Promise of the Night

Author: Lysa

Parts: 6 - 10 (End)

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Part 6

 “I’ve got to hit the little Slayer’s room,” Buffy pushed her empty iced tea glass away. As it seemed that Willow wasn’t going to tag along, she added, “Back in a flash.”

Willow Rosenberg sat with Angel while the usual Friday-night mayhem and madness at the Bronze surrounded them. She saw that the vampire was staring down into his glass of Irish Whiskey, though she had not seen him take a single sip.

“We have to talk,” Willow tugged on the sleeve of his jacket.

Angel looked up with a faraway stare in his eyes, something she caught him doing quite a lot since his return from hell. The first time she had seen him, the vampire looked like he was a different person. Not his usual hunky, heroic, gentlemanly self at all. He was terse, angry at the world and almost scared of his own shadow. Not to mention badly groomed.

Hell apparently hath no mirrors. Even if it did, the vampire couldn’t see his reflection, so Willow couldn’t fault him for that. Giles had told her that time flowed differently in other dimensions. If it was truly Hell or just a hellish realm on another plane, Willow had no clue. It seemed that Angel had spent far longer than ten months in that place, but even he had not been aware of the full passage of time. It was only the last couple of weeks that he was acting semi-normal. He was certainly not aware of the reason Willow needed to talk to him tonight without Buffy overhearing.

“Anytime, Willow,” the vampire was waiting.

Well, she had his attention. “No time like the present. Speaking of presents— it’s Buffy’s birthday next month. I figured we needed to start to prepare.”

A year, Angel reminded himself. It had only been a year, yet it seemed so long ago. “This isn’t something I can be a part of, Willow.”

“Why not?”

Surely the redhead wasn’t that clueless. Angel swallowed down his drink in one gulp and thought he might need another. “What happened on Buffy seventeenth birthday?”

Ooh! Pop quiz.

Willow’s bright smile suddenly fell as she remembered that was when all of their troubles began. “Spike and Dru sent Buffy an arm in a box, part of the disassembled Judge.”

“And the next night?” Angel prompted darkly.

“Oh. Well— uh. Just— hmm. I-I-I don’t think I need to remind you, Angel. Heh!” She scrambled for a way to get out of this conversation. All Willow wanted was to figure out how to give Buffy a small, but memorable eighteenth birthday celebration.

The vampire leaned close crowding into Willow’s personal space as he told her, “That was the night I fucked up everything. Even her. Not to mention myself. Lost my soul and took out your closest friends with a smile on my face.”

“That wasn’t you, Angel,” Willow frowned. “It was Angelus.”

“You just don’t get it, do you?”

Willow shook her head. Apparently not.

“I am Angelus.” The vampire was staring straight into Willow’s eyes as he repeated with more emphasis, “I *am* Angelus. He isn’t everything I am, but I am all that he is or has ever been. A vampire with all the instincts of a creature of the night.”

Willow gulped silently.

“Everything I did as Angelus, I can remember,” Angel told her. “Now ask me if I regret what I did that night?”

“No.”

“No?” Raising a dark brow in her direction, Angel saw her defiant little face. It was her resolve face, he realized. “Is that defiance or just a good guess?”

“I-I don’t want to know.”

“You started this.”

“Did not!” Willow countered crossing her arms like a shield in front of her. “I wanted to talk about presents.”

Angel laughed a sound that emanated from deep in his chest having little to do with good humor. “What do you suggest I give Buffy for her birthday? Jewelry? Roses? Another soul-rending moment in my bed?”

“How about a little respect?” Willow jumped off of the chair, facing him with fury. “It’s not everyday that a girl sacrifices the man she loves to save the world. Remember that the next time you’re feeling sorry for yourself.”

Pushing past him, she stormed toward the main exit of the Bronze.

Stupid vampire! He didn’t need to get so growly just because he didn’t want to celebrate Buffy’s birthday. Maybe Angel even had good reason to want to stay away. That didn’t give him the right to be a jerk.

So what if he’d spent a hundred years in hell. He was now back in Sunnydale and alive— undead again. That seemed like a good reason to celebrate. Angel should be thanking her for giving him back his soul, but noooooo. He was all dark and broody.

In the two months that he had been back, Angel had pulled come a long way where he was upon his return. Willow wasn’t certain that he was back to his normal self. She had her doubts. He was still acting strangely. Antsy, like he expected the boogeyman to jump out and surprise him. Especially anytime he started thinking about Cordelia. It didn’t even take someone saying her name. Just something that would remind him of her and he was instantly lost in his thoughts again.

Then Angel would be guilt-driven because he had killed her, seduced her and turned her all on that night after Buffy’s birthday. Okay! So maybe she was an idiot for bringing it up. How could Buffy’s eighteenth birthday possibly be as memorable as what followed the last one?

Mentally ranting, Willow charged directly into the path of someone trying to enter the Bronze. Looking up, she gave an automatic apology before continuing on. “Oops! Sorry, Cordy.”

The vampiress watched Willow walk ten feet before she froze in place. Standing stiffly, she kept facing forward. Cordelia heard her heartbeat quicken and her breathing halt as the redhead realized what had happened.

Hello, Willow. Come to me.

Peeping over her shoulder, Willow blinked several times trying to clear away the image she saw there. It was really Cordelia. Alive! Well, not so alive, but not totally dead like they thought. Gosh! Wow! This was amazing. Buffy hadn’t killed her after all.

Willow!

“Oh, yeah. How rude of me.”

Cordelia pulled her aside over beyond the edge of the building and into the alley that led behind the Bronze. She had fond memories of that alley.

“You’re taller,” Cordelia assessed. “And you aren’t dressed like a clown. Good. That’s good.”

“Thanks— I think.”

“Don’t thank me yet, Willow. I have plans for you.”

Willow frowned. “Plans?”

You’re going to help me.

Staring deeply into Cordelia’s hazel eyes, Willow thought about the words sounding in her head. She wasn’t like that stupid vamp, Angel— unwilling to lend a hand even for a happy occasion. Willow was a friendly-type person. Not like some broody creatures of the night.

“Okay.”

“Go to the Crawford Street mansion,” instructed the vampiress confidently. “Wait for me there.”

“Okay.”

Cordelia paused before heading back toward the entrance of the Bronze. “And Willow?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t let my minions give you a hard time.”

“Okay.”

Willow watched for a moment as Cordelia headed into the club. As soon as the vamp was out of sight, she dutifully headed in the direction of the mansion. Along the way, Willow realized that this was the first time she had actually seen Vamp Cordy. Everything Buffy had told her was true. Cordelia was even more beautiful than before and it was almost disappointing that Willow hadn’t gotten to see her game face.

It occurred to Willow that she probably shouldn’t want to see the vamp’s fangy face, but it was still interesting from a purely demonological sense. Then her thoughts drifted to her destination. The Crawford Street mansion. Angel’s house. Why was Cordy sending her to Angel’s house? Oh, well! Maybe one of those minions knew the reason.

***

“Where’s Willow?” Buffy had detoured to the bar to get another iced tea. Hopping up on her stool, she looked at Angel expectantly. He seemed distracted again. “Angel? Earth to Angel.”

“She left.”

“Huh.” Buffy wasn’t so slow that she didn’t realize something had happened between the two. “What was it this time? The ‘you shouldn’t mess around with my soul’ speech? How about the ‘you’re being too hard on Buffy’ rant?”

“No.”

“So?”

“It was the ‘I’m a vampire— leave me the hell alone’ threat.”

“Ah! One of my personal favorites.” Buffy sipped at her tea and then poked at the lemon slice amongst the ice with her straw. “What brought this joyful moment on?”

During the past two months, Buffy had done her best to drag Angel back from the depths of the hell he seemed to be determined to stay in. She wasn’t certain how he freed himself from his dimensional prison, but he had come back to the world literally naked in form and practically feral. Taking him to the mansion, she had kept him there hidden away from Giles and Willow— afraid of their reaction to his return.

In the beginning, Buffy had almost staked him— twice. Two occasions where Angel’s behavior was so vile that she felt certain his soul had never been restored. Those painful moments were difficult to forget, but she was trying. She kept reminding herself that Angel told her he loved her. She needed to believe that even if it was not her name on his lips the moment Acathla’s vortex sucked him in that Angel still loved her.

“It’s happening again,” Angel told her. “Something I can’t describe. Something I can’t explain. That feeling that— I just don’t know. Whatever it is, my demon wants to come out fighting.”

“You’re not used to going so long without patrolling,” Buffy figured. “You miss a good fight. You’re just anxious to get back in the game.”

***

Almost as soon as Cordelia entered the Bronze, there were people flocked around her. It wasn’t like the night of Valentine’s Day when Angelus brought her dancing. This was Friday and anyone who was anybody was here tonight. The girls still known as former Cordettes caught sight of her immediately and were peppering her with questions and comments before she even made it ten steps into the club.

“Omigod! You are so not dead!”

“Where have you been?”

“Girl, you look hot in that dress! I love the shoes.”

“So what was with the cancelled funeral? I’ll have you know I even brought flowers to your memorial at the school and black is so not my color.”

Within moments, Cordelia spun a tale of complete balderdash that had her former friends gushing at the tragic romance of it all. Her parents had apparently discovered that she was seeing an older guy— a mature, but otherwise hot guy. They were planning to elope, but her parents had swept in from Europe at the last minute taking her with them. Some Jane Doe had stolen her Corvette and was dumb enough to be caught dead in it. The police thought it was her just because the thief had her hairstyle and was wearing some of the clothes she had packed in the trunk for the honeymoon.

“What happened to your tan?”

“My parents took me to Alaska. Daddy was working on a financial deal. It’s night there most of the time.”

“It is?”

Trust me.

“Yeah. I think I read about that.”

“You read, Harmony?” Aura laughed at the idea. Then she asked Cordelia, “So when are you coming back to school?”

“Don’t have too. Without my fiancé, there was nothing else to do except study,” Cordelia let out a long sigh. “I graduated early.”

“Wow.”

“That was fast.” Aura wished she was already finished with school. “Why come back to Sunnydale? I figure you would be in LA or New York.”

Cordelia gave her a patient smile. “There is someone I have to see first.”

“How come we didn’t know this boyfriend?” Beth wondered aloud assuming he was the reason Cordelia had returned. “The last guy I remember you being with was— eew! — Xander Harris. Like he is so dead now.”

“Xander? Pfft! As if he had a clue about anything,” Cordelia laughed having forgotten that little detail. “Actually, he’s someone else you know.”

“Details— now!”

Pausing in thought, Cordelia nibbled on her lower lip as though having a difficult time with the decision to tell her friends. “I don’t want to give too much away just yet. Things still have to be worked out now that I’m back.”

“Cordy!” Harmony whined at her friend.

“Just a hint or two,” Cordelia grinned conspiratorially. “He’s got an adorable smile. A voice that will make your head spin. Knows a lot of things about— stuff. Doesn’t go to Sunnydale High, but works there. Let’s just say that I had good reason to visit the library after classes.”

“…”

All of the Cordettes were standing agape and speechless. Finally, Aura came out of her stupor long enough to venture a guess. “Your boyfriend— no, not a boy— your fiancé is actually Mr. Giles? Stuffy English librarian, Mr. Giles?”

Harmony shrugged, “I *like* his accent.”

“You should hear some of the things he said to me when we were alone in his office,” she gave them a smile. “I told you that high school boys know nothing. If you want it done right, mature men are the way to go.”

“You did it with Mr. Giles in the library?”

The girls let out a simultaneous, “Eew!”

“My parents claimed it was statutory rape,” Cordelia shrugged while trying not to laugh at the three dingbats who were eating up her lies. “They refused to let us get married and dragged me to Alaska to avoid publicity.”

“It’s amazing that no one heard about it,” Aura commented with a gasp.

Beth noted, “No wonder your parents went along with the funeral thing. They didn’t want anyone to know.”

“And I’m so glad that I can trust you with my secret,” Cordelia gave them all a smile of gratitude knowing that the story would be all over town by morning. “After all, it people found out— Rupert might lose his job at the school.”

With a wave of her hand and an overly brilliant smile, Cordelia sent her human minions on their way. All of Sunnydale would know that Queen C was back. Only this time, she was not only in charge of her own destiny, but theirs as well. Silly humans. They would believe anything just to avoid the truth until it came up and smacked them in the face.

It was about time this town had a major smackdown.

Having breezed into town with her new cherry red corvette, Cordelia had barely taken the time to point out the Crawford Street mansion to the six vampires who had followed her to Sunnydale before heading to the Bronze. This was where she would find the Slayer. It was time to put this plan into action and running into Willow so quickly had been a lucky sign.

There were so many heartbeats around her. The smell of human blood pumped by those beating organs through arteries and veins rushed with the familiar rhythm. Lub dub. Lub dub. Lub dub. It was an undercurrent to the music played by the band. A combination of such instinctive force Cordelia closed her eyes and started dancing. As she moved to the sounds and rhythms, the crowd parted before her as if enchanted by her beauty and awed by the sheer power of her presence.

***

“And so I was telling mom not to bother with the college applications,” Buffy continued her conversation with Angel. “Hello, I’m the Slayer. I can’t leave Sunnydale. I tell you, it was like talking to a brick wall.”

The music suddenly died and the entire club seemed to have fallen into silence. Angel was staring blankly into space again. Yeah. Speaking of brick walls. Without a word, the vampire got up off of his stool and moved toward the dance floor as if in slow motion.

Buffy started to get a wiggins. Her Slayer senses were suddenly bounding as she turned to see what trouble had caught Angel’s attention.

Trouble indeed! And its name was Cordelia Chase.

***

Was it only a week ago? Buffy guessed that it might have been less time than that. Just a few days since Angel told her of his plans to leave Sunnydale— and her— behind. Not that Buffy had taken that comment to heart. She denied his decision with her entire being. She was in denial even now that she was faced with the impossible truth that the vampire Cordelia somehow survived and was back in Sunnydale.

Angel kept harping on the fact that things were different between them even though she was willing to put the past behind them. Her ‘you aren’t Angelus’ speech had not gone over very well. There was too much water under the bridge he told her using her own euphemism to drown her in sorrow. Buffy wasn’t about to give up on their past and so reminded him of the night they shared together— before Angelus appeared.

“I didn’t know about the so-called Happiness Clause to the curse, Buffy,” the vampire claimed. “I would never have touched you. How was I to know? It never happened before.”

“Meaning—?”

He let out a wry laugh at her innocent stare. “Meaning that I haven’t lived the live of a monk for the past hundred years.”

“Oh.” Buffy actually found comfort in that thought, strangely enough. Being with her had actually given him joy, happiness, bliss. Then her sudden smile fell away. They could never have that again. Well, it didn’t matter; she steeled herself against their platonic fate. “I love you.”

Pausing, Angel told her, “Buffy, I can’t love you. There are too many reasons why it isn’t possible.”

“But—,” she began to protest only to be cut off.

“Starting with the fact that I tracked down and murdered your friends.”

Shaking her blond head, she told him, “Not you!”

“Yes it was. Angelus exists as more than a dark memory. He is the instinct that drives me forward. The voice in my head— not of reason, but desire. Telling me what I want, what I need and urging me to take it.”

“…”

“Keep the blinders on if it suits you,” Angel saw that she was not going to believe what he said. Buffy was determined to think of Angelus as a totally separate being. “It changes nothing. I killed Jenny Calendar. Snapped her neck and got off on the sound of it. Xander was more than just a mark in my mind. He was in his own idiotic and insignificant way my rival for you.”

Buffy pointed out that Xander’s death was not all Angelus’ fault. At least that was how she rationalized forgiving him for it. “Cordy killed Xander.”

Then Buffy realized she had mentioned the forbidden name. Cordelia. The one thing that really brought Angel to the edge of reason even after being back almost two months. His face darkened with emotions that she could not fathom.

“I was there,” he reminded her. “I sucked down Xander’s blood just as she did. At the same time she did.”

“Omigod!” Buffy suddenly caught the gruesome image in her head.

Angel didn’t stop there. “Cordelia’s little Valentine’s Day gift to me was luring the boy out into the open.”

“Hah! I knew she was responsible,” Buffy glared now happy that she had a really good reason for Cordelia’s ultimate demise in that abandoned mine shaft.

“I am responsible!” Angel thundered. “She was the first Scooby to die.”

Buffy had to ask even though she was certain not to like the answer. “Why did you turn Cordelia? Why not just kill her like the others?”

The demon inside him demanded he tell the truth. If the Slayer wanted to know, then she deserved to hear it. “Why would any vamp turn Cordelia Chase?”

Shrugging, Buffy guessed, “An urge to have your own personal shopper for eternity?”

“I wanted her.”

“…”

“Simple. Obvious. Satisfied?”

“No.” Buffy had never seen any indication of it. The brunette had practically thrown herself at Angel when they first met, but the vampire had purposefully done his best to avoid her. “When did this happen?”

“I’ve always wanted her.”

The confession caused Buffy to stiffen in reaction. Maybe she didn’t want to hear this after all. Angel seemed determined to make her mad. To push her away. Talking about his interest in Cordelia Chase at a time when he was supposed to be in love with her was not only shocking, but a painful betrayal of everything she thought they had together.

“Just think about it, Buff,” the vampire used the nickname that Angelus seemed to enjoy. “That perfect face with its brilliant smile. Her elegant neck just begging to be bitten. The rack on her— tits made for a man’s hands and mouth. Tiny waist and curving hips. Legs designed to wrap you up in their embrace.”

Snapping, Buffy had enough. “Shut up! I get the point.”

“Not really. My inner demon wants a lot of things, Buffy. I want a lot of things, but that doesn’t mean I have a right to act on those desires,” Angel told her softly.

“The second you lost your soul you went straight from me to her.”

“A slight exaggeration, but it will do.”

“…”

Angel stepped a little closer. “You were the sunshine in my life as stupid as that sounds. My joy— until it became too much. Without my soul there was nothing stopping me from just taking everything I wanted. Trying to fulfill my desires.”

This little spiel was so not comforting. Buffy cut through to the part that disturbed her the most. “So— on some level you wanted to kill me and my friends?”

“I’m a vampire. On some level, I want to kill everybody,” Angel pointed out.

That thought was so scary that it actually made sense.

“It was all about you in the beginning,” his mouth twisted into a wry smile. “What we had together made me forget who I am. Made me feel happy, loved and human again.”

Buffy started to smile.

“Then my soul was ripped away and all that was left was the desire to make you pay for that. Part of me may be human— this outer shell and my memories. The rest is all demon and without the balancing effect and reason that my soul gives me, you are simply my natural enemy: a Vampire Slayer. Don’t forget it, Buffy.”

“So what happens now?”

Angel had been thinking about this for a while, but his mission to watch over Buffy was still in effect. Though he hadn’t done much lately to protect her. Quite the opposite. “I’m planning to leave town.”

“No!”

“What’s left for us, Buffy? A strained friendship. Sexual tension. We can’t be together. You can’t forget about Xander no matter that you say you forgive me. I can’t forget that you tried to kill Cordelia.”

He wasn’t anywhere near ready to forgive her for it.

“I-I did kill her,” Buffy had to remind him again. God, she hated this part. How many times did she have to describe the fight? Try to convince him that Cordelia was gone.

“No. I heard her,” Angel stressed. “She called out to me.”

Buffy paced in front of him. “It was a hallucination. Even Giles agrees. You just got your soul back. You were confused, had a sword through your chest and were in the process of being sucked into hell.”

Truthfully, Angel had his doubts. He just didn’t want to admit them aloud to anyone—especially Buffy. It would make it seem too real. She had taken him to the site. He had been back there on a number of occasions. Too much time had passed. The trail was cold. There was no trace of any scent remaining that indicated she was even there. No sign of footprints left behind. There was no body below. Any trace of dust had been washed away.

Angel could not sense Cordelia’s presence. There was nothing. It had been so long for him that the vampire wondered if it was possible to sense her.

The mansion, now his home again, was empty. All of his mate’s belongings remained intact. It looked like Spike and Drusilla had packed up the bare minimum and left town on the run. He couldn’t blame them for it.

If Angelus had succeeded, they would have had a few extra minutes, hours or days before hell caught up with them. His failure meant that the Slayer would probably come after the two of them next. Spike was an ass, but he had always taken care of Dru. It was a fact he would never be able to claim with Cordelia.

Angelus had gone ahead with his insane plan to break Buffy’s spirit by killing her friends one by one. If he had not been so focused on the Slayer, Angelus should have taken his mate away from the Hellmouth. That was all she wanted— to go to LA.

Maybe Buffy was right. He was kidding himself. Cordelia was dust. It was far too late for any regrets in that direction. Somehow, he had to atone for what he’d done. Leaving town was probably not the best way to do that.

“I’ll stay, Buffy,” the vampire let out a long sigh of resolve. “Unless I get a sign that my business here is done, I will stay until your graduation.”

“Is that what I am to you— business?”

“You’re more than that, Buffy,” Angel promised her. “You always will be.”

***

Cordelia opened her eyes as the music stopped only to stare into the eyes of her sire. The sight brought joy, confusion and horror. She had not sensed him standing there, nor even sensed him in the Bronze or in Sunnydale in general. She thought him dead.

It was the reason for her return. The fact that the Slayer had killed him was the reason for Cordelia’s plan to avenge Angelus. Now he was standing at the edge of the dance floor and Buffy Summers was hovering at his side. Then she realized what was different and why she had not been able to sense him.

That pesky soul was back.

Taking a single step toward her, Angel noted that Cordelia appeared suddenly skittish. He felt his chest tighten up at the sight of her vibrant and beautiful as ever. A curl of desire flared in his loins, an automatic response to her presence and the memories of their time together. Angel was suddenly hit by the need to assure himself that she was not in any form or fashion a hallucination, wanting to use all of his senses to prove that she was real.

Moving forward only caused Cordelia to mirror his steps in backward fashion. “Stop.”

Buffy tugged at Angel’s elbow. “Let her go. She knows you’re not Angelus.”

The vampire suddenly turned his gaze on Buffy with a look of irritation. “Stay out of this, Buffy. Soul or not, Cordelia is still my childe.”

He added silently, “Still mine.”

“I don’t think she feels that way,” the Slayer pointed out. “Just hope that Cordy isn’t here to cause trouble.”

“Give me time to find out,” Angel knew that Cordelia’s return to Sunnydale would likely come with a purpose. She had wanted out so badly a year ago. Why come back now? “I will call you later.”

Cordelia had taken the opportunity to slip out the back exit of the club, but she hadn’t gone far— just into the alley knowing that Angel would follow. The door flew open with a bang as the vampire looked quickly toward the street before spotting her in the shadows of the building’s fire escape. She warily watched his approach.

Now standing only a few feet away, he looked tall and imposing, but Cordelia could tell the difference in him. It confused her, especially since she remembered what Angel was like with a soul. A wannabe good guy and Buffy’s boy-toy. This was almost worse than thinking he was dead.

Strawberry shampoo, Angel recognized the scent as he breathed her in. Sight, sound and scent all told him that this was no mere vision, no dream of Cordelia— but the vampire was not satisfied with that. He needed his other senses to confirm it.

Impatient, Cordelia started to demand answers to the questions filling her thoughts. How had he survived? What was he doing with the Slayer? And what about the soul— was this another curse?

“Ang—?”

Cordelia barely had time to get out the first syllable as her sire yanked her into his arms and silenced her with his mouth. His tongue quested for entry, being granted only due to the surprised gasp that followed. Brushing against her tongue, running its tip across the roof of her mouth, he tasted her and then retreated. Angel pressed against her lips as if testing their shape and fullness. His mouth ate at hers sucking in her lower lip only to nibble at it gently with his rounded teeth.

Even as Cordelia pushed against his chest, she was moaning in response to his voracious kisses. His strength was too great even against hers and Angel did not budge. If anything, he moved closer with his muscular body pressing his hard response into the slight curve of her belly and down to her groin. Taking her shoulders in hand, Angel tilted her so that his kisses could trail down her throat tasting her skin.

The feel of his lips on that highly erogenous zone had Cordelia writhing against him. She curled her leg around his calf to rub herself against the bulge of his erection. Trailing a sharp nail along the side of her throat that was currently not getting attention, Cordelia opened up a small trail of blood.

Scenting this, Angel’s head darted up to meet her lustful gaze before turning his head to the other side of her throat. Opening his mouth, the vampire lapped at her blood drinking in the teasing trickle. He felt his fangs descend to scrape along her neck at the temptation of sinking into her flesh.

Controlling the urge, Angel retracted his sharp fangs and closed up the superficial wound with his tongue. This immediately brought a protest to Cordelia’s lips. “No! Bite me. I want your fangs. I want you inside me.”

Angel’s hands moved up from her shoulders to her face, cupping gently and tracing his thumbs against the high curve of her cheekbones. Then he was kissing her again, but now softly. Every time Cordelia attempted to deepen the kiss, he lifted away only to bring his mouth down again like a whisper over her lips. Smooching gently. Adding the lightest brush of his tongue along the inside of her lower lip.

This was too much. Too much after the shock of seeing him. After the realization that he was not the Angelus she knew, but Angel again. Mmm. He touched her differently with his soul intact, Cordelia realized somewhere in the back of her mind.

Angelus could be a gentle, playful lover— when he wanted to be. That wasn’t what she needed now. Not what she wanted. It had been too long. Too long without him.

Cordelia curled her fingers into his leather jacket and gave him enough of a push to put a tiny distance between their mouths. His continued to hover over her as his eyes told her that this interruption was not going to last long.

“Stop toying with me,” Cordelia insisted while dropping her hands to his belt. She’d had enough of gentle. Grazing her nails across his clothed erection, the vampiress demanded, “Fuck me with that hard cock until I can’t stand up anymore.”

“I’m not done tasting you,” Angel let out a short growl holding her still. Letting her have her way too soon would give her control that he couldn’t relinquish. Not now that she had been without him for a year. Not until he was certain she truly recognized him as her sire and her mate. “Spread your thighs for me Cordelia.”

Next best thing. Panting in need, Cordelia leaned back against the wall moving to comply with his wishes. The anticipation curled in her belly as she watched him sink down to his knees with his hands following along with her curves until they reached the bare skin of her thighs.

Angel pushed up her skirt to ring around her waist like a belt exposing her lacy purple panties to his view. At first, he simply rubbed his face over her covered crotch scenting her arousal. Then his fingers curled into the edges to slowly tug the panties down over her hips. When they reached the lower curve of her bottom, he paused to press his mouth against the soft mound of curls eliciting a groan from Cordelia as she watched his every move.

The panties now stretched over her parted thighs and Cordelia felt like ripping them away herself, only Angel stopped her. “Keep your hands over your head.”

“I want to touch you,” she grumbled even as she crossed her wrists and rested them atop her head.

“Not an option right now,” Angel wasn’t certain he could take it. So he concentrated on her. Lifting two of his fingers, the vampire delved into the cleft of her sex gathering the moisture there. He removed them to suck them into his mouth, staring up at Cordelia at the same time.

The taste of her essence on his tongue caused his eyes to roll closed for an instant, pure pleasure streaming through his body as he confirmed that it was her taste alone. Nothing in her scent or taste hinted at Cordelia being intimate with anyone— recently. He tried not to think about the rest of the year they had been apart.

Cordelia was breathing in short gasps of unneeded air, her breasts straining and swollen against the clingy material of her dress. Opening his eyes, Angel saw those lusciously large nipples pressing hard up against the covering of her no-doubt matching bra and the outer covering of her dress.

Then Angel closed his hands over her thighs, squeezing gently and moving his strong fingers up and down her flesh. Until they connected with the barrier of her panties that were still stretched tightly between her thighs. With a sharp tug, he ripped them away, tossing the shredded material over his shoulder.

Returning his fingers to her wet center, Angel stimulated her until Cordelia was keening with pleasure. He moved one of her thighs to his shoulder, opening her up to his view and then lowered his mouth to her intimate flesh.

“Mmm. Ohhh! Uh— do that with your tongue.” Cordelia encouraged him as her eyelids half closed.

She leaned her upper body back into the brick wall as she gave herself up to the feelings that Angel was evoking. He was so good at this. Knew just what to do. Knew just where to touch. What gave her the most pleasure. His tongue was flicking across her hard nub as he pressed two of his fingers inside searching out the spot that drove her wild.

“Angel!” She called out his name careless of the noise. It was good. So good. So fucking good. There was only one thing she could think of that would make it better. A random thought popped into her head— Buffy Summers.

Get out here, you blonde bitch. As Cordelia glanced toward the doors, she found that the Slayer was already emerging from the darkened doorway.

Buffy’s eyes were huge in her heart-shaped face while soaking in the shocking sight of the two vampires. Angel was on his knees with his face and fingers buried between Cordelia’s legs, pleasuring her with obvious enthusiasm and with the brunette vampiress submissively positioned along the wall with her arms above her head. Buffy wanted to run, but she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away.

The anguish on the Slayer’s face was enough to send Cordelia over the edge. She cried out Angel’s name as her orgasm made her forget about the onlooker— everything except the sensations coursing through her body. By the time she opened her eyes, the blonde was gone and Angel was on his feet again.

Cordelia’s mouth curled into a smile of satisfaction. “That was amazing.”

Especially with a little Slayer fun on the side.

Taking her chin between his fingers, Angel kissed her thoroughly letting her taste herself on his tongue. “You’re mine, Cordelia,” he enforced his thoughts, lifting his head to stare down into her eyes.

The smile dropped away. “No, Angel.”

“No?”

“I belong to Angelus,” she told him while tugging her skirt down around her legs. “Don’t get me wrong— I love the way you make me cum. But you’re not my mate.”

Was he going to have to give the ‘I am Angelus’ speech again? Angel sighed, trying to ignore the erection pressing hard against the front of his pants. “You’re wrong, baby. It may take me a while to convince you, but it will happen.”

“Pfft! So tell me, Angel— were you just teasing me?” Cordelia asked pointedly. “Did you ever plan to fuck me tonight? Is it even possible with your soul in place?”

“The curse!” Truthfully, Angel hadn’t even thought of it. Gasping at the dangers, he realized that the actions he had taken might have given Cordelia precisely what she wanted: Angelus.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Cordelia glowered. “Still say you’re my mate? An impotent one.”

“I am not impotent!” The vampire growled at her pointing out his obvious erection.

With a shrug, Cordelia commented, “Might as well be.”

“I see what you’re doing,” he told her.

“What?”

“Trying to trick me into having sex with you.”

“Hah! What were we doing, dumbass?”

“You know what I mean,” Angel’s dark glare looked dangerously rife with frustration.

Cordelia stepped away from the wall moving back out into the moonlit area of the alley. “Trick you into sex? Just pretend you have a headache, honey. I’ll leave you alone.”

Angel wasn’t finding that funny. He wanted to wipe the smirk off of her face and had thought of two or three pleasurable ways to do it. Only it would be dangerous to follow through with those plans.

He took another approach, leaving sex out of the conversation. “It doesn’t matter if my soul was restored, I’m still your sire— and your mate.”

“Then why couldn’t I sense you were here at the Bronze?”

Stumped him again, dammit! “I don’t know that yet.”

“Uh huh.”

“It’s probably just the time we’ve spent apart,” Angel rushed to provide an explanation of any kind. “The fact that we haven’t shared our blood. It’s been a year for you. Longer for me.”

Confused, Cordelia still wanted to know what happened to her sire, but she wasn’t certain that she wanted Angel telling her. It would be too much of an acknowledgement of his claim upon her and frankly she didn’t know if she could handle being tied to a cursed vampire. Especially now that she was so close to avenging her sire’s loss. Was it now a moot point? Or was the restoration of his soul enough to merit fruition of her plans?

