Chapter 69: Chapter Sixty-Nine

**Authors Note: I'm sorry to everyone about the mix up with chapter sixty-eight. Due to the story being signed with anystories, I am unable to edit the chapter once it has been posted. I'm not sure why it was published twice, but I apologize again.**

'What the hell was that about? I get why he was upset but did he really have to go off like that on Valerie? I mean, Jesus, he's the one that invited her here to help us plan the wedding.'

'Yes, but you're the one who kicked him out of his bed for two weeks.' ​ A voice in the back of my head argued.

'Well, he's a vampire, he'll get over it.' I retorted.

'That's your problem, Bast. You forget that vampires have feelings too.' The voice responded spitefully.

'I still don't get why he reacted like that, regardless.' I thought as I reached the front door, watching Damien slam it closed behind him, leaving without another word or an explanation.

"Where is he going?" Sam asked me, looking at the door, then back at me.

"I don't know," I said, still looking at the door as if he were going to come walking back at any moment, fighting to hold my tears back when I realized he wasn't coming back. "He went ape shit on Val, for like, no reason."

"I heard. Are you alright?" Sam asked, noticing my watery eyes, pulling me into a hug.

"I'm okay, Sam. Should you go see what's wrong with him?"

Sam shook his head but didn't respond. He glanced towards the door like he'd heard something, then turned his attention back to me. He kissed the top of my head before looking to Valerie who was slowly coming down the stairs. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Why were his eyes purple?"

"That's a long explanation that I don't feel like giving right now, Val. Why don't you and Sam go spend some time together at the guest house." I said, pulling myself out of Sam's arms and heading into the library where the seamstress was waiting.

"You don't want me to stay and help pick out a dress?" Valerie asked, her eyes wide and watery as she watched me. She started to walk towards me but was stopped as Sam put his hand on her shoulder, and whispered something in her ear. She nodded reluctantly and gave me a small smile before letting Sam lead her out of the door.

I took a deep calming breath, trying to shake my erratic emotions, before entering the library. The seamstress was a smaller older vampire, with long black hair, and almond eyes. She stood from the couch and smiled softly when I entered the room, bowing gently to me, before motioning towards a rack of dresses.

"I brought quite a few, as I didn't know what you would prefer." She said softly, keeping her eyes trained at the ground as she spoke. I don't know why, but this annoyed me. I knew she was doing this due to me being the bride of her king, but regardless, I found it quite irksome.

"Thank you, Ms..."

"Zhang, Mrs. Bast. But you may call me Lisa if you wish."

"It's nice to meet you, Lisa. These dresses are beautiful, it might be too hard picking one." I said breathlessly as she began holding up the dresses, one by one to show me.

One, in particular, caught my eye, which instantly made Lisa smile softly as she motioned for me to undress, and helped me into it.

"What do you think? I know it needs to be adjusted, but this is your specialty." I said, turning in front of the triple full-length mirror she had set up off to the size of the dress rack. I thought the dress was beautiful but felt like something was off as I looked at myself in it. It was a ballgown dress, with lace off-shoulder sleeves. It was a beautiful dress to be sure but felt like I looked wrong in it.

"My professional opinion, Mrs. Bast?"

"Preferably, and please, just call me Bast."

"Yes, M-Bast. The ballgown is beautiful, but due to you having a quite small structure, it can be a bit overpowering to your frame. Of course, it won't be as bad once it's fitted, but it will still have an off touch to it." She said as she took a step with a smaller pedestal, and set it in front of me. She took my hand and helped me hold up the bottom of the dress as I stepped up. "Could I suggest an A-Line dress, Bast?"

"Sure," I said, trying to force a smile, using every ounce of willpower I had not to let my mind wander to thoughts of Damien. Which was easier said than done, as I was trying on wedding dresses, for my marriage to him.

Lisa gave me a knowing look before turning to browse through the dresses on the rack, taking out three different a-line dresses to show me. For these dresses, I liked certain parts of all of them but didn't like one specifically as much as I liked the ballgown. "Please keep in mind, Bast, that I can customize a dress for you. I need only your measurements and I can add all the things you like from these separate gowns."

"Really?" I asked, trying to stop myself from getting giddy, then pointed to the one I liked the most out of the three. As Lisa grabbed the dress, I saw the one behind it and felt like my heart stopped. Lisa heard this, and looked to where I was looking, a big smile breaking out on her face when she pulled it off of the rack.

