Standing on the front porch of the Davis house with six gorgeous women felt both exciting and embarrassing. I start to turn the door handle when I'm surprised by the door being whooshed open. Greg Davis' first wife, Maria, greets me with open arms and a kiss on the cheek.

“Chris, my boy, it's good to see you! Jeni, Jesi, you, too! And this must be Rebecca, Shizumi, Aaboli, and Hanneke. Get in here! Show off these beauties!”

The seven of us walk into the house. Jesi and Jeni are obviously embarrassed over their mom's display of affection toward us.

Greg's second wife, Helen, third wife, Geneva, and fourth wife, Brenda, all rush to greet us as well. Greg, on the other hand, has a look of disappointment on his face.

Before Greg can say a word, I beat him to the punch. “Hey, look, Pop, I did the right thing. I kept everyone safe.”

Greg walks over to me and gives me a hug. “I know, son. That's not why I'm disappointed. It's humanity I'm disappointed in.” He turns and looks at the four new additions. “So, these are going to be my daughters-in-law as well?”

Shizumi, Rebecca, Aaboli, and Hanneke all blush with happiness. “Yes.” they say in unison.

I'm actually shocked and amazed. Greg is not upset with me. “Look, Pop.....”

“Chris I said I'm not disappointed and I meant it. My God you've been a busy boy. How do you find time to study when you have six hot young ladies at your beck and call?”

Rebecca grabs my left arm and presses her breasts into it. “Oh believe me, sir, we do study, though sometimes it is rather hard to concentrate.” My face turns fire engine red from embarrassment.

Greg smiles and winks at me. “Oh, I see.”

Helen interrupts us. “Hey, everyone, dinner is ready.”

The seven of us sit down at the huge custom-made dinner table. We are joined by Jesi's and Jeni's six sisters, seven brothers, four mothers, and their father. After saying grace, we begin passing food around and filling our plates. As we eat. We discuss what we want to do about Christmas.

Marcus, the twin's eldest brother, speaks up rather sarcastically. “It seems Chris has been extra naughty bringing home such tempting vixens. I think he should get coal in his stocking.”

“Fuck you, Marcus.” I joke back.

The parent's eyes bulge out of their sockets. “Language, Christopher!” Helen spouts out.

My head gets low as I instantly remember the family's biggest rule; No swearing. “Sorry, Momma Helen.”

Helen gives her trademark creepy smile as she says, “All's forgiven.”

Jesi and Jeni giggle as the other four girls look around confused. How can one woman's smile be so foreboding?

Jesi explains, as if on cue. “Chris knows that if he swears too much, Momma Helen will actually seal away his ability to speak. Sometimes it's for hours, sometimes it's for weeks. It all depends on the severity of the swear word and repetition. He's had it happen before. Go ahead, ask him.”

The four girls seem astounded at such a restraint. Aaboli decides that she's brave enough to ask. “What was it like?”

I feign a cough. “It's like having laryngitis. Only it burns like the deepest pits of hell.” I wince for a moment, fearing the worst. When Helen does nothing, I continue. “Trust me, you do not want her doing that to you. It SUCKS!”

We finish dinner, help clear the table, and rinse off the dishes to load into the dishwasher. We all retreat into the living to relax. Greg hands me a scotch on the rocks.

“Son,” he says to me concernedly, “after that defeat you had recently, it's time for me to train you in how to unlock your seal. You can't always rely on my daughters to break it for you.”

I take a sip of my scotch. “I know, Pop. I want to get stronger. I want to protect all of the girls. I love them. I don't ever want to fail them. I don't ever want to break their hearts or make them cry.”

Greg takes a gulp of his scotch. “Good. I was hoping you would say that. Meet me in the dojo at 5am tomorrow morning. I'm going to make you fear me by the time we get done.”

I smirk at his challenge. “I don't think so, old man. I won't ever be afraid of you.”

“Oh, you will be. You will be.

“Whatever, Yoda.”

Greg smiles and holds up his glass. I raise mine and we clink them together. We then slam the rest of the scotch down our throats. After letting out a satisfying “Aaah,” Greg lovingly slaps my back.

