Promise of the Night

Author: Lysa

Rating: NC-17 for sexual situations and vampires at play.

Category: Smut, BtVS2

Content: Vamp C/Aus

Summary: Angelus’ newest childe awakens to the promise of the night. Now a vampire, Cordelia explores her new identity with the guidance of her sire.

Spoilers: BtVS Season 2

Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.

Distribution: Anywhere but let me know

Notes: By request, this is the sequel to Open Invitation.

Feedback: Want it, love it, need it.

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Part 1

 Even in death, Cordelia Chase looked stunningly gorgeous as she lay in the open casket lined with silk and scented flowers. Her dark chestnut hair cascaded across the pillow in a wave that curled over her shoulders. Dressed in black, Cordelia’s face contrasted sharply with the dark color of her clothes. The makeup the funeral home had used was slightly glossy compared to Cordelia’s usual style, but her face was perfect.

“It’s been three days, Giles,” Buffy stared down into the coffin. She had been patrolling the morgue and the funeral home for the last two days, but there was no sign of Cordelia rising from the dead. This was the third day when her parents had miraculously returned from overseas and swept in to finalize the arrangements.

There was a memorial service at school today, but Buffy found that she could not go. She felt accountable for Cordelia’s death. Though he had left no note claiming responsibility for taking the brunette’s life, Buffy knew that it was Angelus. After all, Cordy was killed on the same night Angelus vowed to leave a trail of her friends’ dead bodies on her front porch.

Cordelia was the first, though it surprised Buffy that Angel had started with her rather than Willow, Xander or Giles.

The Watcher kept a comforting hand on the Slayer’s shoulder. “He may not have turned her, Buffy. Perhaps Angel’s purpose was just to kill Cordelia.”

“Don’t call him that,” Buffy looked pained at the use of Angel’s name. “It’s not him. Not without his soul. Angelus did this.”

Xander stood next to Buffy with one hand on the coffin. “That vamp is dust.”

“Angel-us seemed to turn his other victims into minions as soon as he got the chance,” Willow pointed out that the vampire was trying to increase the numbers of his clan. “Why stop with Cordelia?”

Giles commented, “I’m not certain that he did.”

“It’s been three days,” stressed Buffy. “I’ve never known a vamp to take so long to rise. I think she’s just dead.”

Frowning, Giles removed his glasses and tapped his mouth with the tip of the ear piece. “There is one possibility that we should not ignore.”

“What’s that?”

“According to what we know— meaning the Council— vampires drain their victims to the point of death then feed them their own,” Giles reminded them. What they probably did not know was, “It does not take much of the sire’s blood to turn the victim and a fledgling will normally rise by the next sunset. However, master vampires have the ability to create childer in addition to mere minions.”

“Childer?” Xander asked.

“Drusilla is Angelus’ childe,” Buffy understood the relationship. “He created her, but she is more powerful than the regular vamps.”

“Yes. Drusilla later created Spike as her own childe, but the vampire hierarchy remains that Angel— Angelus is the sire of their line. They are the master vampires of the Order of Aurelius while the others are simply their minions.” Giles explained his theory. “It could be that Angelus intends for Cordelia to become one of his childer.”

“What’s that got to do with the three days?”

“More blood is shared by the sire,” Giles said. “The conversion process takes longer, but the result is a more powerful vampire.”

“Oh.” Buffy gazed back into the coffin again. “Then Cordelia would be part of Angel’s family? Like a— daughter?”

Giles squirmed a bit and started to clean his glasses. “More likely, she would be his mate as long as Angelus remains interested in the relationship. Though there is still a bit of a parent-child bond in the beginning when the newly risen vampire is learning to hunt and feed. Dependance upon continued supplementation of the sire's blood is built into the bond for the first few days until the childe attains full strength.”

The Slayer stopped listening after Giles’ comment about Cordelia being Angel’s mate. A flash of jealousy hit her solar plexus spreading out like a wildfire across her body. “What was she doing with Angelus in the first place?”

Willow reminded Buffy that the brunette had not been present when Angelus arrived at the school and announced his identity. She had gone out the other exit near her car. “He probably tricked her into thinking he was Angel.”

Upon hearing about Cordelia’s death, Willow had a guilt-trip of her own. If she had not reacted like an idiot at seeing Cordelia and Xander kissing in the library, the other teen might not have left the library so quickly. She might not have run into Angelus in the school parking lot. She might still be alive.

“That vamp is dust,” Xander parroted his new mantra.

“What now?” Willow asked. “Do we keep up the vampire vigil or come back for the funeral in the morning?”

Giles hated to suggest this, but there was one way to ensure Cordelia did not rise as a vampire. “We could decapitate her.”

“Eep!”

“What?! Giles!”

“That vamp is dust.”

Holding up his hands in mock surrender, Giles retracted the suggestion. “Forget I even mentioned it.”

“I’ve done enough already,” Buffy sighed. “If I have to stake her, then I’ll deal. Until I know she’s a vampire I’m assuming she’s just dead.”

The group exiting the building was more dry-eyed than the funeral director might expect, but he had no clue that their tears were held in reserve for the final news about the fate of their friend. They were the last visitors of the day and he had allowed them their privacy.
Outside, Buffy suggested that the others go home for the night. “I’m sticking around for a while.”

“I hope things are— peaceful,” Giles nodded his understanding.

With a little wave, Willow followed after the Watcher. “Goodnight, Buffy.”

Xander barely noticed that the other two were leaving. He kept staring back at the funeral home door. “It’s my fault, Buffy. I sent her off to get ready for my stupid plan to raid the Army Depot. Told her to dress trashy. I left her alone.”

Placing a hand on Xander’s shoulder, Buffy reminded him, “It wasn’t a stupid plan. It did work. The Judge is a pile of charcoal. This isn’t your fault.”

She was hugging him close trying to make him understand that if it was anyone’s fault, the blame belonged to her. Xander pulled back. He didn’t want to be comforted, but saw the pain on Buffy’s face. He pressed a kiss on her forehead before turning to leave. Over his shoulder he vowed, “Angelus will pay for this.”

Buffy wasn’t certain she was ready to let Xander stake him. She knew she wasn’t ready to do it herself. There had to be another way. Please God, let there be another way. A way to save him. Maybe Angelus was pure demon. An evil, soulless creature of the night who had started on victimizing her friends. Somewhere out there was the soul the Kalderash gypsies had cursed him with. The soul that made him Angel.

Jenny Calendar promised to search for the curse. Buffy had been pissed to learn that Ms. Calendar was really planted at the school to spy on her relationship with Angel. One of the descendants of the gypsy clan that cursed him, she might have a slim chance of doing some good if she could locate the means of reensouling the vampire.

Patrolling around the building, Buffy noticed the funeral director lock the doors and leave for the evening. He had worked late hours preparing everything for Cordelia’s parents. They wanted the best and had probably paid for it.

As Buffy took a seat on the front steps, she leaned back to stare up at the full moon. It was huge and bright overhead. The sunset had left the sky with a tinge of red that now faded to black. Waiting for any sign of trouble, any twinge of her Slayer senses telling her that trouble lurked nearby, Buffy started counting stars to pass the time.

***

Sire.

Desperate need gnawed within her as Cordelia awakened. There was a thirst so great she felt desert dry. Thirst— and hunger. A need that was something more than just the need for liquid, but the sustenance provided by the one liquid that was mother’s milk to a newborn vampire. Blood. She craved it. Needed it. Thurst, hunger— and want. Yes, she acknowledged. There was something more that she wanted. Needed it even more than the blood.

Sire.

He was close— the one who made her. Angelus. The want that filled her was more than mere desire though the memories that filled Cordelia’s head proved that existed before her turning. It a was basic, primal and demonic need driving her to awaken and seek him out.

Climbing out of the coffin, Cordelia took in her surroundings. There was no doubt in her mind what she was just as there was no confusion about who she used to be. The fact that Angelus had turned her against her will was overshadowed by the fact that he had given her this life. That he was her sire and she belonged by his side.

“What am I wearing?” Cordelia noticed the black funeral garb. “Ugh! This is terrible.”

She removed the black jacket her mother had obviously chosen. Beneath was a simple one-piece dress with a halter-type top that left her back bare. Since she did not own very many black dresses, the jacket was apparently an attempt to make the slinky dress more appropriate for a funeral. Sheer nude stockings covered her long legs and her feet were thankfully strapped into a pair of designer sandals.

“Ah! Much better.”

Pausing at the front door with her hand already on the lock, Cordelia sensed something she had never felt before. So many sensations were new, but what was this one? It was unpleasant. Not at all like the thoughts connected to her sire. This was more akin to a bad case of goosebumps.

Unlocking the door, Cordelia discovered the reason for her disagreeable feelings. Buffy Summers was standing at the bottom of the steps with an impatient look on her face. “I was hoping you were dead for good, because now it looks like I’ll have to stake you.”

“Hello, Slayer,” Cordelia let the door close behind her. “I can tell that you’ve missed me.”

Buffy was trying to come up with a quip that would keep things impersonal, reminding herself that this was no longer the Cordelia Chase she knew. Had Buffy acted quickly, there was opportunity enough to stake the vampire, but she was so caught up in staring at the fact that Cordelia was the most beautiful vampire she had ever seen. The demonic face with its slightly ridged brow, golden eyes and pointed fangs seemed to enhance rather than hide Cordelia’s features.

Then Buffy found her voice. “Y-You’ve changed.”

“That’s what happens when little girls grow up to be vampires,” Cordelia’s mouth curled into a smile as she stood on the top step.

“I meant your clothes.”

Hands on her hips, the vampiress rolled her eyes. “I left the jacket in my coffin. After all, I can’t meet Angelus looking like a reject from last year’s funeral.”

As Buffy mulled over the fact that she was discussing funeral fashions with a vampire that used to be her friend, Cordelia was gazing at the Slayer’s throat. She could almost see it beneath the pulsing vessels— the red flowing blood. Her ears detected the steady thump of the blonde’s heartbeat. Lub dub. Lub dub. Lub dub. No scent of fear about this one, naturally. Not from the Slayer.

Cordelia marveled at her new senses, even this sense of smell which the human Cordelia had thought a little too personal for vampires to possess. Now she knew how wrong she had been. Oh, the many scents she could detect just from Buffy much less those coming from the surrounding area.

Vanilla perfume. Ivory soap. Something fruity she had eaten recently. Blood, that flowed within her close to the surface and running deep. There was another familiar scent, one she realized was noticeable to her only now with her enhanced senses. Xander. His scent was clinging to her clothes.

Before Cordelia could call her on it, Buffy realized that she was fooling herself. “This isn’t you, Cordelia. It’s just a demon wearing your skin.”

Realizing that the Slayer was psyching herself up to kill her, Cordelia looked for an escape route. “I like my skin intact— minus the holes from stakes or other sharp objects.”

“You should have thought of that before letting Angelus bite you.”

“I had a choice?”

Forgetting her this-isn’t-Cordelia speech, Buffy asked, “How did it happen, Cordy? I think I deserve to know.”

So the Slayer was jealous, Cordelia recognized the look in her eyes. Moving down the steps, she edged down the sidewalk. “Shall I tell you, Buffy, what it was like making love to Angelus? Do you want to know how incredible it felt to have him inside me?”

Buffy’s eyes were huge with shock. “You had sex?”

Not once had she imagined that Angelus had done that to Cordelia. Bit her. Drained her dry. Not anything about sex. Buffy found Cordelia sitting in the passenger seat of her car which was parked right in front of her own house. She had been dressed at the time.

Sire. Closer now. So close.

“My sire knows how to please a woman.” Cordelia purred gleefully at the Slayer’s obvious discomfort with the direction of this conversation. “I think you know that, don’t you Buffy?”

“What?”

Buffy snapped out of her thoughts where images of Angel and Cordelia entwined on a bed were giving her the wiggins. She repeated her question, “What did you say?”

“Angelus didn’t tell me everything,” Cordelia explained. “He hinted, but he didn’t kiss and tell if that’s what you’re worried about. He mentioned his curse. With the soul gone, it’s obvious that something happened to set it loose. I’m thinking you have something to do with that.”

“I’m not talking to you about it,” Buffy gripped her stake. “Why don’t you ask your sire about it? I’m sure he’ll share all the details with his new vamp ho.”

Laughing at the insult, the vampiress seemed suddenly confident despite the fact that she was facing the Slayer and possessed the full knowledge of what she could do to the newly risen. The blonde was practically spitting with fury not even noticing the danger. Angelus suddenly gripped Buffy’s arms pulling her back against him.

“Hello, lover,” Angelus pressed a cool kiss behind her ear where her neck met her jaw. “I see you’ve met my Cordelia. Scrumptious, isn’t she?”

“Haven’t tasted the goods like you have,” Buffy elbowed Angelus in the stomach and powerfully kicked back with one leg. “Not that I care too.”

As soon as Angelus released her, Buffy rolled to the ground and was back on her feet in seconds. He wasn’t alone, she realized, quickly counting five other vampires. “You knew that I would be here.”

“I’ve come for what’s mine, Slayer,” Angelus told her. “Give me what I want and you are free to go.”

“Not a chance.”

Cordelia’s head was spinning with bloodlust. The Slayer was so close. Her heart was pumping much faster now with Angelus present. Oh, yes. There was more here than puppy love denied. Then Cordelia recalled what Angelus told her human self about the big break up the night after Buffy’s birthday.

Smirking, Cordelia wondered if her sire had taken the girl’s virginity before or after he lost his soul. Then suddenly, the thought of Buffy Summers being intimate with her sire was unacceptable. No matter that it happened before Angelus claimed her. The Slayer was a threat and not just because she hunted down vampires as her calling.

Lunging at Buffy who was positioned between herself and Angelus, Cordelia leapt onto the Slayer’s back. Though startled, Buffy made a swift move that left the vampiress flat on her back. Buffy was poised above her with her stake raised in the air.

“Back off,” Angelus growled as he backhanded the Slayer throwing her off of Cordelia. Pulling his childe to her feet, he placed her safely behind him. “No one touches what’s mine.”

Buffy had never seen Angel look more threatening. She lay on the grass propped on her elbows gazing into the dark amber of his eyes. This was one more proof that he didn’t want her. He said as much the night they made love and again at the school. Oh, she knew he didn’t have a soul then, but Buffy couldn’t understand why its loss would leave such hatred behind.

The other vampires were maneuvering around the perimeter. She had no time to ponder the reasons. No time to wonder why Angelus was so possessive of Cordelia. Even now he had turned away to face his childe who was clinging to him in such a way that it seemed she wanted to crawl inside him.

“Sire,” Cordelia sighed as she nuzzled against his neck. “I need you. Make this terrible hunger go away.”

As she started to lap at his throat, Angelus pulled her head away. “Soon, baby. You’ll get what you want. First, let’s leave the Slayer to her new playmates.”

Cordelia glanced over to see Buffy in mid-staking of one of the vamps. He burst into a cloud of thick dust. “Ugh! That just doesn’t give me the same gung-ho feeling that it used to.”

