Stranger Danger

Chapter Five: The More Secrets, The More Lies

"Mommy?" The beautiful little girl asked again.

I was stunned, she looked like a little version of Brian and.... me?

She looked like the little girl from my dreams.

How was any of this possible?

"No baby," Brian said quickly. He rushed over to the two of us, swinging her into his arms and whispering something in her ear before he said aloud. "I know she looks like mommy but that's not her, alright?"

"Sorry," she whispered with her bottom lip sticking out. Tears gathered in her eyes and I immediately moved to console her.

"Don't cry honey, you're way too beautiful to cry," I whispered as I wiped the tears that continued to fall from her beautiful green-blue eyes. His eyes. His child.

"I miss mommy, daddy," she said as she looked at me longingly. I didn't understand what was going on and he had so much to explain to me. Today, I was getting answers and he didn't have a choice.

"I know," he said as he used his free hand to grab mine, taking us all inside the house. I didn't want him touching me right now but let it go because there was no way I was arguing in front of a child, even with him. He led us to the dining room and I noticed it had been changed, there was no longer a hole or dent in the wall from when his whore had thrown that damn plate at me.

The walls were now a soft green color with darker green table cloths and napkins. Even the material on the chairs was now green. I sat down and the cute little girl sat next to me while Brian sat across from me. He glanced at me throughout the entire meal, almost staring but I ignored him and talked with the little girl who's name I learned was Zenani. It was such a beautiful African name and I loved it.

"You know you have to go to bed sometime," Brian commented as Zenani lay her head on my lap. She'd been talking my ear off nonstop since we finished dinner and I was loving every moment of it. I always wanted a lot of children and I wasn't sure if I'd ever get that chance in life.

"But daddy!" She whined as she snuggled further into me.

"I don't wanna hear it Nani, now upstairs so you can get your bath."

She pouted before stomping off in vampire speed. It sounded like a really fast drum but it was a funny beat and situation all in the same.

"And quit stomping your feet!" He yelled before looking at me. I averted my gaze causing him to sigh, he knew he was definitely in for it. "If I tell you, you won't believe me."

"It's her daughter?" He nodded. "How?" I said in a slightly broken tone.

"When she was four, my wife was murdered," he started out. "Her young mind and body didn't know how to handle it and went into a shock. When vampiric children -and even the women with child- go into shock like she did, they go into a coma and only wake when their bodies feel like the child can handle the situation. Most pregnant women stay in their state of pregnancy until the baby is ready. They don't grow or progress and their mindset is sometimes still in the state it was in when they went in."

"When did she wake up?"

"Three months ago," he paused. "When you met me."

"Has she been here all this time?" I asked, my voice slightly raised. Surely I would've met her by now, right?

"No, she was in Rome with my parents where I had her body taken pretty close to three and a half centuries ago so that they could do some tests and monitor her, trying to get her to wake up. Nothing would work for a long time and I was thinking she would forever be in that state."