The stairs seemed to take them so far into the earth under the castle, it was almost believable that they could eventually reach the pit of hell itself. As they descended, Dante finally shared the story of a count and his beautiful wife. Gerald Blackwell, the man that once owned the castle, was an aristocrat, but underneath his gentlemanly facade was an occult-obsessed lunatic. His wife, Portia, unaware of the black magic he possessed, was found having an affair, and realized too late the consequences for betraying him. Beautiful Portia Blackwell, who was desired by more than just a couple of men, was cursed to be a monstrous beast that horrified rather than seduced. However, underestimating his own creation, Gerald was ultimately mauled to death by his condemned spouse. His body was rumored to be somewhere in the castle, though it was equally possible she might have eaten all traces of him.

"How sad," Lyssa murmured. While darkness swallowed her and Dante completely at this point, both of them could see just fine through the black stairwell. Thankfully, this tale he told her allowed time to pass by a bit more quickly before a small, white light could be seen further ahead.

As they continued on the downward path of hard, stony stairs, the light slowly grew until finally, they reached a clearing. Their new surroundings was a sight to behold. Lyssa's green eyes observed in amazement as she stood at the entrance of what appeared to be a giant cavern. Sunlight created a luminescent veil into the chasm, glistening on the curious stalagmites and stalactites that were not only made of calcium deposits, but also were adorned with anthodite. Crystalline clusters scattered throughout the entire cave, almost creating the scenery into a bright, night sky.

"Wow..." Lyssa didn't know what else to say. Ahead of her, Dante merely gave her a grin.

"Pretty spectacular, huh?"

"How did you know this was here?" she asked, dumbfounded. "Who would have thought something so beautiful could be hiding under something so dark and dismal?"

"It gets crazier."

As they delved deeper into the stomach of the cavern, something began to gnaw at Lyssa. It was an uneasiness soaked in darkness and evil, and swordman's vagueness only confirmed her suspicions that these caves might have been pretty, but there was something sinister about them.

"Mr. Blackwell loved his anthodite. So, get this: Sacrifice a little blood for a demonic ritual, add a little anthodite to it, and it magnifies the effects by ten." He held up all fingers on his hands, walking backwards as they entered another chamber - one that was darker than the room they left behind, but instead of a white glow to the natural structures inside, they seemed to blink rubies at them.

"Are those the same thing?" Lyssa asked, nodding to a column that held some of the largest, crimson clusters of crystals.

"Sure are. Supposedly, he performed so much blood magic here, the anthodite he used released the blood back into the air and changed the color. So now, we have blood anthodite. Cool, huh?"

"I certainly didn't take you for a history buff," Lyssa teased, and they rounded a corner into another area of the room. The dark energy felt thickest here, nearly suffocating her at first until she was quick to get used to it. An old altar sat on the far side of the room, large explosions of blood anthodite clinging to the ceiling like frozen fireworks that almost seemed to reach towards the circle of dirt. In the center of the platform was what appeared to be faded, brown paint, but Lyssa knew the sight of blood when she saw it.

Most of the dried blood was covered in dirt and small splatters of red anthodite, but it wasn't hard to decipher that they stood before a pentagram, and Gerald Blackwell's most demonic rituals were performed right here. This was probably even where he made his wife into the monster she became.

"Do you think anyone else knows about this place?"

Dante shrugged. "Maybe a small number of people, but can you imagine how much this anthodite is worth?"

"Is that why you wanted to come down here?" Lyssa asked, giving him a look that she admitted may have been a little condescending.

"No," he insisted, and though his tone was playful, she thought she might have insulted him a little. She watched as he climbed a rock, and he disappeared into a small chasm that was just a little larger than him. There was a small gleam of light coming through, and so, Lyssa followed him once again, taking one last glance at the grim altar behind her. It took her a few moments to clear the boulder, only because her boots didn't really grip that well for any sort of climbing. Once again, she was welcomed by brief rays of sunlight, and the anthodite was white and pure again. However, a massive pool of clear water stretched before her, glistening under the pockets of sunshine. Once again, Lyssa was humbled by a new discovery.

After a few more seconds, she realized that her companion was nowhere to be found. It took less time for her to discover his boots and red trenchcoat were lying on the ground further ahead. As she inched closer, she thought she might be blushing when she noticed all of his clothes were laying there, along with his guns and sword.

Was he...?

"That's a pretty shade of pink."

His voice came from the water. When she saw him bobbing about in the underground lake, she saw him grinning at her. He was pointing out the flush in her cheeks, and she knew it. Her body tensed, and for the first time, she got a sensation. It was one she hadn't felt in months, and one that she hoped not to.

It was lust. It emanated from Dante like the sweet smell of a freshly-baked cake. Lyssa's jaw tightened. She didn't want to admit that her attraction to him had always been there, even after he sliced her arm open. Now, it was evolving into a raging hunger.

Then, she exhaled. She hadn't even realized she had been holding her breath.

"Quit goofing around. I thought you were on a treasure hunt."

"Well, I was, but I have lichera all over me." He swam over to her, giving her a sly look. "You do, too."

She knew what he was getting at, and she knew her scoffed response came a little too quickly.

"I am not getting in there."

