Taking – A Story of Dark Love

Sequel to Relentless

Author: FemailoftheSpecies

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~Part: 11~

Moonlight made way for the sun, signaling time for her to call on the vampire. Graham, was asleep, blessedly oblivious to his wife’s unseemly extramarital activities.  To be certain he stayed that way, she cast a sleeping spell on her unsuspecting spouse and headed out into the waning darkness.

Sand kicked up wildly in her wake.  Those few she passed gave her a wide berth, unsure of her mental state as she ranted and stomped along the beach.   She was angry.  Her entire evening had been spent in a crazed state of frantic apprehension, on edge wondering what the overly creative vampire would do next to stir up trouble.  On top of that she apparently screamed the blonde’s name while getting down and dirty with her new groom.

She approached the house, marveling at her rotten luck, and composed herself.  She would need all of her wits to deal with Spike, and evidently Maddie as well.  She frowned, not sure why Maddie disturbed Graham so much, and took hold of the banister.  It was the second time that she willingly, willfully stepped into a vampire’s lair.   Not just any vampire, but William the Bloody, Childe of Angelus.  The tightness in her chest was no less intense and chilling, momentarily dispelling the early morning Hawaiian heat.

That nagging voice was there as well, ordering her to turn her silly ass around, get her husband and run away.  She briefly entertained that thought, creeping up the stairs as if to her death.  Technically, she was headed to her death.  He may not kill her today, this week or even this year, but he would.  He promised.  She was discovering that Spike kept his promises.  An honorable evil, he was.

She hovered at the door, lost in her weird musings, suddenly jumping when it swung open.

“Come on in, Red.”  He stood sideways, waiting…almost patiently.

“Yeah, thanks.”  She slid in past him, glancing around the room.  It was dark, but not too great a contrast from outside so she adjusted quickly.

Two minions stood by the bedroom door that she knew to be Spike’s, as if on guard.  She remembered him mentioning them, but this was her first time seeing other vampires.

“What’s up with them?”  She nodded toward the hallway, taking the proffered cup of tea from his cool hand.

“It’s a surprise.”  He said evenly, giving no indication as to whether this was good or not.

She sipped the tea, which was actually very good, and peeked at him over the rim of the delicate china.  “You make these or one of your flunkies?”  She picked up a tiny sandwich of thin bread, cucumbers and water chestnuts in a creamed cheese spread.

He allowed the change of subject, aware that her curiosity was piqued.  “I AM British, you know.  And you should eat. It’ll be a long day.”

“Long day?  What…No long day.  I have to get back… He’s sleeping now, but…”

“Don’t…Don’t presume I care.”  His gaze was like steel and his ability to crumble her resolve with just a stare amazed her.

“Spike…I can’t just disappear for the whole day.”

“You can and you will.  I shared you with everyone last night.  Today we do things my way.”

A shiver passed through her, a decidedly unpleasant knot forming in her tummy.  She remembered his way and it was rarely a good time for all.  Her purse was on the sofa, a few feet from her, tempting her to grab it and flee into the sunlight.

His arms surrounding her banished any desire to or possibility of escape.  Realizing the futility in it she decided to enjoy what the vampire had in store for her.

Spike sensed the change in her, the moment she surrendered to his will and relaxed.  She had a fight or flight vibe coming off of her that had him on edge and a chase right now would end badly for her.  His demon was in a wild state from playing with Vicky for short.  So much so that he considered sending the redhead back to her boy until he was more balanced.  He refrained, because she was going to be with him forever very soon and he had no plans to protect her from his moods.  He liked being emotional and volatile.  It was always unsettling to other demons and gave him the advantage more often than not.  Having insight into emotions gave him a deeper understanding of motives.  And motives were everything.

He picked up a pineapple slice and fed it to her.  She was hungry, tiny growls from her abdomen belied the lady-like refusal of more.

With a sigh, he scooped the tray up in one hand and guided her to the bedroom with the other.

The room was much darker, and with the closing of the door went that last of the light.  Her small hand automatically sought him out.

“Spike?”

She squeezed tightly when he put his hand in hers.  “Forgot about your poor vision,”  he said, sounding like he hadn’t, and pulled her along gently.   “Sit.”

She did as instructed and he moved from her side, chuckling when she tried to hold him in place.  “ Just gonna make some light for you, Willow.  I can see just fine, but this is your present after all.  No fun if you don’t get to see.”

A flick, a spark, then flame and he was there again.  His sandy blond hair and slightly tanned skin glowing.  He lit a candle in a wall sconce and the subtle glow extended to the room.  She followed the illumination, unconsciously looking for what the demon deemed a gift.

Her eyes drifted over the bed and the sight there was so foreign that her mind immediately cast it aside as illusion and she tried to move on.  Morbid curiosity made her gaze linger reluctantly until she could no longer dispute what she was seeing.

A girl was there.  Blonde, young maybe, she really could not tell as the blood covering her face was partially drying, lending to her a ghoulish appearance.  There were the requisite bruises and she was trembling properly.  Willow wondered why the stupid girl did not cry out for help.  Then she remembered why she stopped trying to get help.  It irritated the vampire and an irritated Spike did damage.  Willow guessed that she learned her lessons quicker than the new girl.

She realized her mouth had been hanging open and shut it abruptly.  Spike had been observing his witch’s reaction, pleasantly surprised that she remained outwardly calm.  Inside, however, her body’s reaction was delightful.  The torrential pounding of her heart made his fangs itch.

She trained narrowed eyes on him.

“Vicky meet Willow.  Willow say hello to Vicky.”

“Let her go, Spike.”  Her voice was deeper than normal and the vampire could smell the magic gathering in the air.  His smile was sweet and boyish, stupidly she let the word innocent fill her mind.

“Why?  I got her for you.  She’s yours.” His eyes shined with a glee that scared her.

“Mine!?  I don’t…what…Spike, just let her go!”

“Please…”  A tiny appeal started from the center of the bed, stifled by the low, but distinct growl from the blonde demon.

Willow lunged from the chair to the bed, afraid to touch the girl, unsure of what was broken.  “Shhh…It’s okay.  He’ll let you go.”

He chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed, straightening a corner of the blood splattered comforter.  “There are choices, decisions to be made, Red.”

Willow glared at him, eyes filled with unshed tears. Somehow this was her fault.  She played a game with a demon and desperately tried to keep up.  But there were limits to what she would do to win.  He had no such scruples.

“What are you talking about?!  You have to let her go! Someone will look for her!”

“And you think I care?  Please, luv, what can they do to me?”

And it all came back to that ring.  He was true to his word and there was no world end-age attempts because of him.  He just wanted to have fun in the sun, the best of both worlds.  And he did it well.  He ruled the night with a quick mind and an iron fist, when needed, and when not needed if it suited his mood while he played in the sunshine, the envy of the demon community, and there was nothing anyone could do, but pray his interests stayed mundane.

“Okay so what are the choices?”  If this game would get the girl out of here, she had to play.

He tilted his head and Willow could literally see the wheels turning.  “Truth or dare?”

“Are you insane?”

“Truth. Or. Dare.”

Clearly she was expected to pick.  It would be absurd to take a dare from the demon so…

“Truth?”

He grinned and she wanted to retract and say dare, but he was already speaking.

“Did you shower yesterday after I told you not to?”

<Oh yeah…this was a mistake.>

She looked away, bottom lip suddenly tasty as she chewed on it, thinking furiously.  This girl would die if she did not find a way to appease the demon before her.

“What is the goal of the game Spike?  You said it was about decisions and choice.”

“Pet….”  He whined mockingly, “answer the question.  You don’t want to ruin the game for me do you?”

Behind that sweetness was a threat, of what she was not certain, yet it was there, wrapped with pretty bows and ribbons and presented with a smile.

“Yes.”

“Is that the answer to my question or do you want to ruin the game?”

“Both actually, but since you’re not playing fair today, we’ll just say it’s my response to your question.”

“Willow, the beauty of being me is I don’t have to play fair, but I usually do.  Otherwise it gets boring.”  His voice dropped an octave and he leaned over the shuddering, bloody thing between them.  “Believe me…this is fair.  Just ask her.”

She drew a shaky breath and ran a hand through her hair, hoping the trembling was unnoticed.

“Truth or dare?”  She asked him.

If he said dare she would only dare him to let the girl go, which was ridiculous to his way of thinking.  “Truth, pet, and make it hurt.”  He wiggled his eyebrows as her lips thinned in a grimace.  “Not your best look, Willow.  You should try to smile more.”

Ignoring the baiting she pressed forward.  “How did you already know about the shower?”

He gave her a quizzical look.  She did not know that he knew, she just phrased it so that if he had not know, she would know that answer and if he had known, she did not waste the question just to find that out.  He was obligated to answer the how, not the if.

“It was your boy.  Came here after he left you.  Said you were napping.  I assumed that he wouldn’t molest you in your sleep, so when I saw you were freshly showered, well…you do the math.”  There was that cool stare, changing his appearance from warm and seemingly friendly and exposing him for the dangerous predator that he was.

