~Chapter Two~
The next night just after sunset, Buffy opened her eyes feeling achy and sore. Pain all over her body from bruises and bites and cuts and scratches... etc that had multiplied from what she had started out with. She pushed herself up gingerly and went over to the armoire to see if there was anything she could put on so she didn't have to wander around nude. She found a white tunic-like dress and put it on, tying the gold belt tight before padding out of the room. She needed to find a way out of this place.
Kriszta was lounging in the hallway in a red version of the same dress, obviously sent there to keep an eye on the young bride. "Have a nice sleep, sister?" She smiled wickedly.
Buffy growled at her angrily, remembering all she had did to her the night before. Her face vamped out, eyes turning blue with a hint of violet and fangs extending. "Don't you dare call me your sister!" She rushed the other vampire, pressing her into the wall with a hand to her throat.
The bride hissed as she looked down into the angry vampiress' eyes, sensing what she had missed at first. She shrieked wildly, "You! You are different! You retain your soul! Should have known that would happen with turning a slayer!" She hissed again and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
The slayer wondered idly if she could now do that, too. That would have to wait, though, the exploring of everything that had changed now and how else she might be different from other vampires. For now, the plan was to find her way out of this house of whores.
*****
"And Xander's missing as well?" Riley asked, standing off to the side of the Magick Box with his arms crossed. He shook his head. "When was the last time you saw them?"
"At the Bronze. We went onto the dance floor and Xander came up to us to tell us they didn't feel well. He told us he was driving Buffy home before he went back to his own to crash for the night." Willow put her hand to her mouth. "You don't think he had something to do with this, do you? I mean, he was acting so strange yesterday."
"Apparently Dracula has been known to take Renfields... just like in the popular book we get the term from." He shrugged. "I'm sure he wouldn't have done it of his own free will."
"O-of course n-not," Tara shook her head. "He c-cares for her too much to j-just hand her over to some evil vampire guy."
Giles stood and removed his glasses to polish them. "So, we are of agreement that she was most likely taken by Dracula. We really need to find out where he is staying and go after her before it is too late. A turned slayer will be quite a trophy for the guy."
"For any vampire. A dead slayer or a turned slayer." Riley thought about that and he realized there was one contact he hadn't hit up the night before. "I'm going to go and try some more to find out where he is. I'll call you if I find anything, Rupert." He nodded and ducked out the door.
Giles looked at the girls after he left and sat back down in his chair. "I was not sure if I wanted to mention this in front of him, but we do need to prepare for the chance that we will not find her in time. Prepare for dealing with a turned slayer. We need to research to see if this has ever happened before."
"That's a very good point, Giles. You always make the best points," Willow smiled and nodded to the others, hoping they would agree. "We'll get right on that." She opened her laptop and looked down at it to avoid looking up at the former watcher.
*****
Riley opened the door to the crypt and walked right in, leaving the door wide open behind him. He looked around cautiously before walking deeper into the room. He turned and saw Spike in the corner jerking up a pair of black jeans.
"They ever teach you blokes t' knock in that army of yours?" He muttered darkly.
"You don't have anything I haven't seen before. Doubt you have anything shocking." He smirked and leaned against a column, crossing his arms.
"Got a lot more than you do, soldier boy." He grumbled and went over to a table to get a smoke. "You come over just t' have your jollies at hecklin' the vampire?"
"I need any information you have that could help me with a little problem. Might pay you real nicely depending on what you tell me."
"All right, I'll see what I can do." He lit up and took a long drag, looking Riley over. "What do you want t' know?"
"Seems Dracula's in town and he's after Buffy. Strike that, we pretty much figure he has Buffy. No one's seen her since last night. We don't know where he's staying or how to find him."
Spike nearly dropped the cigarette as he stopped to stare at Riley. "Bloody hell! He is?" How could he have missed something like that?! He shook his head and ground his teeth, throwing the cigarette away angrily. He had been so buggered by that damned slayer he had bloody well missed what was going on around him. Then the second part hit him. "He has her? How the hell did she let herself be taken by that overrated jackass?"
"We think that Xander... that he used Xander as his Renfield to ambush her... he's missing, too." Riley admitted quietly.
"Bloody hell!" He cursed again and stalked to the other side of the crypt, then started pacing back and forth. Then he stopped. Wait, he should be relieved that Dracula was doing the dirty work for him. Nah, no... he wasn't. He shook his head and told himself it was only because it wasn't right that he had been working his damnedest for years to get rid of the annoying bint and didn't care for some jerk with a cape coming in to do it in only a couple days. He ground his teeth, no... no... he wouldn't have killed her... he's either keeping her there to break her or he turned her immediately.
He turned back to Riley. "I can sniff him out. You an' Rupe can follow me, an' we'll get her out of there. Don' really care if we save Xander if he really is the one t' hand her over..."
"We'll handle that."
Spike shrugged. "Fine. He's only gonna find somethin' else t' louse up..."