“Not when you’re fighting for the other side,” Angelus commented with a wry expression on his face. Turning serious, he took Cordelia by the arm. “Don’t ever make such a stupid move on the Slayer again. Stay away from Buffy.”

“You too!”

With a laugh, Angelus understood. Blind female jealousy had combined with instinctive vampire possessiveness causing Cordelia to attack the Slayer. “Wait until you’re a day old before you start bossing me around, tigress.”

“I meant what I said,” Cordelia glared daringly at her sire. “You called her lover. Kissed her. Your kisses are mine.”

Yanking her to him, Angelus let his mouth hover over hers. “My kisses are mine to dole out. If you are especially good, you might just get some one day soon.”

A note of panic peeped from Cordelia’s throat. One day? Did he really mean to withhold his kisses? That would be torture.

“Sometimes it’s good to be bad,” Cordelia’s eyes sparkled as her tongue lightly caressed the edge of her fangs.

“That’s what I’m counting on, baby.”

Angelus and the other vamps had arrived in his black Plymouth. What had been a tight ride coming was roomy now that the others were left behind. He doubted any of those who eagerly volunteered to keep the Slayer at bay would survive. Oh, well. There were always plenty more of those to be created.

He sensed that Cordelia would be powerful once achieving her full strength. During the ritual, Angelus had let her feed from him more than he had done before when creating a childe. Even he was surprised at the length of time it had taken for her to rise, not sensing her awareness of him until this evening. Cordelia’s beauty pleased him almost as much as her fiery spirit and Angelus wanted her beneath him— soon, but first there were lessons to be learned.

Pulling up along the moonlight benches of Sunnydale Park, Angelus noted that several couples were out for a romantic stroll. He turned to Cordelia, his hand brushing her soft hair. “Care for a snack?”

Cordelia was already eyeing the potential candidates. “Mmm!”

“Before we get out of the car,” Angelus tucked a finger under her chin to turn her face toward him. “Lesson one.”

With a small shake of his head, the vampire willed his human mask to fall into place. The demonic bone structure shifted back leaving only the compellingly handsome human man behind. “It gets easier with practice, but try to keep your human face on when stalking your prey. Otherwise there is a lot of yelling and screaming. I prefer to catch them before the screaming begins.”

Concentrating, Cordelia felt her facial structure moving back into what she was familiar with. “Good?”

“Beautiful.”

Smiling, Cordelia waited until her sire came around to help her out of the car. Angelus fell back on his old-world manners at times— helping ladies out of carriages or in this case convertibles. Despite her hunger, she found the thought of a moonlit stroll through the park on Angelus’ arm rather appealing. After a couple of minutes the sensation of having him so close was getting to her.

Sire.

Angelus instantly turned to look at her noting her lustful gaze. She had said nothing, but he could swear that he heard her voice. Maybe it was just the fact that Cordelia kept rubbing up against him. It was his own lustful thoughts rattling in his head. Thoughts of shocking every one of these pitiful humans right out of their moral platitudes by burying himself inside her up against the nearest tree.

Later, he promised himself. There was a purpose for being here. His childe was hungry and needed to make her first kill.

“There’s a loner,” Angelus nodded toward an elderly gentleman who sat on a bench with a cane across his lap. He was watching the younger couples stroll by with a smile on his face.

“Eew!” Cordelia made a face. “Hello, he’s an old geezer!”

“Smells healthy enough,” Angelus shrugged. “Not everything you eat is going to look like— who’s that movie guy you always mention?”

“Keanu Reeves?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, but next time I get to pick dinner.”

Angelus instructed, “We’ll stop to let you rest on the bench. Strike up a conversation with him. When there is no one else around— make your move.”

“Ooooh! This is like acting,” Cordelia thought she could get into that.

They strolled up closer to the bench with the old man and suddenly Cordelia started to limp along. “Honey, I think I have a pebble in my shoe. Let’s stop for a second.”

“Mind if we join you?” Angelus asked the man.

The old gentleman moved his cane to his other side. Motioning to the empty spot beside him, he smiled at the attractive couple. “Please do. Wonderful evening, isn’t it?”

“Perfect.” Angelus returned the smile and then crouched down to retrieve the imaginary pebble from his childe’s shoe. His hand curled along her calf as it moved down eliciting a look from Cordelia that suggested he was playing with fire.

“Do you come to the park often?” Cordelia asked the man. “This is my first time.”

As he responded to her question, the vampiress found herself listening to the rhythm of his heart and sensed the blood stirring within him. She could smell it. Practically taste it on her tongue.

“So it was your young man’s idea to take an evening stroll. Don’t get so many romantic notions from youngsters these days.”

“My Cordelia wants a night to remember.”

Chuckling, the man remembered his own youthful days of dating and romance. “Do you always give her what she wants?”

“Hmm. Good question.” Cordelia leered up at her sire.

Angelus was on his feet again and reaching out to cup her chin tilting it upward. Bending down, he pressed a kiss against her lips. “It’s time, baby. Take what you want.”

Releasing her, Angelus stepped back as Cordelia lunged eagerly at the startled old man. He barely had time to notice her game face before he felt her fangs at his throat. She drank him down in seconds, pulling back to look at her sire with a new understanding of what she had just accomplished. There was life inside her again. Feeding her, sustaining her and making her strong.

There was blood spread across her lips and chin. Angelus looked down with amusement. “We’ll have to work on your table manners, but I’d say that was a success. Come here.”

Cordelia stood before him trying her best not to touch him with her bloody fingers. He reached down for her hands, licking the fingers clean one by one. “Not a bad vintage,” Angelus grinned kissing her palm.

Now she had her hands on him, grasping his leather jacket to keep him close. Cordelia licked at the blood at the corner of her mouth until Angelus told her she was being greedy. “Let me have a little more.”

He lapped at the blood until her mouth was completely clean and then pressed her lips open to touch his tongue to hers, kissing her until discovery became dangerous. There were still others in the park, but Cordelia could care less. She lifted her arms around his shoulders, leaning in close. Then one long leg curled around his thigh bringing her hips against his groin.

Sire. Want you.

Breaking off, Angelus pushed her away. “You are an impatient little bitch, Cordelia. For that, you’re going to wait a while longer. Come with me. It’s time you met the rest of the family.”

***

Spike rolled up in his wheelchair as Angelus returned followed by the new addition to their happy little family. At least this one was a looker. Taking a good long stare, he suddenly realized, “What the bleeding hell! That’s the cheerleader you’ve got there, Angelus.”

“Your point?”

“The Slayer and her little gang of terrorists are gonna pull out all stops,” Spike warned him. “Killing one of them might get you a few random attempts at staking. Vamping one? That’ll cause an all-out war.”

“If it’s war, Spike, then I’ve already declared it.” Angelus brought Cordelia forward and placed his arm around her shoulder. “The Slayer’s friends are mine to kill and if I choose to keep Cordelia they better get used to the idea.”

“Keep her?” Spike wondered if the chit was that good a lay. She was certainly beautiful, but Angelus never kept the ladies around very long before. That was mostly because of Darla. Her little side trips never lasted very long and she would return to boot whatever luscious tramp Angelus had bedded out of the house. Then again, Darla was dust.

Drusilla moved around the perimeter of the room eyeing Cordelia who was all too aware of her scrutiny. Dressed in white lace, her dark black hair stood out in contrast to her pale skin and ruby red lips. She seemed to float across the room in her long gown coming to a stop in front of them.

“Daddy has brought me a sister.” Drusilla’s head tilted as she looked with curiosity at the new vampire. “She’s special. Beautiful. More beautiful than Miss Edith, but don’t tell her that.”

“Miss Edith?” Cordelia lifted a brow.

“You’ll meet her later,” assured the other vampiress. “If you’re good.”

Cordelia knew a little about Drusilla. The fact that she was crazy was certainly part of that rudimentary knowledge. She suddenly wondered what her place was in this strange family structure. What claim did Drusilla, as Angelus’ childe, have over him? While she knew that Drusilla and Spike were a tight couple, her vampire instincts told her there was more to it than that.

Possessively, Cordelia turned toward Angelus holding onto him with both arms molding herself to his side. She gave the other female a hard stare. Drusilla tittered with laughter, knowing that her new sister wanted their sire to herself. Moving to his free side, Drusilla raked her nails down Angelus’ arm.

“Do you remember our first night, my Angel?”

He lifted his hand to her thin face. “I do.”

“There was a blood red moon and the stars wept in the heavens,” Drusilla looked dreamy-eyed. “Then you showed me the promise of the night.”

Cordelia didn’t like the thought of Angelus showing Dru anything. Even if it happened so long ago.

Sire.

Both Angelus and Drusilla looked down at her making Cordelia suddenly wary. Had she done something wrong?

Drusilla’s blood red lips curved upward. “I told you this one is special. Risen under the full moon, a childe born to darkness and destined for the stars.”

“Explain yourself.” Angelus growled at what sounded like another of Drusilla’s cryptic predictions.

Grinning gleefully, she laughed and laughed while twirling around them. “I do so like the stars. They like to tell secrets.”

“Get away from me,” Cordelia swiped at the hand that reached out to tickle her.

Even Angelus reacted with an angry glare at his eldest childe. No one touched Cordelia without his permission.

Spike finally let out a long sigh having decided to put a stop to Drusilla’s teasing before it got her into trouble. “Leave them be, princess. You know what it’s like with a new childe in the family. Besides, we have some planning to do since the Slayer’s likely to drop in on us.”

Skipping mirthfully over to his side, Drusilla dramatically draped herself upon the table top. Then her expression turned dark. “Naughty Slayer! She blew up the Judge after all of our trouble to put him together.”

***

Giving himself a little room, Angelus grabbed Cordelia’s wrist and pulled her down the hall to the area set up as the master bedroom. It wasn’t up to his standards certainly, but it would do in a pinch until he could move his growing clan into something more fitting. In the meantime, this room held the only object of convenience that he needed— a bed.

Tossing Cordelia inside, Angelus shut the door behind them with a bang. She rolled to the floor and lay there staring up at her sire in confusion. He looked angry, but she could think of nothing that might have caused that response.

“Get up,” Angelus ordered towering over her like a dark god. “Get rid of those clothes.”

Had she mistaken his intensity for anger? Cordelia’s mouth curled into a sensual smile as she gracefully rose to her feet. She tore at the ties of her halter dress letting the strings go. The slinky material fell all the way to the floor pooling at her ankles and exposing her bare breasts. Pushing off her lacy panties and kicking off her sandals, Cordelia was naked in a matter of seconds.

Angelus watched amused at her overly eager efforts. Considering Cordelia had been a virgin before he seduced, killed and turned her, she was still a little lacking in finesse even with her demon instincts in play. In the future, he’d have to make her practice tantalizing him with a slow striptease.

Still fully dressed— even garbed in his full length leather coat— Angelus stalked in a circle around Cordelia, examining his new creation. Truthfully, she was a gorgeous creature. She eclipsed the beauty of any vampire he had ever known. And she was his. Angelus knew lust, but that word defied the sensations stemming from his gut. Lust was too simple, too insipid to describe his reaction. Not that he would tell her that just now.

He was standing behind her, staring down at the sun tattoo at the small of her back just above the curving mounds of her buttocks. Angelus wanted to kneel down and sink his fangs into that silken flesh. To worship the sun with his mouth.

Gazing at him over her shoulder, Cordelia vented her need with an urgency that was close to a command. “Touch me.”

He did— suddenly and almost viciously grabbing her by the throat and pulling her back against him. Angelus pressed his mouth next to her ear, “Don’t give orders unless you are given leave to do so, childe. Don’t speak until you’re spoken to.”

Releasing her neck, Angelus walked around to face her. Cordelia was clasping her neck and only now realizing that she had no breath to be cut off by his grip. Defiance glinted in her eyes. “Not likely. I say what I want.”

With his hand in her thick hair, Angelus pulled her close staring down with amber eyes that slanted dangerously. “You will submit to me you willful cat or pay the consequences. I will show you what defiance gets you.”

Curling her fingers into his coat, Cordelia dared to point out, “Drusilla didn’t wait for permission to talk to you.”

Angelus removed her hands from his coat, but kept hold of her wrists. “Dru already knows her place. You still need to earn yours.”

A shriek of surprise sounded from Cordelia’s lips as Angelus lifted her over his shoulder and slapped his bare hand across her buttocks. Walking the short distance, he flung her off his shoulder onto the bed. Dropping onto it, Cordelia bounced on the firm mattress settling prone at its center.

Then Angelus started to remove his clothes. First, he pulled off his coat, tossing the leather duster onto a nearby chair. Cordelia watched with eager interest as his hands reached for the buttons of his black shirt hoping that her sire would simply rip the garment from his body. No, he did not. Instead, he seemed all too patient about taking one small button at a time revealing glimpses of his bare chest beneath.

Licking at her lips, Cordelia curled up onto her knees. Her eyes never left him as they sparkled in anticipation. He was pulling the shirt from the waistband of his pants and she so wanted to touch the marbled torso now exposed to her view. Her knees inched forward moving her just a bit closer to the edge of the bed.

The vampire unbuckled his belt, but paused before going further issuing an order. “Take it off.”

Cordelia was all too happy to comply. What more might he allow her to remove? She pulled the leather belt from its loops and was about to drop it to the floor when Angelus told her to hold onto it. She darted glances from the belt up to his eyes, but her sire said nothing else while he stripped off his shoes, socks and leather pants.

Forgetting about the belt, Cordelia could no longer resist the need to touch her sire now standing naked and glorious before her. Rising up on her knees, she leaned in pressing their bodies together and letting out a contented moan at the contact. “Angelus.”

For a moment, Angelus allowed himself the pleasure of feeling Cordelia’s silken skin against him. His hands crept around to her back falling low onto her hips and tucking them close so that his hardening sex connected fully with her flesh. Just for a moment.

Cordelia was rubbing her face against his skin and running her nails along his arms when her sire’s voice caught her attention. “You like to touch. To let your hands roam free. It gives you pleasure to explore.”

“To explore you,” she admitted while fitting a hand between them to trail low across his abdomen.

He caught it and its mate which was curled around his neck. Yanking Cordelia down on the bed, Angelus pinned her body as he held both wrists in one hand. Taking the belt in the other, he saw her hazel eyes turn gold as the sudden fear caused her to lose control. Then he wrapped the belt around her wrists and knotted it to the bed frame.

“Bastard! Let me go!” Cordelia’s first reaction earned her a deep growl. The sound did not squelch her anger, but it seemed to increase her desire. Then her eyes turned sultry as she pleaded, “Let me touch you. I want to please you, sire.”

“Then do as you are told, insolent childe.” Angelus’ anger was present and all too real. “You presume that I want your touch.”

With a smirk, she glanced at the obvious proof of his arousal. Angelus ran his hand down from the wall of his chest and down across the tight muscles of his abdomen to take his own tumescence in hand, the other curling under to brush the heavy sac beneath.

“Do you think I need you to take care of this, my tigress?” Angelus began to stroke his erection with lightly curled fingers running from base to tip. The purple head peeked out from the protection of its foreskin looming large under Cordelia’s attentive gaze.

