For Love of a Wolf: Alric's Story
by SpikesKat
Chapter 18
It took Angel over a week to arrange a meeting with the Marabori, and in that time, he’d learned a few things about Alric. For instance, he knew that the vampire was shacked up in a rundown motel several blocks away from his building and that he had two humans with him. The male he’d seen a few times as he’d flipped the tables and done his own bit of stalking. The female he knew only by smell – having never laid eyes on the girl – and that only because Alric reeked of her.
Even now, as Alric caught up with him outside his building and they climbed inside his car idling at the curb, Angel was overwhelmed by the scent of the girl clinging to the vamp. He didn’t say anything, however, as he started the car and put it into gear, pulling out into traffic after a quick glance over his shoulder.
The drive to the warehouse district was completed in silence with Alric spending the time staring out the window. Thankfully it was a short ride and less than ten minutes later, Angel was killing the engine and pocketing his keys.
“Just so we’re clear, I’ll be the one doing the talking,” Angel reiterated once again.
Angel had done his own research on the Marabori, away from Doyle’s prying eyes, and hadn’t liked what he’d discovered – particularly the utter brutality of the species to anyone they viewed as an outsider. He was nervous enough about the meeting about to take place; he didn’t need an unpredictable vamp at his back making a muck of things.
A grunt was his only reply and Angel frowned. “I’m serious, Alric. If you can’t keep it together, I’ll go in there alone.”
The two got out of the car, and Angel watched as Alric’s face flickered between his human mask and demon aspect several times before he finally managed to get himself under control. The vamp was practically vibrating with tension as he stood next to the car, staring at the four-story building they were about to enter.
“Come on,” Angel called over his shoulder and a moment later, felt Alric fall into step next to him.
The door opened just before they reached it; they’d obviously been expected. Angel stiffened then forced himself to relax. He drew upon Angelus’ contempt for social niceties before stepping over the threshold at the demon’s urging, casting a disdainful look at the underling before starting in the direction it had indicated; he’d probably need the false bravado before the night was over.
~*~*~*~*~
“The two demons you wish to speak with have already left. Not that it matters, really; they had no boy child with them.”
“He’s lying,” Alric growled under his breath.
Angel elbowed him in the ribs to get him to shut up, then drew himself up to his full height and looked down his nose at the Marabori leader. A seemingly impossible task, given that the demon sat in a throne-like chair on a raised platform, his feet on eye level with Angel.
“I find it hard to believe that your brethren would leave before your solstice scheduled for tomorrow evening. Almost amounts to sacrilege among your people, does it not?”
“What do you know of it, vampire?” the leader sneered as he gripped the arms of his chair and leaned forward, garnering the attention of several others loitering about. If their sudden interest and narrowed gazes were any indication, Angel and Alric would be fighting their way out of the Marabori stronghold soon. Great, just great!
“Forgive me. I meant no disrespect,” Angel backpedaled, though it grated to do so.
Apparently the right thing to say, since the leader sat back in his chair and waved off his apology.
“It’s a lucrative business venture I have in mind,” Angel continued. “A personal favor to me. One that I would be extremely… grateful for… if you get my meaning…”
“Go on…”
“The boy. Where is he?”
“I told you, there is no boy.” Angel opened his mouth to object but the Marabori beat him to it, adding, “Our young Kreshnic developed a liking to the creature, something his parents despaired of, so they sold him off. Couldn’t very well eat the thing with their spawn acting up, now could they?”
Angel shook his head and prompted, “Sold?” The Marabori hummed thoughtfully and it was all Angel could do not to jump up on the platform and beat the information out of him, tired of being led about on a string. Alric was apparently of the same mind, given his clenched jaw and the noticeable tick to his cheek; he was a loaded gun, just waiting to explode.
“Give me a few days. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thank you,” Angel replied, somewhat stiffly, while placing a restraining hand on Alric’s wrist. “I’ll await word from you. We’ll see ourselves out.”
Angel turned and walked off, dragging a protesting Alric behind him. It wasn’t until the two were outside that he rounded on the vampire.
“Were you trying to get us killed in there? I told you to keep your mouth shut.”
“I don’t take orders from you,” Alric snapped. His chances of finding Hakan alive, let alone unscathed, had dwindled to almost nothing at the Marabori’s words and he couldn’t prevent taking his frustration out on Angel.
Angel’s hand closed around the vampire’s throat reflexively at the disrespectful tone, the movement so fast, Alric had no time to react.
“You asked for my help,” he snarled when they were nearly nose to nose. “And I think I’ve been pretty understanding up until this point, taken a lot on faith and not asked a lot of questions, and because I felt I owed you…”
Alric had begun to struggle in his arms almost immediately, and Angel held onto him for a moment before shoving him away, disgusted. “You know what… forget it. The Marabori don’t have the boy so you don’t need me anymore. See you around, kid.”
