Part 10
Angel’s hand held fast to the door handle as he heard Willow bellow, “Dumbass! It’s about your soul.”
Her use of Cordyisms, those quaint little phrases, nicknames and friendly insults, kept rolling off her tongue like she was born to them. Just another sign of the enthrallment Cordelia had placed her under, the major side-effect of which was Willow’s unwavering devotion and sudden attraction to her mistress.
The redhead’s pursuit of Cordelia had prompted negotiations for more personal attention, which Angel had quickly shut down. Cordelia was his mate and not up on the auction block. Pet or no pet, Willow would have to be content with being shopping buddies rather than delve into the more intimate aspects of the role.
Now Willow stood on the other side of his bedroom door claiming knowledge about his soul. If anyone knew anything about it, she would be the one considering that it was her mystic abilities that restored his soul again. Giving in to curiosity, Angel slowly opened the door to readmit her into his room.
“What was that?”
Nervous, Willow realized he could probably sense that. As an ice-breaker, she muttered, “Sorry. You’re not a dumbass.”
The look she got actually made the room feel even icier than before. Apparently, Angel had no sense of humor. Unless he was still mad at her for suggesting that he should let her be with Cordy. That might explain the shadowed eyes and growly expression. The big meanie just doesn’t like to share, she thought huffily. Willow resolved that if the direct approach wasn’t going to work on the vampire, she would put her backup plan into play.
“My soul, Willow?” Angel prompted the girl who made a habit of getting sidetracked.
Yep! If Plan A fails— just move onto Plan B. Willow hoped that she didn’t need a third option because Angel was just too experienced with deception. If he had any inkling of what she was thinking, the vampire would definitely toss her out on the street and bar all contact with his mate.
“Willow!”
Dragged out of her thoughts, the witch found Angel staring impatiently. “Huh?”
“You were going to say something about my soul.”
Gathering her courage, Willow pressed on. “I don’t want my feelings for Cordy to get in the way of our friendship, Angel. I want you to be happy. If you’re happy then Cordy will be happy and then I’ll be happy too.”
His head was spinning trying to keep up with her. Happy, happy, happy people. Willow babble was akin to a foreign language as far as the vampire was concerned.
“Uh— happy,” Angel nodded. He’d gotten that much out of it.
Willow shuffled her feet, “There’s something I didn’t tell you when you appeared back in Sunnydale from wherever you were.”
“Hell.”
“Yeah. At first, I thought you had enough to worry about. You weren’t— well. Then I realized what would happen if I spilled the beans about your soul,” Willow explained. “Open Angel season. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.”
“Torpedoes?” Angel was seriously getting confused. He was hoping this conversation would eventually make sense. How did talk of torpedoes lead to concern over his soul?
“Definite bone jumpage would have resulted,” stressed Willow. “You were mourning Cordelia at the time. It wouldn’t have been fair.”
“Are we talking about navy battles and bone yards?”
Willow crinkled her nose. “No— Buffy.”
Ah! The missing link. Boning Buffy. Now he got it. “You were worried about my soul if we resumed our relationship.”
“Yes,” Willow admitted, “I was worried about you two starting up again, but that’s not the point.”
Angel figured he wouldn’t like her point. It was sure to lead back to negotiations for him allowing Willow more intimate access to Cordelia. The teenager was too enthralled to get the fact that wanting any vamp to snack on you was not a healthy long-term relationship, especially a vampiress with a large, brooding, jealous mate.
“What is the point?”
“Duh! Like I haven’t been talking about it for the last five minutes?” Willow looked a bit peeved at him. Taking the direct approach, she blurted, “Your soul is permanent.”
“Wh— permanent?” Angel stumbled as he parroted back the word hardly aware that she watched his every reaction.
Nodding, Willow told him. “I altered the restoration spell. Left out the happiness clause.”
The impact of a permanent soul brought endless possibilities into Angel’s existence. The most important of which was no more Angelus. He felt a heavy weight lift away from his shoulders, the burden of binding his demon by sheer will alone was now gone. Angel was fully aware that this news had an impact on Cordelia as Willow suggested— an impact on their happiness together.
