Chapter Twenty-One

Awakening

Earlier that morning….

It was true that old saying; that your whole life passes before your eyes in that one-second before death overcame you, because his did. As he lay there not even bothering to fend them off his entire life passed before him, he saw his family that he missed so much. He saw his friends. He saw everything that he had so proudly accomplished in his life fly by without a sound. But mostly all he saw was Buffy… his Buffy.

It was her sunny image that filled him. It was her smiling face looking up at him adoringly, like he held all the answers in the world that was plastered in his head. It was the smell of her clean skin and the way it tasted when he would run his tongue along it. It was the silky golden mass of locks that would effortlessly glide through his fingers as he held her head to kiss her. It was her soft pliable lips under his, as he tasted her. It was the incredible feeling of completeness when he was nestled deep inside of her.

It was all of those things and more that made him docile, made him accept what was happening to him. It just made it easier. But then fate would not let him have his golden warm visions to carry him through death. Instead the sun disappeared, the smile turned to a callous smirk and her cruel taunting rang in his ears, over and over again, telling him that she used him that she didn’t love him, and never had.

His golden dream was shattered, his heart ripped open and bleeding on the floor, tears fell from his eyes and he started to struggle. Physically he struggled against the bindings that held him, he struggled against the hungry vamps that were sucking him dry. But he didn’t feel any of that, he didn’t feel their fangs sinking into his warm clammy flesh, he didn’t feel his wrists and ankles chaffing against his bindings. Because he was struggling against the mental images that continued to plague him. He was struggling to hold on to her. He was struggling with the effort that it took to deny her heartless words.

Suddenly, his mind become blank and he felt nothing; the endless black pit of silence comforted him until it morphed again. This time they were not of sunshine and love, nor were they twisted words that tore at his heart, instead they were of her and her demon lover.

He stood in the corner of the room watching while they made love on her bed; their bodies melting into one, their animalistic grunts of pleasure and lust filling the room as Angel slammed inside of her hot welcoming body.

Then she turned her moss green eyes to his, she laughed at him and told him how inept he was, how he could never please her. Then Angel turned to him with his true face, his glowing red eyes mocking him telling him that he was nothing but a stupid mortal right before he sunk his fangs into her throat at her command.

The vision passed, his struggles ceased and he started to laugh. The vamps stopped their drinking and looked at him like he was insane. They mumbled amongst themselves and then one by one got up and left the room. Leaving all but one.

She watched him with caring golden eyes. He was so handsome, she ran her hands up his hard chest and marveled at the wondrously warm body beneath them. Looking up into his face she could see that he was lost, lost in his own mental world. A world that she could easily see was not a pleasant one.

She liked him he was her favorite customer so it was hard for her to see him so torn between reality and dreamland. She didn’t want him to die. She wouldn’t mind if he stayed with her forever. She smiled warmly at him as she ran her hand down his cheek. They could be mates and live together happily killing and maiming as they went along. She was not that strong, but he had to be, he was in excellent physical shape. He could protect her.

She looked back to the door, no one would know. And that other one, he was way too arrogant to even think that his orders would not be carried out. So where was the harm? She didn’t see any so she made her decision.

***

Later in the evening…

He woke up gasping for breath that would not come. He looked around to see that he was on an old bed in a darkened room. There was no light in the room except that of the moonlight spilling in through broken windows.

He had no recollection of what happened. He remembered Angel, he remembered vampires, but it was vague, like a dream. The only clear thing that he did remember was her…Buffy…his Buffy. He remembered her laughing at him; he remembered how she had opened her legs for that demon pig. How she commanded him to bite her. His face twisted in an angry sick scowl as he thought of all the lies that spewed from those kissable lips. How she had used him, tortured him with her body and her words. He growled. She made a fool out of him and he didn’t like it.

Hearing that animalistic sound coming from his own throat, he stopped his thoughts. He didn’t growl, animals growled…vampires growled. There was something different, something was off but he couldn’t figure out what it was; his mind wouldn’t let him think clearly. His mind just kept pushing those images of that bitch and her lover back in his head, not letting him think of anything other than that.

The deep empty rumble that came from his stomach interrupted his twisted thoughts, he clutched at in pain. He was starving. He needed something, but he didn’t know what it was. Perverse laughter spilled from his lips as he stared into the deceiving moss green eyes of his lover.

