Chapter 8

Angelus sat in the dimly lit office that had once belonged to Angel. It was littered with case files and pictures of demons that the AI gang had defeated. He hated it. A look of utter disgust marred Angelus' expression as he thought upon Angel's self-neglect. He ignored his demon, Angelus, by keeping him in the small dank corner of his mind. It had been too long since he had been in control. Now was the time.

Angelus was going to take all that Angel was afraid of indulging in. For once, this was not about pain. No. It was about retribution. Too many years had passed, leaving Angelus to passively watch Angel meander through his unlife resisting all that it could offer.

"Sire, the shaman you called for has arrived." a minion interrupted.

"Send him in." Angelus commanded with a slight tremor of anxiousness creeping within his skin.

In walked the shaman, dressed in a hooded cloak but not concealing the blood red eyes that held all of his power. Calmly eyeing Angelus, he spoke,"Everything is ready. We must simply prepare the girl and wait until the moon has fully set.".

Angelus merely smirked as he saw the items needed to prepare Willow. It was going to be quite an evening.

Meanwhile, in Willow's Suite

"Goddess of all that is true - show me the path to which leads to the open. Unveil the journey to freedom and...and...darn it!", Willow humphed as she flopped back on her bed. It is always the spell you need the most that you never seem to remember.

It had been hours since Willow had seen anybody and it was definitely making her antsy. Also, the rumbling of her stomach was not helping her in anyway. There was no telling what was going to happen to her and Willow was beginning to think that she was going to simply die of starvation. Forget about losing blood or going stir crazy in the confines of the suite she'd been pacing around in all day.

She had spent her time missing Tara and scolding herself for being so naïve. Tara was truly gone. Willow had to keep reminding herself because her heart kept refusing to believe it. She felt so confused. Angelus was dangerous and evil. Willow already knew all of this but it was her damn body that rejected any claims her brain made. Every time she yearned to close her eyes, she saw Angelus hovering over her and doing unimaginable things to her body. Things she'd never felt before...especially with a man...vampire...perhaps man-pire was a better word.

Self-loathing seemed to be on the agenda for all Willow could do was dwell on the fact that she had put her trust in people who had only used it against her. She was a fool and now she was going to die because of it.

Death was all around her and followed her through out her life. Willow knew that fighting evil and demons was a dangerous job but she was never truly prepared for any death let alone her own. But now, she knew it was inevitable and a sense of calmness filled her. There was an inner peace that felt comforting. It was a feeling that she had never felt before. She was ready.

"You look beautiful." a deep voice brushed along her ear causing her to jump up from the lying position on the bed. It was Angelus.

"I didn't hear you come in." she stated.

"I'm stealthy remember." he replied as he sat next to her on the mattress and gently began stroking her cheek, "You're so beautiful. Creamy skin, innocent doe eyes, crimson lips, all things that will last forever."

Willow searched his eyes, "Nothing lasts forever."

"It can." Angelus replied and gently leaned forward until his cool breath touched her lips. He was trying to hypnotize her, she was sure of it.

Willow closed her heavy laden eyes and concentrated on the feel of his mouth just seconds away from hers. Suddenly, the sensation of having his tongue trace her bottom lip rendered her breathless. Tenderly, his lips brushed her own and toyed with the quirks of her mouth. There was something utterly intimate in the way he explored the curves of her delicate mouth and the way his tongue masterfully gained access between her lips. Its cool length swept along the ridges of Willow's tongue and it dipped and swirled causing sensations that were beginning to spark the fire within her womb. Angelus triumphed when he heard the sweet whimpers of her unfulfilled ardour.

Though, as unexpectedly as the kiss began, it just as soon disappeared leaving Willow suddenly remembering the issue of oxygen. Again, she was rebuking her inhibition but deeper inside she was trembling with currents of excitement.

Angelus watched her come out of the dream-like state she had been in. It pleased him that she had been able to give into him so completely with little protest. He could picture it all; him standing in front of his kingdom of minions, having his impassioned consort staring up at him while all others looking at him in envy.

Snapping out of his own reverie, Angelus looked to Willow, who looked at him expectantly. "Put this on. We have a very special evening planned for tonight." he stated as he moved the package which contained a long flowing white gown and a diamond encrusted cuff for around her neck.

Willow opened the box and saw the dress, "What's going on?".

"Put the dress on and I'll explain later." Angelus answered.

"Can't I wear what I'm already wearing?" Willow questioned with suspicious tone.

And Angelus answered with all the bluntness he was known for, "I don't want the stench of Spike on your body to ruin the night.".

LATER

Willow smoothed the lines of her gown along the sides. It was elegant and yet made her feel like a child. The effect of 'virginal white' was not lost on her and it made the pit in her stomach grow. Dread now filled her yearning for hunger. Willow knew it was a sign foreshadowing what was to come.