“Take the girls out back to the guest house and jacuzzi. Relax and enjoy yourselves for the rest of the evening. You're all going to train really hard tomorrow.”

The thought of having me to themselves gets them excited. They grab me and push me out of the main house without a second thought. “Good night,” they all shout as we rush out of the door.

We get to the door of the Japanese-style guest house. I slide open the door and remove my shoes. The girls follow suit and we all proceed to get undressed. We place our dirty clothes in the hamper and walk into bathroom. It is large enough for all of us to shower comfortably. I begin washing my hair when I feel a pair of slippery, lathered breasts begin to sway up and down on my back. Then, suddenly, more slippery, lathered breasts begin swaying all over my body. I rinse the shampoo out of my hair and eyes to be pleasantly surprised by my girlfriends washing me with their bodies. Shizumi is washing my back, Rebecca my right arm. Hanneke is washing my left arm, and Aaboli my chest. Jesi and Jeni get down on their knees and begin washing my left and right legs respectively. I reach for the dispenser of gel and lather it between my hands. I rub down all of the girls with the lather gently as they all moan at my touch. We rinse off and head out to the jacuzzi.

As we're sitting naked out in the jacuzzi, we marvel at the beauty of the night sky as the stars twinkle above us.

I break the silence. “Y'know, girls, it's kinda nice just sitting here, relaxing with you all. Maybe we should quit the university and just lounge around. You could service me to your heart's content. My own personal harem.”

The girls splash me with water. Jeni sends a small, controlled shock to my chest, but the water makes it feel ten times worse. “You're such a pig,” they all say in unison.

I laugh it off and splash them back. “I'm kidding, girls, you know damned well I don't think of y'all like that!”

After sitting in the jacuzzi for an hour, we decide to get out and towel off. We head for the massive bedroom with the giant bed made for all seven of us. I climb into the middle of it and the girls dog-pile around me as we all drift off to sleep.

The alarm wakes me up at 4:30 the next morning. Groggy as hell, I manage to pull myself away from the mountain of flesh that are the girls. “Don't go, we wanna cuddle some more,” they sleepily moan.

“Sorry, girls, daddy, needs to train,” I apologize. I put on a fresh pair of boxers and training gi and head out of the bedroom towards the dojo. It is there that Greg is waiting for me.

I bow before entering the dojo. Once I step inside, I see Greg standing on one side with his katana placed expertly inside of his belt on his left hip. “Chris, my boy, I have a gift for you before we get started.” He makes a few hand gestures and another katana appears before me. “Take it. It's name is Shadow Fang. You can summon this sword without it being bound to your seal. May it serve you well.”

I reach out for the sword with both hands. “Thank you, Master. I receive it with honor.” I tuck the sword in my belt on my right hip. I draw it out and take a couple of practice swings. It feels so light. I return it to the scabbard.

Greg motions me to come over to him. He opens my top and takes a small dagger out of his sleeve. He makes an incision in my chest and then draws a symbol from the blood coming out of it. I feel a tightness in my chest that becomes immensely unbearable. I scream out in pain and drop to my knees. Then, just as quickly, the tightness dissipates, and I feel lighter than I have ever felt in my entire life. I stand back up on my feet.

“There,” he says, “I've unlocked new abilities from your seal. You can now use your blood as a weapon and sword-skills with chi.”

I bow my head in gratitude. “Thank you. I don't mean to sound rude, but you did say that you were going to help me unlock my full power.”

Greg flicks my forehead. “You want help unlocking your seal? There are three things you need to know. If you want to unlock your seal, it will take heart, blood, and the sacrifice of loss. Only then, will you know your true potential.”

I raise my head. “I understand the first two parts. But the sacrifice of loss? I've lost so much in my life. I lost my parents, and most recently, I've lost my secret. I'm an outcast in my community. I'm seen as a demon.”

Greg flicks my forehead again. “What am I, chopped liver? Have I not taken you into my home and raised you as a son? Given you the tools and training to fight? Taught you to be a man? Given you two of my daughters to marry? Not to mention that there are six other girls who adore their adopted brother as well. In fact, I hear rumblings they might love you as more than a brother, if you catch my drift. You have four gorgeous older women who see you as a son as well who have also given their blessing to marry their daughters as well. I'd say that you indeed lost two parents, but gained five. That's three more than most. Yes, your secret is out, but you only lost half of your friends, right? I see that as a setback, not a loss. You will know true loss when you feel it.”

