Chapter 11

For once I'm the early riser and it feels bizarre. Eerie even. I pad along down the hall with Denna at my side. I can't say that I love her. Not the way that I feel for Faith. But she's mine and that means something. She's special to me and I'd be upset if she weren't with me any longer and with all the hooey with the wolves I just want to make sure she's safe. I promised no one would hurt her again. Outside of Faith and I. Though technically I don't think Denna considers what we do to her as "hurting" per se. She's too pale this evening and there are dark circles under her eyes. If I watch closely I can see her steps are slower and more deliberate than usual. "You're staring at me…don't tell me you're hungry already."

She's only teasing me but her step falters and I reach out to catch her arm to keep her upright. "You're weak." Denna smiles slightly and nods once. I can't just carry her around all night because I feel needy and clingy. But the urge is there. The parlor is only a few steps down the hall so I lift her easily and ignore her protests. "Shhh."

"I'm just a little tired." I know she is. And really I should know better, Denna never complains even when her body wants to. Her skin is a little cool when I lay her down on the chaise lounge and sit on the edge to fluff the accent pillows and fuss over stupid shit because I don't know what else to do with my hands. Denna takes my hands in hers and frowns at me. "What's wrong?"

I wish I knew. I wish I understood why I…feel…like this. This…worry. Oh gross. My lip curls slightly and I shake my head as I realize what's happening. My tone is a little grumpy and the fact that she seems amused by my admission only makes me even more grumpy pants. "I'm worried you let us hurt you too much this time." I pull my hands back and almost snarl when she reaches out to take them again. Denna's anxiety spikes but ebbs quickly even if her heartbeat doesn't slow any.

"You didn't. Promise." I give her a disbelieving look and she shrugs but winces and nods. "A little." My hands come out to tug the shoulder of her top aside and I frown deeply. Faith and I never share a bite, it's too savage and too painful and the risk of killing is way too high. And yet I can clearly see my bite and Faith's in the same spot on her shoulder. Denna notices what I'm looking at brings my hand up to touch the marks lightly. It must sting when I touch it because she winces again but the shiver she gives when I lightly brush my lips over the raised and ripped skin lets me know more than words that she enjoyed it.

"This could have killed you." She chuckles at that and pulls me in for a playful kiss. I'm confused and it must show because Denna runs a hand through my hair soothingly.

"I know what you are and everything you're capable of. I've been yours for long enough to know that means you'll always take care of me. Even when you're the reason I need care." I just blink at her and she smiles again. "You think like a demon, Buffy. I was born in a house just like this, among demons. I was bred to serve vampires specifically so I know what a demon thinks, and desires, and wants." Both my brows come up at that. I mean. I knew. But I never realized she was born specifically to be who she is. "You think like a demon but you love like a human."

She had me until the last part. I give her a sardonic look and pull back but the proof is in the pudding. Well. It would be if I had any pudding.

"I'm sorry are you calling me predictable?" She can tell I'm not really mad and pulls me closer to drape over her body for a deep kiss. Well. I might be predictable but she's not. I pull back and smirk. "Well now you're just trying to distract me. It's working. Continue." I chuckle when she pulls me back down for another kiss but it's still in the back of my mind that she let us get too close to killing her. When I pull back she frowns in puzzlement. "You can say stop, Denna. You're not a slave."

Anymore. My demon likes a lot of dark, violent, and sinful things but there are some things that aren't a turn on. I love it when she and Faith fight back and struggle with me but that's all part of the game. The truth is rape just doesn't excite me. I have a billion other ways to exert my control over people. Pain and violence being my favorites of course. "I didn't want to say stop." It makes me wonder if I'm going to have to stop playing with her for a little while. One of the three of us has to stay level headed and asking for that kind of pain and danger doesn't seem levelheaded at all.

"You know it won't heal without scarring, right?" I could blame the worst of the damage on Faith and her lower canines but her bite is cleaner than mine. Faith doesn't need blood like I do, she just happens to like the taste. So she bites and keeps her teeth sunk in to your flesh without making the bite worse. My two puncture wounds are raw and jagged from me worrying at the bite like a dog with a bone.

"That's part of why I like it. It shows who I belong to." I hadn't thought if it that way before. It relaxes me enough to stretch out on the chaise with her. This early in the evening is the golden hour when everything is quiet and the near steady stream of guests and clients usually seems to taper to nothing in those dusk hours. Not tonight though, with the House locked down tight it's like a ghost town. "Does it bother you?" She was quiet for so long I thought she had drifted off. I raise my head a little to look at her and shake my head slightly.

