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CHAPTER ONE
Danté

"Danté De Canta, you will be sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted assassination of Vladimir Everthorne!"
The judge's voice cut through the still air like a knife, his words hitting Danté hard in the chest. His father, Marius, sat on the edge of the crowd at the back with his servant Aamos, whose head was bowed.
"No... Please!" Danté began to beg. "Please.... Please...." His voice fell on deaf ears. News had spread across both the realms about his attempts to murder Vlad and now it seemed that both vampires and demons alike were joined together on making sure he was imprisoned for his crimes.
Vlad glanced to the guards as Danté continued to beg for freedom and gave a curt nod of his head, indicating for them to take Danté back to the cell where he had spent the last two nights and would now spend the rest of his life.
As the guards moved in around him, Danté whipped his head to the people behind him. "Father... Please, you can't let them do this! Father!" Yet, no-one knew who the boy's father was. No one knew any of Danté's family. And to his horror Marius was nowhere to be seen, hiding in the crowd.
He whimpered quietly as the guards fastened cuffs around his ankles and wrists, allowing everyone in the court room to see what they would do to tell him.
As he was chained and pulled slowly to his feet Vlad stood up himself, his daughter sitting shyly to his side. He looked over the crowd to finally settle his piercing his eyes on Danté. "As you all know Danté has attempted to commit one of the worst crimes that he could have, crossing the line not only of separation but attempted murder of another from his kind. For this, he will not be able to fulfil his Coming of Age ceremony when he reaches eighteen and, also, will remain in his cell and chained. Where he belongs. For the rest of his mortal life!"
Danté whimpered, not looking to Vlad but out for his father. In a crowd of people, he felt alone and isolated. He was never the bravest nor the strongest but now everyone would fear him and mock him. A fifteen year old would never have been able to murder the Vampire Lord. What was he thinking?
"You all know that if he does not complete his Coming of Age then of course, his immortality will not be gained but that is the least of what he deserves! He should be thankful we did not choose for him to be killed immediately." Vlad continued, running a hand through his slicked back hair. His rage had subsided but you could still see the hatred burning behind his features. Even from this distance Danté could see that.
Danté wanted to shout out but all that escaped was a mumble, fear overcoming him.
The last thing that Danté saw before the guards drag him away was Vlad simply waving his hand and turning away to his daughter who was sat watching quietly, her eyes wide with fear as she looked at Danté.

***
The guards pulled Danté into the cell, the only one that had been used in many years. They connected the chains on his wrists and ankles to the wall staple behind him, limiting him movements as well as wrapping heavy chains around his waist and torso, pulling his body forward so he was forced to slump or sit on the stone floor.
The taller guard scoffed as he slammed the gate shut behind him, the key clunking in the lock. "Let's see how long you'll last in here,"
Danté whimpered. "No... I don't belong here...."
"What did you expect?" The guard laughed as he hung the golden key on the wall, turning back to Danté. "That you'd be able to kill Lord Everthorne and be able to get away with it, punishment free? You're fifteen for god’s sake!"
Danté didn't reply, silently cursing the father that had put him up to this.
The guard's eyes glimmered. "God, I can't wait to see you two, three years down the line, boy!"
"That's enough," A gentle but firm voice echoed through, causing the guards to turn quickly.
Danté looked up but down again quickly.
The guards kept their eyes on the woman who emerged slowly from the shadows, grimacing slightly but inclined to bow. "M-Madame Everthorne..." One of the guards stuttered. At hearing the name, Danté let out a low growl. He didn't know Vlad was married but he couldn't care less even if he had a family. He was innocent and had been condemned; now chained up in a prison cell like an animal. Any Everthorne was an enemy to him now.
Lillith Everthorne slowly walked closer to the cage like cell, keeping her chin high as she looked down to Danté. "You are aware of your crime, Danté?" He nodded, refusing to make eye contact with her.
"Why did you do it?" There was silence between them for a moment before Danté gave a quiet grunt in response.
Lillith raised a dark eyebrow slightly, her features flushing slightly. "Words, please... You are not a complete animal."
"Why should I?" Dante grunted, not liking the fact that she had just called him next to an animal.
"Because I would appreciate proper words from you," Lillith sighed. Danté looked away quickly, the chains holding him ratting with his movements. "Danté!" Lillith snapped. He looked up to her slowly.
"Why did you try..." She stopped slowly, glancing over to the guards. "Why did you try to kill my husband?"
"I was told to." He reported coldly, meeting her gaze.
Lillith’s expression hardened, her eyebrows meeting. "Told to? By who?
He didn't want to reply at first but he could feel himself breaking. He wasn't as strong as he thought. "My father."
"Why would your father want Vladimir dead?"
Danté didn't know. He was never told. Lillith didn't move. He could see she wanted some kind of response but wasn't sure what to say.
Danté looked up to her, his voice breaking. "I'm... sorry.... ma'am..."
"I want to know why!" Lillith demanded, leaning closer to the cage though they could hear the guards mumming she shouldn't.
"I don't know why..." He said, looking down, ashamed. "He didn't tell me why..." Danté sighed. All that he had been told was if he failed, he would bring shame to his and the De Canta name.
