by
Aethyl
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and I'm not making any money from this story.
Author's note: This story falls after "Into the Woods" and before "Crush"
and "Reunion."
Lila was sitting on the edge of her desk holding a doll. There was a note attached to the neck of the doll by a bloody piece of string. It read: "I have the vial and the vampire. You may meet me at my abode for receipt of both."
"Demons. So dramatic," Lila said to the empty air. She placed the doll in her briefcase, and walked out the door.
***
Drusilla woke up. She felt a heaviness in her limbs, and she was hungry. She felt as if she hadn't fed in weeks. And then she remembered the shadows, the pins, and the sensation of blood. She quickly inspected herself and her surroundings. She was no longer wearing her crushed velvet red dress. Instead, she was wearing a light cotton shift, a pristine, white cotton shift; there was no blood. Did I imagine it? she asked herself. Looking around, she saw that she was in a candle-lit chamber, sitting up on a plush, four-poster bed with red satin sheets. It was covered in black satin curtains, which were drawn back by intricately tied black cords. Drusilla inhaled deeply, and realized that the cords were soaked in dried blood, which made them appear black. She could detect the faint scent of fear, and knew that the blood, while not particularly fresh, was human. She tried to leave the bed, but encountered an unseen barrier. It pushed gently against her. Angered at finding herself trapped, Drusilla threw herself against the barrier, and was slammed down amongst the pillows for her trouble.
"Who keeps me here?" Drusilla screamed in frustration. The smell of the blood was maddening her. She was so hungry.
The sound of gravely laughter emanated from the walls. "I do," said a familiar voice.
"Demon! Why have you imprisoned me?" Drusilla demanded. "Who are you?"
"You are merely my temporary guest, clear one," the voice said. "Do not be alarmed."
"You are the shadow man from before. What have you done to me?"
"A good question, and one that others will answer for you," the voice said, this time closer to her. A dark fog swarmed over the covers from the floor, solidifying into something approximating the figure of a man in front of her on the bed.
Drusilla reached a hand into the smog, and gave a startled scream. Her skin felt as though it was being pricked all over, but the sensation dissipated as she withdrew it from the amorphous figure. "What are you? What have you done to me?"
"Would not a better question be why can you ask such a question?"
"What do you mean, demon?" Drusilla asked, suspicious.
"Dear girl, you are yet a demon yourself, but I have restored you to yourself. Have you not noticed?"
Drusilla stilled. She remembered what the demon had said moments ago; he called me "clear one." "I can think straight," she said. "How?"
The figure solidified further. Drusilla could make out dark features, glittering jet eyes watching her own dark ones. "I tore the veil of confusion from your mind. It is how my kind feeds."
"You . . . you ate my madness?" Drusilla asked, incredulous, and feeling somewhat violated. "Why?"
The demon laughed. "You do not care for the idea of being fed from? I can hardly blame you. But there is always something more frightening than you in the dark. You would do well to remember that in the future."
"The future? Then you will not kill me," Drusilla said, looking thoughtful. Why not? And why have you brought me here?"
"I was asked to bring you here by my employers. They wish to . . . negotiate with you."
"Why couldn't they come to me themselves?"
"You were difficult to find, Drusilla."
"How do you know my name?"
"Clear one, I now know everything about you. It is a side effect of feeding."
Drusilla felt calmer now that she knew the strange shadow demon was not going to kill her, but angry, and somewhat nauseated by the knowledge that it had fed from her. But there was no sense in reacting to her anger until she knew exactly what was happening. "Who employs you?" she asked.
"Wolfram and Hart."
"A pair of demons like yourself?"
"No. A company. A company of lawyers."
"Lawyers!" Drusilla spat. "Humans! I'll suck the marrow from their bones."
The shadowy figure began to dissipate, to roll off the bed and over the floor. As it seeped through the stone wall, Drusilla heard its voice, like a grinding echo, say "you would do well to consider their offer before doing anything rash." And then she was alone.
"I'm hungry," Drusilla whispered to no one.
***