Author's Note: This is the final chapter of the story. There will be an epilogue after this. As a warning, this chapter does include a lemon. I hope you enjoy!
Eva's Wish
Chapter 11
Lady peeked into Dante's room but it was empty. She stepped over to the room across from his and gently pushed open the door. Lilith was under the covers on the bed in the room, a too-large t-shirt around her and moonlight falling on her sleeping form. Dante stood by her bedside, his hand softly moving through her hair and a look of wonderment on his face.
Lady came to stop at the end of the bed and Dante looked up. His own nerves were on edge and his heart was thumping in his chest. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. The awkward silence stretched between them. Lady bit at her bottom lip. Looking at him with scared eyes, she felt like she needed to say something. "I'm sorry," she said, feeling the words were inadequate.
Dante looked at her with wide eyes. "Sorry?" he said softly. He shook his head. "You're not the one to apologize," he said, looking back to Lilith and taking a deep breath. "Look Lady, I'm not good at these kinda things and this," he paused," this isn't something I ever expected. I don't know the right thing to say or what to do. So I think the only thing I can do is this. I'm going to be honest with you and lay my cards out," he said, looking at Lady. "For over twenty years you and I have danced around this thing between us. It's always been there from our first meeting until now. And now, now the stakes are higher than ever because it's not just you and me anymore. So here's the honest truth. I want you. I want an us. I've wanted you from the beginning and I'm willing to go all in, but I don't know if you are," he said.
Lady's head spun. Of all the things she expected Dante to say, that wasn't it. She'd expected him to be angry, upset and obstinate, not professing a desire for them to be a couple. His words were shaking her and she could feel the conviction with which he'd said them. She felt her doubts rising up and the conflicting feelings inside. She didn't know what to say.
As the silence stretched on, Dante watched her face, trying to remain calm but the panic rose up as the silence between them stretched on. He'd confessed his feelings and she was mute, likely thinking of how to gently reject him he told himself. He thought that once again, his mixed blood worked against him, denying him a chance at a normal life and he hated the accident of his birth. "Fine," he growled out, moving to leave the room.
She was shocked at the anger contained in that one word. She realized he thought she was rejecting him. As he passed, her hand shot out and caught his wrist. "Wait," she said, "just wait." Lady's eyes met Dante's and she bit at her bottom lip, realizing that she needed to make a choice. Was she going to cling to a vow she made when she was 16 years old or was she going to move on into a new world? She looked at Lilith sleeping peacefully and made her choice, but first something tugged at her. She looked at Dante.
"You're right, we've been dancing around this for a long time," she said. "Why," she paused, "why did you push me away the night she…," her voice trailed off. She felt tears prick her eyes at the memory of the pain.
Dante sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, willing himself to let go and tell her, just tell her all of it. He recognized that this was the point between them where it would either lead to every dream of his coming true or a nightmare on earth to haunt him. He looked at Lady. "Do you know why I've borrowed so much money from you?" he asked.
Lady was confused at his question. She wasn't sure what this had to do with their current situation. Dante gave her a weak smile. "You know if word was out that you were one of my creditors, instead of you being the most precious person in my life, demons would see harming you as helping me, not hurting me. Making sure for all these years that you were safe was all that mattered to me. I could dream about the what ifs but the reality was I knew you weren't going to give up your vow and all I could do was stand by and try to keep you safe and fighting another day," he said. "I also knew how you'd react if I ever told you this. I know you're tough, I know you hunt demons, but Lady, if something happened to you because of me, because of who I am, I couldn't live with that. But then you wouldn't lower yourself to consider loving me with my mixed blood so it wasn't a problem. Until the night she came into being," he said, looking at Lilith.
Lady's head was spinning, trying to process what he was saying. It dawned on her what he was trying to convey to her-Eva's fate. He was so afraid of seeing what happened to his mother happen again. "You idiot," Lady said softly. Dante's eyes widened. "It doesn't matter to me that you're part demon. It hasn't for a long time. I know who you are. You're more than just your heritage," she said. "I know what happened to your mother scares the hell out of you and you worry about it happening again. Damnit, Dante, I am not the same as Eva. I know what I'm getting myself into. I know what goes bump in the night and I know how to fight it. But I don't want to fight it alone. I haven't for a long time. I made a vow when I was 16 thinking everything was so black and white. It's not, it's gray. If I was going to eradicate every demon, that means that you, Trish, Nero and now my own daughter would be gone. I'm not about to do that, I can't do that," Lady said, taking a deep breath. "Lilith is here because for a brief moment in time, my wish came true. There was an us. Maybe it was selfish but I felt like as long as she was out there, I could tell myself that it had been real. It wasn't a fantasy or a dream, for one moment in time there was an us," she said, looking away.