Lillith was quickly losing her patience and it was obvious. She was tapping her foot on the floor and was clutching the fabric of her dress sleeve tightly. She looked down to the demon boy, down to one of her own kind. For the first attempted murder in either realm for one hundred years. Everyone would know this had unsettled the peace and would only unsettle the realms more since the birth of her mixed race child.
"Miss please.... I'm innocent... I was forced too..."
Lillith shook her head. She closed her eyes and turned away from Danté and shook her head, pulling her skirts straight.
"Please..." He said again, trying to stand up but being pulled down by the chains.
Lillith turned over her shoulder to him and said coldly. "It is out of my hands,"
"I didn't mean to! I was forced! I'm innocent!" He felt the tears swell in his eyes and he couldn't stop them from streaking down his cheeks.
He wasn't able to hold neither the guards' nor Lillith's attention. She gave no reaction as her heels clicked on the stone floor and she walked out of the prison. Leaving Danté chained with no signs of being able to leave.

FIVE YEARS LATER
Rozalynne

"Why do I have to do this...?” Rozalynne muttered as she walked through the streets. Demons were surrounding her but parted slowly as she walked, not wanting to get too close to her. She could hear that they were mumming about her but tried not to focus on them as much as she could. Everything they said was always the same.
"Filthy."
"Monster."
"Freak."
“Half-blood.”
She kept her head down and tried to ignore them, her thick hair falling around her face. Though it was much easier said than done. Don't listen to them. It isn't true. That's what her mother had always said. But doubt had started to grow the minute Lillith had told her to ignore them. She was different. She knew that. And everyone else knew it.
They hated her for it. For how she was born. They blamed her for the tension between the realms. Behind her walked her hand maid Ebony, a half-blood herself.
"They do realise I can hear them, don't they?" Rozalynne murmured to Ebony, fingering the black material of her ripped t-shirt.
"Yes miss." Ebony replied quietly. Rozalynne would have told Ebony to not call her miss but she knew she wouldn't listen. Ebony insisted on calling her miss while out in public and rarely called her only by her forename despite their time knowing one another.
Rozalynne sighed and closed her eyes momentarily. "I wish they'd just stop..." Ebony looked to her, not knowing what to say. Not knowing how to comfort her publically. "Know what it's like..."
Again, Rozalynne sighed and wrapped her arms around herself and kept her head down. She knew things wouldn't improve even as they both entered the vampire realm. Everyone hated Rozalynne for what her parents had done.
"Why does your mother want you to speak to the demon boy, miss?" Ebony asked softly.
"She wants me to take him to her," Rozalynne replied, turning to Ebony and waited so they could walk side by side.
"But if he..."
"If he tries anything, then I'll kick his ass." Rozalynne smiled. Ebony looked to her, amused but partly shocked by what Rozalynne had just said. She had never been pro-violence in her own life and hoped that her influence would rub off on Rozalynne; so far, nothing had changed. Though Rozalynne had been this way since her childhood. Always being shut out and pushed away from the other children and demons or vampires her age had hardened her against most others. Ebony had been different. Ebony didn't shun Rozalynne, call her names or push her away. Instead she helped care for her, doing whatever she could to help and hold her back if needs be.
Rozalynne ended up chuckling but shaking her head at Ebony's expression. "No..." She started. "I'll... I'll do what I have to if I need to. You can wait outside if you want to, Eb."
"I'm not sure what is best for you miss." She admitted quietly.
"We'll see what happens then.... Come on," And they both started walking, Rozalynne with her hands hanging by her side and her tail hovering above the floor behind her; Ebony was walking with her hands cupped around one other. Ebony, like Rozalynne, was half vampire blood but also half angel. Her wings were wide and tall but tucked around her shoulders, the feathers glistening white with lilac under feathers. She had been cast out of the angel realm but Lillith had taken her in, given her a shelter and offered a job when she became old enough.
They were surrounded by tall but narrows building, black bricks and spires reaching up towards the night sky. Vlad's house was near the back of the town, opposite to the court where the prisoner was being kept. Thought the prison cells were underground, they weren't visible to the upside but it still sat too close to the burial ground for Rozalynne’s liking. It always crept her out though she wouldn’t show it. She barely let her weaknesses show as she knew there was just a higher chance of being made fun of and mocked, thrown about like a rag doll for others' amusement.
Ebony was muttering something that sounded like she was trying to comfort her but Rozalynne wasn't paying attention. She was looking at the buildings around her as the gravel paths turned to cobbles under her boots. Around her, the buildings were moulding from the old, run-down and crumbling apartment blocks she had grown up around to an area of majestic cobblestone buildings that grouped the skyline of the realm; over-shadowing the demon realm before it.
The demons and vampires were a race that had lived for about the same amount of time but the wars had hit the demon realm harder, impacting the scenery and buildings heavily. The vampires possessed the strength to build up the city again but during the war also build stronger defences. Despite the demons being faster, they couldn't protect their own realm. And so vampires had claimed dominance over the land, leaving demons to cower in fear at the sight of one in their path. Eventually the agreement was reached and a treaty built, that neither race would have need to interact with one another. It gave both races the chance to rebuild and mourn what had been lost.
