Connor didn’t take the time to think about who it was in front of him. He didn’t think about the number of times he had flirted with her or how many free cups coffee she had slipped him. He did what came naturally to him when he was confronted with a demon. He wound back his fist and rammed it into her nose.
Salome staggered backwards, blood sliding out of her nostrils. She brought a hand up to cover her face. “Ow! That hurt!”
“Of course it hurt. We’re fighting.” Connor’s body was tense, ready to pounce on the newly revealed demon. He couldn’t believe he’d been attracted to her at one time. Okay, he was still attracted to her… But that didn’t change what she was.
“I don’t want to fight.” Salome sniffled, blinking dazedly. She wiped the blood from her nose. She let out a loud groan. “Rumours are true. Your fist is like a sledgehammer. I think you broke my nose!”
Connor backed off, regaining some semblance of himself. He couldn’t just lash out. Everyone used to say that’s what got him into trouble. Seeing as how he had gone crazy and needed his mind wiped, they may have had a point. “What are you?”
“I’m a college student, dumbass,” Salome’s words were slightly garbled as she tried to recover from the hit. She shook her head, as if trying to shake off her disorientation.
Tightening his fists, Connor’s lip curled in a snarl. He let out a small laugh. He was feeling like himself again. “College students don’t look like that.”
“They should be so lucky.” The blood staining her upper lip weakened Salome’s haughty response. She knelt down on the ground, picking up the scattered beads of her glamour. “Can we please talk like human beings?”
“You’re not a human being!” Connor exclaimed. Despite his anger, he sighed and knelt down, helping Salome collect the beads. He wasn’t certain why. He just felt compelled to remain a gentleman when it came to Salome, even if she was a demon.
“Semantics.” Salome took the beads in her hand. She looked down at them, wrinkling her bloody nose as she jostled them. “Damn. I hope I can fix this before class tomorrow.” She looked up at Connor. “Listen, Ace–“
“ Connor .” He didn’t want a demon to be so familiar with him as to have a nickname for him. He was fighting with everything inside of him. He’d known Salome for a year. He’d liked her a lot. But finding out she was really a demon… Why hadn’t he smelled it before? Right, he had been too busy looking down her shirt.
Salome took the beads Connor held out to her. She gave him a small smile, which she probably hoped was comforting. “All right– Connor. I’m not a bad person. I’m the same Salome you’ve known for a year. Okay, yes, I’m a demon. But only in the most technical sense. I have a soul– a lot of demon species do, you just don’t hear about them because they don’t try to bring the Apocalypse. I’m actually part human! I mean, not much… But enough that I’m still good! I’m completely intergrated into human society.”
Once she slid the beads into her pocket, Salome stood back up and held her purple hand out to Connor. “Truce?”
Connor looked over that purple hand. Warily, Connor stood up and took Salome’s hand. It didn’t feel any different than a human hand. But still, he knew the truth. He shivered, pulling his hand away.
“Well, now that that’s settled…” Salome balled the hand Connor had just shook into a fist. She slammed it into Connor’s jaw. She was stronger than she looked. Connor stumbled back, hand covering his smarting face. He fought against his instincts to leap onto her. “What was that for?”
Salome sniffed, wiping the rest of the blood off of her face. “Yeah, what they say about payback gets said about me a lot too. You do realize what you just did is racial profiling, right?”
Connor furrowed his brow. “I’m not sure you know what racial profiling is.” He sighed deeply. He was tired of… Whatever all of this was. He needed to just get away from demons and watchers and being the Destroyer. “All right. Well. I guess I’ll see you at the CoHo. Bye.”
“Hey!” Salome ran after him. She put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Where are you going? Don’t you even want to talk to me? You’ve asked me out almost every day for a year!”
Connor shrugged her hand off of him. He turned to look over her. She looked like Salome, even with the demonic skin. He couldn’t deny the fact he still found her very pretty. But that was as far as it could go. He couldn’t get into that world again. “That’s when I thought you were a nice girl with punkish hair. I mean, no offence. I’m sure as far as demons go, you’re one of the better ones. I just know what happens when life is filled with nothing but demons and death. I can’t do that again.”
Salome’s unearthly eyes softened. Her lips curved down in a frown. Just from the expression on her face, Connor knew he could trust her. She was good. He’d spent enough time around people who wanted to hurt him to know the difference. “Are you really the Destroyer, Connor?”
