4: Dante

Being trapped within the confines of Miss J's small cabin left Dante restless and hungry. Tucked outside the city limits, deep within the dense forests he remained in order to help the old Witch find her answers about a book her very young protege had envisioned. Yet each day that passed by, he grew hungrier in more ways than one. He had done well after leaving London behind to travel across the open waters, but when he caught the scent of the Witch's blood through her clothes, it took every bit of strength he had to restrain himself from feeding on her. Blood was not a necessity compared to some of his underlings. He could survive quite well without it, of course that took years of patience and sheer will power to do so. Her blood however intrigued him. He had tasted a Witch's blood many times before, but there was something about this girl, this Willow as Miss J had referred to her, that stirred the animal inside of him. She had hidden whatever cut or scrap that was below her sleeves very well considering it took him until the end of the visit to realize it. Now that he caught wind of it, that's all he could think about.

"Sugar, you look a bit pale. Are you alright?" Miss J asked him as she walked into the room, holding a tray in her hands. When she sat it down on the wooden coffee table between them, there were two mugs of coffee and a small plate of cookies between them. He took up one of the mugs, the early morning light glistening off of its service.

"Being pale shocks you?" He asked her jokingly as he took a sip. She held her mug in her lap, her eyes casted down on it with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"For someone that was born in the sun, yes, it does." She gazes up at him, inclining her head, "I know being stuck with a little old lady like myself isn't as fun as what you're used to." She gave a small smile.

"Reading through your library of grimoires to find this... unidentified book is not exactly my most enjoyed pasttime." He said, shifting his gaze out the window. The sun was rising behind the pine trees, casting many shadows over their laps.

"Listening to you complain isn't my favorite either, dear." She retorted before placing her mug back down on the tray, "Unlike the Werewolves, you've kept your secrets well hidden from the rest of us."

"They are secrets for a reason, aren't they?" He quipped, clicking his tongue as he took another sip. He let out a sigh, looking back over to her, but her expression hadn't changed.

"How long can you go without feeding?" She asked him. He felt his eyebrow twitch.

"I can go months at a time if I so choose. Unlike the more recent underlings who need it more frequently, it doesn't faze me if I go without for sometime." He told her.

"Why is that?" She asked him.

"My, aren't we a curious one this morning. If you must really need to know, I suggest reading my autobiography." He informed her, watching as her brows dropped and her lips thinned into a line.

"You can't keep yourself hidden forever. One of these days you may find someone who you might confide in." She said, a twinkle in her grey eyes. His eyes narrowed slightly at her words, getting the feeling that she may know more than what she's letting on. Witch's intuition or so to speak. Dante glanced away again as the sun began to warm his face.

"You are sure the girl can't retrigger the vision in order to gain more knowledge of it?" He asked her.

"If that were the case, I wouldn't be asking for your help, now would I?" She countered him. "For someone that has lived longer than I have, I thought you of all people would have the best knowledge of what this book may be."

"From what you described, it seems more like a Witch's grimoire more than anything. I'm sure one of your other sisters or brothers can help serve you."

"By appearance it does, but the power that flickers out from it speaks otherwise." She said. He recalled about the energy the book gave off that she informed him about on the drive to the cabin.

"It didn't feel familiar?" He asked her. She shook her head slowly, staring down at her lap.

"There is one more course of action I can try, but in my age now, I don't believe it may be possible." She rose up from her seat and walked over to a bookshelf. Her fingers grazed each bind until they stopped on a book with a winter white bind. She pulled it out, running her fingers over the cover delicately before taking her seat across from him once more. His eyes flew to the book as she rested it on the table beside the tray. Red stitching of a pair of torches printed on the cover shined in the sunlight.

"What book is this one?" He asked her curiously.

"This here, Sugar, is the book of Hecate." She told him as she opened the cover to reveal aged pages with different languages scripted in it. Images of the moon in its different stages appeared on a page, while some others showed different art of a beautiful moon in the moonlight. Miss J closed the book up and slid it over to him.

"I may be well distinguished in multiple languages, darling, but I'm afraid this isn't the sort of genre for me." He pushed the book back toward her.

"Oh, it's not for you, darling," her voice dripped with sarcasm on the pet name, "you will go and give this to Willow." She said as she pushed the book back toward him. The image of the girl crossed his mind along with the memory of her blood. He watched as Miss J's brows slowly rose up in an amused way.

"Why do I need to be the one to give it to her?" He asked her as he picked up the book. It felt surprisingly heavy in his hands.