"No." But it does something to me. I frown slightly unsure how to explain what this feeling is. I catch myself, then. Stroking her arm with a gentle gesture, the way I do with Faith. I stop doing it the second I realize it. "If you weren't with me, weren't mine. Would you let another vampire do this to you?" The way she hesitates lets me know my gut instinct was right. She's not being careful anymore. I let my gaze bore in to her and she finally shakes her head slightly.

"You're going to stop feeding from me now, aren't you?" She sounds so… broken when she asks it. I open my mouth to say yes but close it with a click because the truth is I don't really know what I'm going to do now. Her smile is gentle and knowing and my heart sinks because she already knows what I'm thinking. "I told you. You think like a demon but you love like a human."

"Are you saying I love you?" She gives me a half waggle of her hand and lets it rest lightly on the curve of my hip.

"In your own way, yes. Not the way you love Faith. Not even the way you love your Xander. But you do have feelings for me. Beyond ownership, you care." She's not wrong. I do have some…feelings. Denna isn't the love of my life but she gets that and it's okay. I trace a finger over her brow lightly still sorting out all the thoughts swirling around in my head.

"You said you were bred to serve vampires." She gives a slow nod, wary of the direction I'm taking. "Were you one of those kids? Like the ones that were brought here?" In all the time that we've been here, Denna has never once lied. Or evaded. Or even been guarded. Until now. She takes a deep breath and raises a shoulder in a slight shrug.

"I was." It's the way she says it. No emotion. No anger, no pain, no amusement. Nothing. Blank. That's the signal that tells how deeply that scar runs. And it's the signal that makes anger rise in my chest like a bubble of hot vicious lava. She must see it on my face because she chuckles softly. "See? Love. Demons don't feel the kind of anger you're feeling right now over something so small, so trivial and so long in the past. Demons…don't care." Care.

"Stupid soul." Denna's laughter trails off but she's still smiling at me and I know that I don't want to stop feeding from her or being with her. I'll just have to be a lot more careful from now on. "Making me have squishy feelings for people." I'm only a little irritated by it and decide maybe I should focus on something else instead before I get a lot irritated by it. "Tell me what you found about our anticipated guests."

Denna nods and starts to sit up but I don't really want her to so I tangle my legs with hers, making it impossible to get up and start walking around. She gives me an amused look and settles back in. "Only two of the twelve Houses are slave trade houses but do not discount their influence. It is not only the pleasure houses that they supply for." I give a slight frown at that. I know there are twelve Houses but I never really bothered to ask which House did what.

"What Houses offer which services again?" She rolls one shoulder in a shrug that could mean anything or nothing at all.

"Two pleasure dens, two warrior guilds, two gambling dens, two slave traders, two dens of thieves, two strongholds of knowledge." Hm. Two of everything. I bet this little redundancy has something to do with the fact that there aren't supposed to be any more scions. It makes me wonder and I raise a brow. "What House does Eowain have?" I haven't thought of him since he left to take care of some business or whatever.

"He is your counterpart. Akilil to your Ayasha." I understood counterpart in that but the rest might as well have been some other language. But counterpart I get. Another question crosses my mind and I frown slightly.

"What happens when the head of a House dies now?" Her smile grows and I realize I'm only now figuring out something that already occurred to her. "Wait wait. Let me guess. Everything goes to your counterpart?" Denna gives me a single nod and I smile widely. Well now. Eowain's attitude makes a lot more sense. I'm pretty sure he was counting on being the pimpest daddy of all pimp daddies. And now that I know what he really wants deep down, I'm going to enjoy not giving it to him.

"Eowain has always coveted this House, even as Erzabet, his own sire, owned it. He believes magic is drawn to this place, like Faith's wolves. New Orleans is old, older even than the history of this country. It is a place of power and like Erzabet, he hopes to tap in to it." So. Let's review. I died, became a vampire, inherited a "pleasure den", cute, and have now found out that it's sitting on a Hellmouth. Probably. Maybe. There was a time in my life when I would turn to Giles for confirmation of that. I can almost see him in the high school library flipping through Watcher journals and piles of musty old demony books. I can barely remember the weeks and months before I died but I remember the library. I remember the way he looked after a night of researching, sleeves rolled up to the elbows and the tail of his shirt peeking out of the back of his sweater vest. I remember the way his hair would stick up in odd tufts from running his hands through it in frustration when he couldn't find the reference he was looking for.

