Subversive

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Nor will they ever be. Nor will I ever make any money off it.


I glanced at the clock on the wall and wiped sweat out of my eyes. It was nearing nine o’clock, and I was just about finished with my workout. The small gym was still fairly busy, with women of all ages and shapes working out as intently as I was, united in the struggle against cellulite. It had been a fairly relaxing forty-five minutes. Sure, the workout was only thirty minutes, but I like going longer. The extra time accrued was having an effect.

As I moved over to walk in place for the next few seconds, I glanced up as the doors opened. Spike entered, a rather bemused expression on his face as he surveyed the gym. It surprised the hell out of me to see him. He looked around for a moment more as he tossed his cigarette outside, then he spotted me. That sly smile of his appeared and he sauntered towards me. I noticed out of the corner of my eyes that the other women had noticed his entrance as well and were all eyeing him with eager interest.

I heard the woman next to me whisper to her friend, “Now that’s an interesting piece of man walking in through here. What do you suppose he’s doing here?”

Her friend responded, “Me, if he’s lucky.”

I bit my lip to refrain from laughing out loud, and I suddenly felt extremely fortunate. As he made his way over to me, I caught the looks of surprise and jealousy from the women. Grinning broadly, I spoke first. “You’re early.”

Spike nodded, breaking into a smile as he looked me over. “Yeah, well, I figured if I got here soon enough I could still see you in your--is that spandex?”

I nodded. “Just the top. My pants are cotton.”

As I moved to the next station, Spike followed. “I still don’t see why you come here. You don’t need to do a damn thing, love. You’re a looker just as you are.” He glanced around at the other women and I could see how rather disgusted he was. To his credit, however, he didn’t make any rude comments.

“Thanks, baby. But perhaps you wouldn’t feel the same way if I did indeed stop coming.”

He shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. The point is, I think you’re wasting your time and you need to come with me before I drag you out of here by your spandex.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And that’s my motivation to leave?” I asked. I had to bug him. It was just too easy. Besides, I had a feeling it would irk some sort of vampiric response.

Spike mimicked my expression. “If you don’t come along like a good little girl, then daddy will not give you any candy,” he said, capturing my gaze with his eyes.

Almost immediately I felt his eyes pull me into his depths, my mind being coated in a warm darkness and coaxing me into a contented lull. Such ignorant bliss. My will to live was suddenly focused on what he wanted, on what he said, and I would happily follow anything he asked of me.

Blinking, I startled, still on my machine. The woman next to me was tapping her foot impatiently, half a beat away from glaring at me. Refocusing on Spike, I shook my head and stepped away from the machine, surrendering to the volatile women focusing on me. “All right, all right,” I pouted. “You don’t play fair, you know.”

He took my hands and pulled me towards the back, where all personal affects were stored while their owners sweated their hearts out. “Would you really be as interested if I did?”

I shrugged, throwing a teasing smile at him. “I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, I think it’s best I go with you, seeing as how I think the gym Nazi is about to come kick you out anyway.”

We both glanced over to see a rather formidable and stern woman glaring at us, tapping a pen anxiously on a clipboard. As I reached for my jacket and purse, Spike guffawed. “Yeah, I’d like to see them try.” He grabbed me around the waist as I moved for the door and he pulled me against his body. I giggled as he sniffed me. “You smell all sweaty and sticky. Brings back some memories, now doesn’t it.” He licked a long line up my neck, soliciting another giggle from me and a barrage of images flashing through my mind. He nibbled on my ear and made me shiver.

From the rather urgent way he was holding me, I figured it wouldn’t take much to push him into some public indecency. Not that he had any qualms about what the public thought about anything. Ushering him towards the door, I said softly, “I do hope that you have a good reason for taking me out of there. I could have been sweaty for hours.”

Spike chuckled against my ear, leaning me against the wall. “Oh, I’ve got a very big reason, love. Something I know you’ll enjoy.” He began kissing my ear, warm breath tickling my skin.

“Ooh, is it candy? Something sweet?”

“As sweet as you want it to be.”

Spike slid a hand over my bare waist, the other keeping a tight rein on my hip. I slid my body against his, purposefully moving over his crotch. He hissed slightly and pulled my ass directly against him, making sure I felt every inch of him. I moaned quietly as he slid a hand up to my hair, half bending me over and tugging on my hair at the same time.

