Standing the Test of Time part 32
Title: Standing the Test of Time 32
Fandom: AtS
Pairings: Spike/Dracula, Spike/Angel
Rating: Pg-13 for now. The rating might go up later.
Warning: Slash
Disclaimer: I don't own them or make money off them. This is just for fun.
Summary: When captured in the aftermath of a battle Spike finds himself at the mercy of his old rival--Count Dracula. Will he be saved before it’s too late or will he be lulled into something even more dangerous than the Counts’ wrath?
Spoilers: For the Peter David IDW comic series Spike vs. Dracula 1-5.
Timeline: After NFA and after my story William Restored.
The taunts were all but silenced hours ago when Liviu had returned. In his hand he carried a glass bottle with a cork stopper tightly screwed in. Spike would have liked to have thought it's contents were of a pleasant nature. When the blades were pressed against his flesh he let his mind wander in an attempt to distract himself. Would have been nice if it was blood--too much blood all of it his--no don't think about it. Next was a refreshing drink, maybe a homemade gypsy brew that would to go down smoothly. For what he supposed was two hours, likely less, he struggled to recall the taste of different beers, ales and even wines. He couldn't. Not when the wooden stake was twisted an inch above his heart. He didn't scream though, not because he could block out the agony. He couldn't. His voice was simply too hoarse from the previous cries of pain.
When the liquid swished around loud enough to catch his slipping attention Spike amused himself with the thought that it was Liviu piss bottle. His mirth was short lived when the cork was finally unscrewed. "Do you beg to be taken? For touch that a filthy monster like you doesn't deserve?" The man sneered yanking the vampire by his hair he drew in close spitting as he spoke. "You taint us all, beast! Happily for us..."Liviu gave a terrible rotten tooth grin that sent chills to Spikes' bones. "...There are ways of cleanse us of your sickness."
That was when Spike noticed the cloth that he was pouring the clear fluid onto. It did not smell of blood, alcohol nor of urine. A sense of dread coiled tightly within his stomach ready to spring free when it finally came in contact with his skin. If he wasn't already hoarse he would have been as the holy water dripped cloth pressed against his lips.
-------------------------------------------------------
Angel would never be easy to comprehend, a fact that was slowly driving his son insane. He knew his father was better than this yet he had agreed to another shady dealing. One he had not bothered to inform any of them of. The hard lines of Faiths' brow told him that she was not liking this arrangement either. The four of them had been plucked off the train and been drowning in a lake the next moment. Though that didn't sound right. It felt like they had been stuck for longer than that, not that he could be certain. Portals never were his thing.
Their blue goddess on the other hand did not seem to care at all what had occurred. He wondered if she was listening to this Dragos guy tell Angel about a rebel leader fighting off Draculas' forces. Connor wasn't sure if they should get involved since their little grey world was hard enough to live in without blurring it further. Who was to say if this enemy of the famous vampire was any better?
"This shit makes no sense." Faith blunt retort made their guide flinch, she took no heed gesturing to the large tent at the center the camp they were approaching. "We don't know these guys, Angel. They could be tight with the W.R.H. and playing with us."
"They brought us here, and until we find out why or where we can't do much." The vampire reasoned. His tense body movement gave away his discomfort though.
"Gentlemen, ladies," Dragos said with an air of importance ignoring their pointed glares, "please step inside and Mihai will gladly answer any questions you have."
Only Connor hesitated to enter the main tent and to his surprise it was Illyria who came back for him. "Do not let this magic dull your senses. They infest like maggots in the decay."
"Umm...okay, thanks for the advice." He answered uncertainly. You never could be certain what the hell she was talking about. His senses though impressive were on overload at the moment. Even if they weren't he'd never be as good as Illyria at picking up stuff.
Once inside Connor had to blink and glance back at the entrance to make sure he was seeing correctly. It was gone, in it's place was a solid brick wall. The insides didn't look like anything he had expected outside. While stacks of magic books and herbs were present they were set up in order on high shelves. Stretching from one end of the room to another in what appeared to be a basement. Romanian rugs, candles, glass jars filled with pieces of things that Connor really didn't want to know about. Angel was standing in front of a taller, broader man. The figure reminded Connor of those wrestlers his friends back home liked to watch. Huge muscles, bald head with veins sticking out and menace in his eyes. Illyria ignored what threat he could pose walking past him towards the stairs. When the man made to follow Angel blocked him.