“You need to feed.”

He was oblivious to what was going on around him as the visions continued running in his mind like some sick porn movie. She was on her knees her head thrown back in erotic bliss as the demon entered her from behind. Flesh slapped against flesh, he sank his fangs into her tender throat and sickly drank, slurping up her blood as she shouted her release.

The more he watched them, the angrier he became, the shame at being used filled him, the degradation that his lover preferred to be fucked by a demon than by him sickened him. He wanted her to feel his pain; he wanted to tear her apart from limb to limb.

There was sharp slap on his check and his eyes momentarily cleared as he gazed into the yellow eyes of a vamp whore. “You need to feed,” she said again.

He didn’t stop to consider her words and what they meant. He didn’t care, she was right. His face shifted and he grabbed her by the throat. He drew her face close to his and sneered at her, “Yes I do.”

He twisted her head and ripped into her throat. As she squealed like a pig, he drank her dry. He snarled and grunted loudly as the cool tasteless blood coated his throat. He drank until his fangs were no longer embedded in flesh and he was covered with a fine layer of dust.

Standing, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand discontented growls emitting from his throat. Her blood was repulsive, insipid and weak, lifeless. There was no satisfaction for his hunger, he craved more, he craved warm blood, and he craved power he craved…her

Snarling he made his way out of the decrepit building, there was only one thing that he craved more than his fangs in her throat, he craved His death. He yearned to see Him bleed like the mangy dog he was. Maybe he wouldn’t kill him right away, no better yet; maybe he would fuck her till she bled right in front of him. She wanted a demons cock inside of her that’s what she would get, his cock so far inside of her hot conniving little cunt that when he’s done, she’ll be begging him to turn her. She’ll be so out of her mind with the pleasurable pain that she was going to experience from him fucking her that He would see that He was nothing special and that she was nothing but a whore that liked the dead.

He was not so far out of his mind to know that he would not be able to do it on his own. He was still hungry and therefore weak. He needed to feed more and he needed someone powerful on his side. He snarled into the quiet of the night as he stood outside, sniffing the air for the direction to take.

Detecting a strong scent of evil and power he headed off in the direction of it. As he ran he felt like he was flying. He was amazed how much faster he was now and how much more stamina he had. He cruelly laughed as he envisioned all that he could do with that stamina. All the wonderful pain and torture he could inflict on her. And inflict he would, he was going to make her pay for every lie and dagger she had thrown at his soul and heart.

***

Dreg watched from the shadows of the darkened doorway as the stupid creature took off down the street. He could not believe that this so called creature of the night didn’t even notice that he was there the whole time watching. Even the stronger one, the one that obviously was older and more powerful had not detected his presence.

He thought vampires were supposed to be incredibly sensory creatures yet neither of them nor the week vampires that were also in the room noticed him.

Ordinarily he would not bother with the lowlier demons but his mistress was firm she wanted information and she was getting tired of waiting. So he had been following them waiting and watching for any information that would please his mistress. What he had witnessed in the past days was both strange and disturbing, but could be used to their advantage

He had in his previous meeting with the slayer detected the faint demon scent of a mate and he was perplexed by it. Slayers were not supposed to mate with their enemies. His beautiful mistress had found that very amusing and like he assumed it was the blonde vampire. He was always there hanging in the shadows watching her, protecting her. But while his scent was on the slayer, both in her clothes and in her blood, it was also different, not as powerful, it was fainter almost diluted, it was defiantly not the strong scent of a mate.

Then the darker one showed up and he had followed him, following her and he knew right away that this was the mate, her other half. His scent was strong; this was the scent that the slayer reeked of. Yet there was something different about him too. And he wasn’t able to put his finger on it until he witnessed their violent reunion.

They were estranged, an oddity itself because when a vampire mated they mated for life, very rarely ever being without their mate by their side for long. But what was really strange was what he heard, that something that was off with this one, the one thing he couldn’t decipher…he had a soul, a soul that was mixed with the demon.

He was a volatile being one that needed watching. He sensed great strength in him, both human and demon qualities, he also sensed a very thin line between the two. One where the soul drew his extra strength from the demon and the demon freely gave it. He could easily see that he was more powerful than any vampire he had come across. And he was slightly wary of him. Especially witnessing what he did with the slayer’s human lover.

