Part 6<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cDamn it, Cordelia. I told you to stay in the jeep,\u201d Angel scolded as he checked the cut on her leg dangling out of the passenger door.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat thing was going to chop you in two!\u201d she pulled her leg inside the jeep and slammed the door, appalled that he seemed ungrateful, mad even at her attempt to help him out.<\/p>\n
Angel stormed to the driver\u2019s side and opened the door, \u201c That \u2018thing\u2019 would have been dead two minutes earlier if you hadn\u2019t distracted me by getting yourself hurt!\u201d he pointed out, punctuating his argument by slamming his own door.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I\u2019m just supposed to sit on the sidelines now that you\u2019re here,\u201d she complained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u2026 yeah,\u201d he started the engine.<\/p>\n
His matter-of-fact manner made her blood boil. \u201cWell, I\u2019m sooo sorry,\u201d she turned slightly in the passenger seat, facing him as he pulled away from the curb, \u201cbut, not gonna happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia, I appreciate the fact that you want to be involved in the fight. Really, its\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInvolved in the fight?! I\u2019ve got news for you, Angel. I\u2019ve been \u2018involved\u2019 in the fight a lot longer than you have. Or at least a big chunk of time that you haven\u2019t. And if you think that you can just come along and start barking out orders, telling me what to do and what not to do, you\u2019ve got another thing coming, buster.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow why in the world would I think you\u2018d follow orders,\u201d he bit off sarcastically as the jeep sped up to match his rising temper. \u201cI mean, you never have before. Remember the Krylock demon? Last year?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat scaly faced, hygienically challenged freak? Pfft.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPfft! He nearly took your head off, Cordy!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, you, Wes and Gunn wouldn\u2019t have known about his second heart or that it took piercing both with pure silver to kill it if I hadn\u2019t shown up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I think about how close that was\u2026. That\u2019s why you should do what I say, Cordy. We were lucky that time. But it only takes once. One time for me not to be fast enough, strong enough. I\u2019m not trying to take over your life. I just don\u2019t want to lose you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUgh\u2026\u201d Cordelia flopped back onto the seat and stared at the windshield. \u201cThis is so like you ya know. You brood about the past so much that you let it effect the now. That was a whole year ago, Angel. I don\u2019t think that\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia fell silent as Angel slammed on the brakes. They both looked at each other, hope in his eyes, shock in hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remember,\u201d he whispered the statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026 I..not everything. Just that moment. When you started talking about it, and with the fight back there, it just all seemed so familiar. It kinda brought it back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you remember that night? In the alley?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d she answered, astonishing herself at the knowledge. \u201cAnd you? You must remember it too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust pieces. Flashes really. But yeah, its there.\u201d<\/p>\n
They both stared at each other in silence. Cordelia\u2019s rapid breathing and pounding heart the only sounds echoing in both of their ears.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there anything?\u201d he broke the silence, hopeful that her memory was coming back as well, or even stronger than his own. \u201cAnything else about that night, or any other time that you remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d she lied and swallowed hard, trying to wet her suddenly dry throat. There was more. She remembered the way he had hovered over her for two days after that night. Staying with her at her apartment, insisting she rest and arguing with Dennis over which one would bring her breakfast in bed and threatening to exorcise the poor ghost if he ever caught him drawing her bathwater again. \u201cNothing,\u201d she shook her head in affirmation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Angel blew out a calming breath. \u201cMe either. I guess it was just so familiar that it triggered something\u2026.\u201d he thought of the hotel. Of how pieces of his past, of his and Cordelia\u2019s past, had raced at him when he entered the building.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel, what is it?\u201d she questioned as he put the jeep in gear and made a u-turn. \u201cAngel? I thought we were going home?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced at her and then back to the road, trusting that the old hotel would do the same for her. \u201cI think we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