Dante cupped her cheek and triggered. "Yeah but Lady, is this something you could love because this is a part of me," he said, his voice harsh in his demon form.
Lady blinked for a moment, surprised that he'd done that. Her inner voice reminded her, he was scared. He hated this side of himself and he needed to know if she could be strong enough to accept him-all of him. She reached her hand up and gently cupped his cheek as his eyes widened. "Yes," she said simply.
Dante released his hold on his demon blood as his lips crashed against hers. The kiss was desperate and she responded, knowing in this moment he needed to know that she did in fact want him. And she realized deep inside, she did want him, she always had. Pride had kept her from this moment for far too long. It took a demon's manipulative plan for her to wake up to what was deep inside.
Dante bent down catching the back of her thighs and lifting her up. Her legs wrapped around his narrow waist as her left arm circled his neck and her hand dove into the silken strands of his hair. He carried them out of Lilith's room, with Lady gently closing the door behind them. Dante crossed the hallway and gently nudged the door of his bedroom open with his foot. Stepping inside, he used his elbow to close the door and propped Lady against it, all the while their tongues battled each other.
Lady tried to hold back but the pressure on her injured shoulder was too much. She broke the kiss and hissed in pain, trying to pull her shoulder away from the hard door. Dante's eyes widened, realizing he'd forgotten about her injury, "Shit, I'm sorry," he said, lifting her away from the door and starting to release his grip.
Lady's response was to tighten her legs around his waist. "Don't you dare let go of me devil-boy," she said, giving him a sultry smile. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "bed."
He grinned. "Yes milady," he said, retightening his grip and capturing her lips again. Walking over he turned and felt the bed against the backs of his knees. He sat down on the edge with Lady straddling his lap. Her hands slid down his chest and her hands fisted in the bottom of his shirt. Tugging upward she loosened the offending article from the waistband of his pants. Dante broke the kiss and reached down removing the shirt. She trailed kisses down his neck as her hands blazed a trail of fire over his chest and shoulders. Each touch caused the muscles under her touch to jump and twitch.
Dante broke their kiss to bring his hands up to the top button of her shirt. Slowly working his way down, he undid the buttons and gently slid it off her shoulders, carefully avoiding her wound. He stared at it a moment before his fingers ghosted over the bandage, a look of concern on his face.
Lady captured his face in her hands. He met her eyes and fierce determination looked back at him. "It's going to take more than some demon scum to take me from you," she said.
He marveled at how she could always read him. Even when he didn't want to admit she was right, she always knew his mind. He couldn't hide from her, somehow she always just knew. "Damned right," he said, recapturing her lips and snaking his hands behind her, unclasping her bra.
His hands slid under the offending garment and grasped her breasts, his thumbs tracing over her nipples, feeling them harden at his touch. She moaned and rocked her hips against him. The action ignited the fire inside and he felt his body react. He slipped the bra down and caught a nipple in his mouth. Her hands fisted in his hair, tightening and releasing at the strong sensations he was creating. His hands slipped down her sides to her rear, gently caressing and squeezing the taught flesh through her shorts. As he licked and suckled at the nipple in his mouth, he grinned. He could feel her heat on his lap.
He released his hold on her breast and looked up at her. "You are so beautiful," he said breathlessly.
Lady smiled as her hands slid down his chest and came to rest on his belt buckle. Giving it a gentle tug, she ordered, "This off."
Dante grinned. "Yes milady," he said. Gently helping her stand, he stood and removed the belt. He quirked an eyebrow when Lady frowned.
"All of it," she said.
Dante reached out and tugged on the waistband of her shorts as he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "all of it."
Lady thought she'd come undone at his words. She watched as he slid his boots off and complied with her request. She dropped her hand to the button on top of her shorts, following his lead.
Even though they'd previously been intimate, she felt herself blush at the sight of him. Lean, corded muscle stretched over his frame with barely a blemish. She felt self-conscious at the scars that riddled her body. Dante reached out and caught her waist, pulling her forward against his hard frame. She could feel his hard length against her lower abdomen. He kissed her deeply.
Breaking the kiss, he breathed, "beautiful," in her ear as his hands trailed heat over her body. He kissed down her neck to her collarbone. Licking and nipping he dropped to his knees. Lady looked at him, trying to figure out his intentions. He gave her a wolfish smile. He gently used his hands to widen her stance, giving him access to her core. Her eyes widened as she felt him kiss her belly as his hands trailed up the inside of her thighs.
