Chapter 7: Lover’s Kiss
The ambulance arrived ten minutes later, and took Joan, Dante, Franky, Ivan, Jenny and Detective Dekker to the closest hospital. Joan stayed by Dante’s side the entire time. It was so strange seeing the powerful demon like this - so weak. So human. If only he really was just a human, she mused.
When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Dante was transferred from the truck to a bed with wheels, and Joan stayed with him until he was wheeled inside the operating room. A sign above the door lit up, illuminating the words: ‘IN USE’. Joan was forced to wait outside and she collapsed into a nearby a chair before putting her face in her hands.
What if Dante died? Wouldn’t that be a good thing? It would mean she wouldn’t have to kill him. If God ordered her to kill Dante she’d have no choice but to do it. But the thought of Dante dying made her heart clench painfully inside of her chest. I can’t lose him again. A voice in her head said that wasn’t quite her own. Perhaps, it belonged to Jeanne d’Arc.
It seemed like hours until the ‘IN USE’ light went off and the doctor exited the operating room. The doctor was an older man in his sixties, with short gray hair, a neatly trimmed mustache and bags under his light brown eyes from lack of sleep. He was dressed in a white lab coat. Joan stood up and approached the doctor. She noted that his expression was grim and her stomach flip-flopped. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
The doctor shook his head and gave Joan a surprised look. “No. Miraculously he’s alive. And that is in no small part due to you helping to staunch the blood flow. If you hadn’t done that he’d be dead. That man was incredibly reckless. Using his body like a shield like that.” The doctor shook his head. “Tell him I said so. The human body is fragile, not indestructible like he seems to think. Tell him to take better care of himself. Now, I must ask you, young lady, did you remove the bullets yourself?” The doctor gave Joan an intent look.
Joan flinched, and tried not to look too guilty. “Oh, uh, yea.” Crap. There’s no way I can tell the doctor that the bullets were pushed out of Dante’s body because of his demonic power.
The doctor nodded and patted Joan’s shoulder. “That was very well done. But next time leave it to us. That’s what we’re here for after all. But don’t worry I won’t tell anyone you practiced surgery without a medical license, young lady.” The doctor’s tone was stern but there was a twinkle in his eyes.
Oh, double crap! Why were there so many rules in this era? “Thank you, Doctor.”
After that Dante was taken to a hospital room and hooked up to an IV. Joan was allowed to stay with him, and moved a chair closer to his bed before taking a seat. She gazed upon Dante’s unconscious face. He was sleeping. She smiled. The color was already returning to his handsome, chiseled face. Dante had a very sophisticated, Roman nose, lips that were kissable but not too big either - just perfect.
Joan licked her lips as she gazed down at Dante’s lips. He almost died because of her. Joan stood up from her chair, placed her right hand on the bed and leaned over Dante to get a better look at his face. Before she even realized what she was doing she was leaning over Dante and her lips were nearing his. Joan closed her eyes and pressed her lips against Dante’s - a tingle of energy seemed to pass through them. Joan moaned.
She pulled back and blinked down at Dante in bewilderment. She raised a hand to her lips. Just what was that? That tingle that had passed between them just now? Static electricity? Was that normal? Her lips were still tingling. I just kissed Dante. I just kissed Dante! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. What the hell was wrong with her? What the hell is wrong with me? I just kissed Dante…my enemy! A demon! Joan flopped back down in her chair and put her hands in her hair as she gripped her scalp. I’m so screwed.
It was getting harder and harder for Joan to resist the magnetic pull between her and Dante. What am I going to do? She felt lost and confused. Joan was exhausted and in a few minutes she’d fallen asleep right in the chair. “Zzzz.”
***
As Dante was wheeled through the hospital to his room all of the fear and pain the patients and family members were feeling began to empower Dante and his wounds began to heal on their own accord.
A few minutes later, Dante awoke when suddenly he felt a pair of soft, luscious lips pressing against his own. He had to resist the groan he wanted to release. That scent…spring grass after a rainstorm and honeysuckles. An earthy scent. So familiar but…
This wasn’t his beloved Jeanne. This was Joan the waitress.
Still, he’d felt a shock pass through their lips when they’d connected. Dante had to use all his willpower not to open his eyes and stare up into those gorgeous, green orbs of hers. If he did - he didn’t know if he could hold himself back from sampling her luscious lips again. He’d been resisting his attraction to this girl from the very beginning, but it was still there - palpable - just beneath the surface.
There was only one human female that’d been able to unhinge him like this and that had been Jeanne d’Arc. Beautiful. Powerful. Deadly. Sweet. Innocent.