\u201cLove what you\u2019ve done with the place,\u201d Cordelia turned in a slow circle as she took in the massive, dilapidated lobby.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d she apologized weakly, but it was true. The big, empty hotel was just that to her. A big, empty hotel. No memories. No warm fuzzies or traumatic flashes. Just, nothing. In a way she was relieved. The memory of how Angel had reacted to her a year ago had implied too much, stirred up too much inside of her. She wasn\u2019t sure if she was ready for anymore revelations just yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe if you walk around?\u201d Angel stepped closer to her and took her arm, both tried to hide the way their bodies shuddered at the contact. Cordelia placed her free arm across her stomach, willing away the butterflies that tickled and tingled her insides as he walked her to the stairs, his body brushing hers with each step up.<\/p>\n
The second floor hallway was long and very dark, so much so that she could hardly make out the doors that led inside to each room. Even so, exactly twelve steps down the corridor, she stopped and turned to face a shadowed doorway. Butterflies turned into acrobats flipping her insides around at the memory of the room, and at the nearness of the quiet man standing so close to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis room,\u201d was her only answer, as she stared at the blackness where she knew the entryway stood.<\/p>\n
Angel pushed the ajar door completely open and led her into the suite. It was almost as dark as the hallway, but the soft glow from the doors to the balcony filtered in enough of the city lights that she could make out a few shapes and shadows. Moving away from his touch, she walked through the room, skimming her fingers along what she knew was the dresser. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I think it might have been yours,\u201d she furrowed her brow in confusion, \u201cor mine? I\u2019m just not sure.\u201d She continued her blind tour of the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it was both,\u201d he hoped aloud before he could stop himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cCrap!\u201d Cordelia half yelped when her injured shin bumped into the bedrail.<\/p>\n
Angel reached her in an instant and taking her by the shoulders, gently sat her on the edge of the bed. Kneeling in front of her, he lifted her bare leg. It was dark in the room, but with his night creature vision, he could see the sun kissed stem clearly. God, she was so beautiful. He wandered at what they had been. She had referred to the others as \u2018friends\u2018, \u2018family\u2018. Those seemed to be such inadequate words for what he felt for her even now, without the memories, the experiences of their past. \u201cWe need to put something on this. It\u2019s not bleeding again, but I don\u2019t want you to get an infection.\u201d He stroked the area around the small cut, his hands cool and soothing yet scorching her skin with every caress.<\/p>\n
Cordelia studied the dark shadow that was the top of Angel\u2019s head, she looked down at where she knew her leg was, unable to see the short skirt or her bare skin in the dark. \u201cSo, you not only have superhuman strength,\u201d her voice sounded husky and she tried to mentally shake herself, to regain some semblance of control over what his touch was doing to her, \u201cbut you can see in the dark too,\u201d she reasoned aloud.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t answer her, but simply stared at her tempting skin, at the reddened mark, evidence of how close she had come to being seriously hurt. How many nights had it been like this for her, or worse? How many nights had she been forced into the fight because he had been gone? He closed his eyes, his small soothing caress now turning into more of an erotic stroke as his hand ran the length of her leg to the hem of her skirt above her knee. His touch feather soft.<\/p>\n
The dark room and his caress began to work a kind of magic on her, weaving a spell that she knew she couldn\u2019t fight. She didn\u2019t know if it was d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu or some remnant of a dream, but she knew she had felt this before. Had lived some moment like this with him in the past. Maybe he hadn\u2019t simply been a part of their team. Maybe he had been more, at least more to her. Whatever it was, this feeling, this pull that seemed to draw her to him, make her want him, felt right. In fact, it seemed like the first \u2018right\u2019 feeling she\u2019d had in a long time.<\/p>\n
Cloaked in blackness, her fingers seemed to find their way to his thick mass of dark hair, playing in the coarse strands. The stroke of her hand, automatically and unconsciously matching that of his own.<\/p>\n
Just being near her was temptation itself. The feel of her skin had tested the limits of his restraint. But it was her touch that undid him. His hand stilled and he leaned forward, resting his forehead against her knee. \u201cCordelia, there\u2019s something you should know about me,\u201d he said it so softly, she almost couldn\u2019t hear the words.<\/p>\n