But now the treaty had been broken after the 'demon boy's' attempt to murder the vampire lord. Crossing all laws, rules and boundaries taught to him, the youngster should have known better than to enter the realm of the vampires; a privilege only offered to Rozalynne and Ebony. However things had always been tense between the races since the birth of the demon-vampire child. Danté's actions had tipped the balance altogether.
As Rozalynne approached Vlad's manor in the centre of the vampire realm, the stone doors were opened before her. Vlad stepped out before the two girls, his slicked back hair glistening in the moonlight, black as the sky. He smiled widely at seeing Rozalynne and held out his arms to her.
"Ah, Rozalynne." He hugged her gently and nodded to Ebony. "You are here on business from your mother?"
She nodded. "Yes father... I- I need to speak to the prisoner." Vlad raised an eyebrow as she spoke, questioning the reason as to why either of them would require a need to speak with the boy. I am unsure myself, though mother has requested his presence..." Rozalynne answered, holding her hands behind her back as she looked to Vlad, his dark eyes holding her gaze.
"Go ahead." He said in return. "But do not go alone."
Rozalynne nodded, the bells hanging from the ribbon concealing her horns jingling slightly. "Yes father," She replied and looked to Ebony, stepping inside as Vlad stood out of the way for them.
After a gesture from Vlad, a tall but slender guard stood to attention and started to lead Rozalynne and Ebony back towards where the prison entrance lay. The environment seemed to darken around them as they got nearer.
The entrance was concealed and the door was heavy and old, it took a lot of force from the vampire to pull it open. It creaked loudly and sprinkled dust as it hit the wall opposite. There looked to be very little light as Ebony and Rozalynne made the decent down into the prison.
The entire room was empty except for a single cell at the far end of the room, the little tune of moving chains filling the hall. As they got closer to the cage, Rozalynne gestured for Ebony to stay near the entrance.
"I need to talk to him," Rozalynne said softly.
"Be careful." Ebony whispered back, the chain rattling as the captive shifted uncomfortably.
Rozalynne smiled and squeezed Ebony's hand gently before letting their fingers slip apart. She turned away from the Guard and her friend and edged slowly closer to the cage.
She could hear the guard shuffling and muttering things such as "Please be careful, Miss Everthorne." but she ignored it as she looked into the cage, meeting the blood red gaze of the demon before her, his black hair falling across his eye.
The demon scanned her up and down quickly, not lingering on her demon tail as his own stuck to his back by the chains around him. He ran his tongue over the tip of one of his fangs slowly.
Rozalynne raised her chin slightly, crossing her arms over her chest and keeping her tail close to her legs though she let it drape on the floor. "Danté De Canta."
Danté looked up to her slowly. "What?"
Rozalynne let her gaze linger on him, her position unmoving. "I have need of you." She finally said as she looked around the chamber, laying eyes on the key hanging on the adjacent wall. "Or rather my mother does."
"Why would I want anything to do with your family, Everthorne?" He scoffed.
Rozalynne snarled, jerking her head forward, her eyes flashing with anger as her lips pulled back over her fangs. "Do not try my patience, De Canta...!" Danté rolled his eyes slightly, the chains pulling at every part of his body as he tried to readjust his position in the cage but the way he was held forced him to look at any visitor he had, no matter how hard he tried to shift his body and head away.
"My mother has need to see you and I am to take you to her so a little respect wouldn't go amiss." Rozalynne grumbled, clearly unhappy with the arrangement herself as she looked to the key again.
Danté growled, not knowing how to respond. She was the first visitor he had received in four years and even before then it was people come to mock and tease him. "Why should I?"
Rozalynne narrowed her eyes, clenching the fabric of her t-shirt between her fingers. "Because my father is the one you tried to kill and imprisoned you here and my mother is heir to take over the demon realm," She snapped. Never would Danté allow an Everthorne to boss him around, no matter how sweet Lillith had tried to be to him. Rozalynne didn't move. She stood immobile, watching, waiting for an answer. He didn't conform to her questioning gaze, turning his head away quickly. Rozalynne kicked the cage with her heavy boot to regain Danté's attention.
"Hey!" She shouted again and saw his head twitch slightly, the shadows cutting across his face. All sharp angles and defined features.
He eyed her slowly over his shoulder, his fangs peeking out from under his upper lip. "You best leave me alone half-blood!"
Rozalynne's entire body tensed, nails digging into her skin. Even from behind Rozalynne knew her anger at that name was obvious. She managed a barely audible snarl from her twisted lips. "Do not call me that!" Danté didn't reply, only turned his back away from her. If she didn't leave him alone he would create a commotion to force her to go. He had been alone for five years and now the peace was an oasis to him and the hustle and bustle of everyday life seemed like a living nightmare to him.
