Chapter 6

"Lucifer, Robert just took Jennifer to the hospital." Sam gasped as he came running into the office, his blue eyes wide and wild as he watched me.

"Why? Are there issues with the pregnancy? She's not due for another two weeks." I asked him as I stood and grabbed my jacket from the rack, not waiting for Sam's answer before running out of the house and heading towards the hospital, not having the patience to sit in the car to drive there.

Although it only took me about ten minutes to get to the hospital, every second felt like hours and every minute like an eternity. I found myself surprised when I realized just how much I truly cared that the child was safe, as I'd convinced myself that I didn't care at all. 'I don't know why I'm surprised that I care. The child is literally my lifeline, and so I very well should care. I hope the baby makes it alright.'

"Robert, what's going on?" I asked as I arrived outside of the maternity ward, where he was sitting against the wall, doing something on his phone.

"Jesus! When the hell- How did you get here so quickly?" Robert gasped, nearly jumping out of his skin as he gawked wide-eyed at me, shoving his phone in his back pocket with a gulp.

"I just arrived. Sam told me you brought her to the hospital, but she's not due for another two weeks. Has something gone wrong?" I asked again, narrowing my eyes as I watched him. 'I can tell he was doing something that he didn't want me to know about; otherwise, he wouldn't have shoved his phone in his pocket so quickly.'

"Huh? Oh, no, she went into labor this morning. She should have the kid soon."

"This morning? You're telling me that she went into labor this morning, and you just now brought her to the hospital?" I asked him with a growl as I took a few steps closer, narrowing my eyes as he backed against the wall, his heartbeat speeding up as he stared wide-eyed up at me.

"I- Well- Yes. Labor goes on for hours, and I didn't want to spend my entire day in the-" Robert started to respond but couldn't finish what he was saying, as I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall.

"I suggest you think very carefully about the next words you speak, Robert. For eight months now, I've put up with your shit. I put you through rehab twice. I let you continuously try to bleed me dry for every dollar you could get. Do you think I didn't realize what you were doing, Robert?"

"You- Your eyes! What the hell are you?"

"I am the thing that will hunt you down, no matter where you go. You will be taking that child home, and if you ever think about doing something to it, remember this; I have killed hundreds, if not thousands, without a second thought. You, however, are not worth a first thought, let alone a second one."

"Damien!" Sam gasped as he ran up behind me, then sighed as he pried my hand from around Robert's throat, forcing me into releasing him, although it was the very last thing I wanted to do.

"Why do you care so much about the baby? We've been asking you since that first day, but you've never answered us." Robert asked as he cleared his throat, rubbing the reddening marks around his throat as he eyed me warily.

"It is no business of yours, Robert. The only thing you need to worry about is raising the child." Sam snapped before I could so much as open my mouth to speak, then took my arm, pulling me to the side. "Now he knows what we are, Damien."

"No, he knows my eyes turned red, but he doesn't know what we are," I responded, pulling my arm out of his grasp before glancing over my shoulder at Robert. "He's going to blackmail me because of this."

"Do you think he will? You scared him pretty good. I don't see him trying to do anything that might piss you off."

"I will bet my very position as vampire king that he will ask for a monthly stipend to raise the child. Now that he knows I am not human, the price of that stipend will increase, as he will threaten to release that information to the media."

"I would suggest you kill him, but that will only cause more harm than good. I know the only reason he is still alive is that you wish its mother and father to raise the child. How much are you willing to put up with to make sure this child has the upbringing that you wish it to have?"

"Much more than I care to admit, Sam. I didn't realize how much I truly cared until I ran here." I responded with a sigh, closing my eyes as I shook my head, then growled as I opened them to find Sam smiling at me. "If you suggest I raise the damned thing, one more time, I will destroy you."

"Fine, fine, I won't suggest you raise it." Sam gasped, holding up his hands in a show of defeat, waiting until I nodded to laugh. "In all seriousness, you should probably keep a close eye on it, however. That man is heinous, and I do not trust him. Jennifer can be an exemplary mother, but she allows her husband to dictate her every move, and that is what you need to worry about."

"Yes, I've considered it. I wish I could say I do not believe Robert could hurt the thing, but he hasn't done a single thing to show me that he's capable of caring about someone other than himself and anything other than money. He wouldn't even go into the room while his wife was giving birth." I agreed, then gasped as a fresh scent invaded my nose. "It's a girl."

"Yes, I smell her. Will you be going to meet her?"

"No, I won't," I said as I turned around and started to walk towards the exit but was stopped by Sam, who gripped the back of my jacket and pulled me back.

"I apologize. I phrased that as a question, while in reality, it was not. Go and meet the child, Lucifer." Sam groaned, rolling his eyes as I tried to argue. "Go." He added with a growl, his eyes flashing red when I tried again to argue.

"Fine!" I snapped, slapping his hand away as I walked towards the maternity ward, following Robert and the nurse that fetched him.