"You've got an eye for beauty, I didn't know that was added to the rack. But it's a good thing. Come, let's get you into this."

I felt tears of happiness coming to my eyes when I saw myself in the dress and had to put my hand to my heart as if that would keep it from exploding out of my chest. The dress was like a mixture of an a-line and a ballgown with a sweetheart neckline, and an open back; the lace giving it a tattoo-like look. The skirt was a full-length tulle skirt, which still gave it a princess look, while not having an overpowering look as the other ballgown did.

"If I can, I think this one is perfect for you," Lisa said, taking a step back to look at the dress. Her thin lips pulled back into a wide smile as she circled me, nodding in approval before looking back up at me. "Simply gorgeous."

"Lisa, this is the one!" I exclaimed as I turned side to side, unable to find any other words. "How... how much is this dress?" I asked, looking down at her as I bit my lip. I knew this one had to be the most expensive, as it was by far the most elegant and in my opinion, by far the most beautiful. I knew Damien didn't care about the price of the dress as he could buy anything he wanted, but I still found myself curious. It wasn't a question of if we could afford it, but more a question to sate my curiosity.

"My king has already given a deposit vast enough to cover any dress you may wish, with any alterations needed, as well as bridesmaids dresses, and the accessories," Lisa responded, trying to hide the curiosity on her face, but failing as I could still clearly see it.

"I figured as much, but it's not a question out of worry about the price. I'm just curious how much a dress like these costs."

"Ah, I understand. This dress without alterations starts at about fifteen thousand."

'Fifteen thousand dollars? Jesus Christ, what kind of deposit did he give them?' I thought with a scoff, before a slight shake of my head. I waited for Lisa to help me take the dress off, as I was petrified to move without her assistance.

"What else would you like to try on?" Lisa asked after setting the dress to the side, writing a note with my name on it, before setting it carefully back in the rack.

"Is it insane that I don't want to try another one on?" I giggled out, stepping down of the pedestal to grab a glass of water.

"Not at all, I don't believe there is another dress that would look quite so marvelous on you. But now I will need to take your measurements, so the alterations can be made." She said once I'd finished taking a drink before motioning to the pedestal once again. She took a tape measure and began checking, then double-checking my measurements before writing them down on a pad of paper.

I noticed her eyes flittering up to me as if she wanted to ask a question, but thought better of it, and went back to what she was doing. I didn't want to tell her to ask me, as I didn't want her to feel obligated to answer me, so I remained silent and waited. "Bast, I hope you don't take offense to this, but we still have a few hours of things to go over. So, if you'd like to talk to me about what's happened, I'm glad to lend my ear."

"I don't want to bother you, Lisa. And I don't want to put you in a situation that could cause issues."

"I won't press you, but I can guarantee an unbiased ear, and mum mouth."

"Well... Alright then. My best friend has been staying here for the last two weeks to help me with the wedding preparations. I didn't think about how it would affect Damien, but Valerie and I were sleeping in the same bed since she got here. I guess we were both so used to doing it, that we didn't even think about how the men would react to it. Damien and I finally got some time alone just before you got here, and I imagine you heard what happened then." I explained, leaving out the pregnancy part as Damien was worried about what would happen if other vampires knew about it.

Lisa listened silently, nodding her understanding once I finished explaining. She remained silent for a few moments as she took a binder out of her things and handed it to me, before sitting down on the couch. "So he was jealous and maybe a bit worried by your relationship with this, Valerie?"

"Yes, he asked me this morning if he had something to be worried about. That's when I realized the way our relationship could be perceived by others. We are just best friends, but that's just the way we've been our entire friendship. I thought Damien would understand that, but I guess I was wrong." I said with a shrug.

"If I may?"

"Of course," I said, setting down the binder. I couldn't even pretend to look through it, as our conversation was the only thing I cared about at this moment.

"Lucifer is the vampire king. He didn't become such just for being the oldest living vampire, Bast. He became the vampire king by showing the utmost power and leadership qualities even in the face of adversity. From what I've seen and heard of your relationship, he shows you a side of himself that many didn't think existed. For years there were rumors of the king pinning after a young human, but nothing could be proven until you were seen by his side. Do you know the number of vampires and humans alike he had to defend his honor to, to protect and cement his claim on you? Let alone the number of vampires he's killed over the years who tried to claim he was an unfit king?" She asked me, cocking her head to the side as she waited for me to soak in her words, before continuing. "Dozens, and dare I say hundreds of vampires tried to find you, to dispose of you. Their thinking is that it would cripple Lucifer's power and turn him, recreant. Once he turned, he would be killed by the counsel. Over the past seventeen years, Lucifer has had to protect you and lay his unmistakable claim on your life. The reason I'm telling you this is, do you think it possible that Lucifer may believe he's losing you?"

