I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. The deafening silence passed between us as Dante presses the button to go back down to the office. My mind wanders back to the sim.

Demons? Rouges? New species?

My thoughts spiral out of control. All things we were taught as kids about the boogeyman or the monsters in the closet seemed more real now. The elevator door dings open. I don't move. I hear Dante sigh. He slips his hand into mine and tugs me along. Any other time I would be screaming on the inside at the gesture, but now that was the last thing on my mind.

"Have a seat." He gestures towards the island stools.

Finally regaining some conscience back, I beckon my body to move. I trudge and sit down on the stool. Putting my chin in both of my heads I stare at Dante as he mixes coffee into the mixture. Seconds later the sweet aroma of hot chocolate fill the room. I close my eyes and sigh contently. Filling two mugs he turns and slides one towards me.

I take the the mug into my hands the warmth of the cup releasing some tension from my body. Silently thanking him I take a sip. It was surprisingly delicious. The warm liquid slowly calms my heart and I relax my posture. Noticing this Dante smiles. Not a smirk with seemingly bad intentions behind it but a full blown, gentle smile. I stare at him appalled.

He's full of surprises isn't he?

I blink and then it was gone, his usual hard line back on. I sigh and decide to ask something that's been on my mind for a while.

"Hey Dante..?" I ask timidly

"Hmmm?" He responds distractedly, staring into his mug.

I take a breath and release. " Are you a demon?" There. I said it.

His head turns towards me, his eyes hard. I gulp. Maybe not the smartest choice I've made. Panic rises inside my chest without meaning to. For a sudden his eyes soften before he nods.

"Yes." He states. He stares at me as if expecting me dart out the door. Not going to lie, the thought did cross my mind. I nod.

"Oh"

Surprise flickers on his face, " That's it?" I stare at him once more. There's nothing really to be afraid of.

"Yep" I respond popping the 'p' in the end. He raises an arched brow and amusement flicker in his eyes for a moment.

"Any more questions?" He asks while walking over and putting his finished mug into the sink.He extends his hands for mine. I pass my now empty mug to him and nod.

"The people I saw in the lobby when I got here, are they demons as well.?"

He turns his head towards me with a raised brow. "What makes you ask that?"

"Well, for starters they walked funny." I stated. Dante burst out laughing at this. His laughter booming around the room. I smile. He calms himself before speaking.

"No they aren't. Since my dad recently passed away they're following his policies. It's how it's always been."

I nod.

"You remember Scarlet?" He asks.

"Uh huh" I nod

"She's a demon." He states as if a normal thing to tell someone. I did sense something different about her.

"Gotcha. So about the 'rouges'..."

"Go on" He gestures with his hands to continue.

"Do they overpower you demons?"

"Not really. It's more like insect control. There are a lot of them but they're not that strong." He states, "I myself can take about ten of them alone." He gloats while smiling proudly. I chuckle at this.

"Are all demons hell bent on hunting down 'rouges'?" I ask.

His eyes darken for a second before responding, "No. Since we demons are slowly dying some become desperate for power and immortality. Earlier this century a myth arose and spread like wildfire.."

My curiosity heightens. " What myth?"

He sighs and rubs his forehead making him appear older. He looks distressed and tired. " I don't know the exact myth, no one does actually. It states that a mark will awaken inside a mortal body and will heighten the power of demons if used properly. Over the decade the person who is said to carry this mark has been called the Silver Tear"

My mind wanders back to the spear in the office. The note. I remember something that Dante spoke of.

"Did the note mention anything about this?" I ask

He looks and me and smirks. "Did you overhear me?"

I nod sheepishly. "Hey, you can't really blame me." I defend. He chuckles while shaking his head.

"Yeah."

"Can I see the note?" I ask unsure.

He stares at me for a second and nods. Reaching into his pocket he pull out a crumpled, folded piece of paper. I take it out of his hands and smooth it out on top on the counter.

This is a warning. She has awakened, the prophecy has shown this. She now resides in the town which you call 'home'. He knows. Be Careful... Disaster approaches.

-The Council

I look up at Dante with furrowed brows wanting an explanation.

"They say the mortal body which the mark resides in is a she, and is in this town. Doesn't that pose a threat to not only her but the whole entire town. I don't know much about you demons, but I'm pretty sure this town doesn't want to be caught in the crossfire." I state this calmly. Carefully assessing my words.

Dante nods. "Exactly. Which is precisely why I've decided to find this girl before some other demon does.. If she falls in the wrong hands things will not end well."

I nod. " I'll help" I state adamantly.

Dante's eyes widen."Absolutely not, it's way too dangerous for a mortal to get involved."

"That's not fair." I state childishly before a smirk of my own forms. "Aww, are you worried about me?" I coo at him. His cheeks flush with a light pink color.

Did he just blush. I thought with amusement.

"N-no. I just don't want you to get caught up in middle. You'll hold me back anyways." he finishes off.

Irritation strikes in me at his words. "Don't shove me away now. It's because of you I'm already in this mess. I'm going to help whether you like it or not."

Hurt passes through his face and I instantly regret what I said. He masks it up later and sighs. "Fine.. You can help." He states distastefully. I smile. My eyes dart towards the clock before widening. I'm late! Mom's going to kill me.

I abruptly stand up. " I have to get home. I told my mom I'd be home an hour ago. I left my car at home and came on a bus." I ramble before a thought crosses my mind, " Shoot. I don't even know if a bus runs by here right now. I'll have-" My rambling is stopped when Dante shakes my forearm. His eyes twinkle with amusement. I scowl as he finds my panic to be amusing.

"Calm down Laura. I'll take you home." He states. My eyes widen at his offer.

I shake my head "Oh no. You don't have to."

His eyes bore into mine. " I want to" My heart flutters at this before nodding slightly, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.