About two miles out from the castle, they finally managed to lose their pursuers. Dante doubted it was because the onyx knights couldn't keep up. Something told him they had someone they answered to - someone that was going to have to be notified about the invasion of the demon hunters.

By this time, Lyssa was perched behind him properly, and the entire time that he felt her leaning against his back, Dante was completely tormented. She wasn't exactly shy about the placement of her hands on his thighs, and though they weren't moving and were likely just there to keep herself steady, it was still putting his brain in places that it didn't need to be right now. Or maybe it did, he hadn't fully decided yet. Truth was, if her hand trailed up any further, she would know what she was doing to him right now. Then again, she probably already did.

No conversation would be heard over the roaring of the Cavaliere, and so there was no point in asking any questions until they got to their destination.

And where was that? Dante didn't think it was a great idea to take her back to Devil May Cry. Demons would no doubt suspect that the demon hunter would go back to headquarters, and he certainly did not want a bunch of questions raised by Nero or whoever as to why he was bringing a succubus onto the premises.

Thankfully, with as many contacts that he had - and from all of the gigs that he had done - Dante knew of all sorts of hidden treasures. Credo, a deceased friend of Nero's, owned a couple of mansions that were scattered across the region. Kyrie, Credo's sister, had the option of either obtaining or selling them when he passed. One of them was where she and Nero stayed, and the other one she ended up giving to Dante. After all, she had said it was the least she could do for him when he helped Nero get out of the Savior statue.

Not that Dante's name was on the deed. In fact, he had never even been there before. He was usually found at Devil May Cry, since that was where people knew where to find him, but this was a special occasion, and Lyssa deserved better than a pizza-scented command post.

It took about two hours for them to reach the mansion. When they finally arrived, Dante frowned at the state of the overgrown lawn. It was obvious that the place hadn't been occupied for a while. He didn't even know how long exactly, but the place was probably riddled in dust and who knew what else.

The estate was still mostly furnished, and to his relief, what was there was covered in sheets that kept the age away.

Once they were in, he took a moment to inspect his wound, using a small pinch of the anthodite to be rid of it with the healing ointment he always kept a stash of. Lyssa was more than happy to assist.

At least it looked like the electricity still worked, as the sun was starting to go down. Food, however, was scarce. What remained was probably no good. He offered if she wanted to ride with him to get some carryout, and her response both surprised and amused him.

"Pretty sure my ass is still vibrating from the engine. Tell you what, I'll take a shower, and I'll see you when you get back."

He opened his mouth to protest, but then stopped himself short. "You got it."

Dante had never been in such a hurry to get pizza in his life, and it wasn't because he was hungry. The closest joint was only a few miles up the road, and if they got it cooked quickly enough, then he might be able to catch a peepshow in the shower.

Still sporting a massive hard-on that he hoped she hadn't noticed, he took off in a hurry. He couldn't help but fantasize about some of the things he could do to her once he returned, now that he was feeling replenished. It certainly helped the drive go by more quickly, as well as the wait for the food.

However, on the way back, he spotted a pair of vulture-like demons that were disappearing into a house, stalking about on long, leggy limbs. At first, his impatience told him to just keep going, but despite what a lot of people believed, Dante still had a conscience. He couldn't let them roam free, especially when he heard the blood-curdling scream from inside the small house.

"This will only take a second," he told himself.

He hurried in, the pizza box sitting on the seat of the Cavaliere as he followed behind the demons. However, what he had walked into was much worse than he expected. That scream was most definitely not a scream of terror from a human being attacked.

That was a mating call... and he had just walked into a nest.

"Woops. Sorry, guys. Guess I came at a bad time."

He committed, however, as Dante was never a person to run from a fight. It certainly took longer than necessary, and after a strenuous battle of taking down what had to be a dozen of the grotesque birds, he was back on the road, picking black feathers out of his hair.

Maybe I'll join her in the shower. Hell knows I need it now.

