Part Four
The alarm in Puppy's eyes was too funny. VampWillow giggled. She
remembered him from the last time she had visited this world. The
strong, slayer-whipped Puppy. Seeing him then and now made her regret
riding her Puppy so hard, she much preferred this one to the sniveling
pathetic wraith her world had to offer, especially since the slayer was
no where to be found. FuzzyWillow was so lucky. VampWillow flexed her
fingers, digging her nails in and out of Angel's back like a cat.
"Don't worry, Puppy, poor FuzzyWillow is still here." She put a finger
to her lips. "Shh, she's sleeping."
"Willow! Wake up!" Angel grabbed Willow's shoulders and shook her.
This was not good. He had no idea how to teach her to control the
demon while she was asleep. In a way, their situations were reversed.
The demon was more a part of his body than his soul, it was only there
because of the curse. In Willow's case, the demon was the separate
entity and it apparently could gain control of her body when her
defenses were down.
Ooo, this was fun. This Puppy was rough and strong. VampWillow licked
her lips. "That won't work. She's filled with lovely fear and she's
retreated deep into her mind. She thinks this is a part of her dream.
Don't be sad, Puppy, she'll return to you eventually." She leaned her
head down and rubbed her cheek on Angel's hand. FuzzyWillow had
surprised her with her strength. First, she had managed to trap her
within her body and then she had actually retained control over it. It
wasn't until she had been emotionally exhausted by everything and the
added burden of speaking with her friends, that FuzzyWillow had given
up control. "Meanwhile, let's have some fun."
"No." Angel let go of Willow's shoulders. "I want Willow."
"Don't pout. I know you do. This way, you can have her." VampWillow
walked her fingers up Angel's chest until she met the third button.
She flicked it open and slipped her hand inside his shirt to graze his
nipple with her fingernail. "In the morning, FuzzyWillow will just
think this dream turned into another one of the naughty ones she has
about you. Did you know that she has naughty dreams about you, Angel?"
She used his name, saying it soft and breathlessly like her alterego
would have had it been her in this situation. Of course, FuzzyWillow
wouldn't be teasing him so blatantly.
Angel didn't answer. His mouth was dry and Willow's touch burned his
skin - no, it was the demon's touch. Willow wouldn't want him like
this, she wouldn't be teasing his nipples into hard little nubs or
undoing more buttons on his shirt or caressing his thigh with her other
hand. The demon was toying with him. Willow didn't have erotic
dreams about him - she was in love with a girl for Christ's sake.
"Puppy," VampWillow sang and nipped Angel's ear. "You aren't playing.
Maybe I'm being too nice." She grabbed a handful of his hair and gave
it a sharp tug. Then, with a strength that surprised Angel, she
flipped him over onto the bed and straddled his waist. She ripped his
half open shirt from his body and threw it to the floor. "There,
that's better. Much better," she purred and licked him from his ear
down his neck to his collarbone. She lifted her head and regarded him
with her yellow-green eyes. Her tongue darted out and wet her lips
before her head descended and her fangs sank into the soft skin above
his collarbone.
The demon clamored and raged within Angel. This upstart half-vampire
was marking him! Angel could barely fight the urge to give in to its
fury. Finally, he found enough control to tear her from him and roll
them both over so he was on top. He pinned her arms over head with
one hand. "This is not a game I want to play."
All he got in return was a wicked smile and her knee pressing into his
achingly hard erection. "Parts of you beg to differ. What game did you
have in mind?"
It was his turn to attack her. Angel bent down to Willow's perfect
earlobe and nibbled. He allowed his face to change and scraped his
fang around the outer edge of the lobe. "Who sent you after Willow?"
He couldn't stop his hands from traveling down her arms to her soft
round shoulders and brushing aside the flimsy straps of her peach silk
nightie.
"Why do you want to know?" VampWillow thrust her hips in a slow rhythm,
rubbing up against Angel. "Are you going to kill this person or do
you want to say thank you? Admit it, Puppy, you like having
FuzzyWillow by your side - needing you, adoring you - and you are going
to love having me."
"Tell me who wants to hurt Willow." Angel fought desperately with the
urge to bite her, mark her as his as she had done with him. He
couldn't do that without Willow's consent and this was not Willow.
"FuzzyWillow took her love away and made her angry, so she traveled
back in time and into my dimension to find me. She's not going to like
this, you and FuzzyWillow together, but I don't mind it." VampWillow
giggled.