Cordelia decided to let Angel give her the answer. It was obvious that Buffy Summers had some link with him even after the battle. Even after the Slayer had nearly killed her. Even after Angelus had attempted to destroy the world. Whatever that link, could Angel walk away? Could he leave Buffy and Sunnydale behind to give her what she wanted?

“Take me away, Angel,” Cordelia suggested. “The reasons I came back to Sunnydale may no longer exist. If you are my mate, take me away from here. Take me to LA.”

Angel knew this meant trouble, but he couldn’t go back on his word or his mission. “I-I can’t leave Sunnydale. Not yet. I promised Buffy that I would continue to watch over her until I received a sign telling me that my mission was over.”

She waited silently for the penny to drop, but Angel obviously didn’t get it. Did she have to paint the sign in red letters on her forehead? Sometimes, he really was a dumbass. She had never thought that about Angelus.

“Don’t go to LA,” Angel urged that she stay here in Sunnydale.

Cordelia realized that her plans for this town and the Slayer were still a go. “I’m staying at the mansion in the master bedroom. You’re welcome to sleep on the couch.”

“My mansion, my bedroom— and my couch— which neither one of us will be sleeping on by the way. You’ll be in my bed,” Angel countered determinedly as he followed her out of the alley toward her car. “As will I.”

Part 7

 “Where have you been during the past year, Cordelia?”

Glancing at Angel, she turned her gaze back to the front windshield and sped up almost imperceptibly. Her recently acquired corvette rolled along at its faster pace, but Cordelia figured if she wanted answers to her own questions turn about was fair play.

“Here and there,” Cordelia told him truthfully. “In the wake of Acathla, Spike took us into Mexico and Central America. The pickings were good— since there are no Slayers around. Most people turned a blind eye. I stayed with them until I got bored.”

“Nightlife not exciting enough?”

“We *were* the nightlife,” complained Cordelia with a dark laugh. “Spike’s idea of a good time is an all-night pool hall or kitten poker.”

Angel found himself surprised at the fact that he wanted to know more about Drusilla and Spike. He still felt an attachment to them— Dru for the most part. Spike was mainly just a thorn in his side. “How is Dru?”

“Still missing Angelus,” Cordelia admitted. “When she discovered that Spike warned the Slayer about your plans to end the world, Dru was pissed that he had sided with her over you. She started hanging out with a Chaos demon.”

Thinking about it, Angel asked, “Don’t they have antlers?”

“Sticky drippy antlers,” Cordelia nodded and then shuddered at the memory. “Eew! So not my type.”

Angel didn’t need to ask what Cordelia’s type was— he already knew he was it. That was a fact, although she seemed to prefer him sans soul.

Cordelia gave a little smirk and met his gaze long enough to comment, “Guess Dru takes after her sire. She apparently likes her lovers with a big rack.”

“I’m guessing Spike didn’t take it too well,” Angel chuckled.

“Spike went on a drinking binge and I was left looking after the brainless blond jerk. So not a fun experience let me tell you.” Cordelia almost left him to fend for himself. “That guy has a way of getting under your skin. Pushes buttons you didn’t know you had. Tried to get me mad enough to stake him once or twice.”

Angel looked almost disappointed, “You mean you didn’t?”

Confessing, “No, but I wasn’t planning on playing nurse to a drunken vampire either. I convinced Dru to take him back.”

Cordelia pulled up to the front entrance of the mansion and put the car into park. Before she opened the door to get out, Angel asked curiously, “How did you manage that?”

She started to tell him and then simply flashed him a mischievous smile.

Angel sat alone in the car for a minute longer than necessary as he contemplated that pearly grin. Then he was distracted by Cordelia as she was suddenly being hugged by a blond man with longish hair followed quickly by one with cropped dark hair. They were vampires, he realized. Likely two of the minions she mentioned.

Said minions were a little too touchy-feely as far as Angel was concerned. He was out of the car in a flash and roving over to the trio. Sending the two males a dark look, Angel stood close to Cordelia warning them off. They didn’t know him, so both of the vampires were initially trying to stand their ground and protect their mistress against the stranger, but quickly sensed that they were in the presence of a powerful vampire.

Laughing at their response, Cordelia waved them off. “This is Angel, guys. No need to get so growly.”

“As in Angelus?” The blonde gasped at the fact. “I thought the Slayer got him.”

“So did I,” Cordy admitted with a shrug. “He’s back. Just try to stay out of his way. He has a tendency to stake vamps that disagree with him.”

Angel didn’t deny it. “Just do as I say and we won’t have any arguments.”

The two weren’t certain if that was a legitimate command. They followed the orders of their sire, Cordelia. She told them, “Unless Angel’s orders oppose mine, I don’t have a problem with that.”

Her words suggested that while Cordelia was not contradicting him in front of her minions, neither was she really giving up control. It was something she would only do for her acknowledged mate. As of now, she had refused him that status.

“Angel,” she introduced the two vamps, “meet Tom and Brad.”

He nodded his head in their direction and noted that Tom was the darker vampire while Brad was the blond. Something about that made him pause in thought for a second or two, but he couldn’t connect the reason why they seemed somehow familiar.

Cordelia handed the car keys over to Brad. “My suitcases are still in the trunk. Bring them up to the master suite and unpack for me.”

“Yes, mistress.”

“You’re such a sweetie,” she graced him with a charming smile. “Just move Angel’s stuff around to make room.”

Entering the mansion, Angel was startled to see four more vampires walking toward the foyer from various parts of the house. How many minions did Cordelia have? For a year-old vampire childe, Cordelia wasted no time in enlarging her responsibilities. Then again, with the Cordettes and Sunnydale High, Cordelia Chase was used to people constantly buzzing around worshipping her every move. Thankfully, the usable parts of the old burned-out building contained a number of sleeping quarters.

Pointing to each of them— all male he noted with a frown— Cordelia introduced them as Jude, Keanu, Mel and Trick.

Angel was suddenly making a connection between some of the names and famous actors, whom the human Cordelia had hero-worshipped during her school days. There was even an inkling of a resemblance between some of them. “These guys aren’t really—?”

Catching on, Cordelia threw her head back and laughed heartily. “I wish! No, I just gave Tom, Brad, Mel, Jude and Keanu new names when I turned them. Guys, this is Angel.”

Glancing over at the black vampire dressed smartly in a colorful leisure suit, Angel asked with a raised brow, “What about him?”

“Call me Mr. Trick,” the vamp held out a hand. “I hitched a ride with Cordelia’s crew.”

So he wasn’t her minion. Angel sensed that this vampire had been around for a while. Long enough to know the ropes. He was a bit shifty-eyed and his smile a little too wide. This was someone to keep an eye on and he wondered how Cordelia had come to make his acquaintance.

Taking his hand, Angel gave it an overly-firm shake. “Welcome to Sunnydale.”

“Home of the Slayer,” Mr. Trick laughed with a shake of his head. “A vamp has to stay on his toes around this town.”

“Why come?”

“Business.”

Angel knew that meant trouble. He placed an arm around Cordelia’s shoulders. “Make certain your business doesn’t cause trouble for me or mine, Trick.”

“Just a little possessive, aren’t you? I get it, man.” The vampire could not help but notice that Cordelia’s scent was covering Angel and vice versa. “Don’t sweat it. I’m actually not going to be staying here. My new boss is putting me up in my own place.”

“Good.” The terse reply left no doubt that Mr. Trick was not really welcome.

As the vamp headed out the door, Cordelia winked at him. “Later, Trick.”

“Later.”

Tom and Brad walked through with the suitcases from the corvette’s trunk and headed up the stairs. With a silent nod, Cordelia sent the others with them so they left her alone with Angel in the foyer. There were more questions coming and she would just as soon not be caught arguing with Angel on their first night together in the mansion.

“Why are you back in Sunnydale?” Angel demanded the truth.

“Does there have to be a reason?”

“Yes,” he scoffed. “You wanted to high-tail it out of town the last time we really talked. It seems a bit soon to start coming home to your roots.”

With her hands on her hips, Cordelia told him, “I met some interesting people during my travels. Some of them right here in California. One of them moved to Sunnydale a while back and has political aspirations here. I thought it might be interesting to help out with his campaign for mayor.”

“A political campaign?” That sounded very odd. Since when was Cordelia interested in politics? The only comment she had made to Angelus about Republicans and Democrats was that when it came down to it, they both tasted the same.

Cordy shrugged. “A girl has to have something to do. Besides, I know about campaigning at the High School level. I’ve won my own campaigns. This is just on a broader scale.”

“Who is this guy?”

“Richard Wilkins,” Cordelia told him. “You’ll like him, Angel. He’s really a down-to-earth, polite, slightly obsessive-compulsive man who knows a lot about history.”

Hmm. Angel would save his opinion until he met this mayoral candidate. He was about to move onto another question about her minions when he noticed a familiar scent here on the ground floor of the mansion. “Willow is here.”

Cordelia had almost forgotten about the little redhead. “I asked her to come over.”

“Asked her?” Angel paused on his way to the living room where Willow’s scent was the strongest. “You mean your muscle-bound minions didn’t capture her?”

Noting his flash of jealousy, Cordelia’s mouth quirked in response. “Willow is off-limits to my guys. I already told them that.”

Walking the rest of the way, Angel threw open the door to the living room. With a gasp, Willow looked up at the vampire with an expression that suggested she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She was sitting on the couch watching television and snacking on a bag of munchies. First catching sight of Angel, the redhead was a bit put off by his presence. She was still mad about what he said earlier.

Seeing that Cordelia was with him, her mood instantly brightened. Willow dropped the bag of Chex Mix and hurried over to greet the vampiress. “Cordy, I thought you were never coming.”

“Oh, I was coming,” Cordelia glanced toward Angel with a smile. “It just took me a little longer to get back to the mansion than I thought.

“Why the hell are you here, Willow?”

“Grumpy vampire! I see you’re still into the bad attitude.” Willow crossed her arms over her chest. “Cordelia asked me to come over. So here I am.”

Such a good little Willow.

The grim frown dropped away from the redhead’s face and was replaced by a smile as she looked at Cordelia Chase.

Angel questioned her reasoning. “Do you always accept invitations to vampire lairs?”

“Cordy is my friend,” Willow pointed out. “She’s not a stranger.”

“She’s a vampire.”

“Duh! So are you, broody vamp.”

“I don’t eat humans,” Angel countered.

Willow stared directly into his dark gaze. “Not anymore. Cordy’s not going to eat me— are you?”

“Eat you?” Cordelia smiled at the idea. “I need help setting up my computer network.”

“Oh! Well that’s a relief.”

“Angel, what did you think I was going to do with Willow?” Cordelia walked around the redhead running a hand up one arm and around her shoulders to her other arm. “Suck her down? Drain her dry? Turn her?”

That might be fun.

“Do you want to?” Willow looked at her with a keen sense of interest in the idea.

Angel pulled Willow out of Cordelia’s reach, suddenly realizing that his childe was using her rare mental abilities to enthrall the redhead into doing her bidding. Pointing the girl toward the front door, he gave her marching orders. “Go home, Willow.”

“Do I have to go?” Willow pouted as she looked over at Cordelia for confirmation.

Cordelia sensed that she was going to have to walk a fine line with this one. Her plans for revenge and Angel’s presence were going to cause conflicts. “Run along home, Willow.”

Then she sent out a mental cue to one of her minions. Jude, come to me.

The vampire appeared almost instantly at the top of the steps. “Jude, make certain Willow makes it home safely.”

“Yes, mistress.” Jude rushed to comply and was at Willow Rosenberg’s side before she had drawn three breaths.

Distressed at having to leave, Willow asked the vampiress, “When will I see you again?”

“Come tomorrow after school,” Cordelia told her smilingly. “We’ll talk about your task and catch up on old times.”

“I’ll be here,” Angel commented trying to make the girl realize that coming back into a vampire lair might not be the safest thing, but that he would watch out for her. “Just be careful.”

Glaring at him, Willow blamed Angel for making her leave before she had gotten to spend any time at all with Cordy. “Don’t bother, Angel.”

He repeated, “I’ll be here.”

“Goodnight Cordy.” Willow gave a friendly wave.

Cordelia stood with her hands clasped behind her back. “Goodnight, pet.”

After Jude closed the front door behind them, Angel turned to his childe. “What’s the game, Cordelia?”

“The game?” Her hazel eyes looked large, luminous and completely innocent of any wrongdoing. “Can’t I ask Sunnydale’s resident computer genius for a little help? She’s an old friend, after all.”

“The last time you came across an ‘old friend’ you killed him,” Angel reminded her of the encounter with Xander Harris.

“So?”

“Are you planning to turn her?” Angel had seen that Cordelia’s minions were all male. If he did not already know that she wasn’t fucking them— recently at any rate— it was not difficult to guess that she had chosen them for their apparent similarities to her idols. The pattern did not suggest she would turn the young witch, but Cordelia might have other ideas in mind.

Cordelia waved off the question as if it was ridiculous. “Oh, that’s not for my Willow. I think she’s the type to need a few more years to mature, but now that you mention it she does have potential.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Angel warned her that it would piss him off. Not to mention the Slayer.

“That bitch has no right to tell me what to do,” Cordelia turned on him angrily. “Neither do you. Angelus might have had some luck in that direction— on occasion. Only my sire, my mate has that right. Sometimes I even listen. Not to you, Angel. You’re not the boss of me.”

Curling his fingers into her silky hair, Angel leaned in to press a demanding kiss over her mouth. “We’ll talk about that again later— in bed.”

Licking her lips, Cordelia commented breathlessly, “Okay.”

She kept staring at him. Maybe this souled version wasn’t her sire or her demon mate in the true sense, but he had the same hard, sculpted, gorgeous body and the same handsome face. After a mere fifteen seconds, Cordy leaned in close with a whispered suggestion as she hovered over Angel’s mouth. “It’s later. Let’s do it now.”

The look of lust in her eyes suggested Cordelia had little intention of finishing their talk about Willow. Angel’s demon instincts were telling him to forget about the bedroom. Just do it right here. After all, he doubted Cordelia would object. Either way, this was a line he couldn’t cross without acknowledging the danger to himself and everyone around him.

Angel wanted Cordelia— there was no doubt in his mind that he wanted her in every way possible there was to have her. The need to possess her was more than just lust, but some primal instinct to reclaim his mate. His demand to keep her in his bed was a risky event. No sleep of the innocent would be found between those sheets if he dared follow through with his own desires. It was difficult enough to be near Cordelia without touching her, much less place himself in a hazardous position to lose his soul.

A hundred years passed before his love affair with Buffy Summers and without a hint of any danger. Without even knowing that the danger of losing his soul existed, Angel tried for a while to lose himself in the simple pleasures of the flesh falling back on his human days as Liam. The strategy had not worked, but seemingly neither did it pose any threat.

What was the key to the damn Happiness Clause?

The vampire had a few theories, but nothing concrete. Could it be love itself? The feeling of love that had crept into his soul with each day that he spent with Buffy? Heartfelt and tender emotions. That is what they had shared. Her innocence and the inherent trust she developed for him— a vampire— gave him a moment where he forgot he was a demon.

So was it love, or just a moment of forgetfulness? A moment where he no longer thought of himself as a vampire, but gave into the side of himself that was still human?

As a human, Liam was something of a wastrel. He was an expert on lust, but love for a woman had never touched his heart. Though some part of him had to admit that he could only define love by what he had experienced with Buffy, Angel couldn’t realistically compare what he felt for the blonde with his feelings for Cordelia. The problem was that he didn’t really know how to qualify his feelings for his mate.

As Angelus, he had been possessive of Cordy and wanted her with his every instinctive sexual urge. They shared their bodies and their blood. Did that qualify as love for a vampire? Angel recognized the feelings within him as need and desire. The urge to possess her was no less than any instinctual urge of his soulless self. Right now, having her was the only thing that mattered. His hundred years proved that there was a loophole to this damnable curse. The problem was that Angel didn’t know what it was.

“My curse comes with no guarantees, Cordelia,” he warned his mate.

With a careless look, she asked, “Is that supposed to bother me? Either way— I win. If your soul remains intact, I still get one amazing fuck. If Angelus returns, I have my mate back without the burden of the extremely large chip on your shoulder.”

“Maybe it’s too big a risk,” Angel muttered aloud. “I want you, Cordelia, but I am not going to unleash Angelus on the world again.”

If Angelus had been here, the vampire would have had her halfway to her first orgasm by now. All this brooding and yapping about it was a yawning bore. Cordelia issued him an ultimatum and told him, “The couch is over there. Hope you’re comfy tonight.”

“Not happening.”

Cordelia walked over to the couch and leaned up against its back. Patting its cushions, she commented, “I’ll send Mel down with a pillow and blanket.”

“Forget it.”

“So you expect me to stay in your bed, but not let me touch you?” Hello, major hottie! What did he think she was— a nun? Already, her hands were curling into his black shirt and pulling him closer. She noticed that he didn’t stop her or attempt to pull away.

Covering one of her hands with his, Angel answered, “There are countless ways of touching and being touched. Of kissing and being kissed. Of making love and having sex. There is a fine line to follow. We got lucky tonight—.”

“I did,” Cordy interjected with a flirtatious smirk.

Angel stressed, “We did. You may not want to hear it, but I don’t want to lose my soul again. If you want this body then you’ll have to learn to accept that.”

Yanking her hands away, Cordelia looked a bit put off. “Maybe I don’t want you. Maybe I won’t accept it.”

A dark and dangerous look settled on his face, one that was distinctively demonic. If she didn’t know any better it seemed like Angelus was staring into her eyes. Angel’s hands came up to cup her face delving his fingers into her hair as he did so. “Then accept the fact that all your future orgasms will be the result of self-gratification because if it’s not me touching you tigress it won’t be anyone else but you.”

Cordelia almost whimpered. He was serious. All too serious about denying her pleasure if it didn’t come from him or the frustrated pursuit of her own fingers. “What *can* we do, Angel? Will you deny me what I want the most— you inside me?”

He groaned as Cordelia reached out to brush the back of her hand across the tented bulge in his pants. There was no hiding his arousal, not that he cared at this point. Didn’t he always give her what she wanted? Frankly, Angel didn’t want to deny himself that pleasure either. Unfortunately— or was it fortunate? His demon’s constant urgings kept him thinking of the consequences.

Just the thought of Cordelia surrounding his hard flesh as he thrust into her was almost enough to cause a stupidly happy grin to appear across his face. “I think that is probably on the dangerous list.”

There was a look of growing desperation in her eyes. They hardened into a sharp glare as she asked Angel again. “So what can we do? Surely you and Buffy Dearest had some fun together before you took her cherry. It wasn’t all kissing.”

“Don’t be a bitch about it, Cordy,” Angel warned her adding a reminder. “After all, I took yours too plucking it from that hot little snatch as you held yourself open for me.”

“That was Angelus,” she insisted even while acknowledging that the statements he made sounded an awful lot like the soulless vampire.

“I’m not going to argue about it.” He pulled her up from the back of the couch to settle his hands along her hips.

Maybe she wanted to argue. Maybe she wanted to get him mad. Maybe he’d get so riled up that he would forget about his stupid soul. Forget about it to the point that he’d lose it.

“Just let me touch you. I’ll behave— I promise.”

Behave? That would be a first. “Prove it.”

Cordelia felt a moment of triumph. She would get what she wanted. All of it. All of him. All of that gorgeous, hard male body giving her what she wanted. Fuck behaving! If he wouldn’t play it her way, she’d just take what she wanted and let him find the willpower to stop her.

Trailing her fingers up over his biceps, Cordelia curled her hands around his shoulders and reached up to grasp his collar. She held him there while her mouth plundered his with a long passionate kiss. Just as Angel was starting to take over the kiss, Cordelia lifted her head away. With a determined smile, she released his collar to run her hands down the front of his shirt only to rip it open exposing the smooth expanse of Angel’s torso to her view.

“I liked that shirt,” Angel frowned as buttons popped in all directions.

“Well I like what’s underneath it.” Cordelia flattened her hands against his chest feeling her way across his cool skin. She grabbed the edges of the shirt and yanked them down from his shoulders imprisoning his arms with the material.

Then her hands traveled down to his belt to unbuckle it. Angel pulled off his shirt while Cordelia occupied herself with his zipper. She kept distracting herself from her task by kissing her way across his chest from nipple to nipple, the small male nubs hardening against her flicking tongue.

As Cordy’s hand delved in between his pants and his boxers, she pressed her fingers upon his hard length. Holding still, letting the stiff weight of him fill her palm as her fingertips brushed against the bulbous tip. Angel let out a groan at the initial caress, taking her face into his hands and moving his mouth over hers letting them lose themselves in the touch of their lips against each other.

With a soft moan, Cordelia opened her mouth under his while her tongue darted out to sweep across his in tiny circular motions that fed their arousal. She whispered his name against his lips, letting him know she recognized the difference between him and her mate, “Angel.”

The hand on his fabric-covered cock had not moved. Cordelia continued to hold him, but with only the gentle weight of her slightly curled hand. Angel felt himself jerk beneath her touch at the sound of his name on her lips. As if the movement had broken some spell keeping her hand there, Cordelia withdrew it to lift both hands to his head. Ever so slowly she let the pads of her fingers follow the shape of his jaw and continued upward to lightly dance along the outer shell of his ears.

“Cordy, baby,” Angel started to protest against the loss of her touch on his rigid erection only to let out a growl as her fingers curled around his ears tilting his head back while her mouth started to explore his neck.

At first it was just the touch of her cheek, the sweep of her lips barely brushing against his skin. Then Cordelia started alternating between soft smooches and hard nips. Angel grasped her hips bringing them sharply against his tumescent cock before traveling up the curves of her body to fork through her hair. The vampire clasped Cordelia’s head in his hands without any effort to guide her movements as he exposed his neck to her mouth.

Cordelia felt the rumble of his words against her lips as they emerged from his throat in a deep timber. “Bite me. Let me feel your fangs, tigress.”

The tongue lapping at his throat paused and darted back inside Cordelia’s mouth as her sharply pointed fangs descended. She opened wide and Angel felt a tug of pleasure as the vampiress’ fangs scraped over a sensitive cord. He closed his eyes in anticipation of her bite, but it didn’t come.

“No,” sounded Cordelia’s whispered denial as her fangs retracted. That was for Angelus. Only for her mate. Though denying him this actually pained her leaving a hollow feeling in her belly.

Angel’s eyelids flashed open as his amber gaze focused on her confused expression. He felt anger at her refusal, at her rejection of the offer of his blood. No childe turned down their sire’s blood, especially if it was offered during sex. The demon in him was equally incensed.

“If you’re not going to be my mate, Cordelia,” Angel’s hands left her hair to settle on her shoulders, “maybe you need to be reminded that you’re still my childe— still mine.”

Cordelia looked defiant as if she might choose to leave rather than put up with the sheer force of his will and the warring nature of her own arousal. Her whole body was tingling with need, her nipples erect against the material of her dress and her inner thighs coated in the sticky proof of her desire.

“Get on your knees,” Angel’s signaled with a press of his hands on her shoulders that he was not going to allow refusal.

If he wanted her submissive and bending to his will, Cordelia figured he had a wake up call coming. She sank to the floor feeling the bare hardwood under her knees, but kept her hands flat against her thighs. It was obvious what Angel wanted her to do. Any idiot would know it, but she wasn’t going to play nice and make it easy for him.

“I thought you were going to behave,” Angel stared down at her while fighting against the curling corners of his mouth.

“Fuck behaving!” Cordy repeated her earlier thoughts as a battle cry. “If you won’t give me what I want, I’m not gonna give it to you either.”

One of his fingers crept under her chin keeping her gaze upon him. “Just remember what I told you about your options.”

Ignoring the pain of the hard floor under her knees, Cordelia shifted to spread her legs so her fingers massaged her swollen clit. “Mmm. Maybe it won’t be so bad, Angel. Besides, you won’t be around all of the time. I’m certain my minions know how to get me off.”

Angel’s hands curled into tight fists along his sides at the mere thought of one of those fledgling vampires daring to touch his mate. He didn’t bother to stop his vampiric face appearing or the threatening growl sounding from his throat. Cordelia’s hand stopped its self-pleasuring motions as she reacted instinctively to her sire’s displeasure. Yes, her sire, she acknowledged the fact despite what it meant to her. That it might change everything. Cordelia could not deny that any longer as her body provided the proof of its own recognition. She forced herself to open her eyes which had shut against his anger.

“If you want to keep your muscle-bound minions, Cordelia, I suggest that you tell them never to lay a finger on you again,” Angel was completely serious about it. “I won’t have you cuckolding me with your Tom, Dick and Harry.”

“Tom, Jude, Brad, Mel and Keanu,” Cordelia blinked innocently trying to pull him out of his nasty mood. This wasn’t what either of them wanted.

Angel warned her, “Just tell them to back off.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Cordelia placed her hands on his thighs and leaned her upper body closer. “Don’t expect too much, Angel. I still feel the loss of my mate even though you are here. Part of me knows it’s you, but there’s still a difference.”

His chest ached in the area of his unbeating heart. Cordelia’s words left Angel feeling like a demanding, selfish prick. And speaking of which, that part of him was rapidly deflating at his own sense of irritation with himself. “Come up here, Cordy. Get off of the floor.”

It might have been further defiance, but Cordelia’s hazel eyes were soft with desire as she stared up at him and shook her head. Now that she had a choice, she didn’t want to leave. One hand moved from his upper thigh down to his left ankle, silently indicating that he should lift his foot. Cordelia removed the shoe and sock from his foot, tossing them aside before repeating the action with his right foot.

Then her hands wandered back up the thick muscles of his legs and over his hips to curl into the open waistband of his pants. She tugged the black pants down until they pooled at his bare ankles, but left the form-fitting cotton briefs in place. Angel stepped out of the pants kicking them away without ever taking his eyes from hers.

“Let me touch you,” Cordelia’s hands were hovering at her waist as she waited for his permission. “Let me taste you.”

A gruff sound preceded his hands reaching out to hers. Cordelia placed her fingertips in his palm where Angel grasped them and squeezed gently before moving her hands to the skin where his waist met the edge of his briefs. All the anger was gone from his eyes as Angel’s hand crept up to toy with the waves of her hair as he waited for her to make her move. It was a while in coming. Cordelia pressed her hands into the cool flesh of his abdomen, letting her fingertips slip slowly to the waistband of his briefs. Her eyes left his to focus on the bulge created by his penis. Instead of removing the final barrier, Cordelia let her nails rasp over his hips coming close, but not touching his hardening loins.

Leaning up, Cordy pressed a wet kiss against Angel’s navel, dipping her tongue inside and flicking at the surrounding skin. Her hands pulled down the black briefs only to have his cock swing forth to hit her in the face.

“Sorry, it’s a little insistent,” Angel grinned sheepishly only to let out a moan as his penis inadvertently tangled in her soft hair as she moved to a safer distance. Its silky texture on his sensitive flesh was a tease in itself.

Finding herself staring hungrily at Angel’s thick erection, Cordelia felt a moment of relief at the sight of it. After a year of separation, and of thinking that her sire was destroyed by the Slayer, he was back. For that moment, she didn’t care that he had a soul, only that she was going to give him pleasure again. Mind-blowing, blissful pleasure.

As she touched the base of his cock, Cordelia darted her eyes up to find him watching her. No surprise there. The look of lust on his face was accompanied with determined control. She recognized his effort to let her do what she wanted rather than him planning to dominate her efforts. Giving up control was not an easy thing for any vampire, much less her sire.

Angel’s hands itched to curl around his penis since she was taking her time, seemingly worshiping the sight of his rigid hard-on. He noticed Cordelia’s tongue peeking out of her mouth to moisten her lips. God, but he wanted her mouth on him. The things he— in the form of Angelus— had taught her about pleasing him came to mind. Just the anticipation alone was killing him.

Now Cordelia leaned in close, her mouth just above the crowning head of his cock as she looked up at him again. “I love to look at you when you’re hard, so big and thick and all for me.”

His penis jerked in her hand, the darker head stretching out of its foreskin and the shaft swelling to its full length. It was brushing against her face again as if it had a mind of its own edging closer to her soft mouth. Cordelia centered her mouth to lick at the ridge of his cock along the underside where his foreskin met the shaft of his penis. Her flickering
tongue darted against that spot causing his eyes to half-close at the sensation she evoked.
 

Cupping his balls gently in one hand, Cordelia kept his penis pointed toward the ceiling while she softly licked along its underside from the base back up to that responsive spot at its ridge. Her continued attention there brought a moan from Angel who spread his legs a little wider giving her better access to the soft sack containing his sensitive balls.
If she kept that combination up, Angel knew he would be cumming in no time. “Baby, take me in your mouth.”

Cordelia kept her eyes on his as she opened to admit him sliding the tip of his cock into her mouth. Opening wide, she did not close her mouth around him, but started a circular motion with her head. Though he was large, he slid over her tongue and around to press up against her palate and along the rounded barrier of her teeth. Angel was moaning out his pleasure as he forced himself to keep watching the erotic sight.

Slowly and purposefully, Cordelia kept up her clockwise movements while her tongue danced beneath the crowning ridge. Then she withdrew him from her mouth eliciting a growl of complaint from her sire. Winking at Angel, she curled her hand encasing his shaft with a firm grip before moving up and down the length of his cock. When Angel’s hips started to move with the rhythm she set, Cordelia paused again.

Taking his cock into her mouth, she slid the moist tip of her tongue around the head and closed her mouth around the shaft just behind the sensitive ridge. Letting him slide a bit further, Cordelia twisted her head from side to side as her hand pumped his thick shaft. Her free hand continued to caress his balls which were now retracting closer to his body.

He was getting close, she realized, her body humming right along with his at the idea of giving him pleasure. So close to cumming now— him too.

Cordelia wasn’t aware of her actions until she was already projecting her thoughts into his head. Sire. Angel. Mine.

Within seconds, she found herself off of her knees and bent forward over the cushions of the couch. Angel pushed up her short skirt finding no barrier as he had earlier ripped her panties away. Then in one long thrust, he was inside her tight channel pumping into her. His hands grasped her hips which circled around as they found their rhythm together.

“Angel,” Cordelia called out his name. “Yes, that’s what I want. Do it harder. Oh, please sire, fuck me.”

As he stared down at the joining of their bodies, Angel wasn’t certain if her thoughts had forced him to comply with her desire or if he had simply lost control. The truth was this was what he wanted too— to be inside her with her inner muscles clamping down around his cock grasping to keep him there and conversely opening up to invite him in. Felt so damn good.

Bringing his hand down, Angel slapped her ass while pistoning into her needy depths. It drew a growl from Cordelia who thrust back against him even harder. He reached around her hips beneath them to stimulate the swollen nub of her clit. Then Cordelia let out a cry as her orgasm washed over her in an electrifying wave.

Cordelia was still feeling it when Angel removed his still ragingly hard cock and flipped her over onto the couch. She was panting as her inner muscles convulsed with pleasure. Then Angel leapt over the back of the couch to kneel between her legs. One was bent up against the back cushion of the couch, the other leg stretched out on the floor as she lay supine against the throw cushions.

There was a dangerous and determined look in Angel’s dark eyes as his hands grasped her upper thighs and pulled her down to him. His penis, still slick with her juices, strained thick and heavy as it towered above her opening. Taking himself in hand, Angel bounced the head of his cock against her clitoris several times until Cordelia was thrashing her head back against the pillows. Letting out a whimper, she reached down to curl her red-tipped fingers around her inner thighs. Her thumbs massaged the plump mound of her mons as her index fingers moved to spread the petals of her sex to his hungry gaze.

“I want you so much, tigress,” Angel admitted aloud as he entered her again. Then her name came softly from his lips as he sank to the hilt. “Cordelia— you feel so good surrounding me.”