Angel washed his hands of the situation as he climbed in his car and left a fuming Alric behind to make his own way home. He felt marginally better, in that he’d gotten the last word edgewise. Actually chuckling as he hummed along to the song playing on the radio.
It wasn’t until he’d pulled into the underground parking garage that he regretted his actions, however, and sat there a moment brooding. His previous experience with Alric had proved his almost cold, methodical behavior. Seeing him thus—
“Shit,” he muttered.
The last piece of the puzzle clicked into place and Angel could have kicked himself for his shortsightedness.
Following a hunch, he jumped out of his car – not really needing it for the short trip – and ran the few blocks to the motel Alric was using. He banged on the door and when no one answered, kicked it in. The human male stood in front of the closed bedroom door armed with a crossbow and holy water, the former trained on his chest; the look in his eye said he knew how to use the weapon and would have no hesitation doing so.
Not that he’d succeed, but then, the human didn’t need to know that. Besides, Angel wasn’t there to hurt anyone, just get some answers. He said as much to the man.
“Take one more step, and I shoot,” he was told, not missing how Angel was slowly inching forward.
Angel sighed and before the guy could so much as blink, vaulted the table and snatched away the crossbow, tossing it into a far corner and out of reach. A shot rang out, loud even with the silencer attached, and Angel hissed in pain, both from the impact and the sudden spray of holy water to his chest, but ignored it as he disarmed the human… again.
“I said I’m not going to hurt you,” he growled. “I just want some… ouch… dammit, stop it!”
The struggle continued for several more minutes, mainly because Angel really wasn’t trying to cause the human any pain, just disarm him. He barely managed to block a kick to the groin before he figured enough was enough and tossed the man onto the couch and headed for the closed door.
He froze upon spying the girl huddled beneath the covers, eyes open and staring unseeing at the wall in front of her. He moved forward but stopped before actually reaching the bed, Alric’s claim easily sensed at such close proximity. Something he should have figured out before now, especially given that Alric smelled so much of her.
“What’s wrong with her?” he asked quietly not bothering to turn around.
“It’s not my place to say.”
“But you do know?” Angel prompted.
“Yes.”
“Does it have something to do with this boy you’re trying to find?”
Angel finally tore his gaze away from the girl when the human didn’t answer.
“Well, they certainly can’t say you aren’t loyal, now can they? You got a name?” He sighed again when the human continued to remain mute. “The Marabori didn’t have the boy, but I’ll see if I can find out what happened with him. Look, I better go before Alric gets back; we didn’t actually part on the best of terms. If he asks, tell him… just tell him the truth. I broke the door down, saw the girl, asked you a few questions that you didn’t answer, then left.”
Angel walked to the door and had his hand on the knob when the human spoke.
“His name is Hakan Highblood. The boy is… the boy is the girl’s younger brother.”
Angel nodded, indicating that he’d heard and quietly let himself out of the motel room.
~*~*~*~*~
Alric strode purposefully towards the motel, unable to mask the anger that stiffened his spine. Not even a trip through the less savory section of downtown Los Angeles had been enough to lessen the rage he felt. Angered at himself because he’d been unable to end his Consort’s torment.
The boy was still out there – hopefully still alive and relatively unharmed. Alric’s only lead hung by a thread because he’d alienated Angel. He’d have to apologize to the vamp, something he was loathe to do.
He debated going by the Angel’s home, then thought better of it, a pressing need to see his Consort uppermost in his mind. As he turned the corner onto the street of the motel they were staying in, he was glad he’d put off seeing Angel for another day. The scent of the elder vamp was overwhelming and he broke into a run, skidding to a halt at seeing the front door off its hinge.
There was a moment when absolute fear paralyzed his body. Then he snapped out of it and raced forward, crashing through the door resting against the frame, vamp faced and snarling.
“He’s gone,” were the first words out of Bob’s mouth and Alric released a pent up breath.
“What did he want?”
“He burst in here, demanding answers about the boy. I didn’t tell him anything,” Bob lied – even he was smart enough not to rile Alric anymore than he already was. He’d made a judgment call, telling the vampire Hakan’s name, and just prayed it didn’t come back to bite him in the ass. “Anyway… he left, and I started packing. We can be out of here in five minutes.”
“Yeah, alright,” Alric murmured distractedly on his way to see Tala, assure for himself that she was safe.
He’d taken a risk, asking Angel for help, but had weighed the vamp’s domineering nature against his desire to have the boy returned to him with all possible haste. It had backfired – not surprisingly. Things hadn’t been going his way since he’d ventured back to the states.
Now Angel knew he had a Consort.
What the vamp would do with that information was anyone’s guess. As much as he hated to, they were going to have to leave Los Angeles for awhile. If Angel let slip to Doyle that Alric had taken a Consort, his sire would descend upon the city, and everyone else along with him, and there’d be no way he could avoid them all for long.
No, a strategic retreat was in order, for the time being. Once he had both Tala and Bob at a secure location, he’d venture back to the city on his own and shadow the vampire, see if he’d come up with any leads in his absence.
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