Pulling against her bonds only seemed to tighten the belt around her wrists. Cordelia tried to free herself, but the bed frame was made of metal. She wriggled and tugged, but it was useless. Angelus had her exactly where he wanted her. Bound and beneath him.

Cordelia was at war with herself. The part of her that possessed the memories of the human Cordelia Chase wanted to scream at this forced position. Yet the demon wanted to submit to its sire, needed to prove to him that she could be what he wanted. The childe needed to be claimed.

Settling down, Cordelia relaxed her arms beside her head on the pillow. Closing her eyes, she waited for Angelus to react, to speak, to respond in some way that acknowledged she was doing the right thing. He moved off of her, but Cordelia felt him shift beside her on the mattress. Her eyes were still closed when his first touch came.

Starting at the crown of her forehead, Angelus trailed his index finger across her profile. Down the slope of her nose, over her plush lips, under her chin to her throat and on down. The sensations started out as a light caress, but seemed to grow in intensity. His path never wavered from its straight course, passing her breastbone along the softer flesh of her upper abdomen.

Cordelia gasped aloud as the finger dipped into her navel before trailing lower over the gentle curve of her belly. Drawing in an unneeded breath, she held it forcing herself to keep her eyes closed as the finger maneuvered in the curls below before edging up to the swollen bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex.

Her thighs parted slightly, automatically granting Angelus access, but the finger that came so close to her pleasure center suddenly reversed its course. A whimper sounded from her throat as anticipation turned to sudden loss as the teasing finger continued to tantalize her senses.

Cordelia waited until the upward path ended back at its starting point. Turning her head, she opened her eyes to see Angelus watching her with an evil glint and that one-sided smirk that made him even more appealing.

“You want something, baby?” Angelus queried looking completely relaxed despite his raging erection.

“Kiss me,” Cordelia leaned over as far as she could twist in his direction. He was asking, so she was certainly gonna tell. “I want your mouth on mine.”

Cupping her face, Angelus hovered over her mouth before pressing his lips against her cheek. He continued to brush his lips and press kisses over her face, ears and under her chin. Everywhere except her mouth.

Leaning over her, he realized Cordelia was trying to hold back her protests, but they were edging close to the surface. “You have such a lush mouth. Such sharp little fangs. Do you want to bite me, Cordelia? Do you want your sire’s blood?”

There was a purr in her voice as she answered, “Oh, yes.”

Lifting her head, Cordelia opened her mouth, but Angelus was just out of reach. “Not yet. I’m not done kissing you.”

Angelus spent several minutes adorning her neck with innumerable kisses of every kind. The sensitive flesh there and the touch of his lips were driving her wild with her growing need. His hands were on the bed and did not move to touch her, there was just the sensation of his lips and tongue working their way across her skin— until he reached her breasts.

One hand curled around her right breast, his thumb brushing against the nipple as his lips moved lightly across the mound. Cordelia pulled against her bonds, arching her back upward to get closer to the flicking tongue. Then she cried out in painful pleasure as his fangs nipped at the upper curve of her areola drawing blood.

Lapping at the blood, Angelus painted her nipple with his tongue and then licked it away.

“Angelus— sire, I want you inside me,” Cordelia urged him to stop his teasing. He simply moved over to the other breast plying it with the same attention except that instead of biting, he blew cool air over her wet nipple. “Stop that! Just do it. Take me. Bite me. Just give me what I want.”

Chuckling, Angelus reminded her, “This isn’t about what you want. Once you understand that fact, we’ll see if I’m interested in giving it to you.”

Then he was back at his task again, this time lapping at her navel twirling his tongue in circles around it and covering it with its flat surface. Cordelia could feel the moisture pooling between her thighs just at this contact alone. There seemed to be something so mind-numbing about that spot.

Between her thighs, he blew air on her curls and parted her folds to gather the moisture there with his fingers. Cordelia shuddered at his touch, her hips rolling against his long thick fingers. Then the fingers were gone and Cordelia’s eyes snapped open to see Angelus sucking them into his mouth licking away her sticky fluids.

This time his mouth came down directly tasting more, his tongue teasing her clitoris and then dipping inside. Cordelia was so aroused that she was close to climaxing. Angelus sensed this, lifting his head away. “What do you have to say, Cordelia?”

Glaring at him obstinately, “Shut up and finish what you started!”

Angelus bent down again, but turned his head and bit into her femoral artery. Cordelia cried out again with a mixture of pain and pleasure, but it was not enough to push her over the edge. Her sire drank down a few swallows before closing the wound.

Moving to her side, Angelus maneuvered Cordelia until she lay prone on the bed, her wrists now tight against the leather belt. Two fingers wandered down the length of her spine to circle the sun tattoo before inching along the bisecting line of her buttock, each one following the curve of a cheek until reaching the moist flesh below. There, both of his fingers dipped inside moving in and out and in and out.

Cordelia curled her legs up beneath her, thighs spread and her hips rotating to whatever rhythm Angelus would allow. He kept changing the tune, keeping her off balance and letting her come so close without letting it happen. Her cheek was pressed down onto the flat of the mattress and her eyes closed doing her best not to start begging for release.

“What do you have to say again?”

Tired of fighting it, Cordelia seemed to relax into the bed. “Whatever you want. Just do it. Whatever you want.”

Though Angelus released the belt binding her wrists, Cordelia did not move from her position. Her sire’s large hands followed the line of her spine to take hold of the curve of her hips. He thought of taking her from this position and watching her firm buttocks and sun tattoo while thrusting into her, but sensed within himself a sudden irritation that some of the fire had left her with this forced submission. The fact was that he wanted her, but not broken.

“Come up here, baby. Turn around and let me see you,” Angelus kept a hand on her while she rose to her knees.

Cordelia’s eyes darted away from her sire despite the continued need burning within her.

Lifting her chin, Angelus had to order her to look at him. “Do you know what I want?”

“No,” the answer came out as a whisper of confusion.

“I want your touch and your kisses. I want you surrounding me. I want to keep tasting you. All of you.” Angelus’ fervent words brought the spark back to Cordelia’s eyes. Then he said, “I want to know what you want, tigress, because I plan on giving it to you for eternity.”

“Just you.”

Angelus was on his knees in front of her. He pulled Cordelia into his lap, lifting her up to let her sink onto his erect penis. Letting out a growl at the sensation of her tight core gripping him, the vampire pulled her down hard until he was completely imbedded. An answering cry of delight sounded from Cordelia’s throat. He filled her so full, stretched her so right.

Her arms came around his shoulders, her head resting in the crook of his neck as they rocked each other onto the threshold of oblivion where the only thing left was pleasure. At the last moment, Cordelia pulled up exposing her throat and Angelus complied with her needs by sinking his fangs into the very mark he left behind when she was human.

As her orgasm came, Angelus lifted his fangs and brought her to his own throat. “Do it, baby. Take what you want.”

Cordelia bit down hard sinking her fangs into her sire’s throat, the sensation of that action alone sending multi-orgasmic shudders through her body. Angelus cried out with his own climax pumping into her. Then blood welled onto Cordelia’s lips, splashing onto her tongue and the back of her throat. Sire’s blood. Potent. Powerful. She lapped and sucked at Angelus’ neck until it gave her a head rush.

Pulling back to meet her sire’s gaze, Cordelia’s mouth was covered in blood. “Still a messy eater, I see,” Angelus grinned and started to kiss away his own blood from her face.

They fell back on the bed entwined in each other’s arms, both eager to explore something new.

***

“Daddy is ignoring us, Miss Edith,” Drusilla pouted. “He’s been in the bedroom for an entire day without coming to play.”

Spike was having tea with Drusilla and her doll to pass the time. Anything to keep Dru under control. She had attempted to interrupt her sire and the cheerleader twice with Spike barely managing to stop her. He knew that Angelus would not be pleased at the intrusion.

“It’s no different than when Angelus turned you or you turned me, luv,” Spike told her. “At first it’s all about feeding and fucking.”

With a gasp, Drusilla leaned over to cover the doll’s ears. “Don’t say that naughty word in front of Miss Edith. My Angel will tire of sister soon enough.”

“Don’t count on it, my black beauty. That girl is a feisty one. Angelus may tire of her— in a century or two.”

Drusilla leaned in close to whisper, “But we can play, my Spike. Can’t we?”

Part 2

 A low growl rumbled from Angelus’ throat, his dark head rolling back across the pillow as he wallowed in the pleasure Cordelia created. His hands fisted in her dark chestnut curls just to keep them from falling in a wave over her face as she bent over his groin. He wanted to watch as her pink tongue lapped wetly at his taut flesh, to see her lush mouth as it took him in— as she tried to swallow him whole.

Angelus was beyond watching anymore. He was so close now. So close to cumming, but on one upward motion, Cordelia’s lips made a loud pop as she removed the suction of her mouth. She’d done this twice before, the little bitch. Brought him to the brink of orgasm only to hold him off just to watch him writhe against the bed.

Opening his golden eyes, the vampire lifted his head glaring hotly at his beautiful childe. “Nobody likes a cocktease, tigress. Finish what you started.”

Licking at her lips, Cordelia wrapped her hand around the base of his rigid erection. Slick with her saliva and weeping sticky pre-ejaculate, the sight of him made her want to jump on board and ride the rest of the night away. She pumped her hand up and down once, before pressing back against the thick base.

“This is about giving me control,” Cordelia reminded him of his latest lesson. “This is about me doing what I want. Getting what I want.”

Lowering herself prone on the bed so that she came to eye level with his hard penis, she ran her tongue along the sensitive tip. The demon in Angelus wanted to grab Cordelia’s head and shove his cock all the way down her throat. Soon. That would come soon if the teasing didn’t stop, but Angelus was determined not to lose control despite letting her play the dominant role here.

“Move over here,” Angelus hoped it didn’t sound like begging. “Let me touch you— let me taste you.”

“Not yet. Gotta concentrate on this first,” Cordelia grinned evilly. “Can’t get distracted from my little torture session. After all, turn about is fair play.”

So that was it, Angelus realized. Now he understood why Cordelia was so determined to torture him in this fashion. “Fair play? I think it’s called revenge, baby.”

With a smirk, Cordelia swiped her tongue at him again delighting in the way he shook all over in reaction. Their first mating after her turning was all about teasing and submission. Him teasing and her submitting, of course.

Cordelia let out a dark laugh. “I think you may be right.”

Angelus had discovered that his childe was not the submissive type, but she did like to play with revenge. While their sexual encounters were frequent, most were about them coming together for the merit of pleasure alone. As with any new childe, Angelus had to discipline Cordelia and that sometimes ended with sex. Most of their encounters ended that way, simply because the vampire found he couldn’t keep his hands off of her.

Denying him his right to touch her was exactly what Angelus had done to her by binding her hands with his belt. He was a bit surprised that Cordelia had not wanted to tie him up, but she was still quite new to some of the games he liked to play.

Releasing her sire’s organ, Cordelia shifted onto his abdomen. The thick shaft lay upright and rigid between the cheeks of her buttocks as she straddled his waist. Angelus reached for her, his hands starting at her hips and moving upward to curl around her breasts. With an abrupt denial, Cordelia grabbed his wrists and shoved them down onto the bed beside his head.

“Don’t move your hands unless I tell you to,” she ordered with a thrill at the sensation of his cock against her soft skin. The slight movement of her buttocks as she bent to position his hands caused Angelus to moan.

The vampire wondered what the hell she planned to do next. He got his answer quickly as Cordelia lifted herself onto her knees giving him a convenient view of the soft triangle of curls at the apex of her thighs. At first, she simply stretched her arms over her head, the act lifting her bountiful breasts. Their pointed nipples jutted out looking tempting from this angle.

Cordelia tilted her head back exposing her long neck to his view, while keeping her hair curled upward in a twist to let him see all he could. Still positioned that way, she let her hands drop to her throat, but the action caused her hair to bounce loose cascading over her back and brushing against the swollen head of his penis.

Fucking hell! Did she do that on purpose?

Running her fingers down the elegant length of her neck, Cordelia moved down to cup her own breasts long enough to tweak the nipples. A groan from Angelus made her stare down lustfully. He loved her breasts. Loved to look, touch, and taste and bite them.

Leaning over him on her hands and knees, Cordelia dangled her breasts above his mouth. “Lick me.”

Compliance was instantaneous as her sire lifted his head to tease one nipple and then the other with his tongue. His lips and tongue swept across her tender flesh with wet eating kisses until the nipples were engorged and her breasts tender and swollen with need.

Grabbing him by the hair, Cordelia pulled his head away as she rose back to her knees. “That was nice, but I want more.”

“Then move back just a bit, baby,” Angelus lifted his hips to rub his erection against her. “I’ve got something for you.”

With a glint in her eye, Cordelia splayed her fingers across her flat tummy moving them down until they spread through her pubic hair and curled into the sopping wet folds of her sex. Parroting the words he had once flung in her face while stroking himself, she purred, “Do you think I need you to take care of all my needs?”

Only Cordelia did not stop after a few titillating strokes of her clitoris. She continued to probe her velvet flesh with her fingers, penetrating her core with first one finger and then two. Her other hand came down to work her clitoris allowing the other to twist its fingers in and out of her wet center.

Angelus was salivating at the sight and scent of her pleasuring herself. He wanted to taste her, fill her with this tongue and thrust it as far as it would go. He wanted to lift his hands off of the mattress where she had ordered they remain to grab her hips and hold her over his face just so he could lap up her sticky fluids for hours.

Moaning at the sensations she was creating, Cordelia had no intention of stopping her self ministrations until she reached a climax with her sire watching and wanting her. All the while, Angelus’ heavy cock was brushing against the soft globes of her ass. His penis twitched angrily seeping thick tears of need from its winking eye as his balls drew up closer to his body.

Getting close, Cordelia panted, “Do you like what you see?”

“Yes, tigress,” he answered, his voice thick with lust. “You’re beautiful.”

“Want me?” She rocked against her hands and consequently his erection as well.

Angelus growled at the edge of his control. “I want to watch you, baby, but I need to fuck you more.”

Continuing to rub her swollen nub, Cordelia removed her fingers from inside herself to spread the clear fluids pooled there across his mouth. Tasting her, Angelus finally lost it. With a swift move, his hands came off the bed grabbing her hips and pulled her onto his hard shaft in one downward stroke.

Cordelia had whipped them both into such a frenzy that they came together the moment he was enveloped inside her tight core. “Angelus!”

Her name was practically a scream on his lips so forceful was his orgasm. “Cordelia!”

“My turn!” She demanded that Angelus release her hips. Nails raking against his chest, Cordelia fought to regain control. To reach the angle where the head of his cock rubbed up against that inner spot that drove her wild. Angelus continued to hold her slightly off of himself so he could piston his hips upward. He was still erect, still spurting fluid inside her. Opening his eyes to her gaze, the vampire saw lust, but also a hint of betrayal.

“Sire?”

The tremor in the word made the vampire realize that if anyone had learned something from this lesson, it was probably him. Lowering his hips to the bed, Angelus pulled her upper body down so that her breasts were flush against his chest. He kissed her soft lips until their orgasms subsided. “Baby, you make me crazy wanting you.”