I abruptly stood up and turned around to face him. I gazed up at him with all the lust that was building inside of me focused through my eyes, and I slid my hands down his chest seductively. Moving close enough to see the flecks of gold in his eyes, I enjoyed seeing the same lust in his face. It never failed to get me in the mood. I brushed a hand lightly over his stomach, pulling at the top of his jeans before sliding myself over his crotch and earning a tight-lipped groan from him.

Grabbing his face I kissed him hard, on the brink of jumping him right on the spot. He responded in kind and it quickly became a fierce battle of lips and tongues. Each nip at my mouth earned a flick of my tongue over his lips, each soft moan and urge for more. I slid my hands under his shirt, nearly desperate to feel his bare skin. It was just waiting for me to draw my nails down it. Spike squeezed my arms, drawing down to my waist and pulling at my pants as he towered over me, dominating me with his body.

I bit his lower lip gently before kissing down his neck and threatening to bite his neck as hard as I could. He made a low growl of contentment, his breath warm on my head. I inhaled the scent of him: smoky, vaguely old, a sweet hint of cologne I knew he used to make me happy. I could feel every muscle in his body tensing in anticipation. Warm tingles were spreading through my body, spiraling downward from my chest. I wanted him so badly it hurt.

Spike abruptly lowered his head to my neck and began kissing hard. I tilted my head backward, closing my eyes to block out everything but the feel of him in my arms. I gasped as his mouth locked onto my skin, teeth gently grazing, threatening more. I could feel how badly he wanted to bite down and draw blood. Part of me wanted him to, but it was too soon. I slid a hand over his crotch, unsurprised and thrilled to find how very hard he was. Seemed as if he was nearly always that way. Spike growled, biting and pulling at my skin and earning a gasp from me. I raised a leg to draw him closer to me, to which he automatically responded.

I was vaguely aware of the door opening, and I opened my eyes just enough to see the two jealous women exiting. They both looked at us. One of them sighed huffily. “Get a room,” she muttered under her breath. “We don’t need to see the show.”

“A show, is it,” Spike whispered against my ear. “If it’s a show they want, by God I’ll give ‘em one.”

He grabbed my waist and pushed me against the wall, pulling me up so I wrapped my legs around his waist. I giggled, but it was cut short as our eyes met. A fierce passion lay within the depths of his eyes, dragging me under and hinting at things to come. My breath was beginning to come in short little spurts. All I could think about was ripping his clothes off his body and doing every possible deviant act to him. Being so wrapped around him made thinking clearly damn near impossible.

Spike leaned into me, teasing me with his crotch and licking his lips. “You want that, don’t you,” he said quietly. “You want me to push that inside you, to go hard and fast and to fuck you good.”

I licked my lips, goosebumps breaking out over my skin at the thought. “You know I do,” I replied. “I want to feel you inside of me, pinning me down and sliding in and out of me until you come.”

He smiled, a look of lascivious pleasure. “I love it when you talk dirty, pet.” Squeezing my hips, he pursed his lips. “You see what you do to me? Once I get started with you, I don’t want to stop.”

“Oh, the feeling’s mutual.” I touched his cheek, marveling at how he could feel so warm and so cold at the same time. I kissed his cheek.

“And what if we went at it right now? Gave the old cows something to talk about.” He drew a finger down my chest, torturously low. I wanted nothing more than for him to touch me.

I made a distinct sound of pleasure. “Mmm. I think we’d both get in heaps of trouble.”

“Oh,” he pouted, slowly lowering me to the ground. “What’s this world without a little trouble?”

I laughed. “You are anything but a little bit of trouble. You exist to rock the balance.”

“Ah, that I do, love. That I do.”

Kissing him again and wishing to get home as speedily as possible, I said, “Let’s go home. Finish this.”

“All right by me, love.”

The air was getting slightly chilly, but not enough to be cold. Patches of clouds were drifting across the black sky, obscuring the moonlight and any stars that may have been visible, not that the city lights didn’t do it on their own. Strangely enough, ever since Spike and I had started seeing each other, I was becoming more acutely aware of the sunset and the sounds and feelings of the night. I felt the wide berth of space, a freedom of sorts. There was a definite presence of the night, a sense of adventure, of thrills to be had, and a dread all in one. I felt the tremor of the urge to hunt, how the hundreds of bodies at any given moment made the air tingle. In rare moments of silence I was aware of how the earth seemed to hum and how the stars seemed to sing. There was an undercurrent of ceaseless violence in the air, not just from humans but from the innumerable vampires and other demons waiting to strike. Demons. Yes, my mother would be so pleased with the company I kept.