There would be no need to hold back his emotions, no need to keep his demon close so that he would remember the risks. No losing his soul because he allowed himself a single unguarded moment of bliss. The times he had struggled with that and against the feelings that only continued to grow every time he held Cordelia in his arms seemed countless. It had been a danger every time she walked into the room and flashed her smile.
“Why tell me now?” Angel’s cynical side knew there was a catch. “More negotiations? I already told you to forget it.”
“Okay. Forgotten,” Willow assured him. Not! “Talk to Cordelia about what I’ve told you. Let me know if you have a— change of mind.”
Angel looked down at Willow’s guileless expression. She was getting better at hiding her emotions. No blushing. No change of posture. Heartbeat steady. Just a cute little poker face.
“Close the door on your way out,” he told her. “I need time to think.”
As Willow pulled the door shut behind her, a triumphant smirk spread over her features. If she couldn’t have what she wanted, then at least she could ensure that Mistress Cordy was not denied anything. As crazy as it sounded, Willow would give her anything she wanted including Angelus.
***
Having abandoned her vigil outside Rupert Giles’ house, Cordelia headed home to the Crawford Street mansion. The conversation with Spike had unsettled her. Spying on Giles and his Watcher Council buddies lost its thrill.
Love Angel?
Cordelia found the idea disturbing. What was love to a vampire? Spike and Dru seemed dedicated to one another. They had remained together for over a hundred years excepting the recent breakup and reunion. As far as the bounds of vampire relationships went, they had something that kept them coming back for more.
Love Angel?
Her sire had claimed her as his mate and Cordelia had delighted in it. Angelus brought her into the night. Gave her this existence. Tied them together by bonds she thought were unbreakable. The soul added a different layer to the bonds, but it was no less strong for it. She had chosen to reclaim their link. Angel— her mate.
Love Angel?
Gack! Was she actually brooding about love? That was so not right. Want. Take. Have. That was what it was really all about. That and the normally obsessive possessiveness in her nature. The blood that linked their bodies. Peel away the human past, the appearance, the memories and they were just following their demonic instincts.
Love Angel?
The stirring sensations that knotted up in the space between her heart and her stomach every time Angel was near hinted at that possibility. Was it just the need to have her sire near? The pull of their blood? The instinctive call of her mate? What was love if it wasn’t all of those things?
Love. Angel.
Cordelia’s mouth curled upward at the thought of him picturing his handsome human and demon features. So different with the soul present. So much the same. Yet there were boundaries that she could no longer cross with Angel. Walls he put up between them that she knew were built to protect everyone he else cared about in this accursed town.
Those were walls she wanted to break, to knock down until there was only a cloud of dust left behind. Cordelia knew that she would not attempt it. She knew it after their first night together upon her arrival in Sunnydale. Such an act would not only defy her sire’s wishes regarding his existence, but would no doubt destroy any feelings he had for her. That was a risk Cordelia was unwilling to take.
Loving Angel suddenly sounded so right in her mind. She felt like shouting it out at the top of her lungs. Instead, she pulled out her cell phone. Pressing a couple of buttons, she suddenly heard ringing coming from behind a tree slightly downwind. Cordelia flipped the phone closed, not bothering to wait for an answer.
Reaching behind the tree, she pulled out Willow who was still holding the matching cell phone Cordy had given her. “Now you’re spying on me?”
“Not spying,” Willow pouted. “Following.”
“Pfft! Just as bad.”
“Jude was walking me home when Spike came along. He said you were at Giles’ house,” the redhead explained. “I didn’t see much of you today so I snuck out again after they left.”
“It’s three a.m.,” Cordy pointed out. “You have school this morning.”
The mention of the time only made Willow yawn. “Don’t wanna go to school. I want to be with you. Don’t make me go.”
Cordelia realized, “Geez! I’m not your mother. Besides, I was calling to tell you to that I need your help to seduce Angel.”
Droopy eyes suddenly opened wide as Willow processed Cordelia’s words. “You’d better tell me that again, because I just had all kinds of pictures pop into my head that just do not belong there.”
Rolling her eyes, Cordelia warned her lightly, “Naked Angel is my domain, pet.”
“Since when do you have problems seducing Angel?” asked Willow rather sleepily. Snort! Like she could help Cordy with that. “Just walk into the room and you’ll have instant seduction.”