Her hands moved up to his shoulders pulling him down to her. Angel balanced himself on his elbows while finding the couch something of a challenge as he started up a slow and steady rhythm. Cordelia released a tiny moan with each long thrust until she begged him, “Kiss me, Angel.”

It was a request that hardly needed the added plea to her tone. Angel brought his mouth down to adorn her lower lip with a long kiss sucking it in between his lips. Then he did the same with her upper lip before pressing his mouth over both lips to lavish them with long, tender kisses.

Kneeling up again, Angel suddenly ripped her dress down the center wanting to feel all of her. Cordelia simply let out a laugh of delight as he descended again to pull down the straps of her purple bra baring her full breasts to his view. His big hands curled around her, thumbs moving along the underside of her breasts. Then he had her in his mouth, his tongue flicking at her soft areola and teasing her nipple. Angel had to bend down to reach her while keeping his cock inside. He turned his attention to the other breast and Cordelia was suddenly raking at his back and rotating her hips against him.

“Enough teasing,” Cordy couldn’t take it anymore. “I want to feel you cum inside me.”

Giving her breast one last kiss, he angled himself upward and began a serious rhythm that escalated quickly for them both. The springs of the couch squeaked noisily to accompany their moans of pleasure as Cordelia and then Angel reached a nearly simultaneous climax.

“Angel, Angel!” Cordelia automatically exposed her throat to his gaze begging for final completion. The bite she wanted didn’t come and her eyes flashed open in confusion and then the realization that he was staring down at her neck while running his tongue over his fangs.

Whatever he was thinking, Cordelia let out a cry of relief as Angel bent over her to sink his fangs into her throat. She held onto him wrapping her arms and legs around him as he lapped at her blood. The sensation of his fangs, lips and tongue caused her to shudder with continued pleasure. His fangs retracted, but his tongue continued to lap at the wound until it closed up under his careful ministrations.

Shifting back to his human visage, Angel slipped his softening penis out of her and sat back on the couch. Wordlessly, he watched as Cordelia slipped out of the remaining shreds of her designer dress and crawled up the space between them.

“Angel?”

“It’s still me, Cordelia,” he mistook her query. “Sorry to disappoint you, but my soul is still intact.”

“I thought it was pretty blissful,” Cordy commented wryly, “but that’s not what I wanted to ask.”

“Oh?”

Cupping his face with one hand, she ran her fingertips from his cheek down to his throat. “Let me taste you?”

Angel froze in reaction to her request. Did she realize what she was asking? He had to remind her just so there was no mistaking the action. “You said you would only do that for your mate.”

Gazing deeply into his questioning eyes, Cordelia responded, “I know.”

***

Joyce Summers opened the door to the back porch finding Buffy outside. “What are you doing out here?”

Buffy didn’t bother to look at her mother, just continued on with her task. It had to be obvious what she was up to out here surrounded by wood chips.

“I’m sharpening stakes.”

Part 8

 Buffy Summers glanced one way down the hall and then the other noting with a sense of satisfaction that it was empty. Everyone was in their classes and the hall monitor was not in sight. Stealthily, she made her way to the library. Giles had been late arriving at school this morning. A tardy Giles was a sign of a forthcoming apocalypse to be certain, but he had not been there this morning when Buffy stopped in to talk to him about what she saw last night.

Not that she planned to give her Watcher all of the shocking details, but just enough to let him know that Cordelia was back in town. No doubt she brought trouble with her. Angel had wasted no time falling under her spell. It hurt to think about it. Really hurt. After all of the love and care she had given Angel upon his return and despite his determination to be just friends, the fact that he was making love to Cordelia within five minutes of seeing her again was like a stake through the heart— her own crumbling broken one.

Entering the library, she realized that Giles had to be in his office. Calling out to him, she sighed in relief as he appeared. God, she had to get this off her chest.

“Giles—,” she began only to notice that, “you look like hell.”

Her Watcher looked rumpled and sleepy-eyed, holding his glasses in his hand and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Buffy.”

“What’s wrong with you?” She approached him cautiously hoping that this was not the result of another set-back in mourning Jenny Calendar. Though it had been over a year, Giles occasionally fell back into periods of depression. Buffy knew that Angel’s return had set off the latest bout although she thought that had subsided.

“The most damnable thing,” Giles began, his puzzled expression revealing this was not a Jenny-related issue. “I’ve been awake half of the night.”

“Researching?”

“No. Answering crank calls,” he admitted with a shrug. “Every time I got back to sleep the telephone would ring and it would be some giggling idiot saying the most insane things.”

Buffy was curious. School librarians weren’t normally the targets of prank callers. Mr. Snyder the school principle— definitely, but not Giles. “What kind of things?”

“Things that are not worth repeating they are in such bad taste,” Giles popped his glasses back on. As the room and Buffy came back into focus, he realized, “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“Hmm. Is that the place you go when the bell rings and a teacher tries to force you to learn things you’ll never need to know again?” Buffy paused at his irritated look although that might simply be left over from his sleepless night. “Yeah, but I have a hall pass to the bathroom.”

“Which you used to sneak in here,” Giles nodded his understanding even if it did not meet with his approval.

Nodding, Buffy admitted it. “We need to talk.”

“It couldn’t wait until lunchtime?”

Giles didn’t stop long enough to wait for her response. He turned and went back into his office with Buffy following behind. “There’s stuff I have to tell you. It’s about—.”

“Mr. Giles! Are you in here?” The overly loud sound of Principle Snyder’s voice echoed from the doorway.

Buffy didn’t want to be caught outside class even if she did have a hall pass. She waved Giles out of the office and crouched under his desk. Though the action seemed a little like overkill to the librarian, Giles stepped out to the main section of the library to greet his odiously irksome boss. The man once told Buffy that he was judge, jury and executioner as far as she was concerned. No doubt Snyder would pull out all the stops to give Buffy detention or suspension if he found her out of class.

Trying to sound chipper, Giles greeted the man. “Good morning, Principle Snyder.”

“Wipe the grin off your face,” Snyder returned with a tight-lipped expression. “I have received three very disturbing calls from concerned parents this morning.”

“Oh?” Surprised, Giles wondered if any of the demonology books had slipped out of the library when he wasn’t looking. Parents tended to be a bit off-put about them. Normally, they remained in the school purely for reference.

“What can you tell me about your relationship with Cordelia Chase?”

Giles blinked, reminding the principle, “Cordelia went missing nearly a year ago. It was rumored that her parents took her out of the country.”

What was Giles supposed to say? That Cordy was a vampire whose sire had nearly killed him and sucked the world into hell?

“That tells me nothing. I asked about your relationship to her while she was a student here at Sunnydale High,” Snyder gave Giles the full in-your-face intimidation mode despite his smaller stature. There was just something about the man that reminded him of a Nazi commandant with trollish tendencies.

“Cordelia was a student who rarely checked out a book.”

“I meant your personal relationship.”

Giles was getting wary. He was suddenly connecting this interrogation with the crank calls he received last night. Someone was out there spreading rumors about him and— Cordelia Chase. “That is a ridiculous notion! C-Cordelia Chase? She was the girlfriend of one of my— uh, research assistants.”

“I know all about your after school activities,” Snyder told him. “Late nights here in the library with your little Crime Club. I should put an end to that. It’s not an official school club and its members seem to have dwindled over the past year. Down to two, if I’m not mistaken.”

Giles wondered, did the man have eyes in the back of his knobby little head? He had to admit, “Yes, just Buffy and Willow.”

“Summers and Rosenberg.” The principle actually bared his teeth with a semblance of a snarl. “The trouble-maker and her eager sidekick.”

Giles was going to protest that description when Snyder added with another sneer, “Both young impressionable girls like Cordelia Chase.”

That wasn’t exactly how Giles would describe any of them, but Snyder was obviously on a tear. “Just hold on one minute, Mr. Snyder. I get the feeling that you are accusing me of something terrible. Tell me what it is so I can get back to work.”

“The calls I received indicated that you were involved with Ms Chase.”

“Involved?”

“Sexually involved,” the principle lifted an eyebrow. Then he added, “With a minor. A student.”

Giles was flabbergasted. As he stumbled around for an answer, Snyder heard a sound coming from the office. He started to move around the librarian to check it out, but Giles backpedaled into the small room and sat down in his chair. Buffy leaned back as far as she could get seeing Giles lower legs swivel the chair around so that his body blocked her from the principle’s view.

“I can assure you, Mr. Snyder,” Giles tossed his glasses down on his desk and was back at rubbing away the tension gathered between his eyes, “that I have never touched any student that way. Certainly not Cordelia Chase.”

Snyder continued to poke about the office looking at the books and piles of notes atop the desk. His gaze moved to the floor which was equally covered in piles of books. Then he noticed a brightly colored piece of laminated paper recognizable as a hall pass caught under the wheels of the librarian’s desk chair.

“That’s not what she had to say,” Snyder revealed.

“What? Cordelia is in town?” Surprise sounded in his voice, but it only made Snyder more suspicious. As he leaned down to take the hall pass— which the librarian should not have— he added, “Several students saw her at the Bronze last night. She is apparently here to see you.”

Letting out a long sigh, Giles told the principle, “I received several crank calls last night which could be related. I’m thinking that someone’s bad prank has developed into a bad situation.”

With an indeterminate grunt, Snyder thought about the possibilities. There were quite a few bad apples he could think of that might be capable of pulling this off. If it was only a prank, he would track down the jokester and have the kid out on his ear. He’d just bypass suspension altogether and go straight for expulsion. Maybe there would even be more than one. Snyder was almost smiling at the thought as he bent down to pick up the hall pass.

Catching sight of soft blonde hair in the shadows under the desk, Snyder recognized the girl it was attached to. Then he was smiling with the grim knowledge that he had been right all along. There was add apple involved, just not how Rupert Giles had suggested. “

“Well, well, well,” Snyder sounded almost smug, “if it isn’t Miss Summers.”

“Buffy,” Giles gasped aloud having almost forgotten her presence due to the shock he had just received. Now he knew why she was so anxious to see him. No doubt she had gotten the news that Cordelia was back in town.

“That is an interesting position you’re in, Missy,” Snyder commented then looked up at Giles with disgust. “What is that you were saying about never touching students?”

“No, no! You have it all wrong,” Giles was turning red and looking guilty at the same time, which wasn’t helping his case.

Buffy crawled out from under the desk instantly taking on a defensive stance in front of her Watcher. “Giles would never do that. He’s a good man, not some letch that preys on high school girls.”

“Of course you’d deny it, Summers,” Synder pointed out. “If this is so innocent, tell me why you are under the desk.”

“…”

“Ha!”

Grabbing the laminated card from his hand, Buffy waved it in his face, “I had a hall pass. I was skipping class and then ran in here to hide from you.”

“Get back to class, Summers,” ordered Snyder not believing a word of it. “We will talk later. As for you, Mr. Giles, I think it’s time we took this discussion to my office.”

***

“I think Giles is in major trouble,” Buffy told Willow at lunchtime.

Willow sipped at her chocolate milk. “Why do you say that? Has the Council complained about his training techniques again?”

“No. It’s nothing to do with them,” Buffy pushed the food around on her plate having not taken a single bite. “Principle Snyder dragged him to his office this morning after some ridiculous accusations of sleeping with students.”

Willow choked on a bite of her food and managed to cough out, “What?!”

“Yeah. I’m one of them,” the Slayer wondered how she was going to get out of this one without her mother finding out. Though it was probable that her mom would believe her, if Snyder got hold of her first there was no telling what she would do.

“That’s stupid,” Willow set her milk carton down on the table. “I mean you do spend a lot of time alone with Giles, but he’s not the type to take advantage or anything. Who put that idea into Snyder’s head?”

“I have my suspicions,” Buffy grumbled. “Snyder kept mentioning Cordelia as the prime victim.”

“Cordy?” That came as a shock to Willow. Just going on rumors and innuendo, she’d have to believe that Giles and Buffy would be doing it long before Cordelia ever got into the picture. Not that she believed it. As Buffy’s Watcher, Giles had a uniquely special relationship with the Slayer and Willow knew that he was just not Cordelia’s type.

No, Willow knew exactly what type Cordelia Chase preferred and it was currently tall, dark, handsome and brooding.

“How did that rumor get started?” Willow asked tentatively. She wasn’t really certain that she wanted the blame placed in the direction it was likely to go.

“Cordelia is back in Sunnydale. Vamp Superbitch showed up at the Bronze last night not long after you left,” an angry flush crept over Buffy’s cheeks.

Willow gasped at the reference. “I know, but it’s not very nice to say that about Cordy.”

Buffy stared at her friend like she had suddenly grown two heads. “Cordelia murdered Xander and tried to kill me. Why the hell would I want to be nice to her?”

“You went after her, Buffy,” countered Willow as though it was obvious. “Besides, you told me that Cordy was only defending herself against Xander. That he had a crossbow. It was Xander’s fault that he got killed.”

Grabbing up Willow’s half-empty milk carton, Buffy asked, “What drug have you been drinking?”

“Chocolate?”

“Lay off the stuff,” suggested Buffy. “It’s giving me the wiggins hearing you talk about Queen Slut that way. You should have seen her last night with Angel.”

“I did see them.”

Buffy doubted they were talking about the same thing. There was no indication of a blush on Willow’s ivory skin. Even now, Buffy felt herself getting angry. Not only at the two vampires, but at herself for getting aroused by the sight.

“When was that?” Buffy had gotten out of the alley as soon as her brain freeze ended.

“Last night at the mansion.”

Sitting up straight, Buffy was agape at the news that Willow had gone over there without her. Then the implication hit. “Cordelia was at Angel’s house?”

Willow shrugged, “Where else would she be? I don’t think Community Property Laws apply to vampires, but it’s sort of her house too.”

“Is Angel trying to lose his soul?” From what she saw in the alley, Buffy figured Angel didn’t really care. If Cordelia was at the mansion, she doubted that it was to borrow the couch. “So why were you at my ex’s house?”

“Cordy asked me to help her set up her computer network,” Willow explained as she scoffed down the last of her lunch. The bell was about to ring and she had a test the next period.

Buffy let out a laugh. “Cordelia owns a computer? Do you think she remembers how to turn it on?”

“Oh, she won’t be using it,” Willow told her standing and picking up her tray. “Jude told me that was his job. He’s really smart, but networking apparently isn’t his thing.”

“Who’s Jude?”

Buffy was following Willow back to the tray disposal area of the cafeteria. “Hmm? Jude is one of Cordy’s minions. She has five— all hunks of course. Cordelia always had good taste in men. Well— vamps in this case.”

As her full lunch tray dropped to the ground covering her shoes in macaroni and cheese, Buffy stared at the redhead. “Cordelia has minions?”

The bell sounded ending the lunch period. Willow glanced down at Buffy’s shoes. “Sorry Buffy, but I have to run.”

“I’ll see you after school, okay?” Buffy bent down to pick up the spilled food. “We can talk to Giles about all this and see what Snyder told him.”

Willow shook her head. “Uh. I can’t.”

“This is Giles we’re talking about,” Buffy ignored the food and her shoes and stood up to face Willow who kept looking over her shoulder like she wanted to escape. “We can’t let Cordelia sweep into town and steal Angel or ruin Giles’ reputation without getting back at her.”

“...”

“Willow?”

“Test. Now. Going now.”

***

It was mid-afternoon when Cordelia opened her eyes. She was lying sideways on the couch half on top of Angel, both of them stretched out naked. After what must have been her fifth orgasm time last night they had fallen asleep in each other’s arms too exhausted to climb the stairs.

Angel was already awake and watching her, she sensed his attention directed upon her. Was he brooding about what happened or as delighted to have her back as she was to have him in her arms? It could go either way with that pesky soul in place. Why hadn’t the stupid curse kicked in? There was definite bliss going on if the look on that roguishly handsome face had anything to say about it.

Try and try again, an inward giggle sounded in her head. Oh, yeah. She could definitely handle that. Cordelia looked up to see a sparkle in his warm chocolate gaze that actually surprised her. She would have bet on the brooding. Her mate greeted her with a soft kiss on her forehead, “Hello, tigress.”

“Hello, my Angel,” Cordelia smiled taking a line from Dru’s book. That was how the other vampiress liked to refer to their sire. My Angel. It sounded right. Good thing Dru was a thousand miles away right now. Throwing her leg over his, Cordy curled her arm around his chest and lowered her face back into the comfortable crook of his shoulder.

“Are we going to get up anytime soon?” Angel asked her as he ran a hand along the arm that held him.

“No,” Cordy refused to be rushed away from this as she snuggled closer into his chest.

They lay together in silence for a while until Cordelia suddenly started to laugh. It started out with only a hint of a giggle and then rolled into an endless stream of amusement. She lifted her head again and Angel caught the megawatt grin that always jolted him from his solar plexus to his groin. Warily, he asked, “What’s so funny?”

“Something you said to me last night,” Cordelia leaned over to nibble on his earlobe.

“What were we doing when I said this?” His frown deepened. “Hopefully not having sex, because that would just be too much on my fragile ego.”

Snort! “You’ve never had a fragile ego, Angel. Alter-ego or otherwise. Besides, the way you make me cum— you’ve got nothing to worry about in that department.”

“Glad you admit it,” he smirked.

“Dumbass.” Swinging herself on top of Angel so that she was sitting back on his upper thighs with his stirring loins in front of her, Cordelia traced her fingers over his sculpted torso. Then she reminded him before they got sidetracked, “Back to the funny. We were arguing about Willow last night.”

Angel vaguely remembered the conversation. He was too busy thinking about the feel of Cordelia’s hands on him again and the direction those wandering fingers were taking. “I said something?”

“Uh huh.” Cordelia leaned her body down across his letting out a sigh at the sensation of her breasts pressing down against his hard chest. It combined with the upward thrust of his rapidly growing erection beneath the soft curve of her belly. “You told me my place was in your bed— with you. That neither one of us would be sleeping on this couch.”

“How was I to know the couch had such good possibilities?” Angel grinned back at her. “We’ll try out the bed later.”

***

“Mom!” Buffy called out after opening the studio door with more strength than it called for. The door banged loudly against the back panel shaking the shatterproof glass in the frame.

Startled by the noise and the sound of her daughter’s distressed voice, Joyce Summers held a hand to her chest and met the equally surprised faces of the two clients she was with. Offering them a smile of apology, she asked, “Would you excuse me for just a moment?”

The two looked rather irritated that their discussion had been interrupted, but did they really have a choice in the matter? The female rolled her eyes, “Teenagers.”

“Buffy, what is going on? School isn’t over for the day. Are you okay?” Joyce took hold of Buffy’s shoulders and gave her the once over. It was a little early in the day for Slayer problems. No signs of bruises or other nasty wounds.

“No, I’m not okay. I need to talk to someone,” Buffy’s eyes were pleading.

Joyce felt her throat tighten up. “You’re coming to me?”

A flash of guilt racked Buffy at the sound of her mother’s astonishment. So the two of them had never been much for sharing. In fact, Buffy had gone out of her way to keep secrets from her mother until she no longer had a choice in the matter. With both Giles and Willow not only out of the picture this afternoon, but part of the problem, her mom was the only one left to confide in. Telling her that she was the last option was so not the thing to do right now.

“Yeah, Mom. Do you have time?”

“I always have time for you, Buffy,” Joyce told her hoping that her daughter realized it was the truth.

Turning to her clients, Joyce told them that there was an emergency and she needed to close the studio for the rest of the afternoon. “If you come back tomorrow, I’m certain that I can evaluate the artifact then.”

The man gazed down at the box in his hands, “Maybe I should leave it here so you can look at it later tonight?”

“No,” Joyce told him. “The studio can’t take on that liability without signed documents and I’m afraid that I don’t have time for that at the moment. Please come back tomorrow. My partner is also going to be here then, so if I can’t help you he will be happy to do so.”

The clients exchanged a look that was missed by Joyce, but her daughter stared at them suspiciously. Her Slayer instincts were tingling. Then again, she had the wiggins all day long, so it could have been overkill. Meeting her gaze, the two made a quick exit out the front door.

“They were creepy,” Buffy commented glad they were gone.

Joyce sighed as she watched the two disappear out the door. “Just a couple of foreign art dealers— from Mexico, I think.”

“Have they been around before?”

“No,” Joyce told her. Refocusing her thoughts, she closed and locked the door flipping over the sign that indicated the studio was no longer open for business. Asking Buffy to tell her what was troubling her, Joyce took her back to the office.

“I-I don’t know where to start.”

Buffy let it all spill out in one long confusing sentence, “Cordy is back, Angel is all over her, Giles’ job is down the toilet, Willow is weird and now I’m gonna have to stake her minions.”

“Willow has minions?” Joyce asked catching on to the last thing Buffy had said. “What exactly are minions?”

Grmph! “Cordelia’s minions not Willow’s,” she clarified. “Cordelia is back in Sunnydale and brought her fledgling vampires with her. They’re the minions— her formerly human now undead followers.”

“Oh.” Joyce let that sink in a moment. Yes, she had forgotten for a moment that Cordelia Chase was now a vampire. There were just some things Joyce tried really hard to forget. “What does that have to do with Willow?”

“She can’t stop jabbering about Cordelia.”

That didn’t seem unusual. “Willow tends to jabber.”

“Not in a nice way about the evil vampire who killed her lifelong friend,” Buffy pointed out. “She’s going over to the mansion to help Cordelia with her computer thingy.”

Joyce was still somewhat confused about the whole Slayer/Vampire reality. “That seems odd, unless Cordelia has turned over a new leaf. Maybe she is like Angel and has a soul now.”

How long had Buffy spent trying to convince her mother that Angel was a good vampire even though he took her virginity and was evil for a time? Joyce knew that Angelus had been the one stalking Buffy and killing her friends. She had never liked the tall handsome man— vampire. Sometimes a mother’s instincts were on-target. Recently, after nearly a year, Angel had returned to Sunnydale with his soul intact and was back in Buffy’s good graces. That left knots in her stomach.

“No! Cordelia doesn’t have a soul,” Buffy assured her, “she’s just evil. And Angel won’t have one much longer if the bastard keeps it up.”

Literally, she added with a silent scowl.

Thinking back to what little information Buffy had explained to her at the time, Joyce knew that her daughter’s former boyfriend had become evil again once his soul left his body. He had killed Cordelia Chase and turned her into a vampire like himself. The pair left a bloody trail of victims across Sunnydale including one of Buffy’s teachers and Xander Harris. One night, Buffy had returned home both triumphant and somewhat sad while revealing that she had defeated the vampiress. Misery followed soon after when Angel disappeared from Buffy’s life. It was a subject that Buffy would not talk about and Joyce had decided to respect her daughter’s wish thinking that the vampire had left town.

Now both vampires were back in Sunnydale causing her daughter anguish. Joyce felt the anger rise up in her at the thought that Buffy had to be mixed up in this dark, dangerous underworld.

“So are you suggesting that Cordelia came back for Angel?”

“What?! No.” Buffy stopped suddenly. “How would she know he was back?”

Joyce looked startled. “You’re asking me? I know nothing about the creatures other than seeing Interview with a Vampire. Maybe they have some psychic mental connection or powers like Dracula.”

“Get real, Mom.” Buffy rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “This is just Sunnydale, not a movie theater. Dracula doesn’t exist and while Tom and Brad make very hot vampires, I haven’t seen much of their kind around these parts— except Angel.”

“It always comes back to him, doesn’t it?” Joyce covered her daughter’s hand giving it a gentle squeeze. First love was supposed to be sweet, tender and memorable not twisted and wrong and evil. She would never forgive Angel for that no matter that he had a soul.

“After all I’ve done to help him, Angel ran off last night with Cordelia. She had the nerve to come to the Bronze. Can you believe it?” Buffy looked incensed at the idea.

Joyce had no opinion on the vampiress appearing at the club, although she supposed that Buffy considered that her territory. She did have words to say about Angel, though Joyce figured she had better keep her opinion to herself on being thrilled at the idea that there was someone else to distract the vampire away from her daughter.

“Maybe Angel and Cordelia are supposed to be together,” Joyce dared to suggest. “They are both vampires, after all. When he didn’t have his soul, weren’t they together?”

“She is Angelus’ childe,” Buffy ground her teeth together. “His creation. His mate.”

Oh, that actually sounded promising. Joyce couldn’t find fault with that. “So Angel is just back with his— wife?”

“Vampires don’t marry,” Buffy pointed out. “They mate through blood rituals. They claim each other for as long as the dominant vampire wants to keep the relationship.”

“What happens when it’s over?” Joyce was suddenly curious. Her daughter learned so much about these creatures. Most of it was downright scary and straight out of a horror film, but her personal interest in ancient art and cultures found a few tidbits fascinating.

“One of the vamps— usually the female— is given to the lower ranking members of the clan, kicked out of the lair or staked.”

Joyce sat there with a strange look on her face. “And I thought divorcing your father was horrible, but that would be hell.”

Snorting, Buffy knew that her mother didn’t know half of it. “Vamp Cordy is evil and she deserves what she gets for her part in Xander’s death.”

“What about Angel’s part?”

“That was Angelus!” Buffy snapped then lowered her voice as she remembered it was her mom that she was yelling at. “Angel has a soul.”

“Humans with souls do evil things everyday,” Joyce pointed out.

“Not Angel.”

No, apparently Buffy thought he ran around town with wings and a halo. Joyce decided that it was time to ask her daughter, “What are you so concerned about, Buffy? That you will have to face Cordelia again and bring an end her existence for good? Or that Angel wants to be with his mate instead of you?”

Launching herself out of the chair, Buffy never noticed as it hit the floor behind her. The stinging sound of her mother’s words kept ringing in her ears. Without responding, Buffy ran out of the office and struggled with the locked door. Throwing it open, she dashed out into the street and kept running.

Back in the studio office, Joyce Summers let out a long sigh and then realized there was one subject they had not gotten around to discussing. What was it that Buffy had said about Rupert Giles? Something about his job being in jeopardy? While Mr. Giles was not particularly on her list of favorite people as he constantly kept pushing Buffy into danger, he did his best to keep her safe as well. Not to mention the fact that Buffy treated him like a father-figure in the absence of her own.

She was about to pick up the phone and call Mr. Giles when it rang beneath her hand. It gave her a start causing Joyce to lurch dangerously in her chair. “Haven’t I had enough torment today?”

Answering the telephone with the usual opening greeting for the studio, she added, “This is Joyce Summers. How may I help you?”

“Ah, Mrs. Summers,” the voice was instantly recognizable as the principle of Sunnydale High School.

“Mr. Snyder.” Her stomach clenched into knots in reaction to his voice.

“There is something we need to discuss right away concerning your daughter.”

It was probably the fact that Buffy had skipped out on her afternoon classes. Still, Joyce wasn’t going to give away the fact that she had seen her. Snyder would give his eyeteeth to catch Buffy in doing something wrong. Joyce tried to sound clueless, “Her history grades?”

“No.”

“Chemistry?”

“Not the kind of chemistry a teenager should be learning from one of her teachers, Mrs. Summers,” Snyder added with a sneer in his voice. “I think you should come down to the school right away. I know that it is still during your business hours, but this is important.”

“Actually, I have already closed up shop for the afternoon.” Joyce told him. “I’ll be at the school in about twenty minutes.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting.”

***

The door to the mansion opened to admit Willow who greeted the minion with a smile. Her voice was eager, “Hi! It’s me. I’m here to see Cordelia. She’s expecting me.”

“My mistress awaits you in the study,” the vampire waved her inside.

Racking her brain, Willow just couldn’t remember if this was Mel or Keanu. “Which one are you again?”

Dropping his formal tone, the vampire leaned in, “I’m Mel, tasty bit.”

Eep! Mel was looking at her like she was good for an afternoon snack. Suddenly, Jude appeared from the study and issued a warning to the other vamp. “Willow is not for you, Mel. Keep you hands and fangs to yourself.”

Scurrying over to Jude’s side, Willow added her agreement with a stern nod. “What he said. No snacking.”

Mel laughed and walked back into the living room where some of the other minions were watching television. Over his shoulder, he winked at Willow. “See you later, pet.”

“Jerk,” mumbled Willow as she followed along behind Jude.

“Best to stay away from Mel unless someone else is around,” Jude suggested. “Mistress Cordy hasn’t yet whipped the fight out of him. He occasionally tries to think for himself.”

Whipped? “Y-you mean that figuratively, right.”

Jude gave her a surprised look, but answered, “Riiight!”

The redhead suddenly forgot all about Mel as she hovered at the door of the large study. There were boxes and boxes of computer components— a hacker’s dream. She couldn’t wait to dig in and find out the details of the project.

Catching movement out of the corner of her right eye, Willow saw that Cordelia was in the corner with Angel and in the process of being rather thoroughly kissed. Her leg was high on his hip while the vampire’s hand was curled around her leather-garbed butt cheek. A soft gasp left her throat, almost too quiet to be heard by her own ears.

Then she changed her mind about what she was seeing. Maybe it was Angel who was being thoroughly kissed, because Cordelia certainly seemed to be playing an equally intense role. Willow found it hard to tear her eyes away even when Jude nudged at her arm. She looked up to see him lift a finger of silence to his lips and then nod toward the large L-shaped mahogany desk.

They were supposed to work— now?

Come in Willow. Come to me.

Jude tried to stop the girl from interrupting, but Willow ignored him and walked right up to Cordelia and Angel. Yanking on the vampire’s shirt sleeve, she commented dryly, “I wouldn’t barge in like this normally, but you vamps might not come up for air anytime soon since you don’t need to breathe.”

“Willow,” the sound of frustration in Angel’s voice was obvious as Cordelia returned her leg to the floor and stepped away. “I thought I told you to stay away.”

“Don’t be mean,” Cordelia poked him in the chest. “I invited Willow. I told you why she’s here.”

“You gave me one reason,” Angel lifted a dark brow telling his mate that he knew she was up to something. Willow and Cordelia had never been friends. This seemed like a strange time to strike up a relationship with a girl who now fit into the category of prey.

Looking down at the redhead, Cordelia sent her a bright smile. “Ignore him. He’s just being his usual growly self. Why don’t you start unpacking the boxes? Jude will help. I think my Angel need some more attention. Your little interruption left him as hard as steel.”

“Cordelia,” protested Angel as her hand came down to cup the bulge in his pants. Jerking her hand away might have been a mistake, because now Willow had a direct line of sight. Her green eyes darted up to his and Angel noted the faster pace of her heart and heavier breathing.

“It’s just Willow, silly vamp,” Cordy nibbled at his ear even as Angel tried to push her away. Her mouth brushed across his cheek. “Just a little longer. I need your kiss.”

Angel gave in deciding that it wasn’t any worse than a couple making out at a public park except that he knew someone was watching. Besides, she was so damn addictive. Like a drug in his system, she kept him wanting more. Willow was close, still hovering around at their side despite Cordelia’s suggestion to start unpacking the computers. The scent of her increasing arousal was mixing with the air and that simply seemed to make Cordelia all the more eager.

See something you like, pet?

“Yes,” Willow whispered her answer obediently.

Cordelia plastered kisses over Angel’s face and neck until he suddenly pulled her up to take her plush mouth with his own. Their kisses were earth-shattering and sensual and far sexier than anything Willow had ever seen. They were moaning against each other’s lips and it was all she could do not to echo the sound. Cordy’s lips were wide and soft as they smooched at his.

He’s mine.

In fact, the redhead realized that she didn’t have a problem with fact that for some reason. Willow’s finger crept up to her own mouth running its tip along the moist inner curve of her lower lip. “Okay.”

Somewhere in the back of his lust-filled mind, Angel recognized the fact that Willow was conversing with herself and not Jude who quietly leaned up against the desk. Yes. Okay. Was it a voyeur’s encouragement to watching him kiss Cordelia up close and personal? Yes. Okay. Then it suddenly clicked— he knew what was happening. Yes. Okay. They were responses to his mate’s mental cues.