"Who is she?" Angel pressed Willow's body down harder into the bed. He
had a sneaking suspicion that he knew the answer to his question, but
he wanted it confirmed first.
"New game. Guess." VampWillow reached down and squeezed her favorite
toy. It was a shame, Puppy was so big and hard, but she had to go.
"Better think fast, FuzzyWillow is waking up and she's going to be
surprised to see you." The yellow left Willow's eyes and the ridges
melted from her face. Her green eyes looked up at Angel in confusion.
"Angel? Wh...what are you doing?"
"Hey, Willow." Angel let go of Willow's shoulders and removed his
weight from her body. He sat nervously on the edge of her bed and
decided to go with the truth. "When I got home I came into your room
to give you the nose and paws of the alpha Blikar demon...."
"Oh, my God, Angel, you're bleeding." Willow sat up. She gently
probed the ragged bite mark on his collarbone. "What happened? Who
did this to you?"
"You did." Angel caught Willow's hand. "When I came into your room,
the demon was in control of your body."
"Oh. I thought I was dreaming." Willow's cheeks flamed as she
remembered her 'dream.' "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, you couldn't help it. We just have to find a way for you
to control it so it doesn't happen again." Angel squeezed Willow's
hand.
"But she likes you." Willow couldn't believe she was about to suggest
this, but it was an option. "If you play her game, maybe she'll tell
us who sent her after me."
"It's too dangerous." Angel didn't specify which of them was in danger.
He didn't know if he could take another encounter with Willow's demon
and not give in to the demands of his body and demon. She was too
willing and having Willow, even if it was just her body, was too
tempting. He couldn't risk his soul. "You need rest, real rest, so
let's discuss this in the morning when everyone else is here." Angel
stood up. He really needed to take a cold shower.
"Angel, what if she takes over once I fall asleep again?" Willow
shivered and brought her knees up to chin.
"I don't think she will. It never happened when you were sleeping
before." Angel sat back down on the bed and took Willow's hand. "She
said that you were afraid and had retreated."
"I was upset after I talked to everyone in Sunnydale. I could feel
her there, Angel, taunting me in the back of my mind. I didn't know
what to do, she wouldn't shut up and I wasn't sure if I could stop her
from taking over. It was so scary and frustrating. I couldn't tell
what were my feelings and what were hers. I ran up here and tried
those meditation techniques you taught me. Eventually I fell asleep
and I thought I was dreaming when she was with you."
"Do you, uh, remember everything that happened between us?" Angel
ducked his head. He didn't want Willow to feel uncomfortable around
him.
"Just bits and pieces...I don't really remember what you were saying
to each other. I, well, I know she likes you." Could she get any
lamer? It was obvious that the demon that dwelled inside her felt more
than 'like' for Angel. She couldn't believe the things she had done
and was kind of glad that she didn't know what she had said to Angel.
He was probably mortified. She didn't blame him for wanting to leave,
but she couldn't let him. "Don't leave me alone, Angel. Please. I
can't control the demon. She's stronger now for some reason. I can
feel it."
The shine of tears in Willow's eyes and the tremble of her lips were
Angel's undoing. He couldn't leave her in this condition. "There is
something I can do to control the demon. I was going to suggest it
only as a last resort, but if she is getting stronger than we should
consider it."
"What?" Hope surged through Willow. She moved to sit beside Angel on
the edge of the bed.
"I could claim you. It's done by biting." Angel self-consciously
touched the healing bite that her demon had given him and waited for
disgust or fear to replace the hope in Willow's face. Instead she
just looked thoughtful. She chewed her lower lip as she considered
the option. "We're halfway there - you've already bitten me. Once I
bite you, it'll establish a blood bond and since my demon is older and
stronger I can exert control over your demon."
"I read about this in one of Giles' books. It's a mating ritual." A
pretty pink flush infused Willow's cheeks.
"Yes, it is. Would you be uncomfortable with that?" It was surreal.
He was actually sitting on Willow's bed calmly discussing making her
his mate. "It would be platonic - a bond of blood only - because of
the curse."
"Do we do it now?" Willow stared at her hands in her lap. She didn't
dare look at Angel. She was going to be his mate! Buffy was going to
hate her. But it was her only option. She couldn't lose control of
her demon and hurt someone.
"It would be best while my blood is still fresh inside you." Angel
turned toward Willow. He tilted her chin up to see her face. He had
to know her true reaction to what he was proposing and Willow's eyes
didn't lie. "Do I have your permission?"