"Robert! It's a girl!" Jennifer cooed, gasping out happily as she looked down at the pink bundle in her arms, smiling as Robert and I entered the room. "Damien, would you like to hold her?"

"No," I said, pursing my lips as I shook my head no, then watched as a nurse took the baby away to care for her, leaving Jennifer, Robert, and I alone in the room. 'I know precisely what's about to happen. It's clear he doesn't care, and if I didn't care about the child's upbringing, I would have killed you by now.' I thought as I watched Robert turn to look at me. "How much?"

"Babies are expensive, Mr. Edge," Robert said, a small smile peeking at the corners of his lips as he watched me.

"How much, Robert?" I repeated, biting my tongue to stop myself from growling as I watched him.

"Clothes, diapers, wipes, food, and what have you? Three grand, a month." Robert said after a few moments of acting like he was thinking about it, though I knew he wasn't, he was trying to figure a number that he thought would be fair, that wouldn't be enough to make me snap and kill him.

"I will give you seven hundred and fifty a week, but I will make sure that most, if not all, is spent on the child and not your addiction," I responded, my lip twitching in disgust as I walked out of the room, and made my way towards the nursery, watching through the window for a few moments before walking in. The moment I entered the room, every baby began screaming at the tops of their lungs, making me growl softly as I started to walk out, but stopped myself when I noticed that all but one baby was crying.

'What's this, then?' I thought as I made my way down the aisle, stopping once I got to the baby girl who wasn't crying but was instead looking up at me curiously. I couldn't help but be taken aback as I watched the baby, as she didn't seem to have any fear of me, and kept my gaze without wavering. 'I didn't know a newborn could keep their eyes open this long.' I thought as I watched her, then reached down to run my thumb along the baby's cheek, unable to stop myself from smiling as she kicked her legs and smiled back up at me.

"Hey! What are you doing?" A nurse yelled as she came into the nursery and saw me standing there, gasping as she ran forward to try to take the baby girl as if she thought I was trying to steal her away.

I didn't respond but instead turned around and left, motioning to Sam as I walked past him, then waited until I was sure no one else was around before running forward, making my way back home. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the baby out of my head, as I couldn't understand why she was not afraid of me, as every other baby was.

"Are you alright? You're oddly silent." Sam asked as we arrived back at my house, where we went into the kitchen where I put the kettle on the stove.

"Of course I am, do not be absurd." I lied, then smiled when I saw how Sam was watching me. "A peculiar little thing. She didn't so much as think about crying, unlike all the other babies."

"Is that so? Hmm, interesting. How much does Robert want?"

"Seven hundred and fifty a week. Send a permanent guard to watch him, but do not give him the money; give it to Jennifer. I told him I would make sure they spent it on the child, and I plan on holding true to that."

"As you should. Did they have a name picked for the baby?" Sam asked as he pulled out his phone and sent a message, chuckling softly. "The people who invented texting were geniuses. I can only imagine how these devices will continue to evolve over the next few decades."

"I try my best not to think about it. Doing so only reminds me how old I am and how much longer I may still yet live to be." I responded with a shake of my head, motioning for Sam to leave the office. "Go on home, Sam. We decided to live apart for a reason."

"Yes, I was tired of hearing you and your guests all night. I may not be able to sleep, but sometimes I like to imagine that I can. Something that is absolutely impossible to do when living under the same roof as you." Sam responded, raising an eyebrow as he watched me, then laughed as he left the room.

"It is no longer an issue you will have," I mumbled under my breath, rubbing my chin thoughtfully as I leaned back in my chair, my thoughts inevitably returning to the baby girl who would continue my bloodline. 'I wonder what they will call her? No, it doesn't matter, Lucifer. Now that you have made sure she made it into this world, the only thing you need to do is make sure her parents can raise her. She may not be related to you, but that doesn't matter. You must stay as far out of that girls' life as you possibly can.'

Over the next six years, I had Sam take care of everything that had to do with the Morris family because I did not want to see the child, as I was afraid of getting attached to her. I told myself continually over those six years that I didn't care about her and would erase her from memory the moment she turned eighteen and could start a life of her own.

Though I tried to convince myself that I didn't care about the child, I found that I had lost all attraction to any other woman from the moment I laid my eyes on her. Try as I might, my days of bringing women home to satiate my endless desires; ended the day I met the Morris girl. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself differently, I no longer desired any other vampire or human woman I met.

Robert and Jennifer named the girl a few hours after I left the hospital, but I refused to allow Sam to tell me what the girl's name was, as I felt knowing her name would only imprint her further in my mind, although I always thought about her, and it drove me stark raving mad that I didn't know what her name was.

Somehow, after six years, I'd finally gone a full twenty-four hours without thinking about her, and almost as if the universe was laughing at me, I caught her scent as I was driving by a park. 'What the hell? It's four pm. Why the hell is she at a park alone?' I thought, slamming on the breaks when I realized that I could only hear one heartbeat.