“So they tell me.” He crossed his arms over his chest. It still felt so foreign to him, but he knew it was the truth.
Biting her lower lip, Salome took a step closer. She shook her head sadly. “Connor, if you really are the Destroyer– the guy all of the demons are talking about– then you don’t have a choice.”
“They’re talking about me?” That certainly fit with what Andrew and Angel had told him. He shook it off, shrugging. “It doesn’t matter. If they come, they come. I’m not going to go seek them out. I just want my life. I want to go to school, have some sort of social life. I can’t do it again.”
“Listen, it’s not all that bad.” Salome smiled at him. She reached out and placed a hand on his arm. This time, Connor didn’t force it away. He liked the warm, friendly touch. “I’ve been fighting demons and going to school since I started here. It can be done.”
Connor jerked back, blinking in surprise. He looked over Salome. Looking at her, he could see strength in her arms. It wasn’t extremely noticeable to a regular person, but neither of them were regular people. Salome was a warrior. “Demon fighting… It was you who was hunting that vampire last night.”
Salome nodded, scuffing her toe and looking down in faux-modestly. “You know, what can I say? I do what I can. I saw her leaving with some guy, so I took a break. Would have gotten her too if I didn’t have to work a double shift. I don’t want those bloodsuckers snacking on the student body.”
She touched the pocket with her beads in it. “You know, I’d love to chat all night, but you wanted to run away from me. I’ve should go fix the glamour you so rudely destroyed before class tomorrow. I can’t Clark Kent my way through the day as easily as you.”
She peeked out of the alley, looking out onto the students crossing the campus. She ducked back into the alley, leaning against the wall. “Dammit. I knew I should have worked on my teleportation magicks. Purple skin really isn’t going to go over well. Just peachy.”
Sighing resignedly, Connor picked Salome up, heaving her over her shoulder. She wasn’t very heavy. With his super strength there was no strain. He felt a bit of a thrill at holding Salome so close to himself. He’d wanted that closeness with her for so long. Now he had it.
“What are you doing?” Salome asked, her voice slightly shrill with panic as Connor began to scale the wall.
“Like you said, I was the one who rudely destroyed your magic trick. I may as well help you fix it.”
Connor clicked the lock of his room. He shook his head, crossing the room and sitting down on his bed. He folded his hands, leaning against them. “Jamie has a late class tonight and Jules gets lost a lot. We should be all right for a few hours.”
Salome cross-legged on the floor, stringing the purple beads back together. Her tongue was clenched between her teeth as she concentrated. “Mmhmm.” She rooted around in her pocket, pulling out a few more stray beads. “Thanks. My roommate was holed up in our room last time I checked. I don’t think I’d be able to explain this to her.”
Nodding, Connor kept his eyes riveted on Salome’s work. With each bead that went on, there was a flash of light off the beads. “So you’re a demon who does magic.” He sighed. “Great. Just great.”
“I’m not an expert or anything.” Salome finished her work, tying the bracelet back together. She slipped it onto her wrist and her appearance returned to the one Connor had been appreciating for the past year and a half. “I know enough spells to get by. So magic thrills you as much as demons. I guess I really know how to pick ’em. You said you’ve done this all before. What happened that was so terrible?”
Connor shrugged, looking down. He didn’t feel like laying out his whole story, especially to someone who was a virtual stranger. Everything he thought he knew about Salome was shattered. Salome rose to her feet. She sat down beside Connor, nudging him in the shoulder. “Hey. Really. It’s not that bad. As someone who is resigned to living in the magical world twenty-four-seven. And the parts that are, well… If you ignore it, it doesn’t just go away. It gets worse. Yeah, it’s filled with demons and death. But if you don’t try and fight against it, then the deaths are going to be innocent people instead of demons.”
“Why do you do it?” Connor asked, turning to face Salome. They were so close together. He had never been this close to her before. His heartbeat sped up. “Why do you fight?”
“Because someone has to.” Salome looked down. “My people were good. They just tried to live their lives. But someone– something — came. It massacred them. I saw true evil. I couldn’t let other people suffer like that. I can’t find the demon who killed my people, but I can help others. At least when I’m not going to classes or working.”