Pushing Cordelia away from him so that she tumbled to the floor, Angel let out a growl. “What the hell are you playing at, Cordy?”

As she licked her kiss-swollen lips, Cordelia simply smiled. Her eyes swept over his body noting that he was still hard. “I know you want me.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” the vampire returned towering over her. Grabbing the still-hovering Willow by the arm, he yanked her close. She slapped at his hand, but he ignored it. “It’s Willow. I know what you were doing, Cordelia and it’s pissing me off.”

“She wasn’t doing anything except kissing you, stupid vamp,” Willow tried to force him to release her, but her arms was encased in his iron grip. The girl’s attitude was different than usual, noted Angel as she told him threateningly, “You shouldn’t touch me.”

“Why is that Willow?” Angel turned his dark gaze upon her.

Hush, pet.

Willow paused in thought as if she knew the answer, but couldn’t put it into words. “I-I— don’t think I can say.”

“Then get to work,” Angel suggested darkly, “while I take Cordelia upstairs and paddle some sense into her.”

Cordelia let Angel lift her to her feet. On the way out the door, she asked eagerly, “Are you really going to spank me?”

“No. You’d enjoy that.”

Pouting, Cordelia followed him up the stairs to their bedroom. “Then why are we here?”

“You’re going to tell me what you’ve got up your sleeve. Willow is an innocent despite all that she has seen at the Slayer’s side.” Angel warned her again that he would be her protector if necessary.

“What will you do, Angel?” Cordelia trounced over to the bed and sat down. “Stake me?”

Frankly, he didn’t know how he would react. He wasn’t a fool to think that Cordelia and her minions were suddenly going to take on a diet of pig’s blood. As long as they were here in Sunnydale, people were going to die. “Willow has seen enough death. I don’t want her to be the victim.”

“Victim? For helping me with my computers?”

“Enough of that bull! Give me a straight answer. I don’t know all your tricks, tigress, but I do know that your abilities include projecting your thoughts. Turning the will of another to your own.” Angel moved closer with a lethal gaze in his dark eyes. “If vampires are susceptible to your suggestion, I assume that humans are easy prey for enthrallment.”

Cordelia’s lips curled into a smile, the tip of her tongue peeking out from between her white teeth as her eyes flashed mischievously. “Willow has been part of my life since the sandbox at kindergarten. Is it so wrong to keep her around?”

“You were her nemesis, Cordelia,” reminded Angel. “She had every right to be jealous of you, especially when you allowed yourself to be claimed as Harris’ girlfriend.”

“Claimed? That’s an exaggeration. Xander didn’t get much past the kissing stage,” Cordy told him.

“I remember,” Angel recalled exactly how Cordelia had described it to him on the night that Angelus turned her. “The boy is lucky he lived as long as he did.”

Smirking at him, Cordelia relished the fact that his demon drew so near to the surface at times like these. “Xander never gave Willow any reason to think that he would want her. Not as a lover.”

“Not that you know of, Cordy.”

Oh. She hadn’t thought about it that way. “Willow will tell me if I ask her.”

“Then ask her. Don’t yank the information from her mind,” Angel doubted that she knew of the risks involved. “There are dangers for you as well as Willow if you keep up with this little game of yours.”

Pfft! Dangers? She had been perfecting her abilities for the last year. Nothing strange had happened. The only results seemed to be her growing financial status and the cherry red Corvette on the front driveway. “Such as what?”

“Your gift is rare, Cordelia,” he admitted. Now he knew the result of allowing a turning childe giving her that much blood, though it had to combine with something innate in her own being— some predisposition. She possessed something even more powerful than her sire. It was something he could not control unless he bent her to his will alone.

“I thought so,” she smirked.

“Rare, but it’s not unique,” Angel wiped her smile away. “I have seen the like over the past two and a half centuries. Continued contact with the vampire creates a dependence upon the part of the human. A need they cannot understand. It can lead to madness if it’s not managed right.”

“…”

Angel continued, “The vampire is also at risk to a lesser degree. It may start out as simple enthrallment. Forcing a human to answer to your wishes. Keeping them near— a pet.”

He’d noticed her shoulders stiffen. “Does that word bother you, Cordelia?”

Then Cordelia looked a little defiant. Angel wasn’t going to talk her out of her plans for Willow Rosenberg. Just imagine Buffy Summer’s face when Willow dumped her best friend for the sake of being near Cordelia instead.

“I’ve never had a pet. My parents wouldn’t allow it. Willow is smart and funny even if her sense of style needs a change, but that is right up my alley.”

“Dressing Willow might sound like fun,” Angel’s eyes narrowed slightly at the thought, “but it rarely stops with sharing thoughts. Soon it’s about sampling blood. Later comes something that I warned you I will not allow.”

Cordelia stood up abruptly which put her within inches of his hard body. “Thanks for the warning, sire. I’ll try to be a good girl, but just so you know— I’m keeping her.”

Taking hold of her waist, Angel knew that he could not stop her once her mind was made up. This was probably going to piss Buffy off more than he could imagine. “Just keep your minions away from Willow.”

“They know the score.”

***

Jude assisted Willow with the placement of the heavier computer parts though most were sleek and streamlined. It looked like Cordelia had bought the best. Or acquired the best.

After half an hour, Willow kept glancing at the door every couple of minutes before she asked the vampire, “When is Cordelia coming?”

He laughed with a sparkle in his eyes. “Mistress Cordy is probably cumming right now.”

Blushing, she clarified herself, “I meant arriving here.”

“I know that,” he told her he was just teasing. “Despite the soul, I think my sire is pleased with finding her mate again. It is certain that they find pleasure together.”

“Uh— well, I don’t need to know about that,” Willow muttered. “None of my business.”

Jude looked at her slyly. The little redhead was completely clueless. Mistress Cordy had warned them to be careful around Willow. The vampiress had informed them that Willow was smarter than most humans, could bulldoze you into bewilderment in ten seconds flat, and was not only a computer whiz, but a fledgling witch. While his brethren were curious as to the reason their sire did not simply turn the girl, it would be interesting to have her around.

“Cordelia would want you to feel at home, Willow,” he told her. “Everything that goes on here at the mansion is your business now. Do you want to know what I hear when I listen to this place?”

Since it seemed like she would not get to talk to Cordelia anytime soon, it was as good as anything for killing time. “Okay.”

Shifting in her seat, Willow thought it a little strange that a vampire was being so nice to her. Then again, Cordelia would not let her fledglings harm her. Jude told her so himself. She did feel a little curious about Angel and Cordelia, but that was only natural. It wasn’t her own curiosity that concerned her, but the flare of arousal that made her loins ache as Jude turned his attention toward the other parts of the mansion. His voice was deep and sensual as he described what he was hearing.

“The television is loud in the living room. My brethren are watching— uh, the Romance Channel.”

Willow snorted, turning redder. “I can hear that part myself. It’s not the Romance Channel.”

“Okay, so it’s cable porn. We haven’t gotten out much while planning this move,” Jude admitted with a laugh. Then he returned to his descriptions as Willow’s eyes became a dark circle of green in a sea of white. “I hear the slap of skin on skin, but it’s not coming from the television.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t be shocked, Willow,” warned Jude. “We are vampires. Things are different than in the human world. The other vamps will not hurt you, but they will certainly heckle you if you show any sign of fear at what you see here.”

“Angel—,” she started to say that Angel would not allow heckling, but knew he wouldn’t be around all of the time. Willow did not even realize what she was thinking. It was just a natural acceptance that she would be spending a lot of time here at the mansion.

“Mistress Cordy’s sire is powerful and dangerous. Though he is bound by the weakness of a soul, they rightfully fear him. Angelus is the master of the Order of Aurelius— that is our line of descent and to the extent that we do not betray our sire’s wishes, we must answer to him.”

Willow’s voice stuttered as she repeated the name he used. “A-Angelus?”

Waving his hand in the air, Jude brushed away the distinction. “Angel— if you are more comfortable with that. It’s the same thing. He is the same vampire. At least that is what he spent last night convincing my mistress to accept. That he is her sire and mate.”

“You eavesdrop a lot, don’t you, Jude?”

Amused at her expression, Jude shrugged. It made things more interesting. The others were content to sit in front of the glowing orb that was the television all day. Jude much preferred computers, but as they were not set up yet he kept himself otherwise occupied.

“Last night wasn’t my fault. I returned from walking you home only to find my mistress and her sire naked on the couch. At first, I watched to ensure that he was not hurting her, but it quickly became apparent that it was pleasure rather than pain.”

“I thought vampires liked pain,” Willow commented then clapped her mouth shut. So not the right direction to take this conversation. Not that she should even be having anything to do with this naughty talk with Jude. This wasn’t like talking about a movie where the actors had a love scene. It was people— vampires— that she knew.

“We do,” he grinned as he leaned over the desk, “under the right circumstances. Depends on who you’re with and if the purpose is pain alone or if it culminates into pleasure.”

“Oh.” More blushing followed and the vampire’s eyes wandered over her skin.

Distracting himself, Jude let out a sigh at the memory of seeing Cordelia and her sire together. It had been so easy to picture himself there with her rather than the master vampire. Not that it was going to happen since it was made extremely clear that Cordy was not going to let them touch her in a sexual way, though she did not seem to mind if they brought home a victim or two now and then.

“My mistress is so beautiful,” he had a far away look in his yellowing eyes that made Willow a little wary.

Still, she had to agree, “Yes.”

“As is Angelus,” Jude added without any sign of jealousy. He said it with equal interest as he did in describing his mistress. “They were quite mesmerizing together. I must have watched them for ten minutes before either of them realized I was there.”

Willow let out a little gasp, surprised that Jude wasn’t a huge pile of dust on the floor. Her imagination was filling in quite well for her lack of experience and she wondered exactly what the vampire had seen. Unfortunately, when she asked, “What happened?” He misunderstood her.

“Nothing,” Jude shrugged. “They preferred to be alone. So I returned to my room and took care of the— problem that had developed.”

“Problem?” Willow asked with her wide green eyes full of ingenuous ignorance even though she knew what he was referring to. She had the sudden urge to hear him say it. Gosh! How naughty was that?

“My mistress may be mad at me for corrupting you,” Jude moved back to sit upright on the edge of the desk as he ignored her question.

Silence filled the void as Jude sat in stillness and Willow fiddled with the computer. After five minutes, she asked, “What else do you hear?”

With his back to her, Jude smiled. “I hear the flutter of your heartbeat. The quickening of your breath. Upstairs, I hear water sloshing against the side of the bathtub. They are there together, my mistress and her sire.”

“Washing?”

“No.” The girl wasn’t that innocent. If so, she would have already run screaming from the mansion and he would have been left to explain the reason to his sire. “Perhaps that is a part of the reason they are there, but if Cordelia’s keening cries suggest anything to you I think something else is going on.”

Willow was squirming in her seat again, only this time it wasn’t from embarrassment. It was because her panties were sticking to her in a way that wasn’t quite comfortable and because moving around just a tiny bit helped ease the tension there. She let out a little moan as she pressed herself hard into the seat of her chair and rotated her hips against it.

It wasn’t as if Jude could see her. His back was turned. “I think it is time for you to leave, Willow.”

“But Cordy—,” Willow protested that once again she had gotten to spend just minutes with Cordelia when it was her invitation that brought her to the mansion in the first place.

“Our mistress is still with her sire,” Jude turned suddenly and placed his hands upon the desk. His eyes were pure gold as he stared at her from his vampiric face. There was anger in his voice and a sound that signaled he was reaching the limit of his control. “You need to learn to wait your turn, pet.”

“Jude?”

“Go home, Willow. Now, before you regret coming.” He looked like a beast on the edge. “You know vampires. It’s not just our hearing that is enhanced. I can scent your arousal, hear the shifting of your skin against your skirt and the slight squeak of the chair. See the blood flushing your skin.”

Jude stared down at her with lust in his eyes. He could practically taste her on his lips— the blood and sweet essence of her. What a scrumptious little treat Willow would make if only she wasn’t off limits. So much for warning her about Mel, he thought with a leer.

Staggering to her feet, Willow edged toward the door. “I-I think I’m going now. It’s still light outside.”

Jude called out to her as she reached the door and asked knowingly, “I’ll see you again tomorrow?”

Cordy would want her to be there. The network wasn’t finished yet. “Yeah. Tomorrow.”

***

“Where have you been?” Buffy demanded as Willow strolled up with a lost look on her face.

“I told you.” Willow shrugged, adding a sigh of frustration. “At the mansion.”

Grabbing her narrow wrist, Buffy ordered her, “Come here.”

Willow found herself dragged onto her own front porch as Buffy lifted her red hair away from her throat. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for bite marks.”

“Nobody has been biting me,” Willow pushed Buffy’s hand away. “Why would you even think that?”

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve been in a vampire lair for the past couple of hours.”

Protesting, “I was at Angel’s house.”

“Which had vampires in it.”

Willow shrugged, “Angel is a vampire. That only makes sense.”

“Does it make sense for you to be there?”

“I was working on the computers.”

“Huh. No doubt Cordelia gave you an earful about me while you were there. Bragging about stealing Angel away?” Buffy crossed her arms over her chest.

Tucking her hair behind her ears, Willow stalled for time. “Uh— no. Cordelia didn’t even mention you.”

That surprised Buffy who continued to question her, “And Angel? What did he say?”

“Your name didn’t come up, okay?” Willow heaved a sigh and grabbed for the doorknob. “I didn’t even get to see Cordy for more than a couple of minutes.”

“Oh?” Buffy’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “In the middle of the day? Where was she?”

“Busy.”

“Doing what? Filing her claws into sharp points? Flossing her fangs?”

“Geez! Stop pestering me.” Willow was getting rattled. “She was with Angel. What do you think she was doing?”

Willow didn’t bother to wait for Buffy’s answer. She let herself into her house and shut the door behind her.

***

“Eternity looks beautiful on you, my dear,” Richard Wilkins held out both hands to Cordelia in greeting. “Welcome to my home. Please come in.”

“Tell me that in a hundred years or so,” Cordy laughed. She had dressed more demurely tonight since the mayoral candidate disapproved of showing too much skin.

“Should I invite your friends in?” He looked over the three muscular guys wearing suits and ties.

Glancing back at Mel, Brad and Tom, she flashed them a smile. “No, I think not. Better that they remain outside and keep an eye out.”

They chatted for a while catching up on things since they last met in Los Angeles. Then the discussion finally turned to business. “Things are going quite according to my plan,” Wilkins told her with a satisfied smile. “Your help in my election campaign will be very valuable. Between my natural charm and your— persuasive skills, the voters will have me in office by a landslide.”

Cordelia rolled her eyes as if her part was miniscule. “Richard, I told you that Sunnydale could be yours. The Hellmouth is exactly what you needed.”

“My Ascension will follow soon after the election. There are still a few pieces that need to fall into place.”

“For me as well,” Cordy nodded. “Although things seem to be running smoothly for the moment if my sire doesn’t dig too deep.”

“Ah! Mr. Trick explained that Angelus has returned.”

“Yes,” she did not bother to correct him on the name. Cordelia figured that he didn’t need to know the fearsome Scourge of Europe was bogged down by a soul. Let Trick tell him if he was that interested.

“Does he know of your plans?”

“Not all of them and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Raising an eyebrow, Wilkins gave her a little lecture on keeping secrets from one’s lover. “That never ends well, my dear.”

“He’ll know soon enough,” Cordelia responded with a curl of her lips. If he doesn’t dust me for it afterward, things will be just fine.

“Are you certain you won’t change your mind about remaining in Sunnydale after the Ascension?” He was offering her more power in the demonic rule that would follow. “I can set you up with a little something.”

Cordelia had no interest in his offer or in Sunnydale for that matter. No, he could have the town. She would hand it to him on a platter and let him lord over the Hellmouth if that is what he desired. “Thanks, but no. As long as my own interests remain safe and secure while this goes down, Sunnydale is yours.”

Part 9

 “I’d say give me good news,” Cordelia began as she looked at the human ‘art dealers’ in her employ, “but I see that you still have the artifact. What happened? And you’d better have a damn good explanation.”

Fear emanated from the couple, the scent of it exciting her demon. The vampiress had found them in Mexico on her way back to California and had taken an interest in their business. Cordelia paid them to deliver a package to Joyce Summers and convince her that they were simply dealing ancient art. It was something that the Slayer’s mother had an interest in for her studio and something she would not likely turn down. Especially for the asking price.

“Cough it up!” Cordelia demanded of Julio and Yolanda Guevara. “What happened?”

The man wiped sweat off of his brow with a handkerchief. “Senorita Chase, during our early negotiations we were interrupted by the target’s daughter. The blonde you told us to avoid. She was there.”

“In the middle of the day?” Cordelia asked knowing that Buffy should have been at school. Then again— Buffy skipping class? No big. Nothing new. “She scared you away?”

“There was an emergency,” Yolanda Guevara explained. “Señora Summers insisted that we leave so she could speak to the girl.”

Cordelia was irritated at this delay. “So you’ll try again tomorrow.”

“We cannot, Senorita Chase,” Yolanda nibbled nervously on her lower lip as she thought about the large sum of American dollars they would have to return. “We have already been trying, but she is not at her studio. Only her partner.”

“So? Just find the woman and give her the fucking thingamabob,” the vampiress ordered.

Julio tried not to react to the unexpected use of foul language. He wondered what would happen when they told their beautiful employer that today was the last day the magick would be in effect. It would not be pleasant, he guessed. For someone so young, she carried an aura of power about her like an almost palpable presence hidden beneath the surface.

“The artifact’s magick has been active since we first approached Señora Summers. If she does not take possession and lay hands upon it before midnight tonight, the spell will not be binding.”

Pacing back and forth, Cordelia whirled around to face them. She looked perfectly calm. “I have a solution.”

“Oh?”

There was nothing she hated worse than poor service. These two had not provided the results they promised. Taking the box out of his hands, Cordelia sent out a simultaneous mental shout to her minions. Within seconds, five vampires appeared from a connecting room in full game face.

Dealing in the world of mystic curiosities, Julio and Yolanda had naturally heard of such creatures actually existing, but had never been faced with the reality. Reverting back to his native tongue, Julio was begging forgiveness and pleading to God for help.

“Aaiiieee!” Yolanda simply screamed and then fainted.

“Guys,” Cordelia ordered her minions. “Rip their throats out. Looks like I’ll have to take care of this myself.”

***

Angel leaned up against a tree as he watched Buffy Summers work her way through three rowdy vampires. He could see anger and frustration built up in her usually smooth moves and her quips were darker than usual. It was the first time he had seen her in several days, basically because he had spent nearly all of that time reacquainting himself with every millimeter of skin on Cordelia’s luscious body.

When the last vamp was dust, Angel stepped out of the shadows and headed slowly in the Slayer’s direction. Buffy reacted instinctively by whipping around to face him, stake raised in an attack pose. Her eyes darted to his face and a look of recognition appeared, but the pose did not relax as he expected it too.

“A-Angel?” There was a quiver in her voice as his name escaped her lips and suddenly the vampire realized what was on her mind. He hadn’t seen her since the Bronze. Not since he ran after Cordelia upon seeing her dancing there. Buffy’s instincts were sharp and he knew that she would have guessed why he’d been out of pocket the past few days. After their single experience with sex resulted in the arrival of Angelus, she had to be a bit worried.

“It’s me, Buffy,” he commented keeping his hands in his pockets in a non-threatening way. “I’m not evil.”

“Maybe not, but you’re certainly trying your best,” Buffy lowered the stake and stepped close. “Why *aren’t* you evil by now? Your vamp girlfriend has probably been taking every chance she gets to strip your soul away.”

“Buff—,” Angel began only to be cut off.

The Slayer glared at him. “Don’t call me that. Angelus called me that— and don’t bother with the ‘I am Angelus’ speech. I’ve heard it.”

Maybe it was safer to change the subject. Angel was still confused about the fact that he could make love to Cordelia without any repercussions for his soul. There were times that he tried to caution her, but Angel simply couldn’t resist the temptation of his mate. Want and need were too strong to deny.

There was a pause as he lost himself in thought. Finally, Buffy broke the silence, “Aren’t you going to say something? Tell me you haven’t been with Cordelia? Lie to me?”

“I’d never lie to you, Buffy. Even as Angelus, I never lied to you,” he pointed out. No, his soulless self preferred to tell it like it is. Though it was probably going to hurt her to say it, Angel had to remind her, “Cordelia is my mate. That may have something to do with the fact that nothing has happened. We’ve been— safe.”

“Pardon me if I don’t wanna get into the details of your *safe sex* routine,” Buffy’s jaw tightened. God, she was so jealous! The feeling flared up in her chest like a burst of flame until her whole body was burning with it. “She’s evil. The kind of vampire that you help me dust on patrol.”

Muttering, she added, “Used to help me.”

Angel heard the words. “Cordy is my family. She’s my blood and I am hers. That doesn’t change.”

“In the past, Spike and Drusilla tried to kill you,” she pointed out. “They are your blood too. Darla was your blood— your sire— and you staked her.”

“It’s different. There were reasons.”

Buffy just rolled her eyes in response. It sounded like an excuse to her. “Yeah. Reasons.”

Trying a different approach, Angel asked her, “If your mother was turned, would you be so quick to stake someone you loved?”

Loved? The word on his lips shocked Angel leaving him to wonder if he really said that in reference to Cordelia. Did he mean it? Buffy did not seem to pick up on it. She was too focused on her own thoughts.

Now she had him, Buffy glared almost triumphantly as she pointed out, “I put a sword through *your* chest and sent you to hell, didn’t I?”

Subconsciously rubbing his chest, Angel conceded, “You’ve always done what you had to do, Buffy.”

“Just don’t forget it.”

Realizing what she was threatening, the vampire’s eyes turned dark amber. “Stay away from Cordelia.”

“I can’t make that promise, Angel,” Buffy told him. “Not with everything that is going on right now. I know she’s behind it.”

“What are you talking about?”

Ever observant Angel, the vampire who once seemed to know everything that went on in the demon world now claimed ignorance? “Ask your mate.”

“Buffy, I’m asking you.”

“Weird stuff is happening.”

Angel demanded more details. “Don’t accuse Cordy of wrongdoing unless you’ve got some evidence to back it up. What is going on?”

She told him about Giles. “Principle Snyder suspended him indefinitely. I have no access to my Watcher during school hours and can’t sneak over to his house because his nosy neighbors are keeping an eye on him.”

“No one who really knows Rupert Giles would accuse him of that,” Angel pointed out. “I can see how rumors might get started, but what does Cordelia have to do with it?”

“She was the one he was supposed to be having the affair with.”

“Not to mention you and Willow,” some part of Angel found it funny. He supposed that was his demon coming out for a laugh at Buffy’s expense. Even so, Giles was certainly innocent of the accusations.

Buffy let out a laugh of bitter irony. “It’s so stupid.”

“The truth will come out,” Angel assured her. “I’ll ask Cordelia to clear thing up with your principle. That and your own word should be good enough to fix this.”

“You forget this is Commandant Snyder we’re talking about,” Buffy tucked her stake away. “My word is nothing to him. As for Cordy— I’ll believe it when I see it, Angel.”

All Angel could do was try. Cordelia was so strong-willed that sometimes it seemed as though she was in charge. He conceded that his determination to have nothing to do with her minions left his mate to run the works. The only time he stepped in— or needed to— was when the boys got rowdy. The only time they ever stepped out of line was if their mistress was not around.

“I understand,” Angel acknowledged her cynicism. Turning to go, he added a parting, “Goodnight.”

Holding out her hand to stop him, Buffy pleaded, “Don’t leave. Not so soon. I-I wanted to ask you about Willow.”

Angel knew this would come up. He had hoped to forestall the questioning, but now it was too late. This was the main reason the vampire knew that Cordelia would only act on Giles’ behalf if it was in her interests. Willow’s case had already proven that she could and would defy him. Cordelia had refused to end her mental manipulation of the little redhead declaring that she wasn’t really harming the girl. Though it might already be past the point of no return. Their bonds were mental rather than physical and Angel’s warning in that regard had fallen on deaf ears.

Short of physically overpowering Cordelia and torturing her until she agreed to obey him, there was little he could do to change her mind. They both knew it would never happen. The only thing Cordy responded to was sex, which he would not allow to become an arguing point between them. Angel realized that his soul sometimes put him at a distinct disadvantage in dealing with his mate.

All Angel could do was point out the bare minimum of the truth. “Willow is happy and healthy.”

Buffy frowned while acknowledging to herself that she believed Angel when he claimed that he wouldn’t lie to her. “So— she’s not vamp bait or hanging around as an afternoon snack?”

That pissed him off. “I’d never let that happen.”

“This is so weird. I feel like I’m losing my best friend,” Buffy admitted. Her eyes were a little shiny and damp. “One day we’re hanging out every minute she’s not studying. The next I’m a pariah.”

“People change.”

“Not Willow.”

Buffy would be surprised at how much the girl had changed. He was surprised that it was not a noticeable difference. Unless that was the weirdness that Buffy mentioned. “People always change. Even when those around them least expect it. You may have to accept the fact that Willow has interests in other things.”

“Other things!” Buffy ranted, “Like befriending vampire minions named Jude and evil bitches who dress to kill— literally?”

A low growl rumbled from his chest making the Slayer realize she was pushing Angel’s buttons about Cordy. She was so a bitch. That was the one thing the two girls ever really agreed upon.

“So what you’re saying is that Willow is really there because she wants to be? Or is it that Cordelia is putting some kind of Vulcan mind-meld thing on her?”

“Uh— yes.”

“I was being sarcastic.” Which question had Angel actually answered? Buffy tried again. “Let me guess, Cordy is trying to imitate big bad Dracula.”

Looking confused, Angel told her, “Cordelia has never met Dracula to my knowledge, so she is certainly not imitating him.”

Buffy stood frozen for a second. She couldn’t believe this. Just one more weird thing to add to her list. Angel had actually made a joke.

Okay, so the mind-meld thing was a dumb idea anyway. Playing along, “Dracula’s real. Riiiight!”

She didn’t believe him? Angel decided to drop the issue fast.

“I will watch over Willow,” he assured her. “Nothing will happen that she doesn’t want. I won’t let it. So far there has just been computer work and shopping with Cordelia.”

“See— that’s just against the laws of nature.”

“Just keep your eyes open, Buffy,” he told her. “I’ll lend a hand when needed.”

Huh.

“Lend a hand? Cordelia keeps you— busy. You’re watching out for Willow and fending off minions. Then you say you’ll lend a hand to help me?” Buffy scoffed, “Looks like your hands are already kinda full, Angel.”

***

Cordelia pressed a manicured finger against the doorbell. The Slayer was still out on patrol, but the lights were on in the house suggesting that Joyce Summers was home. After a couple of minutes, the door opened and Buffy’s mother stood agape at the sight of her standing there.

“Hello, Mrs. Summers,” Cordy flashed a grin.

Collecting herself, Joyce gripped the doorknob a little tighter. She reminded herself that no vampire could enter her house without an invitation. It was so difficult to believe that Cordelia Chase was a vampire. Then again, the last time Joyce had seen her was sitting dead in her Corvette out front.

“Why are you here?” Proud of herself for asking calmly, Joyce gave herself kudos for not slamming the door in the vampiress’ face.

“Just paying a friendly visit.”

Joyce sometimes walked through life with blinders on, but she wasn’t stupid. “I highly doubt that, Cordelia. My daughter isn’t home.”

“Oh, but I’m here to see you,” Cordy laughed.

Invite me in.

“Okay.”

“Uh— I need you to say it.”

“Okay. Come in, Cordelia.” Stepping back, Joyce invited her into the house.

Cordelia immediately convinced Joyce that she needed to take the artifact. Keep that in your room tonight. No need to mention it to Buffy.

“I won’t tell Buffy,” Joyce repeated. Then she realized she was being a poor hostess. “Can I get you anything from the kitchen?”

An idea came to mind that Cordelia just could not resist. “What a great suggestion, Mrs. Summers.”

Bring me a big knife.

Joyce returned with a large chef’s knife. “Is this big enough?”

“I think it will do,” Cordelia assessed the seven-inch blade. “Mind if I stop in Buffy’s room for a minute?”

“Why?”

Don’t ask.

“Oh, go right ahead, dear,” Joyce reminded her which way to go. “I’ll just wait here until you get back.”

Each person reacted a little differently to her mental powers, but Cordelia didn’t care as long as they obeyed her wishes. Opening the door to the Slayer’s room, Cordelia walked toward the bed, eyeing the pillow. She planned to leave the knife stuck to Buffy’s bed. It would freak Buffy out, especially when her mother would remember nothing of the entire incident.

Cordelia was about to thrust the knife into the pillow when she pulled back. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something better. Oh, yeah! Buffy would go insane over this one. Grabbing the soft pink object, Cordelia racked her brain for the creature’s name.

“The jig is up, piggy. No more Slayer snuggles for you. Die, Mr. Gordo. Die.” Giggling, Cordelia thrust the knife deep into the stuffed animal so that it hung suspended from the wall over the headboard of Buffy’s bed. Geez! That was fun.

Downstairs again, Cordelia told Joyce Summers that she was leaving. The reaction was one of sadness. “So soon?”

“I figured I’d better leave before I decided to forget my plan and just kill you instead,” the vampiress told her.

Before Joyce could sputter an answer, Cordelia sent her a mental command to forget that she was ever there. Not that the Slayer wouldn’t figure it out when she saw her surprise.

“Good night, dear,” Joyce waved. “Come back anytime.”

“I might just do that.”

***

Willow whined as she completed her computer networking project. She had tweaked and perfected it until she couldn’t stall anymore. It was finished. Would Cordelia send her away now? It was a question she had asked before. Several times actually. Cordy assured her that would not be the case, but she was still worried.

“What is it, Willow?” Angel asked from his position in one of the comfortable chairs. He had been reading while the redhead worked on the computer. With Cordy out and some of the minions hanging out at the mansion, he decided to stick around as long as Willow was there.

“Where is Cordy?”

“Hunting,” Angel told her. If Willow was going to be part of this family— even in the status of a vampire pet— she needed to be aware of the reality of it.

Willow rose from the chair and stood staring out of the study doorway like she had lost something and was trying to find it. Just one more sign, as far as Angel was concerned that Cordelia’s little mind trip was taking this too far. The redhead seemed to spend time actually pining for the vampiress when she wasn’t around.

With a deep sign, Willow turned around and walked over to stand next to Angel’s wing-backed chair. “Do you miss hunting? Probably, huh? You are a vampire even if you are just— Angel. Drinking pig’s blood— eew! I can imagine that the taste and consistency are nothing like the real thing.”

“You imagine correctly,” Angel commented hoping that she would drop the subject, even while noting that she was even starting to sound like Cordelia at times.

“Is it hard living around humans without biting them?” The questions just kept popping into her head. Angel had never really been one to give out the personal details and Willow’s curiosity just couldn’t wait.

Angel closed the book he had been trying to read. “Yes, Willow. It can be very difficult to curtail what is basically an instinctive urge. I have had a hundred years of practice at controlling those instincts, not that I have always been successful.”

“Oh.” Then Willow asked, “So a vampire with less practice, say one almost a year old, might have a harder time not biting?”

It was obvious that she was talking about Cordelia. Every conversation seemed to turn back to the subject of his mate. This enthrallment was getting a little annoying. “Cordy has more strength at controlling her need for blood than other vampires because she is a childe rather than a mere minion. Why do you ask?”