"Why did you bring us here?" The man didn't answer appearing amused by the question. Dragos sighed and went to interfere when Faith pushed him back.
"Really don't need your input, Jeeves."
"I want to know what game your playing, Mihai!" The brunet vampire bellowed.
"All you had to do was ask." Came the reply but not from the lips of the bald man. Five heads turned as one to a figure reclined against the railing next to Illyria. A young man no older than Connor waved took off an ear piece of his phone and smiled. He worn baggy faded jeans, a t-shirt with an image that was hidden by his bent leg and a pair of well worn sneakers.
"You're...Mihai? But you said he was--this can't be right--" Angel exclaimed looking more than a little confused. He wasn't the only one.
"What because of my age?" Mihai asked with a smirk. "Guess you never read Harry Potter."
"Harry Who?" Angel asked turning to Faith for answers.
"Hey if Ms. Rosenberg could do it why not anyone else?"
"You know about Will?" The slayer asked with more than a little disbelief clearly not trusting him one bit. He snickered.
"Girl who tried to end the world, killed Rack, turned on the potential slayers? Yeah, word gets around. You should hear what they say about her in the astral planes."
"Is that like one of those chatty room or an actual astral plane?" His dad never could be sure if he was missing a pop culture reference. Spike got them easily and would taunt Angel with it making the older appear foolish when he took the bait. Half the time he tried to ignore Spike but he never could for long. Thinking of it made Connor ache to have his family together again. They all needed Spike back. Whether they wanted to admit it was another thing. He was sure that Angel wanted to find Spike otherwise why was he going crazy risking everything so recklessly? Only people Connor had seen get that reaction from Angel was himself and Cordy.
"Kind of, we talk about the usual stuff. You know, mid-terms, dating, the yearly apocalypse." The young man shrugged not fazed what so ever with Illyria looming over him. Paying her no mind he even slipped off the railing to join her on the other side. "Though I gotta say that's a lot of hype to live up to."
"Yeah and you're better, right?" Judging by the tone Angel used and where he was looking at Connor had to fight back a snicker. Willow might have been weird, too perky especially about her offhand remarks about killing and being evil but she did appear to know what she was doing. She also didn't wear a shirt that had a picture of squirrel with a stick saying "protect your nuts" .
"Never said I was better--" Mihai corrected,"--just different." The three champions all jumped when the man finished his sentence from behind them. None of them had seen him teleport from his place near Illyria. This was one of the reasons Connor hated magic. That and it sending him to live in hell for most of his life. Like Holtz had said, it was the unknown that you could never really trust. He really didn't like illusions either.
"See Rosenberg is what I like to think of as the Hermione Granger of magic. Yes she's good but it's all book learned. She doesn't come from magic stock and hasn't began by self taught spells. Ones that most have all but forgotten. She's a bit too emotional too." Off their looks Mihai hurriedly back tracked. "Hey we all get heartbroken and lose people. Few people actually go about to destroy the world because of it. Well except you." He smirked at Angel who glared back.
"Where are we? In your moms' basement?" Breaking eye contact with Angel the youth glanced over at Faith smiling tightly.
"Mom's dead, just like dad, this is my family home as bleak as it is. Didn't have much left when we were kicked out of our real home. I can change it, expand it to suit my needs and get the entrance to open to guests where ever I please." Three blank faces stood staring back at him in awkward silence. "Anyone want a Dr. Pepper?" He offered.
No one answered. Mihai cheerful gestured to his gaming console, "I got the newest games, and when I say new I mean the ones that won't be made for another three years. Oh and little stock tip don't be betting against any big time law firms anytime soon. Their going to play for keeps."
"That's cool and all," Connor said feeling the need to add something of value to the conversation," it's just that I don't get what the deal with you and Dracula. Not that I know a whole lot about the real deal outside movies, but why start a war over it? What is "it" anyway?"
