Chapter Eighteen.
Lindsey slowly came to and stared at his surroundings groggily. His head was pounding and when he tried to move his hands to massage his temples he realised they were bound behind his back.
"Ah Lindsey, at last," Darla whispered in his ear while smoothing her hands through his hair sensually," We were beginning to think that perhaps Drusilla had been a little rougher than necessary."
"What do you want?" Lindsey snapped and attempted to pull his head back from her. She met his eyes and for a moment her rage and indignation matched his own, then the callousness returned.
"He is not ours either," Drusilla mewed, closing her eyes as though the realisation was bringing her to tears," He is tainted by love."
"He has always been tainted by love," Darla said, releasing her hold on Lindsey and turning to Drusilla," Remember how like a love sick schoolboy he is with me?"
"No, no, no grand-mummy, his heart is full of love for someone else. Pretty little girl waiting for death, dancing through the shadows looking for the light. Teasing and tempting the darkness so that it will take her, eat her whole....oooo, the darkness almost devoured her...almost drained her....Angelus, Angelus, Angelus danced with the girl," Drusilla's eyes snapped open and then she laughed," Pretty little boy will be eaten then spat out, nobody wants him, nobody cares."
Lindsey stared at Drusilla in disbelief. It always amazed him how much she could see and feel, how accurate her riddles where if you knew what to listen to. How could she know about Jade in such detail? Unless Angelus had boasted of his attempts which Lindsey seriously doubted, Angelus would not be one to broadcast his near misses. Lindsey watched as Darla stood still, her back rigid with shock and then spun around and grabbed his hair, twisting his head back so that he would look deep into her yellow eyes.
"Flora McKenzie? She is still alive? You know her?" she roared and Lindsey smiled at her fury. Angel was right, Darla despite her protests that human emotions did not affect her, was constantly consumed by jealousy towards any female who threatened her dominancy.
"Yeah she's alive and with Angel right now," he said, watching as the tumulus emotions that were affecting Darla passed across her face like a cloud. She drew her hand back and brought it down across Lindsey's face so hard that his vision blurred and his mouth was filled with the taste of his own blood," Why so upset?"
Darla glared at him and then paced the floor between him and Drusilla, her hands clenched into fists at her side. She was muttering something about nobody taking her boy and she looked increasingly manic.
"Pretty death," Drusilla suddenly blurted, causing both Lindsey and Darla to snap out of their thoughts," The black knight approaches on his steed and will duel with the white prince. So much pain, so much anguish, gone gone gone..."
"Angel is out of his depth," Darla hissed at Lindsey," Lavuc will kill him for sure this time and I will not be there to save him."
****
"Lindsey should have been back by now," Jade said fearfully and Angel silently agreed. Something was definitely wrong. His initial reaction was that Lindsey had come to his senses and skipped town but he had known almost immediately that the feelings he had for Jade made this notion ridiculous.
"Gunn," Angel said and Gunn looked up at him," I think you and I should go out and look for him."
"Sure thing," Gunn replied pushing himself up from his seat," Any idea where to start?"
"I have a bad feeling I do," Angel muttered and stormed across to retrieve his coat. Wesley began to close the book he had been studying, obviously preparing to accompany the two men but Angel placed his hand on his arm to halt him," Not you. I need someone to stay here with Cordelia and Jade. Keep them safe."
"Absolutely," Wesley nodded his affirmation and reopened the book. Angel knew that Wesley was still researching a way to defeat Lavuc and tried to bury his sense of foreboding, if anyone could do it Wesley was the man.
"Okay," Angel swept towards the door with Gunn in quick pursuit," I think we should start near the park."
"The park?" Gunn asked, his brow furrowing with confusion," Lindsey got a thing about trees and drug addicts?"
"No, but I think Dru would," Angel whispered ominously, the smell of his childe still hanging heavy in the night air.
Chapter Nineteen.
