She didn't look much like a witch. Dru ate a few once, in San Francisco - said they were dark and stringy and kind of vinegary - but that certainly didn't describe this girl. She was wholesome and fluffy and so cute she made his fangs itch.
Still, needs must and all that. She was what he had, so she'd have to do. That was how you stayed ahead of the game; you made the most of whatever you got given.
So what had he been given, exactly? Little nervous red-head clutching a spellbook in front of her like it was the Holy Bible. Make the book a lunchbox or a handbag or whatever other crap kids carried around these days and she could've been any face in the crowd. She didn't look special. Didn't look powerful.
One other thing that kept you ahead; not taking too much on appearance. She was a
friend of the Slayer, and that had to count for something. Girl didn't get to hang around in that sort of circle unless she had something going for her.
He dropped his game face and smiled at her. Reassuring, friendly. Her eyes widened and she backed up a step, away from him. Huh. Guess it had been a long time since reassuring and friendly had been at the top of his repertoire.
"Hey," he said, holding up his hands. "I'm not going to hurt you."
She looked from him to the boy sprawled on what was left of his and Drusilla's old bed, and made a kind of snorting noise.
He grinned, and shrugged. "Fair enough. You got me. I probably am going to hurt you, but not right now. Maybe not even very much, if you do what I tell you."
"Wh-what do you want?"
She wasn't taking her eyes off the boy. Not good. He wanted her undivided attention.
He picked up his bottle of Scotch and smashed it against the wall, then closed the space between them. He cupped her chin, pulling her face around toward him. Her gaze fastened on the broken bottle in his other hand "Now, pet," he said softly. "Let's keep this polite, shall we? You look at me when I'm talking to you."
"Polite, yes. Polite is - is good. I can be polite, I'm Polite Girl."
He smiled again. "That's good. It'll be nice if things stay civilised, won't it? Now your friend here - " He let go of her face and waved the bottle at the boy. She winced. "Is being nice and quiet and polite. He's not being a problem, and I like that. If he should start being a problem, even if that's just because he's distracting you, then I won't like it so much. And I'm sure you, being the smart girl that you are, can guess what happens then."
She nodded mutely, her eyes huge and round and starting to gleam with the flat shine of unshed tears.
"And for God's sake don't turn on the waterworks. I had enough of that with Dru."
She swallowed thickly and scuffed roughly at her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper.
"What do you want?" she said again, and there was no tremor to her voice.
He stepped back and gave her a bit more space, nodding approvingly. He'd been right; she had guts, this one. Had some steel in her, underneath all the candyfloss wrapping. You had to give people a chance, that was the thing. They might look wet on the outside but you never knew what kind of treasure might be hiding inside. It just took the right someone to come along and see it. Someone like Dru.
Or him, maybe.
He circled her. She faced front, the book still clamped to her chest. It didn't stop the rhythm of her heart from resonating in his ears. He swayed slightly, listening. Lovely sound, that. Speeding into terror or slowing into death; either way, he loved a good heartbeat solo.
He walked in front of her again and tapped the book, then indicated the box that held the rest of her junk. "I want you to tell me about this."
"About what?"
"This." He reached inside the box and picked up a little bag of pungent herbs. "This stuff. Magic. And you. I want to hear the story."
"There's no story, not really. I just - it's interesting, you know?"
"No, pet. Can't say I do. Never been one for all that mumbo-jumbo myself. Never needed it, see?"
He flashed his fangs, and grabbed her by the throat. Lightly, though. Enough pressure for her to feel the potential of danger, not enough to do actual harm. She tried to swallow, and he felt the muscles of her throat working under his hand. He smiled. It felt good.
"That's just the thing, ain't it? I've got my power, all wrapped up nice and handy whenever I need it. Just like the Slayer. What have you got, though? Nothing. And that burned you, didn't it?"
He dropped his hand, and let her breathe properly. She rubbed her throat and looked at him resentfully. A little defiantly, if he was reading her right.
