Chapter 76: Chapter Seventy-Six

Once our nails were done, they started on hair and makeup, which was another beast I found myself wholly unready to face. I'd never seen the point in doing hair and makeup, but had no choice but to oblige as Valerie demanded I'd let her do it.

I found it was hard to catch my breath as every time I thought we were done, Valerie had us start on something else. Throughout the last two hours, I observed that my patience was wearing thin, my anger boiling to explode at the first misstep. It was like using the baby's abilities had left me with a vampiric residue, threatening to explode at the first flare-up of anger I had. From experience, I learned what it felt like to use the baby's abilities, but I knew that what I felt boiling inside me wasn't from the baby.

I made a mental note to talk to the men about this, as I wasn't sure if it was me imagining it, or if it was something I needed to be worried about. Damien had been giving me a dose of his blood every night, which had worked in helping him regain his stability, but didn't do anything to my ability to vampirize, as I'd coined it recently.

*'Getting married is a lot of fucking work.'* I thought as the hairdresser had finally finished, trying to find the energy to smile, but finding none. Samantha took immediate notice of my exhaustion and waved the woman away who was beginning to do my makeup. She held her hand out to me, smiling softly.

"What do you think you're doing? She's got things to do!" Valerie exclaimed when she saw this, trying to cross the room to us, but couldn't as the vampire attending to her held her down. "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?" She sneered at the vampire, narrowing her eyes. The vampire bent down and whispered something in her ear, not loud enough for anyone else to hear. Once she'd finished, she looked to Samantha and me with a nod, telling us to go.

"Come on," Samantha said taking my hand and leading me out of the house and to the side, opposite of where the wedding was to be held, past the garage. "Much better." She breathed out as sat down with our backs to the house, both of us releasing a deep breath as we felt like we could finally breathe.

"Oh, she is going to be pissed," I said with a soft laugh, shaking my head. *'She's going to be absolutely livid, but I just need a minute. Are weddings always this tiring? Jesus.'*

"She will get over it. You're pregnant which is tiring on its own, let alone being pregnant and doing all of this on your wedding day." Samantha answered, looking to our left where Sinclair had appeared.

"What are you doing?" He asked, quickly turning his back to put on his sunglasses before Samantha could see his gold eyes.

"I just needed a breather, Sinclair," I said with a sigh. "Samantha, this is Sinclair. Sinclair, this is Samantha." I said, motioning as I introduced them to each other.

"It's nice to meet you, Sinclair. If Mr. Edge is upset, you can tell him it was me who brought her out, so be upset with me if anyone." Samantha said as she began to stand to shake his hand, but remained seated when he shook his head and sat down in front of us.

"And you as well, Samantha." He said politely as he watched me closely like he was trying to figure something out. I wanted to ask him, but couldn't as we had company that didn't know about any of this.

"Is he upset?" I finally asked, making a note to ask Sinclair later what that was about.

"No, he wanted me to thank miss Samantha for giving you a breather, as Valerie doesn't seem to know the meaning. Take your breather, but don't stay away for too long." He said as he stood and went back towards the house, nodding to Samantha as he left.

I smiled and shook my head, thanking Damien internally for being so understanding, and knowing me so well. I know I'd come a long way at being able to control myself and had learned not to use the baby's abilities as much, but today it seemed extra hard to hold myself back. Valerie doesn't understand how hard it is for me to hold myself back, and if she kept pushing me, I would eventually reach my breaking point.

We only stayed outside for about ten minutes, enjoying the fresh air and catching up, but Valerie went mental as if those ten minutes would ruin the entire wedding. She started going on and on about how we were so behind schedule and how it was immature of me to do that. I tried to ignore her, but couldn't as she had managed to find my last nerve, and was walking that very thin line.

"Hey, Val?" I asked as I began crossing the room to her, walking slowly as I tried to bite back my laughter. "You do realize, this is my wedding right?" I asked as I took her collar, gripping it tightly as I yanked her, bringing our faces only inches away. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up." I said, emphasizing every word individually, using every ounce of my will power to hold back from vampirizing. I released her, pushing against her harder than I needed to, causing her to stumble back, her eyes wide in disbelief and horror as she stared at me. "I mean, I am only human," I said with a sarcastic chuckle, reveling in her pain as I watched her try to regain her composure.

"Bast, what the hell?" Alison shrieked as she ran to Valerie's side, trying to help her up, but was swatted away.