"Look," Rozalynne started, closing her eyes as she forced her voice to level itself out. "I can see you clearly hate me for what I am but that is not going to change by any stretch of the imagination. So I would appreciate it if you would just listen since I need you to come with me." Carefully, he kicked out at the bars next to him, causing his chains to bang loudly against it; a warning sign for her to leave him alone. Not only was she the half-blood that had got him into this mess but she wasn't taking his hints to leave him alone.
Rozalynne didn't move or flinch. She kept her eyes on him, not wavering despite him clanging. She didn't care how much he tried to frighten her away, she wasn't moving. Once she had been told to do something by her mother Rozalynne wasn't going to disobey, not for a criminal such as this. And especially when the demon in question had tried to murder her father and had then thrown the name she had had tossed around her all her life. Nothing more than a label but a label that burned a hatred deep down within her.
He saw that his attempt to scare her had failed. Maybe the half-blood is more than she is cracked out to be. If only he really knew how isolated Rozalynne had been growing up, being isolated and shunned apart from her family and Ebony. Maybe if Rozalynne really understood why Danté had acted in such a way towards her and the reasons as to why he repeated constantly that he was innocent.
If only they listened to one another, maybe they would have had a better chance of understanding and empathising with one another. Though both were reluctant and defiant, closing themselves off from the outside realms as they were afraid of getting hurt deep down.
Neither of them paused to consider this and it flicked out of their expressions, evident in their body language. Rozalynne had relaxed slightly but her shoulders were still hunched towards her pointed ears and her tail had uncoiled, it lay on the ground. She looked over to where the brass coloured key hung on the wall by a single hook. Even as they stood in silence, there were still noises that still echoed around the room and bounced off the walls. The rustling of the Guard's uniform and his leather boots creaking as he stepped from foot to foot nervously. It could even be heard Ebony's shallow and wary breathing, trying her best to maintain the silence around her but not being able to do so as much as she liked. More sounds around them were emanating from the distant scraping noises along to the faint footsteps that walked above.
Rozalynne's eyes slipped back over towards Danté and glanced over him, watching as his own eyes scoured her. She looked over his body, thin but not weak and then to his wings, black as night and powerful looking even as they curled around his body, hiding the majority of his back and chains. His powerful, ruby red eyes scanned her slowly and his wings fought against the chains that held him. He wanted to stretch them out behind him to relieve himself from the aching pain that was building up within his body.
"It's no use trying to move," Rozalynne said, softer than before but her posture still rigid. "You aren't getting out unless I let you." As she spoke she slowly backed away from him to where the key lay opposite him. To taunt him with unreachable freedom. She slipped her slender fingers under her key's loop and took it from the hook, holding it carefully in her hand.
"Give me the key." Danté growled. "Give me the freedom I deserve!"
Rozalynne shook her head and closed her fingers one by one around the key. "Unless you keep quiet and try to show me some manners then the key can easily be bent and never fit the lock."
Danté shook his head. "You do that and I'll drain every last drop of blood in your body!"
She raised an eyebrow tryingly and raised her fist holding the key. She tilted her head slightly to the side so her violet loose curls fell around her face and over her eyes. Without altering her expression, she slowly tightened her grip on the key and watched as Danté's body tensed. She smirked and opened her first again. "You will do no such thing, De Canta."
Danté flinched back, pressing himself back against the bars. Rozalynne had held up a transparent bottle of water. Salt water. Acid to demons. Despite being part demon herself, the water didn't affect her as much as it did pure demons; it just took longer and a greater volume to hurt her. The sight of the bottle caused Danté to reel back further, pushing himself into the corner of his cage. He may have been encaged for five years but he still knew the biggest weakness he fought against.
"You wouldn't...." He snarled, baring his teeth slightly as he tried to form a shield around himself with his wings but the chains made it impossible.
"I would if you made me. But, if you keep quiet and do as I say there will be no need to!" Rozalynne snapped. Danté didn't reply and the two linked eyes for a long period, as if daring the other to act. But they both remained still.
The only noises than the scraping of rats in the cell was the nervous murmurings of Ebony and the guard who Rozalynne had to admit, she had forgotten about. She still didn't turn to them though as she kept the water and key in hand. "Look... My mother needs you and I need you to take you to her. In order to do that; you need to come with me quietly. If you do, I won't have to use this," She finished, shaking the bottle of water between her fingers.
"What's in it for me?" He demanded.
"Mother will tell you that." She replied. Rozalynne carefully slipped the key into the lock and turned it slowly, the mechanisms inside clunking as they realised.
He watched her with silent eyes.... Watching and praying that she was has foolish as he had hoped she was. She stepped slowly inside and over to Danté, quickly kneeling behind him. She had already questioned the guard where they key was that locked his chains in place but the Guard said it didn't exist, the chains had no lock as that would mean Danté leaving. And that wasn't planned so Rozalynne had to use her vampire strength to break the chains.
After snapping the links Rozalynne stood up and brushed her hair from her eyes, the red bells in her hair jangling as she said. She looked over to Danté and sighed slightly. "There, now if you would come with me quietly..."
Without warning, Danté leapt at her quickly, pinning her to the side of the cage. "Foolish," He growled, trying to reach her neck with his fangs to cure his five year long hunger.

