Career Day
He didn't blink when the blood splattered across his face. Some flew across his mouth, but he did not taste it. The lightning sword Alastor slashed through the demon's heart. Then it severed the demon's head before the body hit the ground. Dante drew Alastor back to prepare for the next attack. The second demon released the cave wall and leapt towards him. Dante sidestepped and butted the demon in the back of the head with the sword hilt. The tip of a wing gashed Dante across the cheek. The demon flew straight into a torch and burst into flames.
Dante hoisted the bag with the demon queen's head over his shoulder and continued running towards the cave entrance. The scuffling and screeching of demons chasing him filled the cave. He could not possibly kill them all at once. There were literally thousands of them after him.
Dante guessed, from the increasing intensity of the echos, they were quickly reducing the distance. Cold claws slashing against his back reminded him how desperate the situation was. Reaching within his soul in an instant, a black glow suddenly surrounded his body. A demon slashed at his back again. It got a hand full of red leather. It pulled back for another swipe, but this time it got empty space. The black light receded farther up the cave. The demon stopped flying and stared in awe as Dante dashed forward at a superhuman speed. He was still dumbstruck when the demons behind him trampled him in their pursuit of their queen mother's murderer.
Dante dug his feet into the dirt as he exited the cave. His momentum forced him forward a few meters. He never had a second to rest before he saw an unpleasant surprise. The queen mother's mate, who was twice her size, loomed over him. It's skin was slimy black. Four leathery wings were outstretched across its back. Six muscular arms with seven claws on each hand grasped at the air. It leaned forward and released a deep throated growl.
Dante shook his head. "I'm not getting paid for you."
As if it had just been insulted, the demon king raised it's head to the sky and roared. The vibrations shook the ground. Dante shifted his weight to compensate. Rocks and boulders broke loose and began raining down upon the cave entrance. The demon king looked down to claw Dante to pieces with one swipe. Much to its chagrin, Dante was gone. The bag that carried the queen mother's head lay on the ground.
The demon king leaned forward to grab the bag. As it reached out with one claw, Alastor flew into its arm and spun against the flesh. The sword continued to spin until it severed the claw. Then it returned to its owner's hand. The demon king raised its head to the sky again. This time it was responding to an airborne scream. Dante descended upon it with Alastor in hand. The demon king saw the sword swipe downward, but it did not feel Alastor cleave through its flesh. When Dante landed, he seized the bag and leapt out of the way.
The demon king thought it was an impressive leap. Before it was halfway through the thought, a cold sensation ran across its neck. Though it stood erect, its head leaned forward until it completely ripped free of the rest of its body. The head crashed onto the cave entrance just as the demons within it began to emerge. They were all crushed as their father's head fell onto them. The rest of the body followed suit seconds later. The cave completely collapsed at the entrance and several meters down from the massive weight. The demons trapped alive would eventually starve to death, assuming they didn't first eat each other.
Dante placed Alastor over one shoulder and hoisted the bag over the other. He whistled on his way to collect his money.
*
Lilith Divinity Sparda shoved her toes under her pillow and stared at the TV. She was watching a rerun of Farscape, where Zhaan was bringing Aeryn back from the brink of death through Unity. Just as Aeryn refused John Crichton's advances yet again, there was a tap on the door.
"Enter!" Lilith said without turning from the TV.
Dante, now clean from a quick shower, silently entered the room and closed the door. He took a moment to admire the little girl sitting on her bed while refusing to pay him any attention. She had a light brown complexion like her mother, but her hair was platinum white like her father's. Her eyes were an eerie deep blue, probably from a mutation, but Dante always thought they were his mother's eyes. She didn't seem to take notice of the man standing in her room, but he knew she was aware. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked.
Her fingers played with an amulet around her neck. "I am in bed."
In a seemingly single motion, Dante turned on the lamp, then snatched up the remote and turned off the television. Lilith stood as if to protest. Dante tossed the remote aside. Then he picked up the eight year old and dropped her onto the bed. "Don't act upset," he said. "You've seen that episode a million times."
"Big deal. I want to see it again."
"It's over now. Besides, you have school in the morning."
"I went to school yesterday," Lilith whined.
Dante leaned over her. "And you'll go tomorrow. And you'll keep going because I'm your father and I said so."
Lilith huffed. She never won these disagreements, and she knew she wasn't about to start. "Okay, okay. I give." Dante fluffed the pillow and placed it at the head of the bed. "Oh dear, sweet, Daddy of mine...," Lilith began.
"Whatever it is, the answer is no," Dante finished. Oh god, he thought, she's turning into a sycophant.
"Daddy, you haven't even heard me out."
Dante dropped himself onto the bed. "Fine. What is it?"
Lilith took a deep breath. "Are you doing anything important next Friday?"
"Important being?"
"Anything having to do with slaying denizens of the Underworld."
