Devil Dances (DD Book 1)

Chapter Thirty - Five

Cassie rubbed the teat of the bottle against the baby's lips, she kept her focus on her daughter as she heard a soft knock on the closed door.

"It's open." Cassie called out.

She didn't watch as someone entered her room.

"She looks beautifully small." The accent that Cassie had struggled to find filled the room.

Cassie looked up seeing Lucifer standing at the end of her bed, holding a white teddy bear with the words Talluah Rose stitched across the stomach. She was surprised to see the name on the teddy bear.

"Talluah's not a freak. Talluah's not an abomination. Talluah Rose is perfect."

Lucifer watched as Talluah tried to take her little attention to her biological father "Can I hold he...Talluah?"'

Cassie looked down at her daughter in her arms, she slowly looked up and nodded slightly.

Lucifer carefully sat down on the edge of Cassie's bed; Cassie carefully handed over Talluah.

"Be careful with the teddy." Cassie watched as Lucifer held Talluah as if he already knew how to hold a baby.

Lucifer kept the teddy in his grip, he gently hold the teddy by the top of Talluah's stomach.

Cassie watched; she was scared. Wondering what he'd do; she didn't want to lose her baby. "How did you know?"

"The great annoyance himself." Lucifer lifted his gaze up to the ceiling before looking at Cassie.

Cassie let her uncertain smile wipe across her lips "And her name?"

"Angels have their ways." Lucifer smirked.

Cassie let out an uncomfortable sound of laughter.

"She looks human." Lucifer kept his focus on Talluah, waiting for any sign of him in the child.

"Of course she is." Cassie attempted a smile "All through the pregnancy, just very human."

Talluah didn't cry in her father's arms, the little baby girl just fall asleep in his arms.

"Is she.." Lucifer let panic slip in his voice "I didn't..."

"It's okay, Luci. Talluah is just sleeping. Humans, especially babies do that." Cassie assured him.

Lucifer placed the teddy on the bed. He carefully adjusted Talluah in his arms "Maybe you and Talluah could now stay with me? Let Talluah grow around her family." Lucifer tilted his head slightly up at Cassie.

Cassie sighed "Lucifer."

Lucifer looked curiously at her.

"I'm raising Talluah here. She doesn't need to be raised amongst all that death, I barely managed." Cassie sighed again "Talluah needs to be around this. I don't want my daughter" Cassie smiled at her own sentence, feeling a new wave of emotion as she said my daughter.

Lucifer tried to understand but he didn't want to. He wanted his family. His daughter.

"Cas.." Michael's voice trailed off as he noticed Lucifer with Talluah.

Cassie looked up at Michael, she put her index finger to her lips trying to hush Michael as he stepped closer to Cassie.

Michael kissed Cassie's cheek, he had this urge to take Talluah off Lucifer, tell Lucifer to leave but he couldn't work up the courage to actually say the words he needed to say instead he spoke with forced protection "Your not going to be part of her life."

Lucifer looked up at Michael. "Talluah is my daughter."

"You're a monster." Michael found some words.

Lucifer flicked his black eyes to Cassie, seeing her lower her head and her gaze to her hands.

"We think." Cassie breathed "That it'll." She deeply breathed "Be safe to keep Talluah away from you." Those words had pained her.

Lucifer carefully stroked Talluah's cheek with his thumb "If that's what you think."

Cassie lifted her gaze, she watched Lucifer carefully. She feared her worst fear was about to come true.

"Cassandra." Lucifer spoke.

Cassie felt her eyes begin to well up with tears.

Lucifer rose to his feet, Talluah still in his arms.

"Lucifer, please." Cassie begged.

"Talluah Rose will ask about me." Lucifer kept his thumb stroking against the baby's soft cheek.

"And she won't know." Michael tried to hide the fear in his voice as he attempted to find the strength his mother had.

Tears dripped from Cassie's eyes.

"What will happen when she becomes a monster." Lucifer kept his gaze firmly fixed on Michael.

"Talluah won't be." Michael rebutted.

Lucifer smiled as if he knew something no one else did "Satan's daughter after all." A ring of flames appeared around him.

Michael instantly froze with fear.

"Lucifer." Cassie cried; fear had struck her body; forcing her to stay in her bed.

Lucifer dropped down into the carpet of the floor.

Cassie watched as tears fall heavily down her cheeks.

Talluah landed safely in a black crib that had swiftly appeared in the space Lucifer had stood, the teddy bear he had brought her sat by Talluah's side.

Cassie painfully climbed out of her bed, she carefully checked to see Talluah was still alive.

Cassie carefully placed her hand on Talluah's chest than carefully placed her hand under Talluah neck and her free hand under Talluah's back, carefully lifted the baby out of the crib.

Cassie gently pressed Talluah up against her chest.

Cassie kissed the top of Talluah's head "I'm going to keep you safe, Talluah Rose Holmes."