Disclaimer: Angel belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, not me.
A/N: This first chapter is rather short and not truly representative of the fic as a whole. I suggest reading chapter 2 before deciding whether or not to continue on.
Also, as of chapter 15, the pairings are: Angel x Cordy and Gunn x Gwen.
-----
Illyria dropped the body to floor. If she had been a mortal creature, she might have grunted for exertion. But, she was not mortal and never had been. She supposed she should probably treat the corpse with more care, but it was dead, and there was little else she could think of that would damage it further. It was dead. Just like the rest of the bodies on the floor.
Actually, one of the bodies was still alive, sort of. One of the strange half-breeds moaned in pain as he tried to turn his head. The effort made the burns that covered his entire torso ooze. He would be dead within minutes. She knelt down beside him. "Do you wish me to slay you now?"
A feeble moan escaped his scorched lips. The fool had slain a dragon, but not before allowing it to burn him horribly.
She assumed the moan to be an affirmative and picked up the wooden stake she had procured for just this purpose. He turned his one remaining eye towards it and steeled himself as she plunged it into his still heart. There was no blood—just a small explosion of dust and then that was all that remained on the cold marble floor. Carefully, she swept the ash into a dustpan and deposited it into a cardboard box she had found behind the counter. It would not do for the remains of the half-breed to be scattered by a draft while she was trying to work.
She set the box down next to the body of her guide. Gently, she brushed a fingertip across his cold cheek. He had died bravely. She had felt a stirring at his passing. This bothered her.
A light filled the lobby of the Hyperion, and Illyria's head snapped up, her lips curling back into a snarl as she identified the source. If she had been mortal, the light would have blinded her, but she could clearly see the feminine shape at the heart of the glow…and the shell recognized it…