"Well, I don't have anything planned at the present." Dante raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing. Well, actually, next Friday at school, we're having a Career Day, and Mom already said she couldn't make it, so you're my only choice. Please don't say no."
Dante sighed as if he just passed a kidney stone. "Lilith, what am I supposed to tell them?"
"I already passed the word that you were a bounty hunter. You can fib your way through that; it's close enough to the truth."
"Yes, but I don't hunt humans. I hunt demons."
"They don't need to know that." Lilith widened her eyes in the most hideous puppy dog look Dante had ever seen, which was saying a lot, considering she was a beautiful little girl. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeese."
"I'll think about it."
"But if you say no, who else will I have to take with me?"
Dante slipped his hands around her neck to undo the clasp on her amulet. "I'll take care of it. Now go to bed." He stood and placed the amulet beside a figurine of a man carrying a large hourglass.
With one final pout, Lilith fell against the pillow. Dante pulled the covers up to her chin. At the last minute, he pulled them over her head and dropped them onto her face. As soon as she shrieked in protest, he pulled them back to her chin. Then he kissed her forehead and turned off the light.
*
Deanna rocked back and forth with restlessness. Though the bedroom was slightly below room temperature, she had only one sheet on her. The rest of the bed covers were strewn across the foot of the bed. She instantly stopped moving when she heard Dante's footsteps, then rolled onto her side to feign sleep. She listened as Dante opened and closed the door and got undressed. She maintained her charade as he slipped into bed behind her. He slid an arm around her diaphragm and planted his face against her neck.
"How was work?" Deanna mumbled.
Dante lifted his head slightly. "I almost got killed today."
"That's nice."
"Well, don't sound concerned."
Deanna rolled over to look at him. "Is there really any purpose in being concerned about you?"
"No, but that's not the point."
"Can we save this until later? I had a difficult time with Lilith today."
"What did she do? She didn't try to transform, did she?"
Deanna shook her head. "She wouldn't do that without your supervision. Not yet, anyway."
"Then what?"
Deanna hesitated while she tried to find an easy way to tell him. "I'll break it to you gently. It's about Lilith's school thing next Friday."
"Oh no," Dante moaned. "Tell me it wasn't your idea. Tell me your boss made you do it."
"Sort of. It's not easy being a model. I think I'm the only one there who isn't underweight or carrying an entire community of tapeworms."
"You know that's just an urban legend."
Deanna put a hand over Dante's face. "Anyway, I've been scheduled for shooting for the next two weeks, so I can't go with Lilith. Sorry. If you don't want her to fail, you have to go instead."
"What am I supposed to tell them?" Dante asked against her hand.
"Tell them you're a bounty hunter, or a mercenary." Deanna began laughing. "Better yet, say you're a garbage specialist, except the garbage you deal with is not the kind you see everyday."
Dante moved her hand aside. "That's not funny."
"It is to me." Deanna suddenly became serious. "Besides, this is important to her. You know she's been having trouble at school with one of the kids, and you've forbidden her to fight back."
"I have to. I don't want a call from the school or a disgruntled parent telling me that their kid has been mutilated, decapitated, and hanged upside down by his own entrails. That's not something I want to take responsibility for."
"She's old enough to understand the importance of discretion. You should at least let her learn to defend herself like a human."
"But she's not human."
"Well, what do you expect her to do? If it goes too far, eventually she will take matters into her own hands. For crying out loud, you won't even let me discipline her. You do everything for her yourself."
"Fine. I'm too tired to argue. I'll go. Maybe I can scare some discipline into the little brat who's bothering her."
"That's acceptable, but promise me you won't use the glowing eyes."
Dante didn't answer. Deanna thought she might have insulted him. She would have turned over to go to sleep. Dante stopped her just long enough to plant a kiss on her nose. She pulled his head down to her lips for another kiss. Dante rolled over and pulled Deanna astride his waist. He pulled her down for another kiss, which led into two hours of lovemaking.
*
"I hate children."
Lilith flashed Dante a skeptical look. "No, you don't."
"OK, I don't, but I hate other people's children. Dealing with my own is difficult enough." Lilith's expression didn't change. "I was just joking!"
"Only halfway. Today you get to meet that jerk whom you won't let me fight."
"It's for both your own goods. Mostly his."
For the first time in several days, Lilith smiled. "Remember your story you're telling the class."
Dante leaned over to undo her seatbelt. "Yeah, yeah. Bounty hunter and all that."
"By the way, the kid in question is named Jason Wyland. He's kinda stocky and has freckles. You can't miss him."
Dante put an arm around Lilith's shoulders. "You're not going to embarrass me today, are you?"
