JtAH 12
Edward had shown up to request aid from Narcissus, and instead he'd had his worldview rocked. It gave Xander a devilish rush of delight. He always liked being the unpleasant surprise no one expected to appear.
"So, you need some help handling a vampire pedophile, huh? That sounds like fun times all around." Xander grinned.
"What are your thoughts on immortal pedophiles? Please share," Edward said, getting his expression back under control.
Xander missed the bug-eyed shocked look. He wished he'd taken a picture, as Edward nonplussed didn't happen very often.
"I've never been a friend of child rapists," Xander said. "There's been a few of them that ended up on my wrong-side and each one of them learned a very valuable lesson." He met Edward's eyes and saw the understanding there. He also couldn't help wishing that he had the eye-mojo of the local vamps, as he would have had a clear shot at rolling Edward's mind. Too bad for lost opportunities.
"You would really go after one of your own kind?" Peter demanded. From the momentary pinch of Edward's brow, Peter was most likely to have kept his mouth shut and stayed in the background.
Xander smiled at the boy, a not-quite polite baring of the teeth. "Do you really think anyone around here is my own kind? They're fun play toys, but I am definitely in a class of my own. As they say, 'The weak are meat the strong eat.'"
"And in that scenario you're the guy that eats everyone around?" Peter ignored Edward's gestures to be quiet. He stared at Xander's chin, curiosity and fascinating fighting to overtake his practiced stoicism.
The kid was stubbornly brave but brittle. Xander knew he could break him. It was a battle not to mentally shatter him and play with the pieces.
"I'm a predator for every moment of every day," Xander said. "The minute you forget what I am, that's when I get you."
He stared into Peter's eyes and let some of what he was bleed through. The color drained from Peter's face and he swallowed convulsively, the air around him filling with the realization of fear.
Xander slowly smiled at him, all seductive charm except for his eyes. He let the monster stay in them, enough for Peter to clearly see what he was dealing with.
"I'm going to help you with your little pedophile problem," he said. "But don't you ever forget what I am. Or I'll eat you alive."
He liked the boy, but at the end of the day he was a demon. And sometimes liking a human wasn't enough for him to put aside his nature. Things got away from him. And humans bled so pretty.
He turned his smile on Edward, all charm and teeth. He was sure that they would come to understand each other.
"We are going to have such fun together. They might never find all of the pieces." Xander laughed.
* * *
Meeting a vampire in the daytime was one of those nightmare scenarios that usually involved Anita Blake. As it was, Edward felt on edge, his attention trained toward Xander--focused on the biggest threat in the room.
"So, you need some help handling a vampire pedophile, huh? That sounds like fun times all around." Xander grinned.
"What are your thoughts on immortal pedophiles? Please share," Edward said, getting his expression back under control.
Xander missed the bug-eyed shocked look. He wished he'd taken a picture, as Edward nonplussed didn't happen very often.
"I've never been a friend of child rapists," Xander said. "There's been a few of them that ended up on my wrong-side and each one of them learned a very valuable lesson." He met Edward's eyes and saw the understanding there. He also couldn't help wishing that he had the eye-mojo of the local vamps, as he would have had a clear shot at rolling Edward's mind. Too bad for lost opportunities.
"You would really go after one of your own kind?" Peter demanded. From the momentary pinch of Edward's brow, Peter was most likely to have kept his mouth shut and stayed in the background.
Xander smiled at the boy, a not-quite polite baring of the teeth. "Do you really think anyone around here is my own kind? They're fun play toys, but I am definitely in a class of my own. As they say, 'The weak are meat the strong eat.'"
"And in that scenario you're the guy that eats everyone around?" Peter ignored Edward's gestures to be quiet. He stared at Xander's chin, curiosity and fascinating fighting to overtake his practiced stoicism.
The kid was stubbornly brave but brittle. Xander knew he could break him. It was a battle not to mentally shatter him and play with the pieces.
"I'm a predator for every moment of every day," Xander said. "The minute you forget what I am, that's when I get you."
He stared into Peter's eyes and let some of what he was bleed through. The color drained from Peter's face and he swallowed convulsively, the air around him filling with the realization of fear.
Xander slowly smiled at him, all seductive charm except for his eyes. He let the monster stay in them, enough for Peter to clearly see what he was dealing with.
"I'm going to help you with your little pedophile problem," he said. "But don't you ever forget what I am. Or I'll eat you alive."
He liked the boy, but at the end of the day he was a demon. And sometimes liking a human wasn't enough for him to put aside his nature. Things got away from him. And humans bled so pretty.
He turned his smile on Edward, all charm and teeth. He was sure that they would come to understand each other.
"We are going to have such fun together. They might never find all of the pieces." Xander laughed.
* * *
Meeting a vampire in the daytime was one of those nightmare scenarios that usually involved Anita Blake. As it was, Edward felt on edge, his attention trained toward Xander--focused on the biggest threat in the room.