The demon was furious and insulted, but mostly he was perplexed. He had never known a vampire not to fear him. Lothgar ferocity was well known throughout the myriad demon races. They were not to be trifled with.

The one called Dru continued to move slowly toward him, hand still held out before her.

"Hello, my dancing bear," she said in a sing-song voice. "Oh, my, you're a precious one, aren't you? Not a teddy at all but a strapping grizzly." As she said these words she clawed at the air.

Nykos had had more than enough of the vampire scavengers' insolence. He tensed the thick muscles in his legs, bared his rows of sharp teeth and sprang.

Spike reared up to meet the attack, faster than Nykos would have expected. The ferocity of the vampire was startling as they collided in mid-leap and tumbled to the street, tangled with the beautiful, unconscious girls. The demon rolled and quickly leapt to his feet, ready to battle for his right of prey. They were not dead yet. They were his.

Spike held up a hand to stave off further attack. "Hang on there, Pigpen. Sorry we sniggered yer meal, but we did get here first. How about I buy yer a pint and we'll call it even?"

The female moved up beside her mate and clung to him, but her mad eyes stayed on Nykos. There was something both infuriating and seductive about her ethereal madness.

"Oh, yes, pet. What a wonderful idea. We'll be great friends, shall we?" She clapped her hands together happily. "Just think of all the clever tricks we could teach him."