"I have to make flight plans to go check out Karmina's grave site." She told him. He nearly forgot about the threat. Of course it never truly bothered him as the dead Witch hadn't harmed him in any way.

"What makes you think the girl can do it?" Dante asked her as Miss J finished her coffee.

"Witch's intuition."

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Witch's intuition my ass.

Dante cursed the old woman as he waited outside the high school Willow attended, ignoring the stares and murmuring in the process. Multiple girls had attempted to approach him, yet the moment he rested his gaze on theirs, he watched them tremble in fear and scurry away. He wasn't always so intimidating, but perhaps the lack of his main food sustenance has put him more on the crankier side.

He stood beside his rental as the school bell chimed and students started to file out. Many eyed him with curiosity, a few others showed little to no interest. A beautiful brunette stepped out, wearing what appeared to be a varsity jacket, brown leggings and fur trimmed boots. He knew women like her. The air about them was usually egotistical and self-centered and how she spoke defined those very words.

"The party will go off without a hitch as long as I can snag Roy to come." She spoke to a slightly shorter blonde girl beside her nearly mimicking her outfit.

"You know he won't go unless that damn Witch is with him. She's been super clingy to him." She clicked her tongue in annoyance. Dante's attention perked at the mention of a Witch, but wasn't entirely sure if it was the same one he was picking up today. The brunette swept her gaze in his direction, a smirk rising on her red lips as she changed her path toward him.

"My, I didn't realize I was being sent an escort." She smiled sweetly up at him. He inclined his head down at her, raising a brow ever so slowly. She matched his raised brow.

"You wish it was for you." He said coldly, removing his gaze from her. The brunette flinched, probably surprised that her weak feminine wiles did nothing on him.

"Who would you be waiting for? Maybe I know them. We could all hang out." Her eyes dipped down to his pants with heat burning in them as she dragged her gaze slowly up his body. He felt his own body respond, his eyes shifting to her neck. His canines began to grow as he reached up, taking her chin in his fingers and tilted her head just enough for the full arc of her neck. He watched her eyes flutter at his touch as any hint of a fight escaped her conscious.

"I'm here for the Witch you spoke of." His voice dipped low to her ear. She stiffened in his grasp, her eyes finally meeting his and suddenly harden.

"You to?" She hissed as she moved away from him and adjusted her jacket. The blonde had remained frozen in place during their exchange, but had finally rushed over and taken her friend's arm.

"Come on, we still have to go shopping for our costumes." The friend hinted at her while avoiding Dante's gaze. The brunette tisked before stomping off. He watched after her while he thought about her words for a moment.

You to? Who else would want her?

The doors opened again, this time with his target and a boy with her. She looked surprised to see him, though he didn't blame her. He did show up with a proper announcement. The boy beside her was speaking to her in a hushed tone, but she was patting his arm reassuringly. She eventually left his side and walked up to Dante all the while the boy continued to hover close by.

"Hello sir." She said softly, her eyes downcast. He eyed her closed off posture, her hunched up shoulders, and her arms wrapped around herself. She wore a long sleeved sweater again, this time he couldn't scent any blood beneath them. He opened the car door for her.

"We need to have a little chat." He said to her. She hesitated, looking at the car before getting in. When he shut the door, he watched the boy from earlier clench his hands into fists and glaring at him. He ignored him as he got into the driver's seat and took off from the parking lot.

"Is it something I did?" She asked in a whisper. He cocked a brow at her, stealing a quick glance while he waited at a light. Her hands were folding over one another in her lap, and her eyes found them far more interesting than him.

"Not so much of what you did, but something you can do." He told her. She finally looked up at him with her violet eyes. They sparkled with curiosity for a moment and in that second, he felt his breath catch.

"Is it about my visions?" Her cheeks started to flush in what he assumed was embarrassment. He turned down a road that took them out of town.

"In reference to the book one, yes. I was unaware of any more that you had." He said, watching her sigh in relief.

"I don't know where the book is, or the person that it called for." She said as she gazed out the window. "This is the way to Miss J's cabin." She pointed out.

"I figured a comfortable setting to work your... magic, so to speak. I'll have you back home before curfew." He slowed the car as he turned onto a slightly narrow dirt path.

"That's okay. She won't know I'm missing." She spoke in barely a whisper. If not for the decrease in speed and lack of radio, he might have missed those words. He gave her a side glance, the sun framing her face. Her small nose, her slightly high cheek bones, and her soft lips. Her eyes dulled as if she lost focus as she gazed on ahead. Even from this angle she looked so detached from the world.