Lilith's mouth said, "No." Her face said, I should be telling YOU that! She opened the car door and stepped outside to get a look at the other kids' parents. After some time of staring, she said, "Look at all those freaks. Ahh!" She squealed as Dante snatched her jacket and pulled her after him towards the school entrance. He continued dragging her to her classroom. As soon as he opened the door, Lilith took over. Under the assumption that she had a reputation to maintain for her classmates, he let her lead him into the room. He had no idea yet how right he was.
"Lilith?" Lilith and Dante both stopped and turned towards the teacher's desk. A tall pale skinned woman with curly red hair stood and extended a hand to Dante. "You must be Lilith's father. I'm her teacher, Rhiannon MacLeod."
Dante took her hand and resisted the urge to squeeze it. "Yes. That would be me. I'm her father."
"Good. You're just in time." She pointed to several empty seats. "Make yourself comfortable. Class begins in a few minutes."
Dante followed Lilith to seats in the front row. After a glance across those already there, he leaned towards her. "I don't see Jason."
As soon as he said the name, the door swung open. A chunky kid with freckles, followed by an overweight man with freckles, entered the room. Much to Lilith's dismay, they sat beside her.
"Is that the one?" Dante asked.
Lilith sensed the humor behind his question. For the first time she could recall, she wished he wasn't smiling. "May I hit him? Just once?"
"No! Fighting doesn't belong in school. Besides, he hasn't done anything."
"He will."
Dante placed a finger over his lips to signal silence. Ms. MacLeod sighed and closed the door Jason's father had left open. As soon as she turned around, she smiled. It was obviously a pretense. "Well, who's first?" No one moved. "Come on. Someone has to go first."
Ms. MacLeod prepared to call someone. Lilith saw her eyes move towards Dante until Jason's father stood. "Nobody panic," Jason's father said. "I'll save the day." Jason was the only one amused. Most of the other children groaned.
"Is it really that bad?" Dante heard a man ask his son.
"You have no idea," the boy answered.
Ms. MacLeod motioned inertly to the front of the room. "Please come up front and introduce yourself." She sat at her desk and prepared for a disaster. She wasn't disappointed. Half the children and all the parents, including Lilith and excluding Dante, groaned and squirmed in pain. In desperation, Lilith rummaged through Dante's pockets until she found a pen. She then flipped over his hand and began tic tac toe on his palm.
For the next five minutes, Jason's father thoroughly tortured the class with his tales of macho bravado in construction work and lunch breaks that made several parents clear their throats or cover their children's ears. Thankfully, one child raised her hand and swung it around as if she were convulsing. Ms. MacLeod perked up in relief and pointed. "What is it, Shana? Do you have a question?"
"Yes!" Shana squealed behind Lilith's head as she crossed through her X's on Dante's middle finger. "Are there any women in construction?"
Ms. MacLeod held her breath. She knew what was coming. Jason's father stiffened as if it were a stupid question. "Of course, there are," Lilith muttered under her breath as she marked an X on Dante's wrist.
What I wouldn't give for a Quaker Chewy, Dante thought. Dante reached into another pocket and pulled out a watermelon Jolly Rancher. He unwrapped it and shoved it into Lilith's mouth. He wasn't a moment too soon.
"Not around here," Jason's father answered. "Most such work is too much for women." Lilith's eyes narrowed as she realized why she'd been given the Jolly Rancher.
"That's not true!" a boy yelled in the back. "My aunt is a construction worker in Texas!"
The astonishment on Jason's father's face cued Ms. MacLeod to slap the desk. Everyone looked at her in unison. "If no one has anymore questions, I'm sure someone else would like to come up. Please. Alex, how about your mother?"
The next twenty minutes were much easier to endure. If Lilith had paid attention, she would have been bored, intrigued, and bored again by the psychologist, the cop, and the beautician. By the end of the fourth parent, Lilith was up to Dante's elbow and her fifth Jolly Rancher.
"Lilith," Ms. MacLeod said, "how about your father?"
Lilith didn't cross the X. "Uh oh."
Dante pulled the pen from her hand. With a wink and a smile, he pulled down his sleeve and stood. He was bewildered by the abrupt applause from most of the children. Ms. MacLeod shrugged. "She has a fan club."
"Really?" He stepped forward to the designated spot and pivoted on a heel. The classroom looks different on this end. "My name is Dante; I'm Lilith's father." There was more applause. He looked at Lilith. "I'm a bounty hunter."
"What's a bounty hunter?" Shana asked.
"I hunt bad guys for money."
"Like a cop."
Dante nodded. "Something like that."
"Do you shoot people?" another girl asked.
Ms. MacLeod shot the girl a disapproving look. "Dana, that's an inappropriate question!"
"Actually," Dante answered, "I do shoot people, but only in self- defense."
"Do you have guns?" another child asked with too much enthusiasm. His mother seized his arm and forced him into his seat.
