~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Holy water?

Angelus stared disdainfully at the half-full bottle of water Cordelia Chase
was brandishing, then smiled wickedly as he reached out and grabbed the
wrist that held the bottle, squeezing the fragile bones slightly.  Laughing
softly, he jerked her towards him, causing the brunette to spin around as
she stumbled towards him.  She yelped as her back smacked into his hard
chest, and Angelus chuckled as he plucked the water bottle from her weakened
grasp.

“Holy water, huh?” he purred in her ear before throwing the plastic bottle
at the wall as hard as he could.  The water splattered everywhere.  “Pity
we’ll never know for sure.  I do get off on the pain, you know.  Of course,
I’m not too choosy on who exactly feels the pain.  I just like it,” he
whispered huskily as he raised his hand to Cordelia’s throat, causing the
girl to whimper.  He buried his face in her long, dark hair and inhaled
deeply, taking in the spicy smell of her perfume, the flowery scent of her
shampoo, and the overwhelming aroma of her fear.

He did so love the fear.

A flash of movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention, and
Angelus spun around sharply, taking Cordelia with him.  The brunette gave a
strangled cry at the unrelenting pressure on her throat.

“Oh, look,” the vampire cooed as he stroked the terrified young woman’s
throat.  “I think you made me put a mark on her,” he chided Wesley, his
yellow eyes firmly fixed on the former Watcher.  “I wasn’t ready to do that
just yet.”

“Unhand her!” Wesley Wyndham-Pryce ordered as his eyes frantically scanned
the room, searching for anything that he could use to ward off the vampire,
anything that could get Angelus away from Cordelia.

“Unhand her?  Hmmm... let me think,” Angelus said with a smirk before
leaning down and savagely biting into Cordelia’s neck, draining the young
woman within the span of a heartbeat.  Smiling viciously, her blood still on
his lips, he released the brunette, letting her corpse fall limply to the
floor.  “Well, okay,” he said silkily as he stepped over Cordelia’s body,
drawing closer to the horrified former Watcher.  “I was done with her
anyway.”  Angelus smacked his lips tauntingly as he continued to come closer
to Wesley, effectively backing the man into a corner.  He smiled as he
leaned in slightly.  “Fear always makes the blood richer, you know.  But,
it’s such a pity, really.  It just whet my appetite for more,” he informed
the man with a smirk, deliberately eyeing him as hungrily as he could manage
when all he really wanted to do was laugh.  Wesley looked so scared Angelus
thought the former Watcher was going to wet himself.

Terrified, and seeing no other option, Wesley threw a book at Angelus, then
ran towards the vampire, hoping to catch him off guard and get by the
creature he had once considered a friend.  Laughing, Angelus ducked the
heavy volume Wesley had chucked at him, then reached out an arm and yanked
the man back, staring down into his face.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice.  You shouldn’t leave without saying goodbye,”
the vampire scolded in a velvety voice as he removed Wesley’s glasses,
casually crushing the wire frames.  He smiled as Wesley blinked, trying to
focus so he could catch the vampire’s next move.

It was probably a blessing that he was unable to focus; he never saw what
was coming, so he had no time to dread the pain.

Angelus jerked Wesley’s head straight back and bit into the exposed front of
his throat, draining the man as he had Cordelia just moments before.
Chuckling to himself, he tossed the man to the ground, then wiped his mouth
clean.  “Bye, Wesley,” he said mockingly.  “So sorry you couldn’t stay.”

Stepping back to admire his handiwork, the vampire let out a laugh that
could only be described as insane.  “Oh, yes.  It’s good to be back,” he
whispered.  “So sorry, Soulboy.  I’m free, and I’m staying this time.”

“Angel, I-”

Angelus whipped around as the door swung open, and he smiled as he saw the
familiar face of detective Kate Lockley.  Oh, yes, this was definitely a
terrific night.

Kate froze at the sight in front of her, her eyes growing wide in horror.
That hesitation sealed her fate.  As the woman turned to run, the vampire
stepped forward and grabbed her, flinging her backwards into the room and
against his desk.  She hit it hard, sliding over it and landing in a heap on
the other side.  She cried out as Angelus grabbed her by the hair and pulled
her into a standing position, laughing as tears of pain and fear filled her
eyes.

“Angel?” she questioned, searching his face.  She had seen him in his
demonic visage before, but even then, he hadn’t looked so cold, so
dangerous, so... inhuman.  She bit her lip to hold back as scream as she saw
the blood on his mouth; she was certain it wasn’t his own.

“Sorry, Kate.  Angel doesn’t live here anymore,” the vampire told her with
mock sorrow as he positioned his hands on either side of her head.  “You
know,” he said with a sudden smile and a chillingly cheerful voice as he
tightened his grip even more, “I don’t really go for the blood of uptight
blondes.  It just doesn’t taste right.  Plus,” he continued in a
conspiratorial tone as he glanced at the bodies of Cordelia and Wesley, “I’m
kind of full.  I did just have dinner, you know.  Of course, that doesn’t
mean I’m not going to kill you,” he finished calmly before twisting her head
savagely, breaking her neck and killing her instantly.  He stepped back as
he tossed her lifeless body to the floor.

“Now that,” he mused with a slight smirk, “was fun.”

Whistling happily, Angelus turned away from his most recent victim and
surveyed the room.  The bimbo actress who had been the catalyst in these
events had escaped at some point, apparently choosing to save her own hide
while he was busy killing the others.

“Actors,” he muttered disdainfully.  “Always so shallow... always thinking
of themselves.”

After a moment, he shrugged carelessly, and went back to studying his
night’s work.  It was really no matter that she had gotten away.  He’d still
gotten three good kills in, and he’d gotten to scare the hell out of that
little trampy actress as a bonus.  That had been a kick.  He paused for a
moment as he considered going to her house and finishing her off.  She was,
after all, the one who had managed to release him.  He certainly owed her
the death she had come to him for.  Well, not exactly the death she was
looking for, Angelus amended with a grin.  She certainly wouldn’t be waking
up from the death he wanted to give her.  She was far too annoying for
unlife.  Angelus shook his head as he made his decision.  No, she could
wait.  He had somewhere else to be... He had far more important people to
torture... more important people to kill.  Oh, yes, Sunnydale was in for a
surprise.  Angelus smiled as he headed for the door.  He had some hell to
raise... just not literally this time.

Well, not yet at least.

The End

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