She reached her hand out, touching his. Connor gulped, but didn’t recoil from the touch. He turned his hand to take hers, lacing their fingers together. Salome smiled at him. “You know, destiny can be a real pain. Even if you wanted to ignore it, Connor, people are after you and they won’t stop until you’re in the ground.”
Connor frowned, looking down at his and Salome’s joined hands. “How much do you know?”
Salome licked her lips. “I heard rumours that the Destroyer was here on campus. And I know that the Destroyer is the son of Angel, the vampire with a soul. I had absolutely no idea who you were until today, with that guy. I know that there’s a price on your head.” She let out a nervous laugh. “And I do mean that quite literally. If a demon brings in your head they get… Well, that part I don’t know. I get bits and pieces of information, but most of the fang and fur types don’t like me.”
“Being in the Senior Partners’ inner circle,” Connor supplied. He reluctantly pulled his hand away from Salome’s. “The Circle of the Black Thorn is after me. I guess whoever kills me gets to become one of them.”
“The Senior Partners? You’re talking Wolfram and Hart?” Salome gaped at him. She shook her head, laughing. “If that is the prize, fight with all guns blazing. I’m surprised you haven’t been swarmed by demons, Ace. Most of them would give their right horns to have an in with the Senior Partners.”
Connor looked over Salome. He grazed his fingers against the bracelet on her wrist, the thing that separated her from her demon form. Salome smiled at him. “You seem more comfortable talking to me now that I look human.”
“Why do you leave your hair purple?” Connor asked.
“What? You don’t think it’s cool?” Salome curled a lock around her fingers. She shrugged. “Truth is, I like being me, being purple. I wish I could all the time. But I choose to live in the human world, so I have to adapt. I can pretend to be Sally Simpson, normal college student, but at the end of the day… I’m me. It’s not something I can pretend isn’t there. Believe me, there are times I wish I was fully human, but… I’m not. I can’t deny that. This is an aspect of my true self I can get away with.”
Connor didn’t really know what to say in responce to that. Maybe because he’d always been uncomfortable with his own demonic heritage. “How human are you?”
Salome shrugged. “Does it really matter?” She got to her feet. “I should go. It’s getting late.
Connor nodded. “Yeah. Um, this has been… Interesting.”
Salome smiled sadly. “You’re not going to ask me out tomorrow… Are you?”
Connor shook his head. He wasn’t going to lie to her. “It’s just…”
“Don’t. I understand.” Salome walked to the door. She sighed. “It’s too bad. I had a lot of fun flirting with you.”
Salome opened the door, slinking out. She shut it behind her, leaving Connor alone. Connor sat back down on the bed. He folded his hands, leaning against them. In the end, he was always alone. The Destroyer wasn’t allowed to have anyone. And that’s all anyone wanted him to be.
Jamie leaned against his arm, staring down at his notebook. He sat in the back of the lecture hall. Professor Morrison stood at the front of the class, droning on and on. He had stopped listening. He was tired and his stomach was growling. He just wanted to eat some dinner and fall asleep. Of course, he still had a mountain of homework to finish. He glanced down at his watch. Still ten minutes to go.
He jerked out of his half-asleep state when the door of the class burst open. A very beautiful redhead strode into the room. She was dressed in black, the clothing cling to her curves. What must have been a dozen people followed behind her. Most were tall, hulking men. There were a few women, who looked just as intimidating. All of them looked ready to start trouble, like a gang.
“May I help you?” Professor Morrison asked, furrowing his brow.
“I’m sorry.” The woman stopped in front of the Professor. She licked her lips slowly. With superhuman speed, she grabbed Professor Morrison’s head. She twisted it around. The sickening crack of his neck echoed through the room. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
One of the girls in the front row screamed as Professor Morrison’s corpse fell to the floor. People were already scampering towards the doors, being stopped by the large men.
Jamie jumped to his feet, eyes wide. He didn’t run towards the door. He knew he should have, but something deep inside of him told him that it wasn’t going to do any good. Whatever was happening, he was stuck in the mess.
The redheaded ringleader strode up to a small blonde in her gang. She pulled a glowing yellow necklace out of her pocket. She hung it around the blonde’s neck. “You know what to do.”
The blonde ran out. The redhead strode back to the middle of the room. She placed her foot on Professor Morrison’s chest. “Don’t let any of them get out.”