I smile when I realize that what he says is the truth. “As much as I love my 'sisters', I don't know if I could 'love' my 'sisters'. Besides, I think being married to twelve women might be too much for me. I can barely handle six. But, you're right, I get it.” I draw Shadow Fang from it's scabbard. “Let's test my new-found abilities and see if I can kick your butt, old man.”

Greg draws his sword as well and points it at me in his ready stance. “Why are you so close-minded? You already 'love' two of your 'sisters'. And besides what's wrong with having twelve? Jacob had twelve wives, and look where it got him. I'm just saying keep your options open. Come at me, youngblood.”

We trade blows back and forth with expert speed and skill, slashing and parrying each other into a stalemate. I decide to end it and slide backwards. Now is the time to try out my new skills, I think, so I cut a gash into my forearm. I let blood seep out of the wound for a few seconds.

Instinctively, I call out, “Vampire blood-technique; multi-clone.” Instantaneously, a dozen clones, all identical to me appear around me.

Greg's eyes nearly pop out his head. He mouths the words, “What the hell?” As he tries to figure out which “me” is real, he asks, “How do you know how to do that?”

All of the “me's” answer, “Don't know, just seemed natural.” All of the “me's” attack Greg simultaneously.

Greg tries to fend off every attack that my clones make. I make another call-out, “Vampire blood-technique; blood-phantom.” I disappear form Greg's sight, leaving him to fight my clones. I reappear behind him, putting my blade to his throat. My clones immediately disappear.

Greg surrenders and drops his sword. “You've really grown in skill, son. Color me impressed.”

I put Shadow Fang back in it's scabbard. “Thank you, that means a lot to me.”

Greg picks up his sword and returns it to it's scabbard as well. We bow to each other and walk out of the dojo to wash up. As we splash water on ourselves, Greg pats my back.

“I really am proud of you, son. You really have come a long way since I first trained you. You're stronger than you've ever been. I can foresee you getting even stronger.” Greg gives me a hug.

I return Greg's hug. “Thanks, Pop. I promise I won't fail you. I'll protect everyone with this new power. I swear it.”

I walk back to the guest house to wake the girls up only to find they are already awake and dressed in practice gis as well.

“Good,” I say, “now that I've had my morning torture, it's time for yours.” All of the girls except for Shizumi groan in disgust.

“Oh, come on, we did team training a a few days ago,” they complain.

“And we'll continue doing it. Just because we're suspended doesn't mean we get complacent.” I say. “Besides, I've got a new toy and some new moves to show ya.”

“Says the guy who wanted to lounge around last night.” Hanneke interjects. A well-placed pebble from me hits her square in the middle of her forehead. “Ow, that hurts.”

We all head out into the large, open courtyard where we can spar without causing damage. The girls charge up their auras and summon their weapons.

I tell the girls to look in my direction, then summon my aura. I recite the following incantation:

“Pierce the sun with eternal twilight; Shadow Fang.”

Shadow Fang appears on my right hip. I pull it from it's scabbard.

The girls' jaws drop in perpetual shock and amazement.

Jesi is the first to break the silence. “Holy shit! You broke your seal!”

I return Shadow Fang to it's scabbard. “Not quite. Shadow Fang is a gift from your dad. I can use it without breaking my seal. And I got I nifty little upgrade.” I pierce my claws into the palm of my hand. I then fling my hand out, sending droplets of blood. I call out “Vampire blood-technique; blood-shuriken.” The droplets of blood turn into shurikens and stick into the side of the guest house. I drop into a ready stance and place my hand on the hilt of Shadow Fang. “Now, girls, all of you. Come. At. Me.”

The girls charge toward me with all of their might. Jeni tries to attack me with a fireball spell, but I shadow-step out of the way. I cut a gash in my arm and let blood drip from it. I call out, “Vampire blood-technique; multi-clone.” My clones appear from my blood. The girls feverishly attack my clones, trying to find which of “me” is real. The real “me” jumps from the confusion and quietly calls out, “Vampire blood-technique; blood-phantom.” I turn invisible and sneak around the fray to see if I can catch them off guard. Shizumi instinctively turns toward me and slams the blade of her naginata right in front of me.