A large cabin came into view as the dirt road opened up, trees wrapping around the front and the sides, towering over it as if to completely hide it from view. Smoke rose from the chimney as he pulled the car onto the grass in front. Willow stepped out, looking at the building with a nostalgic look on her face as he stepped over to her.

"Do you come here often?" He asked her as he lead her inside. When they past over the threshold, Willow inhaled the incense Miss J had left burning on the countertop nearby. Her shoulders instantly relaxed.

"When I was a bit younger and learning magic with Miss J. She was my guardian for sometime before Aunt Ruth." She told him as she shouldered off her bookbag and rested it on a hook.

"No other family?" He asked her, regretting it as he turned toward her and watched her walls come up with a fake smile.

"Afraid not, but that's okay." She said weakly before changing the subject, "What did you need to talk to me about? It must be important if we're at Miss J's cabin." She glanced around, finally realizing the situation before her, "Where is Miss J?" Dante moved into the small living room with the two small couches, coffee table and fireplace. Tall glass windows with a glass door revealed the balcony that overlook a valley of trees below them and stretched on for miles. He took a seat on the couch while gesturing to the couch across from him.

"She had political business to take care of. She will contact you when she has a spare moment." He informed her. Willow hesitated again before sitting across from him.

"So she left you behind because?" She asked as she adjusted her sleeves the moment they started to ride up her arms. It was a flicker of a moment, but he finally saw it. Thin scars decorated her dark skin. If she were to let her sleeves rise, would he see more?

"To babysit, I guess." He said distastefully. Willow dropped her gaze.

"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble when we just met." She apologized immediately. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it. He let out a sigh before reaching behind a throw pillow and pulled out the book of Hecate and placed it on the coffee table.

"Your teacher believes you can decipher your vision a bit better with some assistance through that." He gestured to the book. Willow's eyes lit up as she gazed down at the book, carefully picking it up like it was a newborn child. She ran her fingers over the cover and the binding so delicately. He felt himself shiver as he watched, surprising himself.

"It may take time. Maybe I'm not the best for this task. My magic isn't as strong and potent as a full blooded Witch." Willow began to ramble excuses. Dante felt his lips twitched as he watched the girl falter. He sat forward, his hand reaching out and resting over hers. Her hand that was once cold from the October chill, warmed beneath his hand. It was just a second, a quick moment when her aura swarmed him until it enveloped his being. He was familiar with the power of a Witch, but something about this girl that was very different from the rest.

No wonder Janice has high hopes for the girl.

Willow met Dante's gaze and he felt his heart stop. The pure innocence in her gaze was so refreshing for him. He cleared his throat as he let her hand go.

"Miss J believes in you, so if anything, do it for her." He told her. Willow glanced down at the book in her hand before slowly nodding.

"I can do that, but... why didn't you just hand me the book when you were at my school?" She asked him as she opened up the cover. He got up from his spot and went into the small cozy kitchen. He started making hot chocolate while he thought up how to respond to her question.

"With a book with such a strong aura about it, I believed the last place it should be is at a school full of adolescents, and from what I have witnessed before, your own home isn't peaceful either." He admitted as he added the final touches of peppermint bark into the mugs. After being with Miss J for some time, he learned to whip up a quick and easy beverage on the cold nights.

Dante came back around the corner, holding the mugs in his hand when he froze up. Willow was sitting in her spot, but she hadn't moved. Her hands were on the open book, but she wasn't flipping the pages. She was staring straight ahead though, her chest barely rising and falling with each breath. He set the cups back down on the counter and sat beside her. He waved his hand in front of her face, but she didn't blink. Her violet eyes were glazed over and out of focus. He wanted to feel relieved that she was at least breathing, but he didn't know what all was happening.

Should I call Janice? Is this normal for her?

Just as he was going through his options, his nose picked up the sweet scent that came from her. His heart drummed in his chest, the veins around his eyes darkened and pulsed as they zeroed in on the corner of her lips where a thin stream of blood glistened against her dark skin. He licked his lips as he reached out with his finger and wiped the blood away. He let out a moan of delight as he licked his finger feverishly. He had tasted various blood types, each one different from the next, but Willow's blood was nothing he'd ever tasted before. It was sweet to start, then tart as it lingered on his tongue and set his body aflame. His slacks tightened against his groin and his heart accelerated dangerously. He eyed the Witch with new interest as his hunger began to grow.