Dragos laughed hollowly, " 'It' is being exiled from our home! Being cursed to live yet never feel truly alive!"
"Our clan were rivals with the Counts' favored tribe Kalderash--who I assume you know of." Mihai directed a nod in Angels' direction to which the vampire muttered, "why does everything come back to them?"
"Let me guess, you guys killed a girl and he put the whammy on your asses." Connor noticed for the first time that Faith had slipped out of her wet jacket and taken out her dagger. He watched as her tattooed arm flexed to perform an one handed toss while she slummed against the wall. Surprisingly no one commented on it. Indeed neither Dragos or the bald man appeared threatened at all. They were more insulted by her tactless remark than worried.
"Actually it does reflect the Angelus matter a little. What with the curse and all. There was a war between us for many years. The Count himself put an end to it forcing a truce and shoving us to a small uninhabitable area. His pet clan were given gifts and respect. Then the unthinkable and in this case unforgivable happened--a Kalderash girl got pregnant with a man from our tribe. He rounded us all up to be sent away without listening to reason. The girl who denied being forced by this man had refused to get rid of her baby. She was banished with them never to see her family again."
Connor had no idea what was the right path to take, he wanted to save Spike and have his family reunited again. They couldn't ignore someone asking for help, could they? And it might work to their advantage to have help dealing with Dracula.
What if they were being played? If he was worse than the legendary vampire? If they refused to aid them would they be allowed to leave? If they helped would it take to much time? For all they knew Spike could have be dead-er by then.
"What happened to this girl?" Angel suddenly asked almost cautiously. Perhaps she would help him decide.
"She's dead. Died years ago when the pain of losing her family, home and lover became too much to bear." The youth answered flatly.
"This...lover was the father of her kid? What happened to him?
"He was killed in the capture just before the rest were removed from Draculas' sight." The grinning easy going Mihai was gone leaving a seething one in his place. Before he seemed too boyish to be this dangerous rebel. Now with unnatural jet black eyes he showed that he was more than what he appeared. Connor had an idea what had happened to the baby though Angel didn't ask he knew his father figured it out too.
"Our blood is tainted by this spell, if not lifted we will pass this onto our children to suffer for a false crime they had no part in." The man Dragos added when it was clear that Mihai would not say more.
"Everyone is...cursed the same?" Connor asked not thinking it was right to bring up his theory about Mihai not being as affected by the curse as the others.
"No, I can not physically return to our homeland yet. I'm building strength to make this possible." The smirk slipped back. "Do you want to play foosball? We could make plans for crippling the Counts' forces during dinner. I'm thinking nachos and pizza."
"Uh yeah, great as that is we never actually agreed to help you. We're here for one purpose only and that's to save...um...a...member of our team. Thanks but we have more important things than to--ILLYRIA?!"
An electronic explosion boomed in the room as the leather clad figure hit the buttons on a controller. Her attention it seemed had been drawn to the gaming system. Her eyes eagerly following her characters' movement to ruthlessly shoot down the enemies in her path. Angel seemed at a complete loss at how to deal with her when she was like this. Not that he ever knew how to deal with her.
"I was trying to make a point here, which you kind of ruined."
"Silence half-breed, I will not let your kind order me. I will do what I wish. My foes will be slaughtered like the cowards they are for fleeing my wrath." She sort of smiled when a hail of bullets caught her onscreen foes spattering digital blood. "Not as satisfying as freshly spilled blood by my hand but it will do."
While Angel sputtered for words Faith put in her two cents. "Here's the deal yo, I don't trust you but we might not have too many options. Way I figure it we could help each other out."
Completely dumbfounded by not having the final word on what they were going to do, that no one had even listened to him Angel stared on in stunned silence.
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The gurgling noise of the man choking on his own blood seemed too loud in the eerily quiet night. He paid it no mind, another campsite another failure. True he had rid himself of another band of the followers of Mihai doing right by those he swore to protect...would it be enough? None had given away their masters' secrets. His lair remained hidden, untouchable. Dracula felt like he was missing a factor he had not considered yet refused to surface in his busy mind. Since nightfall he had taken soldiers to set about fighting off his foes. With the elder by his side it was easier to weed out their whereabouts, either Mihai was careless or not as skilled as he claimed.