Dante casually pushed his coat aside and pulled two guns, a chrome one and a black one, from a hidden holster. Reactions ranged from gasps of terror to gawking and pointing in awe. Ms. MacLeod stood as if to protest. Dante positioned the guns over her desk and released the clips. They clattered onto the desk. She calmed a bit when she saw they were empty. "These are my coworkers, Ebony and Ivory. They're handmade."
"Have you ever killed anyone?" another child asked.
Dante lowered Ebony and Ivory. "Only in self-defense, but I don't just use guns. I also have swords."
Lilith covered her ears as all her classmates, except Jason, jumped up in unison and chaotically requested a demonstration. She watched him place Ebony and Ivory on the desk. The teacher covered them with her jacket. Dante left through the second door that led to the playground while the parents futilely attempted calming their children. She saw Dante return with a three foot long branch. The children got out of control again as he gave them their demonstration.
Lilith jumped when someone tapped her shoulder. She turned to see her friend Alex lean over her seat. "Your dad is awesome."
For the second time that day, Lilith smiled. "Thanks. I know."
*
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
Lilith shrugged. The hallways were almost empty. Everyone was going home, and she was really looking forward to the weekend. "I'm just glad it's over."
Dante pinched and shook her nose. "Stop complaining." When they reached the exit, Dante stopped and grabbed Lilith's shoulder. "Where's your amulet?"
Lilith reached for her neck; it was bare. "The clasp must have broken in class. I'll be back." Dante let her slip free and run back into the building. On her way back to the classroom, she saw Jason standing next to the boy's bathroom. Knowing Dante would disapprove, she quickly looked away and continued on to the classroom. Ms. MacLeod was still inside with someone else's mother. The woman stared at her with disdain as Lilith waved once and dropped to her hands and knees. Ms. MacLeod waved back with her index finger. Lilith found the amulet under her seat. She waved again without looking as she headed back for the door. On her way out, she saw Jason still standing next to the boy's bathroom.
"Hey Sparda!" Lilith ignored him. "Sparda!" Jason called again. Lilith stopped. She closed her eyes and squeezed the amulet as she attempted to soothe the latent demon. "What'cha doing, freak!"
Lilith spun on her heel to face him. "Leave me alone."
Jason approached with a smirk. Lilith instinctively stepped back. "Now I know why you're a freak. It runs in the family."
Lilith felt the demon begging for release. "Don't make me mad."
"What are you going to do?" He pushed her with one hand.
"I didn't come here for you." Lilith turned her back to him. Jason ran behind her and pushed her with all his weight. She ran face first into a locker. Lilith didn't hear his laughter. She rebounded off the locker and put all her momentum, along with some demon spirit, into her fist. Less than a second later, Jason lay on the floor beside a small puddle of blood and teeth. He quickly crawled towards the lockers to get out of the way. He held his fractured jaw with one hand.
"Hey! What the hell happened!" Jason's father stepped out from the boy's bathroom and approached them.
Lilith popped a knuckle. She was feeling lucky. "I gave him what he asked for."
"Is that so?" He snatched Lilith's shirt and pulled her to within an inch of his face. "What did you do to my son, you little brat?"
"What are you doing!" The force behind the new voice made him release her. She ran aside to give her father room to do his work. She bit her thumb in an attempt to quell the impending laughter.
Wyland straightened and turned to face Dante. "You got a problem, buddy?"
Dante walked slowly towards him. "As a matter of fact, I do. Simply put, keep your filthy hands off my kid. If you don't, your bone count will go from 206 to 618."
Wyland didn't bother doing the math. "Me? Look what she did to MY kid!"
Dante leaned to the side to get a good look. Then he stood up to stare Wyland in the eye. "From what I've heard, he's had it coming. If you knew what I know, you'd be grateful that's all she did."
Wyland nodded. "Now I understand all that crap Jason told me about her. She probably gets it from you."
"Yes she does, and your kid takes after you. Between the two of them, my kid obviously got the better deal."
"So, you think you're tough, huh? Don't let your mouth write a check your ass can't cash."
Dante couldn't resist smiling. "Don't worry. My account is full."
Wyland's fist swung out for Dante's face. Dante didn't even blink. His hand reached out and caught Wyland's fist in mid-flight. Bone's cracked under the pressure. "Like I said," Dante said, "keep your filthy hands off my kid." More bones cracked as Dante squeezed the fist. As soon as Wyland opened his mouth to scream, Dante's other hand punched him in the mouth. Wyland fell to the floor beside where Jason fell earlier. He spat up blood and teeth. He held his jaw with one hand when he realized it had been broken, probably in two or three places.
"Now you have a mouth to match your son's," Dante taunted. "By the way, your fly's open." Without a glance towards Jason nor his father, Dante seized Lilith and led her away. When they got outside, Dante ruffled Lilith's hair. "Don't forget what I told you," he said.
"I know," Lilith said. "Fighting doesn't belong in school."
He tweaked her nose again. "That's my girl."
