Guardian Angel - XV
'I will never let you fall,
I'll stand up with you forever,
I'll be there for you through it all,
Even if saving you sends me to heaven'
- Your Guardian Angel by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Instinct took over without a moment's hesitation and Buffy found her body moulded into the tarmac before her brain had really registered the creature hurtling toward her. A savage series of growls ripped from the animal's throat as it too late realised it's error and landed on all fours a metre clear of it's target. Buffy wasted no time in rolling onto her back and then propelling herself to her feet using the momentum of her legs as they whipped through the air.
Her breathing came in ragged gasps and her lungs burned with their desire for oxygen, but Buffy was too winded to comply with such demands. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Angel was running toward the unfolding fray, his features twisted in abject horror. Willow was preoccupied with the task of herding the shell-shocked soldiers back into the alley from which they had emerged. Buffy was faintly amused to note that the men had abandoned their rifles in the street, having finally realised the poor service their weapons would provide in such an environment.
"Nice kitty," Buffy panted, wincing at her own use of such a cliché. The cat-like creature threw back it's head and roared, simultaneously unsheathing it's claws. The ebony talons raked thick tracks through the concrete as easily as though it were sand. Buffy swallowed hard, for once finding herself apprehensive in the face of her opponent. She tried to derive comfort from the thought that she had faced more formidable foes in her time as the Slayer, yet there was something so disconcerting about this creature that Buffy found herself looking upon the forthcoming fight with a definite sense of doom.
"Buffy!" Angel snarled as the demon lunged once again, this time managing to catch her ankle in it's immense jaws as she attempted to side step. Buffy howled as razor-sharp teeth tore through layers of tissue and muscle. Wrenching herself free with difficulty, Buffy spun in an elegant pirouette and slammed her bent elbow down on the demon's snout. Bile threatened to rise from her stomach as she realised that the demon's fangs had indeed met bone.
The feline danced a few steps backward, shaking it's head and mewing like a helpless kitten. Buffy tested her weight on her mangled foot and inhaled sharply, almost folding to her knees as red spots began to swim in front of her eyes. Angel was immediately at her side and sliding his head underneath her right arm in order to support her. Grateful for his presence, Buffy sagged a little.
"We have to get out of here, back to the sewer," Angel said through gritted teeth. Buffy shot a glance to her side and noted that Angel had secured his own transformation. Buffy nodded and made a move to hobble towards the alley. The creature was before them in less than a second, swiping the air with paws that were capable of unfathomable devastation.
"What is this thing?" Buffy demanded, shrugging Angel away from her in order to assume a defensive stance. Angel adopted a similar pose at Buffy's side, both fists raised and knees slightly bent.
"Satan's kitty," Angel replied, no hint of jest in his tone. Buffy's eyes widened as she gazed at the animal, which snapped it's jaws in her direction in response.
"Okay," Buffy said simply, intelligent thought suddenly proving too elusive as a result of the burning in her ankle and the obscurity of Angel's statement.
Sage crouched low in preparation to strike, his ears flat against his head and his tail whipping dangerously from side to side. Buffy and Angel exchanged a glance that lasted only momentarily and then, with admirable dexterity, Angel leapt onto the creature's back, pinning it to the floor beneath his own weight. Sage yowled and thrashed at the vampire, who delivered several punishing blows to the demon's head whilst Buffy stumbled towards the alley mouth through the haze of her pain. She paused as a gleaming object caught her eye. Balancing rather precariously on her one good foot, Buffy reached down to pluck the remaining tatters of the collar from the ground. She realised that the stone was mercifully still attached as she clambered unsteadily back to her feet and limped on in a bid to escape. Ordinarily, she would be chagrined by the very idea of retreat, but Buffy was no fool and she had no need to examine her wound to know that there was a rather problematic tide of blood already flowing from it. Buffy's sense of self preservation pushed her body to the limit of it's capabilities as she staggered towards safety with her acquired prize clutched in her fist.
Buffy was feet away from the entrance of the alley when Angel's frenzied cries permeated the atmosphere. Buffy spun as best as her injury allowed and was greeted by the sight of the monster literally flying through the air towards her. The creature made no sound as it's body glided on a wind pocket with it's wings spread out to full span. As Sage neared, Buffy could clearly see the blue and purple veins that threaded through the creature's wings in an almost intricate manner.
Buffy hit the ground hard, her head slamming against the tarmac, and the impact of the fall momentarily blinded her. Sage perched atop Buffy's still form, roaring victoriously. Angel was on his feet and running full pelt once again, ignoring the deep scratches his shins had attained during his tussle with the demon. Even the vampire was not fast enough.
Angel could do little but watch in open-mouthed dismay as Sage ravaged the fallen Slayer, using his dagger-like claws to mar her torso with deep scratches. A scream rose in Buffy's throat yet seemed to end in an alarming gurgle as though consciousness was already escaping her.
Crimson pulsed at an alarming rate from the tears in Buffy's skin, saturating her clothing and pooling on the ground around her body. Buffy's eyelids fluttered as she teetered on a dangerous precipice. She appeared incapable of even noticing as Sage lowered his large head to the pavement and began lapping at the puddles of her blood. Sage's entire body rippled and he purred in satisfaction before returning his attentions to the luscious spoils already staining his paws. It was the meal that finally proved fatal to the creature as Angel suddenly made his appearance and, with an enraged snarl, ripped Sage's head from his body with seemingly as little effort as it took to snap a matchstick.
Angel stared aghast at the head in his hands, taken aback by his display of brutality and a strength that he had not known existed within himself. His intention had indeed been to break the creature's neck and halt it's attack, but upon seeing Buffy's scarred body he had found himself channelling the untested reservoirs of demonic power within him. Angel watched raptly as for a few seconds the creature's eyeballs continued to flit from side to side whilst the impulses in hundreds of nerve-endings perished slowly. When the demon was finally still and it's enormous body had collapsed to the ground, Angel dropped onto his knees at Buffy's side. He discarded the head carelessly, tossing it over his shoulder and hearing it land some distance away with a thud.
Angel clutched at Buffy's hand, his fingers desperately sweeping her wrist in search of a pulse. The weak thrum beneath Angel's fingertips brought a lump to his throat.
Silently, Angel gathered Buffy into his arms, wincing as the delicious scent of her spilled blood tantalised his nostrils. Of course he would never have tasted a drop, but he was disgusted with himself when he felt his stomach clench in hunger. Angel gripped Buffy's limp body tighter as her blood soaked the front of his shirt. He felt the cold wetness spread to the skin of his chest, and he knew beyond a doubt that the situation had become desperate.
The tails of his coat were buffeted on the growing wind as Angel stalked towards the alley where Willow waited, her expression fraught. Angel refused to meet the redhead's gaze as he brushed past her trembling body and set about retracing the route they had taken little over half an hour ago. The vampire had only one thing on his mind as he walked with all the purposefulness of an executioner approaching the guillotine and his next victim. He no longer cared about the fate of the damned city, or the people who remained within. Angel would even go so far as to label himself apathetic. Whether they emerged from Hell or not, Angel was resolute in one thing only; Buffy would live.
Brushing his lips against the Slayer's ear, not knowing whether his words would be heard, Angel whispered hoarsely.
"Hold on, my love."