Willow didn't trust herself to speak. It would only degenerate into an
embarrassing babble. She nodded. Angel's fingers stroked the soft
skin under her chin. He leaned closer to her and pressed a simple,
gentle kiss to her lips. Willow let her eyes drift close and
unconsciously tipped her head, revealing her neck in invitation.
Angel's lips strayed downward, stopping at her jugular. It tickled and
she tingled all over. Her heart rate and breathing picked up in
anticipation as he suckled a piece of her flesh. Her breath caught
when his fangs pierced her skin and she reached out and clutched his
thigh.
Sweet, warm blood flowed over Angel's tongue and down his throat. He
felt Willow's hand squeeze his thigh. The scent of her arousal
perfumed the air prompting a rumbling growl deep in Angel's throat.
Willow whimpered and leaned into him, her other hand embedding itself
in his hair to press him closer. He had to stop, he had taken enough
to establish the blood bond and if he continued then the increasingly
painful needs of his body would make him complete the entire mating
ritual. If that happened, his soul would be history. Reluctantly,
Angel withdrew his fangs. He licked at the wound until the blood
clotted and stopped.
For a minute, everything was still. Neither of them moved or spoke.
Willow even held her breath. The only sound heard was the soft thump
of her heart. Finally, Angel lifted his head to gauge Willow's
feelings about what had just happened. Her eyes were still closed and
she was smiling slightly.
"You're wiped out. You still need sleep." Angel brushed a kiss to
Willow's forehead and laid her back into the bed. Before she could
protest, he added, "I"ll stay." He tucked the covers around her and
laid down on top of them. Willow snuggled into his embrace.
"Night, Angel. Thank you." Willow smiled into his chest. This was
right. The only wrong thing about it was that it felt unfinished.
*****
The Hyperion was quiet when Cordelia unlocked the front door and walked
in. She was used to it since she was usually the first one here in
the morning and Angel was always still sleeping before noon. She
locked the door again, not wanting her quiet time interrupted before
it was time to open for business. Cordelia moved around the office,
making sure that things were set up - the business cards out, the
coffee made, fresh doughnuts - before she ventured upstairs. She
wanted to check on Willow, find out how her conversation with the
Sunnydale crew had went and offer her support if it was needed.
"Morning, Will...." Cordelia lost her voice at the sight of two of her
best friends wrapped up in each others arms in bed. They both looked
so at peace and Angel still had his pants on and was on top of the
covers, so Cordelia just smiled and backed out of the room. They could
probably use the sleep.
As Cordelia softly shut the door and turned to tiptoe back down the
hallway, a blinding pain made her stumble into the wall. She clutched
her head as disjointed images joined the agony. People in a club
dancing. An amorous couple making their way out into a darkened alley.
Two women approaching and attacking them. Willow in demon face, blood
staining her lips.
"No!" Cordelia screamed as she sank to the floor.
"Cordelia?" She heard Willow's worried voice. "Angel, what's wrong?"
"She had a vision." Strong arms picked her up and carried her
downstairs and set her on the couch. "Cordelia, what did you see?"
"Darla...Drusilla...outside in an alley behind some club. They're
attacking a couple." Cordelia opened her eyes. Willow and Angel
hovered over her. "I also saw Willow in vamp mode with blood on her
face."
"Was I in the alley too?" Willow asked with an academic detachment.
She wasn't too scared about the contents of Cordelia's vision. There
could be lots of reasons why she would be in bloody vamp-face.
Besides, Cordelia was given these visions so that Angel could prevent
what she saw. "Was I with Darla and Drusilla? And by the way, didn't
you dust Darla years ago?"
"Wolfram and Hart brought her back human, Drusilla re-vamped her, Angel
had some issues with it, but he's okay now," Cordelia brought Willow
up to speed and she sat up on the couch. "I don't know where you were,
I just saw your face. Wesley and Gunn should be in soon. We need to
find this club. It was dark and gothic, everyone was dressed in
leather. There was this weird black light glass chandelier that spread
out over most of the ceiling. It had those fibre optic needles."
"The Spider Web." Willow smiled at Angel and Cordelia's stunned looks.
"Buffy and I checked it out one weekend when she and Dawn came to visit
their father. It's cool, but there was a lot of vampires."
"Wonderful. Willow Rosenberg has more of a nightlife than I do."