Or he let us find lesser foot soldiers to keep us off his scent.
While the men were not formidable they did suit his need for blood lust nicely. They failed to keep his thoughts from wandering for long. The dark vampire could not help himself from thinking on his troublesome prisoner. His obsession and enemy Spike. In his rage he had set about to destroy the chambers he had stayed in as if to erase the mans' existence entirely from his being. It had not been as cleansing as he had hoped. Halfway through he had come upon his bed where his scent was the strongest. Despair had welled in him like he had not known in ages. Dracula had believed that he was on the path to falling in love with Spike yet the strength of his emotions overwhelmed him. Not long ago he held Spike in his arms, kissed him with tenderness he never showed the other man, and the void left was eating away at him. Leaving him a shell of his former self.
Isn't that always true in matters of the heart?
While Spike had never hid his desire to flee Dracula had felt sickened that he had. The younger vampire had awaken something within him that he never thought he would feel wholly for another. His affections were splintered among his lovers to lessen the impact of their dying. None had left him by any other means except Spike.
Jabbing the last of the wooden spikes into the man he left his message to Mihai. "We are finished here."
There would be hell to pay for the next unlucky soul to cross their path that night. If these so-called Powers that Be truly cared for Spike then they would do well to protect him from his wrath.
-----------------------------------------
Liviu smiled at his masterpiece, the shivering gory mess that the dark lord had seen fit to make his personal whore. He chuckled imagining the vampires' reaction to the sight before him. "See if he wants you now, eh?"
The man rinsed out the blood stained towel absently pondering what else could be done to clean tainted flesh without stripping it away completely. The burned lips had been delightful--more so when the vampire spit out blood when a drop went into his mouth--yet it wasn't enough. An idea formed in his head that would do wonderfully. Taking the no longer pretty shirt in hand he tore it away and reached for his bowl.
"How about a nice bath?"
Fandom: AtS
Pairings: Spike/Dracula, Spike/Angel
Rating: Pg-13 for now. The rating might go up later.
Warning: Slash
Disclaimer: I don't own them or make money off them. This is just for fun.
Summary: When captured in the aftermath of a battle Spike finds himself at the mercy of his old rival--Count Dracula. Will he be saved before it’s too late or will he be lulled into something even more dangerous than the Counts’ wrath?
Spoilers: For the Peter David IDW comic series Spike vs. Dracula 1-5.
Timeline: After NFA and after my story William Restored.
The taunts were all but silenced hours ago when Liviu had returned. In his hand he carried a glass bottle with a cork stopper tightly screwed in. Spike would have liked to have thought it's contents were of a pleasant nature. When the blades were pressed against his flesh he let his mind wander in an attempt to distract himself. Would have been nice if it was blood--too much blood all of it his--no don't think about it. Next was a refreshing drink, maybe a homemade gypsy brew that would to go down smoothly. For what he supposed was two hours, likely less, he struggled to recall the taste of different beers, ales and even wines. He couldn't. Not when the wooden stake was twisted an inch above his heart. He didn't scream though, not because he could block out the agony. He couldn't. His voice was simply too hoarse from the previous cries of pain.
When the liquid swished around loud enough to catch his slipping attention Spike amused himself with the thought that it was Liviu piss bottle. His mirth was short lived when the cork was finally unscrewed. "Do you beg to be taken? For touch that a filthy monster like you doesn't deserve?" The man sneered yanking the vampire by his hair he drew in close spitting as he spoke. "You taint us all, beast! Happily for us..."Liviu gave a terrible rotten tooth grin that sent chills to Spikes' bones. "...There are ways of cleanse us of your sickness."
That was when Spike noticed the cloth that he was pouring the clear fluid onto. It did not smell of blood, alcohol nor of urine. A sense of dread coiled tightly within his stomach ready to spring free when it finally came in contact with his skin. If he wasn't already hoarse he would have been as the holy water dripped cloth pressed against his lips.