But, to his disappointment, though it was as he expected by now, Lyssa had already finished cleaning herself up. She was sitting on a daybed in one of the master bedrooms, doning a black dress with long, flowing sleeves. It seemed suitable enough for sleeping in, though definitely still went with her style that he was beginning to understand was definitely more on the gothic side. Obsidian chiffon fanned about her legs in an almost elegant manner.

"Let's hope it's still warm. I ran into some trouble on the road."

"Looks like it," she said with a teasing smile, gesturing to his messy state with a nod. "What did you do? Fall in a bird nest?"

"You could kind of say that." He opened the top of the box, exposing the contents to her so she could snag the first slice. "Ladies first." Once she did, he helped himself, then tossed the box onto the vanity table nearby.

"So, you didn't do the ritual." Dante plopped himself into the chair, taking his first bite.

"Oh, you noticed?" she responded, but he could detect the sarcasm in her tone.

"I know. I'm a genius. It's a wonder how I figure out these things."

Lyssa pulled off a piece of pepperoni, chewing it up before she would give any explanation. When she finally did, Dante listened intently.

"I was going to, but when I returned to Edenshore, the mage was dead." All humor in her face was gone now. "I knew I was being followed at that point, but I didn't know why or by whom. So, next night, this man approaches me as I'm leaving the athenaeum. I was trying to see if I could figure the ritual out on my own. This man... there was something up with him, I just knew it, but he knew what I was trying to do. He told me there would be no point, that the ritual wouldn't work."

"And you believed him?"

"Well, at first, I didn't." She trailed off, and he waited as she took a bite of her pizza. He took this moment to do the same. He was starving. "I started walking away, thought he was just being an asshole... but then he said that I only made myself stronger when I 'fornicated with the Son of Sparda'." She made quotation marks in the air with her fingers.

Dante nearly choked on his bite. Okay, so they were on that topic now. He was immediately slapped with mixed feelings. "Is that right?"

"Not that I care," she said quickly, giving him a serious look. "By now, I've learned to accept that I am what I am. I've done a better job controlling myself. I've been fighting my urges for a long time now, but it hasn't been as tortuous as it used to be. I think I have you to thank for that."

"Glad to be of service." Dante's cocky demeanor returned, and he finished off his slice before helping himself to another. Then, he recalled something before he bit into it.

"So, by chance, this creep that knows we rocked the boat... Is he someone I should be worried about?"

Her uncertain look confirmed he should be worried. "He's a demon. I couldn't kill him when I tried. He's more powerful and more dangerous than anything I've ever seen. He's also the one that oversees everything at Blackwell Castle."

"Hence the sudden haste to get the hell out. I get it."

"I think he expected you to come back, Dante. Not sure why or how, but if he was right about that, then... I don't know. Maybe he was right about the other thing, too." For a moment, her crestfallen attitude almost made his heart hurt for her.

Dante was perplexed by this discovery, enough that he had to excuse himself to take a shower and muse over it for a few minutes. The water was still hot, and as it rained on him, he rested a hand against the wall in front of him, and he closed his eyes. It felt good to get clean, but his testosterone was still intensely high. His silver hair fell damp around his face, and the demon remnants washed away from him.

As he washed the rest of his body, his hand lingered over his cock, and from him emanated a groan. He was still rock-hard, and even the conversation hadn't deterred that. He cursed himself for it. Get it together, Dante.

He forced himself to show resistance, and continued to clean himself. Yet, his mind kept reverting back to the woman in the next room. He wanted more than anything for her to just come in and start touching him, but there was a wall there now. Maybe Lyssa was trying to refrain from doing anything sensual, because it was rumored to have tainted her with more demonic energy. She was probably regretting what they had done.

He let in a slow gasp, unaware he had been stroking himself again. Then, he realized, that was not his hand. The moment he looked down, he saw her hand around him and felt her naked body pressed up against his back, Dante melted immediately. She must have sensed the primal need that was filling him up - like she was reading his mind.