Her hand stilled, \u201cWhat is it, Angel?\u201d she whispered back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not\u2026. I\u2019m not what you think I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her tone was too nonchalant for him. This was important, she had to understand, know what he was, so that her rejection could come quick if not painless. \u201cCordelia, I\u2019m not\u2026.\u201d the word wouldn\u2019t come out. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn\u2019t finish.<\/p>\n
So she did it for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHuman? Already past that page, Angel. Try and keep up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel sat back on his heels, puzzling at her revelation. \u201cHow? When?\u201d he stared at her, aware that she was unable to see his shocked expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I don\u2019t know. You killing two vamps on the beach with your bare hands. Getting past Dennis almost unscathed when you rushed in my room last night. Your miraculous recovery. Your inhuman strength. Take your pick. I\u2019m not an idiot ya know. It really wasn\u2019t that hard to figure out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew? All this time you knew that I was a\u2026. not human?\u201d He left the word demon untouched for the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, you make it sound like it\u2019s a bad thing. I\u2019ll have you know that some of my best friends have been \u2018nonhumans\u2018. And that includes a ghost, a demon, and one very sweet, alcoholic, Irish half-breed who gave his life up for the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that what I am?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? A half-breed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. A friend,\u201d he leaned back up on his knees. \u201cI mean. Is that all I am?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA friend is a very important thing, Angel,\u201d she said quietly, her voice trying to slip back into that embarrassingly husky, sexy sound that she seemed unable to control. \u201cTo be. To have. Couldn\u2019t you accept that, if that\u2019s what we were? Are. Friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould I accept it? Yes. I could accept anything that kept me close to you. Would it be all that I wanted, define all that I\u2019m feeling even right now? No.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia tried to reach the rational side of her brain, hidden through the fog of emotion and lust that seemed to be swirling around in her mind. She had almost grasped it when she felt his hand on her leg again, the light brush of his cool fingertips on her skin.<\/p>\n
He knew he wasn\u2019t playing fair, knew what his touch was doing to her, but he couldn\u2019t stop himself. He couldn\u2019t let her walk away from the moment without letting her know just how much he needed her, loved her, wanted her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel,\u201d it was a whispered sigh, a plea to stop or not to. Neither really knew or cared. They were hidden away in some black cocoon, shielded from the past, the future, and what mysterious, tragic event that lay between.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you knew me even before you saw the negative. You said you looked in my eyes and knew that you cared for me. Through whatever was done to us and after being apart for who knows how long, you felt something inside of you. Just like I did. Something inside of you that trusted me, that cared for me. They couldn’t touch that, Cordy. Why? Why do you think they couldn\u2019t erase that?\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed her useless eyes against the darkness. Wanting to answer, to help him work out the problem aloud. But her lips were trembling now and her body burned as his hand crept higher again, stopping again at the bottom of her skirt, gently brushing, gliding back and forth against the hem. \u201cCordy,\u201d his voice sent chill bumps racing across her skin. \u201cWere we in love?\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened her eyes then, trying to focus them on the face hidden in the silhouette. In one last desperate attempt to reach the intellectual side of her brain, she tried to answer his question, without answering his question. \u201cAngel, it\u2019s obvious we were close,\u201d she breathed, unable to hide what his touch was doing to her, but unwilling to stop him. \u201cI mean, the negative alone is proof of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not asking you for proof. I\u2019m asking you what you feel. What your instincts tell you. I want to know if they\u2019re telling you what mine are telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh? And what are you instincts telling you, Angel?\u201d she closed her eyes again and let her head drop back slightly as his second hand followed the lead of his other, tracing a path up her other, unblemished leg.