It was pure evil, pure demon, yet the soul was a participant as well and that was what made him dangerous; his willingness to be whatever he had to be, to do whatever he had to do to protect his mate.

When he arrogantly left assuming the lowly minions would do his deed without question, Dreg was ready to follow him, until he heard the mad ramblings of the human; his scattered words that spoke of inner demons of his own. He watched as the vampire turned him and he waited patiently for him to rise, seeing this newly created creature as someone his mistress could use.

The darker one thought he was dead and the slayer would not come looking for him, if her words at that shop indicated anything. He was perfect, the perfect sleeper, someone who could easily abstract information from the slayer’s friends without raising their suspicions.

There was no doubt that he would agree; it was plain to see that he had a deep hatred for the slayer and her mate. He would do anything they asked. So he was mad, who cares, it didn’t matter, once he fulfilled his purpose he would die anyway.

***

Riley stood in front of the building as his eyes scanned the dark he was being followed.

There was a rustle of bushes and he turned toward it, his face shifting, his fangs glistening in the moonlight ready to strike.

“You seek an ally? Someone powerful that will help you bring down the slayer?” Dreg walked out of the shadows and up to Riley.

“Who are you?” he snarled.

“I am Dreg, I am nothing more then the lowly servant to my most beauteous Glorificus.” He made a stately bow to the lowly demon and then stood up once again.

“Glorificus?” Riley looked confused and his head whipped around and looked at the building again his eyes once more scanning up the granite walls and to the balcony on the top floor. “Is she the power I sense in this building?” Then his gaze snapped back to Dreg as some of the pieces fell into place. “Is she the person that has been haunting the Slayer?” he asked.

Dreg smiled at him as he stepped forward. “She is no person demon, she is a Goddess, she is the most powerful entity in this dimension or any other for that matter.”

He walked around Riley taking in his putrid scent as his eyes took in his dirty bloody clothes.

“She seeks the key to go home. The Slayer knows where the key is but she of course has not shared that information with my mistress.”

Riley snarled, “Like she would. You don’t know Buffy.”

Dreg stood in front of him, “No we don’t…but you do.”

“What do you mean?”

Dreg had to hold back the urge to roll his eyes at this stupid creature and instead looked back at him calmly and detached. “Well you were her lover were you not?”

Riley’s hand snapped out and grabbed Dreg by the throat, he snarled into his face, “What to you mean WERE… I still am, she just doesn’t know it yet.”

Dreg held on to his hands to halt him should he decide to squeeze a little further. “Well she is mated to the vampire, the older more powerful vampire. They are at this very moment getting reacquainted with each other.”

Riley snarled angrily as he released Dreg and started to pace furiously, insane ramblings coming out of his mouth at full speed. “Her mate! I’m fucking sick and tired of those fucking goddamn words! He is not her mate! So he bit her…big fucking deal! I’m the one that’s been fucking her this past year! I am the one that was there for her when she needed someone! Where was he? AH WHERE THE FUCK WAS HE?”

Dreg watched him with a smirk on his face he was putty in their hands. “Yes indeed, who is he to come back here and steal what is rightfully yours.”

“That’s right! She is mine and I don’t share with anyone else!”

“Of course not master.” He stepped up to the door and opened it. “Perhaps we should go upstairs and…chat some more. We have a mutual desire to see the end of the slayer and her mate, perhaps we can come to an understanding on how to go about doing that.”

Riley stopped rambling hearing only ‘the end of the slayer and her mate’, he stepped forward a twisted smile on his face. “Yes that would be a good idea. Tell me is your mistress here?”

“No master she is…away, at the moment. Though, I do expect her back shortly.”

Riley stepped inside and Dreg closed the door leading him to the elevator. “In the meantime you can begin by telling me everything you know. When my Mistress returns she will be very pleased to learn of our…agreement, she can be very malleable when she gets what she wants. I’m sure she will give you everything you ever wanted.”

The elevator binged and the doors opened, Riley stepped inside followed by Dreg. “I only want Angel to die painfully and that lying bitch at my mercy.” He snarled.

“Yes I’m sure we can help you in achieving your desires.”

Chapter Twenty-Two