“Oh.”

“Truth or Dare, Willow?”

Not going there.  “Truth.”

“What other rules of our agreement have you broken?”  He could play just as well as her.

“Spike…please…”  She could lie, but it would cost the girl if he knew already.

“No begging…not for my girl.  Just answer the question.  I’m only interested in whether I can trust you.”

And she was also buying this bridge in Brooklyn… “We were arguing, about Maddie.   He was angry.  I told him…I was only trying to calm him down.  I said I…loved him.    We had sex.  I came.  B-But I called out your name!”  She added quickly hoping to placate him.

His outright laughter was unexpected.  “Oh Red, you are wonder of contradiction.”

Vicky observed all of this warily, wondering what every word exchanged meant for her.

She sighed.   “Truth or dare?”

“Truth, pet.  It’ll always be truth.  I won’t lie to you.”

“Of course you won’t.  You have no need to.  I can’t do anything about what truths you expose, so why bother.”

“Absolutely correct...Your question, Red, I get bored quickly.  Vicky was a nice spot of entertainment though.”

“What are you going to do about me breaking the rules?”

She asked the most interesting questions, geared toward saving her skin no doubt.  “Kill her.”

The girl began trashing on the bed and only now did Willow notice the bindings on her hands and feet.

“Spike no!  Please, I’ll be good.  We can go away now, just us.  I’ll leave Graham and never look back.  I don’t need anything but you.”

He sat thinking, his strong hand creeping up to cup her cheek.  “I already have that.  You are mine.  You will leave him and you need nothing but me.”

“You are a sick bitch!”  Vicky screamed from middle.  “You let this….thing touch you and you love it.  He’s gonna kill me for your sins and you love it!”   The fear was gone for the moment replaced by a searing hot anger that her suffering was for another and her death would be so that the other could live and have this monster.

“Oh, the kitten has claws.”  Spike slid off the bed to stand over them. “What happened to all the whimpering and begging and bargaining?  A few hours ago you wanted to suck my cock for your freedom.  Begged me to stick it in you anywhere I wanted if I’d let you go.  You weren’t so self-righteous then.”

“That was to save my life, you ass.  She knows what you are and wants you anyway, and she’s twisted.”

“Yeah, she is.  And I love it.”

The fire was gone as quickly as it erupted and the girl sagged into the mattress, defeated and exhausted.

“So Willow…here we have Victoria, Vicky for short, who laid in this room, quiet as a mouse, while I greeted you at the door.  Told her I was gonna do all sorts of nasty things to you and she would go free.  All she had to do was stay quiet.  And she did.”

Willow closed her eyes.  She had to remain in control.  Spike was playing her and Vicky against each other.  He wanted a specific outcome and would manipulate them both until it was achieved.  But she could not fathom where this was leading.

“Truth or Dare, Willow.”  All playfulness was gone.

“Truth.”

“I can turn her and keep her for you, your personal minion, or you can kill her now.  End her misery.  Which do you prefer?  And please… be truthful.”

~Part: 12~

“No….I…I won’t.  You can’t make me.”  She shook her head frantically, defiantly.

He laughed, and a real smile graced his features, making his eyes glitter with merriment.  That he could and most likely would make her was a joyously anticipated actuality that he kept to himself.   Again, he felt magic disturbing the air, violent tendrils whipping about, although he gave no indication of his noticing, letting his amused chuckle ebb naturally.  But notice he did, and he was prepared to hurt her, badly, if she tried anything.  The ring would not allow any other magic to work on him while wearing it, so he knew he was safe, but his opinion was that using magic on others was an unfair advantage and he only tolerated Dru’s careless use of it because it calmed her.  He was more trusting of his fist and fangs when it came to his unlife.  The black arts were far too unpredictable and there was always a price to be paid when it came to the more serious castings.   That he did not considering wearing the gem an unfair advantage was one more example of the vampire’s lopsided, self-centered thinking.  It was his right to have this edge since he did the research, dug the tunnel and found the gem.  Other demons had centuries to accomplish the task.  Many dreamed and schemed, but only he had the tenacity to make it reality.  His well-earned reality.

The fact that he had to get it back from that bitch of a slayer and her lackeys only solidified his deeply entrenched belief.  The gem was his and, frankly, could not be in better hands.

Fortunately for the redhead, she understood her limitations.  She was oblivious to the fact that magic was useless against the vampire.  Spike had only discovered it, inadvertently, when another vampire tried to harm him using heavy magics and failed.  Willow was very aware of his speed and perceptiveness.  She would not prevail in a battle with him.

He tilted his head, eyeing her curiously as the currents building around them both dissipated.  She was backing off on her own and he was torn between disappointment and respect for the girl who knew when not to put her neck on the line, literally.

“You know, Willow…”    A shiver ghosted through her as he said her name, the timber of his voice a caress to her soul.  “Making no choice is a choice.”

Frowning, she looked at Victoria, wondering why the girl had been so stupid as to have gone home with the blonde.  She could not have known him.  It amazed her how women put themselves in danger for the thrill of the fuck.  She did not exclude herself, because she was there, right along with Spike’s latest victim, in a vampire’s lair with no way out but through him.  The devil himself.

Clearly he would kill her.  His mind was made up and he did not change it lightly.  This was a lesson in truth for Willow.  The girl was his sacrifice to insure her devotion.  He could have easily punished the witch directly.  He had the tools and the know-how, but this was infinitely more interesting and would give him a chance to peek further into her mind.

Tiny hands reached for blood encrusted ones, ignoring the flinch and grimace from the doomed.

“Vicky…”  Willow started, not really certain where her words were going, but sure about how she was feeling.  The contradiction squeezed her heart so she squeezed the bound hands tighter.   “Why did you go with him?  Did he force you?”

A new twist and Spike was…interested.

“I…no.  He was real nice until…”  Her voice was ragged, dry.  She turned away from Willow, pressing the side of her face into the mattress so the tears would not come.

“Shhhh...”  Her tight grip relaxed as her free hand stroked loose, dirty strands away from the other side of Vicky’s face.  “But you never met him before, right?”

She only shook her head slightly and yanked her hands from Willow.  She allowed it and sunk away to sit on the floor, her back against the bed.

Part of her was outraged that he charmed the girl into his bedroom.  The burning in her heart suggested jealously, yet it was so unfamiliar to her, so long had it been that she truly cared enough to be envious of a lover’s conquests.

There was also a part that was resigned to what Spike was doing.  She knew that whatever she decided, her soul would hurt for it, but not for long.  Spike would see to it.  Turn her.  And what she did not have could not hurt her.

She felt the girl glaring at her as if this were all Willow’s fault.  Like she really wanted the blonde menace to show up during her honeymoon and make her life since he appeared that morning a walk through Hades.  It was the girl’s own fault that she came to be in the company of a demon, or so she rationalized.

Standing slowly, she let the power build within her quickly, looking Spike in the eye as she turned to the beaten body.  A yellow current flowed from her fingers into the girl who bucked quickly and stopped.  Dead.

Spike grinned, appreciating her choice.  As a vampire, Vicky would have been resentful of Willow having power over her.  She would have been forced to kill the fledge eventually.

“Satisfied?”  Eyes glassed over black.

“Hmmm…”  He stalked her, pressing his lithe form against her so she felt his erection.  She was thrumming with power and he had to possess her.  “Not yet.”

Despite the heaviness in her chest she gasped when his fingers snaked up her skirt and around the thin band of her, surprise, panties.  He shoved two into her, cherishing her squeal even as she bore down on the digits, wanting more.

“Please…not here.”  She begged to be taken away from the evidence of her further fall from grace.  Not that she had ever been full of grace before.

“Yes…here.  Right here, luv.”

He slipped his fingers from her wet cunt and grabbed the bedding from the mattress, wrapping it around the dead girl’s body.  He picked up the cylindrical bulk and tossed it to the floor, before pushing Willow roughly onto the bed.

“On your knees,” he commanded, flicking the buttons of his fly open effortlessly.

She did so shakily, trembling with fear and want and need and loathing.  And then her panties were ripped away and he was inside her, his shaft harder, longer than she remembered.  Or maybe she was thinking of Graham.  She wondered if the sleeping spell was holding.

Sensing that she was distracted, the vampire pulled nearly completely out of her and slammed back into her violently, unintentionally bruising her cervix as she screamed.  Strong hands dug into her hips, steadying her.

“Not with him,” he grunted while pounding into her.  She clawed at the bare mattress, unable to gain purchase, her body trembling from the strain. “With me.  Forever.”

His thrusts were never-ending, unrelenting, punishing, yet beneath it was the mind-melting pleasure and she opened herself to it.  He held her firmly so she was unable to push back and unsure that she could.  She cried out when he snake a hand from her hip to her clit, massaging the button of nerves vigorously.

“Gods…Spike…”   Her belly tightened, coiling until finally the snap and release.  Her walls clenched and gripped him as he flooded her with a cool liquid that quenched the burning thirst for him.