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now they\u2019re roaring so loud, Cordy, I can\u2019t think straight. Everything in me is telling me that you\u2019re the only reason I came back, made it through. Were we in love? I know I had to have been. Because no other answer makes any sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She knew that this was the moment, the moment that some silent alarm should go off in her head. She waited for it to sound, to save them both from the flood of sexual attraction, of deep instinctual emotion that was about to sweep them away. But it never came. Instead of feeling wrong, dangerous, forbidden, his touch and the way her body responded to it felt natural, essential. It was as if she had been thirsting for this moment, his presence, for so long that her body was absorbing every delicious stroke.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia?\u201d both of his hands stopped on the sides of her thighs. His voice was ragged and uncertain and although she couldn\u2019t see his face, she could feel the heat of his stare, waiting for her answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we were,\u201d she whispered, sitting up straighter and looking at him with sincerity, knowing that he could read the emotions, the raw truth in her eyes.<\/p>\n
She was trembling all over then, the sheer magnitude of their confession to each other filling her with anticipation for his touch, and fear of the unknown – or the unremembered.<\/p>\n
She was tearing him up inside. Just a moment before he had been ready to press her to the bed, make passionate, earth shattering love to her. But now, as she sat there in front of him in the dark, her eyes full of naked honesty, her body trembling in what he could only interpret as terror at their situation, his only thought was to hold her. He stood and sat down beside her, pulling her slowly into his arms, \u201cWe won\u2019t rush this,\u201d he crooned into her ear. \u201cWe\u2019ll find out all we can before we\u2026.\u201d he trailed off and held her tighter.<\/p>\n
They stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity before they both pulled back slightly. Her body had stilled, felt soft and pliant now against his, but her lips still trembled slightly. Unable to resist, he bent his head to hers, kissing the corner of her quivering lips and sparking the electrically charged air between them.<\/p>\n
He bent his head to her again and this time she met his lips willingly, eagerly with hers, reveling in the charge that shook her body and sent a bolt of lightening racing beneath her skin. His mouth became more possessive, more needy, hungry, and when one of his hands moved to the nape of her neck, pressing her closer to his body, she could have sworn the room began to spin. Passion built in her, an erotic heat that swirled and spread to every cell. Her arms crept up and circled his neck. She shifted slightly, pressing herself as much as possible against his hard frame.<\/p>\n
He laid her back slowly, his mouth never leaving hers as his hands began an exploration or her hips, her small waist, and the soft mounds of her breasts. His mouth teased, coaxed hers into a rhythmic dance. And when she finally broke free, allowing herself to breath, she heard him murmur something incoherent in a husky voice, a sound of aching hunger that made her burn even more for his touch.<\/p>\n
She ran her fingers along the sides of his face, cradling his head in her hands as he took one hard beaded nipple into his mouth, suckling it right through her silk blouse and lacy bra. Impatiently he raised up, lifting her slightly with him, his hands pushed at fabric and worked at buttons until her blouse and champagne colored undergarment were discarded. He stared at her as if experiencing some miracle and circled one arm around her, bending her slightly back so her breast jutted forward, offering themselves up to him. He lowered his head again, his mouth was a cool mist, pulling strongly at her tight, bronze flesh. His tongue dancing around her nipple, his blunt teeth scraping until she cried out in uncontainable pleasure.<\/p>\n
When he paused his sensual assault, he lowered her back to the bed again, leaving her panting and flushed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to see you,\u201d he caressed her cheek with his hand, his hot gaze taking in the dazed and sexy eyes that he knew couldn\u2019t focus clearly on him in the dark. \u201cI need to just look at you, all of you,\u201d he whispered and trailed a finger over her hot, swollen lips.<\/p>\n
Cordelia felt consumed with need, possessed with passion, bold and seductive. And in a move that shocked herself, she drew his finger into her mouth, suckling it, tickling the tip of it with her tongue.<\/p>\n
He had meant to take it slow, enjoy gazing and exploring her body at his own pace, but the moment her hot mouth closed around his finger, all thought left his brain. And in a flurry of zips, buttons, and a few fabric tears, she was pinned down on the bed, his naked body covering hers.<\/p>\n
Cordelia let out a little shriek and then graced him with a small smile. Reaching up, she trailed her fingertips down his shoulders, the sides of his muscular chest, and then up again. She felt his powerful body clench and then shake slightly at her tender touch. In that moment she knew, knew that no matter how strong he was, no matter how much strength his body held, that he was just as vulnerable as she was when it came to this. To them.<\/p>\n
He loved her, and she knew.<\/p>\n