Cordelia shook her head as much as she could without inducing more
skull-cracking pain. "I'm officially pathetic."
Willow saw Cordelia wince as she tried to laugh instead of hurt. On
impulse she reached out and touched her friend's forehead. "Laxo
doleo. Animadverto piaculum absque iniuria." An orange glow flared
briefly and died away.
"The pain is gone." Cordelia touched her head. She could think
clearly. Could see the details of the vision without the hazy fog of
a thudding headache. "Willow, what did you do?"
"I released you from your currant pain and then I bound the pain from
your visions. You shouldn't suffer any more when you have them."
Willow sat down wearily beside Cordelia. The spell had taken more out
of her than they usually did, probably because she hadn't cast in a
while. "I didn't know if I could do it. I didn't know if my magic
would still work, I haven't done anything since the teleportation spell
I can't remember using to get here."
"Well, it works great." Cordelia hugged Willow. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Willow returned the hug and then realized that she
was still in her nightie. She didn't want Gunn and Wesley to see her
in this state and if Angel's soft snarl was his reaction to her hugging
Cordelia, he wouldn't want them to see her half dressed either. They
also had company coming that Angel didn't know about. Willow stood up.
"I better get dressed, my contact in the Kalderash clan is supposed
to meet me this afternoon."
"A Kalderash is coming here?" Angel felt the familiar guilt well
inside of him, but he also felt anger and fear. He wasn't sure of what
the gypsies would do to Willow once they found out that she was his
mate. He wasn't sure of what he would do if they hurt her. Already,
he was incredibly possessive of Willow. He hadn't even liked the hug
she had shared with Cordelia.
"Yes. I didn't think you would let me meet her alone. She's bringing
everything she knows about the soul restoration ritual and Xander's
emailing me everything I have about it on my laptop to your business
email." Willow gave Angel a bright smile. "Hey, maybe, we'll even
find something to make that soul of yours a permanent fixture."
Cordelia waited until Willow went back upstairs before saying anything.
"That would be a good thing, especially if you plan on spending any
more nights in the same bed. So, what's with the mutual bloody
hickeys?" She pointed at Angel's collarbone.
"The demon took control when Willow fell asleep last night. We had
kind of a...confrontation... and she bit me." Angel sat down beside
Cordelia. Confiding in her had become a natural habit for him lately.
He knew that she would set him straight without hesitation if she
needed to. "After Willow woke up and regained control, she was afraid
it would happen again. I suggested that I claim her as my mate
because it would give me some control over her demon. It was just
consummated in blood by biting, not sexually."
"Obviously, because you're not evil. But you wanted to, didn't you?"
"Yeah. I still do." Angel was relieved by his confession and
Cordelia's acceptance of it, at least he thought she accepted it, she
hadn't slapped him upside the head and called him a dumb ass. "Her
demon gave me some clues to the identity of the person who sent her
after Willow. The demon said that Willow had taken her love away, so
the girl traveled back in time and to the demon's dimension to find
her. The demon said she wouldn't like Willow and I being together."
"Did Willow have any ideas on who this time traveling revenge freak
is?"
"I didn't tell her and she doesn't remember anything the demon said to
me." Angel paused. He had been mulling it over in the back of his
mind ever since the demon had told him to guess. It made sense. Who
else wouldn't want to see him with Willow? Who else knew about
Vampire Willow and her dimension? "I think it's Buffy."
A knock at the door interrupted any verbal response Cordelia could
give so she raised a shocked eyebrow instead. She put a hand on
Angel's arm as he started to stand. "Let me get it. It's probably
Willow's gypsy friend and I hardly doubt a flaming vampire will inspire
her to help us out." Cordelia walked over to the door and unlocked it.
She was so busy processing her shock over Angel's suggestion that it
took her a moment to really see who was standing in front of her once
she opened the door. "Speak of the devil. Buffy, imagine you
knocking."
"It was locked." Buffy walked past Cordelia into the hotel. She
looked around curiously before settling her gaze on a shirtless Angel.
A quick, suspicious glare flickered in Cordelia's direction before she
smiled at Angel. "Hello, Angel. Where's Willow?"
For his part, Angel was more interested in the girl who followed Buffy
into his home. He didn't like her and from the cold look she gave
him, she returned the feeling. "She's upstairs. I'm Angel," he
introduced himself to the newcomer, but didn't offer his hand or
stand up. "And this is Cordelia."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Willow's girlfriend, Tara."