He didn't blink when the blood splattered across his face. Some flew across his mouth, but he did not taste it. The lightning sword Alastor slashed through the demon's heart. Then it severed the demon's head before the body hit the ground. Dante drew Alastor back to prepare for the next attack. The second demon released the cave wall and leapt towards him. Dante sidestepped and butted the demon in the back of the head with the sword hilt. The tip of a wing gashed Dante across the cheek. The demon flew straight into a torch and burst into flames.
Dante hoisted the bag with the demon queen's head over his shoulder and continued running towards the cave entrance. The scuffling and screeching of demons chasing him filled the cave. He could not possibly kill them all at once. There were literally thousands of them after him.
Dante guessed, from the increasing intensity of the echos, they were quickly reducing the distance. Cold claws slashing against his back reminded him how desperate the situation was. Reaching within his soul in an instant, a black glow suddenly surrounded his body. A demon slashed at his back again. It got a hand full of red leather. It pulled back for another swipe, but this time it got empty space. The black light receded farther up the cave. The demon stopped flying and stared in awe as Dante dashed forward at a superhuman speed. He was still dumbstruck when the demons behind him trampled him in their pursuit of their queen mother's murderer.
Dante dug his feet into the dirt as he exited the cave. His momentum forced him forward a few meters. He never had a second to rest before he saw an unpleasant surprise. The queen mother's mate, who was twice her size, loomed over him. It's skin was slimy black. Four leathery wings were outstretched across its back. Six muscular arms with seven claws on each hand grasped at the air. It leaned forward and released a deep throated growl.
Dante shook his head. "I'm not getting paid for you."
As if it had just been insulted, the demon king raised it's head to the sky and roared. The vibrations shook the ground. Dante shifted his weight to compensate. Rocks and boulders broke loose and began raining down upon the cave entrance. The demon king looked down to claw Dante to pieces with one swipe. Much to its chagrin, Dante was gone. The bag that carried the queen mother's head lay on the ground.
The demon king leaned forward to grab the bag. As it reached out with one claw, Alastor flew into its arm and spun against the flesh. The sword continued to spin until it severed the claw. Then it returned to its owner's hand. The demon king raised its head to the sky again. This time it was responding to an airborne scream. Dante descended upon it with Alastor in hand. The demon king saw the sword swipe downward, but it did not feel Alastor cleave through its flesh. When Dante landed, he seized the bag and leapt out of the way.
The demon king thought it was an impressive leap. Before it was halfway through the thought, a cold sensation ran across its neck. Though it stood erect, its head leaned forward until it completely ripped free of the rest of its body. The head crashed onto the cave entrance just as the demons within it began to emerge. They were all crushed as their father's head fell onto them. The rest of the body followed suit seconds later. The cave completely collapsed at the entrance and several meters down from the massive weight. The demons trapped alive would eventually starve to death, assuming they didn't first eat each other.
Dante placed Alastor over one shoulder and hoisted the bag over the other. He whistled on his way to collect his money.
*
Lilith Divinity Sparda shoved her toes under her pillow and stared at the TV. She was watching a rerun of Farscape, where Zhaan was bringing Aeryn back from the brink of death through Unity. Just as Aeryn refused John Crichton's advances yet again, there was a tap on the door.
"Enter!" Lilith said without turning from the TV.
Dante, now clean from a quick shower, silently entered the room and closed the door. He took a moment to admire the little girl sitting on her bed while refusing to pay him any attention. She had a light brown complexion like her mother, but her hair was platinum white like her father's. Her eyes were an eerie deep blue, probably from a mutation, but Dante always thought they were his mother's eyes. She didn't seem to take notice of the man standing in her room, but he knew she was aware. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked.
Her fingers played with an amulet around her neck. "I am in bed."
In a seemingly single motion, Dante turned on the lamp, then snatched up the remote and turned off the television. Lilith stood as if to protest. Dante tossed the remote aside. Then he picked up the eight year old and dropped her onto the bed. "Don't act upset," he said. "You've seen that episode a million times."
"Big deal. I want to see it again."
"It's over now. Besides, you have school in the morning."
"I went to school yesterday," Lilith whined.
Dante leaned over her. "And you'll go tomorrow. And you'll keep going because I'm your father and I said so."
Lilith huffed. She never won these disagreements, and she knew she wasn't about to start. "Okay, okay. I give." Dante fluffed the pillow and placed it at the head of the bed. "Oh dear, sweet, Daddy of mine...," Lilith began.
"Whatever it is, the answer is no," Dante finished. Oh god, he thought, she's turning into a sycophant.
"Daddy, you haven't even heard me out."
Dante dropped himself onto the bed. "Fine. What is it?"
Lilith took a deep breath. "Are you doing anything important next Friday?"
"Important being?"
"Anything having to do with slaying denizens of the Underworld."
