Some days I don't know what I'm going to do with her. If I could die from stress, it would surely be because of her and Damian. Then again, I couldn't imagine being in her shoes. Not really a vampire, yet not really a fairy. Where vampires have cravings like raw red meats and need blood, she desires oxygen like a fish out of water.

She and Aiden are the ones who came up with the idea of finding donors who were into asphyxiation soon after they christened their bedroom, but it hasn't really been an easy thing to do. In the meantime, we picked up some oxygen tanks so that she could get what she physically needed as well as work on curbing her cravings.

"Cole! What the f***k did you do?!" Sophia's voice yelled from the office.

Lian and I stopped in our tracks and turned to look at each other, wondering what the siblings were arguing about now.

"Relax, Sophia. Keep your voice down. I just told your blood bank to leave you the f***k alone ...."

"PFFT!" was the only sound that Lian made before making a beeline down the hall towards the slightly ajar office door.

One thing I've learned is that you don't piss off an ex-lead fairy warrior that fought for her title. I quickly hurried after Lian before she accidentally on purpose killed anyone.

"I had a good thing going with him, Cole! I could get fresh human blood whenever I wanted! None of this wait your turn bullshit, and no flat fee, either. He paid me whatever I asked!"

"What the f***k did you just say?!" Lian yelled as she flung the door open, walking inside the office to reveal me standing in the doorway with my hands on my hips.

I tried not to grind my teeth as I clenched my jaw, beyond pissed off over what I had just heard.

Cole and Sophia's faces fell when they saw Lian and me. I was thankful that they were dumb enough to leave the door cracked open enough so that we could hear what they said.

Sophia's mouth opened, but it took a few seconds before her whisper left her mouth. "I'm sorry Mrs. Isabella, but ...."

"But what?" I asked with an angry attitude.

"Cole put a human in the hospital!" Sophia quickly spat out her words, earning a glare from her brother as Lian and I turned our angry eyes onto Cole.

"You bi.tch! You were the one using him for blood outside the coven! I was trying to protect you!" Cole quickly threw Sophia under the big rig, hitting her with the dual tires.

"Are you stupid?! There are reasons we stick to the donors on the list and don't go outside these walls to feed! Aiden does background checks on everyone to make sure they're legit. Mia and I double-check their hospital records to make sure they get tested on a regular basis. And Lian, Jay, and Damian work their asses off to make sure none of the donors get out of hand. Plus, they're only allowed to donate so often, so that we don't, I don't know, KILL THEM! And here you are, breaking the rules and sneaking around so that you can feed whenever you want and keep the money for yourself? Do you even know what you're drinking?! What about the drugs or diseases that could be in his system?! What would happen if you had accidentally killed him ....."

Sophia quickly became defensive. "Wait, you're flipping out on me? I'm not the one who put him in the hospital!"

Lian snorted as she crossed her arms over her chest, fully enjoying the fact that I was putting Sophia in her place.

"Cole's time will come! Right now you're in the spotlight because you're the one who started this! Think about the risk you've brought not only to yourself but to this coven! What if he were to become addicted and come here after you? Did you think about that? If he ran his mouth and an angry mob showed up to burn this place to the ground? What if you find your life partner, and you need to change them, but who knows what is flowing in your blood and venom? Did you think about that?"

"I .... I ...." Sophia stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"The answer is no, you didn't. The only thing you were thinking about was yourself. Your own selfish wants and desires. Life isn't about doing what you want when you want, Sophia. It doesn't matter how long you live. We all have responsibilities in life, and there are consequences and repercussions for our actions, or lack of. There are things we want to do that we can't do, things we don't want to do that we must. Needs outweigh wants, and we can't act on impulse. You need to grow up. If you want to stay living in this coven, you had best go get yourself screened, and sign up to start working if curbing you cravings."

Sophia simply stood there with a blank look on her face.

"GO! Before I won't give you a choice!" I yelled as I pointed towards the open doorway behind me.

Sophia jumped in her place before her feet finally moved. "Yes ma'am, I'm .... I'm sorry ....."

A few quiet seconds ticked by after Sophia left, and I focused on calming myself down before .....

"You know, Izzy, you have a sweet face, but you're kind of scary when you're angry. I like it. Do him next!" Lian blurted out, almost sounding giddy with excitement.

A look of horror took over Cole's face. "What the f***k Lian?!"

Lian simply shrugged her shoulders. "What? You fu.cked up too."

I let out a breath of air, trying to keep my anger at each sibling separate. "We don't needlessly hurt humans ....."

"I didn't mean to. I was distracted and tossed him a little harder than I meant to. He's fine, though. He came to in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. They're keeping him overnight for observation. Mrs Isabella, I swear, I only wanted to scare him. I didn't mean for this to happen ...."

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at Cole. "How long have you known about him and Sophia?"

"It's been going on a few months ...."

Fu.cking morons, the both of them. "I understand that you were trying to protect your sister, but next time something this serious happens, tell me. Do not EVER try to handle the situation on your own, otherwise you'll be looking for a new home. And that's not just a hollow threat. It could have gone a lot worse than it did and now is not the time to f***k around. You've seen what's all over the news. I know some of us were on the sidelines of pictures and videos, but if someone gets them cleared up enough to figure out who we are, it won't be good. Rhi has already had to color her hair since there's more proof of what she is. We just .... we just don't need any more attention right now until this all blows over. Understood?"

Cole nervously scratched the back of his head before I could even proceed with the punishment for his behavior. "Is now a bad time to mention that there were witnesses?"

"WHAT?!" Lian and I yelled out in unison.