To be continued....
The alarm in Puppy's eyes was too funny. VampWillow giggled. She
remembered him from the last time she had visited this world. The
strong, slayer-whipped Puppy. Seeing him then and now made her regret
riding her Puppy so hard, she much preferred this one to the sniveling
pathetic wraith her world had to offer, especially since the slayer was
no where to be found. FuzzyWillow was so lucky. VampWillow flexed her
fingers, digging her nails in and out of Angel's back like a cat.
"Don't worry, Puppy, poor FuzzyWillow is still here." She put a finger
to her lips. "Shh, she's sleeping."
"Willow! Wake up!" Angel grabbed Willow's shoulders and shook her.
This was not good. He had no idea how to teach her to control the
demon while she was asleep. In a way, their situations were reversed.
The demon was more a part of his body than his soul, it was only there
because of the curse. In Willow's case, the demon was the separate
entity and it apparently could gain control of her body when her
defenses were down.
Ooo, this was fun. This Puppy was rough and strong. VampWillow licked
her lips. "That won't work. She's filled with lovely fear and she's
retreated deep into her mind. She thinks this is a part of her dream.
Don't be sad, Puppy, she'll return to you eventually." She leaned her
head down and rubbed her cheek on Angel's hand. FuzzyWillow had
surprised her with her strength. First, she had managed to trap her
within her body and then she had actually retained control over it. It
wasn't until she had been emotionally exhausted by everything and the
added burden of speaking with her friends, that FuzzyWillow had given
up control. "Meanwhile, let's have some fun."
"No." Angel let go of Willow's shoulders. "I want Willow."
"Don't pout. I know you do. This way, you can have her." VampWillow
walked her fingers up Angel's chest until she met the third button.
She flicked it open and slipped her hand inside his shirt to graze his
nipple with her fingernail. "In the morning, FuzzyWillow will just
think this dream turned into another one of the naughty ones she has
about you. Did you know that she has naughty dreams about you, Angel?"
She used his name, saying it soft and breathlessly like her alterego
would have had it been her in this situation. Of course, FuzzyWillow
wouldn't be teasing him so blatantly.
Angel didn't answer. His mouth was dry and Willow's touch burned his
skin - no, it was the demon's touch. Willow wouldn't want him like
this, she wouldn't be teasing his nipples into hard little nubs or
undoing more buttons on his shirt or caressing his thigh with her other
hand. The demon was toying with him. Willow didn't have erotic
dreams about him - she was in love with a girl for Christ's sake.
"Puppy," VampWillow sang and nipped Angel's ear. "You aren't playing.
Maybe I'm being too nice." She grabbed a handful of his hair and gave
it a sharp tug. Then, with a strength that surprised Angel, she
flipped him over onto the bed and straddled his waist. She ripped his
half open shirt from his body and threw it to the floor. "There,
that's better. Much better," she purred and licked him from his ear
down his neck to his collarbone. She lifted her head and regarded him
with her yellow-green eyes. Her tongue darted out and wet her lips
before her head descended and her fangs sank into the soft skin above
his collarbone.
The demon clamored and raged within Angel. This upstart half-vampire
was marking him! Angel could barely fight the urge to give in to its
fury. Finally, he found enough control to tear her from him and roll
them both over so he was on top. He pinned her arms over head with
one hand. "This is not a game I want to play."
All he got in return was a wicked smile and her knee pressing into his
achingly hard erection. "Parts of you beg to differ. What game did you
have in mind?"
It was his turn to attack her. Angel bent down to Willow's perfect
earlobe and nibbled. He allowed his face to change and scraped his
fang around the outer edge of the lobe. "Who sent you after Willow?"
He couldn't stop his hands from traveling down her arms to her soft
round shoulders and brushing aside the flimsy straps of her peach silk
nightie.
"Why do you want to know?" VampWillow thrust her hips in a slow rhythm,
rubbing up against Angel. "Are you going to kill this person or do
you want to say thank you? Admit it, Puppy, you like having
FuzzyWillow by your side - needing you, adoring you - and you are going
to love having me."
"Tell me who wants to hurt Willow." Angel fought desperately with the
urge to bite her, mark her as his as she had done with him. He
couldn't do that without Willow's consent and this was not Willow.
"FuzzyWillow took her love away and made her angry, so she traveled
back in time and into my dimension to find me. She's not going to like
this, you and FuzzyWillow together, but I don't mind it." VampWillow
giggled.