"C'mon. I'll call Rupert." He didn't want to admit to agreeing with the vampire, but he still figured the others would want to see the guy again. He figured if they killed Dracula then Xander would be back to normal... as normal as usual... but if he had caused Buffy's death then it was going to be pretty hard for Riley to forgive him.
*****
Spike paused just before lifting the knocker and looked back at the other two. "Now, I'm gonna go meet with the EuroPoof under the pretense of gettin' back the money he owes me. The bloody mooch... Anyways, you two will slip away and go lookin' for Buffy.... an' Harris..." He sighed and ran his hand over his hair. "Jus' get Buffy out of there an' I'll keep Drac distracted."
"Got it. How will you know when we've got her to safety?" Riley asked in a hushed tone.
"Probably one of his brides will eventually come screechin' int' the room t' tell him that either she's gone or they found two guys sneakin' 'bout the castle." He smirked and turned back to bang the knocker loudly.
Anichka came to the door and looked up at Spike, a wide smile spreading over her face. "William... we were wondering when you would finally pay us a visit. I couldn't wait to see you again," she smiled and ran her fingers along the plunging neckline of her thin blue dress. "And you brought friends."
"Nice t' see ya, pet," he smiled and leaned in close. "Came t' welcome you guys t' the neighborhood an' got some business t' see t' with the big guy."
"Well come on in. He's in the main hall with the other brides. We just got finished having dinner." She moved back and let them in. She eyed Riley hungrily as he passed her.
Spike followed Anichka to the main hall and paused before following her in. He looked back at the other two men and motioned them down the hall, "Toddle off an' get t' lookin' for her. I'll cover for you." He went into the room without looking back.
Dracula was sitting at the end of a long table with Maryska in his lap. His hand was up under her green gown as she kissed his neck. His eyes went to Spike as he entered and lit up. "Ah, William, you have finally graced us with your presence."
"Well, had t' come see 'bout the debt you owe me." He smirked and sat down near him. Anichka immediately appeared with a bottle of wine and a glass. Spike grabbed the bottle and took a long drink from it. He had already been drinking before Riley found him, drinking ever since the slayer pushed him too far. "Figured I might could hang 'bout an' give you a chance t' earn some of it back."
Anichka sat herself on the side of Spike's chair and Dracula smiled widely. "Sure thing, I am up for a game or two with an old friend." He waved a hand and Kriszta came in with a deck of cards and some poker chips. He started setting up the chips and dealing cards to them both as she left again. "I'm sure part of my debt could be wiped away, though, if I let you have some fun with my brides."
"Perhaps," he looked up at Anichka and ran a hand over her with a smirk. "Had them before... but did they get better over time like this wine?" He tilted the bottle at Dracula before taking another long pull at it. "Because that would make the difference on how much of your debt they wiped off."
"I think they are better than ever, but then I am a bit partial." He drained his glass of wine and held it out to Maryska to refill it. Then he waved her away and she left after Kriszta. Anichka gave Spike a kiss and then left as well. "They will be right back after they take care of a little business."
Spike watched them go, wondering if that business pertained to taking care of two trespassers. Hey, like he cared if they offed the two gits... Two less HE had to off. He chuckled and drank more of the wine. He blinked and tried to focus on his cards through the haze of the alcohol, then glanced at Dracula. He smirked. So he wasn't the only one who had been drinking a bit much today...
They kept playing and drinking, getting even more tipsy. Conversation turned to the old days and they laughed loudly at the things they remembered. Spike started to totally forget why he was even there in the first place.
That was, until a hand started to travel up his leg. He didn't look down, just tossed a couple chip into the pot. Finally, at least one of the lovely bints was back. Did that mean they were done with Rupert and Riley? He smirked and studied his cards, letting the hands travel further up his thighs. So, Dracula was starting to wipe away the debt right away... was getting worried cause Spike continued to win hands and the debt was adding up. Or simply hoping to distract him so he could win some.
The hands caressed his groin before beginning to undo his pants. He groaned as a hot, moist mouth descended on his cock. Ohhh, that was good. He purred and nearly dropped his cards as the jolts of heat traveled up his body. His hand went down to stroke her cheek before burying in her hair.
"I see you are enjoying Elizabetta's talents," Dracula smirked as he laid down his cards. "She learns so quickly, though the thrall helps."
Spike frowned at the semi-familiar name, but not the name of one of the three brides that were just in there. His sex and alcohol befuddled brain was trying to put two and two together, but it was sooo hard to think with that mouth and tongue... and then her fingers started with the... He lifted his hips with a moan. He finally just looked down, down into the soft green eyes set in the pale upturned face that was watching him.
"Bloody fuckin' hell!"
He jerked back as he came, his cock coming out of Buffy's mouth so that it went all over her face. She didn't move though, even as he fell backwards in his chair as it tipped over. He scrambled away, quickly tucking himself back in his pants while glancing back at her. She was still looking at him vacantly with his spending in her face and hair, the usual spark gone out of her eyes. He swallowed and crawled back towards her.