Cordelia shuddered with pleasure at her sire’s words. She leaned back in to his kisses which grew ever more demanding. Voracious, open-mouthed kisses that left her panting for breath she did not need. Angelus’ stomach muscles flexed them into a sitting position.
He kissed his way over to her ear where he lapped at her earlobe before telling her, “Ride me, tigress. I’m hard and all yours. Just take whatever you want.”

Clutching at his shoulders, Cordelia did just that. She flexed her thighs and hips rotating herself into a new rhythm against his hardness. Finding the spot she needed. Feeling her sire deep inside her. Mewling out her pleasure, she leaned into Angelus’ neck pressing her mouth against his jugular to kiss and lick him there.

Angelus’ open hands were on her middle back, supporting her without controlling her movements. It was all too clear what his childe wanted now. He answered that need silently by exposing his neck clearly to her hungry gaze.

Lifting her head for a moment, questioning even that obvious gesture, Cordelia looked at him with hazel eyes that shifted to dark-rimmed gold. Those eyes sparkled with lust and utter glee at the thought of drinking him down. Her white fangs flashed with a smile. She rode him hard as she pulled herself to his throat and bit deep.

***

Sunnydale was rife with rumor. After the memorial ceremony at the High School, half the town was in mourning for the beautiful May Queen. The other half was gossiping about the cancelled funeral and Cordelia Chase’s rumored disappearance. The director of Sunnyrest Funeral Home swore that her body was there the night before the funeral, but it was certainly gone in the morning.

Though the police report indicated that friends had identified the girl found in Cordelia’s corvette which was parked on Revello Drive, many suspected there was something fishy about the story— especially when some teenagers claimed to have seen the girl at the shopping mall. Her parents swept in and out of town so quickly that people wondered if there was a reason to stay out of the country.

The police investigated halfheartedly. So many strange things happened in this town that it hardly seemed worth the effort. Cordelia Chase’s closet was empty and other personal items disappeared from the Chase mansion. The final report listed the teenager as missing and indicated that the body originally recovered from Cordelia’s presumably stolen Corvette was a Jane Doe. Cordelia Chase might be a runaway, but there was also a chance that her parents had found her and taken her out of the country to get away from Sunnydale. The Chases left no forwarding address or phone number.

***

“Sunnydale sucks,” Cordelia grumbled. “I can’t go anywhere without someone asking me if I’m ‘that missing Chase girl’ or threatening to call Social Services or the police. Dru and I couldn’t even go to the mall without the salesgirl making a snide remark.”

“What happened?”

Cordelia rolled her eyes adding a sad sigh, “A terrible tragedy, really. The bitch broke her neck when it got twisted in my purse strap. Some people are so clumsy.”

“You are still a fresh face to people,” Angelus pointed out. “That will pass rather quickly, more so than you might expect, even for the beautiful Cordelia Chase.”

“It’s been a month! I’m bored with decorating this stuffy old place.”

Angelus had moved them all into a new lair in the form of an abandoned mansion. The east wing of the large building had been lost to fire, but the west wing and central core remained habitable. Her sire sat comfortably with his feet propped up on the edge of a table while Cordelia stood pacing.

This town’s demon hangouts were not Cordelia’s style at all. “Why can’t we move to Los Angeles?”

Her sire looked up from reading a newspaper article on a recent archeological find here in town. Dropping the folded paper in his lap, Angelus reminded her, “I have business with the Slayer.”

Cordelia was tired of hearing about the blonde. It was always Buffy this or Slayer that. It seemed that the only time Angelus’ thoughts were not focused on little Miss Fights a Lot was when her sire felt like having sex.

That little realization gave her an idea.

She sauntered over to the table, running a hand along the lower part of his propped up legs. Eyeing the newspaper in his lap, Cordelia inquired, “What’s that you’re reading about?”

Sensing what she was up too, Angelus’ mouth twitched before asking her, “Do you really want to know?”

Trailing her hand up to his thigh, Cordelia approached then turned and sat down across his lap centering her bottom directly over the newspaper article. Closing her arms around his shoulders, she nipped at his earlobe before murmuring, “Absolutely.”

“Liar,” Angelus yanked the paper from under her ass. “A little history won’t kill you.”

“No, but your nasty little Slayer might if we stick around this place long enough,” she pointed out the danger. Not that Cordelia had any intention of letting Buffy get close enough to stake her, but Angelus might consider it one good reason to move to LA.

“Let me worry about the Slayer,” Angelus gave her a look that told her the subject was closed.

Cordelia let out a, “Grmph!”

“Giving up already?” Angelus asked in surprise.

“Just regrouping,” Cordelia promised. “So tell me about this article that has you so fascinated.”

Pulling the newspaper around to the front, he pointed out the headline declaring that the Sunnydale Museum of Natural History had made an interesting find while sponsoring an archeological dig on the outskirts of town.

“It’s a huge rock,” Cordelia pointed out the apparent lack of anything interesting.

"Are we still talking about the picture?" Angelus felt her squirming on his lap, subconsiously rubbing against his growing erection.

Blinking, Cordelia realized what he meant. Playing innocent, "What else would I be talking about?"

Angelus smiled at her cryptically, choosing not to follow-up on her coy question. “Since you are bored with decorating, I think I will make a contribution to your efforts.”

As his finger pointed to the picture on the page, his childe looked at him like he had rocks in his head— literally. “You’re planning to rip off a gigantic rock from the museum?”

“It’s more than a rock.”

“Duh! I didn’t think you were planning to start a rock garden in the solarium.” Cordelia rolled her eyes.

The vampire stared down at the newspaper. “Think of it as demon insurance.”

“Huh?”

***

Cordelia stretched out on the couch flipping through the latest issue of Cosmo while sounds of panting and groaning emanated from the other side of the living room. Dru had been reading the article on orgasms over Cordy’s shoulder and suddenly decided that she needed to have one. Spike had been quietly minding his own business watching television when Drusilla pounced, pulling him out of his wheelchair and onto the floor.

Out of boredom, Cordelia had watched for a while as her sister vampiress expertly turned Spike’s penis into a tower of raging hardness. Pulling up her long skirts, Dru positioned herself directly over his erection, lowered herself to the hilt and began bouncing up and down with unbridled enthusiasm.

Realizing that Cordelia was watching, Spike smirked in her direction and added a shrug. It was the one thing they shared in common. He was Drusilla’s childe just as she was the childe of Angelus. There were times when childer did not question the wants of their sire— they just complied. And this was certainly one of them.

Soon, Spike was rocking his hips upward in reaction to Dru’s efforts. The vampiress was lost to ecstasy and did not notice what Cordelia was clearly able to see. The blond vamp could move his legs, something he was obviously keeping from both Dru and Angelus. She wondered why he kept to the wheelchair.

Cordelia got an opportunity to ask when Drusilla left Spike on the floor as she darted away to take a hot bubble bath and talk to Miss Edith.

“How long have you been able to walk?” Cordelia asked point blank even before Spike could pretend to pull himself into his wheelchair.

Jumping athletically to his feet, Spike walked toward her without a limp or any indication that he had ever been lame. He sat down on the coffee table in front of her. “A while. Got to be a habit after Angelus returned. An excuse, I suppose.”

“Why?”

“Because he hasn’t forgotten what I did to save Drusilla.”

“Ah! The torture and attempted killing,” Cordelia remembered. “That might tend to stick in one’s mind, not to mention cause you to get a well-deserved ass-kicking once you’ve completely healed.”

Spike shrugged. “I’d do anything for my princess. She’s my sire.”

Sitting up, Cordelia turned to face him. Their knees touched as she leaned forward to talk to him. It was comfortable. They were family, after all. “Then you know I would do the same for mine— anything.”

“Yeah, chit. I know.”

“So if you ever try something like that again,” Cordelia warned with flashing golden eyes that pooled with darkness, “I will stake you myself.”

His response was to lift one of her hands to his lips. Releasing it, he chuckled. “I always knew you’d make a great vamp. No wonder Angelus barely takes the time to climb out of your bed.”

“Time enough!” He was certainly not in it right now and the sun had not even set yet.

“Did I hit a sore spot, luv?” Spike smirked at her. “Angelus is stalking the Slayer, but can you be sure he’s not banging her as well?”

Cordelia launched herself at Spike claws and fangs unfurled. Both vampires tumbled over the table and onto the floor. The blond vamp had superior strength on his side, but Cordy had flexibility.

“Too much time in that wheelchair has made you slow, Bleach Brain,” Cordy squirmed out of his grip landing a surprising punch to his midsection.

“Getting mad at me won’t change the fact that your sire still has a hard-on for the Slayer, luv,” Spike dodged another blow. He grabbed her and swung her around so that her back was pressed against his chest, holding her still.

Cordelia muttered, “Not for long.”

“What’s that about?”

“I said— not for long,” Cordelia repeated. “That blond bitch needs to stay out of my life and out of Angelus’ thoughts.”

“Can’t stop him from thinking,” Spike countered. “I know you were trying to convince him to leave Sunnydale, but he’s not going anywhere until he has fulfilled his promise to kill the Slayer’s friends.”

She could count the people important to Buffy on one hand. How long could that take? It seemed like Angelus wanted to drag this thing out. To toy with Buffy Summers rather than finish this once and for all. Maybe it was time that she gave her sire a little help to speed up the process.

***

“You’re leaving me to go out on Valentine’s Day?” Cordelia sounded a little pissed at the idea that her sire was not planning to spend the whole day in their bed with her.

Angelus kissed her lingeringly and then informed her, “I have to see a man about an orb.”

“I don’t suppose this orb can transport us out of Sunnyhell for the evening?”

“No,” Angelus hated the fact that Cordelia seemed bored to tears. “The Orb of Thesulah summons souls from the ether and stores them until they can be returned to the body.”

“Why would you want that?”

“I don’t, but somebody in this town has purchased one,” Angelus told her. “I can think of only one reason for it and it has everything to do with me.”

Looking wide-eyed with horror, Cordelia realized, “Someone wants to return your soul? It has to be Buffy.”

“She’s an obvious choice, but the rumors suggest that it’s someone else.”

“I’m coming with you!” Cordelia wasn’t about to let someone, anyone— most especially Slutty the Vampire Slayer— contaminate her sire with a soul. Not that the human Cordy had not been attracted to Angel, but now that she was a vampire and Angelus’ lover the idea of a soul was unnatural.

Angelus forestalled her. “No, Cordelia. Stay here. I have plans for us tonight.”

“Tonight?” Cordelia was suddenly sidetracked.

“I’m taking you to the Bronze— dancing.”

A laugh sounded as she imagined her sire dancing. “The music at the Bronze doesn’t often reach a snail’s pace. I remember when Angel and I—,”

Angelus growled at the memory thinking of the Soul’s hands on Cordelia’s body.

“There’s no need to be jealous of yourself, silly vamp.”

“Just get ready. I want you to look especially hot tonight.”

She was about to point out that she always looked hot, when she remembered, “I can’t go to the Bronze. People will recognize me.”

“So?” Angelus did not see the problem. “Tell them a lie. Tell them nothing. Break their scrawny human necks. What does it matter?”

“I want to have fun, not get taken in as a runaway.”

Promising her that he would not let that happen, Angelus put one thought in her head that would stay in her mind the rest of the day. “Here is one more lesson, tigress. You don’t have to put up with anything or anybody. You go where you want, do what you want and take what you want. You answer to no one, but me.”

***

Jenny Calendar looked up from the computer screen absolutely horrified to see Angelus standing in her classroom. The sun had barely set in the sky and he was here in front of her looking dangerous and deadly despite the fact that he wore his handsome human face.

Trying to appear calm, she asked, “Angel— how did you get in here?”

“I was invited in,” Angelus told her. “The sign in front of the school— ‘Formatia trans sicere educatorum.’”

With a gulp, Jenny translated. “‘Enter all ye who seek knowledge.’”

“What can I say? I’m a knowledge seeker.” Actually, the vampire had found out quite a bit of information already.

Jenny could read it in his eyes. He was not pleased. She rushed to explain. “Angel, I-I’ve got good news.”

“I heard,” Angelus stopped her there. “You went shopping at the local boodegy-boogedy store. The Orb of Thesulah.”

Seeing the object in question sitting on her desk, Angelus picked it up looking at it with a mixture of curiosity and determination. “You know what I hate most about these things?”

Answering his own question a second later, Angelus smashed the orb against the floor. “They are so damn fragile. Must be that shoddy gypsy craftsmanship, huh?”

Jenny’s show of bravado was fading fast. Naturally Angelus in his purer demon form would not take kindly to the thought of being cursed again with his soul. She tried to distract him, but he just kept at it.

“I never cease to be amazed how much the world has changed in just two and a half centuries. It’s a miracle to me. You put the secrets to restoring my soul in here,” the vampire suddenly shoved her computer off her desk and onto the floor breaking it. The monitor shattered and began to burn. Tearing out a printout from the printer, Angelus continued, “It comes out here. ‘The Ritual of Restoration.’ Wow. This brings back the memories.”

He balled up the pages and threw them down into the flames. Jenny tried to stop him. “Wait! That’s your cure.”

“My cure? No, thanks. Been there, done that and déjà vu just isn’t what it used to be.” Angelus now turned his attention from destroying her work to Jenny Calendar herself. “My, my, my. Isn’t this my lucky day. The computer— and the pages. Two birds with one stone. And now teacher makes three.”

“No!” Jenny knew in that moment that he intended to kill her. She darted around her desk and headed for the exit.

Angelus watched her flee, an amused twist on his lips. “Oh, good. I need to work up an appetite first.”

Running after the woman, Angelus easily caught her. With a large hand on her neck, the vampire told her, “Sorry, Jenny, this is where you get off.”

At the sound of her snapping neck, a thrill hit Angelus that traveled all the way down to his groin. “Ah! I never get tired of doing that.”

Picking up Jenny’s dead body into his arms, Angelus quickly decided that killing her was not enough. Leaving this body on Buffy Summer’s doorstep would not produce quite the same effect as draping Jenny across her lover’s bed. It was Valentine’s Day, after all. The Watcher deserved to have his present and the champagne, roses and music to go with it.

***

After listening to his grandsire’s latest escapade, Spike maneuvered his wheelchair so that Angelus could see the pissed-off expression on his face. Staring at Angelus, Spike wondered if he was purposefully trying to bring down the Slayer upon them. “Are you insane?! We're supposed to kill the bitch, not leave gag gifts in the friends' beds.”

Drusilla cuddled the puppy Spike had given her as a Valentine’s Day gift. She reminded him, “But, Spike, the bad teacher was going to restore Angel's soul.”

At this point, Spike didn’t care, “What if she did? If you ask me, I find myself preferring the old Buffy-whipped Angelus. This new, improved one isn’t playing with a full sack.”

Angelus glared at the blond vampire, but Spike only continued his ranting, “I love a good slaughter as much as the next bloke, but his pranks will only leave us with one incredibly brassed-off Slayer!”

“Don't worry, roller boy.” Angelus confidently assured him. “I've got everything under control.”