Willow’s gaze darted away from his as she stared in the vicinity of the floor. Mumbling something incomprehensible even to the vampire, she fell silent. It was too much to hope that she had decided to forget this line of questions. Angel did not bother to reopen his book. He had the gut feeling something was bothering her.

“Is that why Cordelia hasn’t bitten me?” Willow’s eyes carried confusion and hurt as she lifted her gaze back to his.

“Why would Cordy bite you?” Angel asked her curious to see where she was taking this.

Sharply, Willow told him. “I’m not stupid. Everyone around here except you calls me pet. I know what it means. Do you have any idea how much research I have done on vampires?”

“Quite a lot,” guessed Angel knowingly. “So you’ve figured out that Cordelia considers you to be her pet.”

“I can’t be! There’s been no biting.”

Rising to his feet, Angel tossed the book down on the seat cushion, “You sound upset.”

As her features tightened with anger, Willow’s mouth drew into a tight bow and her pert nose scrunched a bit. “Upset? Upset! How would you like to be someone’s pet and never get touched?”

Then Willow gasped realizing what she had said and clapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide pools of green on an ocean of white. Angel barely reacted, as if her words were not as shocking to them as they were to her own ears.

Following a long pause, Angel sought some clarification. “Are you saying that you want to be touched? Want to be bitten by Cordelia?”

“I-I can do without the biting if she can,” gulped Willow as she lowered her hand from her mouth.

Angel grabbed Willow and thrust her down into the chair uncaring that she was now sitting on top of one of his first editions. “You’ll do without more than that,” he told her leaning down to grasp the arms of the chair and bringing his face closer to hers. “I don’t think Cordelia understands that the connection she created is stronger than she intended.”

”Connection?”

“Oh, yes— pet,” Angel made a point of using the term. “She has you enthralled, Willow. You’re here solely because she wants you to be.”

After a pause, Willow realized that while she understood the fact that Cordy manipulated her into being here, the need to stay was too overpowering. Nothing was going to make her leave short of Cordelia sending her away.

“Okay.”

“Is that what you would normally do? Abandon Buffy for Cordelia?”

Thinking about it, Willow had to admit, “No.”

“So why are you still here?”

Willow shrugged. “Because— uh?”

Interrupting what was certain to be a confused answer, Angel asked her, “Did you always lust after Cordelia this way?”

“Lust?” Willow looked horrified. “I do not!”

“Little liar. Why do you think you’re reacting this way? You’re whole body is humming at the idea of being touched. I don’t even think you’d know what to do, Willow.”

Nibbling nervously at her lower lip, Willow dared to ask, “Would she?”

Angel let out a dark laugh. “After living with Spike and Dru for several months, I have to guess that she probably does.”

“Oh!” Well that was a picture that Willow wanted to erase from her mind.

“It doesn’t matter,” Angel told her. “That makes no difference to you. Cordelia is mine, Willow. Anyone who wants her has to go through me first.”

The light that came over her face suggested Willow had taken that as an offer rather than a threat, so Angel vamped out and glared down at her, “No one touches what’s mine.”

Pressing herself back into the cushions of the chair, Willow let out a gulp and asked him in a shaky tone, “If I’m Cordy’s pet that makes it her decision. What if she wants—?”

Angel abruptly straightened pulling Willow up with him. “I am her sire. So technically, that makes you *mine* too.” He brushed his thumb along the pulse of her throat. “Do you want to be bitten? I could claim first rights.”

“No!” Willow struggled powerlessly to get out of his grasp. “I don’t want that.”

“Then keep it in mind next time you go sniffing after my mate,” Angel growled. Maybe he could scare some sense into her. “When it comes to Cordelia you can look all you want, Willow, but if I find out you are volunteering yourself rather than being controlled you’ll be out on your ass faster than a snowball melts in hell.”

“I guess you’d know about that,” Willow muttered unhappily.

***

Three weeks later.

“Peaches!” Spike called out upon entering the foyer of the mansion. His voice echoed in the stillness. Though there were lights on, it seemed quiet. “I know you’re in here mate.”

Drusilla released her hold on Spike’s arm and glided further inside, the skirt of her long crimson dress brushing the hardwood floor. A huge dog walked beside her sniffing the air and scenting the familiar and unfamiliar. He added a gruff woof to Spike’s bellowing, but Dru waited patiently knowing her sire detected their arrival.

Then Angel appeared on the landing above stairs dressed in a blue shirt and black leather pants, looking different and yet the same. It did not matter, Drusilla told herself. The stars had given her a sign that her sire had returned from the hell to which the Slayer had sent him. As he approached them coming down the stairs at a steady if not enthusiastic pace, Dru wasn’t so restrained.

“My Angel!” She threw her arms around her sire burying her head against his chest. “I thought the Slayer sent you away forever.”

“We thought you were dead for good,” Spike commented. “So tell me, Peaches. Who are you today? The vampire who nearly fucked up the world or the souled poof who can’t get enough of saving it? I gotta tell you— seeing you in that leather is confusing.”

Angel’s arms were still around Dru in a comforting hug as he responded, “If I didn’t have the soul, Spike, you’d already be dust for your part in helping the Slayer defeat me. That is one betrayal Angelus would not likely forgive and forget. As for what I think now— I’m glad you stopped me.”

“The poof is back,” Spike groaned. Then he had to admit, “Damn, but I’m almost happier to see you than that insanely obsessive bastard. Angelus may know how to party, but at least you don’t go around trying to suck the world into hell vamps and all.”

When Drusilla finally stopped clinging quite so closely, she pulled back and asked about Cordelia. “Her scent is here. Where is my sister?”

“Out.”

Spike finally noticed it too. “So Cordelia found you. Was that before or after she put the big hurt on the Slayer for nearly killing her and ending your pitiful life?”

“I saw her the first night,” Angel told him. “It was a surprise to both of us. As for Buffy, no one has laid a finger on her and it’s going to stay that way.”

Raising an eyebrow, Spike got the feeling that his grandsire knew crap about Cordelia’s revenge game. Not that he knew a whole lot himself, but there was no way the beautiful vampiress was going to let Buffy Summers get away with what she had done.

Angel felt something rubbing against one of his hands. It was the dog, a huge black-furred monster of a creature with large guileless eyes. “Puppy?”

The dog plopped his back end down to the floor and stared upward at the vampire. Woof!

“Not so much of a puppy anymore,” Spike pointed out. The name hardly suited the mutt he had given to Dru as a Valentine’s Day present. He thought she would consider it a nice snack, but no— his sire kept it. Now it was this gigantic vampire hound who obeyed her every whim and made his own life the occasional hell.

Drusilla bent down to ruffle the dog’s fur. “Puppy likes you, Angel. Even with the nasty soul.”

“Probably because of it,” Angel pointed out. The puppy had been scared of Angelus and only the fact that it was a low priority probably prevented him from snapping the puppy’s neck.

Spike’s attention turned to the front door. “What the hell is that noise?”

Listening, Angel told him wryly, “That would be my darling Cordelia and her crew of misfits and minions.”

“Cordelia has minions?” Dru clapped her hands together in delight.

Angel noted sourly, “Five of them.”

There was a squeal outside as Cordelia recognized the black DeSoto, followed by the fast approach of clacking heels. “You’re here. You’re both here!”

Spike was the closest to the door and Cordelia ran directly into his arms. “What took you so long to come home?”

The blond vampire didn’t bother answering. Taking her by the waist, Spike pulled Cordy close covering her mouth with his. Far from being a simple greeting, the kiss was full of passion. Angel noticed that Cordelia looked like she was actually enjoying Spike’s mouth on hers. She was enthusiastically pressing herself into the kiss. At one point it looked like she was going to swallow his tongue.

Beside Angel, Drusilla watched her childe with equal scrutiny. Her arms crossed over her chest and her long red nails tapped against her pale ivory skin. Sharing a look of irritation with her sire, Dru took hold of Spike’s arm just as Angel latched onto Cordelia’s. Pulling their childer apart, each told the other’s childe, “Don’t touch what’s mine.”

Then Dru added with a curling smile and a naughty wink, “Not without me getting my share.”

Angel was still glaring at Spike as the dark vampiress tagged on the line. Maybe Drusilla and Spike had done more than protect Cordelia during the time following Acathla, but that did not mean he was going to allow it to continue now. Nor was he about to dig up parts of their relationships that belonged to the past.

Noting his jealousy, Cordelia turned into his arms and kissed the corner of his mouth. “I love that you want me to yourself, my Angel, but it’s just the family. Aren’t you as happy to see them as I am? Dru and Spike are back. Now we’ll really have some fun.”

“Depends on the fun you have in mind,” commented Angel as his fingers touched her cheek.

A low growl sounded that startled Cordelia. Glancing down at Angel’s side was the largest dog she had ever seen, but despite the changes that came along with its growth spurt, Puppy was still recognizable. “What are you— part horse? Geez, Spike! Couldn’t you just get Dru a lap dog— like a little Toy Poodle or a Chihuahua— instead of this monstrosity?”

“Wasn’t thinking he’d live to be a dog,” Spike admitted with a shrug.

Puppy sent another low growl in Cordelia’s direction. “Rude, much? This is why dogs aren’t my thing.”

Signaling to her minions, Cordelia instructed them to lay out her shopping bags in the living room so she could show Dru what she had purchased. While they followed her instructions, Cordy made introductions. Spike was not overly impressed with the five minions and felt a flash of jealousy as Dru wandered around them inspecting the guys from head to toe and front to back.

Then Dru and Cordelia were giggling and chatting over clothes and men, talking about having a girl’s night out for the first hunt after their reunion and all that. So Spike turned his attention back to his grandsire and Puppy surprised to find them with someone he recognized.

What the hell was *she* doing here? Spike took a moment to look at Willow Rosenberg in much the same manner as Dru had been eyeing the minions. Who knew the little witch could look so tasty? Cordelia had obviously been fixing her up a bit.

“Hello, Red,” Spike greeted her with a leer. “Looks like there’s a new pet it the family. I think Puppy may be jealous.”

The dog was actually quite happily situated between the petite human and the vampire with a soul. Willow scratched behind the dog’s ears until its mouth hung open with sheer contentment. She simply glared up at Spike as he approached.

“Miss me?”

Drawing a deep breath, Willow told him, “Yeah! Like a plague of locusts. I really missed you trying to kill me.”

Spike smelled no fear on the girl. She did not blink or attempt to cower from his close presence. That might have something to do with Angel standing next to her, but the girl seemed to be genuinely unafraid of him. She was confident of her protected status here in the mansion.

“See you’ve grown a little backbone, Red,” Spike let out a laugh. Eyeing Angel, he sent him a glance to indicate he was only playing. No use coming home only to have your head ripped from your shoulders. His grandsire was close-mouthed, but clearly watchful. “So who do you belong too, luv? Angel or Cordelia? Both of them?”

Flashing him a defiant look, Willow actually stepped toward him. “I belong to me.”

“Right,” Spike seriously doubted that. He knew that it was Cordelia’s influence. Peaches wouldn’t have the balls to keep a pet— especially this one. Not having both Cordelia and the Slayer around. Cupping her jaw, Spike turned her head from side to side noting that her ivory skin was completely smooth.

“No marks, pet?”

“Shut up, Spike!” That was still a bone of contention with Willow. After a month, Cordy had not even tried to bite her.

“Not even a nibble?” Spike went on though he dropped his hand to his side. “Poor little Red. Keeps you on a tight leash, does she?”

Angel issued a warning, “Watch it.”

Both Spike and Willow ignored him. The blond vamp was too amused and Willow too angry to stop now. “I don’t have to take this from you, Bleach Brain. Cordelia is my best friend.”

Red was using one of Cordy’s nicknames for him and she still claimed that the vampiress was not influencing her? “Best friend? I thought that was the Slayer.”

“Pfft! Buffy? Buffy who?” Willow stood with her hands on her hips. “That girl is going nutso. All she does is call me at all hours when I’m at home. Never talks about anything I want to talk about. Blah, blah, blah. Cordy is way more fun.”

It was as if Cordelia’s words were coming straight out of Willow Rosenberg’s mouth and her hatred of the Slayer was showing. Spike was stunned. He knew exactly how this was happening, but he was amazed that Angel let this go on. The vampire appeared grim after Willow’s little rant, but remained stoically silent.

“You actually allow this?”

Angel shrugged.

This was obviously part of Cordy’s scheme, but he found it interesting that she hadn’t claimed her little pet. All that smooth skin— what a waste. When Cordelia and Drusilla suddenly emerged from the other room it was to find Spike slowly weaving his fingers through Willow’s straight red hair, absently petting her.

“What the hell are you doing, Spike?” Demanding an explanation, Cordelia stalked up to him.

Realizing what he was doing, Spike grinned sheepishly, “Touching what’s yours. Got a problem with that?”

“Only if Willow has a problem,” Cordelia stood back and waited for the girl’s response.

Back in the limelight of her mis— of Cordy’s attention, Willow’s confidence increased by leaps and bounds. She pulled away from Spike’s touch, glared at Angel for not saying anything to stop the other vampire and then proceeded to verbally rip Spike up one side and down the other.

After a minute of Willow’s ranting, Spike was still grinning, now in admiration of her spirit. “I like a chit with a bit of fire in her eyes.”

Almost instantly, Spike saw the whites of her eyes turn dark and a red flame leap to life in the back void of her pupils. “What the bloody fuck was that?”

Spike leapt back a couple of feet and found Willow laughing at him as her eyes returned to normal. “Wanna play with fire? You’re gonna get burned.”

Drusilla threw her head back and laughed merrily at her childe’s response. “Did the witch surprise you, my Spike?”

“Hell, yeah. That’s a dangerous little pet you have there, chit,” Spike told Cordelia with a look of shock still plastered across his face.

“Willow is getting quite powerful now that the Watcher is not around to restrict her study of magick.”

“Didn’t know she was a witch,” Spike pointed out still flabbergasted.

Angel told him, “Willow cast the spell that returned my soul.”

Suddenly, Drusilla wasn’t laughing anymore. She glared at Willow despite the fact that she had just witnessed what the human could do. “Get rid of your pet, Cordelia or I will.”

Cordelia stepped between the older vampiress and Willow. “Don’t threaten what’s mine, Dru. I won’t have her looking over her shoulder every time I’m not in the room.”

“She gave him the nasty soul. Took Angelus away from us. The witch shouldn’t be here.”

“Get used to it,” Willow snapped as she peeked around Cordelia’s shoulder.

Angel took matters in hand, smoothing out the tension that had suddenly skyrocketed in the room. Soon, Dru was cooing in her sire’s ear and promising not to hurt the little witch as long as she stayed away from her.

“No problem,” Willow promised. Like she wanted Drusilla anywhere near her. If anyone scared her in this mansion full of vampires, it was certainly the loony lady vamp. There was little doubt considering her knowing smile that the black-eyed vampiress knew it as well, sensing the sudden fear that welled from her inner depths.

“Well, I’ve had enough of this happy reunion for one night,” announced Spike. “I’m going out for a little kitten poker and a helluva lot of booze.”

***

“Willow is home safely, Mistress,” Jude reported after returning to the mansion. “She asked me to give you this.”

He handed over a small gift-wrapped box to Cordelia who bestowed a mesmerizing smile upon her minion. “Jude, you’re a jewel.”

Closing the door after him, the vampiress gleefully ripped the bright paper away from the box. Cordy walked up to Angel as she went along, eager to show him what she already knew to be inside. “We had fun at the mall today,” she told him.

Angel’s mouth quirked in reaction. “I saw the shopping bags. Did you leave anything in the stores?”

Sticking her tongue out, Cordelia gave him a smile. “Not much.”

Opening the box, she pulled out a narrow frame that held a series of four pictures from the mall’s photo booth. Just herself and Willow. Glancing over her shoulder, Angel saw that the first two looked fairly normal. Like two friends smiling and laughing into the camera. The others were vivid proof that the relationship was far from normal. The third picture showed Willow pretending to lick Cordelia’s neck while the last revealed Cordy vamped out with her fangs poised over the redhead’s throat.

“This is your idea of fun?” Angel watched as his mate set the small frame down on her mirror-free vanity. “Shopping and pictures are fine, but giving the girl ideas about biting her is another.”

“Willow thought it was a riot,” shrugged the vampiress.

Angel countered, “Willow thinks what you want her to think.”

“She does not.”

“Does too, Cordy.”

“Does not.”

“Does too.”

“Okay, so maybe she does,” admitted Cordelia with a sigh. “Can I help it if I’m a great inspiration to her?”

“You control her.”

“Not often,” Cordelia told him defensively. “Most of what Willow does is her idea.”

“I warned you this would happen. The lines between her free will and your enthrallment of her have blurred.”

“Are you the I-told-you-so type, Angel?” Cordelia stalked back to him. “If you have a problem with what I’m doing, I don’t want to hear about it.”

“Too bad, baby. It’s time you got over this little game of yours. If having a female around to go shopping with is so damned important to you, use Dru. She seemed happy enough with the idea. Let Willow get back to her life.”

“It’s not the same.”

“You can’t control Dru.” The idea dawned in his head. “She doesn’t hang on your every word like Willow does as your pet.”

Cordelia frowned at Angel’s quick realization. There was something about the other vampiress’ visionary abilities that blocked out any attempt at mind control. Drusilla had her own abilities to enthrall humans if they were up close and personal, but she could not do so with the scope that Cordelia could or maintain the enthrallment over a long period.

“No. I tried it when she left Spike. Wanted her to come back to him, but she only laughed at my attempts to turn her thoughts to my way of thinking. Dru told me it tickled.”

“Really?” Resolve came over Angel’s face. For the moment, he knew exactly what he was going to do. “Maybe it’s time you got a little of your own back. I happen to know a thing or two about tickling.”

Her hazel eyes popped open wider at the unveiled threat. “No! No tickling. Vampires don’t tickle one another.”

“I don’t think I mentioned anything about you getting a turn,” Angel glared mockingly as Cordelia darted away from him like he’d told her he was going to bring out the bullwhip.

With a shriek of loud laughter, Cordelia ran across to the other side of the bed using it as a shield. Yanking off her high-heeled shoes as he approached stealthily, she tossed them in his direction. Angel caught both and dropped them neatly onto a nearby chair. “Get on the bed, Cordy. You might as well face this now because you’re not going to leave this room tonight.”

“Gotta catch me first,” Cordy stuck out her tongue and leapt onto the mattress while her sire attempted the longer route around. “Maybe you need to start working out more. You used to be faster.”

“Are you calling me fat?”

“Hey— if the Michelin fits,” she joked suggesting that he had a spare tire around his middle. Not that he did, but Angel was just narcissistic enough to believe it.

Hopping back onto the floor, she ran toward the door only to feel the whoosh of air pass close as Angel used a burst of speed to block the doorway with his broad frame. “What was it you were saying?”

Cordelia was standing in the middle of the bedroom as he leaned back against the door. Eyeing his tall frame with her twinkling gaze, she suggested, “Maybe you should take off your shirt and let me check things out. I wouldn’t want you to get a complex.”

The shirt was gone in about five seconds leaving Angel half-naked and all yummy. “So?”

“I think maybe I was right the first time,” Cordelia couldn’t resist saying.

“What?”

The look on his face was priceless. “Mmm! Salty goodness. You’re such a hottie. You’re perfect, my Angel.”

The vampire wasn’t so slow that he didn’t catch on to her strategy. “The compliments won’t get you a reprieve.”

“No, but now you’re more naked than I am,” Cordelia pointed out. “Just try to tickle me, mister and you’re gonna get your fair share of the torture.”

Angel held her gaze as he walked up to gently curl his hands around her head capturing her lips with his own. “Think so?”

Her hands came up to his chest in a move that was more a caress than an effort to stave him off, knowing that this was just distraction. He had broken the kiss to remind her that this wasn’t over. Well, she was quite happy with his distraction techniques. Cordelia had a few of her own.

Kissing him again, Cordelia let her hands wander over his shoulders and down his back being careful to avoid any overly ticklish regions. It was so hard to think, damn him. He kissed her like her lips were the only thing he’d ever known. Made especially for him and something he worshipped daily.

Distantly, Cordelia hear the sound of a zipper and felt the whisper of cloth fall away from her skin. Though her eyes were half-closed with pleasure and lips slightly swollen with his kisses, Cordelia lifted away long enough to realize that she was now standing before Angel in only her matching lace bra and panties.

Geez! He was good. When she lifted her eyes back to his, Cordelia found them sparkling with a mixture of amused triumph and arousal. She lilted, “Think you’re winning?”

Before Angel could respond affirmatively, Cordelia grabbed onto the belt buckle she had undone when her mate was otherwise distracted with her. Yanking it out of its loops, she took a step back and watched his pants fall open revealing the grey briefs underneath. “I don’t think so,” she sing-songed.

All Angel had to do was zip up again, but getting dressed again was rather pointless. “If you want me naked, tigress, all you have to do is ask. I like having those hungry eyes on me. Even if you do think I’m fat.”

“You’re not fat, dumbass!” Cordelia kept backing away closer to the bed. She was now holding the belt folded over in one hand like a weapon. “There’s no need to tickle me. You know I hate that.”

“Love it.”

“Hate it.”

“Love me touching you.”

So she couldn’t deny that. Besides, Angel was distracting her again. After kicking off his shoes and peeling his socks away, he stripped off his pants tossing them away. Though she knew he was looking at her, Cordelia’s eyes automatically dropped away from his handsome face to travel down the length of his smooth torso to the regions below. Oh, my, but he was built. Just right. Just for her.

Angel tucked his thumbs into the waistband of his briefs and let them fall away from his body eliciting a mewl of need from Cordelia. He could scent her own building arousal, see it on her face and the response of her flesh.

“Are you ready?”

She was more than ready. Nodding, Cordelia’s voice sounded in a husky octave. “For you, I’m always ready. Want you now, Angel.”

“Then give me the belt,” he held out his hand.

Having forgotten that she was holding it, Cordelia seemed surprised to find it there in her hand. “Why do you want it?”

“Give it to me,” Angel ordered, his tone brooking no further defiance on the matter.

The last time they had used his belt, Cordelia’s wrists had been bound together as her sire punished her by not letting her touch him. Angel knew she got as much pleasure out of touching him as he did her. Being bound was almost worse than the thought of being mercilessly tickled. Unless Angel planned to do both.

“Cordelia,” a gruff growl sounded from his throat commanding that she comply with his demand. Finally, the vampiress turned over the belt into her sire’s keeping.

Angel stalked up until he was so close his thick erection bobbed against her flesh causing her to shudder with need. Cordelia’s head was tilted back to meet the amber glint in her sire’s gaze, the early sign of his change, but he controlled it. Raising the hand holding the belt, Angel lifted its supple loop up to her face letting it brush along her skin. Then Angel moved it away, replacing it with his mouth as he kissed his way down to her neck tasting and teasing her with his flickering tongue and the soft smooch of his lips.

Hearing a little chink as the belt hit the floor freeing up Angel’s hands to touch her, she let out a moan. “Oh, yes, finally. Put your hands on me.” Cordelia dragged his hands up to her lace-covered breasts holding them there for a moment even as Angel continued to nuzzle at her throat.

Angel moved his mouth to her ear. “Tell me what you want, tigress.”

Too much. Everything. Fisting her hand in his hair, she brought him up to meet his gaze. “I want your mouth on me. Everywhere. I want your tongue between my thighs making me cum. I want to touch you, feel you, every inch of you. Then I want you inside me. How’s that for a start?”

“Not bad,” Angel’s sexy mouth quirked into a lopsided grin, but his eyes were suddenly twinkling with more than lust, “but it won’t be the start. We can do that somewhere in the middle.”

Still reeling from the images she had created in her head, Cordelia could only respond with a confused, “Huh?”

Suddenly, she was down on the mattress with Angel looming over her. The hands that had been evoking such pleasure were now doling out this strange paradox of sensations as his fingers touched her skin. Tickling her with his gentle touch over sensitized areas that he knew all too well, Angel watched her squirm beneath him.

Howling with laughter, Cordelia held onto his shoulders, trying her best to do as she had threatened and do the same, but she was helpless to react. Her ankles clutched at the back of his thighs. Then the tickling was interspersed with his mouth against her upper breasts as his lips made a path across the lacy edge of her bra. The combination drove her to the point where her hips gyrated against his.

“Oh, Angel,” her voice sounded in a plea, but for what she didn’t quite know. Cordelia’s hair cascaded around her in a wave of silk as her head twisted back and forth against the mattress. Screaming, laughing, moaning, yearning— whatever he was doing, Cordy felt like she was coming unglued. There were fireworks going off in her head and he hadn’t even made an effort to remove her panties.

“Want me to stop?” His husky voice questioned offering her a reprieve.

Cordelia’s fingernails curled into his shoulders at the collarbones coming close to breaking the skin. “You know what I want.”

“Not the answer I was looking for,” Angel told her and started in on the tickling again, this time circling a finger around her bellybutton.

“Not there, not there,” Cordelia panted. He knew her navel was especially sensitive. After a minute of causing her to cry out his name, she felt his palm press into her waist. Upon opening her eyes, she found her mate staring down at her.

Slowly, Angel extracted himself from the legs that had curled around his to stand beside the bed. Intently, his gaze traveled down the length of her body and his hands followed the course back up from her ankles to her hips. There, he gave a tug on her lacy green panties and Cordelia cooperated by lifting her hips so that he could pull them away.

Sitting up momentarily, Cordelia unfastened the clasp of her bra, but got no further than that before Angel gave her a gentle push to send her back onto the mattress. Both straps of her bra slipped down her arms, but her full breasts held the cups in place. Cordy was too busy watching Angel to care that she hadn’t finished her task.

“You have such sexy legs,” Angel murmured as he lifted her left leg extending it up so that he could run a hand along its length.

Cordelia shuddered with pleasure at his touch, her entire system still buzzing from the effects of his tickling. He kissed her ankle, caressed the curved muscle of her calf and darted his tongue into the soft spot behind her knee. That caused her whole body to jerk as his tongue flicked across the sensitive area. Every time he did that the nerve endings seemed to dart little shots of pleasure back to her loins.

Angel repeated the process with her right leg, kissing his way from ankle to knee before grasping her lower thighs and scooting her to the edge of the bed. Then he sank to the floor on his knees and began the slow process of kissing every inch of her supple thighs. Cordelia kept her eyes fixed on what he was doing, the sight of it as exciting as the touch of his mouth, hands and teeth on her thighs.

With blunt teeth, Angel nipped his way up to the spot that he liked to bite, but contented himself with laving it with his tongue. He was so close to the apex of her thighs that his hair tickled at her intimate flesh causing Cordelia’s hips to dig into the bed. His hand was kneading the other thigh ensuring that it did not go ignored until he turned his attention there.

By the time her sire worked his way back up to the inner curve of her thigh, Cordelia had moved her hand down her belly to weave though the soft curls covering her mons. Two fingers pressed against her outer labia exposing her clit to their light touch.

Turning his head, Angel kissed those fingers and then met her gaze, “I’ll take care of that, baby. Just relax.”

The tension that had built up in her shoulders dissipated. She trusted him to be true to his word. Mmm. He was going to make her cum and then it would be her turn to play. Would Angel let her tease him the way he had been teasing her? She wanted to kiss and bite her way across his sculpted flesh until he was begging her to bring him off. Then he would see how it felt as she made him wait.

Cordelia’s thoughts of lustful revenge got lost the instant she felt Angel’s mouth on her. She tried to watch what he was doing, but her eyes kept closing and her head lolled back upon the mattress. Losing all track of time, Cordy had no idea how long he stayed down there or even the number of times he brought her to orgasm. Keening cries and purring sounded in her ears along with the occasional comment from Angel that was as pleasure- inducing as his touch.

In the midst of another climax, Cordelia felt herself being shifted. Opening her eyes to look at him, she saw that her sire was on his feet and lifting her hips at angle to meet his. Angel paused for a moment as Cordelia’s legs curled around him in a demonstration of her extreme flexibility. He entered her with one smooth movement, groaning in pleasure as he felt her inner muscles clasping him.

“You feel so fucking good, baby,” Angel withdrew and thrust again as his human features gave way to reveal his true face.

Cordelia flashed a grin before saying, “You’ve told me that before.”

“It’s worth repeating,” he leered down at her while maintaining a steady rhythm. “Before the night is over, I’ll wager you’ll be telling me the same thing.”

“Oh, really? Think you have that much stamina, big boy?” Cordy moaned and rotated her hips with the next thrust.

“Just try me.”

“Mmm, I’m glad we went to bed early,” Cordelia purred.

***

“What’s this all about then, chit?” Spike inquired as he caught up to Cordelia the next evening. She was dressed head to toe in black blending with the night, but he had tracked her scent. “Isn’t that the Watcher’s house?”

“Yes,” Cordelia answered as she leaned up against a tree. “I thought I’d check on Giles, but it looks like he has guests over. There are five or six people in there.”

“The Slayer isn’t one of them,” concluded Spike after a moment.

“No.”

“Wanna crash the party?”

Cordelia shook her head. “Not really. Those are probably members of the Watcher’s Council— Giles doesn’t have any friends left in Sunnydale who are willing to talk to him.”

“Part of your revenge, luv?”

“Yeah.” Cordelia shrugged finding the subject of Giles getting to be a bore. It wasn’t the same as getting back at the Slayer directly.

Spike wondered, “What exactly is your plan?”

“That’s simple,” Cordy told him with a lethal grin, “I’m going to make Buffy’s life here in Sunnydale pure Hell on Earth.”

“I hope that’s figurative,” Spike raised a brow at the memory of Angelus’ plan to make it reality.

Cordelia laughed at him, nudging his shoulder with her own. “Dork! I’m not doing the Acathla suck the world into Hell thing. Buffy’s world is the only one I care about and I’m going to rip it apart piece by piece until she has nothing left.”

If anyone was capable of doing that to the Slayer, he figured that Cordelia Chase could pull it off. Through sheer determination she would succeed, but was she considering the fact that Angel still thought of Buffy Summers someone he had to protect? What would happen when he had to choose between them?

“So how’re things going now that Peaches is back?”

Meeting Spike’s gaze, Cordelia felt the smile drop away from her face. Even though the vamp was something of an asshole at times, he was someone she could talk to without the threat of reprisal. Dru would run to Angel; Willow would run to Buffy, while the minions simply wouldn’t understand.

“I’m so confused, Spike,” she admitted. “The soul complicates everything.”

“Why not get rid of it?”

Cordelia actually growled at him. “You think it’s that easy?

“Wasn’t that hard for the Slayer,” Spike pointed out. “One good shag and poof! It was gone. What the hell have you two been doing? Or not doing? Peaches been holding out on you?”

Cordelia slugged him sending Spike reeling back across the front lawn of the neighboring house. “Angel is my mate and your grandsire. He deserves more respect than that despite being cursed with a soul. I know I do, Spike, and if you need reminding of that I’m more than willing to help you remember.”

“Just stay there, chit,” Spike held up a finger. “We can’t fight that way. If you come back with bruises, Angel is gonna get pissed and take it out on me.”

Holding out her hand, Cordelia helped the blond vampire up to his feet. “Then don’t be such a jerk, Bleach Brain.”

“So— what part of what I said set you off?” Spike dared to pick up the conversation.

After a moment of silence, Cordelia admitted, “All of it. Tomorrow is a year to the day that Angel lost his soul, the anniversary of my death as a human. Why do I have mixed feelings about having Angel around? I should be celebrating, but I can’t because I know that any minute he’s going to remember what happened and start brooding about it.”

“Give him a reason to forget about it— or remember in a good way.” Spike suddenly wondered if his earlier guess had been on-target. He added, “Unless Peaches really is holding out on you. Cordelia, are you okay, luv?”