-------------------------------------------------------
Angel would never be easy to comprehend, a fact that was slowly driving his son insane. He knew his father was better than this yet he had agreed to another shady dealing. One he had not bothered to inform any of them of. The hard lines of Faiths' brow told him that she was not liking this arrangement either. The four of them had been plucked off the train and been drowning in a lake the next moment. Though that didn't sound right. It felt like they had been stuck for longer than that, not that he could be certain. Portals never were his thing.
Their blue goddess on the other hand did not seem to care at all what had occurred. He wondered if she was listening to this Dragos guy tell Angel about a rebel leader fighting off Draculas' forces. Connor wasn't sure if they should get involved since their little grey world was hard enough to live in without blurring it further. Who was to say if this enemy of the famous vampire was any better?
"This shit makes no sense." Faith blunt retort made their guide flinch, she took no heed gesturing to the large tent at the center the camp they were approaching. "We don't know these guys, Angel. They could be tight with the W.R.H. and playing with us."
"They brought us here, and until we find out why or where we can't do much." The vampire reasoned. His tense body movement gave away his discomfort though.
"Gentlemen, ladies," Dragos said with an air of importance ignoring their pointed glares, "please step inside and Mihai will gladly answer any questions you have."
Only Connor hesitated to enter the main tent and to his surprise it was Illyria who came back for him. "Do not let this magic dull your senses. They infest like maggots in the decay."
"Umm...okay, thanks for the advice." He answered uncertainly. You never could be certain what the hell she was talking about. His senses though impressive were on overload at the moment. Even if they weren't he'd never be as good as Illyria at picking up stuff.
Once inside Connor had to blink and glance back at the entrance to make sure he was seeing correctly. It was gone, in it's place was a solid brick wall. The insides didn't look like anything he had expected outside. While stacks of magic books and herbs were present they were set up in order on high shelves. Stretching from one end of the room to another in what appeared to be a basement. Romanian rugs, candles, glass jars filled with pieces of things that Connor really didn't want to know about. Angel was standing in front of a taller, broader man. The figure reminded Connor of those wrestlers his friends back home liked to watch. Huge muscles, bald head with veins sticking out and menace in his eyes. Illyria ignored what threat he could pose walking past him towards the stairs. When the man made to follow Angel blocked him.
"Why did you bring us here?" The man didn't answer appearing amused by the question. Dragos sighed and went to interfere when Faith pushed him back.
"Really don't need your input, Jeeves."
"I want to know what game your playing, Mihai!" The brunet vampire bellowed.
"All you had to do was ask." Came the reply but not from the lips of the bald man. Five heads turned as one to a figure reclined against the railing next to Illyria. A young man no older than Connor waved took off an ear piece of his phone and smiled. He worn baggy faded jeans, a t-shirt with an image that was hidden by his bent leg and a pair of well worn sneakers.
"You're...Mihai? But you said he was--this can't be right--" Angel exclaimed looking more than a little confused. He wasn't the only one.
"What because of my age?" Mihai asked with a smirk. "Guess you never read Harry Potter."
"Harry Who?" Angel asked turning to Faith for answers.
"Hey if Ms. Rosenberg could do it why not anyone else?"
"You know about Will?" The slayer asked with more than a little disbelief clearly not trusting him one bit. He snickered.
"Girl who tried to end the world, killed Rack, turned on the potential slayers? Yeah, word gets around. You should hear what they say about her in the astral planes."
"Is that like one of those chatty room or an actual astral plane?" His dad never could be sure if he was missing a pop culture reference. Spike got them easily and would taunt Angel with it making the older appear foolish when he took the bait. Half the time he tried to ignore Spike but he never could for long. Thinking of it made Connor ache to have his family together again. They all needed Spike back. Whether they wanted to admit it was another thing. He was sure that Angel wanted to find Spike otherwise why was he going crazy risking everything so recklessly? Only people Connor had seen get that reaction from Angel was himself and Cordy.