“Hello, I am Cordelia Chase,” the vampiress responded with a haughty tilt to her head and paused just long enough before letting out a laugh. “It’s not the end result that’s in question, Willow. I just wanna have fun getting there. For that I need your help with a little magic.”
Magic. Obviously no hands-on assistance required. Damn! Willow refused to pout. This was actually going to fit in quite nicely with her own plans. When Angelus returned he would be so grateful that Willow helped him lose the soul that he would let her have just about anything she asked for. What did a vampire without a soul care if his mate paid a little attention to her pet every now and then?
Wide awake now, Willow was eager to start planning this seduction scene. Not that she knew much about it herself, but Cordelia could fill in the details and she would give it a little push to help things along.
“So when are you doing it?” She asked Cordy, then blushed at the way she had phrased the question. “I mean your plan. Soon, I hope.”
“Why are you so eager?”
“Better to go for it now when the idea is firm in your mind.”
“I hope that’s not the only thing that’s firm,” Cordelia waggled her eyebrows.
Willow squirmed. “Cordy!”
“Now I’m having naked Angel thoughts. Mmm! Yummy goodness.” Cordelia licked her lips as if she could still taste his mouth on hers. “I’m not sure that I want to wait, but this can’t happen now. It has to be after the next sunset. That seems so far away.”
“Why wait?” Willow wasn’t certain that Angel would want to delay sharing his news with his mate. Simultaneous news sharing and seduction would involve a high percentage of the bliss factor.
Cordelia found it odd that Willow seemed clueless about the importance of the day to come. “This is the day that changed everything.”
Instantly, Willow realized what she meant. “Today was Buffy’s eighteenth birthday. I forgot about it.”
“Sorry you missed it?”
“No. Buffy’s not speaking to me. Mainly because I stopped listening to her, but I don’t think having me show up with a present would be appropriate.”
Cordelia thought about sending Buffy a gift, but the type of present she would have picked would have made Angel angry. That was not the emotion she wanted to evoke right now.
“Sunset will mark the one-year anniversary of the night Buffy lost her virginity, Angel lost his soul and I lost my life so that I could be reborn as a vampire.”
“Uh— yeah. See your point. Definite reason to celebrate.” Willow hated that night, but then again if those things hadn’t happened she would not be best friends with Cordelia Chase. Now that she thought about it, Willow loved that night. It was definitely a good night.
“Lets go, pet,” Cordy hurried her along. “Last minute shopping.”
“What’s first?” The redhead asked imagining silky, lacy, leathery things along with toys that the vampires seemed to enjoy. Rummaging through Cordelia’s things was rather eye-opening at times and Willow knew that the vampiress allowed her explorations mostly because she was amused by her reaction. “Perfumed bubble baths? Scented candles? Body oil?”
“Something I don’t already have,” Cordelia waved off the ideas. “Though you’ve got a point, Willow. I thought you said you couldn’t help with this seduction.”
Willow was rushing beside her as the vampiress moved with a speed slightly faster than her normal gait. “Imagination is my strength.”
“We’re going to the 24-hour Wal-Mart. I need mirrors.”
***
“This is late even for you, Slayer,” commented Spike as he found Buffy sitting atop a tombstone. Having gone to the Bronze for a couple of hours after leaving Jude and Willow, he left only when the club closed.
Buffy slowly turned her gaze to his not even bothering to pick up the stake that rested next to her. “Oh look! It’s the peroxided pest. My best birthday present ever.”
“Want to unwrap your present, luv? There are surprises inside.” Spike gave her a leer and hooked a thumb inside the waistband of his jeans.
“What do you want, Spike?” The question came out glumly and not with any of the spark she normally put into their usually brief conversations.
Since the Slayer did not appear to be interested in jumping off of the tombstone to stake him, Spike chose a spot directly opposite her position and stood close. “What does any vamp want with you? I want to bathe in your blood, fuck you, break you and suck your life away. Not sure which one I want first. Suggestions?”
The eyes staring at him were cold. There was no heated quip. No clenched jaw. She did not even bother to threaten him.