"Well, I don't have anything planned at the present." Dante raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing. Well, actually, next Friday at school, we're having a Career Day, and Mom already said she couldn't make it, so you're my only choice. Please don't say no."
Dante sighed as if he just passed a kidney stone. "Lilith, what am I supposed to tell them?"
"I already passed the word that you were a bounty hunter. You can fib your way through that; it's close enough to the truth."
"Yes, but I don't hunt humans. I hunt demons."
"They don't need to know that." Lilith widened her eyes in the most hideous puppy dog look Dante had ever seen, which was saying a lot, considering she was a beautiful little girl. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeese."
"I'll think about it."
"But if you say no, who else will I have to take with me?"
Dante slipped his hands around her neck to undo the clasp on her amulet. "I'll take care of it. Now go to bed." He stood and placed the amulet beside a figurine of a man carrying a large hourglass.
With one final pout, Lilith fell against the pillow. Dante pulled the covers up to her chin. At the last minute, he pulled them over her head and dropped them onto her face. As soon as she shrieked in protest, he pulled them back to her chin. Then he kissed her forehead and turned off the light.
*
Deanna rocked back and forth with restlessness. Though the bedroom was slightly below room temperature, she had only one sheet on her. The rest of the bed covers were strewn across the foot of the bed. She instantly stopped moving when she heard Dante's footsteps, then rolled onto her side to feign sleep. She listened as Dante opened and closed the door and got undressed. She maintained her charade as he slipped into bed behind her. He slid an arm around her diaphragm and planted his face against her neck.
"How was work?" Deanna mumbled.
Dante lifted his head slightly. "I almost got killed today."
"That's nice."
"Well, don't sound concerned."
Deanna rolled over to look at him. "Is there really any purpose in being concerned about you?"
"No, but that's not the point."
"Can we save this until later? I had a difficult time with Lilith today."
"What did she do? She didn't try to transform, did she?"
Deanna shook her head. "She wouldn't do that without your supervision. Not yet, anyway."
"Then what?"
Deanna hesitated while she tried to find an easy way to tell him. "I'll break it to you gently. It's about Lilith's school thing next Friday."
"Oh no," Dante moaned. "Tell me it wasn't your idea. Tell me your boss made you do it."
"Sort of. It's not easy being a model. I think I'm the only one there who isn't underweight or carrying an entire community of tapeworms."
"You know that's just an urban legend."
Deanna put a hand over Dante's face. "Anyway, I've been scheduled for shooting for the next two weeks, so I can't go with Lilith. Sorry. If you don't want her to fail, you have to go instead."
"What am I supposed to tell them?" Dante asked against her hand.
"Tell them you're a bounty hunter, or a mercenary." Deanna began laughing. "Better yet, say you're a garbage specialist, except the garbage you deal with is not the kind you see everyday."
Dante moved her hand aside. "That's not funny."
"It is to me." Deanna suddenly became serious. "Besides, this is important to her. You know she's been having trouble at school with one of the kids, and you've forbidden her to fight back."
"I have to. I don't want a call from the school or a disgruntled parent telling me that their kid has been mutilated, decapitated, and hanged upside down by his own entrails. That's not something I want to take responsibility for."
"She's old enough to understand the importance of discretion. You should at least let her learn to defend herself like a human."
"But she's not human."
"Well, what do you expect her to do? If it goes too far, eventually she will take matters into her own hands. For crying out loud, you won't even let me discipline her. You do everything for her yourself."
"Fine. I'm too tired to argue. I'll go. Maybe I can scare some discipline into the little brat who's bothering her."
"That's acceptable, but promise me you won't use the glowing eyes."
Dante didn't answer. Deanna thought she might have insulted him. She would have turned over to go to sleep. Dante stopped her just long enough to plant a kiss on her nose. She pulled his head down to her lips for another kiss. Dante rolled over and pulled Deanna astride his waist. He pulled her down for another kiss, which led into two hours of lovemaking.
*
"I hate children."
Lilith flashed Dante a skeptical look. "No, you don't."
"OK, I don't, but I hate other people's children. Dealing with my own is difficult enough." Lilith's expression didn't change. "I was just joking!"
"Only halfway. Today you get to meet that jerk whom you won't let me fight."
"It's for both your own goods. Mostly his."
For the first time in several days, Lilith smiled. "Remember your story you're telling the class."
Dante leaned over to undo her seatbelt. "Yeah, yeah. Bounty hunter and all that."
"By the way, the kid in question is named Jason Wyland. He's kinda stocky and has freckles. You can't miss him."
Dante put an arm around Lilith's shoulders. "You're not going to embarrass me today, are you?"