Giles worked hard those years we were a team. He probably thinks I never saw, or never knew. Maybe he thinks I never understood why he spent so much time going over books that offered us vague hints more than solid help more often than not. Maybe he was right. Maybe I still don't understand. "You said there are two strongholds of knowledge? What's that all about?" If I don't have a Giles here to guide me to the right answers I'll just have to go searching for them myself.

"Yes. The nearest is in Texas." Texas? As in Oz. Well that is going to make my research easier. Everything seems to be connected in a pattern I can only just make out the borders to but can't seem to focus in on. I decide to put that thought to the back of my mind for now. First I'll figure out if this is really a Hellmouth or not but it seems to fit. I give a firm nod and go back to the problem with our slave trader friends.

"How many of the Houses do the slavers actually supply?" I hear heavy footsteps coming down the hall from the lower levels. The rhythm is so familiar now that I would know it as easily as I know Faith's or Xander's. It's Gus. His stride isn't hurried exactly but it is clipped. Quick. He's looking for someone. Probably me.

"Warrior guilds, the thieves and you and Eowain. Six in total." Hm. That's three Houses a piece if they split evenly and I'm about to ask her how that works out when she clears her throat to speak. "That demon Faith killed, I know his Master well. He won't take losing his best negotiator easily. Bartarok was…skilled at breaking the children." My gaze flicks from the doorway to the hall to her in a quick motion.

"My Lady…" I'm about to tell Gus to beat it but Denna drops a smile in place that I've seen before. Not usually with me but I've seen it on her face when she's dealing with customers. Blank. Pleasant. Empty. I turn my attention to the blue hulking form leaning over the chaise even as I'm considering and plotting. "There is trouble." When isn't there trouble? "The bar. It's on fire."

My first thought is that it's a trap. My second thought is that Faith is going to be pissed. She loved that bar. I untangle myself and get up quickly. "I'll go dig Faith out of her puppy pile, you find Xander."

Gus takes a step forward to get in front of me and I stop short. "He has left already." What?

"I'm sorry, he what?" I take a very deliberate step forward and Gus takes one back warily. It should be amusing but right now amusement isn't a thing I'm feeling.

"I tried to stop him but he bit me." I look at the perfect tiny teeth marks on Gus' hand and know Xander had to have shifted to get away. Faith is going to kill him if he gets himself dead. Damnit.

"No one in, no one out. We stay closed tonight. Make sure someone is in the watchtower at all times. I don't want any surprises tonight." He gives a nod and starts off to follow my orders. I trust him to handle it but there are other things that have to be done. And that's not even including rescuing Xander from certain doom. Denna rises easier now but still slowly and I frown at her. "And where do you think you're going?"

"To see to the supplies and alert your people of a possible attack here?" I open my mouth about to say something but close it with a click. It dawns on me how much I need her, besides food and sex. Denna knows what I need and knows how to take care of this House. So I kiss her, hard and possessively letting her know that she's mine the only way a demon knows how.

"Stick close to Avi." She nods her understanding of what I'm not actually saying and touches her forehead to mine. Be careful. Stay alive. You're mine. I care. I give her one last look before I turn down the hall and feel the ridges on my brow rise. I doubt Enzo has the balls or the manpower to try an attack here, especially with half of the pack safely tucked away with us. But the idea of it is enough to tip me past irritation to full on bitch fit.

I make a detour and head toward the room we have Ama in. My guess is that Danni is there looking after her grandmother. The door is open and I knock lightly on the frame before walking in. Danni looks up in surprise and alarm before realizing it's me. "I forget the dead make as much noise as a shadow." She starts to get out of the only chair but I gesture for her to stay seated by the bed and lean against the dresser with my arms crossed over my chest.

"Question. How sure are we that Enzo isn't going to attack before tomorrow night?" I know its pack law but he seems to find a way to do what he wants anyway. I want to make sure that if Faith and I leave the House now to go find Xander that the people here will be safe until we return. She frowns at me slightly and raises a shoulder.

"Makes no good sense to come here. He breaks pack law it be in front of half the pack. Too many witnesses and Ama…" The wolf gestures to her grandmother and I nod. Ama isn't a prize worth hunting because she can't run. She's too weak. All he has to do is be patient for one more day. Which means this fire is exactly what I thought it was. A trap to lure Faith and probably me, out in to the open where there aren't any witnesses. If he kills her now he saves himself a fight he may not actually win. "Why? What he do now?"