The gang ran up the aisles, blocking any way for Jamie to get to the front of the class, to make an escape. He jumped the chair in front of him, attempting to bypass the stairs. The redhead spotted him. She leapt into the air. The movement was one no normal human could make. She landed in front of him. She smiled. “Trying to go somewhere?”
“I–“
She growled. “Don’t worry, kid.” She slammed her fist upside his head, knocking him to the ground. “You get a get out of jail free card this time. You’re not part of the message.” She turned back to her gang, her face shifting. “I just hope the Destroyer gets it.”
Connor strode through the Oval. He kept his head down. He didn’t want to speak to anyone. He was positive if he ran into someone– even Jamie or Jules– they would turn out to be a demon or some superhuman intent on dragging him back into that life.
He had wanted to stay in the apartment. Shutting out the whole world seemed like a really good option. However, he was utterly starving. Every time he got close to getting something to eat, someone else jumped out at him with information on the demon world. All that was in his apartment was a bag of Doritos that had been stale for three weeks. He, Jamie and Jules hadn’t been too concerned with shopping.
“Hey there, hero.” The voice was only a whisper in his sensitive ears. Connor looked up. He felt his chest tighten. He tried to draw breath, but it wouldn’t come. He shook his head. It wasn’t possible. She couldn’t be here.
Cordelia smirked at him. Her sparkling hazel eyes were focused on him, penetrating his soul. Why was she there? No, it couldn’t have been her. She had been comatose. He had nearly killed her… The only thing from his other life he could never resist and she was standing right in front of him. It was not fair. He didn’t want this…
Cordelia turned, running off. Connor went off in pursuit, pushing past the students milling around. He could smell her scent clearly on the air. He needed to catch her. He knew it hadn’t really been her. The thing that seduced him– lied to him– wasn’t Cordelia. But still… He looked at her and remembered how she made him feel.
He knocked hard into someone. He turned briefly, another familiar scent mixing with Cordelia’s. Salome was on the ground, looking up at him. She looked surprised to see him. Well, of course that made sense. He’d just dismissed her. But she didn’t seemed concerned with that. Rather, she looked worried. “What’s going on?”
Shaking his head, Connor broke into a run once more. He needed to know why Cordelia was there. Maybe Angel had sent her as well as Andrew. Maybe she could make sense of all of this. Maybe if she were to tell him why he should fight, he would finally want to. She was always so good at that.
He could smell Salome running behind him. Why did she insist on following? She would just get in the way. “Connor! There’s something going on!”
He stopped running, smiling. There she was, waving at him front behind the glass doors of one of the nearby buildings. He looked just like he remembered her. He hadn’t allowed himself to think about her, but there she was.
Salome panted as she caught up to Connor. She grabbed his shoulder. “Connor. We have to talk.”
Connor shook his head, striding inside the building. Cordelia had already run off. “She’s here. I saw her.”
“It’s important!” Salome grabbed his arm, but he pulled away roughly, throwing the doors open. She followed in behind him. “Someone’s doing something. I felt it. The only way I could feel it is if–“
Salome cut herself off as she ran into Connor. He stood in the doorway of the lecture hall, feeling the sickness well inside of him. Cordelia stood beside a redheaded woman. The Amazonian woman would have been beautiful, if not for her demonic visage. She dropped a drained student, licking the blood from her lips.
“–they used really powerful dark magic,” Salome finished, looking over the bodies scattered across the floor. The vampires had massacred an entire class of students.
Connor glared at Cordelia, gritting his teeth. She always led him to death. Yet he still followed her. Why couldn’t he stop? Hadn’t he become smarter than that?
“Of course it was powerful magic.” The redhead hissed. She took hold of the necklace Cordelia wore. It snapped away and Cordelia’s form melted away, leaving a small, blonde vampire. The redhead smirked. “Only very powerful magic would fool this boy’s senses.”
She strode to Connor, her fangs stained with blood. He was still too stunned to move, to act. “My name’s Clarice. I have a message for you.”
Leaping into the air, she swung her leg. The steel enforced tip of her boot connected with Connor’s jaw. The force of the blow sent him flying backwards. He slammed hard against the wall. His body wracked with pain as he slid down onto the floor. She laughed. “And I’m going to have lots of fun delivering it.”