"Who is she?" Angel pressed Willow's body down harder into the bed. He
had a sneaking suspicion that he knew the answer to his question, but
he wanted it confirmed first.
"New game. Guess." VampWillow reached down and squeezed her favorite
toy. It was a shame, Puppy was so big and hard, but she had to go.
"Better think fast, FuzzyWillow is waking up and she's going to be
surprised to see you." The yellow left Willow's eyes and the ridges
melted from her face. Her green eyes looked up at Angel in confusion.
"Angel? Wh...what are you doing?"
"Hey, Willow." Angel let go of Willow's shoulders and removed his
weight from her body. He sat nervously on the edge of her bed and
decided to go with the truth. "When I got home I came into your room
to give you the nose and paws of the alpha Blikar demon...."
"Oh, my God, Angel, you're bleeding." Willow sat up. She gently
probed the ragged bite mark on his collarbone. "What happened? Who
did this to you?"
"You did." Angel caught Willow's hand. "When I came into your room,
the demon was in control of your body."
"Oh. I thought I was dreaming." Willow's cheeks flamed as she
remembered her 'dream.' "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, you couldn't help it. We just have to find a way for you
to control it so it doesn't happen again." Angel squeezed Willow's
hand.
"But she likes you." Willow couldn't believe she was about to suggest
this, but it was an option. "If you play her game, maybe she'll tell
us who sent her after me."
"It's too dangerous." Angel didn't specify which of them was in danger.
He didn't know if he could take another encounter with Willow's demon
and not give in to the demands of his body and demon. She was too
willing and having Willow, even if it was just her body, was too
tempting. He couldn't risk his soul. "You need rest, real rest, so
let's discuss this in the morning when everyone else is here." Angel
stood up. He really needed to take a cold shower.
"Angel, what if she takes over once I fall asleep again?" Willow
shivered and brought her knees up to chin.
"I don't think she will. It never happened when you were sleeping
before." Angel sat back down on the bed and took Willow's hand. "She
said that you were afraid and had retreated."
"I was upset after I talked to everyone in Sunnydale. I could feel
her there, Angel, taunting me in the back of my mind. I didn't know
what to do, she wouldn't shut up and I wasn't sure if I could stop her
from taking over. It was so scary and frustrating. I couldn't tell
what were my feelings and what were hers. I ran up here and tried
those meditation techniques you taught me. Eventually I fell asleep
and I thought I was dreaming when she was with you."
"Do you, uh, remember everything that happened between us?" Angel
ducked his head. He didn't want Willow to feel uncomfortable around
him.
"Just bits and pieces...I don't really remember what you were saying
to each other. I, well, I know she likes you." Could she get any
lamer? It was obvious that the demon that dwelled inside her felt more
than 'like' for Angel. She couldn't believe the things she had done
and was kind of glad that she didn't know what she had said to Angel.
He was probably mortified. She didn't blame him for wanting to leave,
but she couldn't let him. "Don't leave me alone, Angel. Please. I
can't control the demon. She's stronger now for some reason. I can
feel it."
The shine of tears in Willow's eyes and the tremble of her lips were
Angel's undoing. He couldn't leave her in this condition. "There is
something I can do to control the demon. I was going to suggest it
only as a last resort, but if she is getting stronger than we should
consider it."
"What?" Hope surged through Willow. She moved to sit beside Angel on
the edge of the bed.
"I could claim you. It's done by biting." Angel self-consciously
touched the healing bite that her demon had given him and waited for
disgust or fear to replace the hope in Willow's face. Instead she
just looked thoughtful. She chewed her lower lip as she considered
the option. "We're halfway there - you've already bitten me. Once I
bite you, it'll establish a blood bond and since my demon is older and
stronger I can exert control over your demon."
"I read about this in one of Giles' books. It's a mating ritual." A
pretty pink flush infused Willow's cheeks.
"Yes, it is. Would you be uncomfortable with that?" It was surreal.
He was actually sitting on Willow's bed calmly discussing making her
his mate. "It would be platonic - a bond of blood only - because of
the curse."
"Do we do it now?" Willow stared at her hands in her lap. She didn't
dare look at Angel. She was going to be his mate! Buffy was going to
hate her. But it was her only option. She couldn't lose control of
her demon and hurt someone.
"It would be best while my blood is still fresh inside you." Angel
turned toward Willow. He tilted her chin up to see her face. He had
to know her true reaction to what he was proposing and Willow's eyes
didn't lie. "Do I have your permission?"