Fangs in her shoulder reignited the orgasm and she collapsed on the verge of losing consciousness.  He drank deeply before retracting his demon’s teeth and returning to the human face he wore so well.

Panting and damp with sweat, she did not move, crushed beneath him, hoping to die or at least be allowed to sleep.  The blonde rolled to the right of the small human and turned her to face him.  “It’s over.  Today is your last day with him.  You get your things and say your goodbyes.”

<No!  Not yet.>

But she said nothing as tears flowed freely.  She was utterly tired and now sore all over.   She had not yet seen the new bruises on her hips and on the backs of her thighs, but could feel them, circling slowly under her skin, spreading like disease.

He got up, tucked his softened cock into his jeans, the buttons proving harder to fasten than unfasten, as usual.  With deft hands he lit a cigarette from the candle in the sconce and opened the door leading to the hall of hungry minions.

“Take that away.”  He motioned to the body tangled in the sheets.  Willow hurried to lower her skirt, a regression to a shyer time in her life.

Two minions rushed and did the vampire’s bidding, closing the door quietly behind them as they left.

Her green eyes flitted everywhere, landing on nothing.  She had something to say, but he did not care.  He was ready to have her forever and the game was done.  If he kept it up, her rebellious nature would make him harm her before her body could handle it.

“Stay and sleep or go to him now.  Fuck him right and proper.  Tell him whatever makes it easier.  Makes no bloody difference to me.  Just be back before dawn.”

She scooted to the bed’s edge and hopped up on aching muscles.  With one last look at the demon, she tore the door open and plowed through the dark house and into the midday sunshine, stopping only to snatch her purse.

~Part: 13~

She had never notice before how the front door squeaked.  She supposed it was due to having only resided there for a few days and it not being an issue.  But it was unnervingly loud as she tried to enter the house quietly.   She dropped her purse on the coffee table and tiptoed to the bedroom door, which was partially opened.  She could not remember how she left it and did not bother trying.

The bed was empty.

“Looking for me?”

She jumped and screeched, whipping around to face him.  His expression was a blank canvass and she could paint anything there.

“Yeah…”  She was breathless, scared.  She put her hands on his shoulders, pressing against him to keep from trembling.   “Surprised me is all.  I…uh…was out for a walk…couldn’t sleep.”

“Hmmm.”

Willow met his stare briefly and looked away, slipping around him quickly.  “Are you hungry?”  Opening the refrigerator, she rooted around inside.  “We have eggs.  You like eggs.  Oh and bread…so toast…yah toast!”

“Not hungry.   Where did you go?”  He maintained a certain distance from her and she was weirdly grateful.

“I told you I couldn’t sleep and I...”

“Went for a walk.  Yes,” he interrupted.  “But where did you go?”

Not prepared for an inquisition, she had no answer.  And it felt like a trap anyway.  There was no correct answer to this because he perhaps knew that she did not go for a walk.   She wondered if he had been out looking for her.  Her shaking hands busied themselves making coffee, while she thought.

“I…remember that old road up the highway we saw the other day?  I walked down to it and did a little exploring.”  She focused on the strange sounds of brewing, fighting the creepiness of him approaching her from behind.  This was all too much for her and she vowed to never be a spy.  Duplicity was not her strong suit.  Not when she cared.

Lips were on her neck, kissing her, and she relaxed, controlling her sigh of relief so that he did not detect it.  “Leave a note next time, okay?”  He mumbled into her flesh.  “I was worried.”

“Sorry, honey.”  She turned, trapped between Graham and the counter.  He took her mouth with his, the kiss torturous and slow.  His hands caressed her bare arms, making her tingle, before they drifted lower as he rested one on her hip while the other tugged at her skirt.  His fingers dipped under the flowing fabric, expecting the usual barrier of lace.   Thinking it strange, odd, unsettling, he pulled back, eyeing her curiously before ripping the skirt from her body, the force jerking her forward, stunned.

“Graham!”  She lunged for the torn remains, feeling awkward and ridiculous in the kitchen half naked, playing keep away with her husband for her clothes.  “What’s wrong with you?  Give me that!”

“Willow!”  She kept after him, but it was behind his back crumpled in a tight ball and there was no getting at it from her position.  “WILLOW!”

“Gods, Graham, please!”  She covered her ears, unaccustomed to him yelling like this.  Her father once yelled at her and she cried so much that be promised to never do it again.

He threw the fabric out of her reach and snatched her by the arms, yanking them away so she could hear him clearly.  He wanted no misunderstandings about what he was asking.

“Two damn questions: Where are your panties?  And where did you get these bruises?”

<Fucking vampire…fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!>

“I just threw on some clothes.  I didn’t plan to be gone so long…I...I must have forgotten the underwear.  And…”

He waited.  She tried to walk away, decidedly disadvantaged, what with her new no panties look.  His hold was uncompromising as he stooped to her eye level.

“I’ll help you out.  Last night I noticed some bruises on your hips and I thought I must have done that to you the day before.  I felt guilty that I had hurt you.  But these are fresh, on top of the old ones I saw.  So please tell me – how did you get them?”

“I…please…” Crying now, she began struggling in his grasp, desperately needing to be free of him.  To run.  But to where?  Spike?

“Stop it, Willow!  You’re gonna hurt yourself.”  Yet he had no plans to release her until he got an answer.

“Let me gooooo!”  She wailed, sinking to the floor, the tile cooling to her hot skin.  He dropped with her.

“What did you do?!”  She shrunk away from the rage in his voice.  He was not shouting anymore, not really, but the tone was nearly as menacing as Spike’s.  Only nearly.

“Nothing, Graham.  Please stop!”  The panicky feeling of what he might do to her was taking hold and she bucked wildly, cursing.  She tried everything she couldn’t try to escape if was Spike

He shoved her away and stood, towering over her tiny frame.  She did not look up, but just sat there crying.  He walked over to the counter, grabbed the roll of paper towels and tossed them at her.  “Get up and get cleaned.”

As she rose, her body trembling from the stress of it, he could see more bruises on the backs of her thighs.  He took a deep breath and turned away as she walked stiffly to the bathroom, blowing her nose in the rough material.

Once the door closed, he began pacing, thinking.  His ideas were wild, but not too far from the truth.  And he was afraid to touch her.  Afraid that he would hurt her.  Flopping onto the sofa, he willed himself to relax.  A muted sob escaped the walls of the bathroom.

The image of an obvious hand print on her milky white skin flashed hot in his mind, fueling his need to stay calm and get her to talk to him.  She was scared and probably of him, but that was not everything.  Something was off.  He rifled through the purse on the table before him, but found nothing unusual.

The shower stopped and a few minutes later she slunk out, wrapped in a towel, dashing into the bedroom quietly.  He waited, refusing to go after her.  If she did not come to him willingly, he would drag her.  But he wanted her to come on her own.  He closed his tired eyes. They had seen too much already.

He heard the squeak of the chair by the window and cracked his eyes open to see her there.  Her hair was wet, but combed and falling into her face as she shivered, although the house was warm.  The confusion of the morning allowed them both no opportunity to worry about mundane things like the AC.

Willow remained silent, staring out the window, so he spoke first.

“Someone put those bruises there.  Not me.  Someone else has been touching you.”  There was no sign that she was listening, but he continued.  “Is…is it Maddie?”

She jerked, green eyes on him now and he took it for an admission of guilt.

“You’re playing sick sex games with a woman?  On our HONEYMOON?”  He was up, pacing slowly, a caged tiger.  She looked at her bare feet, the urge to flee overwhelming, and wished she had thought to put on sneakers.  “You couldn’t even wait until we got home.  Couldn’t let us have this.”

The disgust was evident, yet she had no answer.  Better that Graham thought she was with another woman than know truth.  After tomorrow, none of this mattered anyway.

Strong hands, gripping her brutally, yanked her from the chair by the arms to face him.  “So you like it rough?”  He fumbled at her zipper and his intent became apparently to her.

“No…”  She choked out as he pulled her pants down.  She fought back, scratching at her husband and drawing blood.  He shoved her and she tripped to the floor, her jeans still near her knees.  And then he was on top of her and she was trapped as he caressed her with rough touches, creating bruises of his own.

“No…”  She managed again, his panting and grunting more animal and feral than anything she had experienced.  He was approaching madness and would soon be unreachable.  “Graham, please don’t do this.”  Spike would kill him if he did this.  Very slowly.

“Is that what you told her?  Did SHE make you?”  He growled mockingly.  He had her jeans and panties at her ankles and her knees open enough to be between them.

The sound of his zipper sparked her struggles anew.   Determined, he slapped her face and she screamed, crying hysterically.

“Noooooo!  Please, God help me! nooooooo!”

He pulled away and leaped off of her as if she burned him.  She turned to her side and curled into a ball, still screaming.  He fell to her and scooped the redhead into his embrace, cradling her, rocking her as she cried.