***

The music pounded its beat reminding Angelus of a hard furious fuck. A steady, body-thumping rhythm that needed little thought— just reaction to make you move to it in a manner that mimicked sex. Unless you were a vampire with two left feet when it came down to dancing.

So here he was on the periphery of the dance floor standing in the shadows as Cordelia showed him how it was done. At the center of the floor, she moved flawlessly to the music drawing lustful looks from the crowd of young men who noticed she wasn’t dancing with a partner. They flocked around her like bees buzzing around a flower.

Angelus watched in amusement as Cordelia fended them off, laughing at their pitiful come-ons. He was about to head over to the bar for a drink when a man in his early thirties appeared not to take no for an answer. Before he remembered that Cordelia was more than capable of defending herself against him being almost twice as strong as the human, Angelus was at her side. Grabbing the man’s shoulder, he gripped tightly causing him to cry out in pain.

Leaning close, Angelus growled in his ear. “She’s mine, you obnoxious little prick. Don’t lay a hand on her again.”

The guy quickly ran off clutching his shoulder.

Cordelia continued to dance as if nothing had happened, now moving around Angelus in a close circle. He had told her to wear something hot and his childe had certainly outdone herself by dressing in a short red minidress that only hinted at her cleavage flashing little glimpses of her upper body through its tantalizing design. Endlessly long legs with their supple thighs were supported by a wicked pair of red high-heeled shoes.

Placing her hands on him, Cordelia danced against him. “You’ve chased off all of my admirers. Now you’ll have to take their place.”

As Angelus realized what he had gotten himself into by interfering, he chose a distraction technique. Wrapping his arms around her, the vampire pulled her in for a kiss that left the remaining onlookers flushed at its passion. The movements of Cordelia’s hips were now doing more than just simulating sex as they rubbed up against the erection that developed watching her dance.

The song suddenly changed to a slower beat, one that Cordelia thought they could handle together without making her sire feel clumsy. Hazel eyes were pleading as she pressed a kiss against the corner of his mouth. “Dance with me.”

Cordelia turned her face into his neck now holding on. This was actually mind-blowingly sexy as they swayed to the music and into each other. With each turn, she felt him hard and earnest against her, pressing up against her crotch through the barrier of his pants and her red mini. The sensations were just too much. Reaching down between them, she let her hand brush against the bulge in his pants clasping the hard proof of his arousal.

“I thought you wanted to dance?” Angelus growled into her ear. “Seems to me that you want something else. The nosey busy-bodies certainly think so.”

Lifting her gaze to the crowd, Cordelia realized with interest that they were indeed being watched. Several pairs of eyes were turned toward them. Then she caught one dark pair focused on them not with lust, but with hatred and a spark of jealousy. The idea that was stirring in her head only caused her own lust to flare.

“Take me out back, sire,” Cordelia cupped his face and kissed him.

Angelus returned the voracious kiss before chuckling at her over-eagerness. “Whatever do you want me to do in that alley?”

Flashing him a look, Cordelia’s mouth continued to hover over his. “Just take me.”

Her sire did not particularly care if they waited until they got to the alley. The urge to bury himself inside her was nearly impossible to resist. He knew she was wet and ready. The scent of her arousal wafted around him clinging to the air like a heady perfume. Putting his arm around her shoulders, they made their way to the back exit of the Bronze.

Yanking Cordelia into a shadowy corner of the alley, Angelus leaned her back against the barrier of a wall. His hands were pressed against it on either side of her. His sensual mouth twisted into a lusty leer as he asked her, “So is this my Valentine’s Day present from you?”

“No,” she answered with a secretive smile. “That’s coming real soon.”

“Then let’s make you cum first and you can tell me all about it,” Angelus pulled her hips against his as he moved in to kiss her again.

“Get away from her, you bastard!”

Angelus thought for a moment that some idiot was trying to play the hero. Recognizing Xander Harris’ voice and scent, he realized it was accurate. “You’re a little late for the rescue attempt.”

Xander stood his ground raising a crossbow and pointing it in their direction. “I’m not here to save her, Angelus.”

Part 3

 “Get away from her, you bastard!”

Angelus thought for a moment that some idiot was trying to play the hero. Recognizing Xander Harris’ voice and scent, he realized it was accurate. “You’re a little late for the rescue attempt.”

Xander stood his ground raising a crossbow and pointing it in their direction. “I’m not here to save her, Angelus.”

“You’re not wanted here,” the vampire growled irritated by the fact that the human was interrupting his assignation with Cordelia. “Leave now and I’ll forget that I saw you here tonight.”

Determined to go through with this, Xander stepped closer. “I’m not going anywhere, vampire. Not until I’ve finished this.”

Cordelia placed a hand on her sire’s chest causing him to look down at her. A silent look passed between them as she indicated that she wanted to handle this intrusion. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod in Xander’s direction, his dark eyes glinting with interest and curiosity wanting to see how she was going to handle her former boyfriend.

As Cordelia stepped out of the shadows, Xander let out a gulp that was only audible with superior hearing. Oh, God! Buffy had been more than accurate when describing Vamp Cordelia. Even watching her in the club had not given him this up-close perspective. Despite that she looked human, her demon visage hidden, there was something about the vampiress that made her even more beautiful than before.

Unbridled passion and power glinted from her hazel eyes, a confidence that went beyond Cordelia’s usual tell-it-like-it-is mentality. Seeing her like this, Xander experienced a moment where his mind flashed images of the two of them together— in one of the many janitor’s closets at Sunnydale High. Her lush mouth on his as they stole kisses between classes. His hands moving to touch whatever he could reach and sneak beneath the edges of her clothes to feel her silky skin.

A smile curled Cordelia’s lips. “I miss you, Xander.”

His eyes darted into focus.

“I miss your sweet wet kisses,” she murmured while approaching at a slow pace, her hips swaying sensually. “I miss your fumbling hands touching me. I miss our arguments most of all.”

Xander. Look at me. Want me?

He had never seen her look so hot. Xander’s eyes raked over Cordelia’s curves and her long bare legs. His body reacted instinctively.

“I’m not here to argue, Cordy,” Xander forced himself to meet her gaze. “I’m here to get this done.”

“Angelus is my sire,” Cordelia gave him a dangerous look. “I won’t let you harm him.”

Raising the crossbow a little higher, Xander told her, “I’m not here for Angelus. I came for you.”

“Me?” Cordelia gave him a surprised look. “You want to kill me? Your own girlfriend?”

“Not my girlfriend,” Xander ground out. “She’s dead. You’re the demon who’s stolen her body and her memories. I don’t want you— or Angelus— defiling Cordelia.”

Xander. Defile me? You want this body too.

Concentrate, Xander told himself. Concentrate.

With each step that Cordelia took, he kept imagining what it would be like to touch her again. They had never gone further than their groping sessions in the closet, but Xander’s fantasies had been far more detailed than that. Seeing her dancing in the Bronze and here in Angelus’ arms, it was all too easy to slip back into those fantasies. Easy to replace Angelus with himself in his mind having seen the vampires doing more than just dancing and about to do more than that out here in the alley.

Before Xander realized it, Cordelia was within arm’s reach. She snatched the crossbow out of his hands tossing it in the direction of her sire. Angelus caught it and snapped the weapon into pieces.

Xander froze in place, knowing that he was in trouble. How had he allowed himself to get so distracted? It was as if Cordelia mesmerized him. As if his lust had driven away any other thoughts. Now he found himself at her mercy.

“Are you here alone, Xander?” Cordelia asked him, her hand running up and down his chest.

He gave no answer finding himself dumbstruck at her touch.

“Or is this a Slayer trap?” Cordelia thought about it. Surely Buffy would have shown by now if that was the case. “I can smell her on your clothes. Has she been consoling you again? Making you feel better?”

Xander glared up at her. “Not that it’s your business anymore, Cor. I suppose Buffy and I were consoling each other. Just a hug or two. That’s what happens when evil vampires kill your friends.”

“Jenny,” Cordelia had almost forgotten that Angelus killed her tonight. “How is dear old Giles?”

“Peachy keen,” Xander looked over at Angelus, his eyes full of hate. “What else would he be feeling?”

Angelus strolled closer with a satisfied grin on his face. “I thought it would get a reaction out of that stiff-lipped Brit. Finding his lover draped nude across his bed, her milky skin covered with rose petals. Just for a second thinking this was already the best Valentine’s Day he’s ever experienced. His heartbeat already pounding in his chest with the force of his anticipation. His cock hard and ready. Her name sounding on his lips as he stares at hers— only to realize that those soft gasping lips are not moaning in wanton desire, but silenced by death.”

Shuddering, Xander reacted with renewed realization of just how evil Angelus could be. He could only imagine the things he had done to Cordelia before claiming her, draining her dry and finally turning her into one of his own.

With her nails curling across Xander’s chest, softly raking them across the smooth material of his shirt, Cordelia realized that he was aroused despite the hatred in his gaze. “Look at me Xander. I know you want me.”

Bitch. His eyes flashed with defiance. He refused to react knowing that the vampiress was already hot and horny long before she came out here with Angelus into the alley. Certainly long before he followed them. The lustful look on her face was just the normal reaction of a vampire, he told himself. Tried to tell himself. Couldn’t quite convince himself.

Cordelia moved her hands up to his shoulders, drawing herself closer. “I can show you things that will make your toes curl.”

Trying to remove her hands from his body, Xander found that she was too strong to be denied. She was clutching his body and now rubbing herself against him and causing his body to react automatically. His heart felt like it was somewhere up in his throat. Blood pounded in his ears, the beat drowning out his thoughts.

Somehow, Xander managed to find the words to say, “I don’t want Angelus’ leftovers.”

Angelus growled dangerously as he circled behind them. “Watch what you say about my mate, Harris.”

Cordelia met Angelus’ gaze for an instant upon hearing his words. This was the first time he had referred to her as his mate rather than just his childe. Toying with Xander had now become something she needed to be done with. Panting with intensified need, she gazed at her sire as he moved up behind Xander. His hands moved over hers as they rested on the human’s shoulders.

“I want you,” Cordelia stared deeply into Angelus’ eyes even as her body shifted against Xander’s hips and his unwanted, but automatic erection. “Want you inside me. I need to feel your touch.”

It was as if she was talking to him, Xander’s muddled brain processed the thought and ran with it. He barely acknowledged the fact that Angelus was standing behind him, his hard body pressed just as close as Cordelia’s. It was more like a rock wall behind him, so his presence was easy to dismiss when Xander was so completely focused on the soft breasts and shifting hips that were writhing against him.

“You feel so good,” Xander muttered as his hands moved down to curve over her bottom and move up her lush body to cup her breasts.

Cordelia dragged her gaze away from her sire. She placed a hand on Xander’s cheek, her thumb curling to his chin where she opened his mouth to allow the entry of her tongue. A moan sounded from Xander’s throat as he reacted without thinking. All he could do was respond to the cool touch by wanting more.

Even as Cordelia accepted the hot, wet kisses Xander returned, her free arm wound up to curl into Angelus’ hair. Letting her sire know she had not forgotten him. That this was as much for him as it was for her. Releasing Xander’s cheek now that he was kissing her of his own free will, Cordelia pressed her hand between them feeling down the length of his torso and down to his hardened groin.

Xander bucked against her touch as Cordelia’s fingers curled over the bulge at his crotch. He fell back against the solid barrier behind him. “Oh, God!”

The cry came as she pumped Xander through the thin covering of his pants, bringing him to a swift climax and milking him with her continued motions. He felt a tug against his hair, exposing his neck to the night air. There was only an instant of pain as the dual pressure of sharp fangs came on both sides of his throat followed by the mind-numbing pleasure that increased tenfold.

His body shuddered and writhed between them as Angelus and Cordelia sucked the life out of Xander Harris’ young body. The excitement of sharing him this way was too much for Cordelia who pulled back before Xander was completely dead. Angelus noticed and retracted his fangs from the boy, letting his still warm body drop to the alley floor beside them.

Sire.

Angelus sensed her need for him was as strong as his for hers in that moment. The fresh blood glistened in the moonlight against her skin where it dripped against her chin. She licked at her lips tasting Xander’s blood again. “Happy Valentine’s Day, sire. Hope you liked your present.”

“You lured him here,” Angelus realized suddenly.

Yanking Cordelia to him, he kissed her bloodied mouth with such enthusiasm that she nearly came from that sensation alone. Then he pushed her up against the brick wall of the Bronze to continue his ministrations while freeing up both hands to pull up her skirt and rip her panties away. “You did good, baby,” he praised her with his lips barely lifting off of hers. “Brilliant.”

Cordelia fumbled with his belt and zipper, her bare buttocks scraping unnoticed against the rough brick wall as she focused on her efforts to free his thick cock from the prison of his black leather pants. Biting at his mouth, she sucked his lower lip inside only releasing it to repeat her needs. “Want you now. Want you inside me. Want to feel your touch.”

Thrusting his pants down to his thighs, Angelus groaned at the brief pain as the zipper scraped against his erection. It didn’t matter, because now his cock was in Cordelia’s hand being pumped and primed until it strained upward even harder and bigger than before. “Glad to oblige, tigress.”

Picking her up, Angelus slammed into her. Cordelia’s head hit the wall, but she did not care. Wrapping her arms and legs around him, she moved to the fast and furious rhythm he set that matched the music pouring from the club inside. “Yes, sire. That’s it. Harder.”

She clutched at his leather coat and moved her hands up to tangle in his hair. Her face rubbed against his cheek as she licked at his ear. Then Cordelia caught the expression on Xander’s face from the ground below, barely alive.

“Xander,” Cordelia gasped as she realized he was watching them. Despite the horror of facing his own death, there was still a look of lust in his eyes.

Angelus whipped them around so that his back was against the wall. He stared down at the dying human noting the same thing his mate had done. From this angle, Xander had a direct view of the vampire’s hard penis sliding in and out of Cordelia’s tight core. Lust, pain and hatred marred the pale human face with each thrust. Cordelia’s fluids seeped out to lubricate the towering erection and coated the heavy sac below as the vampire’s balls slapped rhythmically between her buttocks and his thighs.

Then Cordelia was crying out her orgasm screaming Angelus’ name into the night. He quickly followed, letting his own climax come to him.

“You’re mine, Cordelia,” Angelus growled into her ear. “Mine for eternity.”

On the alley floor, Xander Harris released his last breath. The light in his eyes that was his soul vanished as it left his dead body behind.

Part 4

 “Xander Harris, there you are,” Buffy harrumphed as she stomped up the porch steps to her house. “Willow and I just left Giles. I can’t believe you deserted him like that. He would have preferred a manly shoulder to cry on— even yours. As it was we—,” she stopped short.

Willow, who had been following behind Buffy simply screamed as she saw Xander’s body propped on the porch swing. A dozen red roses were cradled in his stiff arms with a note addressed to the Slayer.

“Omigod! Xander!” Buffy crossed the porch in a matter of seconds staring down at her friend’s lifeless body.

“No, no, no!” Willow flung herself against the support of the house trying not to sink to the ground. “This isn’t happening. Not twice in one day.”

