Chapter 70: Chapter Seventy

"Sam, are you going to tell me what the hell all of that was?" Valerie asked once we were halfway between the house, and the guest house, turning to look back.

"What do you mean?" I asked, stopping to watch her, fighting the urge to pull her into my arms. I've been dating Valerie for weeks now, but I still find it hard to control myself around her. My head is consistently in a battle with myself over what to do when she's around. One half of me is screaming: 'Keep your distance until she shows that she wants you. Then attack.' The other is saying: 'Rip off her clothes, devour the little minx. To hell with the consequences!'

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Valerie asked as she closed the difference between us before putting her arms around me, tilting her head back to watch me while she smiled and wiggled slowly against me.

'This demonic little woman will be the death of me.'

"You know why," I said as I held her into my arms, and continued the walk to the guest house, chuckling as she struggled to get free.

"You vampires are a randy group!" She exclaimed as she finally gave up in her futile attempts to escape, putting her arms around me instead. "Are you guys like, not allowed to have sex for a while or something?"

"Until seventeen years ago, we weren't allowed to be with humans," I responded as we reached the door to the guest house. I set her down and opened the door for her, trying to hide my reaction when the stench of the old witches blood hit my nose. I'd smelled it long before we arrived, but it was tolerable until the door opened. Divinity had been dead, and the house cleaned for weeks now, but her death refused to leave this place.

"What's wrong?" Valerie asked, seeing through my facade, her big brown eyes searing into me.

"Nothing, Val. Just thinking." I lied, forcing a slight smile. I couldn't tell Valerie that Lucifer slaughtered the witch that stayed here before, as she already didn't like him all too much right now, and I couldn't chance her saying anything that could make Bast change her mind about the wedding.

I don't think Valerie realized just how much effect her words could have on Lucifer's world. If she told Bastet to leave him, I'm sure she would do it, or at the very least consider it. Even if Bastet considered it for a single moment, it could prove to be detrimental to the dynamic of their relationship. It's a good thing Valerie doesn't know just how much power she held with Bastet, for if she did, she might use it and destroy Lucifer's entire world.

I walked behind Valerie, watching as she looked around the house, making sure she couldn't spot something I'd missed during my disposal of evidence.

"Wait, what do you mean vampires weren't allowed with humans?" Valerie suddenly asked, turning to face me, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"There was a law, banning vampires from copulating with humans, until Lucifer found Bastet, and changed it," I responded, taking her hand as I led her back into the kitchen, looking through the cabinets.

"Wow, what a prick," Valerie said spitefully, making me turn around quickly, kicking myself mentally.

'How the hell did I fuck that one up? I didn't think that would cause her to dislike him. If it weren't for Lucifer, Val and I wouldn't be together.'

Valerie noticed the confusion on my face and shook her head. "He didn't change the law until it suited him. Just isn't a very nice thing to do as a king. Only change the laws when it stops you from getting what you want, despite what your subjects may or may not want."

I sighed and took her hand, leading her to the table where I motioned for her to sit, before speaking. "It isn't like that."

"I know it's your job to protect him, even though he's not here right now, but stop, Sam." She said, taking her hand back from me with a roll of her eyes.

"He couldn't change the law immediately, he had to wait until he'd cemented his place as king. That was a law he was planning to change the moment he found out he was going to be king, as he knew it was a law that many hated and wanted to be gone. The law caused more trouble than it stopped, and it was aimed to make the vampire race fail and dwindle from the beginning." I explained quickly, not wanting her to remain upset with me. Yes it's my job to protect him and his honor, whether it is to his face or behind his back.

"How so?" She asked, cocking her head to the side as she watched me. I could tell she was a little less upset after my explanation, but my next words would be the convincing factor.

"Did Bast explain recreants to you?" I asked her, waiting for her nod before continuing. "With vampires being unable to make emotional connections to humans, they would go recreant. So the law caused thousands of vampires to turn, being unable to make connections, which is why he was going to change it regardless. But the law was in place for so long, he couldn't do it immediately. He is the king, but in the beginning, he was under much scrutiny, and his every move was questioned. He had already called the meeting to change the meeting when he found Bast."

"So vampires actually adhere to the laws? Not something I saw coming."

"That's why I said it was designed to fail from the beginning. Adhere to the law, turn recreant, be killed. Don't adhere to the law, get found out, be killed."

"Okay but that doesn't answer my other question. You couldn't be with humans, I get that now. But you act so deprived sometimes. What about female vampires?"

"You couldn't pay me to fuck one of those vulgar leeches." I snorted in laughter, shaking my head.

"Oh, okay, wow. Why are they so bad?" Valerie asked leaning back, clearly very taken aback by my reaction.

"Let me rephrase... The vampire women who've been alive without a mate for too long are the most vulgar and repulsive things to walk this earth. They care not for a relationship, and will jump on anything they think will please them."

"That's fucked up!" Valerie exclaimed, her eyes open wide in shock and disbelief. "Wait if they kill recreants, why is Sinclair alive?"

"You and Bast may as well be sisters." I said softly, shaking my head. "That is the last law that Lucifer changed, that is the meeting that put Bast in a coma. And before you ask why she was there, she demanded it so."

Valerie thought about this for a moment before bursting out in laughter, nodding "Yeah, that sounds like Bast alright."

I chuckled softly, taking her hand, pulling her to sit in my lap. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just worried about Bast. She's probably really upset, and that isn't good for the baby. Can't believe Lucifer did that to her."

"Val, I'm going to tell you something, and you have to swear not to tell Bast."

"Okay... Sure."

"Lucifer is going recreant, and we don't know why."

"What do you mean? I thought Bast was keeping him from going recreant?"

"That's what we thought, but over the past few weeks Lucifer's sanity has been dwindling. When Bast went into the coma, one of his eyes went gold, due to her being half dead. When she came back, his eye reverted. We thought that was the end of it, but it's steadily getting worse, day by day. That is why he left, because he was worried about hurting her."

"So recreants turn slowly?"

"No, usually recreants turn within minutes, sometimes only seconds. That's why this situation is so worrying, and we've no idea what to do about this. Sinclair has been trying to help him, to figure out what's causing it, but to no avail so far."

"Damien is turning into a recreant, while Bast is fine and alive, pregnant with his child even... And you don't know why, how, or what to do to fix it?"

"Pretty much, yes. Some days he's completely fine and normal, some days he's seconds from losing his ability to stop himself from losing it."