"Wait, what do you mean unfit to be king?" I asked, unable to comprehend how that was even possible.

'Damien, unfit to be the king? No, that's not possible. All he does is run his empire, but still somehow makes time for me. Wait... Is he slacking off as the king to give me his attention? Oh, god.'

"Before Lucifer became king, there was a rule banning the cross-species relationships between the human, and the supernatural world. He was king for only a few decades before he found you, then he made relationships across species legal. Because this law was in place for nearly a millennia before, many thought he'd become soft, or unfit to be king anymore." Lisa explained patiently, unbothered by my confusion.

"Okay, but why would he think he's losing me?"

"Well, I can't say I know anything factual, because of course, I cannot guarantee anything I say to you. I hope you understand that?"

"Of course, yeah I know," I said, smiling softly with a curt nod, waiting for her to continue.

"Lucifer has not been a human in a very long time. While he can understand a lot of things, the relationship between two human teenagers is most assuredly beyond him. So while it's normal for you, which I understand, I don't believe most human men understand the relationship two teenage girls can share. Let alone a centuries-old vampire man, long ago born." She said with a small laugh, her soft brown eyes twinkling with laughter.

"I didn't think about it that way before... Damien has always been so understanding about everything. I didn't stop to consider that he might not understand the connection Val and I have." I said aloud, but mostly to myself, finally understanding the way Damien reacted.

"As for him going innate, even for the few seconds it lasted, it was likely a reaction he had no hand in. From what I know, which I'll admit isn't a lot, but he loves you very much. I'll hazard a guess that he likely left before he could lose control and chance harming you in any way. From my experience with men, they need distance to collect themselves and will be back once they've had time."

I nodded softly before standing and going to where she sat, bending down to hug her. "Thank you, Lisa. I don't think you know how amazing it is to talk to someone who isn't biased and speaks to me as an equal." I said, then cocked my head to the side as I realized something. "Can I ask you a question? I know it will be a guess, but I've never actually thought about it before." I waited for Lisa's nod before continuing; "Is that why he wants to turn me? So he doesn't have to worry about people coming after me, to go at him?"

"That makes the most sense, yes. With you no longer being human, the majority of naysayers about his position would likely be; alleviated. But it could also be due to him not wanting to lose you due to age or other human ailments."

'You're such a bitch!' that voice in my head screamed at me as if I didn't already feel that way about myself.

Before Lisa or I could say anything more, I heard the front door open and immediately ran to it, forgetting I was wearing only my bra and panties. I felt like my heart was going to explode when I saw Damien entering the house, closing the door behind him.

"Bast, I'm so- Why are-" He started to say but was cut-off as I jumped into his arms, bringing my lips to his. He happily swallowed his apology as he kissed me back, smiling against my lips.

"I'm sorry, I should have thought about the way things would affect you, and the way you might view the relationship Valerie and I share." I said quickly, leaning back to look at him.

"I-"

"No, shut the fuck up. I'm talking." I said, clasping my hand on his mouth before he could get out a single word. I waited until he nodded, his blue eyes shining brightly as he watched me, waiting for me to remove my hand so he could speak. "Sometimes I forget who and what you are, and I need to start taking that into consideration, like all the time. Not just sometimes. Now here is what's going to happen, and no, this is not up for debate." I said, pausing to wait for him to nod his agreement. "I'm going to do whatever I still have left to do with Lisa, who is awesome by the way, and deserves a huge tip. Then, we are going to grab snacks, and lock ourselves in that bedroom. Now heres your job; you are not allowed to let me leave that room until you aren't jealous anymore. Think you're up for it?" I asked, then finally took my hand off of his mouth, showing an unabashed smile, his blue eyes overflowing with lust as he watched me.

"Oh, yes, kitten. I can do that." he said, looking past me to the library where Lisa was waiting, looking down at the ground, clearly too embarassed to look or say anything. When she noticed Damien was looking at her, she curtsied while keeping her head bowed. "No offense, Lisa. But do you think you could make this quick?"

"As quick as I can, my lord." She responded with an amused smile, then walked with me back into the library.