One hand gently stroked the junction between her thighs. Dante slipped a finger inside her folds and smiled at the moist heat there. Lady braced her arms against his shoulders as he gently pushed inside her, mimicking the action he was holding back on for now. Her breath hitched and he felt her walls grip him tightly. He slowly pulled back to her entrance before rocking back inside. Her hips wanted to buck against his hand, the friction good but lacking. He used his other hand to hold her steady. "Ah, ah," he said, smiling at the teasing nature of his ministrations.
He watched her face as he continued to tease her body, feeling her body responding-becoming wetter and wetter. She looked down at him with a look that spoke volumes. He withdrew his finger, licking it. He loved the taste of her.
"I need," she whispered.
Dante stood up and pulled her to him in another deep kiss. "Yes, milady," he breathed. Lady put her hands on his shoulders and gave a gentle push, dropping him onto the bed. Dante smiled and scooted back, laying on his back.
His ice blue eyes met her mismatched one as she took in the sight of him ready for her. She remembered a conversation she'd once had with Trish about demons and some of the more intimate details of their culture. She'd been surprised to learn that demons had rituals and remembering something Trish told her, she came to a decision.
Dante watched her from the bed, calmly waiting for her to make her move. Lady crawled on the bed and positioned herself over Dante. His hands slid up the back of her thighs to her hips. Grasping his hard length, she directed him to her entrance before slowly sinking down, feeling him penetrate and slowly fill her.
Dante's head arched back into the pillow. She was surrounding him so tightly, it was all he could do to hold himself back. Sinking to the hilt she held still, watching his face, seeing him trying to control himself. It was now or never. She rocked her hips slightly and dropped down to kiss his neck. He groaned at the sensation. She kissed down to his collarbone and took a deep breath. Sinking her teeth in, she broke the skin. Below her Dante hissed in pain and went rigid. She felt his blood fill her mouth and she swallowed. Pulling back she licked the wound, watching it slowly close over, but a slight mark remained. She leaned back and met Dante's wide, shocked eyes. She bit her bottom lip.
Dante couldn't believe what Lady had just done. She rocked her hips again and he moved his hand to her hip, stilling her for a moment. He looked in her eyes. "Do you know what you just did?" he asked, softly.
Lady nodded. "You don't need to reciprocate," she said. "I want you-all of you."
Dante nodded. "If I reciprocate," he said softly, "it will hurt and it means there's no going back for me. I won't be able to."
Lady looked at him and smiled. "I'm not afraid of some pain, I can take it. There wasn't any going back for me as soon as Lilith arrived," she said.
Dante felt his heart skip at her words. He rolled them over as gently as he could, the friction of the movement teasing them both. Moving Lady's arms over her head, she swallowed the twinge of pain as her right arm came up. Grasping her wrists in his left hand, Dante held them firmly. He pulled her left leg up and held her thigh tightly. She could feel the bruises starting to form, but she ignored the pain, concentrating on Dante's face. He pushed himself in deeply. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, barely restraining himself.
"I'm sure," Lady said.
Dante partially released the hold on his demon blood. His teeth elongated slightly and he brought his head down and bit into the junction of her neck and collarbone, breaking the skin. As his teeth broke through, he thrust deeper again. Lady breathed through the pain. Dante swallowed the blood and licked at the wound on her. Pushing down his demon blood, he released his tight grip on her. Lady moved her arms down and gripped his shoulders. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded. Dante rolled them over again. "Better?" he asked. She smiled and rocked her hips against him, bracing her arms on his chest.
Pulling herself up, she slowly sank down, watching Dante's face. The slow pace was teasing him and he gave her a look. "Woman you are going to be the death of me," he said.
Lady gave him a sultry smile and kissed his neck. "Oh but what a way to go," she purred in his ear.
Dante's hands came to her hips as he rocked against her, setting a faster pace. Lady moaned at the sensation, her eyes dropping to half-lids at the pleasure that was starting to build.
Dante was vaguely aware of a something at the edge of his senses but elected to ignore it for the time being. The bed springs creaked softly below them as their pace increased. Dante could feel the familiar pings at the base of his spine, letting him know he was approaching his climax. But he was determined that he wouldn't tumble over that precipice without her. Sliding his hand from her hip, he reached down and slid his finger against her clit, stimulating it. He was rewarded with her breathing becoming even more erratic. He could tell she was almost there. "Come for me," he said softly, watching as his movements had the intended effect. Her body became taut; her eyes squeezed shut as he felt her walls tighten even farther around him. She fell forward, her mouth clamped to his shoulder to stifle her cries, as her walls fluttered around him. He grasped her hips and buried himself as deeply as he could as his own climax hit-harder and more soul-shaking than he'd previously experienced. Her name falling from his lips as his own body shook at the release.