He thought he was. Oh yeah, she had balls, this one. He liked that in a girl.
"I don't know what you mean," she said.
"Right. Course you don't. You were happy as anything being the geeky sidekick, weren't you? The one that read the books and agreed with the plans and got rescued by the Slayer. You liked that just fine. And all the magic stuff was just a harmless little hobby. An intellectual exercise. Sure, love. I believe you."
She scowled, looked at her feet and said nothing. He grinned. Score.
He stepped closer again, breathing in the smell of her hair, her skin, her blood. She also looked kinda good when she went all sulky and vengeful. He liked that in a girl, too.
He came up right against her again, got in her face. She didn't flinch. "Admit it," he said.
"Admit what?"
"Come on. You know what it's about, girl. Power. Power's what I'm talking about. Vamps got it, Slayer's got it - and you want it, too."
She opened her mouth, but he put his fingers to her lips. Her breathing stopped for a split second.
"No," he said. "Don't give me any crap about helping Buffy, or being part of the team, or any serving the greater good bullshit. You want power for it's own sake. You want it for yourself."
"I - I - "
He caught her gaze in his and held it. She had power, that was the thing. He could feel it.
Her eyes were green. What was that thing Dru used to do? Look at me. Be in me.
Nah. Sod that bollocks.
He leaned in fast and kissed her, one hand tangling in her hair and the other running down her back, pushing her into his body. She froze, almost responded, then froze again. He grinned, his lips curving against hers. He could practically hear the soundtrack that must be running in her head.
No.
Oh but - it feels - it feels so -
No!
"You want it," he whispered against the skin of her cheek, his tongue tracing a light trail to her earlobe. She shivered.
"You want it," he said again. "Admit it. Say it."
His hands roamed freely, unchecked, over her body. His thumbs brushed over her nipples, and she gasped.
"I want it," she said, low and breathy.
What exactly were they talking about, now? He wasn't sure, and he doubted whether she was either.
He pulled her to him again, roughly, and this time she did respond. She opened her mouth to him and he felt her tongue slide against his. His cock pushed against the seam of his jeans with a delicious friction and he pushed their hips together, grinding his hardness into her body. She surprised him by pushing back, and he heard a low moan escape her lips that he couldn't quite stop himself from matching.
"Willow? Willow, what - "
She froze in his hands again, and twisted around to look back at the bed.
"Xander!"
She began to fight him, pulling hard to get out of his grip. He let her go, and she ran to the boy on the bed.
Spike gritted his teeth, the ache in his groin flaring with the sudden loss of pressure. Oh, the boy was dead. The boy was so very, very dead.
"Willow, what were you - "
"Shh, shhh. It's okay, I'm here. Are you okay? Can you stand? Can you walk?"
She'd actually flung an arm around his shoulders to help him up when Spike stepped forward into her line of sight. He stared at the two of them, hands on hips.
"And where, exactly, do you think you're going to walk to?"
Xander looked up at him warily. "Spike. What - what do you want?"
The ache in his cock was echoed by one in his head. This was getting repetitive, now.
"He wants me to do a spell," said Willow, brushing the hair out of Xander's eyes. "To get Dru back. She left him. For a Chaos de-"
"Okay, okay, there's no need to go through the whole bloody story again, is there? Anyway, I've changed my mind."
Willow's head snapped up. "What do you mean? You don't want Dru back?"
He laughed. "Of course I want Dru back, you silly bint. That's the whole point. But I think we can forget about the magic stuff. Spells are just too damn unpredictable."
"Well that's the truth," said Xander. "There was this one time when - " He caught Willow's look, and subsided.
"So there's a new plan?" she asked, her voice strained.
"You bet there is. See, the trouble with Dru is that she doesn't always know a good thing when she sees it. Course, Dru doesn't tend to know much of anything when she sees it, but there you are. Part of her charm, isn't it? But she never appreciated what she'd got, that was the thing. Thought she could just swan about doing whatever the hell took her fancy and good old Spike would always be there waiting to pick up the pieces like a little fucking lapdog."