Willow didn't trust herself to speak. It would only degenerate into an
embarrassing babble. She nodded. Angel's fingers stroked the soft
skin under her chin. He leaned closer to her and pressed a simple,
gentle kiss to her lips. Willow let her eyes drift close and
unconsciously tipped her head, revealing her neck in invitation.
Angel's lips strayed downward, stopping at her jugular. It tickled and
she tingled all over. Her heart rate and breathing picked up in
anticipation as he suckled a piece of her flesh. Her breath caught
when his fangs pierced her skin and she reached out and clutched his
thigh.
Sweet, warm blood flowed over Angel's tongue and down his throat. He
felt Willow's hand squeeze his thigh. The scent of her arousal
perfumed the air prompting a rumbling growl deep in Angel's throat.
Willow whimpered and leaned into him, her other hand embedding itself
in his hair to press him closer. He had to stop, he had taken enough
to establish the blood bond and if he continued then the increasingly
painful needs of his body would make him complete the entire mating
ritual. If that happened, his soul would be history. Reluctantly,
Angel withdrew his fangs. He licked at the wound until the blood
clotted and stopped.
For a minute, everything was still. Neither of them moved or spoke.
Willow even held her breath. The only sound heard was the soft thump
of her heart. Finally, Angel lifted his head to gauge Willow's
feelings about what had just happened. Her eyes were still closed and
she was smiling slightly.
"You're wiped out. You still need sleep." Angel brushed a kiss to
Willow's forehead and laid her back into the bed. Before she could
protest, he added, "I"ll stay." He tucked the covers around her and
laid down on top of them. Willow snuggled into his embrace.
"Night, Angel. Thank you." Willow smiled into his chest. This was
right. The only wrong thing about it was that it felt unfinished.
*****
The Hyperion was quiet when Cordelia unlocked the front door and walked
in. She was used to it since she was usually the first one here in
the morning and Angel was always still sleeping before noon. She
locked the door again, not wanting her quiet time interrupted before
it was time to open for business. Cordelia moved around the office,
making sure that things were set up - the business cards out, the
coffee made, fresh doughnuts - before she ventured upstairs. She
wanted to check on Willow, find out how her conversation with the
Sunnydale crew had went and offer her support if it was needed.
"Morning, Will...." Cordelia lost her voice at the sight of two of her
best friends wrapped up in each others arms in bed. They both looked
so at peace and Angel still had his pants on and was on top of the
covers, so Cordelia just smiled and backed out of the room. They could
probably use the sleep.
As Cordelia softly shut the door and turned to tiptoe back down the
hallway, a blinding pain made her stumble into the wall. She clutched
her head as disjointed images joined the agony. People in a club
dancing. An amorous couple making their way out into a darkened alley.
Two women approaching and attacking them. Willow in demon face, blood
staining her lips.
"No!" Cordelia screamed as she sank to the floor.
"Cordelia?" She heard Willow's worried voice. "Angel, what's wrong?"
"She had a vision." Strong arms picked her up and carried her
downstairs and set her on the couch. "Cordelia, what did you see?"
"Darla...Drusilla...outside in an alley behind some club. They're
attacking a couple." Cordelia opened her eyes. Willow and Angel
hovered over her. "I also saw Willow in vamp mode with blood on her
face."
"Was I in the alley too?" Willow asked with an academic detachment.
She wasn't too scared about the contents of Cordelia's vision. There
could be lots of reasons why she would be in bloody vamp-face.
Besides, Cordelia was given these visions so that Angel could prevent
what she saw. "Was I with Darla and Drusilla? And by the way, didn't
you dust Darla years ago?"
"Wolfram and Hart brought her back human, Drusilla re-vamped her, Angel
had some issues with it, but he's okay now," Cordelia brought Willow
up to speed and she sat up on the couch. "I don't know where you were,
I just saw your face. Wesley and Gunn should be in soon. We need to
find this club. It was dark and gothic, everyone was dressed in
leather. There was this weird black light glass chandelier that spread
out over most of the ceiling. It had those fibre optic needles."
"The Spider Web." Willow smiled at Angel and Cordelia's stunned looks.
"Buffy and I checked it out one weekend when she and Dawn came to visit
their father. It's cool, but there was a lot of vampires."
"Wonderful. Willow Rosenberg has more of a nightlife than I do."