Lilith's mouth said, "No." Her face said, I should be telling YOU that! She opened the car door and stepped outside to get a look at the other kids' parents. After some time of staring, she said, "Look at all those freaks. Ahh!" She squealed as Dante snatched her jacket and pulled her after him towards the school entrance. He continued dragging her to her classroom. As soon as he opened the door, Lilith took over. Under the assumption that she had a reputation to maintain for her classmates, he let her lead him into the room. He had no idea yet how right he was.
"Lilith?" Lilith and Dante both stopped and turned towards the teacher's desk. A tall pale skinned woman with curly red hair stood and extended a hand to Dante. "You must be Lilith's father. I'm her teacher, Rhiannon MacLeod."
Dante took her hand and resisted the urge to squeeze it. "Yes. That would be me. I'm her father."
"Good. You're just in time." She pointed to several empty seats. "Make yourself comfortable. Class begins in a few minutes."
Dante followed Lilith to seats in the front row. After a glance across those already there, he leaned towards her. "I don't see Jason."
As soon as he said the name, the door swung open. A chunky kid with freckles, followed by an overweight man with freckles, entered the room. Much to Lilith's dismay, they sat beside her.
"Is that the one?" Dante asked.
Lilith sensed the humor behind his question. For the first time she could recall, she wished he wasn't smiling. "May I hit him? Just once?"
"No! Fighting doesn't belong in school. Besides, he hasn't done anything."
"He will."
Dante placed a finger over his lips to signal silence. Ms. MacLeod sighed and closed the door Jason's father had left open. As soon as she turned around, she smiled. It was obviously a pretense. "Well, who's first?" No one moved. "Come on. Someone has to go first."
Ms. MacLeod prepared to call someone. Lilith saw her eyes move towards Dante until Jason's father stood. "Nobody panic," Jason's father said. "I'll save the day." Jason was the only one amused. Most of the other children groaned.
"Is it really that bad?" Dante heard a man ask his son.
"You have no idea," the boy answered.
Ms. MacLeod motioned inertly to the front of the room. "Please come up front and introduce yourself." She sat at her desk and prepared for a disaster. She wasn't disappointed. Half the children and all the parents, including Lilith and excluding Dante, groaned and squirmed in pain. In desperation, Lilith rummaged through Dante's pockets until she found a pen. She then flipped over his hand and began tic tac toe on his palm.
For the next five minutes, Jason's father thoroughly tortured the class with his tales of macho bravado in construction work and lunch breaks that made several parents clear their throats or cover their children's ears. Thankfully, one child raised her hand and swung it around as if she were convulsing. Ms. MacLeod perked up in relief and pointed. "What is it, Shana? Do you have a question?"
"Yes!" Shana squealed behind Lilith's head as she crossed through her X's on Dante's middle finger. "Are there any women in construction?"
Ms. MacLeod held her breath. She knew what was coming. Jason's father stiffened as if it were a stupid question. "Of course, there are," Lilith muttered under her breath as she marked an X on Dante's wrist.
What I wouldn't give for a Quaker Chewy, Dante thought. Dante reached into another pocket and pulled out a watermelon Jolly Rancher. He unwrapped it and shoved it into Lilith's mouth. He wasn't a moment too soon.
"Not around here," Jason's father answered. "Most such work is too much for women." Lilith's eyes narrowed as she realized why she'd been given the Jolly Rancher.
"That's not true!" a boy yelled in the back. "My aunt is a construction worker in Texas!"
The astonishment on Jason's father's face cued Ms. MacLeod to slap the desk. Everyone looked at her in unison. "If no one has anymore questions, I'm sure someone else would like to come up. Please. Alex, how about your mother?"
The next twenty minutes were much easier to endure. If Lilith had paid attention, she would have been bored, intrigued, and bored again by the psychologist, the cop, and the beautician. By the end of the fourth parent, Lilith was up to Dante's elbow and her fifth Jolly Rancher.
"Lilith," Ms. MacLeod said, "how about your father?"
Lilith didn't cross the X. "Uh oh."
Dante pulled the pen from her hand. With a wink and a smile, he pulled down his sleeve and stood. He was bewildered by the abrupt applause from most of the children. Ms. MacLeod shrugged. "She has a fan club."
"Really?" He stepped forward to the designated spot and pivoted on a heel. The classroom looks different on this end. "My name is Dante; I'm Lilith's father." There was more applause. He looked at Lilith. "I'm a bounty hunter."
"What's a bounty hunter?" Shana asked.
"I hunt bad guys for money."
"Like a cop."
Dante nodded. "Something like that."
"Do you shoot people?" another girl asked.
Ms. MacLeod shot the girl a disapproving look. "Dana, that's an inappropriate question!"
"Actually," Dante answered, "I do shoot people, but only in self- defense."
"Do you have guns?" another child asked with too much enthusiasm. His mother seized his arm and forced him into his seat.