"Kind of, we talk about the usual stuff. You know, mid-terms, dating, the yearly apocalypse." The young man shrugged not fazed what so ever with Illyria looming over him. Paying her no mind he even slipped off the railing to join her on the other side. "Though I gotta say that's a lot of hype to live up to."
"Yeah and you're better, right?" Judging by the tone Angel used and where he was looking at Connor had to fight back a snicker. Willow might have been weird, too perky especially about her offhand remarks about killing and being evil but she did appear to know what she was doing. She also didn't wear a shirt that had a picture of squirrel with a stick saying "protect your nuts" .
"Never said I was better--" Mihai corrected,"--just different." The three champions all jumped when the man finished his sentence from behind them. None of them had seen him teleport from his place near Illyria. This was one of the reasons Connor hated magic. That and it sending him to live in hell for most of his life. Like Holtz had said, it was the unknown that you could never really trust. He really didn't like illusions either.
"See Rosenberg is what I like to think of as the Hermione Granger of magic. Yes she's good but it's all book learned. She doesn't come from magic stock and hasn't began by self taught spells. Ones that most have all but forgotten. She's a bit too emotional too." Off their looks Mihai hurriedly back tracked. "Hey we all get heartbroken and lose people. Few people actually go about to destroy the world because of it. Well except you." He smirked at Angel who glared back.
"Where are we? In your moms' basement?" Breaking eye contact with Angel the youth glanced over at Faith smiling tightly.
"Mom's dead, just like dad, this is my family home as bleak as it is. Didn't have much left when we were kicked out of our real home. I can change it, expand it to suit my needs and get the entrance to open to guests where ever I please." Three blank faces stood staring back at him in awkward silence. "Anyone want a Dr. Pepper?" He offered.
No one answered. Mihai cheerful gestured to his gaming console, "I got the newest games, and when I say new I mean the ones that won't be made for another three years. Oh and little stock tip don't be betting against any big time law firms anytime soon. Their going to play for keeps."
"That's cool and all," Connor said feeling the need to add something of value to the conversation," it's just that I don't get what the deal with you and Dracula. Not that I know a whole lot about the real deal outside movies, but why start a war over it? What is "it" anyway?"
Dragos laughed hollowly, " 'It' is being exiled from our home! Being cursed to live yet never feel truly alive!"
"Our clan were rivals with the Counts' favored tribe Kalderash--who I assume you know of." Mihai directed a nod in Angels' direction to which the vampire muttered, "why does everything come back to them?"
"Let me guess, you guys killed a girl and he put the whammy on your asses." Connor noticed for the first time that Faith had slipped out of her wet jacket and taken out her dagger. He watched as her tattooed arm flexed to perform an one handed toss while she slummed against the wall. Surprisingly no one commented on it. Indeed neither Dragos or the bald man appeared threatened at all. They were more insulted by her tactless remark than worried.
"Actually it does reflect the Angelus matter a little. What with the curse and all. There was a war between us for many years. The Count himself put an end to it forcing a truce and shoving us to a small uninhabitable area. His pet clan were given gifts and respect. Then the unthinkable and in this case unforgivable happened--a Kalderash girl got pregnant with a man from our tribe. He rounded us all up to be sent away without listening to reason. The girl who denied being forced by this man had refused to get rid of her baby. She was banished with them never to see her family again."
Connor had no idea what was the right path to take, he wanted to save Spike and have his family reunited again. They couldn't ignore someone asking for help, could they? And it might work to their advantage to have help dealing with Dracula.
What if they were being played? If he was worse than the legendary vampire? If they refused to aid them would they be allowed to leave? If they helped would it take to much time? For all they knew Spike could have be dead-er by then.
"What happened to this girl?" Angel suddenly asked almost cautiously. Perhaps she would help him decide.
"She's dead. Died years ago when the pain of losing her family, home and lover became too much to bear." The youth answered flatly.
"This...lover was the father of her kid? What happened to him?
"He was killed in the capture just before the rest were removed from Draculas' sight." The grinning easy going Mihai was gone leaving a seething one in his place. Before he seemed too boyish to be this dangerous rebel. Now with unnatural jet black eyes he showed that he was more than what he appeared. Connor had an idea what had happened to the baby though Angel didn't ask he knew his father figured it out too.
