"Dartan!" I called, nearly running down the stairs.
"Yes?" He was still being polite to me even after everything I'd done and said.
"The other night... you purposely left that portal open so I could come back, didn't you?"
"Why, yes, I did."
"And, before that, you knew that Gwen hadn't killed my previous instructor. So you let me get off easily, actually, without any harm. How come?" I sat down next to him on the couch.
"Well, the reason I left the portal open was, truthfully, because Dante had asked me to."
"Why would he have done that?"
"Because he knew that you couldn't get out of there any other way. He wanted to make sure you'd be able to get free."
It really hit me hard; I was so thankful I didn't go through with things after all Dante had done for me. "But what about... my father? He's not gonna be happy."
"Then you'll have to lie. And you weren't raised to be deceitful for no reason. You'll just have to make him believe you."
"Yeah, cause you know him like I do." I stood up and left for the stairs.
"Good luck, Zoe, and goodnight." As I turned around, looking at him, he laid down on the couch and pulled a blanket over his shoulders, closing his eyes. Call me crazy but, at that moment, he did look kind of cute. In a weird... demon way.
I headed up the stairs and turned into Dante's room, seeing him lying on the bed. He'd pulled the blankets up to his waist and was staring up at the ceiling with his arms above his head. I stood there in the doorway, watching his chest rise and fall slowly, until he lowered his head and looked over.
"Dante... I..." I couldn't speak at all especially since he was just watching me. "I'm sorry."
He curiously sat up. "What for?"
"This is gonna sound cliche but it's true; I'm sorry for everything I've done."
"What the hell? Dammit Zoe, come here." I was put back by his dagger- like words but I went over anyway. "You really need to rest. Because there's nothing you need to apologize for."
I kept standing there, next to the mattress, until he sighed and reached out, pulling me down. He started laughing as I lightly slapped his arm, having fallen completely on top of him. Sighing, I scrambled off and slipped under the covers next to his warm form. Feeling a bit of a shiver trailing down my spine (and assuming it was the cold), I nestled up as close to Dante as I could get, letting him wrap his muscular arm around my shoulders.
"How soon?" I didn't even have to go into detail for him to know.
"As soon as you can. He has to think that you're still on his side. And we, Dartan and I, have a 'plan' to get down there without the two of you being found out."
I glanced up at him. "What might that plan be?"
"Well, you were supposed to trap me, right?" He asked with a bit of a chuckle.
"Yeah...?"
"You're gonna."
"What? Okay, why would I do that?"
"Because that's what's gonna get me to the Underworld. We're gonna make it look like I'm a prisoner and you, when we get to whoever is your father's advisor, need to request that we have a private confrontation. That way it can be the three of us against the one of him." He looked almost as if he was upset, but I couldn't think of anything that would do that to him so I just let it go. And I probably shouldn't have...
"But what about the Hunters?"
"While we're with your father, they'll be fighting the demons."
"I hope it'll work." I said softly as I laid my head on his downy chest.
"Yeah, so do I... almost." That caught me. I sprang up and stared at him, so confused that I couldn't put two thoughts together.
"What does that mean?"
"Just let it go. You'll find out."
"There's a part of this plan that you're failing to mention, isn't there?"
Dante didn't answer. He just closed his eyes, sighed for a second, and opened them back up, looking directly at me. "You will find out." I didn't bother asking because I knew that someone was going to lose. And I knew who, exactly, it was going to be.
"Yes?" He was still being polite to me even after everything I'd done and said.
"The other night... you purposely left that portal open so I could come back, didn't you?"
"Why, yes, I did."
"And, before that, you knew that Gwen hadn't killed my previous instructor. So you let me get off easily, actually, without any harm. How come?" I sat down next to him on the couch.
"Well, the reason I left the portal open was, truthfully, because Dante had asked me to."
"Why would he have done that?"
"Because he knew that you couldn't get out of there any other way. He wanted to make sure you'd be able to get free."
It really hit me hard; I was so thankful I didn't go through with things after all Dante had done for me. "But what about... my father? He's not gonna be happy."
"Then you'll have to lie. And you weren't raised to be deceitful for no reason. You'll just have to make him believe you."
"Yeah, cause you know him like I do." I stood up and left for the stairs.
"Good luck, Zoe, and goodnight." As I turned around, looking at him, he laid down on the couch and pulled a blanket over his shoulders, closing his eyes. Call me crazy but, at that moment, he did look kind of cute. In a weird... demon way.
I headed up the stairs and turned into Dante's room, seeing him lying on the bed. He'd pulled the blankets up to his waist and was staring up at the ceiling with his arms above his head. I stood there in the doorway, watching his chest rise and fall slowly, until he lowered his head and looked over.
"Dante... I..." I couldn't speak at all especially since he was just watching me. "I'm sorry."
He curiously sat up. "What for?"
"This is gonna sound cliche but it's true; I'm sorry for everything I've done."
"What the hell? Dammit Zoe, come here." I was put back by his dagger- like words but I went over anyway. "You really need to rest. Because there's nothing you need to apologize for."
I kept standing there, next to the mattress, until he sighed and reached out, pulling me down. He started laughing as I lightly slapped his arm, having fallen completely on top of him. Sighing, I scrambled off and slipped under the covers next to his warm form. Feeling a bit of a shiver trailing down my spine (and assuming it was the cold), I nestled up as close to Dante as I could get, letting him wrap his muscular arm around my shoulders.
"How soon?" I didn't even have to go into detail for him to know.
"As soon as you can. He has to think that you're still on his side. And we, Dartan and I, have a 'plan' to get down there without the two of you being found out."
I glanced up at him. "What might that plan be?"
"Well, you were supposed to trap me, right?" He asked with a bit of a chuckle.
"Yeah...?"
"You're gonna."
"What? Okay, why would I do that?"
"Because that's what's gonna get me to the Underworld. We're gonna make it look like I'm a prisoner and you, when we get to whoever is your father's advisor, need to request that we have a private confrontation. That way it can be the three of us against the one of him." He looked almost as if he was upset, but I couldn't think of anything that would do that to him so I just let it go. And I probably shouldn't have...
"But what about the Hunters?"
"While we're with your father, they'll be fighting the demons."
"I hope it'll work." I said softly as I laid my head on his downy chest.
"Yeah, so do I... almost." That caught me. I sprang up and stared at him, so confused that I couldn't put two thoughts together.
"What does that mean?"
"Just let it go. You'll find out."
"There's a part of this plan that you're failing to mention, isn't there?"
Dante didn't answer. He just closed his eyes, sighed for a second, and opened them back up, looking directly at me. "You will find out." I didn't bother asking because I knew that someone was going to lose. And I knew who, exactly, it was going to be.