Valerie stood and closed the difference between us, getting so close our noses were less than a hair away. "I do this, for you. And you have the fucking audacity to snap on me?" She asked incredulously, her brown eyes now black as night as she glared at me, completely unafraid of the power she knew I had. "That baby will be born, eventually, Bastet. Then we'll be on the same tier again, so I suggest you watch the way you treat me."

I laughed spitefully, narrowing my eyes as I met her gaze, knowing mine was beginning to turn red as I could feel my senses heightening, but couldn't bother to care about it as the only thing I cared about is what was happening at this moment between Valerie and me. "You have never been in the same tier as me, Valerie. But it's really cute that you think this baby is the only thing separating us." I said as I put my hand on her shoulder, walking slowly backward as I jabbed her, emphasizing my words as I spoke them. "Everything you have now is thanks to MY soon-to-be husband, and me. That boyfriend you have, that you are so keen to gloat about? Yeah, you're welcome. That nice big house that is paid off? That new car? This impossible sense of value and astounding fucking ego? You think you would have any of that if it wasn't for me?"

"Bast, you need to stop." Valerie whimpered, her eyes starting to water as she winced every time I jabbed her, trying to escape but unable to as I'd backed her against a wall.

"Bast, come on," Samantha said as she grabbed my arm, pulling me back to the other side of the room while Alison kept Valerie on her side. I squeezed my eyes closed so no one else could see my eye color, as I wasn't entirely sure if they'd returned to normal yet. I could feel myself relaxing, but after what just happened, I didn't trust myself enough to know if I was calm or not. I didn't open my eyes again until my phone began ringing, no doubt Damien calling me as I know he'd just heard every word of what I said.

"Hey, how bad was that?" I answered, breathing a deep sigh as Damien's deep voice filled my ear.

"That was... Interesting. Are you alright, kitten?" He asked me softly, his thunderous voice reverberating through my core, allowing me to finally breathe freely. It's like he knew his voice was the only thing that could calm me down.

"I'm okay, but I don't think I can say the same of my friendship."

"You and Valerie have been through much worse than this, Bast. She knows how stressful today is for you, and she'll forgive you. Rest assured."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You're pregnant, you cannot be held responsible for your mood swings, despite how... severe they can be. Just breathe, give it some space, and I'll see you in a few hours." He said, then ended the call.

Valerie and I stayed on opposite sides of the room for the remainder of the time it took until our makeup was done. Next, it was time to go get dressed, where Lisa was waiting in the library already.

"Only an hour left!" Alison grinned as Lisa motioned for her to get on the pedestal while she checked the dress to make sure everything fit the way it was supposed to. For the bridesmaid's dresses, I picked out a color that I knew Damien loved, knowing he would know what it meant as soon as he saw them. I picked a dark purple, the same color of the tie he was wearing when he came to lay claim on me. The dresses had double off the shoulder straps that I knew Valerie loved, as she loved to show off her chest in anything she wore, with an off-center front slit. I hadn't realized that the bridesmaid's dresses were tailored to exactly what Valerie loved until I saw the way her eyes lit up when she saw it. The design itself was everything Valerie would have asked for, while the color was tailored to what Damien loved.

"Ow!" Alison exclaimed as she jumped back, touching her leg where Lisa had "Accidentally" pricked her with the pin.

"My apologies, miss Alison. I would suggest you remain still." Lisa said with a soft gasp as if she was surprised, but both Valerie and I knew that she'd done it on purpose.

"Didn't I tell you to stop saying shit like that?" Valerie asked, smiling softly to Lisa, thanking her for what she'd done.

I chuckled softly and sat on the couch, watching as each of the girls put on their dresses before adding their accessories from the jewelry boxes Lisa had set off to the side. Once they were all done, Lisa waved them out of the room.

"Now it's the bride's turn, she will be done in time to walk down the aisle, but why don't you all go and give us some privacy."

"You're seriously saying that no one gets to see her dress until she's literally walking down the aisle?" Valerie asked incredulously, clearly very upset as she thought she would be able to see it before anyone else.

"Yes, that is what I'm saying," Lisa said as she closed the library door, turning to face me with a soft knowing smile as she pulled out my dress and began to help me into it. "How are you?" She asked once I was dressed, and she'd finished making sure everything fit perfectly.

"I'm okay, stressed," I said with a soft laugh as she took out my shoes and kneeled to help me put them on.

"My king requested that I ask you to wear this, but he said it was up to you." She said as she pulled out a black box, opening it to reveal an 18k gold beaded choker necklace. I felt my heart jump into my throat as I saw it, unable to say anything, as I didn't know what to say. Lisa chuckled as she took the necklace out, and carefully clasped it closed before taking a step back to let me see it in the mirror.