Dante smirked. It was like he was itching to get under her skin now, and while she didn't know why, it was tortuous. Before she could distance herself from him, his hands grabbed her ankles, and, still fully clothed, she was dragged into the water, the view of the cavern zipping from her eyes in only a moment.

A loud splash filled the cavern, drowning out her tiny yelp of alarm. For a couple of seconds, she went under, and as she surfaced again, the discomfort of the water filling her clothes and shoes left her feeling utterly helpless and annoyed.

"Son of a bitch," she growled, wiping her long, black hair that clung to her face. "That's not funny!"

Meanwhile, Dante was laughing heartily, the sound bouncing off the walls of the cave. She set her blades on the rocks before she would climb out, losing her coat and her shoes. Water spilled from them like they were giant, full flasks.

Then, while he was basking in his glory, Lyssa realized her want to get even. She subtly smiled. Two could play at this game.

She dove under the water and stealthily swam around him. She would sneak behind him, hoping her movement wouldn't give her away until it was too late for him. Out of seemingly nowhere, she would lerch out from the water and snag him from behind, then pull him under. Dante was far too strong to be overpowered for long, because he easily was able to turn around, and with demonic force, pushed her back into the stony wall where the lake stopped at one end.

Both of them were breathing heavily, and even though he had her by the wrists, holding them firmly against the rocks, Lyssa was no longer overtaken by frustration. At least, not the angry kind. Regardless of the dull pain in her arm that was left over from Dante's sword, her body was riddled with the need to fuck and feed.

It was then that she remembered that Dante was naked under the water. He certainly didn't seem to be bothered by it, and even though he wasn't fully pressed up against her yet, she felt something prodding at her spandex.

Lust like fire within her raged, and her first instinct was to brush her lips over the faint stubble on his chin. Then, she paused, but she didn't quite pull away. "If we do this, I'm not going to be able to stop doing something I'll regret. It might not go well for you."

He only gave her a half-smile, his thumbs pushing slightly against her wrists, as if to remind her who had greater power. "Don't make promises you can't keep." His grip caused her to stifle a groan. "You do remember I'm a demon, right? Whatever you do to me, I'm sure I can handle it." His hand glided over the back of her thigh, pulling it forward to drape her leg around his hip. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you can feed on me all you want, and I won't get tired." Lyssa's resolve weakened, and the flames inside of her licked at her blackened soul.

"Pretty sure?" she repeated, a new tone in her voice that oozed with desire. Her hands were already tracing the lines of his built torso.

"I like to think I know a thing or two about demons," he said confidently.

"Okay, well... I warned you."

Her lips crashed into his, finally, and it was in an instant that his hands roamed her body, gripping at her waist and against her back. Dante was just as riled up as she was, and it was expressed in the way he inserted his tongue into her mouth. The demoness moaned against him, unable to do much more as his insanely strong hands pushed her harder into the wall.

Then, finally, the hellhound broke loose. In a flash, she pushed herself away from the rocks, sending them both a good, few feet away and out of the lake. Dante landed on the ground, and she meticulously landed on top of him, mounting him and tearing off her top. For a mere human, this wouldn't have been an easy feat, but considering she had just knocked the Son of Sparda on his back, Lyssa momentarily felt as though there was nothing she couldn't do.

Yet, momentarily was definitely the right word to use, because as soon as she was naked in front of him, he was on her again, like this was some sort of battle for supremacy between the two demons. Her body slammed into a giant column, which almost resembled a frozen waterfall in its massiveness and crystalline beauty. It was a miracle none of the anthodite had pierced her, but perhaps her lustful lover had ensured that when her put her there.

He was inside of her before she could even determine where they were in relation to where they came from. It didn't matter. She was in utter bliss, and as he filled her, they both moaned in unison through the first, slow push.

And damn, did he pack one hell of a package, too.

Her body rocked into the wall as he claimed her, and her hands grabbed his shoulders for both stability and just for the mere fact that she needed to touch him. Her legs wrapped around his hips, only driving him deeper into her as a result.

She certainly hadn't anticipated that spending one night in a castle with the Son of Sparda would lead to this. She wasn't complaining.

She felt a hand against the small of her back, and Dante's other one was pushed against the wall, providing him with the balance and stability he needed to keep driving into her. The passion was intense, albeit it wasn't the compassionate kind. What they had going between them was sheer, primal desire, and nothing more.

And to be honest, that was all Lyssa needed to feed.

Dante's stamina surprised her, but then again, she had never been with a demon before. It was a pleasant change, though it was more violent and chaotic as the exchange continued. At times, fingernails transformed into claws, and faded scratches would shed a little trickle of blood. Thrusts that would have pained a human woman only left Lyssa in throes of utter ecstasy.

It felt like hours had passed before they finally gave in to hell knows how many orgasms. Suffice it to say, the sun was setting again by the time they were departing the castle and ready to go their separate ways.

Their goodbye was a lot more casual than some would anticipate, especially for a one night stand, but there was one thing that itched at the back of Lyssa's mind as she walked away from the castle, leaving Dante to continue his own quest, likely to never see him again.

He never did get what he came for. Or had he, and she just hadn't noticed? Maybe he would return inside and keep searching? The man was full of mystery, but Lyssa decided she didn't need to know, and that she had her own mission to complete.