"I'll tell you later. Stay with your grandmother, I'll send you some wolves for back up. Just in case he's not as predictable as we'd like him to be. No matter what, you stay here. Understand?" She gives me a slow nod with a confused frown on her face. It doesn't make sense to her but it doesn't have to. I'd rather be safe than sorry even if an attack isn't very likely. My steps take me to our room and I push in the heavy black stained double doors with both hands.

Even in her sleep Faith is aware of my presence and her head rolls in my direction. She blinks her eyes open a few times then smiles when she focuses in on me. I saunter toward her, drawn by her scent and warmth, each step punctuated by a bass thump of my heart. The wolves laying around on the floor surrounding the bed move out of my way as I wade through them to crawl up on the edge of the bed. I'm afraid if I straddle Faith now I may not get off until I get off. "This isn't what I meant when I said I wanted to see you draped in diamonds and furs."

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Ha fuckin' ha. I give B a big grin and nudge the nearest wolf outta the way. It's Robere so I'm not gentle about it. He rolls easily and drops to the ground in a half kneeling half crouching pose. It's fuckin' creepy the way he's watchin' me. Like a dog waitin' for his master ta acknowledge him with pets or somethin'. I watch B tap him on the top of the head lightly and gesture to door with a jerk of her head. "Be a good boy and take your friends to visit with Ama."

My brow comes up in question but B doesn't answer me until Robere nods and starts nudging wolves up. Somewhere near the foot of the bed Dolly's head pops up an' she smiles at us like we're her best friends and she's super happy ta see us. I chuckle and give her a nod to let her know she can go too. She doesn't need my permission but somehow she thinks she does. It's easy ta get irritated at that but then I remember that she's not workin' with a full deck up there. Buffy slides in to bed and rests the weight of her head on my chest. When the door closes behind the last wolf her smile fades. And I start to worry.

"What's goin' on?" I'm wary 'cause up until a second ago I thought we were fuckin' hunky dory. Buffy moves up so we're chest ta chest. I can feel the butterfly flutter of her heart beat. It's so slow, one faint beat to every fifteen or twenty of mine. I get distracted when I realize that slow as it is…it beats the same as mine. I'm starin' at her chest when she cups my face an' brings my gaze back up with a slight smirk.

"Don't freak out okay?" Don't freak out? DON'T FREAK OUT? Doesn't she know that's about the fastest way ta make someone freak out? I start ta sit up but B pushes me back down, pinnin' me with her hands on my shoulders. "The bar is on fire." The bar is on fire. Is that all? I give a grumble and frown up at her.

"It's a trap right?" B taps the tip of my nose with a fingertip an' smiles sunnily at me. "So what's the big? Xand can rebuild anything." I mean it sucks. I loved that place. But we can make it better. Might be the easiest way to start over, just lettin' that shithole burn to the ground.

"If he doesn't get himself dead by running in to the fray." Yeah. Wait. What? This time I don't let Buffy pin me down. I sit up, toppling her off of me.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me with this shit right now?!" I'm leanin' over the edge of the bed lookin' for shoes and a weapon when Buffy's cool arms slide around my waist and drag me back further in to bed. "We don't have time for this B…" Not that I don't wanna make time for it but some jackhole decided to make himself a hero. "Stupid fucking idiot. He should know better!"

Every second that ticks by makes my anger rise another notch. How could he do this to us? We need all hands on deck and he's just givin' Enzo what he wants. Bait. For me. I struggle against Buffy for a second but she won't let me go so I just go limp an' wait her out. "I need you clearheaded right now. Not so mad you get us all killed."

It's quiet an' right in my ear makin' it real hard not ta listen carefully. She's got my attention an' she knows it. "He's gonna get killed, B. I don't want him ta die before I beat the snot out of him for being so fuckin' stupid." Her grip around me tightens a little, in understanding. I can't lose Xander right now. Maybe not ever. Before Angel, before Wesley, Xander was the one holdin' his hand out for me. An' even when I slapped that hand away he held it out again. And again. And again. He was mad sometimes yeah, rightfully even. But he was there. When it was just me an' B tryin' ta figure out who we were becoming, it was Xander that was there with us. He's my bestfriend. Maybe the only one I ever really had.

"Hey hey hey…I'm all for getting our pain in the rump back but I'm thinking more along the lines of search and rescue not seek and destroy. Enzo is going to be expecting a fight, but nothing says we have to give him one on his schedule." She's right. I know she's right. But it bugs the shit out of me to have ta wait. I growl in irritation an' B strokes my belly comfortingly. "I know. I want to punch him in the nuts. With my feet. Repeatedly. But we have to wait until tomorrow night."