Jenny Calendar and now Xander had fallen victim to Angelus’ treachery. As Buffy looked at the wounds on his neck, she realized that this was something more than her soulless ex-boyfriend’s revenge. There were two separate bite marks on Xander’s neck.

“It was Angelus,” Buffy was certain of that, “but I think Cordelia did this too.”

Willow rushed over to the porch railing, leaning over to throw up in the bushes. She hung there for a moment realizing that now she also had Xander’s death to blame on her own stupidity. If she had not caught Xander and Cordelia kissing in the library and run off like a jealous child, then Cordelia would never have been vamped by Angelus. If that had not happened, Xander would never have been so outraged, never have sworn to avenge his girlfriend’s death, never have put himself in danger without the Slayer present as backup.

“I thought he was just upset over Ms. Calendar’s death,” Willow cried. Now sobbing, she did not bother to stop the tears from running down her face. “I never thought he would do something to get himself killed.”

“We don’t know that,” countered Buffy. “Angelus and Cordelia might have followed him from Giles’ house. They could have been waiting for any one of us.”

The redhead didn’t believe that for a second. “He’s been muttering ‘that vamp is dust’ for the last month, Buffy. I think this just set him off.”

“Oh, Xander,” Buffy sighed with glistening eyes. She wouldn’t cry. She had not cried a single tear since Angel lost his soul and Angelus vowed to kill her friends. She wouldn’t cry.

Plucking the envelope from amongst the roses, she opened it to find a plain white card with one phrase scrawled upon its surface. It read: Happy Valentine’s Day, lover.

Dropping the card, Buffy grabbed the roses and ripped the petals from the stems careless of the thorns that cut sharply into her hands. She thrashed the remaining greenery against the side of the house. Willow watched, her entire body quaking in fear having never seen Buffy react this way. Her blond friend was screaming— screaming in pain and rage.

The front door opened suddenly as Joyce Summers appeared. “Girls? What is going on out here? Buffy?”

Her daughter effortlessly lifted one of the porch chairs and flung it over the railing. “He can’t do this to me! I won’t let him.”

“Willow? Xander?” Poor Joyce was confused and had been focused solely on her child’s strange behavior. Then she noticed that Xander had not reacted in any way to Buffy’s tantrum. He had not moved at all. Joyce found herself revisiting the too-recent memory of finding Cordelia Chase dead and sitting in her Corvette in front of their house. “Oh, no!”

With a mother’s concern, Joyce pulled the two girls inside settling them on the couch. Willow immediately pulled Buffy into her arms, rocking her back and forth trying to calm her friend. Motioning for them to stay put, Joyce, turned on the porch light and went back out to examine Xander, trying to be careful not to touch anything. There were rose petals scattered everywhere, even across Xander’s hair, shirt and lap.

“What happened, Xander?” Joyce asked the dead boy as if he might give her the answer. He was a mess. There was blood down one side of his throat, but both appeared to have deep flesh wounds. It appeared obvious that he had been attacked. The puncture holes looked similar to barbecue fork tines.

Then her eye caught on the white card lying on the floorboards of the porch. Rose petals half-covered the elegant script on its surface. Ignoring her determination to leave things untouched for the police, Joyce brushed away the petals and picked up the card. The words were a clear statement that Xander’s death was an act of passion. The fact that his body had been left here at their house suggested the lover mentioned on the card was in fact her daughter.

With a heavy heart, Joyce Summers walked slowly into the house to confront Buffy. She sat down on the edge of the coffee table taking Buffy’s hands into her own. “That young man did this? The handsome one who was here at the house. He’s responsible.”

Buffy couldn’t meet her mother’s gaze. Joyce Summers knew nothing about the darker side of Sunnydale, nothing about her own daughter’s status as the Slayer and certainly nothing about her daughter giving her virginity to a vampire.

Silently, Willow waited for Buffy to speak first. It wasn’t her place to tell Mrs. Summers the truth. Even if she really, really wanted to say something. Willow’s teeth clamped down on the inside of her cheeks just to remind herself not to say anything.

“Mom,” Buffy began with an unsteady hitch to her voice. “We need to talk.”

***

Hours later, after the police and the coroner had gone taking Xander’s parents with them, Buffy and Willow remained curled up on the couch. Joyce was still in shock at the entire story her daughter had revealed much less having to be the adult when the police and the Harris’ arrived on her doorstep. She wandered into the kitchen to make hot cocoa trying to get her mind off of the events of the night.

“Should we call Giles?” Willow asked.

“No. He’s been through enough,” Buffy shook her head. “We’ll wait until the morning.”

Willow let out a deep sigh, hugging her knees to her chest. “Ms. Calendar was getting so close to Angel’s cure. Why did this have to happen now? If Angelus waited just a little longer both he and Cordelia might have had their souls restored.”

“Maybe it’s too late for that,” Buffy frowned as the thought settled into her brain. “This happened because I didn’t have the guts to stake Angel the moment I knew he was evil again.”

“No!” Protested Willow. “It’s only natural—”

“What is natural about me? I’m the Slayer. My boyfriend is a vampire.” Buffy was suddenly laughing. Explaining, “It’s nothing. I just remembered something Cordelia once told me.”

Though distraught, Willow tried to be the voice of reason. “I can continue Ms Calendar’s research. I know I can. Surely a computer teacher backs up her information. If I can’t find it at the school, maybe she has it at home.”

Warning her friend, “Work fast Willow because I’m not going to let anyone die because I was too afraid to stake my— Angelus. Not again.”

“Oh, count on it.” Willow told her not to worry about that. Considering that it was just herself, Giles and Mrs. Summers left in Buffy’s inner circle of friends and family the odds did not look too good.

***

“Bloody hell! Now you’ve really done it,” Spike waited until Angelus accompanied Dru on her hunt before jumping out of his wheelchair and stalking after Cordelia.

Cordelia knew why he was mad, but she did not care. “Three down— if you count me. Three to go.”

“Your little plan to help Angelus along is gonna get you staked, luv,” Spike told her. “I can see that Slutty the Slayer is having trouble letting go of her precious Angel, but she is not quite as attached to your hot little ass as she is to his.”

“The sooner they die, the faster Angelus will take us out of this hellhole of a town. And I don’t mean that in a nice Let’s Party at the Hellmouth kind of way.” Cordelia turned to face him crossing her arms over her chest which only managed to prop her breasts a bit higher. “This town sucks for nightlife.”

“You had plenty of fun at the Bronze, you stupid chit!”

“Watch who you’re calling stupid, Bleach Brain,” Cordelia glared at the blond vampire. “I’m not the one who’s been rolling around in a wheelchair pretending to be crippled.”

“Trust me when I say that this act is probably saving me from the reality of it. When Angelus realizes I’m healthy again, he’s gonna rip me a new one.” Spike let that piece of information sink in. “I prefer not to go through that again.”

Smirking, Cordelia felt no mercy. “You deserve it.”

“Just you be careful, silly bint,” Spike growled at her pointing a finger at her chest. “The Slayer may take her Scoobies into battle, but she’s rather protective of them. Possessive in fact.”

“So?”

“Killing you was nothing,” he gave her a look that suggested Buffy Summers wouldn’t care if she died a thousand deaths. “If it had been some other vamp instead of Angelus, she wouldn’t think twice about you beyond the funeral.”

Shrugging, Cordelia acknowledged that it was probably true. Their friendship had been more of a rivalry anyway.

“The Watcher’s woman was not really a part of the group. Like you, she was linked to the Slayer through her relationship with one of the central figures.” Spike pointed out, “You with lackbrain. The Watcher with the gypsy spy.”

“Are you saying we don’t count?” Cordelia sounded pissed at the idea. “We count.”

“Not like the boy you killed tonight.”

Xander.

“You’re gonna have more than just a brassed off Slayer, Cordelia,” Spike warned her. “This will push that blond bitch over the edge.”

Cordelia pushed away the hand that settled onto her shoulder. “I don’t answer to you, Spike, so get off my case. I’m not listening.”

“You better listen,” Spike wasn’t about to be put off. He had himself and Drusilla to think about. It was bad enough that Angelus was obsessed with the Slayer, but now Cordelia was pushing her buttons too. “At this rate, your sire is likely to find himself a pile of dust. Where will that leave you?”

Pfft! “That won’t happen.”

“You just do as I say, chit, if you want your sire to survive this little obsession. Because I can tell you that Angelus won’t just stop at killing the bitch. He’ll turn her if he gets half a chance and you’ll find yourself replaced in his bed and his undead life faster than I can say Vampire Slayer.”

Spike’s words hit with more impact than Cordelia expected. She didn’t like what he was suggesting. Not one bit. “Liar! You take that back before I make you regret it.”

Smirking, Spike saw the dark glint in her eyes. At least he had gotten a reaction this time. Cordelia did not want to hear it, but he knew it for a fact. If there was one thing Spike wanted less than one of Angelus’ creative torture sessions it was having to grovel to the Slayer on a daily basis.

“Make me regret it,” dared Spike. “I’m waiting.”

He was ready for her attack when it came. It was foolish fun on his part, but he had been forced to stay in the damn wheelchair for so long now that any action was better than none at all. Even pretending to fight Angelus’ hot little vamp.

Spike. Stop moving.

Glaring at her, Spike suddenly paused in his efforts to dodge out of the way. Cordelia landed a blow to his jaw before crying out in pain as one of her nails broke. “That was your fault!”

“Yeah. My chin got in the way of your fist,” Spike lifted a hand to his face. “I don’t know what you just did, but you’re not getting away with it. If talking doesn’t knock sense into you then maybe this will.”

Grabbing her around the waist, Spike physically carried her over to the couch where he sat down and pulled Cordelia across his lap. Realizing what he intended, she growled at him angrily. “Don’t you dare spank me! Nobody does that to me.”

Hah! Like he believed that one. “Angelus doesn’t tan your naughty little ass on a regular basis? I’ve heard it, luv.”

“Nobody except him, you jerk.”

One arm held her fast against his lap, preventing her squirming body from escaping. His free hand yanked up her short skirt and pulled her lacy red panties down to her upper thighs. Spike looked at his hand as it settled over the firm curves of her bare buttocks while licking his lips in anticipation of this little lesson.

“Go ahead, you bastard!” Cordelia dared him to do it. “Touch me and you know I’ll make you regret it.”

Moving his hand over her ass, Spike knew it was too late for regrets. Their argument and short fight had already made him hard. The sensation of her taut body across his lap only increased his arousal. Touching her at all would probably result in more painful torture than he earned by attempting to kill Angel to save Dru. Daring to spank Angelus’ mate without permission was entirely another story.

Spike’s hand came down across her buttock in a hard slap across her flesh. Choosing not to react, Cordelia gritted her teeth and let him continue figuring her lack of response would cause him to stop. He didn’t. Soon her ass felt like it was on fire. Spike’s hand was causing a combination of friction and stirring blood that simulated natural warmth. She was tingling everywhere centering in her loins.

Realizing that the vampire was turning her on, Cordelia decided she had enough of it. She twisted free just enough to sink her fangs into Spike’s bare arm. “Explain that to Dru!”

Laughing, Spike simply issued a warning. “If you think Angelus is territorial, wait until my princess gets hold of you. She’ll have you on your knees licking out her sweet snatch until she’s convinced that you’re sorry you touched what’s hers.”

“What about Angelus?” Cordelia felt his cool hand settle again on her tingling flesh. “He won’t be happy about that either. Besides, I can tell him that you’ve been faking it in the wheelchair.”

“You’re no tattle tale,” Spike commented. “This is just between us, luv. Childe to childe. With an interest in keeping both of our sires here in the land of the undead.”

Silenced for a moment, Cordelia thought about what he said. This was all about making a point. Though she was quick to realize that his actions were not entirely focused on teaching her a lesson. His cock was a hard bulge beneath her and his hand was no longer content to rub her bottom.

Tucking his fingers further down into the wet folds of her sex, Spike’s voice sounded in a graveled tone as he asked, “Want to cum?”

“Not with your help,” she glared into his cool blue eyes.

The second he released her, Cordelia squirmed off of his lap. Standing before him, she did not even take the time to straighten her skirt before slapping him across the face. His head jerked back from the strength behind the move. Then he laughed as she stood there with her nipples poking out at him from beneath her shirt.

“Looks like you’re not immune to my touch, luv,” Spike dared to reach up and cup both breasts in his hands massaging them lightly. Running his thumbs across the erect nipples elicited a reluctant groan from Cordelia who found herself edging closer.

“I don’t like you, Spike,” Cordelia let out another moan as his mouth moved over one breast, his teeth biting down softly to tease her through her clothes.

“You’re so fucking hot,” he growled out his thoughts. Spike moved his hand back to the exposed triangle of dark curls, his fingers delving in search of the erect nubbin that would give her pleasure. “Sure you don’t want to cum?”

Mmm! Cordelia’s hips were moving against the feather-light touch. She told him, “No.”

“You’re not sure?”

“Mmm! Damn you, Spike. Stop that.” Cordelia felt his fingers inside her even as his thumb continued to rub against her clit.

“One day,” Spike promised knowing that she was right and this needed to stop, “if he doesn’t get himself staked first and Angelus is feeling less territorial, he’ll let me have you just so he can get off on watching you get fucked.”

Cordelia flashed denial from her golden gaze, but was too busy grinding herself against his talented fingers to comment.

“I can’t count the number of times we’ve had Dru between us,” Spike leered as Cordelia gripped his shoulders. He continued to stroke her without attempting anything more than bringing her to orgasm. Making her cum would be a little victory over both the chit and her sire no matter the consequences.

Spike.

His blue gaze focused on her face, the topaz eyes shifting back from golden to hazel and the lush lips that formed the words he wanted to hear. “You want me, Spike?”

“Bloody hell, yes!”

“Too bad.” Extracting herself from his fingers, Cordelia pulled up her panties, smoothed down her skirt and walked away.

***

“I found it, Giles,” Willow showed him the orange computer disc. “This is the cure for Angel and Cordelia.”

Over a week had passed since they laid Xander and Jenny to rest. There was no sign that the vampires had turned him. It was actually a relief to know that Xander was at peace rather than one of the walking dead like Cordelia. Even if they managed to restore her soul, she would always remain a vampire.

Giles stared down at the disc from across the library counter. “Part of me wants to trash the damn thing. Angelus deserves to pay for everything he’s done, but Cordelia was his victim.”

“Should I continue?” Willow frowned.

“It was Jenny’s wish that Angelus’ soul be restored,” Giles told her to keep researching. “It’s what she would want.”

Willow nodded her understanding. Despite their own grief, Willow had immersed herself in her studies, in teaching Ms. Calendar’s class and in researching the curse that would cure Angel and Cordy. Giles had bogged himself down with school business and training Buffy. When Buffy was not at school, training or patrolling for any sign of Angelus, she was at home with her mother. Joyce had become unnaturally clingy over the past week wanting to know where her daughter was at all times— even if that news was that she was going to stake vampires at one of the cemeteries.

“We need some magical items,” Willow told Giles. “There is a reference to an Orb of Thesulah. I’m going to need two.”