Description
CHAPTER ONE
Danté

"Danté De Canta, you will be sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted assassination of Vladimir Everthorne!"
The judge's voice cut through the still air like a knife, his words hitting Danté hard in the chest. His father, Marius, sat on the edge of the crowd at the back with his servant Aamos, whose head was bowed.
"No... Please!" Danté began to beg. "Please.... Please...." His voice fell on deaf ears. News had spread across both the realms about his attempts to murder Vlad and now it seemed that both vampires and demons alike were joined together on making sure he was imprisoned for his crimes.
Vlad glanced to the guards as Danté continued to beg for freedom and gave a curt nod of his head, indicating for them to take Danté back to the cell where he had spent the last two nights and would now spend the rest of his life.
As the guards moved in around him, Danté whipped his head to the people behind him. "Father... Please, you can't let them do this! Father!" Yet, no-one knew who the boy's father was. No one knew any of Danté's family. And to his horror Marius was nowhere to be seen, hiding in the crowd.
He whimpered quietly as the guards fastened cuffs around his ankles and wrists, allowing everyone in the court room to see what they would do to tell him.
As he was chained and pulled slowly to his feet Vlad stood up himself, his daughter sitting shyly to his side. He looked over the crowd to finally settle his piercing his eyes on Danté. "As you all know Danté has attempted to commit one of the worst crimes that he could have, crossing the line not only of separation but attempted murder of another from his kind. For this, he will not be able to fulfil his Coming of Age ceremony when he reaches eighteen and, also, will remain in his cell and chained. Where he belongs. For the rest of his mortal life!"
Danté whimpered, not looking to Vlad but out for his father. In a crowd of people, he felt alone and isolated. He was never the bravest nor the strongest but now everyone would fear him and mock him. A fifteen year old would never have been able to murder the Vampire Lord. What was he thinking?
"You all know that if he does not complete his Coming of Age then of course, his immortality will not be gained but that is the least of what he deserves! He should be thankful we did not choose for him to be killed immediately." Vlad continued, running a hand through his slicked back hair. His rage had subsided but you could still see the hatred burning behind his features. Even from this distance Danté could see that.
Danté wanted to shout out but all that escaped was a mumble, fear overcoming him.
The last thing that Danté saw before the guards drag him away was Vlad simply waving his hand and turning away to his daughter who was sat watching quietly, her eyes wide with fear as she looked at Danté.

***
The guards pulled Danté into the cell, the only one that had been used in many years. They connected the chains on his wrists and ankles to the wall staple behind him, limiting him movements as well as wrapping heavy chains around his waist and torso, pulling his body forward so he was forced to slump or sit on the stone floor.
The taller guard scoffed as he slammed the gate shut behind him, the key clunking in the lock. "Let's see how long you'll last in here,"
Danté whimpered. "No... I don't belong here...."
"What did you expect?" The guard laughed as he hung the golden key on the wall, turning back to Danté. "That you'd be able to kill Lord Everthorne and be able to get away with it, punishment free? You're fifteen for god’s sake!"
Danté didn't reply, silently cursing the father that had put him up to this.
The guard's eyes glimmered. "God, I can't wait to see you two, three years down the line, boy!"
"That's enough," A gentle but firm voice echoed through, causing the guards to turn quickly.
Danté looked up but down again quickly.
The guards kept their eyes on the woman who emerged slowly from the shadows, grimacing slightly but inclined to bow. "M-Madame Everthorne..." One of the guards stuttered. At hearing the name, Danté let out a low growl. He didn't know Vlad was married but he couldn't care less even if he had a family. He was innocent and had been condemned; now chained up in a prison cell like an animal. Any Everthorne was an enemy to him now.
Lillith Everthorne slowly walked closer to the cage like cell, keeping her chin high as she looked down to Danté. "You are aware of your crime, Danté?" He nodded, refusing to make eye contact with her.
"Why did you do it?" There was silence between them for a moment before Danté gave a quiet grunt in response.
Lillith raised a dark eyebrow slightly, her features flushing slightly. "Words, please... You are not a complete animal."
"Why should I?" Dante grunted, not liking the fact that she had just called him next to an animal.
"Because I would appreciate proper words from you," Lillith sighed. Danté looked away quickly, the chains holding him ratting with his movements. "Danté!" Lillith snapped. He looked up to her slowly.
"Why did you try..." She stopped slowly, glancing over to the guards. "Why did you try to kill my husband?"
"I was told to." He reported coldly, meeting her gaze.
Lillith’s expression hardened, her eyebrows meeting. "Told to? By who?
He didn't want to reply at first but he could feel himself breaking. He wasn't as strong as he thought. "My father."
"Why would your father want Vladimir dead?"
Danté didn't know. He was never told. Lillith didn't move. He could see she wanted some kind of response but wasn't sure what to say.
Danté looked up to her, his voice breaking. "I'm... sorry.... ma'am..."
"I want to know why!" Lillith demanded, leaning closer to the cage though they could hear the guards mumming she shouldn't.
