Love Begins in Hell (The Moon Journals: Part 1)

Chaper 9 - A Proposal

Chaper 9 - A Proposal

Once we made it to the shoreline, Dante created a place for me that would be more comfortable than the hammock I had been scrunched in. Sitting next to Dante with his large height of 6'2" and weight of probably 180 or 200 muscular pounds didn't leave much room for me to be in the hammock with him. I did my best to bury my thoughts of wanting her to sit in his lap or, more accurately, straddle his lap because I knew I wanted to escape the reality of the chaos going on through my mind. 

I couldn't help but remember what we had already experienced together. It had been incredible. Dante was incredible, breathtaking. The silkiness of his chest. His gleaming eyes. The divine warmth of his skin. The sheer power of his leopard form. Whether he knew it or not, Dante was indeed a rare sort of demon. But would he become a dragon? Was that possible? 

As I watched him begin to carve a sizeable bench out of the trunk of a fallen palm tree, I realized I needed to know more about him. Did he know what happened to my sister and aunt? Now and then, as I watched him, he glanced over at me. Maybe he wanted to talk. Words failed me because I couldn't process everything going on. He was a son of Lucifer? Impossible! 

I wandered around the grove of palm trees picking up small pieces of wood for an evening fire as I stole a few glances at him. "How did you discover the Fanged Realm, Dante? When you were a boy, perhaps?"

*** 

"My father and I used to get along," he began. "You wouldn't expect me to say that, but it's true. I idolized him when he and my mother were together. She brought out the best in him. Unfortunately, my inaccuracy with a bow and arrow damaged our relationship." 

"Why's that?" I asked, immediately recognizing that both of us had lost our mothers. I strolled along behind him like I was in a sort of a daze, only half-heartedly listening. It was like my mind had split into and I was hearing two worlds, the thoughts of my own and his voice. I pulled my focus solely on Dante as he spoke. 

"One day my father and I went hunting. Tigers were the big rage then not were..." He paused, stopping his work instantly and shifting his eyes towards me. 

"It's okay," I said. "Don't hold back." 

Dante nodded and kept talking. "We were hunting for tigers across the wasteland. I wasn't that good with a bow and arrow, so I missed the kill-shot for the cat. The tiger escaped into the water." 

"Tigers like water?" I asked. There was still so much I didn't know about. 

"They don't care when they are running for their lives, but yes, to answer your question, tigers are fond of water." He laughed at my sudden curiosity. 

"When the tiger plunged into the water and disappeared, my father insisted I jump in and wrestle the animal out of the water. I hadn't learned to swim at that time, so I refused." 

"There's no time like the present," he had replied. "And he threw me in the water. He refused to let me get out of the water until I came out with the tiger in a bear hug." Dante paused again as he finished fashioning one side of the bench to match the other side, waiting to see if I'd get his joke. 

I forced a smile across my face. 

He continued. "I struggled for the longest time to stay afloat, but after I grew tired I began to drown. My father stood there and watched me, not once helping me." 

"Your father is an asshole," I blurted out, forgetting my ladylike disposition I needed to maintain. 

"I totally agree." He smiled at me, signaling a complete consent that I thought he wouldn't show me. I had thought he would be offended that I had called his father a name. He wasn't, quite the opposite. My heart swelled again. This is a moment I'll always cherish, I thought.