Dante casually pushed his coat aside and pulled two guns, a chrome one and a black one, from a hidden holster. Reactions ranged from gasps of terror to gawking and pointing in awe. Ms. MacLeod stood as if to protest. Dante positioned the guns over her desk and released the clips. They clattered onto the desk. She calmed a bit when she saw they were empty. "These are my coworkers, Ebony and Ivory. They're handmade."
"Have you ever killed anyone?" another child asked.
Dante lowered Ebony and Ivory. "Only in self-defense, but I don't just use guns. I also have swords."
Lilith covered her ears as all her classmates, except Jason, jumped up in unison and chaotically requested a demonstration. She watched him place Ebony and Ivory on the desk. The teacher covered them with her jacket. Dante left through the second door that led to the playground while the parents futilely attempted calming their children. She saw Dante return with a three foot long branch. The children got out of control again as he gave them their demonstration.
Lilith jumped when someone tapped her shoulder. She turned to see her friend Alex lean over her seat. "Your dad is awesome."
For the second time that day, Lilith smiled. "Thanks. I know."
*
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
Lilith shrugged. The hallways were almost empty. Everyone was going home, and she was really looking forward to the weekend. "I'm just glad it's over."
Dante pinched and shook her nose. "Stop complaining." When they reached the exit, Dante stopped and grabbed Lilith's shoulder. "Where's your amulet?"
Lilith reached for her neck; it was bare. "The clasp must have broken in class. I'll be back." Dante let her slip free and run back into the building. On her way back to the classroom, she saw Jason standing next to the boy's bathroom. Knowing Dante would disapprove, she quickly looked away and continued on to the classroom. Ms. MacLeod was still inside with someone else's mother. The woman stared at her with disdain as Lilith waved once and dropped to her hands and knees. Ms. MacLeod waved back with her index finger. Lilith found the amulet under her seat. She waved again without looking as she headed back for the door. On her way out, she saw Jason still standing next to the boy's bathroom.
"Hey Sparda!" Lilith ignored him. "Sparda!" Jason called again. Lilith stopped. She closed her eyes and squeezed the amulet as she attempted to soothe the latent demon. "What'cha doing, freak!"
Lilith spun on her heel to face him. "Leave me alone."
Jason approached with a smirk. Lilith instinctively stepped back. "Now I know why you're a freak. It runs in the family."
Lilith felt the demon begging for release. "Don't make me mad."
"What are you going to do?" He pushed her with one hand.
"I didn't come here for you." Lilith turned her back to him. Jason ran behind her and pushed her with all his weight. She ran face first into a locker. Lilith didn't hear his laughter. She rebounded off the locker and put all her momentum, along with some demon spirit, into her fist. Less than a second later, Jason lay on the floor beside a small puddle of blood and teeth. He quickly crawled towards the lockers to get out of the way. He held his fractured jaw with one hand.
"Hey! What the hell happened!" Jason's father stepped out from the boy's bathroom and approached them.
Lilith popped a knuckle. She was feeling lucky. "I gave him what he asked for."
"Is that so?" He snatched Lilith's shirt and pulled her to within an inch of his face. "What did you do to my son, you little brat?"
"What are you doing!" The force behind the new voice made him release her. She ran aside to give her father room to do his work. She bit her thumb in an attempt to quell the impending laughter.
Wyland straightened and turned to face Dante. "You got a problem, buddy?"
Dante walked slowly towards him. "As a matter of fact, I do. Simply put, keep your filthy hands off my kid. If you don't, your bone count will go from 206 to 618."
Wyland didn't bother doing the math. "Me? Look what she did to MY kid!"
Dante leaned to the side to get a good look. Then he stood up to stare Wyland in the eye. "From what I've heard, he's had it coming. If you knew what I know, you'd be grateful that's all she did."
Wyland nodded. "Now I understand all that crap Jason told me about her. She probably gets it from you."
"Yes she does, and your kid takes after you. Between the two of them, my kid obviously got the better deal."
"So, you think you're tough, huh? Don't let your mouth write a check your ass can't cash."
Dante couldn't resist smiling. "Don't worry. My account is full."
Wyland's fist swung out for Dante's face. Dante didn't even blink. His hand reached out and caught Wyland's fist in mid-flight. Bone's cracked under the pressure. "Like I said," Dante said, "keep your filthy hands off my kid." More bones cracked as Dante squeezed the fist. As soon as Wyland opened his mouth to scream, Dante's other hand punched him in the mouth. Wyland fell to the floor beside where Jason fell earlier. He spat up blood and teeth. He held his jaw with one hand when he realized it had been broken, probably in two or three places.
"Now you have a mouth to match your son's," Dante taunted. "By the way, your fly's open." Without a glance towards Jason nor his father, Dante seized Lilith and led her away. When they got outside, Dante ruffled Lilith's hair. "Don't forget what I told you," he said.
"I know," Lilith said. "Fighting doesn't belong in school."
He tweaked her nose again. "That's my girl."