She drifted off to sleep finally and he carried her to the bed.  Her pants and underwear were still around her ankles, but he could not bring himself to make that right.  He pulled a sheet over her instead and left her alone.

He put on his shoes, wrote a note for Willow and walked out, closing the door quietly behind him.

~~~*~~~

Maddie stood over Spike as he lay on the couch watching television.

“So she comes here tomorrow?”

“Yep”

“And what does that mean for us?  For me?”

He craned his neck to look at her.  She was in a red halter and boyshorts.  He eyed her ass cheeks as she strutted about the sofa to make it easier for him to see her. “Changes nothing, luv.  You’re with me for as long as you want.  Longer if I have a mind to keep you.”

She ignored the last, not thinking him serious. “She killed her, huh?”  She was excited about this topic and wanted to hear more of what had occurred in the locked room.

“Yep.”

“Spike, stop with the yeps and…Give. Me. Details.”  She straddled him and grinded her center against his growing erection.

He laughed and tossed the remote to the side table, placing a hand on her hip to steady her as she dry fucked him.   He could smell her cunt calling him to fill her right up.

“She thinks she did it to be kind.  I know better.  She was angry at the girl for being here, with me.  Jealous little fit that she hopes to cover up.”  He leaned up and captured Maddie’s full lips.

“Mmmmm…sounds like she’s got a bit of evil in her.  Underneath all that crappy good, she’s a sweet jewel of darkness.”  She nipped at his lips.

“Yeah, I saw it long ago.”

There was a knock on the door.  Spike cursed at the disturbance as he lifted the brunette vampire and got up to answer it.  He sensed it was not Willow, the heartbeat was slower, stronger.

He smiled when he caught the scent through the door and opened it, feigning sleepiness.

“Hi, Jim.  Look… sorry to just drop by…” the visitor started.

“Graham?  Hey...come on in, mate.”

~Part: 14~

Graham stepped into the cool darkness of the house, losing the little bit of light that filtered in as Spike closed the door behind him.  Maddie had moved from the couch and was standing against a wall, unnoticed, in the shadows.

The blonde scented blood on the man, his own, and wondered what had occurred in the time since Willow bolted from his presence.

“Graham, you’re looking rather pale.  Did you catch whatever was ailing your wife?”

“What?  Uh…no.  Hey, it’s nice out.  Can we sit out on your patio?”  He had spotted Maddie and needed to be away from her.

“Sure.  Nothing like a little morning sun to perk you right up, eh?”  He led the way to the glass door, calling to the raven beauty.  “Maddie, be a luv and bring us some beers and a bottle of JD.”

Graham, not one for drinking so early, started to protest, but it was too much of an effort and the idea of just dissolving his problems in liquor for a while was an enticing one.  Once outside, they took their seats at the bar, replicating the day before without thought.

“So what’s on your mind?”  The vampire asked, lighting a cigarette.  The smoke curled around his face as he set narrowed eyes on the man.

Graham faltered, unsure of what to say now that he was there.  All the way over he planned to tell ‘Jim’ about his cheating girlfriend, but after thinking on it, what real proof did he have that Maddie and Willow were involved?  He did not doubt it, he just could not prove it.

“Nothing… I was thinking you could help me with something, but now…I don’t know.”

“Go on, mate, if I can be of assistance…”  He raised an eyebrow earnestly.   The man wanted marriage counseling.  This was too much fun.

“It’s Willow…She…That is…I think…No, I’m pretty certain that she’s having an affair.”

Spike gave his best wide-eyed look of utter shock, wishing he had a reflection.  “Are you sure?  She’s so…innocent.”

He snorted, jumping when Maddie showed up with two beers and a bottle.  He had not heard her and it creeped him out just how quiet and inconspicuous she could be, like she wasn’t there at all.

“Morning Graham.”  She smiled, noticing that he was twitchy, unnerved by her.  His heart rate increased erratically when he became aware of her presence.  It was not fear and she could only wonder about the cause since things felt okay between them the previous night.

“Maddie.  Hey.”

She nodded and left, leaving this one for Spike to sort.  The older vampire must have been receiving the same vibes as her and it was his game.

Shot glasses appeared from a shelf below the bar surface, the blonde filling them to the rim.  He pushed one in Graham’s hand.  “Cheers.”   The both slammed the liquid down quickly, making the appropriate grimaces.

“If she was ever innocent, I never knew it.  She’s been a slut since I met her and I had to have her.  She’s a sweet slut, though, and I thought that if I loved her enough she would love me back.”

The demon was not fond of hearing him call her that, but it made him wonder what his girl had been up to in his absence.  Apparently, she took his allowing her to play to heart.  He stifled a grin, choosing a somber expression instead.

“Do you know who it is?”  He sipped his beer and debated another round.  One shot did nothing for him, but the human constitution was fickle and he did not fancy cleaning or smelling vomit.

“Yeah…amazingly, yeah.”

The vampire felt the shift in mood, from sorrow and pity to hardcore anger.  He half hoped it was puzzled out.  Then she could get rid of her toy and be done.  But it would really be done and he was not ready to stop playing with this one.

“Someone you know then?”

“I wouldn’t say I know her, but…”

“Her??”  Delightful.

“Jim, can I ask you something?  Personal?”

“Ask away.  Not sure if I’ll answer.”

“Maddie…How long have you been together?”

“About six months.”  He scowled.  “Are you saying you think it’s Maddie?”

He held his hand up, palms facing out.  “I don’t mean any disrespect, Jim.  There’s just these things…she’s got bruises…on her hips and thighs, they weren’t there before.  And she disappeared this morning and came back with…Geez I can’t believe I am telling you this.”

Spike chose to play it as unconcerned.  In truth, he was unconcerned, so it required no effort on his part, and it might infuriate the mortal, which was a win.

“Well, I can’t say you have any proof, but Maddie does what she likes.  It’s just the way things are between us.  She’s a brilliant shag and intriguing, but what she does away from me…”  Shrugging, he poured two more shots.  Graham took his without prompting and drank it quickly.  Spike was lazier about it, letting the amber liquor roll around his tongue first.

“I’m very sure.  I asked Willow and she didn’t deny it,” Graham responded.

The vampire only nodded, his nonchalance an irritant.

“So what…you’re not gonna do anything?”  It was incredible to him that this man would simply allow her to roam, never understanding that he had done the same with the redhead, albeit for different reasons.

“What?  Shall I beat her?  Show her her place?”  It was exactly what the vampire would do, but that was not the point.  Humans played by different rules.

Graham looked away, his anger dissipating.

“You did, didn’t you?”  The fresh scratches on his arm and neck made sense.

“No…I slapped her, tried to…”  He got up, clutching his beer like a favorite blanket, and paced.

He wanted break the little maggot’s neck for hitting his witch.  Having promised Willow that he would not hurt him made that an unlikely course of action.  For now.  After he turned her, she would be more than happy to get a little revenge.  A promise to her soul would mean nothing to the demon.

“Well, ask Maddie.  If you want to know, that is.  She won’t lie.  Never does.  Has no reason.”

~~~*~~~

Maddie was in Spike’s bedroom, hers when she felt inclined.   The other vampire called out for her.

“In here!”  She shouted, frustrated while making the bed.  The boys, in their infinite wisdom, did not bother to bring the linens back when they disposed of last night’s entertainment.  Hence she was struggling with a household chore she had previously not experience.  The bed skirt was a bitch.

A few seconds later, Spike followed by Graham stood in the doorway.  She unbent her body, her hair swinging wildly as she leaped to her feet gracefully.  Spike frowned, but said nothing.

“Yeah…I’ll be done in here in a bit.  You guys hungry?  I’m not cooking or anything, but I can order something.”   She was flustered, a new look for the pretty demon and Spike found it endearing.  It allowed a level of humanistic qualities that could not be feigned.  He had to remember to bother her more often.

“Graham has something he needs to ask you, pet.”

She glanced at him, genuinely curious, yet still busy with her task.  The sooner the bed was made, the sooner she could get Spike in it.  “What’s up?”  She sighed.

Her hand rested on a curved hip, waiting, but impatient.  It did not strike the agent as anxiety or apprehension, which would be normal if she was involved.  She just seemed bothered and ready to not be.  A slight frown forming, creasing the skin between her dark eyebrows, as she grew more displeased at his delay.

“I feel kinda stupid asking this…”  His eyes flicked over to Spike who nudged him in support.   A  deep breath cleared his head.  “Are you and Willow involved, uh sexually?”

The question stunned her, as it was totally unexpected.  Spike felt the chuckle rising and bit his tongue, the pain a pleasant distraction.

“No, not at all.  If this is about the dancing…Willow was tipsy and so was I, but what you saw was all that happened.  I was more interested in you.  She was just a way to get your attention.”

He stared at her for a moment, not quite understanding such a forthright response to something so utterly convoluted.

“Okay…I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

Apparent crisis over, she was back on her knees fooling with the skirt again.  “No bother really.”  Inside she was giddy.  The smell of Willow was everywhere, mixing in with death and fear and despair.  It made her giddy.