He leaned down and kissed her, letting her feel his stark, raw need. He touched her face with one hand, before trailing it to her breast, stopping for one teasing moment and then sliding down her stomach to rest where her heat and arousal called to him. He trailed the palm of his other hand down the length of her body and both hands found the curve of her hips where he held her still as his cool lips descended to ignite a trail of fire across her stomach. Still he moved lower, and when he finally tasted her, her fingers slipped down, tangling themselves in his hair. Her body ached and arched and moved restlessly beneath him, her flavor and scent bombarding his acute senses until he thought he might explode.<\/p>\n
He could have stayed there forever, bathing in her hot, wild scent. Until she let a soft moan escape her lips. That small sound sent him into another reality, a place where only the two of them existed. No thought or care for the past, the future, or any other being in the world. He grew so tight and hard that his desire for her became almost painful. Leaving her heated folds, hot, slick, and ready for his invasion, he lifted himself over her, pressing himself against her fiery entrance.<\/p>\n
He was so thick and full with need, yet he was so gentle with her, easing his velvet tip in so slowly, so tenderly, as if not to hurt her. Her hands grasped his shoulders, her fingers digging into his skin. Looking down into her eyes, he expected fear, apprehension, but was met with trust, acceptance, and love. Something animalistic, demonic, deep down inside of him roared, tried to break free, whispered horrible secrets in his brain in a desperate attempt to stop what was about to happen. It beat at him, clawed at his soul and then suddenly it was gone, the only thing left in its place\u2026..peace.<\/p>\n
Cordelia reached up, caressed the lines of strain on his face. \u201cAngel? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at her, and something within told him that he was free. Free from some horrible fate because she loved him, allowed him to love her. Lowering his head, he kissed her, softly, reverently before whispering, \u201cIt\u2019s nothing\u2026.it\u2019s everything. I love you, Cordelia.\u201d He pushed slowly, deeply into her until he was completely surrounded by her tight, welcoming walls. The act eliciting a gasp from both of them. He stared at her in the darkness, watching the myriad of emotions play across her face as he began to move, slowly at first, with long, sure stokes.<\/p>\n
He filled her so completely, it was the most intimate thing she had ever felt. She reveled in the way her body tingled, the way her channel ached and stretched to accommodate his large size. She moved with him, reached for him.<\/p>\n
He began to surge into her harder, deeper. His hands grabbing and cradling her round, smooth, buttocks, moving her, urging her closer to their mutual goal. Her body rippled, vibrated. His hands tightened, his fingers biting into her delicate skin. She could feel him, swelling, harder, deeper, faster. Lights flashed before her eyes in the blackness. A display of colors and shapes, a promise of perfect ecstasy. She grabbed at it, felt a pressure building deep inside until the lights burst into flames and she screamed, her body shattering into a million pieces.<\/p>\n
His mouth took hers, matching his hungry, frantic rhythm and devouring her last whimpering cry. He drove her so hard, so deep, the friction of it so excruciatingly delightful that her body wound tight, the ripple, the lights, exploding again into another earth shaking orgasm.<\/p>\n
She gripped him so tightly, milking him until he swelled and then pulsed into her. Waves of bliss washing over him as he peppered kisses all over her face, whispering her name over and over as he shuddered and then calmed. His wild thrusts gradually slowed until he was simply rocking against her, with her, bathing himself in their mutual satisfaction.<\/p>\n
When his body finally stilled, he rolled to his side, taking her with him. His arms circling her in an unbreakable band, locking her to him.<\/p>\n
He was relaxed now, but she could still feel him, hard and strong inside of her, his body still sending pulsing aftershocks into hers. She wrapped her arms around him, snuggling close to his chest. \u201cDo you think it\u2019s always like this with us? Every time?\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
He tightened his arms around her in answer, filling his lungs with their combined scent. \u201cI think it will always be like this with you, Cordy.\u201d<\/p>\n
She sighed and snuggled deeper into the shelter of his body and hid her face against his chest when her stomach began to rumble and growl. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she apologized with an embarrassed giggle. \u201cI\u2019m starving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yeah?\u201d \u2018me too,\u2019 he thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think we could leave our rundown, dusty love nest for a while and grab a bite to eat?\u201d she crinkled her nose and looked up towards him. \u201cDO you eat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Well at least she hadn\u2019t asked \u201cWHAT do you eat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on,\u201d he withdrew from her and raised her up to sit next to him. \u201cThere\u2019s an all night diner down the block.\u201d<\/p>\n