"You didn't really think you were going to pull a solo act around me, did you?" he heard her tease. Dante bit his lip through a grin. She might have been half a foot shorter than him, but she had all of the power right now.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to." It took everything in his will power to keep the tremble out of his voice as she slowly pumped her hand up and down his shaft. Then, he turned around, forcing her to stop jerking him. It was only a little regrettable, but he had other plans, since they had a change of scenery from last time.

Shutting off the water, he picked her up by the backs of her thighs, carrying her out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. Her skin was hot against him - hotter than he remembered, honestly. He chalked that up to her growing, demonic power, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Their last exchange from a while back had been quite a ravenous and fun one. He savored the thought of revisiting it, but right now, he was feeling a little more romantic than vicious.

His hands felt her curves once he laid her down on the midnight-blue sheets, fingers tracing over the droplets of water on her waist and stomach. As eager as he was to feel her around him, he had other ways in mind to get Lyssa to scream and squirm.

Dante got comfortable, positioning himself low between her legs. He saw her eager eyes watching him, her grin approving, and that was enough of a sign of consent for him.

This was the first time he really got to take a good look at her naked. In their initial tryst, they were just hardcore going at it, but he never got to really appreciate how beautiful she actually was. Everything about her, from her long, raven hair to her shaven, pink goodness, she was utterly divine.

And he'd soon find she tasted even better. Dante knew he would never go to heaven, being a demon and all, but drinking the ambrosia from her sex was probably the closest he'd ever get, and hearing her little gasps and moans of delight only brought him that much closer.

Better make it last, he told himself. His tongue swirled inside of her, and her juices coated his maw. He vibrated a moan against her, using his thumb to rub at the rosebud just above his lips. Her hips gave a twist towards him, and he smiled against her triumphantly.

Jackpot.

She was dripping wet now. That was definitely a green light if he ever saw one. Positively giddy, he kept going, tongue and thumb working in time to get her off.

And boy, did she. Dante liked to think no matter how many people she had to drain to sate her demon urges, there was no one quite like him.

Once her climax subsided, Dante simply took a moment to savor the flavor. "Mm mmm..." he murmured, as though he had just finished a delectable, authentic dish. He trailed damp kisses up her navel, and once he got to her chest, captured one of her nipples in his mouth. He felt her fingers through his hair before they grabbed onto his roots. Guided by her forceful grip, he kept moving up, gladly succumbing to another kiss. She was feeding now, and that was fine by him. As his theory had proven right before, he wasn't the slightest bit weakened by it, like humans were.

Then, the room spun around him. She took him by surprise when she pushed him into his back, her legs on either side of him as she placed herself onto him. Dante clenched his hands around her hips as she impaled herself upon him, her body rising and falling in slow motions before she would soon speed up. He moaned with her, letting her take the reins for a few minutes while he just enjoyed the ride... and the captivating view.

"Mm... yeah..." He couldn't keep himself down for long, though. As if on instinct, he was propping himself up, still buried inside of her silky-wet confines, thrusting back up into her. He grabbed her backside, pulling her down into his drives for added impact. Then, he gave her what he hoped would be a pleasant surprise, pushing his index finger into her asshole.

Immediately, she tightened around him like a vice grip, and the sweetest sound of delight left her lips. Her hands squeezed his shoulders, nails digging into skin as they had before. He knew he was doing something right when he could get that kind of reaction out of her.

"You like that, huh?" he purred, and he chanced adding his middle finger, and though it was tighter than latex, her juices spilling from her sex aided the entry. No worded response came, but there was no need. Her writhing and gasping was all the confirmation he needed.

For hours, they fucked, and the entire room was in disarray by the time the sun came up. Dante wasn't easily winded after fighting, but somehow, he was exhausted after the long, strenuous and fervent night. He hadn't even gotten himself dressed before he fell asleep next to her.