Something on the floor by the bed’s edge caught her eye.  Quickly identified, she made a snap decision to throw a sabot into the machine.   She rose slowly, flinging the torn scrap of material around a finger.

“Jim, dear, I don’t recognize these.”  She tossed them to the vampire who caught them easily, unfazed.

The color, lime green, was familiar to the human and his stomach lurched as he made the correct assumptions.

Spike glared at Maddie, who smiled sweetly, his face a treacherous mixture of desire and annoyance.  He would punish her, but he wanted to sink into her soon, as well.  Forcing his hand, while seeming innocent of any duplicity, was ingenious.  He liked her a lot.  She was so…self-motivated.

Graham had a front row seat for the weird exchange. He backed out and down the hall, certain that a confrontation now would end badly for him.

“I’ll just go.  I need to check on Willow.  She was pretty upset...”

Spike padded toward him as he retreated.  The human felt hunted, a chill dancing up his spine until he gave in and shuddered.  Suddenly the smaller man did not seem very small at all.

“Sure mate.  I’ll be here if you need to talk.  Right here waiting.”

~~~*~~~

She was too afraid to ask him, so she watched silently.  Whatever he was looking for, it was to be found in her things.  Finally, as if touched by divine intervention, he ceased his search through her suitcase and the drawers she had claimed for her stuff, and headed to the bathroom.

On the floor, in glaringly offensive neon Technicolor was a bra. Green and hideous, and he wondered why he had never complained before, but as bright and obtrusive as it was, he could not find the matching panties.  His wife was a stickler for matching, obsessive.

Storming from the bathroom to the bed where she cowered, he grabbed her forearms and pulled her up on her knees.  “It’s him!  You fucking bitch!  You and that…” Arms flailing he stomped in a circle.”

“Please don’t...  I know what I am so please don’t.”

“Fine.”  He growled.  “I’m taking my board and going out.  Don’t be here when I get back.”

~Part: 15~

A little crease formed in her forehead as the frown settled in.  The vampiress joined Spike at the door, wary of the same hateful rays that he so carelessly enjoyed.

"Should we have let him go?"   She was on edge now, picking up on Spike's mood.  Sometimes it was difficult for her to be near the utterly confounding vampire.  The sheer force of his will was overwhelming, making her demon bend to him without fail.  So she stood next to him because it was more difficult not to.

The human stormed down the beach toward the rental, kicking up sand while cold blue eyes followed him.  He did not look back which was interesting considering how disturbed he was when he left.

"If I keep him, I have to kill him.  You know that."

"So.what's the problem?  You kill everyone eventually."  She laughed, leaving him standing alone in the door, a dark silhouette with a shock of golden hair.  The bed still needed to be made and she still wanted to have him.  He would be otherwise occupied once the witch arrived for good.  She would let them have their honeymoon, mostly because she had no choice.  Not that she wanted one.  Spike was not hers nor was she his.  They just complimented each other wonderfully.

He closed the door with a bang and whirled around, eyes glowing and full of the demon.  "The problem is that I promised her I would let him live."  He sank into the couch, petulant.  "I bloody well hate being a vamp of my word."

A beer appeared over his shoulder.  He took it, nodding appreciatively, and drank it half down.  Her cool hands were on his strong shoulders, massaging, to relax not seduce.  He knew the difference.   Those perfectly manicured fingers would be coated with her juices to tease him or something of that nature.  This was just her needing him to feel better now so she could make him feel BETTER later.

"And what would happen if you killed him anyway?"  She had leaned over and was in his ear, telling secrets.  "Nothing.  She'll get over it.  And it'll change nothing in the end."

"You're half right.  It matters mostly to me."  He twisted his neck, grimacing at the sound of a satisfying crack.

A pretty picture popped in her head.  "Will he hurt her?"

Spike heard the smile.  He heard flies farting.  "If he does, all bets are off."  He grinned a bit, hoping the human was stupid enough to do visible damage.  Then he scowled, remembering the scratches and the slap.  He had not seen Willow yet.  The idiot may have already done her good.

She sighed as the tension crept back into him.  Still telling secrets, she whispered, "She'll come to you, don't worry.  In the mean time."  She slid around the sofa and into his lap, taking the near empty bottle and placing it on the center table.  "I'll make it all go away for a while."

The eyebrow rose.  "Yeah?"

"Oh yeah."  She nodded, as she descended to his mouth, parting moist lips with her tongue.  He let her, tired, not wanting to dominate.  It was nearly noon and all good vampires should be sleeping.  He had been off schedule, playing with Willow, but was always ready for a little bed-time with this quizzical creature.

~~~*~~~

She took a last look around.  Her bag was packed and it leaned against the front door.  The rental car was in her name and she considered taking it since her bag was just this side of heavy.  Concern over what he would do when he saw it parked at Spike's place made her weary so she dropped the keys and contract, which she'd removed from her purse, on the coffee table.

Thirsty and stalling, she walked to the kitchen sink, grabbing a glass from the dish drain.  The worst of her shaking had subsided and she was able to hold the glass of water steady as she raised it to her parched lips.

Inside her a war was being waged.  A very intellectual and theoretical part of her mind screamed at her to drop to her knees, tell Graham everything and beg his forgiveness.  It reasoned that any rational person would understand and not condemn her for making the choices she had made.  She did not want him killed.  It was that simple.  The practical reality-based section weighed in, saying that if she did that they would be in danger and on the run for the rest of their lives.  They could not return to Sunnydale, and would never know how or when the blond would track them down, only that he would.  His desire for her was relentless and he inevitably got what he desired.   Both of those parts cursed the stupidly sensual side of her that just craved to belong to him and not have to make any of these decisions again.  Amazingly, it was the stupidly sensual side that won.

She put the glass on the counter and picked up her bag and purse.  For a second, she struggled getting through the doorway and then she was outside.  Down the stairs.  Past the drive.  Onto the soft, warm sand.