Xander grinned. "Well, you were kind of - "
He moved, so fast that neither of them had time to blink, and then his hand was around the boy's throat. And this time, he did mean to hurt.
"Spike! Spike, let him go!"
Willow's hand pulled at his, trying to get him to loosen his grip. He slipped into game face and growled at her, but she didn't back off. His cock stiffened again.
"Okay," he said. "Okay." He let go, and Xander collapsed backwards on the bed, gasping. Willow immediately sat beside him, concern etching lines on her face, then looked back at Spike.
"Don't hurt him," she said. "Please."
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. That's going to depend on you, pet."
She stared at him, and the fear was back in her eyes. Good.
"As I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted, there's a new plan. So you think you're over someone, right? You think you don't need them any more. Well what's the big test for that, huh? Huh?"
She shook her head. "I don't know."
"Course you do. If you really don't care about someone anymore, then you don't care about seeing them with someone else, do you? You don't care if they've got someone new. That's the test."
The boy was still looking at him blankly, but she got it. She got it straight away. She understood him.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
"No," she moaned. "Oh, no. Please."
Xander was looking from her to Spike, his expression confused. "What? What are you saying? You want Willow to pretend to Drusilla that she's your girlfriend?"
Spike grinned. "Pretend? Do I look like a five year old? What I want is someone that'll show Dru what she's missing."
"And that someone is Willow?" Xander blinked. "I mean, not that Willow's not - I mean, yeah, any guy would be - "
Spike held up his hand, and miraculously the boy stopped flapping his lips. Actually it was probably the fangs more than the hand that did the trick, but hey. Whatever worked, right?
"Well not as she is now," he said. "Dru's not exactly going to be going all green-eyed over this little package, is she? But with a little - uh, modification - " he paused and grinned, running his tongue over his fangs - "oh yeah, I think we got ourselves a winner."
And then, of course, the penny dropped. "Oh," Xander said. "Oh. You mean you're going to - oh shit. Oh shit, no."
Willow herself just stared at him, her eyes wide.
"Oh yes," he said, opening his arms to her. "Come to Daddy, sweetheart."
She made a delicious little whimpering noise and shook her head jerkily. Oh yeah. This was a way better plan than some stupid spell. This girl was going to make one hell of a vamp, he could feel it. And Dru was going to freak.
Serve her right, stupid bitch. She wasn't the only one that could play the field, was she? And he was doing a damn sight better for himself than a sodding Chaos demon, too.
He looked at Willow. "Come here," he said, low and deliberate. His 'I mean it' voice. Even Dru recognised that one. Hell, even Angelus had recognised that one.
Willow didn't move. He growled, but it was just for show really. A little defiance could be a good thing; he was looking forward to being able to train it out of her.
He strode over to the bed and hauled her up by one arm. She was shaking violently.
"Here's the deal. I'm off the whole magic thing. Daft idea. So, technically, I don't need you any more. But - I like you. I can get me a good looking girl to torment Dru with pretty much anywhere, but I've kinda taken a fancy to having you in the role. So it comes down to this: I kill you and eat you or I kill you and turn you. What do you say?"
She couldn't make her voice work on the first go, but she met his eyes. He gave her marks for that.
"Kill me then," she said.
"You know, I thought you might say that. So here's the other part of the deal." He let go of her arm and picked the boy up by the throat. "I kill you both and eat you, or I turn you and I let him go. How about that one?"
He raised his eyebrows at her while the boy made choking sounds. "Well? Look, I'm going to kill you either way, pet. You don't get a say in that. But you do have a choice about whether or not the boy dies with you."
She ran to him, clawing at his arm. "Let him go! Let him go, I'll do it. I'll do anything you want."
He released his grip. Xander fell back onto the bed. "Willow," he said weakly. "No. Don't do this. You can't trust him, he - "
Spike's fist connected hard with the boy's jaw, and his eyes rolled back in his head. He lay still.
