Three

The day after returning Zane to Earth, Mikalia found herself moping in bed staring at her ceiling. She wished things could have gone a bit differently. She could still feel the sting in her heart.

Damn that Beelzebub. Scaring him like that.

 She violently flipped on her stomach and buried her head into her pillow. After a moment she readjusted to her side.

No. Even if Beelzebub was out of the picture everything else would still have freaked him out. No. She couldnt let that deter her. Its a setback no doubt but she's waited too long to fail now. Mission Lovey Dovey with Zaney was a go.

Mikalia smacked herself in the forehead at that last thought. "That was too much even for me."

She hopped from her bed and exited the room. She would need to start pulling out all the stops to win Zane at this point. She needed to see her mother.

She found her mouth blissfully tending to the palace gardens. "Mother. I knew you would be here."

Lilith stop what she was doing and gave her daughter her full attention. "Well yes, it is one of the few joys of this realm. What is it? You look as if you need something."

Mikalia fought with how to word it without embarrassing herself. "Its guy...related."

"Hm. I see." She giggled teasingly.

"Mom?" She rolled her eyes with regret. "Worse idea yet."

"Come on honey. Give me this. I've waited a very long time for you to finally come to me for this. Something your father could never teach. Follow me we shall begin your lessons at once."

***

Zane and Lena had already set out on their first mission wearing the Rosario clan's signature black sleeveless cassock with golden buttons, a blue button-down underneath, black pants, and matching combat boots. Their tools of the trade hidden within. They both had their hair firmly secured into a ponytail so they could stay vigilant.

"Okay, Zane do you remember the method to track a fiend?" Lena held out her hand blocking Zane.

He brushed it aside and pulled out a couple sheets of paper with a crest on them and a candle. "No, but I do remember the time we tried to attract one when we were little."

"Dad stopped us from actually going through with it."

"Maybe we should try again."

Lena placed her chin in her hand, thinking it over. "Well, it would certainly make it quicker. Plus point for ingenuity. Dad said they verified only low-level fiends in the area, so we should be okay if we catch a few in our trap. Okay, let's do."

Zane wrapped one of the pieces of parchment around the candle, and then another until the candle was completely wrapped. After smearing a little of his blood on the candle, it was complete. "Let's find a safe place to light this."

"Agreed."

The passed up a few alleys before settling on the city dump. They stood at the entrance and lit the candle and waited.

A few moments of silence passed before Lena broke the stalemate.

"Didn't see the new girl at all today. What's going on there?"

Zane shrugged feigning ignorance. "How should I know?"

"Just that she seemed pretty attached."

He looked at her but she only looked straight ahead. She tried to keep a blank expression but it was clear she was troubled by it.

"Look I already said I don't know who she is and if I did can't say I do now. You do know how far back I can remember, right? Plus I'm only 16 marriage is out of the question."

Her expression softened and she smiled ever so slightly. "Yeah. Of course."

A wicked smirked traced itself across Zane's face. "Don't tell me you actually like me and got jealous?"

The question stunned her. She pouted and turned her head all in an attempt to mask her blushing cheeks. "You've gone mad, haven't you. Do you want to die on your first mission?"

"Ah, there she is. This Lena really does suit you best."

Lena bit her bottom lip and blushed even harder. Her spirit even soared to heaven itself.

Then the candle blew out, barely a quarter of the way melted. They immediately went on guard. They could hear something coming closer.

"I count 3." Lena said

Zane nodded. "Likewise."

"Get ready.

Without wasting much time the fiends launched an all-out attack on the pair. Now that they were out of the shadows Zane and Lena could get a good look at them.

They were a far cry from the creatures he saw in hell. Looking more like dried human husks with graying skin. As if they were zombified.

Lower level demons didn't have the fortitude to survive on earth on the own. They would kill a human host and use the decaying body to devour the pure souls of humans. This look was the results.

Zane looked to Lena who had begun an intercepting attack. She ducked as the beast scratched at her face and connected a left hook to its abdomen pushing it several feet back.

It stood straight up. The spot Lena struck began to rapidly bloat until it exploding spraying blood as black as tar across the ground and leaving a basketball-sized hole on the fiend's left side.

Lena blasted a full watt grin. "Look at that, they work."

Zane pulled one of the pistols and fired aiming for a headshot. To his surprise, it landed on the left side its face. It instantly started to melt outwards from the impact area until there was a large opening in its cranium.

"Pellets?" Lena asked confused.

Zane looked over the gun. "Well, he did say he used the blueprint from an airsoft gun to make these. Plus making guns without a permit is illegal.

The demon, even with half its face gone, continues to push forward.

"To stop em you have to destroy the heart."

Lena went in for the finishing blow. Squaring herself, she delivered a devastating cross to its heart. Everything blew out it's back in a mashed up mess.

It crumpled to the ground before withering away in the breeze. This was seriously too much for Zane.

"Pay attention idiot!" Lena yelled out.

The last enemy had closed the distance between itself and Zane. His reflexes are all that saved him and put some space between them.

He squeezed several times on both guns, overwhelming the monster with wounds until it too withered away.

His eyes went to Lena who was finishing the first creature. She wiped sweat from her forehead.

"Its easy enough to move in these clothes but boy do they get hot."

"Well let's get home so we can shower."

***

Mikalia left her mom's room mortified, her mother close by.

"Take my advice honey. Sex is key. It's how I won your father." Lilith giggled.

"Stop. Please." Mikalia responded dryly. "But thanks, you did give me an idea. So it worked out in the end."

"Glad to help. And if you need any more advice on night time activities your mother is here."

"Something about this feels so wrong." She shook her head before waving goodbye. She smiled to herself while walking the corridors. "You will be my husband Zane, and you will love me for all eternity."

"How long do are you going to entertain the idea of that human?"

Mikalia's smile disappeared upon hearing Beelzebub's voice. She decided to ignore him and walk right past without a word.

"I imagine not very long seeing as how he's soon to be dead?"

She stopped and spoke with her back to him. "What did you say?"

He laughed. "I've sent a few of my underlings out to exterminate him."

She turned around with glowing eyes. "Bastard. I won't stand for this. My father will put a stop to whatever you got in motion."

"Have you not heard? Turns out your husband is an exorcist."

"Lies."

"I decided to keep an eye on him. My spies on earth have confirmed it. He has already vanquished a few lesser fiends. I don't think Lucifer would even bat an eye.

"Call them off now?" She said through clentched teeth. Her brown skin was beginning to catch fire and burn away revealing the same sapphire complexion of her father.

"If I refuse?"

In an instant she lunged at Beelzebub, taking him in the air by the throat. Her demonic form in full display.

Her wings extended from her shoulder blades and flapped effortlessly through the air with the same color of her father's. Her hair was flaming and held the color of snow.

"You will die."

Beelzebub grabs her forearm and slowly pried her hand from his throat with ease. Then he flung her back to ground level hard.

"Learn you place child. You are still 1000 years too early to challenge me."

Mikalia sat up slowly, feeling the effects of that impact. Beelzebub walked off with a thunderous laugh

"I have to protect him." Mikalia whispered to herself finally making it to her feet and fading into the background.