"I don't know why..." He said, looking down, ashamed. "He didn't tell me why..." Danté sighed. All that he had been told was if he failed, he would bring shame to his and the De Canta name.
Lillith was quickly losing her patience and it was obvious. She was tapping her foot on the floor and was clutching the fabric of her dress sleeve tightly. She looked down to the demon boy, down to one of her own kind. For the first attempted murder in either realm for one hundred years. Everyone would know this had unsettled the peace and would only unsettle the realms more since the birth of her mixed race child.
"Miss please.... I'm innocent... I was forced too..."
Lillith shook her head. She closed her eyes and turned away from Danté and shook her head, pulling her skirts straight.
"Please..." He said again, trying to stand up but being pulled down by the chains.
Lillith turned over her shoulder to him and said coldly. "It is out of my hands,"
"I didn't mean to! I was forced! I'm innocent!" He felt the tears swell in his eyes and he couldn't stop them from streaking down his cheeks.
He wasn't able to hold neither the guards' nor Lillith's attention. She gave no reaction as her heels clicked on the stone floor and she walked out of the prison. Leaving Danté chained with no signs of being able to leave.

FIVE YEARS LATER
Rozalynne

"Why do I have to do this...?” Rozalynne muttered as she walked through the streets. Demons were surrounding her but parted slowly as she walked, not wanting to get too close to her. She could hear that they were mumming about her but tried not to focus on them as much as she could. Everything they said was always the same.
"Filthy."
"Monster."
"Freak."
“Half-blood.”
She kept her head down and tried to ignore them, her thick hair falling around her face. Though it was much easier said than done. Don't listen to them. It isn't true. That's what her mother had always said. But doubt had started to grow the minute Lillith had told her to ignore them. She was different. She knew that. And everyone else knew it.
They hated her for it. For how she was born. They blamed her for the tension between the realms. Behind her walked her hand maid Ebony, a half-blood herself.
"They do realise I can hear them, don't they?" Rozalynne murmured to Ebony, fingering the black material of her ripped t-shirt.
"Yes miss." Ebony replied quietly. Rozalynne would have told Ebony to not call her miss but she knew she wouldn't listen. Ebony insisted on calling her miss while out in public and rarely called her only by her forename despite their time knowing one another.
Rozalynne sighed and closed her eyes momentarily. "I wish they'd just stop..." Ebony looked to her, not knowing what to say. Not knowing how to comfort her publically. "Know what it's like..."
Again, Rozalynne sighed and wrapped her arms around herself and kept her head down. She knew things wouldn't improve even as they both entered the vampire realm. Everyone hated Rozalynne for what her parents had done.
"Why does your mother want you to speak to the demon boy, miss?" Ebony asked softly.
"She wants me to take him to her," Rozalynne replied, turning to Ebony and waited so they could walk side by side.
"But if he..."
"If he tries anything, then I'll kick his ass." Rozalynne smiled. Ebony looked to her, amused but partly shocked by what Rozalynne had just said. She had never been pro-violence in her own life and hoped that her influence would rub off on Rozalynne; so far, nothing had changed. Though Rozalynne had been this way since her childhood. Always being shut out and pushed away from the other children and demons or vampires her age had hardened her against most others. Ebony had been different. Ebony didn't shun Rozalynne, call her names or push her away. Instead she helped care for her, doing whatever she could to help and hold her back if needs be.
Rozalynne ended up chuckling but shaking her head at Ebony's expression. "No..." She started. "I'll... I'll do what I have to if I need to. You can wait outside if you want to, Eb."
"I'm not sure what is best for you miss." She admitted quietly.
"We'll see what happens then.... Come on," And they both started walking, Rozalynne with her hands hanging by her side and her tail hovering above the floor behind her; Ebony was walking with her hands cupped around one other. Ebony, like Rozalynne, was half vampire blood but also half angel. Her wings were wide and tall but tucked around her shoulders, the feathers glistening white with lilac under feathers. She had been cast out of the angel realm but Lillith had taken her in, given her a shelter and offered a job when she became old enough.
They were surrounded by tall but narrows building, black bricks and spires reaching up towards the night sky. Vlad's house was near the back of the town, opposite to the court where the prisoner was being kept. Thought the prison cells were underground, they weren't visible to the upside but it still sat too close to the burial ground for Rozalynne’s liking. It always crept her out though she wouldn’t show it. She barely let her weaknesses show as she knew there was just a higher chance of being made fun of and mocked, thrown about like a rag doll for others' amusement.
Ebony was muttering something that sounded like she was trying to comfort her but Rozalynne wasn't paying attention. She was looking at the buildings around her as the gravel paths turned to cobbles under her boots. Around her, the buildings were moulding from the old, run-down and crumbling apartment blocks she had grown up around to an area of majestic cobblestone buildings that grouped the skyline of the realm; over-shadowing the demon realm before it.
The demons and vampires were a race that had lived for about the same amount of time but the wars had hit the demon realm harder, impacting the scenery and buildings heavily. The vampires possessed the strength to build up the city again but during the war also build stronger defences. Despite the demons being faster, they couldn't protect their own realm. And so vampires had claimed dominance over the land, leaving demons to cower in fear at the sight of one in their path. Eventually the agreement was reached and a treaty built, that neither race would have need to interact with one another. It gave both races the chance to rebuild and mourn what had been lost.