Willow moaned softly, hugging herself. Spike smiled at her. "You won't regret this."
She shook her head, rocking backwards and forwards. "I already do."
When he didn't respond, she swiped roughly at her eyes and pulled her hair away from her neck. "Do it. Just do it, will you?"
He came up behind her, and lowered his mouth to her neck. She tensed, and he could hear the blood filling her veins. Hear it, smell it, want it. Want her.
Yes. He wanted her, this girl. Wanted her while she was soft, and warm, and scared. He liked this game; wasn't ready for it to end just yet.
"Oh no, pet, it's not that simple."
She opened her eyes again and frowned at him. "It's not?"
He could take her by force, sure. But that would come later; a vampire body took that kind of punishment much better. Took it, and liked it, and came back for more. No - right now he wanted her willing.
"There's a ritual," he said.
"A ritual? For turning someone?" She shook her head. "No there isn't."
"Oh, not for just - you know, ordinary vampires. Bite, suck, die, rise. That's pretty straightforward. But it's also boring. That's not what I want for you."
Fear, confusion and interest all warred on her face. It made her beautiful. "What are you talking about?"
He licked a long, slow line along the side of her jaw, and she shivered. "I'm not just going to turn you, pet. I'm going to claim you."
"Claim me? What - what does that mean?"
He nuzzled her ear. "You never heard of claiming? Not much of a vamp expert then, are you? When there's a claim between two vamps, it makes a bond between them. A connection. Gives them power over each other."
She squirmed in his arms, and the movement pushed her against his swollen cock. He pushed back.
"Power?"
He grinned to himself. It was almost too easy, sometimes.
"Yeah," he said into her ear. "You know where they are, what they're feeling. That kind of thing. Really strong-minded ones can control the other, if they work at it."
"I - I never heard of anything like that."
He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling the warm, spicy scent of her shampoo. "Well, it's not exactly something we shout about. 'S a risky thing, letting another vamp have that kind of hold over you. Can go wrong. How do you think Angel managed to dust Darla? Normal circumstances, vamp'd never be able to kill his sire."
"So why would you want to - to do that with me?"
He allowed himself a nip of the skin at the nape of her neck, with blunt teeth. "Oh, there are compensations, pet. Lots of compensations. Sex between a claimed pair is - well, put it this way - why'd you think Angel and Darla were together for so long? Why'd you think he tried to go back to her even after the soul?"
"I don't - Giles never said anything about - hey, stop that."
He laughed against her skin. "Why? 'Cos you don't like it? Or 'cos you do?"
She was silent, and he let his hands continue their exploration of her body. She gave a strangled kind of gasp when they found their way to the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, a gasp that she tried to turn into the word no.
He shook his head. "Oh, I know you like it," he whispered. "I can hear your body, and it doesn't lie to me. It wants this, it wants me. You want me. You've dreamed of someone doing this to you. Of someone wanting you."
She trembled all over, the vibrations of her body sending little tremors of pleasure through his groin. "The sex, the power - you'd like to have power over me, wouldn't you Willow? Yeah, sure you would. You think you're strong-minded enough to control me? Maybe you could save your friends from me, huh? Stop me killing them? Stop me killing the Slayer? You want to do that, Willow? You want to save Xander, save Buffy?"
Another tiny sound escaped her lips, and it could have been yes.
He moved his fingers, and this time the moan she gave didn't sound like any kind of language.
He moved his lips to hers and kissed her, his tongue sliding into her mouth just as his fingers slid into the wetness between her legs. Her knees buckled and she sagged against him.
He moved one finger, two, inside her while his thumb circled her clit. She tore her mouth away from his and took a whistling gulp of air.
"It's about sex," he said, keeping his fingers moving. "Ain't everything? For the claim to take, I have to bite you while we're fucking."