Lavuc glared at the lights of the city of Angels, his blood on fire with rage and desire for revenge. He knew that he should have pursued that damn vampire when he had first had chance, he should have hunted him down and ripped the head from his neck, he would have taken great pleasure in watching his body turn to ashes and fly away upon the wind.
He tapped the window between him and the driver and waited impatiently for it to slide back. He still could not get used to technology of any kind, felt strange not pulling into a village upon his black stallion but he knew that it was impractical to say the least. Instead he was carried around inside a black limosine, an unworthy but practical replacement.
"Sir?" his chauffeur asked nervously and Lavuc leant back against the cool leather seats and rolled his head upon his neck as though suffering from a cramp.
"How long til we arrive?" he snapped, his voice ice-cold and heavy with evil,"I am growing weary of sitting in this thing doing nothing."
"About fifteen minutes sir," the man replied, still concentrating on the road ahead," Are we going straight to Mr Reed's offices?"
"Drive by the Hyperion Hotel first," Lavuc said as he stared out into the night again. He could feel Jade again, could sense that she was there, could almost taste the new-found sense of hope she was currently experiencing and he did not like it,"I want to see where the damn beast lives now."
****
"I want you to tell me everything you know Lindsey," Darla said from the seat she had now taken beside the dusty window pane. Lindsey desperately tried to gain his bearings again and kept looking for clues as to where he was being held.
"I know nothing Darla, you should know that," he replied, choosing his words carefully," I knew nothing then and do you really think Angel and I have been sitting having heart to hearts over tea and biscuits?"
"Sarcasm does not help matters Lindsey," Darla whispered but did not turn to look at him," Now about Flora..."
"Jade," Lindsey interrupted and Darla half turned to look at him with raised eyebrows," She is called Jade now."
"She is still Flora, just because you paint a rose blue doesnt mean it isnt a rose anymore," Darla replied testily," What does she want with Angelu...Angel?"
"The same thing I do," Lindsey continued to stare straight at Darla, searching her mannerisms for a sign of what she was planning to do," She wants him to help her."
"I'm sure she does," Darla muttered quietly and then stood up and walked across to Drusilla, bending forwards slightly to whisper in her ear. Lindsey strained to catch what they were saying but was frustrated to realise he was simply too far away," And Buffy?"
"Whats the sudden interest in the women Angel knows?" Lindsey spat and felt the familiar bubble of jealousy encompass him," Its not like he gives a damn about you anymore."
"He will always give a damn!" Darla screamed and flew at Lindsey, dragging her nails across his cheek and eye, momentarily blinding him with pain. His head lolled on his chest and he felt the moisture of his blood dripping onto his shirt collar," You know nothing, you worthless, spineless pathetic swine!"
"Its nice to know what you really think of me," Lindsey whispered and closed his eyes. He so wanted to be with Jade just now, wanted her to save him from what he was sure was to follow. Darla had no more use for him which certainly meant his death would be next on the agenda.
He glared up at her and was about to continue the truths which they were now partaking in when the door crashed open.
"Darla," Angel said, striding in," How many times to I have to tell you to disappear?"
Chapter Twenty.
"You should know that I will always be with you Angel," Darla said, walking towards him, her hips swaying sensually as she moved," My blood is mixed with that which runs through your veins."
"As does a million other people's," Angel replied coldly," Just because I tasted it does not mean that I will be forever attached to you."
"Wrong wrong," Darla snarled," You are until the day we are both dust. I didnt leave your thoughts when you staked my before, why should it be any different now?"
Angel moved slowly to the side of the room, casting his eyes over the musty surroundings and noticing Drusilla sitting, unusually subdued, in the corner. He glared back at Darla and ran a finger across a dusty shelf and snorted in disgust.
"You could do with a cleaner," he mocked," What happened? Did you eat her?"
"I don't live here," Darla snapped as though the very thought was a massive insult to her person," Dru chose it because she felt it matched our purpose at present."