He listened to Joan let out a heavy sigh and after that he listened to her breathing until it slowed down as she fell asleep.
Finally, Dante risked opening his eyes. He sat up and looked down at his bandaged chest. He’d earned several more scars this day. He removed the IV from his arm roughly, causing some blood to pool at the crook of his arm, and he turned to look at Joan. She was still fast asleep.
He raised his index finger to his lips, and a quizzical look formed on his face. He should be furious at this inferior human for daring to kiss him while he was asleep but strangely enough Dante found that he wasn’t angry. His brow furrowed. Joan had just kissed him. He’d been awake and had felt the light press of her lips against his and the sudden electric shock that had seemed to pass through them both. His lips were still tingling.
That strange sensation had only happened once before, long ago. Five hundred and eighty-four years to be exact, when he’d kissed Jeanne d’Arc. There’d been that same strange ‘shock’ and ‘energy’ that had passed between them.
And now centuries years later, this waitress Joan had made his lips tingle, and shivers run up and down his spine. He frowned. Joan Simone was not Jeanne d’Arc. The only woman he’d ever truly loved. A woman he would have died for.
Suddenly, he felt guilty. As if he were cheating on the memory of Jeanne. Jeanne could not be so easily replaced. Dante stalked over to the hospital room window and opened it. He hopped up onto the window ledge, crouched, and summoned his wings. He’d gathered enough power due to the fear of the hospital’s patients to do so. He spread his wings and took flight, leaving Joan behind.
His mind, heart, soul and body were in turmoil. Thoughts of Joan Simone and of Jeanne d’Arc were swirling in his mind. He reached his apartment building and headed straight for the balcony that was outside of his bedroom. He landed, willed his wings to disappear, and strolled over to the double doors before opening them and making his way into his bedroom. Dante immediately stripped off the flimsy hospital gown he’d been dressed in. The thought of lowly humans touching his body while he’d been unconscious send a tremor through Dante. Though the thought of Joan touching his unconscious body didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, his blood heated at the idea.
Dante began to unwind the cloth bandages from around his scarred torso next. His wounds were all healed, thanks to all the fear the humans had been feeling at the hospital. At least those pathetic humans were good for something. He fell back onto his mattress that was now covered by black, silk sheets. Dante drifted off and almost immediately fell into a deep, tortured sleep.
In the dream realm he was taken back to a time more than five hundred years ago when he’d first laid eyes upon Jeanne d’Arc.
FLASHBACK
Lucifer was busy preparing for the Apocalypse and getting his demon armies ready to invade the Earth. He had his eyes set on France. It had been prophesized that if he manag
ed to kill King Charles VII and defeated the French army that was led by God’s Chosen Warrior that he would be successful in conquering the world. Lucifer planned to topple the God-Chosen human king and knew that there was only one person standing in his way.
That person was Jeanne d’Arc. The Maid of Orléans. The Maid of Lorraine. The Lady Knight. The Crusader Queen (though Jeanne had never been a Queen). She was God’s Chosen Warrior and in command of the army that stood in the way of Lucifer’s victory. Of the start of the Apocalypse. And she would soon be dead.
Lucifer decided to send his best friend, the Great Duke of Hell, Dantalion, and one of his many legions against her army. Lucifer named this particular legion the ‘Legion of the Serpent’.
The coming battle would not only determine Lucifer’s victory but it would also be a ‘test’ of Dantalion’s loyalty. A loyalty that he’d been beginning to doubt lately. For all intents and purposes, Dantalion appeared to be loyal to him. The Duke had slain Lucifer’s demonic enemies in Hell, and had killed humans before as well. However, Dantalion had a creed, which he fought and lived by: ‘No women. No kids.’ This creed even included the spawns of demons. It didn’t matter to Dante if they were a human child or a demon child, he would not slay them and instead spare their lives.
Lucifer saw this as a weakness. A hiccup in his schemes to come, and wanted to see if he could cure Dantalion of his ‘condition’.
Jeanne d’Arc was a young, human female. Lucifer wondered how Dantalion would react to her. The woman would be unlike any Dantalion had ever encountered before. She was a warrior through and through. She was no pushover and she was not a woman who needed to be protected. She was deadly and she was their enemy. Lucifer smiled at the thought of Dantalion running his sword right through Jeanne’s heart.
***
In October of 1429, Jeanne was with the royal army when it took Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier. This was followed by an unsuccessful attempt to take La-Charité-sur-Loire during the months of November and December. It was during the truce with England that the Archangel Michael appeared to Jeanne and informed her that her army would be charged with facing off against a demon Duke known as Dantalion and his legion of demons. Dantalion’s aim was to destroy her army and then assassinate King Charles VII.