"I don't..." I trailed off as I tried to speak, but to no avail as I still hadn't found the words deserving of this. The necklace went perfectly with the dress, almost like he'd picked it out specifically after seeing the dress. "Did he see my dress?" I asked her incredulously as I found I couldn't tear my eyes away from my reflection, barely recognizing myself. The women in the salon had left my makeup mostly natural, only using a minimal amount of makeup, but just enough to make my bright green eyes pop, highlighting my cheeks in a small amount of blush. I'd picked out a pair of embroidered gold lace 4-inch heels, with an open toe design, and criss-cross gold leather straps. My hair was down and wavy, with a beautiful diamond clip on the right side, giving it a bridal look while still not being over the top.

"No, I promise you, I've allowed no one to see your dress," Lisa assured me as she took the veil and fastened it, then meticulously straightened it. Once she was done, she took a step back with a wide smile, her eyes growing watery as she looked over every inch of me, making sure everything was in place. "Perfect. That's the only word that could describe you. Absolute perfection."

I tried to catch my breath as I gathered my dress and stepped down, walking forward to hug her. "Thank you so much, I just can't believe..." I started to say, but couldn't finish as I felt my tears threatening to spill over. Lisa didn't seem to mind the embrace as she rubbed my back softly, nodding.

"Little Bastet... Wow." Sinclair said from the doorway, bringing out attention to him. I was thankful for the distraction as it was getting near impossible for me not to cry. He closed the door and crossed the room, taking in every inch of me in awe, his golden eyes bright as he did so. "You look positively breathtaking. I fear if my heart still beat, you would have stopped it."

"Oh, stop it." I laughed giving him a quick hug.

"It's time, little Bastet." He said, offering his arm to me with a smile while putting on his sunglasses with his free hand.

*'Oh my, it's time!'* I thought as I took his arm and let him lead me out of the library and to the front door. A guard standing by bowed slightly to us before opening the door, revealing a long white carpet, covered in rose petals, leading from the front door, going to the side of the house, before going out into the meadow where the wedding was to take place.

Sinclair led me until we were underneath the arbor which was covered with a thick white lace cloth; heavy enough to hide me from the guests, but thin enough for me to still see through it. Sinclair and I looked forward to the guests who were sitting down, waiting for the wedding to begin. I tried to tell myself to breathe, but couldn't as I watched Damien walk to the altar, followed by Valerie and Sam, then Alison and Bartholomew, and ending with Samantha who acted as the flower girl and the ring bearer.

I thought I couldn't breathe before, but as I heard the bridal chorus beginning, I was quite literally unable to breathe as they removed the cloth from the arbor. I don't know how, but somehow I found the ability to move my feet forward, walking slowly down the aisle. I could hear the collective gasp and whispers as the guests commented on my dress, their awe, and envy making me blush. I kept my eyes on Damien as I walked forward, unable to break my eyes away from him. His black hair was neatly styled back, his electric blue eyes were wet with tears as he watched me, wearing an elegant jet black tuxedo, his bow tie a dark purple matching the bridesmaid's gowns.

"Thank you, brother," Damien said softly, bowing to Sinclair as we reached the alter, taking my hand. "You, my bride... Are stunning." He said softly to me as we stood at the altar, unable to look away from each other's eyes.

"Please be seated." The minister said, looking out at the guests before turning his attention back to Damien and I. He smiled softly at me, then at Damien, before looking back out at the crowd. "We’re all here today to celebrate the relationship of Bastet and Lucifer..."

I tried to listen as the minister talked but found I couldn't. I could only focus on Damien and the fact that we were actually getting married! At this moment, only Damien and I existed as we looked lovingly into the eyes of each other. I knew without a doubt that he felt the same way about me, as he caressed my hand softly, staring into my eyes with unwavering purity and love. It wasn't until a scream broke out that I was able to bring my attention back to what was happening around me.

"Oh my god!" Valerie screamed as she took a few steps back, shaking her head as her eyes widened in horror.

I watched the scene unfolding in front of me, unable to believe if it was really happening or not. I remained frozen at the alter as a group of close to 100 vampires attacked our wedding guests, only stopped by the vampires on Damien's side lunged forward into action. I saw a small group of men running directly towards Damien and I, the other vampires in attendance kept busy with trying to fight off the ones who were killing my friends.