I nod slowly an' finally relax in to B's arms. Enzo isn't gonna waste killin' Xander out right. He'll want it to make an impact, ta draw me out. We have a few minutes ta think an' plan. "I don't want any of the pack out there tonight. Just in case I don't want hostages walkin' around ripe for the plucking." Buffy nods her head against the back of my shoulder. "S'why you sent them to Ama isn't it?" Another nod. Good. We're on the same page then. I pat B's arm so she loosens up enough for me to roll an' face her.

"Just you and me out there it looks like." No. That's exactly what Enzo is hopin' for. I shake my head slightly at her questioning gaze. "No?"

"You were right B. He's expectin' a fight an' he knows I'll give it to him. He even knows you'll be right by my side when I show up too." Buffy's smile goes wide at that. Happy its common knowledge that where one goes the other follows. It's a lil co-dependent but I've never depended on anyone or anything my whole life. Knowin' B's depending on me, that I can depend on her…I'm okay with that.

"Well I can't let you wander around without supervision. Pillaging and riots happen when you're left to your own devices for too long." I chuckle at that an' lean in for a kiss. She pulls back a lil clearin' her throat. "Tsk tsk. No distracting. So who else is going?"

Normally I'd say Xander but that's not an option right now. "Gus an' Avi." Not one fuckin' wolf of Enzo's is gonna wanna tangle with either of them. Buffy's smile gets damn near evil with glee at that idea an' I know I made the right choice. "Maybe we give Enzo a preview of tomorrow night while Gus and Avi get our boy back."

"Think she can track him that easily? They don't each other very well." She doesn't know. I give her a sly grin an' raise a shoulder in a shrug before rollin' out of bed ta get dressed.

"No way…" I look over my shoulder as I pull up my jeans an' smirk. "How? She just got here! When was there time?" I dunno. We found time ta fuck, why wouldn't they? I'm stompin' in to my boots when Gus pokes his head in. "Did you know?" Buffy rounds on him in disbelief an' he blinks at her unsure how to answer.

"I know many things, what in particular should I confess to knowing first?" I hafta snicker at Buffy's face. I think she's tryin' ta figure out what's more important. Finding out all of Gus' secrets or finding out if she's the only one that didn't notice Xander was fuckin' the new girl. I cut her off before she can pester Gus for the rest of her unlife.

"She didn't know Xander an' Avi…"

"Ah yes. I knew." Her mouth snaps shut with a click an' he shrugs at her. "It's my job to know what is happening under your roof…is…that…not right?" He's nervous now an' I pat the big guy on the shoulder as I pass him to pick out my weapons.

"Yeah it's right big guy. She's just miffed everyone knew but her." I give Gus a wink that settles him and he nods. B huffs a lil with her arms crossed over her chest. She's not mad. If she was mad she'd be kick someone's ass all over the place. Probably mine for makin' fun of her. "You're good at your job Gus, just how we like it." I don't have the same type of relationship with Gus that B has but I appreciate him. It doesn't hurt ta let him know that before I ask for a favor.

Gus preens a lil, puffin' up his chest with pride at that. Buffy smiles at me in a way that lets me know she approves. "We need your help Gus." He turns to Buffy an' kneels at her feet.

"I would do anything for you My Lady." I bet he would too. It's a temptin' offer because Gus is a whole lot of power an' destruction. Sometimes I forget he's a warrior just playin' butler. But lookin' at him now, really lookin' at him, I'd be worried ta have ta fight him. I'm glad he's got our backs.

"Faith and I have to get Xander back." He gives one short nod at that. "But you know as well as we do that this is probably a trap." Another nod. I open my mouth to say somethin' but he I stop an' shrug when Gus speaks.

"You distract and I will retrieve Xander." He gets the gist of it.

"Take Avi with you." He gives me an offended look an' I raise both hands to slow his roll. "Not for protection. His scent is all over her. She can find him fast." Gus grunts at that and almost chuckles as he stands. Too bad I can't pick a champion tomorrow night. I'd just pick Gus an' let him squeeze Enzo's head until it pops. Buffy takes Gus' arm and leads him toward the door to the room.

"Take the tunnels to the bar. We'll meet you guys there." He nods at Buffy and leaves quickly. It's just us again an' my worry spikes. This is fucked up. I'm runnin' my hands over the different weapons lining the wall but I can't choose. I wanna just rip Enzo up with my bare hands but I'm playin' that card close to my chest. He doesn't know what I am an' I don't want ta tip him off before tomorrow. "You never have this much trouble looking for a toy." I glance at her an' nod. Buffy reads my worry an' picks a long silver blade almost as long as my forearm. It's serrated at an angle so going in is easy but comin' out… Let's just say it's messy. Just how I like it.

