Chapter 10

Shannon struggled to consciousness, her head pounding. Angelus, she whispered mentally, reaching out towards the vampire. MacInnis had come in shortly after the last time she'd talked to Angelus earlier, and had tried to drag her from the room. She'd fought him, and he'd cuffed her across the back of the head. Then, nothing.

Angelus, where are you?

Where are you?

Shannon looked out the window of the car, after a brief glance told her the driver was engrossed in watching something. A road. No lights. No signs. She paused, trying to make out what the movement was off to the side.

She tried the door, almost falling out of the car, still dizzy from the blow MacInnis had delt her. The ocean-scented breeze hit her as she stumbled out. Near the shore, I think.

The sound of clashing metal caught her attention, and she turned slightly towards the noise. She could make out two figures by the light of the nearly full moon, her eyes widening when she saw the person fighting MacInnis. Alexa was weaving a whirling net of steel with katana and knife, though it hadn't left so much as a scratch on her opponent.

Angelus! Who let Alexa out on her own?

Not me. Blame Katie. She was the last one with her.

The night air was slowly clearing the grogginess from Shannon's mind, and she started towards the road. There was a shout behind her, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her.

ANGELUS!

Alexa heard the shout from the driver, but ignored it, concentrating on holding her own in the fight. She spun the knife to block the claws coming for her face, the metal screeching and the shock reverberating down her arm. She sank deeper into the crouch, her arm dropping to rob his blow of momentum.

"You're going to lose in the end, little one. Do yourself a favor and surrender. I'll even let you live."

Go to hell, MacInnis," Alexa spat. "I'd rather make a deal with a devil than give up this fight."

MacInnis blinked, and she took advantage of the split second of distraction, letting loose with a flurry of strikes that drove him back. The lull didn't last long, and soon she was on the defensive again.

Angelus spun the car as he slammed on the brakes, lighting the cul-de-sac up. Alexa was still fighting MacInnis, bleeding from several wounds, and Shannon was struggling with a man near the parked car.

He heard the back door open as he got out, Spike going to help Alexa. Angelus grabbed the man holding Shannon by the throat, lifting him away from her with a nasty grin on his face.

"What don't you people understand about leaving my woman alone? It's simple, really." Angelus leaned in, his face vamping. "You touch her, you die."

Spike caught MacInnis's wrist as he brought it down to strike at Alexa's unprotected back. "Bad move, mate."

"Spike!" Alexa was straining, her katana and knife crossed to hold the other clawed hand away from her. "His eyes!"

There was the whistle of metal flying through the air, and a bowie knife thunked home in MacInnis's eye before any of them could move. Spike and Alexa turned to face Natalie, who had an eerily calm expression on her face.

"He needed to be killed. Preferably before he did something stupid." She shrugged, and looked over at Angelus. "You have your woman, and the demented human," she ignored Alexa's protest, "is back under supervision. My locket?"

"I think I'll keep it."

Natalie's eyes narrowed, but Shannon spoke before she could open her mouth.

"Can we just go home not?" She gave the rest of them a tired look. "Before someone shows up who will call the cops?"

Alexa headed for the stairs as they went into the hotel, waving aside Wesley's offer of coffee. Spike followed her, as Shannon sprawled on the couch in the lobby. A moment later, there was an annoyed yelp, and Alexa stalked to the railing.

"SHANNON!" She scowled at her friend, who just gave her a Look.

"What?"

"Did you mean to wake up the nastier side of Spike's personality?"

"No. Why?" Shannon looked confused.

"Because either he's feeling peverse, or you just did." Alexa paused, frowning as she watched Natalie walk in. "And is it just me, or is our resident construct demon looking more gold than normal?"