Dante had always prided himself on his ability to read people, demons included. But this one? The damn demon who’d been trailing him for the past month—staying in the shadows, making her presence known only when she damn well felt like it—was a puzzle he couldn’t solve. And it was starting to get under his skin in a way he didn’t like.

It’d been a month since the first time they crossed paths, and back then, he’d been cocky. After all, when you’re Dante, you don’t lose. At least, not to anyone who wasn’t out for your blood. Except, he had lost. Badly. The demon hadn’t lifted a finger to attack him, and still, somehow, he found himself flat on his back, ego bruised worse than the cuts on his body. She hadn’t even looked like she was trying.

Since then, it hadn’t gotten much better. The demon would show up during his jobs, always staying just out of reach. And as much as he wanted to take a swing at her, Dante knew better now. She wasn’t here to kill him. Hell, she wasn’t even here to fight him. It was almost like she was… watching him. Playing with him. Teasing him. That, or she just liked to mess with his head.

He half-smirked as he cleared another room, the echoes of his boots the only sound filling the air. He could feel her presence behind him, like she was always there, just out of sight, moving like a shadow in the periphery of his vision. Her silence only made it worse, as if she was too good to even speak.

“Y’know,” Dante called out, loud enough for her to hear, though his eyes remained focused on the path ahead. “You’re starting to get predictable, babe. Keep this up, and I might just start thinking you’re not trying to get under my skin.”

He paused, taking a half-turn, his voice lowering into something more teasing, "Not that I mind the attention, but it’s gotta be more than just a chase, right? You’re not a one-night stand kind of demon, are you?" His grin curled, confident and cocky as ever, despite the confusing feelings he was now trying to ignore.