The fact that he had used her real name instead of calling her chit, cheerleader or luv was enough to prove Spike wasn’t trying to rile her. “You must have been out until the crack of dawn last night or you wouldn’t have any reason to doubt that Angel and I are together in just about everyway we can be.”

Spike’s little nod confirmed it.

“Believe me when I say that I can’t get enough of what Angel does to me,” Cordelia let out a sigh, “but sometimes I think he’s holding something back.”

“Bloodrights?”

“No, not that.” Cordelia told him that sex with Angel rarely ranged into pure violence as she knew that it could, but he never denied her blood. “In fact, I was the one to hold out on him at first. Not that it lasted long.”

Spike grunted in response. He figured he had better let his thoughts remain silent on that one else Cordy might shove her fist in his face again.

“It’s almost like Angel purposefully keeps us constantly on the edge. Not too violent. Not too tender.” Cordelia hopped up onto a low brick wall keeping them deep in the shadows. “Angelus could be both. I can do without the punishment he dealt out when I misbehaved a time or two, but I miss the moments when he left all that behind.”

Taking her hands in his, Spike tried to offer a bit of advice. “Look, luv, I don’t know what the poof is thinking. Having the soul— well, I don’t know what that is like and I hope I never find out. But he’s got it and I gotta imagine that he plans to keep it since he isn’t out looking for some magical mumbo-jumbo to remove it again.”

Cordelia listened quietly, letting his words sink in.

“Personally, I always thought the big prick was something of a wanker,” Spike verged on the disrespectful again, but held tightly to her hands. “He never cared about anyone or anything. Not his bitch of a sire. Not even Dru except that he cared about driving her mad before he turned her. Me— I was just his whipping boy when times were bad.”

She had heard the story in many different versions, but never from Spike’s point of view. What did it have to do with anything now? “So you never liked Angelus. What’s your point?”

“Angelus was too wrapped up in his own self to care about anyone.” Spike told her. “He isn’t the end all, be all when it comes to relationships. The guy can fuck, but that doesn’t make him king of the jungle.”

To Cordelia’s dismay, she actually let out a snort of laughter upon hearing Spike’s words. Still, she had to defend her mate. “He’s different with me. He’s always been different. As Angelus. As Angel. Sometimes he can be a dumbass, but he cares.”

“Does he care enough, Cordelia? Why is it he still has the cursed soul? Is he incapable of a moment of happiness with another vampire? Or is it because whatever part of him that touches that soul is still wrapped up in the memory of our dear friend Slutty the Vampire Slayer?”

It was a good thing that Spike held onto her, because she suddenly reeled back at the thought nearly falling off of the wall. “You’re wrong.”

“Oh, luv,” Spike dropped her hands to her lap so he could touch her face. “If you think that, you’re already behind in the game. Peaches will always have feelings for Buffy Summers. That’s the way it works. I’ve been around the block a few times, remember?”

“So you’ve known a few Slayers in love with soul-having vampires?” Cordelia’s voice turned sour.

Spike had to admit, “No.”

“Then keep your advice to yourself,” she grumbled.

“Do you love him?”

The question startled her again. “What’s love? I have vague memories of it. Childhood memories of something I thought was love from my parents— not. Silly crushes on men who existed only on movie screens.”

“What about your boyfriends?”

“Pfft! They worshipped me. I let them get close, but not as close as they wanted to be.”

“So you were a tease,” Spike grinned.

“Was not!”

“If you say so, luv.”

“Xander—,” Cordelia started to explain that Xander Harris was the only boyfriend who had ever stirred any true feelings within her. Irritation, anger bordering on hatred, and the birth of desire that went unfulfilled. “I killed him.”

Spike wondered if this little discussion was only making things worse. “Some people think vampires incapable of love. Bollocks! I love Dru. Just look at the mess I was in after she left me.”

“Pitiful!”

“Yeah,” Spike had to agree. “What did you feel when you thought Angelus was killed by the Slayer?”

“He was my mate. I was devastated at his loss,” Cordelia answered. “What do you think I felt? Why do you think I’m avenging him?”

The blond vampire had her riled up, but at least she was thinking about it instead of just pounding him with those sharp little knuckles. “Obsession. The ties of your blood. The loss of the one who made you.”

“My lover!” Cordelia added with a roar watching him step away.

“Your lover.” Spike was already turning to leave when he added, “Just think about it.”

***

A tentative knock sounded on Angel’s bedroom door. Having recently returned to the mansion after a night of demon-hunting, he had just emerged from the shower. Willow had been downstairs in her usual position in the study helping Jude with the computers and keeping a close eye on the door for Cordelia’s return.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Angel opened the door to find the redhead looking nervous and nibbling at her thumbnail. Her eyes widened a bit at his state of undress, but she pasted a smile on her face quickly enough when he demanded to know what she wanted.

“I wanted—,” Willow started to speak only to break off as Angel let out a groan.

The vampire looked irritated. “Not again, Willow. I already told you that I’m not giving in to your whining. I know that I told you that you’d have to go through me first, but I wasn’t offering myself on a platter.”

Blushing, Willow rushed to tell him, “I’m worried about Cordy. I wanted to talk to you about it.”

“Oh.” If Angel was capable of blushing, he might have done so. “This couldn’t have waited until I was downstairs?”

Shaking her head, Willow stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. This was too important. “Some of the minions are down there. I didn’t want their super hearing in on the conversation.”

“Let me throw on some clothes first,” suggested Angel.

“Doesn’t bother me,” Willow shrugged eyeing the towel he had hurriedly slung around his hips.

Angel followed the direction of her gaze. “I’ll be right back. Stay there.”

“Okay.” She immediately wandered over to Cordelia’s vanity and rearranged the framed photograph to a better angle.

Having grabbed a pair of boxers and his robe, Angel returned wrapping the belt tightly around his waist. He gave her a look noting that she had moved. “So what are you so worried about?”

“Cordy has been acting frustrated,” Willow told him pointedly. “I think it’s your fault.”

“What?”

Willow ignored the anger in his voice and kept going. “It’s got to do with your soul, I’m betting.”

“My soul,” Angel parroted the words wondering where the witch was taking this.

“You’re holding back because you’re afraid you’ll become Angelus again,” Willow told him. It was a hypothesis she had pieced together from conversations with Cordelia. Not that Cordy had said anything directly, but sometimes when she opened her mouth to talk it didn’t close for a while.

Holding back? Maybe he was, in a way, Angel admitted to himself. Telling Willow was not going to happen.

“Angel, you know I’d do anything for Cordy. Just anything. She deserves to be happy.”

Yes, he knew that Willow would do anything even beyond the course of reason to ensure that her mistress was happy. Her own frustrations with the fact that Cordelia continued to treat her as her best friend had to be hitting a sore spot. Now the girl was coming to him to tell him of Cordy’s frustrations? There had to be a catch.

“I have some news for you, Angel,” Willow revealed with a confident smile. “Something you’ll want to hear.”

“Then tell me.”

“Not so fast. Can we negotiate just a little? Trust me— you want to know what I have to say.”

His chest rumbled with a low growl as Angel approached her from across the room. “What is it, Willow? What do you want?”

Looming over her, Angel presented an ominous picture, but Willow figured he wouldn’t really hurt her. He was supposed to be protecting her. It gave her an edge and she ran with it.

“Don’t be so growly when I’m around,” she listed her first demand. “Cordy is my friend. I like Cordelia and she likes me so you shouldn’t be so mean to me.”

Angel gripped her chin, tilting it up in a way that was not comfortable without actually causing real pain. “Stop dancing around the issue, little witch. I know what you want with Cordelia. You’re just a pet begging to be sired. You want your mistress as a lover, want her touch on your skin and her fangs in your throat.”

“Eep!” Willow let out a squeak.

“You’re still playing by the rules, Willow,” the vampire told her. “You haven’t touched what’s mine and now you’ve come to me for permission— but it’s denied.”

He released her, causing the petite teenager to stumble back against the door. Willow was unable to tell him that while in the back of her mind that was really what she wanted, it wasn’t the primary reason for her coming to see him.

“Forget the negotiations,” Angel growled dangerously as he grabbed her by the arm with one hand and opened the door with the other. Thrusting her out into the hallway, he told her, “Keep your secrets.”

Willow stood agape as Angel shut the door in her face. Forgetting all about the potential audience, she lifted her closed fist and pounded on the door. “Dumbass! It’s about your soul.”

Part 10

 Angel’s hand held fast to the door handle as he heard Willow bellow, “Dumbass! It’s about your soul.”

Her use of Cordyisms, those quaint little phrases, nicknames and friendly insults, kept rolling off her tongue like she was born to them. Just another sign of the enthrallment Cordelia had placed her under, the major side-effect of which was Willow’s unwavering devotion and sudden attraction to her mistress.

The redhead’s pursuit of Cordelia had prompted negotiations for more personal attention, which Angel had quickly shut down. Cordelia was his mate and not up on the auction block. Pet or no pet, Willow would have to be content with being shopping buddies rather than delve into the more intimate aspects of the role.

Now Willow stood on the other side of his bedroom door claiming knowledge about his soul. If anyone knew anything about it, she would be the one considering that it was her mystic abilities that restored his soul again. Giving in to curiosity, Angel slowly opened the door to readmit her into his room.

“What was that?”

Nervous, Willow realized he could probably sense that. As an ice-breaker, she muttered, “Sorry. You’re not a dumbass.”

The look she got actually made the room feel even icier than before. Apparently, Angel had no sense of humor. Unless he was still mad at her for suggesting that he should let her be with Cordy. That might explain the shadowed eyes and growly expression. The big meanie just doesn’t like to share, she thought huffily. Willow resolved that if the direct approach wasn’t going to work on the vampire, she would put her backup plan into play.

“My soul, Willow?” Angel prompted the girl who made a habit of getting sidetracked.

Yep! If Plan A fails— just move onto Plan B. Willow hoped that she didn’t need a third option because Angel was just too experienced with deception. If he had any inkling of what she was thinking, the vampire would definitely toss her out on the street and bar all contact with his mate.

“Willow!”

Dragged out of her thoughts, the witch found Angel staring impatiently. “Huh?”

“You were going to say something about my soul.”

Gathering her courage, Willow pressed on. “I don’t want my feelings for Cordy to get in the way of our friendship, Angel. I want you to be happy. If you’re happy then Cordy will be happy and then I’ll be happy too.”

His head was spinning trying to keep up with her. Happy, happy, happy people. Willow babble was akin to a foreign language as far as the vampire was concerned.

“Uh— happy,” Angel nodded. He’d gotten that much out of it.

Willow shuffled her feet, “There’s something I didn’t tell you when you appeared back in Sunnydale from wherever you were.”

“Hell.”

“Yeah. At first, I thought you had enough to worry about. You weren’t— well. Then I realized what would happen if I spilled the beans about your soul,” Willow explained. “Open Angel season. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.”

“Torpedoes?” Angel was seriously getting confused. He was hoping this conversation would eventually make sense. How did talk of torpedoes lead to concern over his soul?

“Definite bone jumpage would have resulted,” stressed Willow. “You were mourning Cordelia at the time. It wouldn’t have been fair.”

“Are we talking about navy battles and bone yards?”

Willow crinkled her nose. “No— Buffy.”

Ah! The missing link. Boning Buffy. Now he got it. “You were worried about my soul if we resumed our relationship.”

“Yes,” Willow admitted, “I was worried about you two starting up again, but that’s not the point.”

Angel figured he wouldn’t like her point. It was sure to lead back to negotiations for him allowing Willow more intimate access to Cordelia. The teenager was too enthralled to get the fact that wanting any vamp to snack on you was not a healthy long-term relationship, especially a vampiress with a large, brooding, jealous mate.

“What is the point?”

“Duh! Like I haven’t been talking about it for the last five minutes?” Willow looked a bit peeved at him. Taking the direct approach, she blurted, “Your soul is permanent.”

“Wh— permanent?” Angel stumbled as he parroted back the word hardly aware that she watched his every reaction.

Nodding, Willow told him. “I altered the restoration spell. Left out the happiness clause.”

The impact of a permanent soul brought endless possibilities into Angel’s existence. The most important of which was no more Angelus. He felt a heavy weight lift away from his shoulders, the burden of binding his demon by sheer will alone was now gone. Angel was fully aware that this news had an impact on Cordelia as Willow suggested— an impact on their happiness together.

There would be no need to hold back his emotions, no need to keep his demon close so that he would remember the risks. No losing his soul because he allowed himself a single unguarded moment of bliss. The times he had struggled with that and against the feelings that only continued to grow every time he held Cordelia in his arms seemed countless. It had been a danger every time she walked into the room and flashed her smile.

“Why tell me now?” Angel’s cynical side knew there was a catch. “More negotiations? I already told you to forget it.”

“Okay. Forgotten,” Willow assured him. Not! “Talk to Cordelia about what I’ve told you. Let me know if you have a— change of mind.”

Angel looked down at Willow’s guileless expression. She was getting better at hiding her emotions. No blushing. No change of posture. Heartbeat steady. Just a cute little poker face.

“Close the door on your way out,” he told her. “I need time to think.”

As Willow pulled the door shut behind her, a triumphant smirk spread over her features. If she couldn’t have what she wanted, then at least she could ensure that Mistress Cordy was not denied anything. As crazy as it sounded, Willow would give her anything she wanted including Angelus.

***

Having abandoned her vigil outside Rupert Giles’ house, Cordelia headed home to the Crawford Street mansion. The conversation with Spike had unsettled her. Spying on Giles and his Watcher Council buddies lost its thrill.

Love Angel?

Cordelia found the idea disturbing. What was love to a vampire? Spike and Dru seemed dedicated to one another. They had remained together for over a hundred years excepting the recent breakup and reunion. As far as the bounds of vampire relationships went, they had something that kept them coming back for more.

Love Angel?

Her sire had claimed her as his mate and Cordelia had delighted in it. Angelus brought her into the night. Gave her this existence. Tied them together by bonds she thought were unbreakable. The soul added a different layer to the bonds, but it was no less strong for it. She had chosen to reclaim their link. Angel— her mate.

Love Angel?

Gack! Was she actually brooding about love? That was so not right. Want. Take. Have. That was what it was really all about. That and the normally obsessive possessiveness in her nature. The blood that linked their bodies. Peel away the human past, the appearance, the memories and they were just following their demonic instincts.

Love Angel?

The stirring sensations that knotted up in the space between her heart and her stomach every time Angel was near hinted at that possibility. Was it just the need to have her sire near? The pull of their blood? The instinctive call of her mate? What was love if it wasn’t all of those things?

Love. Angel.

Cordelia’s mouth curled upward at the thought of him picturing his handsome human and demon features. So different with the soul present. So much the same. Yet there were boundaries that she could no longer cross with Angel. Walls he put up between them that she knew were built to protect everyone he else cared about in this accursed town.

Those were walls she wanted to break, to knock down until there was only a cloud of dust left behind. Cordelia knew that she would not attempt it. She knew it after their first night together upon her arrival in Sunnydale. Such an act would not only defy her sire’s wishes regarding his existence, but would no doubt destroy any feelings he had for her. That was a risk Cordelia was unwilling to take.

Loving Angel suddenly sounded so right in her mind. She felt like shouting it out at the top of her lungs. Instead, she pulled out her cell phone. Pressing a couple of buttons, she suddenly heard ringing coming from behind a tree slightly downwind. Cordelia flipped the phone closed, not bothering to wait for an answer.

Reaching behind the tree, she pulled out Willow who was still holding the matching cell phone Cordy had given her. “Now you’re spying on me?”

“Not spying,” Willow pouted. “Following.”

“Pfft! Just as bad.”

“Jude was walking me home when Spike came along. He said you were at Giles’ house,” the redhead explained. “I didn’t see much of you today so I snuck out again after they left.”

“It’s three a.m.,” Cordy pointed out. “You have school this morning.”

The mention of the time only made Willow yawn. “Don’t wanna go to school. I want to be with you. Don’t make me go.”

Cordelia realized, “Geez! I’m not your mother. Besides, I was calling to tell you to that I need your help to seduce Angel.”

Droopy eyes suddenly opened wide as Willow processed Cordelia’s words. “You’d better tell me that again, because I just had all kinds of pictures pop into my head that just do not belong there.”

Rolling her eyes, Cordelia warned her lightly, “Naked Angel is my domain, pet.”

“Since when do you have problems seducing Angel?” asked Willow rather sleepily. Snort! Like she could help Cordy with that. “Just walk into the room and you’ll have instant seduction.”

“Hello, I am Cordelia Chase,” the vampiress responded with a haughty tilt to her head and paused just long enough before letting out a laugh. “It’s not the end result that’s in question, Willow. I just wanna have fun getting there. For that I need your help with a little magic.”

Magic. Obviously no hands-on assistance required. Damn! Willow refused to pout. This was actually going to fit in quite nicely with her own plans. When Angelus returned he would be so grateful that Willow helped him lose the soul that he would let her have just about anything she asked for. What did a vampire without a soul care if his mate paid a little attention to her pet every now and then?

Wide awake now, Willow was eager to start planning this seduction scene. Not that she knew much about it herself, but Cordelia could fill in the details and she would give it a little push to help things along.

“So when are you doing it?” She asked Cordy, then blushed at the way she had phrased the question. “I mean your plan. Soon, I hope.”

“Why are you so eager?”

“Better to go for it now when the idea is firm in your mind.”

“I hope that’s not the only thing that’s firm,” Cordelia waggled her eyebrows.

Willow squirmed. “Cordy!”

“Now I’m having naked Angel thoughts. Mmm! Yummy goodness.” Cordelia licked her lips as if she could still taste his mouth on hers. “I’m not sure that I want to wait, but this can’t happen now. It has to be after the next sunset. That seems so far away.”

“Why wait?” Willow wasn’t certain that Angel would want to delay sharing his news with his mate. Simultaneous news sharing and seduction would involve a high percentage of the bliss factor.

Cordelia found it odd that Willow seemed clueless about the importance of the day to come. “This is the day that changed everything.”

Instantly, Willow realized what she meant. “Today was Buffy’s eighteenth birthday. I forgot about it.”

“Sorry you missed it?”

“No. Buffy’s not speaking to me. Mainly because I stopped listening to her, but I don’t think having me show up with a present would be appropriate.”

Cordelia thought about sending Buffy a gift, but the type of present she would have picked would have made Angel angry. That was not the emotion she wanted to evoke right now.

“Sunset will mark the one-year anniversary of the night Buffy lost her virginity, Angel lost his soul and I lost my life so that I could be reborn as a vampire.”

“Uh— yeah. See your point. Definite reason to celebrate.” Willow hated that night, but then again if those things hadn’t happened she would not be best friends with Cordelia Chase. Now that she thought about it, Willow loved that night. It was definitely a good night.

“Lets go, pet,” Cordy hurried her along. “Last minute shopping.”

“What’s first?” The redhead asked imagining silky, lacy, leathery things along with toys that the vampires seemed to enjoy. Rummaging through Cordelia’s things was rather eye-opening at times and Willow knew that the vampiress allowed her explorations mostly because she was amused by her reaction. “Perfumed bubble baths? Scented candles? Body oil?”

“Something I don’t already have,” Cordelia waved off the ideas. “Though you’ve got a point, Willow. I thought you said you couldn’t help with this seduction.”

Willow was rushing beside her as the vampiress moved with a speed slightly faster than her normal gait. “Imagination is my strength.”

“We’re going to the 24-hour Wal-Mart. I need mirrors.”

***

“This is late even for you, Slayer,” commented Spike as he found Buffy sitting atop a tombstone. Having gone to the Bronze for a couple of hours after leaving Jude and Willow, he left only when the club closed.

Buffy slowly turned her gaze to his not even bothering to pick up the stake that rested next to her. “Oh look! It’s the peroxided pest. My best birthday present ever.”

“Want to unwrap your present, luv? There are surprises inside.” Spike gave her a leer and hooked a thumb inside the waistband of his jeans.

“What do you want, Spike?” The question came out glumly and not with any of the spark she normally put into their usually brief conversations.

Since the Slayer did not appear to be interested in jumping off of the tombstone to stake him, Spike chose a spot directly opposite her position and stood close. “What does any vamp want with you? I want to bathe in your blood, fuck you, break you and suck your life away. Not sure which one I want first. Suggestions?”

The eyes staring at him were cold. There was no heated quip. No clenched jaw. She did not even bother to threaten him.

“What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Slayer?” It seemed to him like the blond bint was depressed. “If this is your birthday, you should be out partying not moping about in the cemetery like an overripe zombie.”

Buffy managed to get out a half-hearted curse and added, “Shut up, Spike. Go away.”

“No.”

“Go away!”

“Not until you tell me why your head is shoved up your ass,” Spike argued. “Tell Uncle Spike what’s on your mind.”

He actually hopped up onto the large tombstone next to Buffy while also managing to toss her stake on the ground. The look on his face seemed almost genuine and suddenly Buffy found that the feelings that tightened her chest and closed up her throat were pouring forth. She spilled it all.

“There was no party. My mom has been sick. My friends are dead, vamped or ignoring me.”

Seemed like legitimate reasons for depression.

“I’m so tired of this.” Buffy figured that Cordelia told Spike about the evil plot against her. Cordy had taken up where Angelus had left off, but apparently a quick kill was too merciful. She wanted to drag out the pain.

She told Spike about Giles. “The Watcher’s Council came today. Giles is going back to England.”

“No Watcher?” Spike tried to hide his glee.

“They brought a replacement. A know-it-all with a snooty name. Mr. Wesley Wyndam-Price at your service.”

Too bad.

“I hardly see Willow anymore. She— forgot my birthday today. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised considering how much time she spends at the mansion.”

Red had an excuse. She was enthralled. Spike wasn’t going to give that one away without good reason. Not unless he particularly wanted Cordelia to crush his balls under the heel of her shoe.

“Even Angel forgot. You’d think he would remember.”

Spike had to point out, “Peaches has distractions.”

“Queen Slut,” mumbled Buffy.

“Jealous?” Spike figured she had reason to be.

“No.” It came out as little more than a whisper.

Buffy’s head was turned away refusing to look at what she thought would be triumph in his eyes. Then Spike’s cool fingers curved around her jaw bringing her about to face him. There was no censure in his bright blue gaze, just a determination of unknown origin. As the first of her tears gathered on the curve of her cheek, Spike leaned in to brush it away with his lips.

Then his mouth covered hers as Buffy let out a gasp. She was so startled that she did not move. Not at first. Not when his lips came over hers in such a gentle way that it was little more than a soft caress. His mouth moved against hers following the bowed shaped of her lips. Only after Spike’s efforts pulled a moan from her throat did he attempt to deepen his kisses.

Buffy found herself responding to the cool and tender sensations. What she was feeling was far better right now than wallowing in her thoughts. Opening her mouth a bit wider, she touched her tongue to Spike’s tasting the strange mixture of dark flavors that was uniquely him. Buffy ran her tongue along his bottom lip and then alternated kissing lips with him. Lower lip. Upper lip. Touch. Taste. Forward. Retreat. Smooch. Lick. Mindless stirring pleasure kept her coming back for more.

The hand that had cupped her jaw no longer needed to maintain that position. Spike let it move up so the silk of her hair fell through his fingers before fisting it in his hand. Every passing second changed the sounds and scents he sensed. Her quickening heart beat was steady, but noticeably faster. Little moans emanated from the back of her throat as her soft breath panted upon his face. Her scent alone made him hard. That heady Slayer scent mixed with warm vanilla and the spicier enticement that was the first hint of arousal.

It surprised him, causing Spike to part their mouths long enough to stare down into her heavy-lidded eyes. The pupils were larger than usual even here in the moonlit darkness of the night. He saw a flash of something in those eyes that he took as acceptance. Surprised at seeing it, Spike didn’t take the time to ponder the reasons. He simply brought their mouths together again now a little less careful, meshing lips and probing tongues. More voracious kisses that filled him with the taste of her.

Using his strength, the vampire swept her off of the tombstone to straddle his lap never once breaking the kiss. Buffy let out a gasp as she settled on to his hard bulge, but it was a good feeling. Not like the feelings that had filled her so recently. Spike’s arm curved around her back and he yanked her hard into his lap pressing her groin into his.

“Slayer,” he muttered now kissing his way across her jaw to the pulse of her throat.

“Spike.” The name on her lips came out as a groan. Buffy called out to him again as his tongue darted along the sensitive flesh of her throat and his lips nibbled their way from the spot behind her ear down to her collarbone and back again.

Her head lolled back exposing her throat even more when Buffy’s humming body gave her a signal that jerked her out of the pleasurable place Spike’s kisses had taken her. Her Slayer senses kicked in and Buffy felt the difference as his face shifted even while Spike kept his mouth on her skin.

Almost curiously, Buffy waited a couple of seconds to see what Spike was going to do next. He lapped softly, kissing the cords of her neck and his mouth gently sucking at her flesh. Strangely, it felt awesome.

Buffy’s hands, which had been clinging to Spike’s shoulders, now moved up to clasp his head. She hissed in his ear as his sharp fangs scraped superficially across the surface of her throat. Then Spike licked up the tiny trail of blood left behind feeling a rush as it touched his tongue. Slayer blood. Spike breathed it in and moved his tongue around his mouth to get every drop.

Just as Spike leaned in for more, Buffy gave his head a strong pull separating them. His vampiric eyes glittered with dark arousal. There was no mistaking that she was making out with a demon, but this wasn’t like it was with Angel. Here, there was no excuse of the presence of a soul. Just a vampire— a killer.

“Is this the lead-in to draining me?” Buffy queried. “Distract the Slayer with a kiss and let the bloodbath begin.”

So the fun was over, Spike realized and promptly lifted her to the ground. Standing, he adjusted the crotch of his jeans to a more comfortable position. “No, luv. When I kill you, I want a little spring in your step. A challenge. Not this sad excuse for a Slayer.”

Buffy digressed quickly from feeling the rush of his kisses back into the pit of gloom. What kind of Vampire Slayer was she? This wasn’t how vamps and their Slayers were supposed to get physical. Obviously, she hadn’t learned her lesson the first time.

Reminding her of the night he sought out her assistance against Angelus and the threat of Acathla, Spike returned the words Buffy had used on him. The ones that had acted as a slap in the face, “Right now, you’re too pitiful to kill.”

Bastard. As she thought the word a glint returned to the depths of her gaze. Spike latched onto it and stayed focused. Moving in close again, he added, “That doesn’t mean you’re not worth a quick tumble.”

C’mon, Slayer, hit me, he urged silently. Show me that spark.

Spike was leaning back toward Buffy’s bowed mouth determined to get some kind of reaction out of the chit when a large four-legged creature bounded out of the darkness landing on both of them. Letting out a short cry of surprise, Buffy reacted instinctively by thrusting Spike aside in order to deal with the hairy beast.

Then she realized that it was just a dog. A huge furry monstrosity of a dog that was nearly as big as her. A small glob of slobber dripped from its mouth as it gazed down at Buffy with its keen eyes. It wasn’t attacking her, just acting playfully in a friendly doggy kind of way.

From his position on the ground nearby, Spike groaned aloud as he realized Drusilla had sent her hellhound after him. The vampiress had not wanted to come out with him tonight as he had been planning to play pool, but apparently he had stayed away too long. It was the one real trick she’d taught the pooch— fetch Spike.

Her dog’s timing sucked. Muttering, “Bad Puppy.”

Buffy heard Spike censure the dog and remembered the tiny pup from only a year ago. “I don’t believe it. This is Puppy?”

Hearing her speak its name, the dog lowered its head and proceeded to lick at her face. “I- ugh! Stop. Puppy! Gross. Enough with the doggy kisses. Ick! Dog slobber.”

Pushing Puppy aside, Buffy struggled to her feet and wiped at her face. Laughing at her, Spike commented, “Still upset at my kisses, Slayer?”

“Guess whose kisses I preferred more,” smirked Buffy as she patted the dog’s head.

“If you say Puppy’s then you’re one helluva liar, luv.” Spike was about to order the dog to head toward the mansion when he suddenly remembered what happened the last time Puppy returned smelling of Slayer scent. Dru noticed immediately and blamed him for letting the Slayer contaminate her pet.

Now he was gonna need about six bottles of dog shampoo and a blow dryer. When Spike suddenly asked if she could run an extension cord outside her back door and described what he had in mind, Buffy found herself laughing aloud. There was a hint of darkness in her voice, but it held no sign of the misery that had been clouding her. “Spike— Puppy’s not the only one who’s covered in my scent.”

“Bloody hell!”

***

Angel slammed shut the door blocking out the first rays of the dawning sun as he swept inside at the last possible second. Pressing his back into the wooden door, he was struck by déjà vu. Almost a year ago he had done this, searching Sunnydale for his mate without finding a trace. Now as then, the vampire felt deep in his gut that Cordelia remained alive and assured himself that he would know it if she was dead.

Only this time, he had not been alone in his search. Spike and the minions reacted with as much concern when Cordelia did not return during the wee hours of the morning. As with many of her outings since coming to town, she had gone out on her own. The blond had vampire returned from his encounter with the Slayer nearly two hours ago and found his grandsire pacing the floor.

“No sign of her?” Spike asked him now though the answer seemed obvious. Otherwise Angel would have the chit with him. “No indication of trouble at the Watcher’s house. His council buddies finally left and he was all tuckered out. Looked a little pissed when I woke him up to ask if he’d seen Cordelia. He has a surprisingly good vocabulary of expletives.”

Angel had been a bit surprised that Cordelia had been hanging out at Rupert Giles’ house, but he had no reason to doubt that Spike saw her there. “Where did she go from there?”

“I tracked her from the Watcher’s house through the cemetery,” Spike told him, “but it only led to the church parking lot. Cordy had the Corvette.”

Angel had asked Spike to go knowing that Rupert Giles was still wary of him considering that Angelus had tortured him and killed his girlfriend. “I had no better luck at Richard Wilkins’ place. Whatever Cordelia is scheming, she wasn’t there tonight.”

One by one, the minions reported their findings. Jude informed Angel that he awakened Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg in order to question Willow. “They told me she was staying at the Summers’ house. I didn’t tell them otherwise, but I think we all know that was a lie.”

“Red snuck out of the house?” Spike thought this enthrallment was getting to be a pain. It was getting hard to make the little witch behave.

Nodding, Jude told him, “I followed her scent, but it led to the cemetery where you were tracking Cordelia. They must have met up for some reason.”

Angel was actually relieved at the idea rather than any one of the other scenarios he had envisioned. “So there was no indication of Buffy’s involvement in this?”

“Uh— no.” Spike pointed out. “Slayer was actually otherwise occupied tonight.”

“Oh?” Angel paused to ask just as he caught the expression on the other vampire’s face. “On second thought— don’t tell me.”

Spike wasn’t planning on it.

“The Bronze was shut up tight,” Tom reported. “I checked it out anyway, but no sign of the mistress.”

Keanu had gone to Willie’s demon bar with Mel and Brad. “There was no word on the streets of anything going down tonight.”

“Dammit!” Angel growled as he strode away from the door. “Where is she?”

Dru suddenly appeared at the top of the landing staring down at them. She had refused to take part in their little search and even kept her freshly-scented Puppy with her. “Silly boys. Cordelia and her Willow are just fine, my Angel.”

“How do you know that?” Angel bounded up the stairs two at a time to stand by her side.

“The ringing told me.”

Angel guessed that she had a vision. “The stars sent you a message?”

“The stars twinkle,” Dru corrected. “The telephone rings.”

Crooking a finger under Drusilla’s chin, Angel held her still. “When did this call come?”

“Ages ago.”

With a sigh, Angel figured that Drusilla probably thought their frantic search for Cordelia was an amusing game of hide and seek. “What did Cordy say when she called?”

“Something about being stuck at Wal-Mart.”