But now the treaty had been broken after the 'demon boy's' attempt to murder the vampire lord. Crossing all laws, rules and boundaries taught to him, the youngster should have known better than to enter the realm of the vampires; a privilege only offered to Rozalynne and Ebony. However things had always been tense between the races since the birth of the demon-vampire child. Danté's actions had tipped the balance altogether.
As Rozalynne approached Vlad's manor in the centre of the vampire realm, the stone doors were opened before her. Vlad stepped out before the two girls, his slicked back hair glistening in the moonlight, black as the sky. He smiled widely at seeing Rozalynne and held out his arms to her.
"Ah, Rozalynne." He hugged her gently and nodded to Ebony. "You are here on business from your mother?"
She nodded. "Yes father... I- I need to speak to the prisoner." Vlad raised an eyebrow as she spoke, questioning the reason as to why either of them would require a need to speak with the boy. I am unsure myself, though mother has requested his presence..." Rozalynne answered, holding her hands behind her back as she looked to Vlad, his dark eyes holding her gaze.
"Go ahead." He said in return. "But do not go alone."
Rozalynne nodded, the bells hanging from the ribbon concealing her horns jingling slightly. "Yes father," She replied and looked to Ebony, stepping inside as Vlad stood out of the way for them.
After a gesture from Vlad, a tall but slender guard stood to attention and started to lead Rozalynne and Ebony back towards where the prison entrance lay. The environment seemed to darken around them as they got nearer.
The entrance was concealed and the door was heavy and old, it took a lot of force from the vampire to pull it open. It creaked loudly and sprinkled dust as it hit the wall opposite. There looked to be very little light as Ebony and Rozalynne made the decent down into the prison.
The entire room was empty except for a single cell at the far end of the room, the little tune of moving chains filling the hall. As they got closer to the cage, Rozalynne gestured for Ebony to stay near the entrance.
"I need to talk to him," Rozalynne said softly.
"Be careful." Ebony whispered back, the chain rattling as the captive shifted uncomfortably.
Rozalynne smiled and squeezed Ebony's hand gently before letting their fingers slip apart. She turned away from the Guard and her friend and edged slowly closer to the cage.
She could hear the guard shuffling and muttering things such as "Please be careful, Miss Everthorne." but she ignored it as she looked into the cage, meeting the blood red gaze of the demon before her, his black hair falling across his eye.
The demon scanned her up and down quickly, not lingering on her demon tail as his own stuck to his back by the chains around him. He ran his tongue over the tip of one of his fangs slowly.
Rozalynne raised her chin slightly, crossing her arms over her chest and keeping her tail close to her legs though she let it drape on the floor. "Danté De Canta."
Danté looked up to her slowly. "What?"
Rozalynne let her gaze linger on him, her position unmoving. "I have need of you." She finally said as she looked around the chamber, laying eyes on the key hanging on the adjacent wall. "Or rather my mother does."
"Why would I want anything to do with your family, Everthorne?" He scoffed.
Rozalynne snarled, jerking her head forward, her eyes flashing with anger as her lips pulled back over her fangs. "Do not try my patience, De Canta...!" Danté rolled his eyes slightly, the chains pulling at every part of his body as he tried to readjust his position in the cage but the way he was held forced him to look at any visitor he had, no matter how hard he tried to shift his body and head away.
"My mother has need to see you and I am to take you to her so a little respect wouldn't go amiss." Rozalynne grumbled, clearly unhappy with the arrangement herself as she looked to the key again.
Danté growled, not knowing how to respond. She was the first visitor he had received in four years and even before then it was people come to mock and tease him. "Why should I?"
Rozalynne narrowed her eyes, clenching the fabric of her t-shirt between her fingers. "Because my father is the one you tried to kill and imprisoned you here and my mother is heir to take over the demon realm," She snapped. Never would Danté allow an Everthorne to boss him around, no matter how sweet Lillith had tried to be to him. Rozalynne didn't move. She stood immobile, watching, waiting for an answer. He didn't conform to her questioning gaze, turning his head away quickly. Rozalynne kicked the cage with her heavy boot to regain Danté's attention.
"Hey!" She shouted again and saw his head twitch slightly, the shadows cutting across his face. All sharp angles and defined features.
He eyed her slowly over his shoulder, his fangs peeking out from under his upper lip. "You best leave me alone half-blood!"
Rozalynne's entire body tensed, nails digging into her skin. Even from behind Rozalynne knew her anger at that name was obvious. She managed a barely audible snarl from her twisted lips. "Do not call me that!" Danté didn't reply, only turned his back away from her. If she didn't leave him alone he would create a commotion to force her to go. He had been alone for five years and now the peace was an oasis to him and the hustle and bustle of everyday life seemed like a living nightmare to him.