"Hello, why are you sitting here alone?" I asked the young girl I saw swinging slowly on the playground, looking around to try to find her parents, though I already knew they were not anywhere near us.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," The young girl responded, her beautiful green eyes eyeing me curiously as she pushed herself off the ground to swing a bit faster.

"Well, no, you aren't. But you are not supposed to be alone in a park, either." I responded, and though I told myself to walk away, I found myself walking closer, sitting on the swing next to her, watching as she smiled, turning her face towards the sky, enjoying the wind blowing through her long black hair.

"Who are you?" She asked me curiously, cocking her head to the side as she continued to watch me, biting her lip as I stood and walked to stand behind her, pushing her swing softly.

"My name is Damien. I was driving past, and I saw that you were sitting out here all alone. I mean you no harm, and I will wait until your parents come to pick you up." I said as I sat back down next to her, showing her Jennifer's phone number on my phone before sending her a message, telling her that her daughter was sitting alone in a park.

"That's my mommy's number! How do you know my mommy's number, Mr. Damien?"

"I- Well, I've met your mommy before. It's good that you know your mommy's number, though. Why didn't you call her, sweetheart?"

"I don't have a phone," She responded with a shrug, then made a small but adorable noise of confusion and surprise as I handed her my phone.

"You're old enough to have one, and if something like this happens again, you need to be able to call for help."

"Oh, no, thank you. I can't take gifts from strangers." She responded, shooting me a toothy smile as she handed my phone back from me, then ran across the park to play on the jungle gym.

'Don't do it. Don't you dare!' I told myself, groaning when I found myself walking towards her, ignoring my own warnings. "What's your name?"

"Bastet Isabella!"

"Bastet Isabella? That's a beautiful name. Your mommy just messaged me back, and she's on her way here. I'm going to stay until she gets here. Is that okay?"

"Okay!" Bastet agreed with a nod, then patted the bars next to her, inviting me to come and sit next to her.

"What happened to not talking to strangers, Bastet?" I asked her as I accepted her invitation and climbed the jungle gym to sit next to her, looking down into her big beautiful green eyes.

"Call me Bast, okay?" Bast said, waiting for my nod of understanding before saying anything more. "We aren't strangers anymore. I know your name, and you know mine, and my mommy." She said, then bit the inside of her cheek as she continued to look up at me, searching my face as if she recognized me. 'That's impossible. There is no way that she can remember me, after seeing me once, the day she was born.'

"Is there something wrong?" I asked her after giving her a few moments to speak, but found that she didn't seem to have any intentions of doing so.

"You're really pretty, Mr. Damien. I think you're the prettiest man I've ever seen!"

"Oh, well, thank you, Bast. You're a beautiful little girl yourself, but you are a little girl, darling. I don't think it's wise that you look at a man of my age in that way."

"You look younger than my mommy, though. Will you marry me, Mr. Damien?"

"I- Bast, you are much too young to be married!" I gasped, unable to stop myself from doing a double-take, as I did not and could not expect what she'd just said.

"I know that, silly! Will you marry me when I'm old enough?"

"Perhaps, but there is no guarantee that you will still wish to marry me when you come of age."

"If you won't marry me until I'm old enough, then you can't do stuff with me until I'm old enough to marry you. Okay?" Bast responded with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes as she glared up at me.

"What stuff do you mean, Bast?" I asked her, narrowing my eyes as I watched her, waiting for the answer that I knew would piss me off. 'She's not even seven years old yet. Why the hell does she know anything about this? I swear on everything I hold dear in life if those pieces of shit did something to her!'

"The stuff that adults do to make babies! Do you promise, Mr. Damien?" Bast asked, then looked towards the parking lot where Jennifer had just pulled in, waving to her before looking back up at me. "Thank you for keeping me safe! Don't forget about me, okay?" She grinned, then leaned forward to give me a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"I will not forget you, Bastet," I said as I jumped down, watching Bast as she climbed into the front seat of the car, waiting until I heard the engine purr disappearing before walking back to my car, dialing Sam's number.

"Hey, you said you'd be here an hour ago. What happened?" Sam asked, answering the call almost instantaneously.

"Bastet was sitting in a park, alone. Jennifer didn't even realize that she'd forgotten to pick her up. Assign a second guard and buy Bastet a phone. She told me that I wasn't allowed to do stuff to her until she was old enough to marry me, Alastair."

"Awe, that's- Wait- A seven-year-old told you that you couldn't have sex with her? Why the hell does a seven-year-old know about sex at all? Oh- That's why you're so pissed off. I will have Robert buy her a phone. Should I increase the weekly stipend to make sure he continues to pay for the phone?"

"No, connect it to our account. I need to be able to see where she is at all times. I'm not in the right mind-set to be in a building full of humans, right now, as it's hard enough not to make Bastet an orphan after what just happened." I said, then ended the phone call without waiting for his response. After a few moments of thought, I got back out of the car and walked into the park, sitting down on the swing next to where Bastet was sitting when I first saw her. 'I don't think I could forget you if I tried, little Bastet.'