Her instincts were buzzing rather than tingling, and she frowned. "Hector, something's off here." The hair on her arms was on end, her skin crawling with heightened awareness of something she couldn't quite pinpoint.
"I feel it," Hector voiced quietly.
"It's not people. Vamps. Whatever. Is this what a ward feels like?" she asked, puzzled. She'd never felt Jonny's or Xander's, simply known they were present.
"No." Hector sounded as puzzled as she felt. "I don't know what this is."
"Well, let's go be bait and find out." Ashley started into the bay area. Her senses read the area as clear of obstacles, though it was hard to know for certain with the bizarre energy field around them.
"Wait." Hector rested a hand on her arm. "I don't think we should go any further."
"Charles needs his distraction. I can't do that from outside," she pointed out and shook him off. "You're not scared, are you?"
He said nothing.
Ashley glanced over her shoulder and then turned completely around when his glowing red eyes weren't there.
Hector was gone. Not moved or retreated to outside the warehouse. Completely vanished.
She went still and held her breath, searching the darkness with her senses for any sign of him or the danger that had caused him to disappear. Nothing was present but the strange energy field agitating her instincts.
Ashley faced the direction she planned to walk and stepped forward silently, ready to attack the moment something came within striking distance. She progressed twenty steps before pausing once more and looking around.
The darkness held nothing she could get a real read on - but something was there. "Where are you?" she whispered.
The strange stillness shifted around her.
"You can sense me?" came a soft voice close enough to make her jump.
She whirled. "Yep. Come a little closer."
"What fun would there be in that?"
She understood vamps often had Natural talents like she did. Was that what this was? A really freaky Natural skill? Perhaps a masking gift of some sort? The idea there was someone present - and it wasn't any more of a monster than a vamp already was - made the darkness a little less scary.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," she sang. "I can take you."
Something smashed into her. Ashley's reflexes kept her on her feet - and managed to help her score a hit with one blade.
"I could've killed you," came the voice.
"Yeah. Ditto. What kind of shitty plan is this?" she taunted. "Keep me busy so the other vamps have a chance to escape before I can take them all out?"