Cordelia shook her head as much as she could without inducing more
skull-cracking pain. "I'm officially pathetic."
Willow saw Cordelia wince as she tried to laugh instead of hurt. On
impulse she reached out and touched her friend's forehead. "Laxo
doleo. Animadverto piaculum absque iniuria." An orange glow flared
briefly and died away.
"The pain is gone." Cordelia touched her head. She could think
clearly. Could see the details of the vision without the hazy fog of
a thudding headache. "Willow, what did you do?"
"I released you from your currant pain and then I bound the pain from
your visions. You shouldn't suffer any more when you have them."
Willow sat down wearily beside Cordelia. The spell had taken more out
of her than they usually did, probably because she hadn't cast in a
while. "I didn't know if I could do it. I didn't know if my magic
would still work, I haven't done anything since the teleportation spell
I can't remember using to get here."
"Well, it works great." Cordelia hugged Willow. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Willow returned the hug and then realized that she
was still in her nightie. She didn't want Gunn and Wesley to see her
in this state and if Angel's soft snarl was his reaction to her hugging
Cordelia, he wouldn't want them to see her half dressed either. They
also had company coming that Angel didn't know about. Willow stood up.
"I better get dressed, my contact in the Kalderash clan is supposed
to meet me this afternoon."
"A Kalderash is coming here?" Angel felt the familiar guilt well
inside of him, but he also felt anger and fear. He wasn't sure of what
the gypsies would do to Willow once they found out that she was his
mate. He wasn't sure of what he would do if they hurt her. Already,
he was incredibly possessive of Willow. He hadn't even liked the hug
she had shared with Cordelia.
"Yes. I didn't think you would let me meet her alone. She's bringing
everything she knows about the soul restoration ritual and Xander's
emailing me everything I have about it on my laptop to your business
email." Willow gave Angel a bright smile. "Hey, maybe, we'll even
find something to make that soul of yours a permanent fixture."
Cordelia waited until Willow went back upstairs before saying anything.
"That would be a good thing, especially if you plan on spending any
more nights in the same bed. So, what's with the mutual bloody
hickeys?" She pointed at Angel's collarbone.
"The demon took control when Willow fell asleep last night. We had
kind of a...confrontation... and she bit me." Angel sat down beside
Cordelia. Confiding in her had become a natural habit for him lately.
He knew that she would set him straight without hesitation if she
needed to. "After Willow woke up and regained control, she was afraid
it would happen again. I suggested that I claim her as my mate
because it would give me some control over her demon. It was just
consummated in blood by biting, not sexually."
"Obviously, because you're not evil. But you wanted to, didn't you?"
"Yeah. I still do." Angel was relieved by his confession and
Cordelia's acceptance of it, at least he thought she accepted it, she
hadn't slapped him upside the head and called him a dumb ass. "Her
demon gave me some clues to the identity of the person who sent her
after Willow. The demon said that Willow had taken her love away, so
the girl traveled back in time and to the demon's dimension to find
her. The demon said she wouldn't like Willow and I being together."
"Did Willow have any ideas on who this time traveling revenge freak
is?"
"I didn't tell her and she doesn't remember anything the demon said to
me." Angel paused. He had been mulling it over in the back of his
mind ever since the demon had told him to guess. It made sense. Who
else wouldn't want to see him with Willow? Who else knew about
Vampire Willow and her dimension? "I think it's Buffy."
A knock at the door interrupted any verbal response Cordelia could
give so she raised a shocked eyebrow instead. She put a hand on
Angel's arm as he started to stand. "Let me get it. It's probably
Willow's gypsy friend and I hardly doubt a flaming vampire will inspire
her to help us out." Cordelia walked over to the door and unlocked it.
She was so busy processing her shock over Angel's suggestion that it
took her a moment to really see who was standing in front of her once
she opened the door. "Speak of the devil. Buffy, imagine you
knocking."
"It was locked." Buffy walked past Cordelia into the hotel. She
looked around curiously before settling her gaze on a shirtless Angel.
A quick, suspicious glare flickered in Cordelia's direction before she
smiled at Angel. "Hello, Angel. Where's Willow?"
For his part, Angel was more interested in the girl who followed Buffy
into his home. He didn't like her and from the cold look she gave
him, she returned the feeling. "She's upstairs. I'm Angel," he
introduced himself to the newcomer, but didn't offer his hand or
stand up. "And this is Cordelia."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Willow's girlfriend, Tara."
To be continued....