“What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Slayer?” It seemed to him like the blond bint was depressed. “If this is your birthday, you should be out partying not moping about in the cemetery like an overripe zombie.”
Buffy managed to get out a half-hearted curse and added, “Shut up, Spike. Go away.”
“No.”
“Go away!”
“Not until you tell me why your head is shoved up your ass,” Spike argued. “Tell Uncle Spike what’s on your mind.”
He actually hopped up onto the large tombstone next to Buffy while also managing to toss her stake on the ground. The look on his face seemed almost genuine and suddenly Buffy found that the feelings that tightened her chest and closed up her throat were pouring forth. She spilled it all.
“There was no party. My mom has been sick. My friends are dead, vamped or ignoring me.”
Seemed like legitimate reasons for depression.
“I’m so tired of this.” Buffy figured that Cordelia told Spike about the evil plot against her. Cordy had taken up where Angelus had left off, but apparently a quick kill was too merciful. She wanted to drag out the pain.
She told Spike about Giles. “The Watcher’s Council came today. Giles is going back to England.”
“No Watcher?” Spike tried to hide his glee.
“They brought a replacement. A know-it-all with a snooty name. Mr. Wesley Wyndam-Price at your service.”
Too bad.
“I hardly see Willow anymore. She— forgot my birthday today. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised considering how much time she spends at the mansion.”
Red had an excuse. She was enthralled. Spike wasn’t going to give that one away without good reason. Not unless he particularly wanted Cordelia to crush his balls under the heel of her shoe.
“Even Angel forgot. You’d think he would remember.”
Spike had to point out, “Peaches has distractions.”
“Queen Slut,” mumbled Buffy.
“Jealous?” Spike figured she had reason to be.
“No.” It came out as little more than a whisper.
Buffy’s head was turned away refusing to look at what she thought would be triumph in his eyes. Then Spike’s cool fingers curved around her jaw bringing her about to face him. There was no censure in his bright blue gaze, just a determination of unknown origin. As the first of her tears gathered on the curve of her cheek, Spike leaned in to brush it away with his lips.
Then his mouth covered hers as Buffy let out a gasp. She was so startled that she did not move. Not at first. Not when his lips came over hers in such a gentle way that it was little more than a soft caress. His mouth moved against hers following the bowed shaped of her lips. Only after Spike’s efforts pulled a moan from her throat did he attempt to deepen his kisses.
Buffy found herself responding to the cool and tender sensations. What she was feeling was far better right now than wallowing in her thoughts. Opening her mouth a bit wider, she touched her tongue to Spike’s tasting the strange mixture of dark flavors that was uniquely him. Buffy ran her tongue along his bottom lip and then alternated kissing lips with him. Lower lip. Upper lip. Touch. Taste. Forward. Retreat. Smooch. Lick. Mindless stirring pleasure kept her coming back for more.
The hand that had cupped her jaw no longer needed to maintain that position. Spike let it move up so the silk of her hair fell through his fingers before fisting it in his hand. Every passing second changed the sounds and scents he sensed. Her quickening heart beat was steady, but noticeably faster. Little moans emanated from the back of her throat as her soft breath panted upon his face. Her scent alone made him hard. That heady Slayer scent mixed with warm vanilla and the spicier enticement that was the first hint of arousal.
It surprised him, causing Spike to part their mouths long enough to stare down into her heavy-lidded eyes. The pupils were larger than usual even here in the moonlit darkness of the night. He saw a flash of something in those eyes that he took as acceptance. Surprised at seeing it, Spike didn’t take the time to ponder the reasons. He simply brought their mouths together again now a little less careful, meshing lips and probing tongues. More voracious kisses that filled him with the taste of her.
Using his strength, the vampire swept her off of the tombstone to straddle his lap never once breaking the kiss. Buffy let out a gasp as she settled on to his hard bulge, but it was a good feeling. Not like the feelings that had filled her so recently. Spike’s arm curved around her back and he yanked her hard into his lap pressing her groin into his.
“Slayer,” he muttered now kissing his way across her jaw to the pulse of her throat.
“Spike.” The name on her lips came out as a groan. Buffy called out to him again as his tongue darted along the sensitive flesh of her throat and his lips nibbled their way from the spot behind her ear down to her collarbone and back again.