There were lots of people out enjoying the sunshine and laughing.  The surfers were out in droves, each claiming as much of the ocean as possible without being on top of the other.  She studied the shoreline until she realized what she was searching for and looked away, pushing the sunglasses higher on the bridge of her nose.

~~~*~~~

The door swing open to darkness.  Inside, behind the wood, was one of the minions that lived there.  She did not know his name, but knew she would soon enough.

"You don't need an invitation, you know."

The voice was low and gravelly, like he swallowed rocks, and it startled her.  She could not say why, but they had always been silent when around her and she had the vague impression that they were not allowed to speak.  She stepped over the threshold, refraining from verbalizing an apology as she passed and a bit of sunlight burned when the door moved some to allow for her bag.

He closed the door, sucking on the singed flesh and left her in the front room in favor of getting a piece of ice.  She set her things down, supposing that chivalry must not cross over in the turning.  She waited for him to return, but when he did it was only to retreat down the corridor into what must be his room.

Drawing a conclusion, she determined that either the two male minions shared a room, or Spike and Maddie did, favoring the later.  But it left her wondering about the sleeping arrangements.

Spike had to know that she was in the house.  The heartbeat would be a small clue, yet he had not come to her.  She was relieved that Maddie had not sensed her presence and joined her.  Flirty, catty, bitchy girl-talk was not in the fun-things-to-do-while-you're-here section of her travel brochure.

"Back so soon?"

She nearly jumped to the ceiling as she screamed.  Clenching a fist to her chest she spun on him and yelled, "Spiiiiike!  It's not funny!  You could've given me a heart attack!"

"Then I'd just have to turn you.Sorry,"  he replied, his blue eyes wide with mock innocence.

"No.you're not," she gasped, trying to reel in her runaway heart.

"So you've missed me then?"

"Goddess Spike.I'm here.  Leave it at that."  She pointed to the suitcase in the middle of the floor.   "Where can I put that?  I-I can leave it here, you know and sleep on the couch."  She sat on it, bouncing and rubbing the leather.   "Very comfy!"

Her green eyes tracked him as he ignored her rambling and carried her belongings down the hall and into his room.  Well that question was answered.  She frowned at the assumption, but could not muster up enough resentment to get riled.  Truthfully, she expected this.

His head appeared as he leaned out to look at her.  "Well, come on then.  It's the middle of the soddin' day and I wanna get some sleep."

Purse in hand, she made the small trip to the room, scowling at the scene revealed.

Maddie was stretched out on her belly underneath a twist of green satin sheet.  Her cheek was pressed flat against the mattress and the skin of her back, arms and legs bore scratches and bruises that would take a human a week to heal from.  Spike's knee was on the bed and he was nudging the vampiress, mumbling for her to wake up.  After a few tries, the brunette reluctantly turned over and opened her grey eyes.  Dark hair tumbled in a pool behind her.  The blonde was motionless, not succumbing to the pleasingly round temptations that were her breasts, one still bleeding from a particularly vicious bite.  She rose on her elbows nodding at Willow, but talking to Spike.

"Want me to change the sheets again?"

Willow nodded slowly, but Spike spoke.  "Nah.wanna smell you for a while yet."

She grinned and got up, modesty not an issue.  Pressing a kiss on Spike's forehead, she gasped when he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her naked body to his.  "Thanks, pet."  That deep resonance shook her to her core and she trembled just a bit.

"For what?"

"For not making a fuss about Willow.among other things."  His mouth dropped to her shoulder where he kissed a blossoming bruise.

"I appreciate what she means to you, Spike."  She cradled his face in the palm of her hand, her long fingers stroking the pale skin.  He smelled her cunt on them, delicious and dainty.  He took one in his mouth, sucking for a few seconds before letting go.  Willow had been enthralled by the sight before her, but turned away from this intimacy, angrier than she cared to justify.

"Yeah.you're a real peach.  Do us a favor, then?"  He released her and she gathered up her scattered and torn clothing.

"I'm not sure about what happened with her.  Stay in the front room, sleep if you like, but be on alert."

"Sure.  Not a problem."  She responded cooly, but inside she was joyful and elated.  He had minions and normally ordered them to do these things, but he trusted her to watch his back.  Her alone.   She slipped out with her clothes in her arms, closing the door softly behind her.

Spike turned to Willow, who was adorably pinkened, although it might have been leftovers from her recent sunburn.  Either way her skin was heated.  He felt it from across the room and longed to feel it beneath him.   He tossed the sheet off the bed and pulled the comforter from the floor.

"Lay down with me, Red.  We have so much to discuss."

~Part: 16~

The headboard was a nice one as far as headboards went.  This one was mahogany with intricate carvings of small leaves.  The wood was smooth and had been recently polished.  Willow noted all of this from her upside down view while her head hit it repeatedly as the vampire slammed into her.  Each bang was a punctuation of his desire to consume her whole.  It did not occur to him to move her further down the bed as the sound was pleasing to him.

A twist of his hips had her screaming again, calling out to her goddess for help and to him for more.  She was such a contradiction.  He lifted her legs to his shoulders.  They trembled gently against him, the muscles beyond exhausted.  It was almost sweet how fragile she was and he smiled, leaning over to take her mouth with his.  She was bent severely, internally amazed at her own litheness, and as his body ground against her clit she came again, pulling from his lips for air.

"Spike.please," she panted.

His pace never slowed as she bucked against him, but he took some of his weight off of her, hearing the harshness of her breathing.

"Please what?"  He lowered his mouth to her breast, teasing an already tortured nipple to an aching peak, and was rewarded with an agonized moan.

"My head."   She moved a hand up to pad the next hit, but it was yanked away with a growl. His sharp blue eyes penetrated her every bit as much as his cock.

"I like the sound of your pretty skull as it makes contact with the wood.every little groan you make, every ounce of your sweet pain that drips from you like honey."  He nibbled at her neck until she squirmed and gave him more access to lick a trail to her collarbone.  He felt her cunt gripping his shaft greedily, wanting the fucking that he gave her.  "And every ounce of your pleasure."

He lifted enough to free her legs and let them fall to either side of him as he grabbed her hips tightly and drove into her, going deeper and harder.  She lay there at first, unable or unwilling to participate, just taking everything that he gave her.  Soon, the tension built up within her just enough to need more.  She planted her feet into the mattress, knees bent, and met him thrust for thrust.  And then he was kissing her again, almost gentle, but no less consuming. It left her with the understanding that he did not have to drain her to devour her. The tension soon gave way to a tingling wave that started at her feet and worked is way inward, her walls fluttering around him before clamping tightly as she tumbled over the edge into his world of hedonism and debauchery.

"Spiiike.."  She hissed, clawing at him, pulling hair, drawing blood.  "No more."  The scent of blood, her sweat, the tight heat of her proved too much and he finally came, fangs slicing into her breast as he shot his cool seed into her still quivering channel.  She welcomed it, wanting to be drained and weak.  He had been fucking her all afternoon and she was tired, hoping to pass out soon.

The vampire sensed the sun setting and debated turning her over for another go.  Her ass was still virginal and new territory, but if he took her there now before turning her, he would only have that newness this once.  Deciding that eternal virginity was better, he lay on his back and pulled her to him where she nuzzled into his chest, nearly asleep before she stopped moving.

While she slept, he stroked her hair and wondered if keeping her alive for any length of time would be worth the trouble.  She was old enough already and would only start to loose that firmness of youth if he waited too much longer.  There was also the possibility of her getting hurt or killed accidentally.  He could not protect her from everything, especially in her current state.

A tight spasm in his chest, uncharacteristic concern, had him sitting up abruptly, inadvertently waking her in the process.

"Spike?"  She reached for him, intent on holding him until he went to sleep with her.  She did not think she could have one more orgasm and live.

"Yeah, baby.sorry."  He turned to his right where she lay, peeking up at him from sleepy eyes, and cupped her cheek, remembering her warmth.

"For what?"  She inquired, her eyes a bit wider now, questioning and free of wariness.

"For this."  He lunged for her, wearing the face of a demon, and had his fangs in her neck before she could take her next breath, which was now an inward scream.  Her blood rushed from her body into his, fire burning a trail through the larger veins.  For a few seconds she fought him, her tiny hands slapping him ineffectively, but gave in quickly as he ease off into slower drafts, swallowing and savoring her.  She shed a single tear as she felt herself coming again.  Her vision swam and she closed her eyes, no longer caring to focus on the outside.  Everything important was happening on the inside.  The hard pounding of her heart was slowing, becoming faint in her own head.  His cooler blood passing her lips and flowing into her, slower, thicker than her own, but infinitely more powerful and full of dark secrets, ignited multiple fires within her, the demon doing its work as she breathed her last breath and the hand clutching his wrist fell to the bed.  Lifeless.

Satisfied that she was now safe in death, and his forever, he settled back down, snuggling her cooling flesh into him, and allowed himself to sleep the night away, waiting for his girl to rise.

~~~*~~~

The house was dark as he climbed the wooden stairs and although the car was there he knew that she was gone.  He told her to leave, after all, so he had no right to be surprised or shocked or sad.  He tried to hold in the rage he had felt earlier, but it was beyond his reach, taunting him from a high ledge and he had no ladder.

He walked in and turned on a floor lamp.  Its halogen bulb was bright enough to illuminate the entire room, but it was still gloomy.  He took a quick inventory and determined that her things were gone.  She was gone, and not for a while until he cooled off.  She left him.  She was most likely on a plane to Los Angeles, running to the safety of her circle of friends.   They were his now as well, but somehow they would blame him.  Willow was precious to them, especially to Xander, and they would find a way to be on her side.

He walked to the bedroom, picked up his cell phone and dialed.

"Hello."

"Hey Dawnie."

"Ohhh Graham!  How's Hawaii?  Are you and Willow. you know.making with the mad monkey sex so I can have a little cousin to."  He heard wrestling and a muffled "hey!"

"Hey, Graham,"  Buffy was a little out of breath, more from embarrassment over her sister's behavior than from the exertion of taking the phone from the taller girl.  "Sorry about that.  You know how she gets."

"Yeah, I do."  He smiled despite his mood.  Dawn had that affect on him.  "It's fine."

"So, what's up?  You guys aren't missing Hellmouthy fun already, are you?"

He was pretty certain that Willow had not called them yet, which was odd.  Unless Buffy was faking with him, but he never knew her to be a good liar, making a laughable mess of her attempts to cover up Willow's cheating in the past.

"No, actually I was calling about Willow."

"What happened?  Is she okay?"  A panicked slayer was a dangerous slayer.

"No. I mean yeah, she's fine.  It's not like that.  It's .ahhhh she left."

"Left?"

"Gone.I think she's on her way back to Sunnydale."

He heard the slayer sigh.  "Oh Graham.I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, thanks.I guess.   I. I don't know. One day everything was great, then I meet this guy, we surf and hang out and then she sleeping with him.  What the fuck kinda shit is that Buffy?  Where is her head?"

The blonde had no clue.  Her best friend was different; had been since their first year of college.  She was still sweet and selfless Willow on the surface, but there was a selfish streak beneath.  Buffy ignored it as it matched her own and she could respect and understand it. But it did not pay to scratch too deeply.  Others suffered when they did, expecting certain behavior, and were inevitably disappointed.

"What are you gonna do now?"

"I don't know.I was thinking of going over to Jim's place and beating the shit out of the little blond twerp."

"Huh.Jim who?"  Buffy shook her head in confusion.

"The guy.the one she fucked.on our honeymoon!  Fucking bastard!"

"Okay.hold on...You can't go fighting the guy, Graham.  Willow made the promise to you, not him."

Part of him sat on the sofa, a little stunned that Buffy was actually close to saying Willow was wrong.  "Yeah, but that English asshole knew we had just gotten married.  He had no business."

"Graham, look, I don't think you should stay there alone.  Come back. Talk to her."

"No.no.maybe in a couple of days, but not now.  I can't see her.  Its all messed up and I wanna see her so much, but I'm so angry that I think I could hurt her, Buffy."