Damien fought off the group as best as he could, yelling at me to move, or to use the baby's abilities to run. But I couldn't. It felt like I was in my coma again. I could see and hear everything around me, but I couldn't move, and I couldn't speak. Just in the nick of time, Sinclair stood in front of me, throwing his glasses to the side as he attacked the vampire that had lunged at me, spraying his blood all over my wedding dress. Once he'd killed that vampire, he ran forward to help Damien with the dozen vampires he was fighting off.

It felt like hours, but in reality, was only minutes before the fighting ended, and I'd remained standing where I was, taking in the blood and gore that now surrounded me. *'Why did I think this would ever work? A human marrying the vampire king? I'm such an idiot!'* I screamed internally as Damien came back to the alter, trying to take my hand, but I ripped it away before he could.

For the first time since the wedding began, I took a deep breath and was finally able to tear my eyes away from the atrocious scene in front of me. All of the humans except for Samantha and Valerie were dead, their bloodied corpses scattered around the yard, everything now covered in blood. A few of the vampires had managed to escape, chased down by a group of Damien's guards, but the majority of them lay dead before me with the humans.

I finally closed my eyes and took a few more deep breaths, before opening them to look at Damien who was standing in front of me speaking, but I hadn't heard a single word he'd said. I looked to Sam who was holding Valerie, comforting her as she screamed, unable to cope with the savagery she'd just witnessed. Then to Samantha who was sitting on the ground, her eyes wide as she was unable to tear herself away from the scene, rocking back and forth slightly with her knees pulled to her chest.

"Bast!" Damien yelled, putting his hands on my shoulders and shaking me out of my stupor.

"Stop," I said, giving him a hard shove on the chest, making him take a step back, stunned. I shook my head and finally looked down at my dress, and immediately wished I hadn't. I could barely tell it used to be white as it was now drenched in blood, but I didn't have the time to be upset as I gathered it up and stepped over the mounds of bodies, running back into the house, ignoring the protests of Damien as he ran after me.

*'Of course, this happened. Why did I think we would just be able to get married and live happily ever after? You dumb, stupid human!'* I thought as I ran back upstairs and into my room where I tore at my dress, sobbing as I stepped into the shower, barely noticing the chill in the water as I stood underneath it.

I could hear Damien knocking on the bathroom door, trying to get me to talk to him, but I ignored him as I stood underneath the water, trying to wash my feelings down the drain. I remained under the water for a long time, until I'd become too numb to feel the pain anymore. When I came out, Damien was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands, waiting.

"Bast, I-" He started to say when he saw me but stopped when I held my hand up, shaking my head as I walked to the wardrobe.

"I told you to stop, Damien," I said as I dressed, not bothering to turn around to look at him. I didn't turn to face him, much to his chagrin, even as I sat on the opposite side of the bed to put on my shoes, then gathered my phone, keys, and wallet, but thought better of it and set my phone and wallet back on the bed. *'I won't need these anyway. Not where I'm going.'* I thought, then turned to look at Damien who'd been waiting for me to speak to him. "This was a dumb idea, and we should have known it wouldn't have worked. Not for us, not with you."

"Bast, what are you saying?" He choked out, his eyes wide in fear as he waited for my response. He knew what I was saying, he just didn't want to believe it. I couldn't blame him for it, as I didn't even want to believe what I was saying. But I'd already made up my mind, and I knew this is what I needed to do. Not just for my sake, and not for the sake of our unborn child, but all of us. At first glance, this may seem selfish or spontaneous, but it's not the first time I've considered doing this, and after what had just happened, I knew it was the right thing to do.

"You know what I'm saying, Lucifer," I said as I began to walk away, but turned around to find that he was right behind me, ready to grab my arm to try to stop me. "Please don't try to stop me, I need this," I said over my shoulder as I walked out of the room and back downstairs, relieved that he obliged and let me walk out, despite the fact that he could have stopped me. I should have been surprised, but I wasn't when I saw that all of the bodies and blood had already been cleaned and disposed of, the meadow returned to its normal state by the time I'd returned outside. I got into my car and drove down the driveway, wishing I could feel something, but unable to feel anything as I drove off.

My drive lasted for about thirty minutes, and I had this crazy thought that I would change my mind by the time I'd arrived, but I didn't. I walked forward and opened the door, walking up to the desk where the woman standing behind it eyed me without caring all too much about why I was here.

"Can I help you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My name is Bastet Isabella Morris, I'm here to turn myself in." I said, then turned towards the group of cops who were standing to my right, holding out my wrists towards them.