“Baby, you’re shivering.”

I startled as Spike put an arm around my shoulders and hugged me closer. “Oh. I hadn’t noticed.”

“And what’s going through that pretty little head of yours this time, pet?” he asked, guiding me down the street.

I shook my head, still staring up at the sky. “Just thinking about how much life has changed since I met you.”

“Yeah, I do tend to have that effect on people. I’m hoping you don’t completely resent me for interfering in your otherwise vampire-free existence.”

“Vampire-free. I can’t imagine any other way to live anymore.” Even to me, I sounded tired. It wasn’t that I was sick of vampires, at least not the ones that I knew; I had just been exposed to a lot of shit over the past few months.

I could feel Spike eyeing me, probably wondering why I sounded like that. To his credit, he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he said, “So how different is it? Do I compare to the other blokes of your past?”

For a moment it was hard to remember what ordinary human men were like, especially in the very forgettable line of men of my past. It made me want to laugh. “Let me put it this way, darling. You are a far cry from anyone I’ve ever met. It’s different because… well, I find myself actually counting the hours till sunset or sunrise. I never used to be much of a night owl before, and now I find myself considering where the best dark places are and how deep underground is deep enough.”

I paused, somewhat embarrassed at the sappiness of my words. Abruptly changing the subject, I asked him, “Do you ever miss being human?”

My question seemed to take him off guard for a moment; he couldn’t keep the surprise off his face, and I felt a jolt of surprise myself. It wasn’t easy to surprise a vampire. “Miss it? I haven’t missed being human since I was one. There are times I think I was never meant to be just a normal human. Of course, I never really considered my place in the grand scheme of good and evil when I was just a human.
Most folks don’t. Becoming a vampire was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. Not only did I get to kill people, but I got to kill lots of people for years, and I only got more creative.”

He paused. “I don’t know. It’s a different field being one of the good guys. This soul can be a bloody nuisance. I often think about what I’ve done in the past. Can’t change a bit of it, but I’ve done things I’m not proud of. What I could tell you…”

Hearing him talk of how much fun it was being evil, of how being a vampire had amplified him was rather worrisome. I couldn’t help but wonder what he might have done to me if we had met before he had his soul. The very thought of it chilled me to the bone. Not that I hadn’t known exactly was sort of person he had been before, but still…

“So what made you decide to get a soul?” I inquired. “I’ve never heard the story.”

Spike glanced at me for a moment before turning back to the night. “Do you know how I became a vampire?”

“No. Other than a woman called Drusilla made you.”

“Oh, it was more than that. She found me when I was at my weakest, and she made me strong. Because of her, I grew into what I was. It wasn’t just her, though. Angelus helped seal the deal. He made sure that I learned every trick I was able to learn, although he was just as selfish about keeping the best parts to himself. What a cock-up that was. We roamed for years, feeding off the blood of the innocent. It was such a rush to suddenly have power, to change the things that had been unchangeable. The first moment you realize that you can do these incredible things, it gives you the most amazing rush.”

He continued, focused on things that seemed to be replaying for him in his mind. “I lost every inch of humanity then. Strangely enough, love had a lot to do with it. I thought I was in love with a woman who could see right through me, who told the world that I was beneath her and I was less than a man. Then I was turned. Drusilla, my sire. We held so tightly on, but she was mad as the bloody daylight. She made me, she loved to watch me, but I was never vampire enough for her in the end.

“Then there was the Slayer.”

“Slayer…” I repeated. “What was her name, Bambi? Billie?”

“Buffy.” Spike spoke her name with a kind of reverence and a pain that ran deep. “I wanted to kill her. I had tasted the blood of Slayers twice before I met her. She was more of a challenge than I ever anticipated. I kept her on her toes. She never could quite get around to killing me, no matter what she said. In the end she came to depend on me nearly as much as she depended on the Scoobies.” He shook his head.

“I wanted her blood. I would have given anything for it. And then one day I realized that it was more than that. More than her blood, I wanted her. Of course she could never believe that. As though a Slayer and a vampire was such an odd mix. She’d already been mixed up with nancy-boy, but I wasn’t good enough for her. Not until I became the only person in the world who could understand her, the only person she felt she could live with.” A note of wistfulness came into his voice, something I was not accustomed to hearing in him. “We were something to look at. I’ve never felt anything like what I felt with her. In the end, she couldn’t be with me. She thinks I died saving the bloody world. That was the only time she ever said she loved me.”