Suddenly, she felt a coolness lingering on the slope of neck and she whirled around to see Angelus eyeing her with the passion of a fervent lover. Willow knew how wrong this all was and yet it seemed to excite her. She felt as if all the nerves in her body were sparking with fire when Angelus was around. It was so horribly wrong to feel this way. She knew it. Her common sense told her it was and yet her body and her self-control were rebelling against all of the internal signals pointing to the wrongness of the entire situation.

Angelus stepped closer to Willow, slowly closing their distance and embarking on an exploration of all the delicate features of her face. "Willow...can you feel me? Can you feel me touching you?" he asked.

Confusion developed on her face and she held a hand to his and nodded.

"Now...can you feel me and you, together, bonded? Can you feel the connection?" Angelus asked more specifically.

Willow moistened her lips and felt her breath become shallow. She did feel him. There was a pull towards Angelus. As if two oppositely charged ions colliding into one another and refusing to separate. It felt good. It felt natural. "I...I feel it." Willow answered timidly. She was afraid of what all this meant.

"That connection, my sweet Willow, is what you created. You put that in place." Angelus murmured as he continued caressing her face.

Abruptly, Willow pulled away, "I didn't mean to. I didn't know that...this would happen. I swear!".

Angelus gripped her chin, "What has been done is in the past. We must live with whatever the consequences may be."

Defiantly, Willow looked him in the eyes, "There are no consequences. Sure, I get a little squeamish around you but that could be from you being an evil psycho vamp. If we went our separate ways today, I would feel nothing.".

Angelus looked upon her resolved expression and laughed, "There will be no 'separate ways' Willow. We're bonded. That makes you mine. I don't intend on letting anything I own escape my presence, including you.".

Willow pushed her hands on his chest in an effort to flee from his grasp but he held strong. "I am NOT cattle and I don't need a parent. Don't think you can control me because it's not going to happen." Willow stated in chopped speech. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and frustration at his obvious power trip.

Gripping her face with both hands, he countered with, "It already has. There are other more effective ways of controlling you, Willow. I don't need to parent you.".

She did not like the gleam in his eyes. Was it passion? Or anger? Perhaps it was both but Willow had no intention of continuing this entire situation. The foreshadowing was beginning to take its toll on her already overstressed mind.

Gripping his hands, she wrenched them away from her, "I've had enough of all of this. Just tell me what you want from me...and stop touching me! If you want something, ask. Don't play these to stupid games.".

"I agree no more games." Angelus surprisingly stated as he took hold of Willow's upper arm and dragged her out of the room. Willow was just barely able to keep up the hasty pace he was walking. She desperately tried to halt his movements by grabbing onto anything that was available but it only seemed to make him move faster. Her breathing became frantic and her arm ached from being held so tightly. They made their way down the long staircase that led to the lobby of the hotel where Angelus then flung her into the centre of the room.

Willow panted ungraciously as tears began to well up in her eyes. She looked around to see that she was standing in the middle of a medium sized pentagram. Suddenly she heard a raspy voice coming from behind her chanting in Latin. As she twisted around, Willow saw a male form cloaked in a robe holding a glowing orb. She had no idea what was happening and moved to run from the scene. However, when she reached the edge of the pentagram she felt herself being pulled back into its centre. Again she tried to break free from the pull but it seemed impossible.

"Angelus! What's going on? Let. Me. Out. Of. Here!" she cried out as she smacked her hands along the barrier entrapping her.

Angelus stood with his arms crossed but his eyes watched in excitement as Willow pounded on the invisible blockade. She was crying out hysterically and was clearly confused.

"Relax, Willow. It'll all be over soon." Angelus agitatedly explained. He walked closer to the barrier and pressed his hands up against where her hands were placed. He marvelled at the sight of Willow caged. Like a butterfly trapped in a jar. She was nothing but a colourful beauty with no place to go.

Suddenly a burst of light flashed within the pentagrams' circle and Willow was hushed. The shaman halted his chanting and now stood with his arms open wide with the orb floating before him.

A white light emanated from the orb and shone directly upon Willow's crouched figure. She was huddled on the floor, lying in a fetal position. Her eyes were open and her breathing was steady but she made no motion. Her tears ran freely as a sudden sensation of bliss came upon her. She felt weightless as she began to rise from her position. Her limbs spread in grace as her entire being radiated. Willow felt her heart beat slow down and take a pace of steadiness and all the pain ceased. The ecstasy she was feeling overrode any other sensation she once felt.

Angelus watched in anticipation. He felt all that Willow was feeling. There was a glorious warmth that entered his cold body. The bond that they shared grew tighter as Willow's body gracefully rose and began to levitate with the brilliant beam radiating from the sphere that hummed against the dead silence of the atmosphere.

Suddenly, Angelus felt his undead heart beat. He heard the distant thumping within his chest and it made him growl. Angelus clutched his chest and could feel the dead lump hammer a frantic rhythm. It was then that he too, was drawn towards and into the pentagram that was once impenetrable. Angelus rose from the ground and joined Willow. The two bodies hovered in a moment of gracious existence where their lives joined as one and their entire beings were synchronized.