“Gotcha,” she says.

My invisibility cloak instantly drops and my clones disappear. “How did you figure it out, Shizumi?”

She smiles as her naginata disappears. “Simple. Your footfalls were too heavy. If you're going to sneak, your footfalls need to be softer.”

“Thanks for the lesson. You'll have to teach me sometime.”

“Sure. No problem.”

We head back into the guest house and strip down. We all shower and get dressed and then head to the main house to eat breakfast. After cleaning up the dishes, the seven of us offer to head into town to pick up groceries for tonight's dinner.

We ride the MAX lightrail train to downtown Portland from Hillsboro. We get off at the farmer's market station and separate to gather everything we need for dinner.

As I'm walking around looking at the fresh produce, I see the vendors giving me awkward stares. Has news spread this quickly about me? I turn to one of the tomato vendors and she sheepishly cowers away from me.

“Ma'am,” I ask, “why are you afraid of me?”

“B-b-because you're a demon.” she quivers.

“I can assure you, I'm no demon. I'm a vampire, and I'm not going to hurt you. Hanneke, Aaboli, come here!” I yell out.

Hanneke and Aaboli race over to me and kiss me on the cheeks. “What is it, darling?” they ask. When she sees the girls are not in any harm and in fact enjoy my company, the vendor relaxes.

“Thank you, you just proved my point. Ma'am, how much for tomatoes?”

The vendor smiles. “Forty-nine cents per pound.”

I pick up a tomato and smell it. The aroma is extremely pleasant and the size is quite large in my hands, approximately four inches in diameter. The red color is as bright as a fire. “That's a really good price for such a great tomato. I'll take five pounds, please.”

The vendor's smile broadens. “Thank you, sir, that'll be $2.45”

I hand her a $20 bill. “Keep the change and enjoy the rest of your day.”

Her jaw drops “Oh my god, sir, you're so kind!”

I smile back at her. “Don't worry about it. You deserve it.”

I walk away with the tomatoes and rejoin the girls at the entrance of the market. “Did we get everything?” I ask.

“Yep,” they answer in unison.

“I don't know 'bout y'all, but I got the weirdest stares from the vendors when I was there.” I say.

“We did, too,” Rebecca says. “But I don't think it was because we were just a group of girls with one guy.”

“I agree.” says Jeni. “I think people were weirded out by seeing a vampire in broad daylight.”

I let out a little chuckle. “Yeah. I think they've seen way too many monster movies.”

The ride home is uneventful. Shizumi and Rebecca lay their heads on my shoulders as the other girls sit beside us. We get home in the middle of the afternoon, just as the younger children get home from school. They all rush up to greet us with open arms.

Evening comes and we all sit down to dinner. As I look around the table at my family of “brothers,” “sisters,” “mothers,” “father,” and most importantly, my team, I realize that I really do have such a strong support group. I feel someone's leg brush up against mine, so I turn to my left to see who it is. I see Hanneke smiling and leaning in to kiss me on the lips. The younger kids “oooh” and “aaaah” as we kiss. The adults just smile in silent approval. I feel a violent tug on my right followed by a hand jerking my head to face the other side. Shizumi practically forces her tongue down my throat.

Confused, I ask, “Girls, what was that for?”

“You seemed lost in thought.” Hanneke states, matter-of-factly.

“I was just jealous I didn't think of it first.” Shizumi pouts.

I cock my head to one side and smile. “Thank you, girls, I needed that. I love you.”

The whole table lets out a collective “Awww, how sweet,” while the other girls show obvious signs of jealousy.

“Where's our 'I love you?'” they ask.

“Girls you already know that I love you and that I tell all of the time. I love you all and nothing will change that.”

The girls seem reassured by this and let the matter drop.

We finish dinner and help with the dishes. We then retreat to the guest house to shower and go to bed. As we drift off to sleep in the giant bed, I ponder, I really do have a great life and beautiful women that truly have to protect. And I'll be damned if Hezukael will take it away from me.