"Look," Rozalynne started, closing her eyes as she forced her voice to level itself out. "I can see you clearly hate me for what I am but that is not going to change by any stretch of the imagination. So I would appreciate it if you would just listen since I need you to come with me." Carefully, he kicked out at the bars next to him, causing his chains to bang loudly against it; a warning sign for her to leave him alone. Not only was she the half-blood that had got him into this mess but she wasn't taking his hints to leave him alone.
Rozalynne didn't move or flinch. She kept her eyes on him, not wavering despite him clanging. She didn't care how much he tried to frighten her away, she wasn't moving. Once she had been told to do something by her mother Rozalynne wasn't going to disobey, not for a criminal such as this. And especially when the demon in question had tried to murder her father and had then thrown the name she had had tossed around her all her life. Nothing more than a label but a label that burned a hatred deep down within her.
He saw that his attempt to scare her had failed. Maybe the half-blood is more than she is cracked out to be. If only he really knew how isolated Rozalynne had been growing up, being isolated and shunned apart from her family and Ebony. Maybe if Rozalynne really understood why Danté had acted in such a way towards her and the reasons as to why he repeated constantly that he was innocent.
If only they listened to one another, maybe they would have had a better chance of understanding and empathising with one another. Though both were reluctant and defiant, closing themselves off from the outside realms as they were afraid of getting hurt deep down.
Neither of them paused to consider this and it flicked out of their expressions, evident in their body language. Rozalynne had relaxed slightly but her shoulders were still hunched towards her pointed ears and her tail had uncoiled, it lay on the ground. She looked over to where the brass coloured key hung on the wall by a single hook. Even as they stood in silence, there were still noises that still echoed around the room and bounced off the walls. The rustling of the Guard's uniform and his leather boots creaking as he stepped from foot to foot nervously. It could even be heard Ebony's shallow and wary breathing, trying her best to maintain the silence around her but not being able to do so as much as she liked. More sounds around them were emanating from the distant scraping noises along to the faint footsteps that walked above.
Rozalynne's eyes slipped back over towards Danté and glanced over him, watching as his own eyes scoured her. She looked over his body, thin but not weak and then to his wings, black as night and powerful looking even as they curled around his body, hiding the majority of his back and chains. His powerful, ruby red eyes scanned her slowly and his wings fought against the chains that held him. He wanted to stretch them out behind him to relieve himself from the aching pain that was building up within his body.
"It's no use trying to move," Rozalynne said, softer than before but her posture still rigid. "You aren't getting out unless I let you." As she spoke she slowly backed away from him to where the key lay opposite him. To taunt him with unreachable freedom. She slipped her slender fingers under her key's loop and took it from the hook, holding it carefully in her hand.
"Give me the key." Danté growled. "Give me the freedom I deserve!"
Rozalynne shook her head and closed her fingers one by one around the key. "Unless you keep quiet and try to show me some manners then the key can easily be bent and never fit the lock."
Danté shook his head. "You do that and I'll drain every last drop of blood in your body!"
She raised an eyebrow tryingly and raised her fist holding the key. She tilted her head slightly to the side so her violet loose curls fell around her face and over her eyes. Without altering her expression, she slowly tightened her grip on the key and watched as Danté's body tensed. She smirked and opened her first again. "You will do no such thing, De Canta."
Danté flinched back, pressing himself back against the bars. Rozalynne had held up a transparent bottle of water. Salt water. Acid to demons. Despite being part demon herself, the water didn't affect her as much as it did pure demons; it just took longer and a greater volume to hurt her. The sight of the bottle caused Danté to reel back further, pushing himself into the corner of his cage. He may have been encaged for five years but he still knew the biggest weakness he fought against.
"You wouldn't...." He snarled, baring his teeth slightly as he tried to form a shield around himself with his wings but the chains made it impossible.
"I would if you made me. But, if you keep quiet and do as I say there will be no need to!" Rozalynne snapped. Danté didn't reply and the two linked eyes for a long period, as if daring the other to act. But they both remained still.
The only noises than the scraping of rats in the cell was the nervous murmurings of Ebony and the guard who Rozalynne had to admit, she had forgotten about. She still didn't turn to them though as she kept the water and key in hand. "Look... My mother needs you and I need you to take you to her. In order to do that; you need to come with me quietly. If you do, I won't have to use this," She finished, shaking the bottle of water between her fingers.
"What's in it for me?" He demanded.
"Mother will tell you that." She replied. Rozalynne carefully slipped the key into the lock and turned it slowly, the mechanisms inside clunking as they realised.
He watched her with silent eyes.... Watching and praying that she was has foolish as he had hoped she was. She stepped slowly inside and over to Danté, quickly kneeling behind him. She had already questioned the guard where they key was that locked his chains in place but the Guard said it didn't exist, the chains had no lock as that would mean Danté leaving. And that wasn't planned so Rozalynne had to use her vampire strength to break the chains.
After snapping the links Rozalynne stood up and brushed her hair from her eyes, the red bells in her hair jangling as she said. She looked over to Danté and sighed slightly. "There, now if you would come with me quietly..."
Without warning, Danté leapt at her quickly, pinning her to the side of the cage. "Foolish," He growled, trying to reach her neck with his fangs to cure his five year long hunger.