“Wal-Mart?” Keanu gasped overhearing them. No wonder they had not found Mistress Cordy before the sunrise.

“Cordelia and Willow went on an all-night shopping spree?” Angel was glad it wasn’t his bank account in such jeopardy. “Is there a reason you didn’t tell me about it?”

“Yes,” Dru answered with a smile.

Angel prompted, “And that reason would be what?”

“It’s a secret.”

The creak of the door caught their attention and the vampires darted out of the light that filtered in through the cracks as it opened wide. Willow stepped into the room instantly darting out of the way to make room for the running figure swathed from head to toe in a steaming burka.

“Close the door,” Cordelia’s muffled voice came from beneath the confining layers. “Get me out of this thing.”

After slamming the door shut, Willow dropped the keys to the Corvette onto a table in the center of the foyer. A quick glance around the room showed the entire membership of the household in various states of irritability. Drusilla was the only one smiling, but that was clearly in anticipation of knowing what was to come.

Her minions were already crowding around her murmuring their relief that their mistress was alive and apparently well. For the moment. They scattered apart as Angel descended the stairs and crossed the foyer with a growl sounding under his breath. He barked out at them a dismissal, “Goodnight!”

Without a word of protest, all five backed away and disappeared into other parts of the mansion.

Pulling the hot cloth away from her head, Cordelia found Angel standing directly in front of her. She knew her mate had been anxious for her return even before meeting his gaze. After removing the rest of the confining garment that completely covered her, Cordelia looked up only to react with a start. Angel’s expression was one of intense control. Any second now, she sensed it was going to break.

Even so, when Angel reached out and yanked her against his hard torso, Cordelia was not prepared for the fury behind his kiss. The hard swipe of his lips came close to bruising as they traced hers. Angel’s mouth pressed open her lips to delve inside tasting her on his tongue as he wound his fingers through her hair to hold her in place. Not that he needed to since her arms moved around his back to clasp his shoulders. After the initial shock, Cordy returned his kiss voraciously eating up the no-holds-barred manner in which he claimed her mouth.

Then his rounded teeth nipped her lip causing her to let out a small cry as it drew blood. Angel sucked away the crimson stain taking the lip into his mouth laving it until the wound closed. It was one thing to be anxious, but this behavior seemed strange. “Angel?”

Breaking away from the embrace, Angel held his mate at arms’ distance still looking at her with barely controlled rage. “Don’t ever put me through that again, Cordelia. This is not some sleepy little village in the middle of Central America where you have your run of the place. This town has a Slayer who is not exactly fond of you.”

“Pfft!”

“What the hell were you thinking, Cordy?” Angel barked angrily. “Did you even consider the possible consequences or that I— we— might be concerned when you didn’t return at the expected time?”

Cordelia did not like being questioned, even by her sire. Especially when Angel was in a lecturing mode and she did not deserve it, “I called. I talked to Dru.”

“Drusilla has as much sense as a—,” Angel broke off mid-sentence not really meaning to insult his other childe no matter how true the words. “You should have called me.”

Licking at her sore lip, Cordelia narrowed her eyes at him. If she was going to be accused of worrying her sire then Angel better get his facts straight. “Check your cell phone. You will see that I tried to call you not once, but twice.”

“My cell phone,” Angel muttered suddenly remembering that he owned one. “Must be in my car.”

“Hah!” Giving him a scornful grin, Cordelia knew she had won that point. For someone who was as intelligent and well-read as Angel, you would think the vamp could learn the simple use of a cell phone. His determination to avoid aspects of modern technology was a mystery.

Spike dared to cut in with, “The chit has a point.”

“Go to bed, Spike; take Drusilla with you.” The words were accompanied by a growl that indicated he was angry with the vampiress.

“Who do you think you are— Angelus?” Spike didn’t like to hear anyone threatening Dru even if Angel had the right to do so.

“I told you to get out,” warned Angel now turning to Spike. “I want to be alone with my mate, not have a fucking family reunion.”

Drusilla giggled from the top of the stairs. Hearing Angel use bad words was always a treat since he normally avoided them. Only when he was really mad did her souled sire ever say such naughty things. Heading up the stairs, Spike told Dru, “Don’t take it so literally, luv. He wasn’t really suggesting *that* kind of a reunion.”

Eep!

Willow turned as red as her hair as she thought about what the vampire had suggested. It was a rather graphic picture that popped into her head and wouldn’t seem to go away. As she needed to go back out to bring in their purchases, she crept back toward the door and stood there with her back pressed against it. If Cordy and Angel remembered that she was there, neither acknowledged her. They were too caught up in each other.

Cordelia found herself simultaneously ticked off and turned on by Angel’s bad attitude. It was not like him to be quite so rough with her. She demanded an explanation, “What the hell do you think you’re doing treating me this way?”

Without waiting for an answer, she stared back to his lips asking, “Can I have more?”

“You’re about to get it all, tigress,” Angel swept her up into his arms and headed for their bedroom.

Willow heard the door slam shut behind them. “Don’t bother saying goodnight to me.”

As she headed out to retrieve their packages, Willow found herself smiling in spite of her tiredness. She had wondered how Cordelia was planning to make Angel wait a whole day before her little seduction scene. Some days the vampires barely got out of bed and Cordy thought she would talk her naturally amorous— downright horny in her presence— mate out of taking her to bed?

Cordy’s favorite response seemed to be apropos, “Pfft!”

If things went right, Willow wouldn’t have to wait until tomorrow night to see if her plan worked. She’d find out today. Because it looked like Cordelia and Angel were definitely gonna do it. Sometime between their mutli-orgasmic clinches, Angel would recall that his soul was safe and then happiness would be had by all.

“Yes, Cordy,” she murmured darkly, “you can have more— of Angelus.”

***

Willow fell off the couch at the frightening sound of Angel’s voice bellowing in apparent agony. Gasping, she rolled onto her knees and used the couch as support to rise to her feet. Omigod! “It worked,” she whispered in awe at her own strategy to foil Angel. “He’s lost his soul.”

Then she realized that the sound he was crying out was a name— her own. That was not a good sign, Willow realized even as she peeked out of the living room in the direction of the stairs. The half-naked vampire was kneeling on the ground surrounded by overturned packages and shopping bags.

“Willow, get up here,” he caught her gaze and ordered her upstairs. “I take it you’re fully responsible for this.”

Not certain if he was talking about his soul or the mess, Willow asked for clarification of his accusation. “Responsible for what?”

“Me.”

“Uh— could you be more specific?” Willow stared closely trying to discern whether the evil Angelus was back or if this was just Angel being his usual compulsive self when it came to keeping things picked up.

A huff of disbelief sounded. “That isn’t obvious?”

“It depends—,” Willow began only to hear a frustrated growl from the vampire’s throat as he got to his feet and turned in her direction. Her reaction was instinctive as she cried out, “Don’t eat me!”

“That punishment might be a bit severe for leaving your shopping bags where people can trip over them,” Angel pointed out as he stepped over them to head down to the kitchen for his breakfast of warmed pig’s blood.

“A-Angel?” Lowering her arms down to her sides, Willow let out a sigh of relief. “For a second I thought that Angelus was going to drain me.”

The vampire paused to remind her, “There is no more Angelus.”

“Oh Yeah!” Willow nodded. “Right. Guess I’m still asleep.”

Watching Angel descend the stairs, Willow was overcome by disappointment. Dammit! The stupid vamp was supposed to lose his soul. What the hell went wrong? Grabbing a couple of the shopping bags, Willow moved them into the bedroom setting them out of the way. Cordelia was lying prone on the bed, her arms curled around Angel’s pillow as if she was already missing him.

Good afternoon, Willow. The voice hummed into her head. Almost in sing-song fashion. Apparently, Cordelia was in a very good mood.

Not bothering to stop at her task, Willow settled for brevity. “Hi.”

“Angel probably woke the entire household,” Cordelia laughed as Willow kept moving back and forth bringing the packages inside the room. “You know he doesn’t like clutter, pet.”

Grumbling at her use of the term, Willow stalked over to sit next to the vampiress noting that she was naked beneath the thin sheet. Oh, my. “I-I thought for a second that Angelus had returned. That your little, uh, experience last night might have been too blissful for him.”

“Hardly blissful,” Cordelia couldn’t use that word to describe it. “Hot, wild and just on the right side of rough. More like amazing. I’m surprised you got any sleep with as much noise as we made.”

“I was comatose on the couch,” Willow explained. “Someone kept me awake all night.”

“Mmm,” Cordelia acknowledged the comment, but was still thinking about her mate. “I can’t wait until tonight.”

Sarcastically, Willow asked, “You mean you aren’t planning another marathon?”

“I haven’t forgotten about my plans,” the vampiress turned over and sat up in bed her long silky hair cascading over her shoulders and her voluptuous curves holding the sheet in place.

If at first you don’t succeed—, thought Willow with a smile letting the thought drift off as she informed Cordelia about the necessary plans for the day. “I’ll get a start on looking up the necessary spell components. This one I may have to make up myself. Can you get Mel or Keanu to hang the mirrors? After that it will be up to me.”

“Consider it done, pet.” Cordelia threw aside the covers and leapt out of bed. Noticing the look on Willow’s face she commented, “Don’t drool. I’m going to hit the shower and get dressed before Angel comes up with that marathon idea. My job will be to keep him out of the bedroom while you do your thing.”

“Uh.” Too busy staring at the expanse of nude flesh, some of it covered in vampire bites, Willow found it difficult to get the words out.

Willow!

“Right. Do my thing.” Was it Willow’s imagination or was the room really hot? “I’ll stall Angel in the kitchen. Breakfast sounds like a good idea, anyway. I want something cool and juicy in my mouth. Thirsty.”

Cordelia stared after her enthralled pet. She couldn’t say that Angel hadn’t warned her about the potential side-effects. Not that Cordy really minded. It was actually funny to see the way Willow panted after her sometimes. The real amusement was that her sire also reacted with a twinge of unnecessary jealousy every time the two of them went out shopping together.

Failing to arrive home before dawn had drawn out a reaction from Angel bringing his demon so close to the surface that Cordelia barely knew the difference. Last night, the way he touched her had little to do with tenderness or even the imaginative methods that her mate often created to bring her to orgasm. This was all about possession, about being inside what was his and surrounding himself with her scent, taste and touch.

He’d given Cordelia a hard, wild ride. Fast, furious and more intense than anything they had before. Then he had flipped her over and to her utter delight repeated himself. Who needed variety with Angel inside you? He gave it to her anyway. So good! Kissed every inch of her more as a claim than a caress and followed up with bites in his favorite spots. Some deeper than others. Most would heal and vanish before tonight while others would still be a visible mark on her flesh enticing him back for more.

Mmm! More Angel. She could definitely go for that.

As Cordelia stepped under the hot spray from the shower, she arched into its heat. Felt so good— like wet sunlight on her skin. Strangely, Cordy did not miss the sun. Not like she sometimes thought she should. For someone who liked to bathe in sunshine as a human, the night was far too glorious to her to ever miss the daylight. Squeezing the soapy loofah over her skin, she closed her eyes and imagined an eternity of darkness with the vampire who had found a way to fill her empty heart.

***

Denied entry into his own bedroom, Angel wondered what Cordelia was up to that she had barred his presence. Several of the minions and Willow were holed up for hours working on something that required drilling, hammering and mystical chanting. When the group emerged, Cordelia informed him that she would call him when she was ready.

Wondering, ready for what? Angel lost heavily at the poker table to Spike, Jude, Brad and Willow because his attention kept wandering. At least the other vamps were happy with the results. Dru, who was draped over Spike’s shoulder watching the game, was the only one who looked less than thrilled with Angel’s rapt attention being elsewhere.

“Peaches, remind me to ask Cordelia to stick around the next time we play cards,” Spike laughed at his grandsire. “You’ve been staring at that door for the last thirty minutes.”

“Cordy can be a distraction,” Angel admitted.

Spike snorted, “She’s a bloody goddess and you know it, lucky bastard.”

Angel’s mouth curled upward. His chest ached just thinking about it. Unconsciously rubbing the spot that Buffy Summers had once pierced with her sword, Angel agreed, “I am lucky.”

“Unlucky at cards—,” Willow hinted with a cute grin.

The vampire finished for her, “—lucky in love?”

Angel suddenly threw his cards on the table literally by tossing away his first potentially winning hand of kings over queens. Then figuratively by muttering, “I’ve got to tell her.”

Pushing back from the table, his chair scraped the floor as Angel left the players behind without a backward glance. They called out, trying to stop him. Willow was the only one who appeared content for Angel to leave despite that he was ahead of schedule. Cordelia would cope with the early arrival.

Turning back to the others, she asked calmly, “Is it my deal?”

Cordelia heard the turn of the doorknob and sensed the presence of her sire. “That better not be you, Angel. I told you I would tell you when it was time.”

Opening the door wide, he told her, “I’ve waited long enough.”

There were shopping bags on the bed with items strewn across the coverlet. Cordelia was bending over the bed digging through one of the bags. Realizing that Angel was actually going to come in despite her wishes, she spun around to face him. Tightening the belt of her silk bathrobe, Cordy stomped her foot on the floor. “I’m not ready.”

“Ready for what?” Angel almost backed up when he saw the pout appear on her lips. She was not normally a vampiress given to pouting when she didn’t get her way.

“The surprise, you dumbass!” Cordelia grumped at him. “So much for seduction. Forget it now, I’m not going to waste my time.”

“Seduction?” Asked Angel, intrigued. “All the secrecy and construction noise had to do with you planning to seduce me? I’m easier than that, baby.”

He was laughing softly, his mouth curling sensually bringing a sparkle to his dark eyes.

“I know,” Cordelia crossed her arms under her breasts unintentionally drawing his gaze to her suddenly enhanced cleavage at the vee of her robe. “Too bad you won’t be getting any now, lover.”

Angel’s smile dropped as he caught the serious gleam in her eye. “Not so fast. I can leave and come back.”

“Grmph! Too late!”

“How about if I sit over here and just watch you finish?”

Actually, Cordelia thought that went right along with her little plan for the evening. Dragging a chair over so that it was directly in front of the door, Cordy settled her mate into it and gave a little warning despite the smile that threatened to appear, “Promise me just one thing—no more premature arrivals tonight.”

“That’s all up to you, tigress,” Angel chuckled. “I’ll guarantee to give it my best shot if you tell me what you’ve got on under that robe.”

Glancing over her shoulder at him, Cordelia’s voice dropped to a huskier octave, “Skin.”

Registering the lustful expression on his face, the vampiress turned back to her task of removing candles from one of the shopping bags. She placed them on the various flat surfaces around the room in small bunches before using long-stemmed matches to light the wicks. Reaching up beside him, Angel flipped off the overhead light leaving the room glowing softly with candlelight.

Cordelia continued on by removing the final items from the bags. As she moved the items onto the bed and removed the plastic shopping bag, Angel caught a flicker of movement on the ceiling above the bed. It was only for a moment and then the ceiling fell into shadow as Cordy moved between the table holding the candles and the bed.

“Follow me, Angel. It’s been a while since you’ve rummaged through my panty drawer, but maybe you can help me choose what to wear tonight.”

“What’s the occasion?” Cordelia looked a little hurt as he asked the question, which made him think hard to come up with the answer on his own. Two seconds later, the vampire snapped his mouth closed as he realized precisely what this night represented. “No. We can’t celebrate that. Not the night I killed you.”

Talk about a mood killer. Angel couldn’t believe that Cordelia was trying to recreate the night that Angelus had seduced her, taken her virginity and sucked her life away. That was not how he wanted to remember the human Cordelia Chase, frightened and crying beneath him. Calling out his name in ecstasy even as her life drained away.

“You were meant to die that night, Cordelia,” he reminded her. “Angelus planned to fuck you and drain you dry before leaving you on Buffy’s front porch. You were so beautiful and vibrant, seductive yet innocent. Full of life. Angelus— I took that away from you.”

“Does it look like I care?” Cordelia parried as she wound her arms around his neck. “I have what I wanted from the first time I set eyes on you: my own gorgeous hunk of salty goodness. Angelus gave me this existence, so don’t ask me to regret it.”

Pulling her into the shelter of his arms, Angel rested his cheek against her hair. Brushing his mouth across the silky texture, he admitted softly, “I care, Cordy. Somewhere in the confused depths of my brain, I am truly sorry that I ended your life. Nothing on Earth can make me regret that made you mine.”

“Glad to hear it, buster,” Cordelia used her strength to squirm out of his arms. “Now get your hot ass back to the chair. I’ve changed my mind about giving you a choice tonight. A little payback is a good thing now and then. It’s my turn.”

Angel thought about calling out a few suggestions, but figured that Cordy would react by selecting something completely different. He chose to keep his mouth shut and enjoy the buzz of anticipation that was strumming through his body. What the hell was taking so long? Okay— he’d come in early. How long did it take to put on a couple scraps of lace when he knew that he could remove them in about three seconds?

“Oh! Angel?” She called out from the closet. “Would you pull that cord by my dressing table?”

There was a tasseled rope hanging from the new drape above her vanity. Obviously, this was the new installation. He had noticed the drape earlier, but thought it was just a new decoration. Giving the thick cord a tug, Angel watched as the drape parted and he found himself staring at his own reflection.

Gazing raptly at the image on the glass, Angel couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Was it really him? Vampires didn’t cast reflections. His hand reached out to touch the surface as if confirming that the image was really there. Back in the day, mirrors did not exist in this quality, so his vague memories of himself were suddenly sharper and it was almost like seeing himself for the first time.

Angel leaned in and blinked looking deep into his own eyes. Moving back, found himself amused by his own reflection. He was about to call out to Cordelia when he saw a swift movement in the mirror as she slipped behind him letting his broad shoulders block her out of the reflecting mirror.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall,” Cordelia began with an amused lilt to her voice, “who’s the hottest vamp of all?”

With a laugh, Angel commented, “Get out here where it can see you and you’ll get your answer, Cordy.”

“Don’t turn around, Angel.” She instructed him as he was about to turn to face her. “Just look at yourself in the mirror. Do you see why we females fumble over ourselves to be near you?”

“I thought it was my scintillating conversation,” Angel joked with a confident leer while looking at his reflection as she wanted, but trying to get a glimpse of her.

“Getting a narcissistic vampire a mirror may not have been my best idea,” Cordelia told him as she leaned into his back pressing her round breasts against him through the barrier of their clothing, “but it’s gonna be fun.”

“How is this possible?” There were mystical aspects to vampires. The lack of a reflection was just one fact that he never thought possible to alter. Answering his own question, he realized what the earlier chanting was about. “Willow did this. The little witch is getting powerful.”

“Do you really want to talk about Willow?”

“No,” Angel started to purr as Cordelia’s hands wound around to massage his chest in a rhythmic fashion that stirred his lifeless blood. “Let’s talk about the things we’re going to be doing in front of this mirror.”

“I’ll show you instead.”

Slowly unbuttoning Angel’s shirt, her fingers paused at each step reveling and feeling his exposed skin. Cordelia was doing this by touch alone since having both arms around his broad chest prevented her from also leaning out to see the mirror image. Angel was rapt by the sight of her feminine hands moving over him as much as the sensations.

When his shirt came off, Cordelia kissed her way across his muscular back. Angel felt her move to the right, shifting her leg so that it came into view sweeping up along the side of his. Winding around, Cordelia stepped to his side meeting Angel’s gaze in the mirror for the first time.

“You’re so beautiful,” Angel murmured as he soaked up the image of her voluptuous shape partially covered by a short ivory shift. Suspended by its spaghetti straps, it clung from her breasts to the tops of her thighs. Once again Cordelia surprised him as he had expected her to come out in red lace or black leather.

“Like it?” Cordy fingered the lacy edge of the shift. The soft white silk revealed just as much of her as it covered.

Angel hooked a finger beneath one of the thin straps and traced the skin underneath with his knuckle as it moved up and down. “You’re the picture of innocence. Tempting and untouched like a bride on her wedding night.”

With a raised brow, Cordelia looked surprised. “Really? Is that how you want to play this?”

“I didn’t realize it was a game,” Angel found himself getting hard thinking about some of the things he wanted to do in front of this mirror. Just seeing their reflections was enough to excite him, but the idea of watching as they brought each other pleasure was too tantalizing to ignore. “You’re right, Cordy. I adore the look, but this isn’t the night I want you to pretend to be virginal.”

“Then tell me what you want, Angel,” she used the words he often said to her. “Because tonight I’m going to give you everything you desire.”

Her sire’s lips curled into a sensual smile as he caressed her face. “You do that every time I’m with you.”

Cordelia leaned up into his kiss. One so different from the violent kisses they shared last night. His mouth moved with tender motions across her parted lips garnering little sighs of pleasure. Angel resisted deepening the kiss and instead pressed butterfly soft kisses against her cheek moving to her ear where his tongue played havoc with her senses as it flicked across the sensitive whorls.

Touching his bare skin, Cordelia roved her hands around to his strong back holding onto him as he kissed his way down to her neck. “Angel,” her voice came out as a plea for him to stop what he was doing. “This is supposed to be for you, silly vamp.”

“For us,” he insisted against her throat.

Who was seducing whom? Cordelia snaked her hand around Angel’s hip down to the hard evidence of his arousal. Cupping him firmly, she moved her hand along his erection until her mate was moaning against her throat. That was more like it, she grinned. Cordy figured that she needed to get back into the driver’s seat of this little seduction plan or Angel would have her writhing in pleasure and she would forget to tell him how she felt.

“I want you naked,” Cordelia voiced as she moved her hand away to unbuckle his belt. Angel brushed her hand away as he removed his belt and kicked off his shoes at the same time. The pants, boxers and sock followed quickly while his beautiful childe laughed in amusement at his eager efforts to unclothe. “Not much tease in that striptease.”

“Too much talking,” Angel made a grab for her only to have Cordelia dance away. “Now who’s teasing?”

“That’s all you’ll get if you don’t behave.” He was facing away from the mirror standing there with his penis hard and ready. Cordelia also had a delightful view of his muscular buttocks reflecting from the mirror behind him. “Turn around, Angel. Face the mirror.”

Angel had forgotten it for a moment with his attention all on her. Considering his nude and aroused state, the vampire admitted to himself a certain curiosity with seeing what he looked like to his mate. Impressive, he had to admit not caring if it was vanity or just the simple truth. With a hand on his chest, Angel moved it down across the sculpted plane of his abdomen.

The urge to touch himself as he watched in the mirror was strong. Cordelia hovered next to him judging his reaction with a knowing glance. She curled her hand around Angel’s bicep and followed the path of his arm to push his hand downward. “Go ahead. I know you want to.”

Curling his hand around his rigid cock, Angel stared at his reflection in the mirror, the sensation heightened by the view. However, his attention turned quickly to Cordelia who was watching him as he stroked his hand slowly up and down the length of his erection. The excitement in her eyes, the lust apparent on her gorgeous face, and the panting breath that she did not need to sustain her only increased his own arousal.

Cordelia’s eyes flicked up to meet his reflectant gaze just before sinking to her knees on the rug positioning her body at an angle beside him. At first, she seemed content to watch up close as Angel continued the pumping action that brought him to his fully tumescent state. She kept her hands on his body, one clinging to the back of one steely thigh and the other running up and down his hip with the same rhythm that he maintained. Glancing up at the mirror again, Cordelia noted that her minions had done well in positioning it at a slight angle for the vanity table did not block the view at all.

“Angel,” his name came out in a moan of need, “let me touch you now.”

“Use your mouth, Cordy,” he turned to her, his eyelids heavy with lust and half-closed as Angel gazed down at her eager face. “I want to feel your tongue on me.”

One by one, Cordelia curled her fingers around the wide base of his shaft fisting him. Her fingers barely contained him. Angel spread his thighs to give her better access to his balls as her other hand brushed up against their sensitive pouch. He sucked in a sharp breath at the first stroke of his flesh. It was as if she had the magic touch knowing exactly what he wanted and Angel wondered in the one corner of his brain that could still think whether it was somehow connected to her mental abilities.

Oral pleasuring was something they both enjoyed. Cordelia felt stimulated watching his reaction as she took him into her mouth, laving the highly sensitive underbelly of the tip where it met the rigid pole of his shaft. Angel let out a groan of pure lust and his dark eyes clamped shut as he threw his head back trying to control his reaction. The combined sensation of her wet tongue, the suction of mouth and the pumping action of her fingers nearly sent him over the edge within seconds.

Fighting to hold back, Angel forced his eyes open staring down at her with eyes of deep amber. “Keep that up, tigress,” he warned, “and you’ll have to start all over again before you get to have me inside you.”

Cordelia let her mouth slide off the tip with an audible pop, brushing it against her cheek. “We have all night, Angel.”

As she resumed her attention to his swollen tip now stretching out of its foreskin, Angel dropped a hand to her head letting his fingers slide through her silken hair. His eyes kept darting back and forth between the stark reality of seeing her mouth on him to the sensual sight of the two of them in the mirror. Knowing she intended to take this all the way, he started to murmur words of encouragement.

“That feels so good, baby,” Angel’s voice rumbled somewhere between a deep purr and a growl. “I love the way you use your tongue.”

She had let him slip out of her mouth again and was flicking her tongue down to his balls, staying there until they drew up tighter against him. Angel could barely get out her name as Cordy worked her way back up to swallow him taking more of his rigid shaft into her throat.

Angel’s eyes were glued to the mirror watching as his mate held onto his thighs moving her head in bobbing rhythmic fashion as she opened her throat to take him further inside. “Cordy! Nngh! Yeah, baby. Take me deeper.”

Though his hand now fisted her hair, Angel did not try to control her efforts. They both knew it was far more pleasurable to let her set the rhythm and pace. The vampiress took him deep into her throat and held him there for a moment, not needing to breathe around him. Then she focused again on the spot where his tip and foreskin met the shaft of his cock, flicking her tongue and closing her mouth around the crowning ridge.

She knew Angel was close to coming. His entire body tensed up and his balls drew back toward the base of his sex. Laving the tip, Cordelia opened her mouth wide and caught the first spurt of his orgasm on her tongue. Angel watched his manly essence coat her tongue before she closed her mouth around him again to twirl her tongue around the tip while her fisted fingers pumped him below.

Angel stared down not only in amazement at the intensity of his orgasm, but also the look in Cordelia’s eyes as she finished him off. He recognized the lust of her highly aroused state, but there was something else he had not seen before and could not seem to identify.

Gracefully, she rose to her feet standing before him like a triumphant pleasure goddess. It was true, thought Angel, I am a lucky bastard.

Palming her cheeks into his strong, but gentle hands Angel moved close so their bodies brushed up against each other. Her hard nipples peaking against the silk nightshift were now teasing his bare flesh. Cordelia let out a soft moan as he leaned in to kiss her slightly swollen lips. They were tingling from their recent activity and especially sensitive as he nibbled at them with his mouth. The sweep of his tongue across her bottom lip had her opening to him letting him taste himself as she touched his questing tip.

Her arms surrounded his neck as Cordelia pressed herself into his hard frame, tucking her hips into his already stiffening groin. Angel’s hand slipped down her back to the upper curve of her bottom to hold her there. Then his fingers wandered lower down to the lacy edge of her shift to caress her inner thigh. Cordy let out a soft gasp as he stealthily moved back up, this time under her short garment to palm one of her buttocks.

“Thong?” A graveled tone sounded in his voice as he broke away from their kiss long enough to pose the question.

“Look in the mirror and find out,” Cordelia challenged with a glint in her eyes moving her hands to lift up the shift around her waist.

Angel stared at their reflection seeing his hand appear as she lifted the covering away. He gave a gentle squeeze to the firm flesh beneath his hand. Then he noticed that there was no string parting the two globes of her buttocks and realized with a lustful zing, “You’re not wearing any panties.”

“Nope.” Cordelia gave him a naughty grin as she yanked up the front of her nightshift that had been caught between them. Now he felt the proof as his penis brushed against the soft nest of curls at the apex of her thighs.

Angel’s fingers curled into her from behind gathering the liquid proof of her arousal. He let one wet finger circle her puckered rim while moving back to hold her against him. She let out a startled cry of pleasure and lifted her mouth for his kiss. Cordelia wound one leg around his hip trying to arrange it so that his hard shaft pressed against her clit.

Taking hold of her thigh, Angel supported it and brought it just a bit higher until he heard Cordelia suck in a sharp breath of air. He took the opportunity to kiss her deeply, moving his tongue over hers. Sounds of pleasure hummed from their throats while Angel rotated his hips so that each small movement caused his erection to slide along her intimate flesh. Cordelia’s clit was a hard nub brushing against his cock and each time he thrust against it her body jerked toward him.

Easing her leg to the floor, Angel swept her up into his arms and carried her toward the bed. Cordelia looked a bit confused having expected him to take her on top of the vanity table so that he could watch them in the mirror. Asking him about it, Angel replied, “I want to look directly into your eyes when I make you come, Cordelia. We’ll play with the mirror again later.”

For some reason, his words caused warmth to spread across her body. That felt strange to the vampiress as she realized it was not heat, but just her own feelings stretching out from their center point at her solar plexus. “Angel, I want you so much,” Cordy whispered into his ear as he gently placed her onto the bed.

The feeling was definitely mutual.

“You make me feel so—,” Cordelia broke off uncertain how to express what she wanted to say.

Angel stared into her hazel eyes, recognizing her state of confusion and wanting to put her at ease knowing that Cordelia was more used to expressing her wants during sex than her feelings.

“Good?” He laid her down upon the mattress and kissed the spot where her throat met her breastbone.

“Mmm.”

“Aroused?” Angel guessed again as his fingers tucked under the thin spaghetti straps of her shift to tug them over her shoulders. His mouth trailed soft smooches along the same path before moving to the exposed curve of her breasts.

“Mmm hmm!”

Now his hands cupped both breasts as his mouth and tongue played havoc with her senses. Cordelia’s already sensitive nipples were red and swollen from his attention. Teasing the outer curves of her breasts and the softer skin of her areolas, Angel left no part of her unattended. Blowing cool air across her damp skin, he caused a little quake as she jiggled in his hands.

“Angel,” she pleaded through the haze of her pleasure. “I need you inside of me.”

Her hands were already on him down below, stroking his erection and maneuvering her hips to get closer. Angel promised, “Soon, baby.”

The vampire was still lavishing kisses across the full globes in his hands. He loved the way they overfilled his grasp. Lush mounds with nipples large enough to curl his tongue around. Made for him. Angel flicked his tongue across one hearing his mate’s responding moan. Then he saw the reddened mark over her skin where he had bitten her last night on the outer curve of her left breast. It had been a deep bite if it still showed now. Realizing that it must have given her as much pain as pleasure, Angel kissed the spot paying gentle homage to her skin and feeling that deep sense of vampiric satisfaction that it was his bite that had left that mark even if it would eventually fade.

Wondering if there were other similar spots, Angel lifted up slightly to let his gaze sweep across her skin from neck to navel. The move gave Cordelia better access to his erection and she quickly took advantage of that. Her flexible body allowed her to fit him directly to her opening. Angel noticed that her eyes were staring upward as her legs curled around him to force him further inside.

Kneeling and grasping her hips so that he entered her to the hilt, Angel gazed toward the ceiling and realized that she had placed a mystically-enhanced mirror there as well. No wonder the minions had taken so long preparing the room. He moved his hips so that only his tip remained within her and watched in the mirror above as she took him back in.

Then he turned his gaze on Cordelia whose attention was no longer on the mirror, but on him. “I want to hold you. Please, Angel. Let me put my arms around you.”

Cordelia had always liked to touch him during sex, but now as she voiced her needs to him there was something else she communicated. It was more than pure need or desire. Angel recognized the feelings within himself and silently thanked Willow Rosenberg for finally revealing the permanency of his soul to him. Though Cordelia might not realize it yet, Angel knew that she felt something more for him than just the sire-childe bond. That while he was her acknowledged mate, she had never lost herself to pure emotion.