Her best friend role descended on her, like slipping on a well-fitted coat.  "You can't touch her.  You know I won't let you.  Yell.  Scream.  Throw some stuff, but no hands.  I'll hurt you of you do, Graham."

He was holding his forehead in one hand, the elbow resting on his thigh.  "I know.  I'm counting on it."  He laughed bitterly.  "And you're sure I can't beat the hell outta Jim.  He's pretty small and I know I can take him."

"No! No beating of the Jim-the-Honeymoon-Wrecker."  She laughed at her own lame joke, not at all embarrassed that he did not.  Most of what they said to each other was corny and weird.  "You'll call tomorrow morning?  She should be here by then and I'll talk to her."

"Yeah.  I'll call the airline and change my ticket to Friday.  I wanna get in one more day of waves tomorrow."

"All right, but stay away from that guy.  I don't wanna hafta come get you from the pokey."

"The Pokey?  You guys are a strange bunch."  He chuckled, this time humor creeping in.

"Yes, but who is stranger - the strange or he that marries into it?"

"Oh, definitely you guys are stranger."

~~~*~~~

She smelled sex and death; it smelled very good.  It was in the air and danced throughout the house, teasing the minions until they had to leave.   She let them go, but instructed them to stay close and watch for the male human.

Maddie lingered by his bedroom door.  She had the urge to knock on the door, go in and see the new childe sleeping, but did not dare.  Spike would be dangerous to approach until Willow rose, and unpredictable even for him.

Willow and Spike's conversation earlier that day was easily overheard.  The stupid human had made it so much easier on the blond to take the young witch from him.  Not that she would complain.  In her opinion, this was a great situation.  She could still be with Spike, travel and learn, while Willow satisfied his more demonic needs.  She had no one making those demands of her anymore, not since she left her sire's lair.  Spike's take on sex was rough and animalistic, but torture was too much work for the blond demon, when there were better, easier ways to get off.  She liked that about him.  But now that he made a childe, he would change, become more vampiric and less human in his desires.  Willow was his to use to satisfy his urges.  It promised to be great fun for her.

She smiled and left them alone, her bare feet were soundless as she padded into the bathroom to clear out her toiletries.  The girl had been turned and that was their pre-discussed cue to pack up and leave.  Her clothes were ready to go and she had already contacted a rental property manager who would be there in the morning.

Spike had not informed her of his intended destination, so she was forced to leave those arrangements for him to handle once he woke.

~Part: 17~

Graham was dreaming.  He knew it was a dream, which made it just that much more depressing. Willow was back.  She came in that morning, looking sick with guilt, but she wanted to try to work things out.  He desperately tried to hold onto the illusions his mind had painted for him, but consciousness leaked in slowly and reality was bent on rearing its ugly head.  It apparently chirped as well.

Cracking open an eye, he reached through the maze of beer bottles on the coffee table for the cell phone, knocking over an empty.

"Willow!"

"Graham.it's Buffy."

"Oh.  Hi."

"You didn't call and I got worried.  Are you okay?"

"Yeah," He grunted, turning over on the couch and regretting ever falling asleep there.  "Just woke up.  What time is it?"

"It's two here so."

"Wow.I guess I overslept.  Too many beers."

"Have you heard from her, Graham?"

"Huh.Willow?!  She's not there?"

"No.  We tried everyone and every place we know.  She would have called me or Xander for a ride from the airport.  Well. Xander."

"Fuck.I...hold on!"  He jumped up too quickly and had to take a few seconds to steady himself before stumbling into the bedroom and to his suitcase.  He tore it open and in the inside pocket, there they were, his and Willow's return flight tickets.  "Damn it!"   He snatched the phone from the bed where he had tossed it and began ranting.  "It's here. Her fucking ticket is here.  I didn't even check.  She's still here somewhere."

"Graham, slow down!"

"Okay, fine.  But she's here."

"You have her ticket."

"Yes!"  He was getting frustrated explaining things to the blonde.  Sometimes he wondered if it was merely a dye job.

"Okay, I'll get the gang on calling the hotels in Honolulu.  See if she checked into one of them."

"How will you do that from there?"

"Just look 'em up on Yahoo and call and ask to be connected to her room.  If she's there, then bam, we're in.  If not, move on to the next one.  I paid attention to some things other than slaying, ya know."  He could hear the smile in her voice and felt a little better.  They would find her.  They found what they were looking for.  Always.

"Okay.I'm gonna ask around the beach.  I'll have my phone so call if you find her."

"Of course.  Check in by five my time?"

"Yeah.  And Buffy?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thanks.  I didn't expect.nothing.  Just thanks."

"Go.let's find her."

~~~*~~~

Combing the beach, he asked a thousand strangers if they had seen a little redhead, about five feet four inches tall, a hundred pounds, bright green eyes.none had.  One guy thought he may have seen her the day before, but not today.

He had already experienced his first check in with Buffy.  She was all business and had a list of hotels and motels in which Willow definitely was not staying.  It was long.  She had a shorter list of six places that would not attempt to ring a guest's room unless the caller gave the room number as well, hence they were still possible prospects for housing the young witch.   She also had about thirty more to check and wanted him to call back in another three hours.

With a sign, he sat on the sand a few feet from the waves and looked out at the dying day.  Today had been a good day for surfing and had he not been looking for his wife that was what he would have been doing.  Funny that Jim was not out.  He had been every time Graham was and from their conversations he went out everyday.

It crossed his mind that she might be there.  With him.  It was only a short walk and he would know for sure.  But if she was, if she made that choice, he did not want to know so he refrained.

He pushed himself up to standing, brushing sand from his palms, and started toward the house.

~~~*~~~

The kitchen table was covered in brochures, each spouting praises of a location that she was interested in visiting.  Spike was not selfish when it came to accommodating her wishes and unless he wanted something specific she had no doubt that she could influence him regarding their destination.

"All packed, luv?"

She swung around, demon visage there and melting away as quickly as it had come once she registered that it was Spike.

"You are too funny with that stealth crap.  When are you gonna teach me?"  She turned to the counter to pour him a Jack and Coke.

"I'm not.  That you learn after decades of practice.  Besides," he came up behind her, his naked chest, smooth and hard against her back.  She immediately wished that she had on less clothes.  "I like being able to spook you."

"Whatever. Sooo. You did it, huh?"  She spun in his arms to face him, her eyes liquid and knowing, and handed him the drink.

"Yeah."  His grin was boyish and innocent, lacking any mockery or motive.  He was happy and letting her see.  She kissed one cheek and caressed the other.

"I'm happy for you.  You're a daddy.  You have her forever now."

"I know."  He took a sip and glanced around, then let his senses extend.  "Where are Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?"

"Don't make fun of the minions.  And they're downstairs in the garage, playing dominoes, I think."

"We leave when she rises, so they better gather their gear.  I'll leave their arses."

"Where are we going?"

He smiled, this one full of malevolence and cunning.  It made her skin crawl and her cunt wet.  "Now that would be telling."

~~~*~~~

Walking back into the bedroom, he felt her demon stirring, not fully awake, but definitely released from the depths of Hell.  The few items of clothing he wanted to take were packed and in the trunk of the car, along with Maddie's things. The boys were done packing and were outside loading up their things as well as those that Spike had indicated should not be left behind.

Willow's cell phone rang several times and as tempting as it was to answer, he let it ring until it stopped.  If it was the slayer or one of the Sunnydale white hats, he was not going to spoil the surprise, and if it was her honey.

Pulling out his own cell phone, he called the airline.  Maddie was sinfully persuasive earlier and he planned to encourage that kind of enthusiasm.  The girl wanted to go to New Orleans, so that was where they were headed.  A master currently reigned over the Big Easy, but since Spike had no intention on taking over the territory, his presence should not cause a problem.

He used one of his many false personas to make the reservations for the flights and for a hotel in the quarter for the first few days.  He then called his real estate agent, advising that he was looking to purchase a home, preferably in the Vieux Carre or the Garden District.  The first, with all its tourist, was one of the finest hunting grounds in the world and would be perfect for a new childe that was bound to make a few mistakes.  He favored it immensely.  Yet the appeal of hunting the wealthy and privileged living on or about St. Charles was not to be overlooked.  He would just wait and see which property had the amenities that he required the most and decide then.

The rustling sound coming from his bed had him rushing off the phone and staring at his childe who was just beginning to move.  He watched, holding a breath, as her eyes fluttered open.  At first they held nothing but the demon, an iridescent gold that ached of hunger.  She looked around the room as a tiny hand felt the ridges that had formed from instinct.  When he came into her vision, she stopped and seemed almost shock to find him there.

"Spike?"

"Willow?"

"Hmmm I wonder.I'm all new now."  She frowned, touching her face again.  "Make them go away."

He laughed.  She was bossy.  That would be fun taming.  "Just think of your human face, what you picture it to be."

She did as he said, putting all of her mental powers into it.  He grinned at the facial expressions she made.

"You're flipping on and off, luv.  Just relax a bit and stop screwing up your face."

