• Prologue: The Sorrow of the Truth
    He sits in his car, the half smoked cigarette finally burning out in the ash tray of the red sedan. How could she have lied to me for so long? he asks himself as he watches his wife and daughter walk into the house. He runs a hand through his shaggy blonde hair and lets out a sigh as he lets his eye lids cover his light blue eyes. With pursed lips he gets out of the car and walks up to the front door of the cozy white home that he shared with his wife and child.
    How am I going to confront her? he asks himself. "Leo is that you?" a soft, serene voice calls out from the kitchen.
    "Yeah it's me." he responds.
    "We're in the kitchen." his wife calls out.
    He walks into the retro sixties decorated kitchen to see a six year old girl with shoulder length high pigtails, her red curls bouncing as she hopped off of the kitchen table. She runs to hug his leg, her child-like glee shining in her mahogany colored eyes. "Daddy! Look what I painted in art class today!" she says, her pride evident in her voice.
    He smiles down at the red haired girl then to the refrigerator to see a poorly painted picture of a happy family. "It looks great my little Picasso. Why don't you go play in your room?"
    "Will you play Candyland with me?"
    "In a bit. Your mother and I need to talk. Whatever you hear I need you to stay in there okay?" he says strictly.
    She nods. "Yes daddy."
    He pats the child on her head then proceeds to glare at his wife as the little six year old ran from the room to the stairs in the hallway. "What's wrong Leo?" the red haired woman asks as she wipes her hands on her apron. "Angie has a bake sale tomorrow... We have sugar cookies to bake..."
    "How long?"
    She looks at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
    He draws the revolver from his holster to point it at her head. "How long have you been hiding your real nature from me... Desdemona?" he asks spitting out the name like it were a foul poison.
    Her eyes widen at the mention of her name. "I... How did you find out?"
    He closes his eyes, wishing that she had denounced the name. "The Association found out and told me. You... you hid very well unlike most of your kind. How long have you been lying about what you are?"
    "I have never...."
    "DON'T YOU LIE TO ME!" he yells making her wince and cringe.
    "Since the day we met ten years ago." she says tears starting to well up in her eyes. "Leonardo please... I knew that I couldn't tell you until I was ready. When we fell in love I knew that you were a demon slayer and what would happen if you or anyone ever found out."
    He glares at her. "Desdemona Sabjorea... The Demon Queen is my wife and the mother of my daughter. How the hell did you think I'd feel!? You lied to me for ten years! Is Angelique even mine?"
    She looks at him, pain evident in her eyes. "Of course Angie's yours! Leo you're the only man I've ever wanted. Put down the gun baby..." she pleads.
    He pulls back the hammer on the pistol. "The Association wasn't the only reason I know... I caught you last week trying to disillusion Angel's horns and tail. Why? Why didn't you tell me the truth? I could have helped you hide..."
    "Because I don't want Angelique to grow up the way that I did. I want her to have a normal human life." she says.
    "How could yo ulie to me Dahlia? I can't protect you... You have to die."
    "No! Please Angie and I can run! All three of us can run..." She pleads with him.
    Tears well up in his eyes. "They'll find us... I'm sorry..."
    She nods, tears falling down her cheeks. "Promise me that Angie won't suffer because of my lie. She's innocent in all of this."
    He nods. "She won't."
    "Promise me that you'll tell her how we met and I want you to lie to her... Tell her that a hunter showed up and killed me and that you had to get her away before he killed her too."
    "I will... Use your claws. Defend yourself."
    "No. I won't hurt you."
    "Do it, Dahlia."
    "No..."
    He sighs. "Damn you, Dahlia... You were always so damned stubborn."
    "I know and Leo?"
    "Yeah?"
    "I love you." A gunshot rings out as the corpse of the red haired woman hits the ground.