Chapter One

Nightly Meetings

Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she pumped her legs harder, pushing herself to her maximum limit. Pleading screams escaped from parted lips as she glanced over her shoulder. Through heaven's impeccably timed downpour, she could see the hideous creatures bearing down on her as she turned down an alleyway, sliding on a puddle and falling forward. Curling herself into a tight ball as she fell, she rolled out of the tumble and was on her feet in an instant, racing for her dear life. Another fleeting peek over her shoulder, another blood curling scream.

Oh, God! Please! Somebody help me! Please!

She attempted another scream but a sudden firm hand over her mouth prevented it as a strong arm around her waist dragged her into a broken doorframe. She cried out in pure terror into the hand that was clamped tightly over her lips.

Oh, God! Oh, God! I'm going to die! I'm going to die right here, right now!

"It's alright. You're safe," the voice that spoke to her was deep and soothing, barely more than a whisper against her ear. She squirmed some more, every muscle in her body tense. "You can relax now."

Easy for you to say, buddy!

"I'm going to let go now. Do try and not run, will you," the voice asked gently. It was almost as if her captor was trying to warn her of the monstrous beasts that hunted her. As if she needed to be warned. "I'm mean it, do try and not run. It really is too dangerous out there for one of your sort, if you know what I mean."

You're telling me! Who do you think you are!

As soon as his hands released her, she pushed herself harshly away from him and whirled around to face her captor… or perhaps the man who rescued her, but who was counting. In the darkness she could make out the glasses that settled crookedly on the bridge of his nose and the way the blue eyes behind them considered her with a calming regard. Brown hair was matted to his forehead, sending small streams of water down his cheeks and temples. Thin lips were set in a tiny smile that worked well in reassuring her. He was there to keep her safe, not to hurt her.

The face of an intellectual… that's what kind of face he has…

"Who are you?" she demanded faintly in a shaky voice.

"I'm Wesley—" as the word began to cross his lips, massive hands grabbed the collar of his soaked shirt. The hairy arms dragged him over the threshold of the doorway and far from anywhere he might be able to protect her. While she shouted incessantly for the man to save himself, the creature that had seized Wesley threw the poor Englishman across the alleyway and through the window of an abandoned factory. The sound of his own screaming was cut of the instant he hit the glass, the shattering of the glass louder than his own voice.

Oh, God! He's dead! He's dead! Oh, God! God is he dead!

Acting purely on instinct and lost to crazed visions playing in her head, she screamed at the top of her lungs in between gulping for air and sobbing into the palms of her hands.

In the alleyway a young man bravely did battle with the hideous creatures he had seen chasing the young woman down the street. Unfortunately these creatures were actually demons from Hell… and unfortunately… he was not really winning per se, either. It would have been really nice if he was but everything that night was stacked against him: it was raining buckets every second, it was darker than any dark he had ever experienced in his life, and the demons were just about as black as the night sky was so he could barely see them let alone see past the end of his own nose.

And, boy, did it piss him off.

He grabbed the nearest of the three demons by the forearms and hoisted him into the air just as he saw Demon Number Two grab Wesley from a doorway and fling him through the window of an abandoned building. The shattering of glass was mixed with the ungodly and unbearable sounds of a female shrieking. He cringed despite himself. You would think after years of this kind of business that he would be used to hearing people scream but, God, did this woman have a loud set of vocal cords stored in her throat.

And, boy, did he really want to tear them out right about now despite the fact that she was human.

Beside him, a well-built black man fought with downed vigor seeing as how Demon Number Three was getting the better of him. His heavy orange sweatshirt and thick jeans clung to him, restricting his movement and giving his demon opponent a very high and very unwanted advantage. He fought with a large axe in his hands, the weapon bloodied from a few lucky strikes that only managed to anger his opponent more.

"Gunn!" the young man shouted.

"Yo!" the black man hollered back to his fighting companion. He jumped back just in time to resist being knocked upside the head with several curled claws.

"Get Wesley and get the hell out of here!" his fighting companion ordered in a firm, non-negotiable voice. He rescued Gunn from Demon Number Three by sending the horrid beast soaring through the air and into a dumpster. "Go back to the hotel! I'll get the girl!"

"Man, you always get the girl!" Gunn complained in his free moment, his axe dropping to his side. "For once I'd like to get the girl!"

"Gunn!" his friend snarled deeply.

"You're the boss," Gunn lightly saluted him with the handle of the axe before setting off in a fast run around the building to fetch Wesley. With Gunn gone, the young man was left alone to fight the three demons, one of which was semi-unconscious and inside a dumpster. It couldn't be that hard, could it? They were only demons after all.

"Look out!" the female voice shouted at him. He whirled around on his heels, his eyes widening slightly in shock…

She had run out of the doorway to see the black man running around the building and abandoning his friend to take on the three monsters that had chased her to this particular alleyway. She thought it odd that a friend would abandon a friend in such a situation but she did not have much time to think about it. The young man had his back turned and would not see one of the demons lunging toward him unless she intervened… something she really, really didn't want to do.

"Look out!" she shouted as she grabbed the nearest object she could put her hands on: a metal baseball bat that some kid must have left lying against a garbage can. It was still in perfect condition so she thought that maybe he just forgot it there. She didn't think about what she would have to do because she knew that if she did, she would very quickly talk herself out of it. She slammed the fat end of the baseball bat as hard as she could into the skull of the monster. Gray matter and splattered over the young man just as he turned to she what she was yelling about. The creature howled in pain for only a moment and was dead before it crumpled to the ground. Its two cohorts howled for the moment following and fled into the night silently. The two humans could have only guessed where they went.

The young man stared at her in mild surprise while she dropped the bat heavily to the ground. She took that long, awkward moment of silence to take in his entire being.

The most gentle and deepest drown eyes she had ever seen set off a contrast to what she suspected to be a smooth, pale face. Short brown hair stuck out in odd places, the heaven's waters weighing it down. He wore simple black jeans and black boots that squeaked slightly as he shifted his weight. His duster mostly covered a black collared shirt that buttoned down his broad chest. A shadow of a smile danced on his lips as he made small, tentative steps toward her. Despite the blood and grime covering him and despite the small cuts that appeared everywhere on any exposed flesh through torn clothes, he was perhaps the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on.

What an angel-like face… how… how… comforting?

"It's okay," he whispered. His sensual voice sent chills down her spine… or perhaps it was the fact that she was soaked to the bone that sent waves of chills down her spine. She shivered endlessly as he moved closer to her. "My name is Angel. I'm here to help. It's okay now, you're safe."

"Safe…" the words sounded like paradise as they passed through her lips.

"That's right," he murmured softly, one hand out as he took slow steps to her. "You're safe. As long as I'm here, I'll protect you. Those things, they can't hurt you anymore. I won't let them hurt you anymore."

"Safe…" she repeated in a hoarse voice, her heart jumping to her throat and her eyes welling, though she knew he couldn't tell through all the rain. At that moment she realized just how exhausted she was and let the darkness take hold of her. The last thing she remembered were his strong arms that caught her around the waist as he cradled her gently against his chest, holding her close and giving her sanction.