She gave up the attempt and stood.  "It's dark out."  She no longer needed a clock.  She felt it in her bones, not the exact time, that would come later, but she understood that there was no danger from the sun right now.  "Are some vampire's born with a wonky clock?"

He frowned and looked like a puppy.  She wanted to tell him, but he was no puppy.  He was the big bad wolf.  Somewhere, in the back of her mind she had a faint memory of another puppy.

"Wonky clock?  What are you going on about?"  He was concerned that she was another Dru.

"I can tell it's night time.  It's an internal thing, I think.  I wonder if some of us aren't born defective."  She chewed on her bottom lip, waiting for his answer.

He processed this, not for the value of what she was asking, but for the fact that she thought on this level while her demon had to be starving.  "I imagine some rise without all that they need to survive."  She needed to lose the reference to human procreation.

She nodded in understanding and walked to him.  A flash of the human host's memory told her she would have shied away from him before, but those days were over.  It took all of her strength not to fall at his feet, such was her desire for him.  Was it always this way?

"You are my sire."  He nodded craning his neck to look up at her from his seat in the winged-back chair.  Odd that she felt so much smaller than him, even when looming over him.  "I think I was afraid of you."

"And how do you feel now, Willow?"

She looked into his blue eyes.  There was no duplicity in them.  He just wanted to know.   "I think that I'm still afraid of you, but only you."

"That's my brave girl."  He stood in that cat-like way of his and took her hand, pressing it to her smooth forehead.  Her green eyes widened.

"I didn't notice." They were close, only inches apart.  The demon in her wanted nothing more than to crawl back inside him.  Her head fell back, neck exposed, as she submitted to him.

He slipped into gameface and slid his fangs in her gently, taking his first taste of her demonic essence.  A sigh escaped her as her fingers came up to tangle into his curly hair.  "Please Spike.Sire, take my blood, take my body, take it all, just never leave me."

"Never."  He growled into her skin, retracted his fangs and returned to his perfect human features, kissing a trail down the smooth pale column of her neck.  He urged her backwards until the back of her legs hit the mattress and she lay back quickly, noticing for the first time that she was naked.  She giggled.

"I'm already ready and you have on too much clothes."

His eyes darkened, the growl low in his chest, and she shivered.  The shoes and pants came off quickly and then he was inside her.

"Fuck."  She cried out, not noticing the raised eyebrow.  This was better.  She remembered him fucking her before, remembered enjoying it too much, but this was better.  She was made for him and everything he did to her pleased her, aroused her.

The coupling lasted only minutes, yet she felt so satisfied when she came around his pulsing cock as he flooded her channel.  She kissed him deeply, trying to covey her need for him.  He seemed to understand.

"We have to go."

"Go?  Where?"

"Your friends will come looking for you eventually, pet."  He padded naked to the shower, pulling her along.

"My friends." Those memories had not been accessed yet.  Now they came through in a tidal wave of conflicting emotions.  "Buffy.she tried to kill you before."

"Yeah, but to be fair, I nearly did her in as well."

"I don't like her.  Can I kill her?" She asked in earnest.

Spike laughed.  "If I had a dollar for every fledge who said that.well I'm still much more wealthy, but you get the idea.  And no you can't kill her."

The water was warm and steamy.  He motioned for her to get in.  "Why not?"

"Because Peaches.Angel will be brassed off as it is once he finds out I finally took you and made you mine.  If I go anywhere near his precious slayer, he'll be after us.  He can't hurt me, but you are a different story."

"So you're his childe and you're afraid of him and nothing else."  She was just connecting all the dots, but he did not fancy the word afraid being associated with him.  Still, she was accurate.

"That's the way it is, yeah.  Angelus and I were two alpha males in the same pack.  Since I am his childe, I have to submit to him.  It was.difficult.  But Angel is more or less leaving me alone as long as I stay away from good ole Sunny D."

There was a half used bar of soap so she began washing him while she thought.  "Do you miss him?  Being with him?"

"I try not to think about it."  He put a finger under her chin, lifting her face.  "You'll help with that, I'd wager."  He smiled and kissed her chastely.  "Rinse me off, Red and let's get off this island."

~~~*~~~

"Are you sure?"

She looked up at him, an evil glint in her eye that he found down right adorable.   "Oh yeah."

"Then up you go."

She climbed the stairs.  Her gate was neither fast nor slow, but more like determined.  She heard him inside and knocked, careful of her new strength.  She wondered how Spike did not break everything he touched, how he never broke her.

He was on the other side, listening, and finally opened the door.  He had been asleep and was blinking furiously at the image before him.

"Willow?"  He whispered.  She stood there, unable to cross over the barrier.  "You're back."

She smiled, waiting for him to say the right words.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."  She sensed Spike and Maddie below, her sire growing impatient.  She had no idea how to make him invite her in and her hunger was palpable. It disturbed her, this feeling.  A hundred feet away a crab prowled along the beach, she turned quickly at the sound, still not acclimated to her heightened senses.  She shivered, trying to get rid of the excess input.

"You're cold.  Come in here."  He reached for her, but she was coming already.  He closed the door behind her, watching her walk over to the floor lamp and turn it to the lowest wattage.

"Willow.I'm sorry about what I said to you and for hitting you and for the other..." He trailed off.

"Don't be."

"I am."  He eyed her, a cool creeping drifting up his spine, but not enough to raise the alarms.  "Where did you go?"

"I went to him...Where did you think I would go?"

"Christ, Willow."  She stepped back as if burned and came forward smiling at her naivety.  "I wanna work this out, but."

"That's not possible."

"Not pos. Willow, what the hell is going on?  YOU did the dirty deed and I feel like I'm the guilty one."

"You're not guilty, Graham.  I am.  I am the slut and whore you've always imagined I was.  I fucked so many before and during us.  Sometimes I let the guy rub his cum in my skin so you could lick it off later.  And you loved it.  Loved sucking on my pussy behind one of the bitches I'd go to a motel with.  And I loved the fact that you did it.  You knew what I was and still wanted to worship at my feet.  I fucked him less than an hour ago, Graham. You wanna lick him outta me, make me cum on your face.  I'll stay with you if you do.  I'll be your blushing bride, riding your big, thick cock and sucking you off till death do us part.  All you have to do is eat me and swallow my juices mixed with his."

"Are you crazy?!"

She grabbed his hand, lightening quick, and marveled at that new ability.  He jerked, but was incapable of pulling away.  Reluctantly, he found his hand in the V of her sex and got hard at the slickness even as he was repulsed by her words.

"Feel that?  It makes me so fucking wet to think of your lips and tongue and teeth, slurping it all up while I suck you, swallow you, eat you alive."

"Stop it!"  His cock twitched nonetheless.  She let him go, laughing.  "What is WRONG with you?"

"Nothing, sweetie.  Maybe you'd like it straight from the source.  I'm sure he'll come down your throat directly, if you beg nicely."

"You know what?  Fuck this and fuck you!  Just leave.  Go back to that asshole!"

"No, Graham.Fuck you."  She stalked him and he backed away, instincts taking over while his mind shut down.

"Willow, get away from me."  He nearly tripped over a side table, but managed to keep his feet under him.

"Oh, but I thought you wanted to work it out," she mocked, pressing forward.

"GO TO HELL, YOU BITCH!"

She laughed at that.  "Been there, sweetie.and ironically, I've escaped."

When her face melted into that of a monster, he knew exactly what she was.  He berated himself for not figuring it out sooner.  He was a soldier, trained for this after all.  Too late came his discovery.  The fangs in his neck were proof of that.  She was terribly strong, and he wished he could warn Buffy, but knew he would not get the chance.  He heard her moaning, seemingly in a joyous frenzy over his blood as the world went black around him.

She humped against him, seeking enough friction to come.  Suddenly her prey was gone and Spike was there, her skirt lifted over his head as he sucked on her clit and shoved two fingers in her cool hole until she cried out her sire's name like a prayer, bucking violently in her orgasm.  Her legs gave out and she slumped to the floor in a puddle of Willow.

The faint, weak heartbeat got her attention quickly as she realized her meal was not dead.

"Can I have him as a pet?"  The human side of her barely knew what she was asking, but the demon knew just what to do with such a creature.

Spike looked at the male.  If he let her keep him, eventually she may want to turn him.  Nothing gave him the wiggins more than an imagined eternity with Sweetie.

"No, Red.  Kill him and be done with it.  I'll find you a nice co-ed to play with when we get to New Orleans."

She grinned and bent over her husband.  The redhead gave him one last lingering kiss and snapped his neck, the crack filling her with a glee she had not known existed.  Spike loved seeing her like this, so full of the demon, so new to the night.

"Fuck."  She stood upright and combed her hair from her face with her trembling fingers.

Taking her hand, he led them out into what was now their world.  At the bottom of the stairs Maddie took her other hand as green eyes gazed into blue.  "That was fun!"

He smiled again, amazed at how many times he had done so since she rose.

"It only gets better, luv.  It only gets better."

The End

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