Angelus smiled to himself, began whistling and slowly made his way towards the sound that had caught his attention.
Oh god! He’s found me! Damn his vampire hearing…!
“Cordelia! Look at you, cowering in this dirt filled corner. I thought you were better than that.” He chuckled. Then he leaned down and grabbed her by the upper arms.
“Hey! No touching!” she cried out.
“Oh, there’ll be plenty of touching Cordy.” Angelus huskily enlightened her trembling form.
Suddenly, she stood upright and leaned in towards him, “Yah?” then she kneed him in the groin as hard as she could.
“Guess you were right!” then she scampered out the door and ran through the hallways. I’m getting out of this alive damn it! Even if it means that I have to douse myself in holy water and dangle crosses from my body! She dashed down the stairs while Angelus recovered and made her way to Wesley’s office to find what she needed.
Angelus couldn’t believe how much trouble this girl was! Though, he somehow managed to remind himself that the end justified the means...even if it meant bodily harm to either one of them…most likely to her.
He flew down the stairs and found Cordelia frantically rummaging through the office. Angelus was tired of this game and was ready to move on to the next. Swiftly moving behind her, he tipped her neck to the side and sank his teeth in.
At first she screamed, tried to shake him off but it was all to no avail. He had a mission. Her body fell limp against his and he took a moment to relish the intense bliss of hot blood flowing down his throat. Snapping out of his daze, Angelus picked Cordelia up and carried her towards the door. He carried her out to Angel’s car and placed her gently into the back seat but not before checking her pulse. It was still there. Slow…languorous but enough to keep her alive. He then hopped into the driver’s seat and sped off into the night.
The night air was warm against Angelus’ undead skin. It warmed him in away that brought memories of his life. But it meant nothing to him. Not now. He was dead but it didn’t stop the fact that he relished the warmth. He glanced to his rear view mirror and saw Cordelia slumped in the back seat with her head propped up. The breeze blew through her choppy brown hair and whisked across her face in an eerily picturesque way. Her skin was as pale as death itself and her body limp.
As much as Angelus admired Cordelia’s serene silence at that moment, he rather liked her when she was lively and sassy. That was when she was at her peak. He hated it and loved it both at the same time. It was odd for this sort of turmoil to resonate within him. Because of Angelus being the autocratic, decisive bastard that he was.
Angel drowned in her. He let himself get swept away in her tide, in everything that she was. Yet, he could barely recognize the feelings he had for her. It was always denial, never admitting to what he wanted. That was the difference between Angel and his demon. That was what made Angel all the more pathetic. No wonder Cordelia had never thought him worthy of sharing her feelings for him. She was different.
It was almost dawn. He could feel it begin to tingle deep within his skin but it didn’t matter they were almost there. He had driven for hours into the obscure, a place where humanity was limited. A smile curled his lips as Angelus entered his gated property. It was one of many that he owned but this one was special. It had been his very first ‘purchase’ as a vampire. It was his little secret tucked away from all those he thought unworthy of even observing. It was his castle. He was king and now his queen had arrived. Angelus breathed in the warm air and took a moment to delight in his boastfulness. He felt more free than he’d ever felt before.
Angelus lifted Cordelia out his car and made his way into the Victorian mansion. The sun was just creeping up as he shut the front door. The only light he needed was that which was held within the girl he carried. Up the staircase he went, with a spring in his step, of course.
Cordelia moaned. Her limbs felt as if they were pinned down and her chest was heavy laden. Her head was pressed to the left against a soft pillow with her body turned into the mattress. Slowly she gathered the strength to open her eyes. Cordelia didn’t know where she was but the haze that blurred her mind thought nothing of it.
Suddenly a wide door slung open and in walked a figure. She couldn’t make sense of it until it moved towards her and sat down next to her warm body on the bed. She twisted herself to look and murmured, “Angel?”.
It was Angel…or Angelus. She couldn’t quite remember. Her memories were muddled together amongst the haze of her entire self. She didn’t feel real.
“Angel? What’s going on?” she managed to mumble out while taking deep laboured breaths.
“Shh…here drink this.” he soothingly commanded as he propped the glass to her lips. Lifting up her hand, she held the glass to her mouth and began to drink. She didn’t know what it was but it eased the dryness in her throat that she didn’t realize she had.
Handing the glass back to him, Cordelia looked at Angel. He seemed…different. He dressed the same, he spoke gently to her, he had the same male scent but still…there was something different. Glancing around the dimly lit room, she realized that she didn’t recognize it. It was much different than any of the rooms at the hotel. Turning her gaze back to Angel to question him, she suddenly saw the difference that was pestering her.
It was his eyes. They were yellow and gleamed in the harsh darkness of the flickering candle light. This wasn’t Angel. It couldn’t be. She had never seen him looking so…so not Angel.