They stopped their movements, each one panting and trying to catch their breath, recovering from the intense sensations that had enveloped them. Dante slipped his length from her walls and pulled her down on her left side, against him.
"I've never, that has never been like," Lady started to say.
"Amazing?" Dante offered. "Cause that was pretty amazing for me," he said, smiling.
"Yeah, amazing is a good word," she said, drawing her fingers over the faint mark on his collarbone. Dante shivered at the contact. "I guess I was a little concerned since our first time wasn't entirely our idea, that maybe it wouldn't be so good."
Dante chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Safe to say that's not a problem," he said.
Lady propped her chin on his chest and looked at him. "Why did it take us so long?"
Dante laughed. "No idea, I've been trying to get in your pants for over twenty years. I guess good things come to those who wait," he said.
Lady playfully smacked him on the chest. "You're incorrigible," she said.
He caught her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Guilty as charged," he said.
Lady felt a twinge of uncertainty. She knew that she'd taken a step tonight with him, not necessarily on a whim, but something that she hadn't fully thought out. She knew that by marking him, she'd essentially completed a demon marriage and now she was nervous about what came next. "Dante is this going to work?" she asked. "Are we going to work?"
He could feel her insecurity coming off her in waves. He pushed her hair back behind her ear and cupped her cheek. "Yeah, this is going to work. Let's be honest with each other here. We don't work with anyone else. We've been meant for each other since we first met. We've just been too stubborn to admit it," he said.
"You know I'm a difficult woman," Lady said.
Dante smiled. "Not that difficult," he said. "I think I'm up for the challenge."
Lady laid her head on Dante's chest, her hand drawing lazy circles on his chest as her eyes closed. He watched as her hand stilled. His head and heart were buzzing with emotion. For so long he'd been alone. He wouldn't be going forward. For the first time in a long time he felt hopeful for his future.
Dante's hand reached out and gently traced Lady's cheek. Slowly he ghosted his hand down her neck and then along her arm. He marveled at her strength. Taking in her scars, he felt a sense of awe at just how strong she really was. Moving his hand to her waist, he rubbed over the faint lines on her hips.
A thought occurred to him. They hadn't used any protection. He contemplated for a moment what that might be like-the two of them, Lilith and a little one. Somehow the thought scared him less than he thought it might. Dante felt Lady's even breathing and moved his hand over her abdomen. Letting go of the old on his demon blood slightly he reached out with his senses to see if he could sense any faint aura there or not.
Lady's voice broke him from his action. "Watcha doin?" she asked.
He quickly tamped his power back down and squeezed her. He contemplated lying but decided that was probably a bad course of action. "So we sorta, maybe skipped the whole protection thing there a few minutes ago and I was just curious if maybe we gave Lilith a sibling," he said, bracing himself.
Lady's eyes widened and she sat up. "Oh, oh no. Did we, did you feel something?" she asked.
"Whoa, calm down," Dante said. "I'm not sensing anything." Her reaction was concerning him. "Would that be a terrible thing if we did have another kid?"
Lady blinked, feeling her head spin. How would she feel at having another child? She looked at Dante and saw the look on his face. Part of her felt guilty. "I don't know. I mean, there's diapers and no sleep and…," her voice trailed off as she felt long buried emotions rise up inside. Tears pricked the edges of her eyes.
Dante wrapped an arm around her, careful of her shoulder injury. "Hey, it's ok. Are you alright? You know you can tell me anything," he said.
Lady shook her head. "It's something so stupid," she said.
"Tell me," he said.
"There's a part of me that would love to have another baby if only so I could hold my baby," she said, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.
Dante's brows furrowed. "You didn't hold Lilith before you gave her up?" he asked.
Lady shook her head. "If I'd held her, I never would have been able to let her go," she said. "I made them take her away without ever touching her. What kind of mother does that?"
Dante felt his heart clench at the sorrow in her voice. He held her tightly. "You did what you thought would be best for her," he said. "You are not a bad mother, if anything you did something so difficult because you were trying to do what was right for her." He kissed the top of her head. "Look, if you decide you want another baby, I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make sure you get one."
Lady smiled through her tears, rolling her eyes slightly. "Your sacrifice is admirable," she said dryly.
Dante chuckled. "Hey it's a tough job but someone has to do it, right?" Lady shook her head. "Seriously though," Dante said, his voice dropping. "I love you. If I'm being honest, I've been in love with you for a long time. If that's something you want, it's something we can try to make happen."