"What purpose would that be? World domination?" Angel's eyes dared Darla to snap which he sincerely hoped she was about to do. When Darla flew into one of her rages then it was far easier to trick her into letting her guard down.
"Interrogation!" Darla screamed pettily and Angel rolled his eyes while noticing with some hope that Gunn was moving behind Darla's back towards Lindsey.
"How passe," he sneered, touching the stake he had fitted in a holster, making sure that Darla spotted it," Why didnt you just ask me? Oh I get it, you have the same old sense of the melodramatic, am I right?"
"You bastard!" Darla shrieked and rushed towards him, caught slightly off balance as Angel stepped back and caught her wrists, twirling her around so that she was trapped against his chest and his arm was tight against her throat.
"We're going to walk out of here Darla," he snarled through his vampire mouth," And you and Dru are going to stay the hell out of our way. You are severely trying my patience and you know how I get when you do that."
"Ooo it burns," Drusilla chimed.
"Thats right and if you truly think I wont do the job properly next time then you are sorely mistaken, I had a lot on my plate just now and no time for these childish games," he waited until Gunn had released Lindsey's restraints and they were moving quickly towards the door before he released his hold," Stay the hell away from me."
Drusilla still sat in her chair, obviously caught in a vision of some sort, and Angel was unnerved by her lack of action. He turned his back on the two women and walked towards the exit slowly, trying to fight the urge to rush over and shake Drusilla until she told him what she was seeing, what was so important and big that she had allowed them to escape but he managed to step out into the night without looking back.
"I'll kill her before she gets you," he heard Darla cry out and without turning kicked the door shut.
****
"Why the hell didnt you do anything?" Darla raged and Drusilla looked up at her with child like eyes, big and wide and fearful.
"Don't be mad," she sniffed," Anarchy is approaching. Death is life, death is not the end, returning returning."
"What?" Darla threw her arms wide in exasperation," Will you stop confusing me and talk sense for a moment?"
"The sense is there if you know what to see," Drusilla replied, her eyes suddenly hard as steel," I see it and I don't like it and I don't want to die."
Darla was speechless and almost collapsed into a chair, placing her hands over her face. She had always loved the sense of power, of being able to do anything and kill anyone. She had always had a sense of self-preservation and now suddenly she found it difficult to execute even the simplest task. She had lost Angel and her chances and while she still had Drusilla she was beginning to think she would prefer to be alone, at least silence did not hurt her head.
"I need to eat," she finally said and felt her skin crawl with annoyance as Drusilla stood up and bounced up and down excitedly," Oh grow up will you, you're supposed to be my mother!"
****
Cordelia smiled as she made coffee. It had been so long since she had a female that she could comfortably class as a friend and yet she had that feeling about Jade, as though she could tell her anything. She hoped that Jade would find peace of a sort, that she would be granted mortal life and then they could really be buddies.
Wesley was talking to her now and Cordelia eavesdropped for a moment before getting extremely bored by the whole mythological aspect and she rummaged through the cupboards for chocolate, determined to steal Jade from Wesley for a good old girlie chat that would hopefully take her mind of Lindsey's absence.
"Where are they?" she heard Jade ask and Wesley trying to placate her without success, then she heard the door open and let out a sigh of relief before turning and walking into the foyer. She gasped as she saw Wesley standing in front of Jade and three men with guns pointed straight at him.
"Wesley!" she screamed as a gun shot was fired and watched as he managed to dive out of the way, saving himself but leaving Jade unprotected. Then, as she saw Jade being grabbed by one of the men, she rushed forward and caught her arm, determined that she would not let them take her.
"Let go you stupid bitch!" one of the men yelled and she felt his fist cracking against her jaw.
"No, bring her," the man who was struggling to keep hold of Jade demanded," She's their seer, if we have her then they wont have a clue okay?"
Cordelia screamed for Wesley once more, her eyes frantically searching for a way to free herself and Jade when she was grabbed from behind and a hand went over her mouth. She heard her own muffled scream as the room began to spin and then blackness took hold.