Her head lolled back exposing her throat even more when Buffy’s humming body gave her a signal that jerked her out of the pleasurable place Spike’s kisses had taken her. Her Slayer senses kicked in and Buffy felt the difference as his face shifted even while Spike kept his mouth on her skin.
Almost curiously, Buffy waited a couple of seconds to see what Spike was going to do next. He lapped softly, kissing the cords of her neck and his mouth gently sucking at her flesh. Strangely, it felt awesome.
Buffy’s hands, which had been clinging to Spike’s shoulders, now moved up to clasp his head. She hissed in his ear as his sharp fangs scraped superficially across the surface of her throat. Then Spike licked up the tiny trail of blood left behind feeling a rush as it touched his tongue. Slayer blood. Spike breathed it in and moved his tongue around his mouth to get every drop.
Just as Spike leaned in for more, Buffy gave his head a strong pull separating them. His vampiric eyes glittered with dark arousal. There was no mistaking that she was making out with a demon, but this wasn’t like it was with Angel. Here, there was no excuse of the presence of a soul. Just a vampire— a killer.
“Is this the lead-in to draining me?” Buffy queried. “Distract the Slayer with a kiss and let the bloodbath begin.”
So the fun was over, Spike realized and promptly lifted her to the ground. Standing, he adjusted the crotch of his jeans to a more comfortable position. “No, luv. When I kill you, I want a little spring in your step. A challenge. Not this sad excuse for a Slayer.”
Buffy digressed quickly from feeling the rush of his kisses back into the pit of gloom. What kind of Vampire Slayer was she? This wasn’t how vamps and their Slayers were supposed to get physical. Obviously, she hadn’t learned her lesson the first time.
Reminding her of the night he sought out her assistance against Angelus and the threat of Acathla, Spike returned the words Buffy had used on him. The ones that had acted as a slap in the face, “Right now, you’re too pitiful to kill.”
Bastard. As she thought the word a glint returned to the depths of her gaze. Spike latched onto it and stayed focused. Moving in close again, he added, “That doesn’t mean you’re not worth a quick tumble.”
C’mon, Slayer, hit me, he urged silently. Show me that spark.
Spike was leaning back toward Buffy’s bowed mouth determined to get some kind of reaction out of the chit when a large four-legged creature bounded out of the darkness landing on both of them. Letting out a short cry of surprise, Buffy reacted instinctively by thrusting Spike aside in order to deal with the hairy beast.
Then she realized that it was just a dog. A huge furry monstrosity of a dog that was nearly as big as her. A small glob of slobber dripped from its mouth as it gazed down at Buffy with its keen eyes. It wasn’t attacking her, just acting playfully in a friendly doggy kind of way.
From his position on the ground nearby, Spike groaned aloud as he realized Drusilla had sent her hellhound after him. The vampiress had not wanted to come out with him tonight as he had been planning to play pool, but apparently he had stayed away too long. It was the one real trick she’d taught the pooch— fetch Spike.
Her dog’s timing sucked. Muttering, “Bad Puppy.”
Buffy heard Spike censure the dog and remembered the tiny pup from only a year ago. “I don’t believe it. This is Puppy?”
Hearing her speak its name, the dog lowered its head and proceeded to lick at her face. “I- ugh! Stop. Puppy! Gross. Enough with the doggy kisses. Ick! Dog slobber.”
Pushing Puppy aside, Buffy struggled to her feet and wiped at her face. Laughing at her, Spike commented, “Still upset at my kisses, Slayer?”
“Guess whose kisses I preferred more,” smirked Buffy as she patted the dog’s head.
“If you say Puppy’s then you’re one helluva liar, luv.” Spike was about to order the dog to head toward the mansion when he suddenly remembered what happened the last time Puppy returned smelling of Slayer scent. Dru noticed immediately and blamed him for letting the Slayer contaminate her pet.
Now he was gonna need about six bottles of dog shampoo and a blow dryer. When Spike suddenly asked if she could run an extension cord outside her back door and described what he had in mind, Buffy found herself laughing aloud. There was a hint of darkness in her voice, but it held no sign of the misery that had been clouding her. “Spike— Puppy’s not the only one who’s covered in my scent.”