I stopped walking as I listened, something strange roaming in my stomach. It took a few moments before Spike realized I had stopped, and he turned to face me. “What’s the matter, love?” he asked.

I studied him for a few moments, trying vainly to see into his mind. “You’re still in love with her, aren’t you.”

Spike blinked, silent for several moments as he regarded me neutrally. “Buffy and I can never be,” he said at last, this time without a trace of disappointment. “I came to accept that, as did she, although we tried our damndest to make it not true. She’ll always be in love with Angel, and maybe a part of me will always be in love with her. Times don’t change that much. Besides, she thinks I died saving the world. I couldn’t just pop up now and ruin that image, could I?”

I folded my arms over my chest, disturbed that I was feeling jealous of this woman I had never met. He said that they could never be together. Why wasn’t that enough for me?

“You asked me about love,” he said, stepping towards me and placing his arms on my shoulders. “You’re the only one I see. I never thought I could feel this way with anyone, especially after Buffy. You instill things inside of me that I have never felt before. I would never let any harm come to you, love. You make me see that there is a good side to this soul, and I want to share that with you. I love you, Eva.” He frowned slightly. “I can’t believe I haven’t said this before.”

I smiled, inwardly melting at his words and his sincerity. “I love you too, Spike.”

“Don’t worry about Buffy. I doubt I’ll ever see her again,” he said, brushing his hand down my cheek. “You are the one in my unlife now, Eva. Don’t forget that. It’s you that I want to be with, you that I want to hold in my arms and you are the one I want to do very bad things to.” I smiled. “And I would kill any bastard who ever tried to lay a hand on you. Mark my words.”

I knew without a doubt that he meant it. “It’s so strange,” I said softly, brushing his coat sleeve. “I would never have seen myself with anyone like you, Spike. Especially not a vampire called William the Bloody. But you make me feel things that I never thought possible. I have never felt this way with anyone before.”

He smiled. “Then I’d say there’s nothing for you to worry about, pet.” He kissed me, folding me up against his body until we were nearly one. His lips were so sweet, so all-encompassing, it occurred to me that if he wanted to bite me, I would die happily just to be in his arms.

As we parted, we remained close. Slowly we made our way down the street and towards the corner. I couldn’t help noticing that the lights seemed dimmer here and there was much less traffic. The darkness was slowly claiming this part of town, forcing the light out. I had rarely been around here, and now it seemed like the type of place to avoid. We passed homeless people lying in the gutters and alleys, some pushing shopping carts. There was s distinct smell of hopelessness and despair.

“Why the hell did you park down here, Spike?”

“There wasn’t any parking when I got here,” he replied. “This was as close as I could get.”

“Can we get out of here now?” I asked, glancing around. As I spoke, I thought I saw several figures shadowing us in the darkness. With every step we took, the shadows moved closer.

Spike glanced around. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “That may not be a bad idea. Car’s just across the street there. Come on.”

We began walking a bit faster, while I tried not to let my thumping heart constrict my throat. Even with Spike by my side I couldn’t stop the fear that was slowly beginning around my stomach. I was with a vampire, for Christ’s sake! A famously bloodthirsty one, at that! Surely he’d be able to handle any stupid street punks that came along.

As we moved, I saw a group beginning to form from the shadows. Seven or eight figures began to appear, tall and in various states of musculature. They seemed to be coming from all directions. My heart was beginning to beat faster. I glanced around, confirming my suspicions.

“Okay,” I murmured. “I’m beginning to freak out now.”

“Just stay close to me, pet,” Spike said, keeping a firm grip on my arm and squeezing hard to reaffirm it. I could feel tension beginning to run through his body as he observed the situation at hand. “I wouldn’t start to worry just yet, but I’d keep that close by.”

The men were nearly surrounding us. One, a large hulking man who seemed built like a chunky lawnmower in tattered jeans and a black wife beater, grinned at us through the darkness. “Well, look what we got here,” he drawled, a deep voice booming at us, filled with scorn and amusement. “Awful quiet tonight, ain’t it. You folks know this ain’t really the place to go for a stroll.”

“Yeah, that’s kind of how we like it, quiet,” said Spike. “We’re just headed out of here and we’ll be out of your block in just the fastest of moments. So if you don’t mind, we’ll just keep to ourselves and be out of here in a jiff.”

A second man laughed. He was shorter than the first, with greasy hair and an unkempt beard of indistinguishable color. “Now that ain’t no fun. ‘Sides, I’m takin’ a likin’ to the girl here. She looks awful young and fresh.”