"This is a thing of beauty B." She nods an' trails the tip of it over my lip an' down my chin. My breath catches when the tip grazes over the soft flesh of my neck. "Why this one?"

Buffy's watching my pulse jump in my throat, makin' the blade jump against my skin where the tip is resting lightly. If she pushes in she'll cut me. If she pushes in fast an' hard enough she'll slit my throat. So I don't move. Not one fuckin' muscle. Buffy pulls the knife away an' nips at my neck only hard enough ta get me wet, not do any damage. "Because it's dangerous and sexy and looks good on you." I'm still not movin' as she slides the blade through my belt at the small of my back.

"Hm. Shoulda named it Buffy then." I smirk at her pleased look an' yank her against my body, hard. Buffy laughs an' wiggles in as close as she can get. She's got a lot on her mind, my girl does. I can tell even when she's not sayin' anything. "So were ya gonna tell me about your heartbeat?"

B looks up from nuzzlin' in to my chest an' shrugs. "I wasn't sure it was going to keep happening at first." I give that a nod but frown a lil. It doesn't worry me or anything, it's not like it's hurtin' her or anything. But it's weird and I don't know how it happened. It shouldn't be able to happen. But then again, nothin' we are should be able to happen. "With everything that's been going on I guess I just keep forgetting."

I get that I guess. "I kinda feel like we never get ta breathe. We just run from one disaster to the next. Like the end of the world is every Tuesday night or somethin'." Buffy chuckles at that an' goes back ta nuzzlin' my chest.

"You're not lying." It's my turn to chuckle. I know we should go now. Avi an' Gus are takin' the old sewer tunnels to the bar. They'll get there faster than we will on the surface an' I don't wanna keep them waiting but I don't exactly wanna let go of B right now either. "I promise, we'll talk about all this and more. After we find Xander."

There's more? I give her a mild look. "You're not knocked up are ya?" There's a long second when I think B actually thinks I'm seriously askin' that. And then she laughs. Hard.

"Can you imagine what kind of crazy violent beautiful kid we'd have?" No. I really can't. Not that I'm the best at biology but I know enough to know that'll never happen. I'm not exactly equipped for that. But it's nice that B's thinkin' of me in that equation.

I snort at her an' shake my head. "Good thing it's not possible or the earth would be doomed." Buffy nods still snickering at the idea an' takes my hand in hers to lead me out of our room. I never wanted kids, ya know? Never wanted them ta have ta go through all the shit I went through. Wouldn't want them ta know about the life I have ta lead ta keep everyone safe. I wouldn't want them ta have ta deal with a monster like me. Not because I'm an actual monster, but because the parts of me that are human have been monstrous almost my whole life.

But somehow. I don't mind thinkin' about what it would have been like for me an' B. I sling an arm over her shoulders as we climb the stairs up to the door outside. Denna is on the landing givin' last minute directions to some of our people. I stop an' frown at her pale skin. "Gus and Avi have already left. I have some of your wolves teamed up with our people. We can keep watch better that way."

It's smart and I nod my approval of it. I glance at B an' she nods at me lettin' me know she sees it. A guilty look flickers in her eyes so I don't say anything. I just tug a curly lock of Denna's hair playfully. "Ya better be waitin' in bed when we get back." Her smile says she will be, because she thinks I'll be all over her. Mostly I just wanna make sure she rests. "G'wan. We'll be back before sunrise." B watches her go then glances at me with a sigh.

"She's too fragile to feed from every night." I nod at that. B doesn't have a natural vampire appetite. She feeds. A lot. Less when she's feedin' from me but I think it's because my blood is wicked strong with Slayer mojo. We're gonna need ta get her some regulars to feed from so no one person gets too drained. "I'm hurting her."

She is but I don't wanna say it so I just shake my head. "She's okay B. We'll work it out." Buffy's shoulders slump an' I stop her just before I open the door outside. She's not lookin' at me so I tip her chin up. "Hey. We'll fix it. D's gonna be okay. She just needs rest, she's only human." And we aren't. It's a miracle she's kept up with the both of us for this long. I'm thinking she was catchin' up on a lot of rest while we were in Texas. Buffy finally nods at me an' I yank open the door. "Good. Now let's go beat up some wolves."