She sat there and watched his shadowed body leave the bed and begin to dress. Completely drained and exhausted, she fell back down to the bed and burrowed herself against the mattress. \u201cI think I need a little nap before we go,\u201d she yawned.<\/p>\n
Bending down as he buttoned up his shirt, he kissed the top of her sleepy head, \u201cWhat you need is food. I\u2019ve been in your apartment, remember? Go to sleep, I\u2019ll be back in a minute.\u201d He needed to lift a pint of blood from the closest butcher shop anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cHurry back,\u201d she mumbled as he left the room.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Charles Gunn drove the dark streets of L.A., peeking over at Wesley now and again. When Fred had whispered to him at the hospital about the eviction notice and bolted lock on the door of their office, he had intended on taking care of the matter himself. Had even called up a few favors owed to him by his old crew, soliciting their expertise in breaking and entering in order to retrieve whatever of their belongings that would fit in the bed of his truck. He really didn\u2019t want Wes to know until he had gained some of his strength back, knowing what it would do to him to have to leave some of his research behind. He had been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours, he didn\u2019t need the added stress of knowing that their business, their mission, was crumbling beneath their feet.<\/p>\n
But Fred, being Fred, had let it slip out while she sat with Wes after Cordelia had left that evening and as a result, Wesley had insisted that he help. But Gunn knew that he was going along more to make sure that the right material, the most important of their holdings, was saved.<\/p>\n
Gunn glanced at his friend who was immersed in an old dusty book, a journal from the Watchers Council that logged every known vampire. From those that had been dusted for centuries and the ones who still walked among humans. He looked back to the road, his eyes shifting now and again from side to side, scanning. He didn\u2019t need a book to tell him that the world was still infested with disgusting, bloodsucking demons. He\u2019d seen too many of them to not know how to spot them immediately. The filthy mother-fuckers. He hated them. He didn\u2019t just want to exterminate them. He wasn\u2019t like the rest of his family, happy to just see another one \u2018bite the dust\u2019. He wanted them to suffer, all of them, for what they had tried to do to Wesley. For what they had done to his sister.<\/p>\n
He closed his eyes, willing her image, human and demon, from his mind. Concentrating on the road again, he saw the tall building that always fascinated him, approaching on their right. The old hotel was abandoned, had been for as long as he could remember. Even junkies were too spooked by its legend of ghosts and death to set up shop in the place. But he had always seemed to be drawn to the place, appreciated its failing beauty and dark mystery.<\/p>\n
\u201cAw, hell no,\u201d he suddenly swerved to the curb on the opposite side of the street, watching a healed and healthier looking version of the creature that attacked his friend the night before leaving the aged dwelling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Wes finally roused from his study.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like our vamp found a place to nest,\u201d Gunn nodded toward the vampire rounding the corner and disappearing from sight.<\/p>\n
\u201cGunn,\u201d Wes\u2019 face seemed worried and tired. He glanced to the book in his hands and back at his friend. \u201cWe\u2019ve faced him before unsuccessfully. I\u2019m not sure it will turn out any better for us this time. I especially know that I am incapable of battling a demon in my condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho said you\u2019d have to do any of the battling? You\u2018re gonna stay right here until I come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGunn, you can\u2019t face him alone. You saw how powerful he was before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore the dude had you to bargain with. That\u2019s what gave him power. This time it\u2019ll just be the three of us,\u201d Gunn stated as he exited the truck and began to rummage through the mound of objects in the back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree?\u201d Wes questioned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe, him, and the kickass crossbow Fred made that\u2019s gonna dust his ass,\u201d he explained, producing the weapon and heading across the street.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d Wesley whispered loudly out of his window.<\/p>\n
Gunn turned in the middle of the street and looked at his friend, remembering the gut wrenching feeling when the vampire had him in his grasp. \u201cAlready broke in one building I don\u2019t own tonight. Not much difference in this place than that. Except that the only thing I\u2019ll be takin outa here is a little satisfaction,\u201d he answered and turned back to the hotel, intending to surprise the vamp when he returned. To show him just how high the price was for snacking on one of his people.<\/p>\n