Spike smirked, offering a scornful stare. “Funny thing, that. Not that I blame you, but the girl’s taken as you can see. And that isn’t likely to change anytime soon, so I advise that you blokes step aside and let us pass nice and quiet like.”

I clutched tightly to Spike, my throat dry and parched. I could feel each man circling, pacing around us and watching me like I was a piece of meat. Each man I looked at was eyeing me with a lascivious grin, moving slowly closer as if pondering how quickly they could reach me. And I did not have the feeling they were after my money.

The first man laughed. “Well, ain’t that just somethin’ special right there. Just about warms the heart to see a boy stick up for his little lady. Funny thing is, I think you’re straight out of luck here. We see something we want, we take it, and no one gives us any trouble about it.”

“Oh, what a shame. See, I don’t feel very much like sharing or letting you take anything,” Spike countered, keeping me close to his body. “So unless you want me to rip your bloody head off one at a time, I would recommend that you get the hell out of our way.”

The man laughed again. “Settle down, little boy. You got big words and nothin’ to back it up.”

Spike bristled. “’Boy?’ Let’s clear something up there, mate. You want trouble, you’re looking at the bloke who invented it. I’m telling you one more time to move.”

He sniffed, staring directly at Spike. “That a challenge?”

I felt something cold running through Spike, and my stomach lurched. We were about to hit a shit storm and the only way out was to face it head on. He drew himself up. “Only if you make it.”

“Well, that’s just what I aim to do, boy.”

He charged forward recklessly, and Spike drove a fist into the man’s face, knocking him end over end. The second man came forward swinging. Spike dodged the fists, pulling me behind him as he grabbed the man by the throat and threw him into the street.

That seemed to be the signal for the rest of the men to join into the fray. I looked around and saw three more men moving in. My stomach seemed to fall out of me and the fear was rising like bile. I was cold all over, but there was barely a moment to register the fear. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw two more coming at Spike. Panic surged through me. I didn’t know what the fuck I was supposed to do. I just knew that we were in deep shit.

As Spike deflected one of the men from his direction, a tall lanky man reached out for me. He had a large bolt through his nose and days of stubble on his face. I skirted his arms and ducked away, watching him through very wide eyes as I tried to stay close to Spike.

He grinned widely, dancing around me. The others behind him were chuckling like a band of hyenas, egging him on and about to join in. My breaths were shallow as I waited. I tried to keep a hand on Spike so we wouldn’t be separated, but he leapt away to beat on one of the others who charged at him. Suddenly alone, I faced the man again, a tremble in my arms though I fought to hide it.

“Eva, get out of here,” Spike ordered. “Thing are going to get bloody. Get away from here.”

“But what about--?”

“Just go!” he barked, and I saw an evil grin cross his face as he circled towards another of the men. “I could use the exercise. Let’s have a go, then.”

My mind was screaming in two different directions, but as the man near me approached I acted as best as I could. I ducked his arms and threw a fist into his groin. He grunted and doubled over. I dodged him and began to sprint away.

Another man in jeans and a spiky collar lunged at me, waggling his tongue at me. “Where you think you’re going, baby?” he growled. He grabbed my left arm. Angry, I turned and swung as hard as I could. My fist landed soundly on his jaw as he spun around. I gasped at the pain in my hand. I’d never hit anyone before in my life.

“Damn!” I muttered, as his grin on me slackened. I took the opportunity and grabbed him, pushing him to the ground and I started to run as fast as I could.

Before I got more than five steps a third man stopped in front of me. He was wearing a black wife beater and had a buzzed head. He was watching me carefully, a very hungry look in his eyes. My heart was hammering in my throat and for just a moment I wondered what he planned on doing with me once he got his hands on me. The mental imagery nearly made me stagger.

Casting out my thoughts and fears, I made a dash to my right, nearly running into the nearest wall. He was lightning fast and a hand grabbed my jacket. It tore away as I struggled out of it as soon as I realized he had grabbed me, and I fell forward, sheer determination to keep moving driving me onward. I could hear Spike fighting the others, and distinct growls caught my ears. I wanted to go to him, but knowing that these men were attacking me and I couldn’t fight worth shit made me spur onward.

I broke into a run, pumping my arms as my feet pounded the sidewalk. I glanced over my shoulder to see the man in the wife beater striding towards me determinedly, preparing to break into a run at any moment. The man with the bolt and the one in the collar were coming up behind the first.