Lady giggled. "You and diaper duty?" she asked.
Dante smiled. "Hey, I've taken on some pretty nasty demons, I'm sure I can handle a diaper or two no problem," he said.
Lady smiled. "It's something for us to think about. I'm not sure right now. Maybe for the time being we should be a little more careful," she said.
Dante gave her a gentle squeeze. "Whatever you want," he said.
"Mmmm, you know what I really want right now?" Lady asked.
Dante gave her a sly smile. "Do tell," he purred.
"A shower," Lady said.
"Oh man, that does sound good. You know what's seriously lacking in the underworld right?" Dante asked. Lady quirked an eyebrow. "Plumbing," he said. Lady rolled her eyes. "You know we should probably conserve some water and share," Dante said, smiling.
"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you?" Lady said, smiling.
"Yes ma'am," Dante said.
Lady rose from the bed and opened the hallway door. It was quiet. She motioned for Dante to follow and he got up and followed her into the bathroom. They quickly showered, rubbing the grime and sweat off of each other. Sneaking back to Dante's bedroom, he opened the chest of drawers and tossed Lady a pair of boxers and a black satin pajama top. He slipped the bottoms on and climbed into bed next to her. Lady smiled. "Satin, hunh?" she said.
Dante grinned. "Shhh, no one needs to know. Besides they're really comfy," he said, pulling her against his chest.
Suddenly small footsteps could be heard in the hallway and a timid knock was at the door. Dante and Lady exchanged a look and he rose from the bed as Lady pulled the covers up over her legs. Dante opened the door to meet Lilith's red, puffy eyes and tear streaked face.
He crouched down, a look of concern washing over his face. "Pumpkin, you okay?" he asked. "What happened?"
Lilith launched herself into Dante's chest, his arms reflexively closing around her. "There was a monster and I was alone," she said, fresh sobs starting in. Dante lifted her and looked back to Lady, an alarmed look on his face.
Lady quickly stood and walked to them, putting an arm on Lilith's back. "Were you dreaming sweetie?" she asked. Lilith nodded.
Dante released the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. She'd only had a nightmare. He promised himself first thing in the morning he was installing wards all over the shop. He looked at his daughter's tear-streaked face, his heart melting at seeing her so upset. "Tell you what pumpkin," he said. "Do you want to sleep in here with mommy and daddy tonight?" he asked. Lilith's face lit up and she nodded. Dante inwardly groaned, recognizing the problem with this. "Okay, but we're not going to make a habit of this, understand?" he said. "Mommy and daddy are going to need mommy and daddy time."
Lady rolled her eyes and gave him a smile. She got back in bed and Dante came around to the other side, setting Lilith down. She crawled over and rested against Lady and Lady wrapped her arms around Lilith. Dante got in and wrapped his arms around them both. He laid there for a long time, listening to their breathing even out and marveling at the fact that he was holding his family. He never expected to ever experience this but here it was.
He was going to doze off but remembered the presence he'd felt earlier. It was still there. Sighing he let go of Lady and Lilith and gently got out of bed, careful not to rouse them. Leaving the room, he gently closed the bedroom door behind him and quietly made his way down the hall. Descending the stairs, he entered the office and ignored the figure sitting in his office chair. He padded over to the couch in the corner and reached behind it, pulling up a blanket. Walking back toward the door to the upstairs he threw the blanket at the person in his chair.
"You get two weeks' vacation. The jobs are shit sometimes but you get to kill demons so there's that. We often work with the kid so you'll see him pretty often. Tomorrow we'll stop by and talk with Alice. She manages the apartment complex down the street. She owes me a favor so if she's got a vacancy we can get you set up close by, just not this damned close," Dante said, his hand on the knob to the door leading upstairs.
Vergil quirked an eyebrow at him. "Did she tell you about my pledge?" he asked.
Dante shot Vergil a look. "You made a pledge. Fucking really Vergil? Oh of course you did," Dante said, shaking his head and looking at the ceiling. "No she hadn't told me yet," Dante said sighing. "Alice's complex is like a half block away," Dante said. He looked at his brother again. "Seriously Verge, you had to do a damned pledge." Dante muttered, as he opened the door and started up the stairs.
Vergil sat in the chair with a small smile.
Dante stomped up the stairs as loudly as he thought he could get away with without waking Lady and Lilith. He remembered his father drilling it into their heads as children about a knight's pledge and how it was a serious matter of honor. 'Damnit Vergil,' Dante thought as he climbed back in bed. 'You're not living here.' Dante drifted off holding his family and thinking about how to get out of having his brother live with them.