"Pet?" He reached out to touch her cheek. Sure, he may have dreamt many time of her doing something like that to him, and woah had it been so much better than he had ever imagined... but not like this. She was infuriating... but... He shook his head and started to stand up to glare at Dracula.
"I see you know her. She's quite a prize isn't my little Elizabetta." The other vampire called to his bride and she came out from under the table, going to his side. "A turned slayer. It's no two dead slayers, but its still quite a trophy."
Turned? He looked at her closely and cursed mentally before lifting his gaze. "Yeah, it is." His fingers twitched for a cigarette as he shifted on his feet. "Look, I'm willin' t' overlook all that debt from before and t'night's if ya let me have her. Been owin' her some punishment for awhile now, bloody chip in m'head has made it a bit difficult lately. But, she's not human now, is she... an' I can' have a go at demons all I want."
"I am sorry, William, but I am not quite ready to give this one up. Name anything else, though, maybe one of the other three."
"I want THAT one. She's mine, been mine before you came here an' stole her from under m'nose." He growled lowly and stepped closer.
"If you continue to insist on being difficult, I may have to ask you to leave. I have been very generous considering you led two of her friends into my home to snoop around. My brides are taking care of them at the moment, though."
Spike snarled angrily and vamped out before lunging at Dracula. They both tumbled over the table, rolling around while they traded drunken punches and clawing. Buffy was knocked to the side when Spike jumped on her master. She watched blankly as they fought. Not moving to help or stop them, just watching. They rolled again and fell off the table, out of her view.
She hugged herself and sat back against the wall. She swallowed and started rocking, what just happened... had been happening since Dracula came to town... it all kept replaying in her head. She didn't even notice when Spike popped up from the other side of the table with a triumphant look. He glanced towards her and saw her bury her face in her knees, hands linked behind her neck. She looked for forlorn. The thrall was obviously gone now that Dracula was dust.
He went to her side. He needed to get her out of there now, before the brides came running. They surely had felt the death of their master. His hands went to her upper arms and pulled her up hurriedly.
"We gotta get out of here before the whore come a runnin'," he told her and tried to pull her along.
"Spike... no..." She looked at him with alarm and fear, trying to tug away from him frantically.
"Buffy!" He shook her hard and then looked into her eyes. "I came t' save you. I have t' get you out of here now t' do that, though. Stop fightin' me an' come along."
She blinked when he used her name. He almost never used her name. Her lips trembled; she still couldn't believe he would save her after how she treated him... especially after what she said to him at the Bronze. She kept dragging her feet as he led her towards the door.
He gave a growl of frustration and simply tossed her over his shoulder, stomping out into the hall and hurrying out the door. He didn't pay a thought to the three men inside. Xander was a wanker who had sold out his best friend to become Dracula's butt monkey and the other two he wouldn't shed a tear over losing either. Especially Riley... he was a part of the scheme to put a bloody chip in his head! And came to poke fun at him over it every chance he could get. Captain Cardboard deserved a vampire taking a good ripping into him.
Once he got back to his crypt, he headed down to the lower level and lowered her onto the bed. She had passed out, most likely from the stress of the last few days and that of losing her Sire. His jaw worked as he thought about that, two sides of his brain still warring over what to do about this. One side wanting to take advantage of this to take some payback on the infuriating little thing and the other side wanting to take pity on her, take care of her.
He dropped onto the bed beside her and bit into his wrist roughly, then thrust it in front of his face. He buried his hand in her hair to press her mouth to the wound, giving her a fair amount of blood to transfer Sireship to him. Would make her heal better and feel better sooner. Then maybe he could punish her... He glanced away and took his wrist back.
He went to get a wet cloth and came back to finally wash his seed from her face, then stripped away the dress. He carried her over to an old tub so he could wash her hair and bathe her. He washed her with gentle hands then wrapped her in one of his shirts before carrying her back to the bed.
She would probably be very disoriented when she came to later... completely free of the thrall... Probably thinking the worst of his intentions... well, part of his brain said, maybe she should be worried... He smirked slightly and pulled out the chains to bind her wrists. For his own protection when she woke as well as to keep her subdued until he could figure out what to do with her. Couldn't just send her back to the Scoobies. Who knows what they would do... might stake her outright... especially Soldier Boy...
He glanced at her, jaw working then finally went back to cover her in a couple more blankets and tuck her in snuggly. He cursed himself for going soft and went up to the upper level to take the couch since she wouldn't take likely to waking up with him snuggled close. He had enough blood to last a few days for them, could get more later. He would see how things went down before deciding where to go from there. If he would have to take her and leave the crypt, cause surely those friends of hers might come there looking eventually.
He ran a hand through his hair and flopped onto the couch. Needed rest first to sleep off the alcohol. Get calmed back down after that whole ordeal. Then maybe he could think more clearly about what to do about all of this. About the slayer turned vampire down in the lower levels chained to his bed.
tbc...
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