Perhaps that was his fault, Angel thought, having always held back some part of his own personal experience for fear of releasing Angelus to the world again. Lowering himself so that his arms tucked under her shoulders without putting his full weight on her, Angel felt her arms come up around him. One around his neck, the other across his shoulders while her legs encircled his lower back effectively hugging him close with her entire body.
Angel was buried deep inside her feeling her inner muscles flexing and accommodating his hard flesh. “Cordelia,” his voice sounded strangled as he struggled to hold back his urge to come. “Baby, I’ve got to move.”

Then he was thrusting within her, slowly at first and then with a fastening rhythm that was answered by Cordelia’s writhing hips. Every now and then, her hazel gaze would dart up to the ceiling watching the muscles dance across Angel’s back as his buttocks flexed each time he entered her. Angel moved them to an angle advantageously placing the ridge of his penis against her g-spot.

“Come with me,” Cordy stared deeply into his eyes pleading for their mutual pleasure. “Angel, now. Come with me.”

More than ready, Angel let out a roar of ecstasy as his mate called out his name at the peak of her climax. Their bodies shuddered together with tiny aftershocks of pleasure. Then Angel felt Cordelia’s hand curve around his face. Opening his eyes, he saw her smile of contentment as she formed the words he never expected to hear fall from her lips.

“I love you, Angel.”

Unguarded, Angel soaked up the sound of those words directly into the inner depths of his being. He knew a moment where he was surrounded by her body, her scent, and her love for him. It burst within him, this instant of ultimate bliss as he stared down into the eyes of his mate.

Angel was about to return the sentiment, wanting Cordelia to know the intensity of his own feelings for her. Only the tightness in his chest that accompanied the idea that he was full of love for her became suddenly painful. There was a sudden pressure within him, a sensation he had felt before. A rending that indicated his soul was being torn away from its mystic connection.

There was only a second of acknowledgement, before Angel jerked painfully out of his mate’s arms. Kneeling on the mattress, the vampire let out a cry of loss and agony as he screamed out Cordelia’s name. There was a burst of pure light the instant before his body collapsed on the bed.

“Omigod!” Cordelia scampered up beside her mate. “Angel? Angel! What happened?”

Her mind raced at the possibilities, but there was only one she could come up with that made any sense. Declaring her love had given Angel perfect happiness. Cordelia had just cost him his soul.

“No,” she gasped wondering if his soul could sense her still. “I-I didn’t want that. I didn’t mean to do it, Angel. That wasn’t what you wanted.”

“Better make up your mind what you do want, tigress,” the vampire rose up on the bed beside her taking her hair into his fist and yanking her close.

“Angelus!”

“Oh, yes, baby,” Angelus confirmed. “I’m back.”

Cordelia wasn’t prepared for this sudden change in her mate’s entire being. The last time, it was a shock seeing him after she had thought him dead. Then, she had time to get used to the idea that her sire had been cursed with a soul. Now he had lost it. Instantly and all due to her need to tell him how she felt.

Angel always claimed to be Angelus. That Angelus was the darker half controlled by his soul. She knew that he was different as with the soul intact. While Angel might still be Angelus, the reverse was not necessarily true. There were traits possessed by the soul that had never touched Angelus and Cordelia was left to wonder if the feelings that she shared with Angel were among them.

“Your soul,” she gasped as her mouth finally caught up with her thoughts.

“Gone.” Angelus taunted. “You fucked it out of me. Always knew you were a good lay. You just blew him away with your little confession, Cordelia.”

“My confession,” she knew all too well what he meant and tried to gauge his reaction. This could get nasty considering the way Angelus normally treated people who betrayed him.

“Telling the Soul you loved him,” Angelus released his hold on her hair letting it fall over her shoulder in a wave of dark silk. “All the times you’ve fucked each other without any consequences and all it took was those three little words. I love you.”

Cordelia looked a bit defiant as she told her sire, “I meant it.”

Climbing out of the bed and running his hands across his naked torso, Angelus let out a dark laugh. “That’s what is going to make this all the more meaningful, my cheating little mate.”

“I did not.”

“Did too,” Angelus pulled her off the bed to stand beside him.

Pointing out, “It was you— just with a soul,” Cordelia was not going to admit to cheating on him. That was just ridiculous.

“He told you that because he wanted you.”

“You know it’s true,” Cordelia countered with a glare. “You just don’t want to believe you could feel the way you do with your soul intact.”

Angelus remembered everything. “Are you his or mine, Cordy? Make up your mind and do it quick.”

“Yours. I’ll always be yours,” she confirmed, but added, “With or without your soul.”

That wasn’t exactly the answer the vampire wanted, but it seemed that his defiant childe had not changed one bit. Cordelia was always obstinate and no amount of punishment had ever changed that. He remembered the fact that her seduction of Angel started out as a celebration of anniversary of the night he, Angelus, claimed her.

“Then come over here and prove it, tigress,” Angelus backed up to the area in front of her vanity. “I want you to watch as I take you from behind. To see your face as I do it. Will it be lust in your beautiful eyes or tears? Whose name will you scream when I make you come, Cordelia? His or mine?”

There was a hint of fear in her gaze, Angelus noted with a flash of anger. She wasn’t sure what name she would call out. Cordelia moved up against him touching his torso with her skillful hands and grazing his aroused male nipples. Winding her arms around his neck, she attempted to soften his mood through kisses, but the vampire only bit at her lip and drew blood.

“This isn’t about making love,” Angelus ground out as he held her head in place with a hand fisted in her hair. “If you want my tender side, you’ll have to earn it. You’re about to be fucked, Cordelia, and you’re going to enjoy it whether you want to or not.”

Harshly, he thrust her down on the top of the vanity bent over so that her curved ass was in the air. Cordelia let out a low growl of complaint, but spread her thighs willingly. This was not the time to defy his wishes. “Go ahead,” she urged him staring back at him over her shoulder.

Angelus spread his large hand across one rounded buttocks and let his fingers wander over the sun tattoo at the small of her back. “Keep your eyes on the mirror,” he ordered.

Once her sharp gaze met his reflecting one, Angelus entered her in one hard stroke filling her to the brim. He gave it to her hard, fast and furiously reminding Cordelia of last night when Angel had been so worried for her safety that he gave himself almost completely to the demon within. The demon who was now making a point by setting a ruthless rhythm. He was right, though. Cordelia was enjoying it despite the fact that she wanted to slap some sense into her sire.
 

Last night had been the first time since losing Angelus that she had experienced the rough side of sex with her vampire mate. It was something that she had missed. Tenderness and gentility were the opposite sides of the coin to this and the vampires often got off on both. Angelus had always balanced the scale with her. Never always tender nor rough in his demands when he extracted his due from his childe or sharing sex with his mate. Feelings were something new, something Cordelia did not know if Angelus could express. Would he understand her love for him— soul or no soul?

Too much thinking. Sensations were starting to overwhelm her as her mate’s hands came up to caress her back and follow the path of her spine back down to grip her hips. He was in full game face now staring at her with his dark amber eyes watching the rhythmic sway of her pointed breasts answering his thrusts.

The items on top of her vanity were shaking as he pounded inside her. Cordelia’s hips were tucked against the edge of the dressing table and each time Angelus stroked upward, it brought a cry of combined pain and pleasure to her throat. Several crashes were heard as her hairbrush and makeup brushes hit the floor.

Cordelia’s hands pressed hard against the wall as she stared into the mirror. Calling out, she encouraged Angelus to keep it up. He could always make her respond no matter what way he touched her. “That’s it, sire. Right there. Harder!”

Redoubling his efforts, Angelus angled his cock so that he hit her pleasure spot again with each thrust. Though faster, he kept his thrusts smooth and long drawing out the pleasure. Her inner muscles teased at his erection. His balls slapped heavily against her continuously hitting her clitoris and eliciting cries of delight from Cordelia’s throat.

“Angelus!” Cordelia screamed his name at the top of her voice coming hard as he drove himself inside her. Hearing his name spontaneously erupt from her lips, the vampire let out a howl of pleasure and followed her climax with his own. He leaned forward over her back and clamped down with his fangs onto the place where her neck and shoulder met.

He sucked down several gulps of her crimson blood before lapping at the wound to close it. Cordelia was still sounding his name in a series of whispers like a mantra. Then into her ear Angelus told her, “Don’t ever forget that you’re mine, Cordelia. Mine for eternity. No one, not even the corruption that is my soul, will ever come between us.”

***

When the two vampires finally emerged from their bedroom, the entire household was gathered downstairs awaiting their presence. There was no need to announce that the soul was gone. Everyone including Willow had heard Cordelia screaming Angelus’ name in ecstasy. She stood near the bottom of the steps with an excited look on her face waiting for her mistress to thank her for returning Angelus to her. Although, Willow considered, Cordelia didn’t really know what she had done on her behalf.

Angelus stopped next to Willow staring at her with a contemplative look on his face. He knew what the little redhead had done and moreover he knew why. “Looks like you got your wish, little witch. I’m back.”

Wondering what her mate was talking about, Cordelia glanced at the two of them voicing her query, “What wish?”

“Willow told Angel the soul was permanent,” Angelus revealed and waited expectantly to see how Cordelia would respond.

Instantly, anger flashed in her eyes. Then Willow was screaming and holding her head as Cordelia’s projected her thoughts into the girl’s head along with activating pain sensors. No one betrays me, you little bitch. How dare you act without my permission.

Falling to her knees, Willow begged for forgiveness. “I thought you wanted this. I just wanted to make you happy.”

Angelus placed his hand on the top of her head. “You’ve been a good little pet despite what your mistress says. For that, I’ll forgive you for returning my soul to me in the first place.”

Gulping, Willow had not thought about the fact that Angelus would remember that. “You should thank me. It probably saved you from Buffy. Instead of staking you, she did what she needed to do to save the world.”

At the mention of the Slayer’s name, Angelus stiffened. It reminded him of his promise to Buffy exactly a year ago tonight. To kill her friends and leave each one of their corpses at her doorstep. “You know something, Willow?”

“What’s that?” Questioning green eyes stared up at him from her position.

“I may have forgiven you for the soul, but the way you’ve been sniffing after my mate has been extremely annoying. I’m tired of your whining.”

Before Willow or Cordelia could say anything, Angelus tightened the hand that rested on top of the teenager’s head. With a sharp twist, he snapped her thin neck and pushed her dead body to the floor. Cordelia let out a gasp, but knew better than to protest his actions in front of the others. Later she would tell her sire of her irritation at him for killing what was hers.

“Things are going to be a little different around here from now on,” Angelus announced as he stepped forth to address the group. Looking directly at Spike, he added, “That goes for you, too.”

***

Once Cordelia became used to the idea that Angelus was back in her life for good, she decided to share with him the full extent of her plans for Sunnydale and its Slayer. The evil nature of her ideas came as a delight to the vampire who immediately agreed to help her complete them. “With one or two alterations,” he informed her.

Taking stock of the situation, Angelus decided what he wanted for the immediate future of his family. First, he had to deal with the competition. Sending Cordelia to the home of Richard Wilkins, he assured that the future mayor’s plans for ascension ended swiftly. The vampiress informed Wilkins that she intended to take him up on his offer of power.

“It’s just that now I want it all,” Cordelia explained with a megawatt smile.

Wilkins looked surprised having not expected the vampiress to turn on him. She had wanted no part of his plans for Sunnydale as long as he left the Slayer alone until after the ascension. Looking to his hired vampire bodyguard, Wilkins ordered Mr. Trick to defend him.

“Kill her!”

The black vampire gazed at Cordelia considering his options. Then he heard her voice in his head issuing a firm warning.

Touch me and you will be tortured you for months before you die at my hands. The images that accompanied her thoughts made it all too clear that she spoke truthfully.

Addressing Wilkins, Cordelia appeared calm. “I brought Trick to Sunnydale. Should that tell you something, Richard?”

The demon who appeared human commented dryly, “So you decided that you want the Hellmouth for yourself.”

“I won’t be alone. My sire holds reign over the Order of Aurelius,” Cordelia told him.

“The one with the soul?” Trick put in. That surprised him.

“How many sires do you think I have, dolt?”

“Now, Cordelia. Don’t confuse him,” Angelus announced his presence. “I finally realized that I didn’t need an invitation to get in. That is an interesting question, Trick. The name is Angelus. If you want access to my town, I suggest you get used to it.”

Richard Wilkins took the opportunity to try to sneak out of the room, but Angelus caught him by the throat. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Tossing him at Mr. Trick, Angelus waited for the vampire to establish his obedience to the clan. With enthusiasm, Trick grabbed onto Wilkins’ head with such force that the twist of his neck decapitated him. Blood spurted everywhere splashing the vampires with it.

Cordelia looked down at the spots of blood soaking into her designer dress. Rising from her chair, she growled angrily at Trick. “This is your one and only warning, Trick. Don’t mess up my clothes again or there will be hell to pay.”

As Trick tossed the former mayoral candidate’s head aside, he looked down at his clothes that were equally ruined. “Damn, I liked this suit.”

Angelus figured he would fit right in with Cordelia’s little band of minions. At least they knew who was boss at the mansion. Even though they had followed Angel’s orders, all of them reacted a little faster when the commands came from him. They knew he tolerated their existence for Cordelia’s sake and what the result of defiance would be.

“I’ll see you back at the mansion, baby,” Angelus told his mate after she had dabbed the blood from his face. “There is a certain someone I have to see.”

“Have fun, Angelus,” she told him after accepting his kiss. “Say hello for me.”

“That might give the game away.”

***

“Angel,” Buffy gasped his name as she opened her door. “I can’t believe you’re here. I’ve missed you so much.”

As the Slayer threw her arms around his waist, Angelus hugged her close delighting in the scent of her. The girl was hot for him already. It wouldn’t take much to have her on her knees or spreading those strong thighs for him. Not that he wanted it. Just the thought of her eagerness was a turn-on.

Besides, she wasn’t alone in the house. Angelus wanted to meet this new Watcher of hers and it appeared that he was going to have the opportunity to do so. The tall British man stepped up behind Buffy Summers eyeing Angelus from behind his glasses. Assessing the vampire and comparing him to the accounts he had read.

“Who is this?” Angelus played ignorant.

Buffy lifted her head away from the vampire’s chest. As if she had forgotten his presence in the room, the blonde turned her head to glance over her shoulder. “Oh. That’s Wesley. My new Watcher.”

“I am Wesley Wyndam-Price,” the young man introduced himself. He looked entirely too clean cut and carried himself like he had a stake up his ass. The thought amused Angelus.

“You have big shoes to fill,” Angelus shook the other man’s hand just a bit too firmly and enjoying him squirm in pain. “Giles meant a lot to Buffy.”

Wesley informed him, “I’m not here to be friends or a father-figure. I am here to see to her training and to ensure that the Hellmouth remains safe.”

“You seem a little young for the job,” Angelus commented and was honestly interested in Wesley’s explanation of how he got involved with the Watcher’s Council at a very young age through his father. As he finished the tale, the vampire admitted it, “Fascinating.”

Buffy was tired of hearing the two males chatter about Wesley’s dull past. Pulling Angel into the living room, she tried to bring him up to date on all of the things that had been happening to her since the last time they spoke. Angelus managed rather well through her tears over Giles, Willow and her mother. It was not until she started ranting over the fact that Cordelia had gutted her stuffed toy pig, Mr. Gordo that the vampire found he could no longer hold back his laughter.

“It isn’t funny,” Buffy insisted.

“If you can’t see how amusing that is in the face of everything else you’ve been through, Buff, you’ve got no sense of humor left.”

Angel’s words brought a pout to her lips. Even Wesley seemed startled at his choice of words. “That is not fair, Angel. Buffy has been through quite a lot.”

“As her Watcher, you have to know that there is more to come,” warned Angelus. “If she can’t handle the death of her toy pig, what will happen when her mother succumbs to the mysterious illness you’ve mentioned?”

Gasping at the pain his words caused, Buffy reminded him that he was supposed to be comforting her not making her feel worse.

“What kind of comfort do you want?” Angelus asked. “Soft lies? My arms around you?”

Buffy’s eyes were large and wide as she admitted that was exactly what she wanted, “Yes Angel.”

“Is that all you want?” He asked despite the presence of her Watcher who sat there agape.
“Or do you want me inside you making you forget, making you feel again?”

A strangled sound emerged from her throat as Buffy peeked over at Wesley. She wished he would just go away. Now. “That’s not possible and you know it.”

Standing up indignantly, Wesley ordered the vampire out of the house. “I say! That is quite enough.”

Rising to his feet, Angelus pulled Buffy up beside him. He addressed the Watcher, “No it’s not. There is a lot more that needs to be said.”

Looking back at the Slayer, he told her, “I came here tonight for a reason. It’s time for this to end. For us to end.”

Shaking her head, Buffy felt a fat tear drop onto her cheek. “No, Angel. I know you love Cordelia, but don’t forget about me.”

Me, me, me. The whiny little bitch was as bad as Willow. Angelus was tempted to just bite her in this vulnerable moment and be done with it, but that wasn’t the way his mate had begged him to let it end. Taking her chin in his hand, Angelus tilted her face up to his. Kissing her briefly, the vampire stared down into her eyes for a long time before he told her, “Goodbye, Buff.”

Gripping the doorframe, Buffy stared after the vampire who quickly vanished into the dark shadows of the night. Now it was a fact. She had lost everything— including Angel.

As she turned to move back inside, Buffy noticed that someone was sitting on her porch. Perched up on one of the railings as if waiting for her turn. “Say what you want, Willow and then get out.”

Then it occurred to her that Angel had used the nickname that Angelus preferred to call her. Buff. It irritated her, but its use combined with Willow’s still form in the shadows of the porch told her one thing with certainty. She had just kissed Angelus. Somehow, this was all Cordelia’s fault. Being with Angel, the vampiress had finally found a way to get rid of Angel’s soul and assured the return of her true demon mate.

Buffy brought the fight to the mansion. She wasn’t going to sit around and wait for Cordy and her cronies to pick off anyone else. Not that she really cared about Wesley, but he was now tied to her through his role as Watcher.

“Cordelia!” She screamed out the vampiress’ name and then added, “Angelus! I know you’re in there.”

Having felt there was no choice but to accompany the Slayer on this suicide mission, Wes continued to encourage her to leave. “It’s not too late. We can still go back.”

“And go where? Angel has an invitation and you haven’t set up residence in Giles’ house yet.” Buffy snapped at him. “Get your weapons ready or go away.”

When the front doors of the Crawford Street mansion opened, Buffy and Wesley faced the sudden appearance of ten vampires and one overly eager dog. Tongue hanging from his mouth and tail wagging, Puppy raced across the rolling grassy hill that was next to the long driveway. He bounded up to the two humans barking a greeting.

Wesley let out a yelp of fear while Buffy rolled her eyes. If he couldn’t handle the dog they were really in trouble.

“Down, Puppy! Be a good boy,” Buffy urged him to go away.

Drusilla let out a whistle and the dog immediately raced to his mistress’ side. “That’s the nasty Slayer,” she pointed out, “not a chew toy.”

The minions and Mr. Trick spread out across the lawn while the four master vampires made a straight path for the Slayer and her Watcher. Buffy figured there was only one way she would survive this. “Angelus,” she called out to him, “this is between Cordelia and me. Keep your vamps out of my way or I’ll stake them.”

Her false bravado sounded convincing, thought Wesley rather impressed. He added his own warning, “Stay back or I’ll use this crossbow on any vampire that moves.”

Everyone seemed to accept his words and stopped in their positions. Buffy gave Wesley a look that suggested she had not expected that to come from his mouth. Screaming in fear perhaps, but not this.

Cordelia stepped up to face the Slayer. She was garbed similarly to the last time they had fought back at the old mine. Leather pants and vest, except this time they were blood red. “This has been a long time in coming, Slayer.”

“I should have staked you that first night, Cordelia,” Buffy told her.

“Not that you could,” the vampiress laughed. “My sire protected me.”

“Angelus.”

“Yes, Angelus. My mate,” Cordelia reminded her smugly as the vampire in question was standing closely behind her. “I’ll agree to this fight, Buffy, though I never wanted you dead— just suffering as I did.”

“Well your mate is alive,” Buffy pointed out. “That should satisfy you.”

“He does— often,” Cordelia added with a smirk twisting her words. “It doesn’t change the fact that you took him from me.”

“I saved the world from being sucked into hell,” Buffy reminded the vampiress.

“Hell hath no fury compared to mine,” Cordy countered. “I’ve come a long way from being the fledgling you defeated last year.”

Buffy snapped, “Well I’ve got nothing left to lose.”

Stepping back, Wesley found himself a little too close to the action for comfort as Buffy and Cordelia launched themselves at each other like two wild animals. Only he was not certain which one took the role of predator or prey. What he had seen of the Slayer’s techniques so far had been secretly videotaped surveillance. He had been impressed at her ability to use the environment around her against her foes. But those foes did not know Buffy Summers the way Cordelia Chase knew her. The vampiress had a personal history with the Slayer, had witnessed her techniques and been on the receiving end of them.

Cordelia dodged the stake thrust landing a punch across Buffy’s jaw sending the girl to the ground. She stomped on her stomach before the Slayer managed to grab the leg and throw her off.

Several of the minions let out concerned cries as they saw the vampiress fall. Angelus let out a growl warning them to keep quite. He didn’t want any distractions for his mate. The Slayer was going to get her chance, but Angelus didn’t want to give her any easy breaks. Cordelia made him promise to let the Slayer survive the night if she failed to defeat her. Buffy’s arrival after seeing Willow’s dead body was a foregone conclusion. It was only a matter of time and the vampires had prepared their family group with precise instructions of non-interference.

Angelus didn’t really like it. He should have drained the Slayer when he had the chance, not given her the opportunity to stake his mate. If anything happened to Cordelia he was certain that he would rip Buffy Summers apart piece by piece. Vamping out at the idea of it, Angelus tried to temper his anger. He watched the fight with a wary eye. If only he had the opportunity to train Cordelia during the past year, he might not be so worried about it.

Flipping to her feet, Buffy found the stake that had been knocked out of her hand and ran toward Cordelia who was still on the ground. Before the vampiress could react, the other girl was on top of her holding the stake over her head and about to deal a striking blow.

Stop!

Buffy hesitated long enough for Cordelia to grab her wrist. The blonde was certain that she heard the vamp’s voice in her head. Not only that, but she had obeyed the command to stop. Suddenly, Buffy understood the reason for Willow’s betrayal. The vampiress had enthralled the girl and was now trying it out on her.

“That’ll be the last time you tell me what to do,” Buffy rolled with her foe across the dry grass as Cordelia flipped them over.

“Think so?”

“Know it,” Buffy was certain that she could overcome the thrall if she knew it was there.

Cordelia didn’t like the sound of that. Before she had any hope of defeating the Slayer, she needed to disarm her. The stake was just the first of Buffy’s many weapons. The rest were all natural stemming directly from her inborn instincts. After several minutes of acrobatic moves, Cordelia managed to wrest the stake away. She tossed it as far as she could away from the site of their melee. From the corner of her eye, Cordelia noticed that Puppy ran after the stake obviously thinking that they were playing fetch.

Drat! Puppy actually liked the Slayer. She’d have to be careful that the hellhound didn’t bring the stake back as part of his game.

Wesley called out to Buffy asking her if she wanted another stake, but the Slayer knew the rules. “No interference.”

“That’s right, Slayer. No help from your strangely attractive friend over there or else I get to ask my family to play along with our little game,” Cordelia warned her as they circled each other.

Buffy surveyed the landscape around them seeing nothing that immediately came to mind as a weapon she could use against the vampiress. That left just her, which was fine as far as she was concerned. Taking a fighting stance, Buffy awaited Cordelia’s approach. As with all vampires, Cordy possessed instinctive abilities, but they combined with some of the acrobatic techniques she learned as a cheerleader.

Having seen these moves in action the last time they fought, Buffy expected to see them again. Her own experience cheerleading back in LA gave her knowledge that she hoped would allow her to anticipate Cordy’s moves.

The vampiress surprised her. Instead of flipping into one of her trademark moves, Cordy charged in directly. She attacked the Slayer with a series of aggressive punches dodging out of the way of Buffy’s defensive moves. From the sidelines, Angelus realized he had seen the technique before. Glancing over at Spike, he saw his blond grandchilde grinning from ear to ear as Cordelia kept up her assault.

Apparently at least part of the time they had spent together in Mexico had been occupied by something productive, Angelus mused before turning his attention back to his mate. He’d never been a nail biter, but this nervous feeling in his stomach wouldn’t go away. It was terrible and seemed to get worse with each passing second. The urge to jump into the fray and defend his mate was almost overpowering, but there was also something else. It annoyed him when he thought about it, but the vampire realized that these damn feelings stemmed from something far more than possessiveness. From far more than the fact that Cordelia belonged to him and he was the only one with the right to touch her.

The feelings seemed indescribable to Angelus. What was this? Residual sap left behind by the Soul? Vampires didn’t feel love. It couldn’t be that. If she survived this— when she survived this— Angelus was going to ensure that he discovered exactly what it was he was feeling.

Surprised by Cordelia’s straight-on attack, Buffy had to adjust her defense, but her foe took full advantage of the opportunity. Only when the Slayer was off-balance did she resort to her own acrobatic fighting technique. Cordelia landed on top of her, knocking Buffy onto her back.

Then suddenly, Puppy was standing there before them gazing with his eager brown eyes holding the stake in his mouth. Both Cordelia and Buffy saw it. Both had the strength and speed to wrest it away. Only Cordelia had one advantage.

Puppy!

With the speed of thought, Cordy ordered Puppy to obey her command. The dog bounded around to the other side of the Slayer and released the stake into Cordelia’s waiting hand before Buffy realized what was happening. Using her vampiric speed, Cordy flipped the stake into a firm hold and plunged it into Buffy Summer’s living heart.

A cry sounded in the night. Wesley stumbled forward as he realized his new charge was dying. Angelus, Drusilla and Spike also moved closer to observe this moment. Buffy’s eyes turned toward Angelus and she reached out her hand to him now slightly delirious from loss of blood.

“Angel,” she whispered.

“Stay away from her, you bastard,” Wesley warned holding up the crossbow. Even if he died, taking out Angelus would be worth it.

The vampire stood his ground and continued to look down at the dying girl on the grassy hill. “The Soul is gone, Buff. This time it really is goodbye.”

One of the minions crept up behind Wes and snatched the crossbow away. Jude told the Watcher to be still before the master forgot about the truce between them. Seeing that he had no choice, Wesley kept his mouth shut and watched as the blond vampire whom he assumed to be William the Bloody knelt down beside Buffy.

Taking her hand in his, Spike leaned in close. “Sorry it wasn’t me, Slayer. We would’ve had a merry dance.”

“Spike,” she choked out his name as a bloody cough accompanied its utterance. The red blood staining her lips drew him down and he kissed the Slayer farewell licking his lips as he came back up.

Turning his head to glance at Cordelia, Spike saw that she was sitting atop the slight form of the Slayer with an almost shocked look on her face. “Your first Slayer, luv. Good job.”

Cordelia blinked at the sound of his voice realizing that she had really done it. Buffy was dying beneath her. A rush of near-orgasmic pleasure washed across her body like nothing the vampiress had ever felt knowing that her vengeance was complete. Pride, triumph and strength surged through her while gazing down at her nemesis. Looking toward her mate, Cordelia exulted in the zealous expression of pride upon his face.

The Slayer’s blood was pouring from her body now staining the grass. Its smell was intoxicating and Cordelia found herself running her tongue along her fangs. “Buffy,” she brushed a hand through the blond strands of her hair. “You deserve so much more than this simple death, but that is all I am going to give you.”

Standing, Cordelia realized that she didn’t want anything from Buffy Summers. Not even her blood. Nothing that would stay with her after this moment. “Wait until she’s dead,” Cordelia ordered her minions. “Then let the Watcher have her body. Let him take it and bury it in the ground where it will stay. Buffy deserves that much in death. After all, she saved the world— a lot.”

Suddenly, Angelus yanked her flush against him wrapping his strong arms around her blood-covered form. A serious gleam replaced the delight in her triumphant victory over the slayer. After covering her mouth in an ardent kiss, Angelus commanded, “Don’t ever make me agree to that kind of deal again, Cordelia. It’s my right to defend you.”

Confused, “Did I look like I needed defending?”

“Against the best Slayer I’ve ever seen?” Angelus raised an eyebrow as if hesitant to give her the answer. “You were amazing— my wild tigress in action.”

“What was that?” Cordelia queried guilelessly. “I don’t think I heard you.”

“Amazing,” he repeated louder giving her due respect. Then Angelus was cupping her face and looking serious, “No more schemes unless I’m in on the deal. No more fights unless the family is allowed to back you up.”

“Next time I’m fighting a Slayer, feel free to step right in.” Cordelia encircled his neck reaching up to touch her cheek to his. Joking, “We can turn it into a family picnic.”

Setting her at arms length, Angelus intently gazed into her eyes as he demanded her obedience on this matter. “I’ll have your word on it, Cordy. No games.”

Now that her revenge against the Slayer was over, Cordelia honestly had no other major schemes in the works. I would be an easy promise to make, but she hesitated because Angelus seemed overly insistent upon her vowing to behave. He was being his usually overprotective self, but there seemed to be something more to it.

“Swearing on a stack of Bibles might hurt a bit,” she quipped. “Care to tell me why I’ll be torturing myself to make you happy?”

Frustrated with Cordelia’s tendency to turn everything to amusement, Angelus growled out, “I don’t want eternity without you.”

Stunned at her mate’s confession, Cordelia realized that other than pure lust, this was the closest thing to honest emotion Angelus had ever expressed to her. The vampire was not one to wear his feelings on his sleeve, at least not the ones akin to love. Angelus was a master of the darker emotions and could manipulate the sensitive yearnings of those he encountered, but to experience that same sentimental attachment seemed impossible to imagine.

Yet there was truth staring down at her from the depths of Angelus’ eyes. From her own new understanding, Cordelia recognized more than mere possessiveness, more than just obsession. It was the same stirring emotion that bound her heart to her mate— love. He wouldn’t know it. A vampire like himself determined to cast off any shred of similarity between his nature now and when his soul resided within would not willingly admit to such a feeling.

Cordelia knew this for a fact, but did not balk at the thought. A vampire like Angelus had never been offered love in its truest form. He would think it a weakness, an emotion that preyed upon the strong. Not until he experienced it. Not until he could know the give and take of it. Love Angelus? There was no question in Cordelia’s mind.

Touching her fingertips to the vampire’s face, Cordelia reached out with her thoughts and showed him the depths of her feelings. There was neither demand for reciprocation nor any attempt to alter Angelus’ unwillingness or inability to reach an accord with his own emotions. She simply shared her own.

Angelus. My sire. My mate. My love. You are my eternity.

They were entangled in each other’s arms before Cordelia even finished communicating her love for her vampire mate. Angelus broke the kiss with a low rumbling growl, “You and I have an overdue appointment with our bed and a certain mirror.”

Clinging closely to Angelus, the vampiress rested her head on his shoulder as they strolled back to the mansion. The glorious darkness surrounding them was lit by moonlight and the stars and filled with sounds of creatures heard only after sunset. Her vampiric senses stretched out to listen and heard the soft sobs of the human Watcher follow the Slayer’s dying breath.

It was all ahead of them now, Cordelia realized with complete contentment. They owned Sunnydale and the Order of Aurelius would reign supreme over the Hellmouth. Between Angelus and herself there was nothing unattainable. Eternity together might not be long enough.

End.

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