"Our blood is tainted by this spell, if not lifted we will pass this onto our children to suffer for a false crime they had no part in." The man Dragos added when it was clear that Mihai would not say more.
"Everyone is...cursed the same?" Connor asked not thinking it was right to bring up his theory about Mihai not being as affected by the curse as the others.
"No, I can not physically return to our homeland yet. I'm building strength to make this possible." The smirk slipped back. "Do you want to play foosball? We could make plans for crippling the Counts' forces during dinner. I'm thinking nachos and pizza."
"Uh yeah, great as that is we never actually agreed to help you. We're here for one purpose only and that's to save...um...a...member of our team. Thanks but we have more important things than to--ILLYRIA?!"
An electronic explosion boomed in the room as the leather clad figure hit the buttons on a controller. Her attention it seemed had been drawn to the gaming system. Her eyes eagerly following her characters' movement to ruthlessly shoot down the enemies in her path. Angel seemed at a complete loss at how to deal with her when she was like this. Not that he ever knew how to deal with her.
"I was trying to make a point here, which you kind of ruined."
"Silence half-breed, I will not let your kind order me. I will do what I wish. My foes will be slaughtered like the cowards they are for fleeing my wrath." She sort of smiled when a hail of bullets caught her onscreen foes spattering digital blood. "Not as satisfying as freshly spilled blood by my hand but it will do."
While Angel sputtered for words Faith put in her two cents. "Here's the deal yo, I don't trust you but we might not have too many options. Way I figure it we could help each other out."
Completely dumbfounded by not having the final word on what they were going to do, that no one had even listened to him Angel stared on in stunned silence.
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The gurgling noise of the man choking on his own blood seemed too loud in the eerily quiet night. He paid it no mind, another campsite another failure. True he had rid himself of another band of the followers of Mihai doing right by those he swore to protect...would it be enough? None had given away their masters' secrets. His lair remained hidden, untouchable. Dracula felt like he was missing a factor he had not considered yet refused to surface in his busy mind. Since nightfall he had taken soldiers to set about fighting off his foes. With the elder by his side it was easier to weed out their whereabouts, either Mihai was careless or not as skilled as he claimed.
Or he let us find lesser foot soldiers to keep us off his scent.
While the men were not formidable they did suit his need for blood lust nicely. They failed to keep his thoughts from wandering for long. The dark vampire could not help himself from thinking on his troublesome prisoner. His obsession and enemy Spike. In his rage he had set about to destroy the chambers he had stayed in as if to erase the mans' existence entirely from his being. It had not been as cleansing as he had hoped. Halfway through he had come upon his bed where his scent was the strongest. Despair had welled in him like he had not known in ages. Dracula had believed that he was on the path to falling in love with Spike yet the strength of his emotions overwhelmed him. Not long ago he held Spike in his arms, kissed him with tenderness he never showed the other man, and the void left was eating away at him. Leaving him a shell of his former self.
Isn't that always true in matters of the heart?
While Spike had never hid his desire to flee Dracula had felt sickened that he had. The younger vampire had awaken something within him that he never thought he would feel wholly for another. His affections were splintered among his lovers to lessen the impact of their dying. None had left him by any other means except Spike.
Jabbing the last of the wooden spikes into the man he left his message to Mihai. "We are finished here."
There would be hell to pay for the next unlucky soul to cross their path that night. If these so-called Powers that Be truly cared for Spike then they would do well to protect him from his wrath.
-----------------------------------------
Liviu smiled at his masterpiece, the shivering gory mess that the dark lord had seen fit to make his personal whore. He chuckled imagining the vampires' reaction to the sight before him. "See if he wants you now, eh?"
The man rinsed out the blood stained towel absently pondering what else could be done to clean tainted flesh without stripping it away completely. The burned lips had been delightful--more so when the vampire spit out blood when a drop went into his mouth--yet it wasn't enough. An idea formed in his head that would do wonderfully. Taking the no longer pretty shirt in hand he tore it away and reached for his bowl.
"How about a nice bath?"