“Yes, I think that I’ve read about those orbs,” Giles nodded at an inkling of a memory. “Something about storing souls until they can be transferred. Good God! That was what Jenny was muttering about the other day. She found one.”

“I’ve searched everywhere,” Willow informed him that her search had come up empty. “I think Angelus destroyed it.”

Giles felt suddenly focused in a way that he had not been since Jenny’s death. “I will contact the Council. They have the means of locating the orbs much faster than we can and arrange immediate shipment.”

Then Willow brought up another concern. “I can only cast one spell in a twenty-four hour period. Who gets the first soul? Angelus or Cordelia?”

“Concentrate on Angelus,” Giles decided quickly. “He is the dangerous one. The sire. The one out for Buffy. Stop him and Cordelia will be a weaker link. She is a new childe, barely over a month old. Though she will gather strength quickly, Cordelia is nowhere near as dangerous as Angelus.”

After a thoughtful pause, Willow warned him, “Don’t count out any demon that thinks she’s Cordelia Chase.”

***

Buffy was getting frustrated at not finding Angelus. For someone who had vowed to kill all of her friends, he was not making himself visible enough track down. He was taking his time despite offing Xander on the same night as Jenny Calendar. Buffy figured that was a fluke. Willow had been right. No doubt he’d gone off half-cocked in search of Angelus.

How had Xander found him? How had Xander managed to locate Angelus when Buffy with all of her Slayer abilities could not?

Cordelia.

Suddenly Buffy realized that she had gone about this the wrong way. The vamps here in Sunnydale were either loyal to Angelus or afraid of him. They were not about to give up any information on the master vampire even with the threat of being staked. No, it wasn’t the cemeteries or the demon bars that Buffy needed to patrol if she wanted to find a way to locate the vampire’s lair.

It was the Sunnydale Mall.

***

In less than a week, Buffy located the mansion and an opportunity that could not be missed. Normally during Cordelia’s little excursions, she was accompanied by Drusilla or a number of vamp bodyguards. Tonight, Buffy found the brunette vampiress sneaking out of the mansion on her own.

“What are you up to?” Buffy muttered as she followed at a safe distance downwind. She didn’t seem to be hunting for she passed up several opportunities that most vampires would jump at.

Cordelia was dressed completely in black. Not her usual color choice, but a good one for a vampire who was keeping to the shadows. Leather jacket, a silky top that came just to the edge of her belt, leather pants that hugged close and matching boots. Buffy got the impression that she was dressed for business. Vampire business.

Following for about ten minutes as Cordelia took several shortcuts through town, Buffy finally realized that they were heading in the general direction of Willow’s house. When the vampiress made a move through the large wooded area that led toward the back of the Rosenberg’s subdivision, Buffy decided it was time to make her move.

Buffy pulled a stake out of her pants pocket preparing to launch it in Cordelia’s direction when something distracted her.

Hello, Slayer.

The stake lodged into a tree next to Cordelia’s head. Oops! Buffy missed. How did that happen?

Cordelia turned to see Buffy Summers momentarily stunned at her misfire. That was not likely to happen again. The Slayer was not her objective tonight and Cordelia was not so stupid that she thought she could win against Buffy in a one-on-one fight. Turning, she ran through the woods hoping to leave her behind.

Shaking off the strange sensation that made her head seem like it was full of cotton, Buffy darted after Cordelia stopping only to yank her stake out of the tree trunk and tuck it back into her pocket. She finally caught up with the vampiress in a woodland clearing that was the site of some old half-rotted structure that backed up to a deep gully.

Trapped, Cordelia had no choice but to face the Slayer. She opted for the friendship card. “Buffy, it’s me. Cordelia Chase. Not some faceless vamp you never knew.”

“I know what you are,” Buffy stalked forward looking menacing despite her petite stature and tiny build. “A demon. A murderess. You killed Xander.”

“He came after me,” Cordelia pointed out. “It was self-defense.”

“Hah!”

“It was, too! He had a crossbow.”

Buffy countered, “And you had your fangs ready to rip out his throat.”

“He died with a smile on his face,” Cordelia reminded her as she stood with her hands on her hips.

“You won’t,” Buffy promised.

The Slayer’s initial attack left her flat on her back with Cordelia towering above her, a wide smile on her beautiful face. “I’ve been practicing.”

“Good!” Buffy flipped to her feet and simultaneously performed a move that left Cordy staggering back onto the outer shell of the old building. “I prefer a challenge.”

Cordelia pulled away from the wooden surface lucky that her jacket had protected her from the pointed remains of the support beams. The rickety building collapsed behind her as she came at Buffy with a move worthy of a ninja-trained cheerleader. Those instinctive demon fighting abilities never ceased to amaze Buffy, especially when they combined with skills left over from their human existence. Acrobatically, Cordelia flipped in the air, her booted feet connected with the Slayer’s jaw.

Lying on the ground again, Buffy glared up at her opponent. That actually hurt. Not to mention the fact that her face would be bruised in the morning. Catching sight of an iron object in the grass, she threw it at Cordelia who was fast approaching for another attack. The vampire staggered back a few steps giving Buffy the time to hop back to her feet.

Yanking out her stake, Buffy tried again. This time the stake connected causing Cordelia to cry out in pain and surprise as it impaled her flesh. Only the wooden weapon did not hit her heart. After a second of realizing that she was not going to come apart in a big ball of flying dust, Cordelia pulled out the stake and tossed it over the edge of the gully.

“Dammit, Cordy! Will you just die already,” Buffy threw her hands in the air.

Laughing, Cordelia realized that the Slayer was having a more difficult time killing her than originally anticipated “Frustrated, Buffy? Maybe you just need to get laid. Being with Angelus everyday— I can tell you he knows how to give a girl what she wants.”

Buffy scowled at the brunette, her fists clenching and unclenching beside her. “Shut up, bitch.”

“Oh! I keep forgetting that you know that already,” Cordelia smirked at her. “You know what he feels like. Had his hard cock inside you making you cum.”

“I said— SHUT UP!”

Cordelia licked her lips and ran her hands over her lush body. “Do you think about that night? Remember how he touched you?”

Yes. Buffy admitted it to herself if not to Cordelia.

“What’s it like, Buffy? Knowing that Angel is mine? Knowing that he’ll never touch you again?”

No longer thinking, the Slayer simply reacted by flying at Cordelia with a furious shout and sent them rolling on the ground. They were grappling for any advantage. Cordelia was fully in command of her actions, but Buffy’s rage had her on the edge of her control.
They fought hand-to-hand, punches flying and nails scraping.

Finally, Buffy wedged Cordelia’s body between her strong legs and flipped her over onto the ground again. As Cordelia struggled to her feet, Buffy saw an opening. The vampiress was standing directly in front of the ruins of the old building. Sharp boards were pointed at odd angles across the ground. Running full tilt into Cordelia, she grabbed her around the waist and leapt into the maze of boards.

Cordelia felt something sharp and heard Buffy’s simultaneous cry as they landed together in the center of the ruins. Then suddenly, before either vamp or Slayer could take note of their injuries the ground beneath them gave way. Cordelia fell straight down into the dark hole beneath them landing on her back on the rocky ground below. It was then that she saw the large board piercing her abdomen and felt a trickle of blood seeping from her throat.

Only Buffy’s fast reflexes saved her from falling. As it was, her feet were dangling down into the darkened shaft that dropped straight down for about fifteen feet. She gripped onto the edge of the boards pulling herself slowly up to the surface. Breathing hard, she lay on the ground exhausted as the rage slowly subsided replaced by a sense of loss and a sharp sense of pain.

One of the smaller boards had splintered digging into her thigh. Ignoring it, Buffy stared down into the deep hole realizing finally that it was some kind of old mine shaft. She saw Cordelia lying still in the shadows. Wounded and bleeding. There was no way to follow her down to finish the job. Besides, Buffy noted that this clearing was on the eastern side of a hill. It would face the sunrise.

Slowly rising to her feet, Buffy plucked out the splinters from her thigh. Tossing them on the ground, she noticed something glittering from the end of one of the boards. Taking it, Buffy found herself smiling grimly. She knew what she had to do. It was the one thing that would draw Angelus out into the open.

***

Spike rolled in to the living room carrying a box on his lap. “You’ve just had a delivery, Angelus. Smells like roses.”

“It came here?”

“One of Willie’s boys dropped it off,” Spike revealed that it wasn’t the florist making a pre-dawn delivery. “I didn’t bother with a tip.”

Angelus ripped open the box to find a dozen red roses beautifully arranged against the backdrop of soft tissue paper. A white envelope with his name on it was tied with a velvet ribbon. It was slightly bulky indicating that there was something inside other than just a note. Sniffing at the paper, he caught the slight scent of the Slayer— her saliva on the envelope. There was also a small hint of blood.

Cordelia’s blood.

Dropping the flowers back onto Spike’s lap, he opened the envelope and pulled out the white card that identically matched the one he had left in Xander’s dead hand except her message was slightly different. It read: Happy Belated Valentine’s Day, lover.

Inside the envelope he found two objects: the claddagh ring he had given Buffy and the necklace he had given to Cordelia.

Spike stared at the necklace. “Doesn’t that belong to—?”

Angelus didn’t wait to hear the rest of the question. He launched himself up the stairs and kicked open the closed door of their bedroom. Empty. So was the bathroom. Trying to concentrate, the vampire quickly realized that he could not sense his mate close by. She was not in the mansion.

Howling in rage, Angelus was back downstairs in a flash to find both Spike and Drusilla waiting for him. “That blonde bitch has Cordelia.”

“Staked her,” clarified Spike.

“No,” Angelus shook his head in denial unwilling to think that just yet. “I’d know. I’d know if she was dust.”

Drusilla curled an arm around her sire’s shoulder pressing her cheek into him. “Naughty Slayer has been playing games.”

Taking Dru by the shoulders, Angelus looked down into her dark gaze. “Can you sense her? What can you see, Drusilla? What do the stars tell you?”

Palming his face, she leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Cordelia lies in darkness, but the sun is fast approaching.”

“I’m going out,” Angelus stalked toward the door.

“You’ll never find her in time,” Spike warned him. “The sun is almost up.”

Growling out his anger, Angelus responded by vamping out. “Never? I don’t want to hear it, Spike. If anything happens to Cordelia, the Slayer and this whole godforsaken planet are going down with her.”

Part 5

 It was nightfall before Spike and Drusilla saw Angelus again. There was a look of dark anger in his eyes and of other feelings like grief not usually known to vampires. The skin of his hand was scorched and barely healed as if he had spent every last possible second searching for his mate as the sun came up.

“Cordelia’s gone,” Angelus’ voice sounded heavy and full of barely controlled rage. “I tracked her through town, but the sun came up too fast. I had to hole up in an abandoned shop during the day.”

Drusilla sat on the couch clutching and rocking Miss Edith. Her puppy yipped at her feet, wanting attention. It made the mistake of bounding over to Angelus who let out a roar that had the small pup running for cover.

“The sun blinds me,” Drusilla moaned. “I can’t see the stars. Can’t see sister. Her voice is silent in my head.”

“Spike,” Angelus nodded for the blond vampire to follow as he headed out of the living room and into the section of the mansion where he had stored his not-so-little insurance plan.

Rolling into the room, Spike saw the rectangular object for the first time. “It’s a big rock. Gotta go tell my friends. Bet they don’t have a rock this big.”

“Spike, you never did learn your history,” Angelus whacked the back of his head.

“Let’s have a lesson then.”

Drusilla swept into the room behind them in her red gown having left Miss Edith and Puppy behind in the safety of the living room. There was something whispering in her head and it was not Cordelia. Another voice was overshadowing everything else.

Two minions stood by with crowbars in their hands as Angelus told Spike and Drusilla of the ancient relic and precisely why it was going to suit his plans.

“Acathla the demon came forth to swallow the world. He was killed by a virtuous knight who pierced the demon's heart before he could draw a breath to perform the act. Acathla turned to stone, as demons sometimes do, and was buried where neither man nor demon would want to look.”

Angelus issued the order for the encasement to be opened. His minions complied and the front of the rectangular block opened to reveal a stone demon with a sword piercing its chest.

Whining in reaction, Dru lifted her hands to either side of her head. “He fills my head. I can’t hear anything else.”

Spike wasn’t overly impressed, but knew that Angelus had saved this for a reason. “Mm. Let me guess. Someone pulls out the sword and wackiness ensues.”

Gasping in realization of what she was seeing in her head, Drusilla was awestruck by the power of the demon contained in this inanimate state. “He will swallow the world.”

Bloody hell! Spike recalled what Angelus had said when he left before sunrise in search of Cordelia. Of what would happen if he could not find her. If the Slayer killed her— then everyone was going to pay.

“He will swallow the world,” Angelus repeated as he gazed up in evil satisfaction at the thought, “and every creature living on this planet will go to hell. My friends— we’re about to make history— end.”

***

“Nobody listens to Spike,” the blond vamp was grumbling to himself as he rolled out of the mansion in search of Buffy Summers.

The cheerleader certainly hadn’t listened. Now she had gone and gotten herself killed by the Slayer. Stupid chit! Couldn’t take a little advice. Now she was dust.

Drusilla was driving him nuts with her yapping about Acathla. She’d run off trying to put some distance between herself and the demon’s whispering. Spike had tried to stop her. Someone around here needed to start packing pronto. If there was ever a time to get the hell out of town, this was it. Though it sounded like it didn’t matter where they went if the whole world was gonna get sucked into hell.

When it came to not listening, Angelus himself certainly took the cake. Between his obsession over the Slayer and the loss of his mate, the vampire might well be certifiably insane. Crazy bastard! Why the hell would anyone in his right mind— even an evil vampire who was the Scourge of Europe himself— want to end the world?

Take out a few towns and villages? Yeah!

Start a few massacres and rebellions? And why not?

Lord over the underbelly of a city while the humans live their pitiful lives in ignorance? Obviously!

But to end all that because a tight-assed blond bitch once made you feel human?

Rolling down the sidewalk, Spike continued his silent ranting. First it was killing off the Scoobies. So— okay! He had wanted to do that himself before he knew the score. Slayer was probably just as much of a mental case as Angelus by now. He hoped that she would see reason, because he knew that after killing Cordelia she would be coming after the rest of them next.

Only he had a little knowledge to sell for the right price and that included letting him and Dru get out of Sunnydale.

***

Willow carefully looked over the components for the Soul Restoration Spell. Detailed research had shown that Jenny Calendar had not come up with the original curse that her gypsy forbearers cast upon Angelus. This was a close approximation based upon her own limited knowledge, mystic contacts and a certain measure of hope. In their usual timely manner, the Watcher’s Council had come through with the required Orbs of Thesulah. Only one was set out tonight.

From what Buffy told her, that would be the only one required.

Home alone, with her parents out of town visiting relatives, Willow had the run of the place without having to worry about interruption. Giles was supposed to come over, but there had been no contact. Attempted phone calls had resulted only in the beeping of the answering machine at his house. Willow feared the worst.