She gave another violent shudder, and he took the opportunity to lift her off her feet and lower her gently to the floor. "You like that?" he asked, voice, low, while the hand that had been supporting her began slowly to slide underneath her top. "You like the idea of me fucking you? Of you fucking me?"
She writhed as his hand found her nipples, and her eyes closed. "No," he said, stopping all movement. "No, I want you here with me. Open your eyes, Willow. Look at me."
She did as she was told, and the heat in her eyes fired through his body. He knelt astride her. "Say yes," he said.
She stared at him, eyes wide. Made a small movement. A nod.
"No," he said. "Not good enough. You have to say it. I want to hear you say it."
She held his gaze, and for a moment they were both perfectly motionless. He watched her silently. He'd had fun with this, but time was moving on. If she wasn't going to play along, he should probably just kill her and get the hell out of this place.
He leaned down and kissed her softly. "Time's up, pet. What's it to be?"
She opened her mouth, took a deep breath. Then: "Yes," she said softly.
He smiled, pleased. Game on, then.
He ripped her clothes in two, pulling the scraps of fabric away from her body, then quickly stripped off his shirt and jeans. Her eyes widened at the sight of him, but then he leaned back down and kissed her until the rigidity went out of her body. Her arms went around him and her body arched upwards.
He cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumb lazily over the nipples, until she bit her lip and began to pant. Then he moved one hand back down to her thighs, running light fingers over her skin.
"Please," she said breathlessly, and he smiled. She was learning already.
"You want this?" he asked, placing his hand back between her legs.
"Yes," she said. "Oh, yes."
He moved his fingers in little circles around and over her clit, letting the pace and pressure build, until she threw her head back and screamed as she came. She was still gasping for air when he finally slipped inside her, and her eyes flew open as he thrust.
She was so hot, it made his senses reel. The flush of blood spread all over her skin was an almost unbearable temptation.
Almost? Hell, it was unbearable. He'd never exactly been good at resisting temptation. Never really got the concept, if he was honest.
He bent his head and allowed his fangs to rip into the soft flesh of her neck. Her second scream pushed him over the edge and he came with both her name and her blood on his lips.
"Hey! Willow, Xander, are you here? Are you - "
The voice broke off, and Spike turned his head to see another couple of kids he'd seen hanging round the Slayer. The boy - and there was something off about his smell, something interestingly not-quite-human - was staring at them and his face was shutting down with every second that went by. The words 'boyfriend' and 'werewolf' arrived simultaneously in Spike's mind, and he grinned.
"Well, hey," he said, "you missed most of the show, but if you hang around a while, it's sure to get interesting again later."
The girl was trying to edge towards the bed, her eyes on Xander, but the boy stood stock still. Then he moved - fast, way faster than he looked capable of.
But still not as fast as a vampire.
Spike was on his feet and ready before the boy had raised his fist, and the blow knocked him into the far wall. He went down - not for long; the kid was strong as well as fast - but Spike soon had him pinned down with his knees on the boy's chest. A few slams of head onto floor, and even a wolfboy stayed out.
"And they wonder why I love Sunnydale," said Spike, as he got back up and started towards the dark-haired girl. "Where else could you get food delivered without even putting in an order?"
The girl screamed.
But not for long.
He drained the werewolf and tossed his body in the corner. Boy could've been dangerous, and you didn't mess about with those ones. You got them out of the way, and that left you the harmless ones to play with.
Or, in this case, save for a nice supper for your new girlfriend.
He checked that the girl and the Harris boy were still nicely unconscious, then sliced his fangs through his left wrist and put it to Willow's mouth. Then he wiped the blood from her body, and settled back to wait.
In the stillness of death, she was beautiful. Oh yeah, she was going to be a hell of a vamp all right. And she was his.
Maybe this would finally bring Dru to her senses, make her see that she needed him. That she loved him.
And maybe it wouldn't.
He reached out and ran a finger lightly over Willow's cold lips, and smiled.
Maybe, just maybe, he didn't care.
- End -
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