A solid force stopped me and I flew onto the sidewalk, the wind knocked out of me as if struck by a truck. I fell hard, skidding and tearing skin off my arms and legs. Gasping for breath, I looked up just as a large man in a leather vest and pants reached down for me. I kicked upward, catching him in the knee but it was completely off-center and didn’t hurt him in the slightest. He grunted, grabbing my arms.

“Come here, little girl,” he growled. “We just want to play.”

Shrieking in frustration, I struggled as hard as I could as he lifted me off the ground. “Let me go!” I screamed, striking out his face and drawing nails down his flesh until blood surfaced.

He growled menacingly, his face changing into the demonic visage of a vampire. His fangs glistened in the dim light of the streetlamps as he allowed me to take it in.

I screamed.

He drew his hand back and hit me across the face. My head snapped backward and I felt my lips burst open in a spray of blood. The world slid sideways and all strength slid out of my legs. No one had ever hit me before, and I had the brief thought that it hurt like a motherfucker.

Growling he scented me and touched the blood running down my chin, he said, “You don’t stand a chance, you fucking bitch. Just give it up and make it easier on all of us.”

Spitting blood, I managed to grab onto the strength lying under the surface and snarled, “Fuck you.” I brought my knee up as hard as I could, making total contact. He howled in pain and dropped me.

Staggering against the dizziness threatening to overtake me, I hobbled away, fighting to get back into a run. I heard a collective growl behind me and in that instant I knew that I was completely fucked. They were all vampires. I didn’t stand a chance. It was a matter of time before I was everybody’s dinner. Still, I had to fight. I couldn’t just surrender, not even if I was still reeling from one hit.

I began to jog haltingly, afraid to look behind me. There were no running cars, no pedestrians, and certainly no policemen around. Only the homeless who weren’t even paying attention to what was happening. I felt hot tears burning my eyes as I began running again. I was running out of breath, but I had to move. I couldn’t see Spike, so I didn’t know how well he was faring. I had to believe that he could take care of himself.

They were gaining on me. I glanced back and saw only three behind me. Two were missing. My eyes widened as I realized what they were doing. I was pushing myself as hard as I could, but it wasn’t going to be enough. I was nearly at the street corner that led back to civilization, to help. If I could just get around the corner I might stand a chance of getting help. I knew I wasn’t going to lose them, but if I could just get into a building with people, I stood a chance.

A huge weight fell on me. I cried out as I fell to the ground, half crushed into the dirt and water, my face scraping gravel and tearing it up. I tried to push upwards, but the body on top of me held me in place. Pure fear and panic rushed through me and I choked on a scream.

Have to fight… have to fight… Oh, God, help me!

The man turned me onto my back. It was the one in the black wife beater, the one who had first spoken up, his face in full vampiric form. He grinned evilly, leaning closer to me. “Goddamn, girl, you put up a fight,” he growled. “I like it. Makes it much more fun to drain the life out of you.”

Screaming again, I managed to yank an arm free and I struck out at him. I barely glanced his jaw. He snarled and back handed me. My head snapped against the concrete and the world went out of focus. I coughed, my chest aching from the pressure, feeling as if it were about to collapse. My right eye ached, not wanting to reopen.

I struggled again, looking up in time to see his fangs leaning towards me. I couldn’t breathe.

The end… dead… I’m dead…

He hauled me to my feet and laughed as the other vampires circled around me. I screamed as loud as I could, kicking and screaming and flailing, unable to make any decisive movements.

“Oh, I love it when they fight,” grinned the man with the bolt. He bared his teeth. He was still in human form, but somehow it was far more grotesque than the demons around him.

I bit hard on the man’s hand. He howled and dropped me. As I fell, I tried to roll away, gasping for breath. I staggered to my feet to the amusement of the others. I managed to stagger a few paces away, but I knew deep down that now they were watching me for pure entertainment value. They knew that they had me. I couldn’t give up. I had to try to escape.

A hand grabbed my throat, pulling me back into the group. I choked, clawing at his hand as fiercely as I could, but he wouldn’t budge. Growling in a low tone, the man with the collar eyed me. “No, you ain’t going anywhere, bitch. I think it’s time for a little privacy, don’t you? Come on, boys.”

I sputtered, then screamed, “Spike!”

Another hit, close-fisted. To my face. I felt my nose snap and a wave of blood ran down my face, half-blinding me. My eyes rolled back and I lost all feeling in my body as the darkness swallowed me whole.