Buffy was out on patrol. She figured Angelus would show tonight. If he didn’t, Willow had been told that Buffy was taking the fight to him.

“Let me be in time,” Willow prayed. “Let me do this right.”

***

Angelus was too involved in his own plans to see that Spike and Drusilla were out of the mansion. He had attempted various translations and incantations to activate Acathla, but so far was unsuccessful. The curator of the museum where they had stolen the relic was dead since that night, so was unavailable to assist with further translations.

Fortunately, Angelus knew somebody else who was an expert with mystic relics and ancient text. Rupert Giles. The Watcher was now bound, gagged and lying on the floor of the mansion. His captor paced impatiently in front of the unconscious man waiting for him to awaken. The minions who were sent to capture the human had enthusiastically bashed him over the head.

***

Drusilla leaned up against a tree having run as far as she could to escape the constant noise of Acathla whispering its desire to escape. To bring the world into hell itself. Dru didn’t like the nasty demon. It made Daddy think bad thoughts. Made it so she couldn’t hear sister’s cries.

Carrying the small form of Puppy in her arms, Drusilla knew that her Valentine’s Day gift from Spike didn’t like the nasty demon any more than she did. Its tiny howls after the case was opened continued until they were outside the mansion.

“We’re safe here, my little pup,” she cooed. There were times when Puppy’s racing heart beat excited Drusilla to the point where she wanted to drain the animal. It was so cute and trusting, Dru just didn’t have the heart to kill it. Not when Puppy could be such a good friend for Miss Edith.

Puppy yipped loudly staring into the woods.

“What is it?” Drusilla’s vampiric eyes swept the territory in front of them seeing nothing. The overcrowding noise in her head prevented visions or outside thought. Puppy wasn’t picking up sounds or seeing movement in the trees, she realized.

Scenting the air, the vampiress caught something familiar. Her mouth curled into a slow smile as she turned directly into the woods following a day-old trail.

***

“You have ten seconds to tell me why I shouldn’t stake you, Spike,” Buffy held her weapon poised to do just that.

Seeing him in the wheelchair was not a new sight. She had seen him at the warehouse when Dru and Spike were plotting to turn humanity into cinders with the Judge. It was the result of Spike’s nearly successful attempt to kill Angel in order to save his sire. Only the timely arrival of herself and the Scoobies saved Angel. They had thought both evil vampires dead after the church organ fell on them.

Bad luck, thought Buffy. Now she would have to finish the job.

“I’m waving a flag of truce, Slayer!”

“What do I care about some corpse’s used handkerchief?”

“Is not!

“Is too!

“Bloody hell, you blonde bint,” Spike rolled after her as she started walking away. “You just said you were going to stake me. Where are you going?”

“You’re too pitiful to stake,” Buffy told him as she tucked her weapon back into the loop of her belt.

Vamping out, Spike growled at her gaining her attention again. He purposefully stuck to the wheelchair not wanting to make himself into too good of a target. At least not until she heard the deal.

“Listen to me, Slayer,” Spike warned her. “If you don’t shut that trap for two seconds, it may just give Angelus enough time to go through with his plans to suck this world into hell itself.”

“Say what?”

***

Drusilla stared into Puppy’s big brown eyes before setting him down on the ground. “Go home. Stay with my Spike until I return. Go home now.”

With a yip, Puppy darted back through the woodlands along the nearly imperceptible trail they had followed to the clearing. Cordelia’s scent remained strong as was the scent of blood. The Slayer’s scent was now old and fading, but they were here. Drusilla was now so close that she could sense the other vampire’s presence.

Spotting the gaping whole in the ground, Dru knew that was where she would find Cordelia. Gazing down into the darkness of the old mine shaft, her enhanced night vision showed only the bottom of a pair of boots and leather-garbed legs curled under and overturned wheelbarrow.

“Cordelia?” The vampiress called out hearing her voice echo below.

A minute passed, endless seconds without any response. Until finally Drusilla let out a tiny whine of despair to break the silence. She was about to pull back from the edge of the shaft, about to head back to the mansion when Acathla’s demands softened into a whisper long enough for a single thought to pierce the constant noise in her head.

Dru?

“I will save you, sister,” Drusilla promised though she recognized that there was no immediate way to do so. There were human settlements nearby which could easily take care of that. “Wait until our Angel sees the stars in your eyes again. Maybe then he won’t let that nasty demon out to play.”

***

Angelus was too busy torturing Rupert Giles to notice that Spike had returned without his wheelchair. The blond vampire was followed closely by Puppy who stuck to his heels.

“Come on you poor excuse for a dog,” Spike picked it up noting that it was struggling with the steps. “We have packing to do. I want to be out of here before the Slayer arrives with whatever is left of her little Scooby Gang.”

***

Angelus initiated the ritual. Finally, he had gotten Rupert Giles to talk. It may have been an insignificant piece of information to the Watcher, but it was the final clue he needed to make this happen.

Speaking in Latin, he translated his own words, “Acathla, I am cleansed here before you. My blood flowing before you makes me worthy.”

Stepping up to the stone demon with a knife in his hand, “—as I demonstrate.”

The vampire sliced the palm of one hand, wincing in pain, but ignoring it to continue the ritual. “You will be free. And so will we all.”

***

Effortlessly carrying Cordelia in her arms as she walked down the deserted road toward the mansion, Drusilla knew that she had found her in time. The younger childe was weak from the loss of blood. Though her injuries were not immediately fatal, they would have been had rescue not arrived. With her arm around Drusilla’s neck, Cordelia suckled slowly on the cut the other vampire had opened on her own flesh, sharing her blood with her sister. Cordelia was too weak to take much, but it strengthened her enough to sense that something was wrong.

Spike’s DeSoto screeched to a halt next to them. Leaning out the window, he couldn’t believe his eyes. “The chit is still alive! Get the hell in the car, Dru. Maybe there’s still time to stop Angelus.”

“No,” Drusilla told her childe. “Acathla is awakening.”

“Bloody hell! The Slayer was too late.”

Placing Cordelia in the back seat of the car, Drusilla climbed in beside her. “What’s that, my Spike?”

“Nothing.”

Puppy scrambled out of the front seat onto Drusilla’s lap. She quickly picked him up so that he would not trample Cordelia. Hugging him to her chest, she was about to praise the small pup for finding Spike as he had been ordered.

“Spike?”

“Yes, my princess?” He was driving at a reckless pace along the dark and empty streets of Sunnydale.

“Why does Puppy smell like the Slayer?”

***

There were piles of dust along the trail Buffy followed in the mansion. Spike’s word had been good. Before leaving, he had taken out most of Angelus’ minions without alerting his grandsire. Now the only obstacles she would have would be Angelus himself and whatever vamps were in the room with him.

Just two, she noted with satisfaction. Buffy was about to call out to Angelus when she caught sight of Giles tied up to a chair looking beaten, bloody and barely alive. Oh, God! Not Giles. She needed him out of this room now. There was no way she could defend him and fight the vamps at the same time. Angelus would go straight for her Watcher as soon as she was occupied with his minions.

Fortunately, the two dimbulbs were focused on their master as he stood staring at what she assumed was the demon Acathla still in its stone form, but now emitting deep rumbles of sound. Buffy carefully snuck over behind Giles, slicing away his bonds with the sword Spike had told her to bring. Bodily, she dragged her friend and mentor out of the room and onto the living room couch.

“Buffy,” Giles managed to acknowledge her presence. “You must stop him.”

“I know,” there was complete resolve in her voice. “I know what I have to do.”

***

Willow sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor, her hands motioning over the dark orb within the circle created by the herbal components of the spell. She began to chant in the language of the gypsies as laid out by Jenny Calendar. The scent of burning herbs and incense filled the room clearing her head of all other thoughts but the success of her spell.

***

“Hello, lover.”

Turning at the sound of Buffy’s voice, Angelus actually sent her a smile. “Thought you might miss my little party, Buff.”

“Not a chance in hell.”

”Funny that you say that,” Angelus silently signaled his minions to circle the room to get behind her. “My boy Acathla here is about to send you there— permanently.”

“Then save me a seat.”

The two minions performed a simultaneous attack while Angelus turned to show Buffy his houseguest. Only Rupert Giles was no longer tied up. Growling in displeasure, he realized that the Slayer had set the Watcher free before allowing him to finish him off in front of her.

Buffy quickly decapitated the two vamps causing them to burst into a cloud of dust. “I think we were about to get busy.”

Noting that the Slayer had a sword, which reminded Angelus he had one last ritualistic task to perform on Acathla. Turning, he pulled the sword from the stone demon’s chest and whirled around to meet the thrust of the Slayer’s sword with a timely parry. He thrust forward with his weapon, she parried back. Their blades clashed metal on metal as they danced around the room in battle.

Angelus grinned enjoying this as he made a high swing at his swift opponent. Ducking under, she rolled out of the way and back up to her feet before he could swipe at her again. Taking another swing, Angelus’ grin was fading a bid as the Slayer’s speed let her sidestep his attack. More serious, the vampire went after Buffy with a series of fast attacks that ended with the tip of his sword scraping across the skin of her upper arm.

There was no time for talking. No time for quips. This was all too serious and Buffy knew that this battle could only end one of two ways. One of them would be dead. If it was her the world would follow.

Jumping up on a low table, Buffy swung her sword only to hear the clash of his weapon against hers. Using his strength, Angelus pushed her back then took a swipe at her legs. She jumped over the slicing blade and dropped to the floor. A bowl smashed against a wall as Angelus’ sword crashed into it.

Angelus landed a backhanded punch to her face sending the Slayer stumbling backward. Stunned, Buffy was slow to react as he knocked her sword out of her hand. She hit the wall behind her only to see the vampire playing with his sword, idly pointing it in her direction with a dark look on his face.

There was fear in the Slayer’s eyes.

That more than anything prompted Angelus to speak. He should have finished her then and there, but there were things to be said.

“You gave me something I never wanted, Buffy,” he told her. “A reminder of my own humanity.”

“Is that so bad?”

“For the demon in me. That’s why I want you dead.”

“Then why didn’t you kill me the night that we made love?” Buffy felt the tears gathering in her eyes. “Why this whole serial killer act with my friends?”

“Payback,” Angelus looked down at her with scowling hatred.

“Well, payback’s a bitch!”

“Yes. I got your roses— and the note. Nice touch adding the necklace and your ring. Lets me know you still care. Though killing Cordelia was a mistake.”

“Yours!”

“My mistake was letting you live,” Angelus growled at her. “Cordelia was mine in ways that you will never understand. My childe. My lover. My mate.”

Buffy let out a strangled gasp that Angelus easily noticed.

He told her, “A world without her might as well be sucked into hell because I’ll be there for eternity without her. So I decided to bring the rest of the world— and that includes you, Buff— along for the ride.”

A fat tear dropped onto Buffy’s cheek traveling along until it dripped off the edge of her jaw. This soulless demon had just spoken with more passion about Cordelia Chase than Angel had ever said anything about her. Even the night that he gave her the ring. Even the night that innocence had turned to bliss and a moment of joy activated the curse that brought them to this moment.

“Now that’s everything, huh? No weapons. No friends. No hope.”

Buffy closed her eyes steeling herself against his words and reminding herself of the only reason she was here. To follow her mission. To save the world. No matter the cost.

“Take all that away— and what’s left?”

Angelus drew back the sword and thrust it directly at the Slayer’s face. Instinctively, she reacted with lightning speed catching blade of the sword between her palms. Opening her eyes, Buffy told him, “Me.”

Shoving the blade away from her, the surprised vampire found the hilt hitting him in the face. Staggering back, Angelus gave Buffy room to maneuver as she hopped to her feet and kicked him in the chest. Now stumbling back, the vampire was entirely on the defensive as Buffy retrieved her sword.

Thrusting at Angelus, she noticed that he barely had time to parry. His skills with a sword were too great to keep up with a pure sword fight, so Buffy used a combination of her other fighting skills to keep the vampire off balance.

***

In Willow’s bedroom, she completed the last words of the spell. The Orb of Thesulah, now glowing brightly, flashed in the candlelit darkness of her room and then went dark.

***

Raising her sword, Buffy stalled in the final second before driving it through Angelus as a red light suddenly flashed in his eyes. He let out a loud gasp and groaned as though in pain. The vampire met her gaze and then collapsed on the ground at her feet— crying.

Staring down in confusion, Buffy wondered if this was some kind of trick. Angelus was sobbing? Crying? No way. Something else was at work here, but Buffy was not quite prepared to lower her sword.

“Buffy? What’s going on? I-I don’t remember.”

“Omigod!” Buffy lowered her sword and helped the vampire to his feet. “Angel? Tell me it’s you.”

He looked confused too. Embracing her tightly, Angel hugged her close. “Oh, Buffy! I feel like I haven’t seen you in months.”

Accepting his arms around her, Buffy finally gave into the understanding that Willow’s spell had actually worked.

“Everything is so muddled,” Angel pulled her closer still. Letting out a deep sigh, he kissed her shoulder.

Tears were now flowing freely down her face as Buffy hugged him back. For a minute she forgot all that had passed between herself and Angelus. This was her Angel and there was nothing that she felt for him except love.

Only Willow’s spell had come too late. Angelus had already activated Acathla. Behind them, Buffy saw a swirling vortex opening up from the stone demon’s gaping maw. She let Angel go as she realized what needed to be done. Spike’s deal included telling her how to stop Acathla and there was only one way to do it.

“What’s happening?”

Touching his face, Buffy whispered words of reassurance. Kissing him softly, she told him not to worry. Feeling like he had not kissed her in so long, Angel deepened the kiss returning it with passion. Then Buffy broke away to tell him, “I love you.”

Angel repeated the words, “I love you.”

“Close your eyes,” she told him echoing words spoken at their first kiss.

As he complied, Buffy pressed another kiss against his mouth. She moved back, drawing her sword and thrust it with a sturdy blow into his chest. Angel’s eyes opened in surprise and pain as a bright light emanated from the sword. He could only stare at Buffy in total shock, but the pain cleared his mind, returning and sharpening his recent memories and his thoughts. In them, he heard screaming.

Sire!

Buffy stared in horror at the sword protruding from Angel’s chest. The light from the sword began to mix and swirl into the vortex as the two powers merged. Stepping away, she watched as the vortex drew closer and closer to Angel. He opened his mouth to let out a cry in response to the voice in his head. It was a desperate sound emitted from Angel's throat.

“Cordelia!”

The event horizon met the vampire without a spark, closing over him and the sword as it instantly narrowed into a vanishing point at Acathla’s mouth. In the darkened stillness of the room there was only the sound of sobbing.

***

On the road, Spike was experiencing a louder wailing version as the two female vamps in the back seat reacted to the sudden loss of their sire. He sensed it too, but to a much lesser degree. Even the damn pup was howling in protest at the noise.

Cordelia forced herself to sit up in the seat trying to peek out through the black-coated back window. She didn’t know where Spike was taking them. She didn’t really care for the moment. It would take time to heal and time to plan.

One day soon, she would be ready. Then Buffy Summers would pay for what she had done to her sire— to her mate. “Watch your back, Slayer.”

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