“Bloody hell!”
***
Angel slammed shut the door blocking out the first rays of the dawning sun as he swept inside at the last possible second. Pressing his back into the wooden door, he was struck by déjà vu. Almost a year ago he had done this, searching Sunnydale for his mate without finding a trace. Now as then, the vampire felt deep in his gut that Cordelia remained alive and assured himself that he would know it if she was dead.
Only this time, he had not been alone in his search. Spike and the minions reacted with as much concern when Cordelia did not return during the wee hours of the morning. As with many of her outings since coming to town, she had gone out on her own. The blond had vampire returned from his encounter with the Slayer nearly two hours ago and found his grandsire pacing the floor.
“No sign of her?” Spike asked him now though the answer seemed obvious. Otherwise Angel would have the chit with him. “No indication of trouble at the Watcher’s house. His council buddies finally left and he was all tuckered out. Looked a little pissed when I woke him up to ask if he’d seen Cordelia. He has a surprisingly good vocabulary of expletives.”
Angel had been a bit surprised that Cordelia had been hanging out at Rupert Giles’ house, but he had no reason to doubt that Spike saw her there. “Where did she go from there?”
“I tracked her from the Watcher’s house through the cemetery,” Spike told him, “but it only led to the church parking lot. Cordy had the Corvette.”
Angel had asked Spike to go knowing that Rupert Giles was still wary of him considering that Angelus had tortured him and killed his girlfriend. “I had no better luck at Richard Wilkins’ place. Whatever Cordelia is scheming, she wasn’t there tonight.”
One by one, the minions reported their findings. Jude informed Angel that he awakened Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg in order to question Willow. “They told me she was staying at the Summers’ house. I didn’t tell them otherwise, but I think we all know that was a lie.”
“Red snuck out of the house?” Spike thought this enthrallment was getting to be a pain. It was getting hard to make the little witch behave.
Nodding, Jude told him, “I followed her scent, but it led to the cemetery where you were tracking Cordelia. They must have met up for some reason.”
Angel was actually relieved at the idea rather than any one of the other scenarios he had envisioned. “So there was no indication of Buffy’s involvement in this?”
“Uh— no.” Spike pointed out. “Slayer was actually otherwise occupied tonight.”
“Oh?” Angel paused to ask just as he caught the expression on the other vampire’s face. “On second thought— don’t tell me.”
Spike wasn’t planning on it.
“The Bronze was shut up tight,” Tom reported. “I checked it out anyway, but no sign of the mistress.”
Keanu had gone to Willie’s demon bar with Mel and Brad. “There was no word on the streets of anything going down tonight.”
“Dammit!” Angel growled as he strode away from the door. “Where is she?”
Dru suddenly appeared at the top of the landing staring down at them. She had refused to take part in their little search and even kept her freshly-scented Puppy with her. “Silly boys. Cordelia and her Willow are just fine, my Angel.”
“How do you know that?” Angel bounded up the stairs two at a time to stand by her side.
“The ringing told me.”
Angel guessed that she had a vision. “The stars sent you a message?”
“The stars twinkle,” Dru corrected. “The telephone rings.”
Crooking a finger under Drusilla’s chin, Angel held her still. “When did this call come?”
“Ages ago.”
With a sigh, Angel figured that Drusilla probably thought their frantic search for Cordelia was an amusing game of hide and seek. “What did Cordy say when she called?”
“Something about being stuck at Wal-Mart.”
“Wal-Mart?” Keanu gasped overhearing them. No wonder they had not found Mistress Cordy before the sunrise.
“Cordelia and Willow went on an all-night shopping spree?” Angel was glad it wasn’t his bank account in such jeopardy. “Is there a reason you didn’t tell me about it?”
“Yes,” Dru answered with a smile.
Angel prompted, “And that reason would be what?”
“It’s a secret.”
The creak of the door caught their attention and the vampires darted out of the light that filtered in through the cracks as it opened wide. Willow stepped into the room instantly darting out of the way to make room for the running figure swathed from head to toe in a steaming burka.
“Close the door,” Cordelia’s muffled voice came from beneath the confining layers. “Get me out of this thing.”
After slamming the door shut, Willow dropped the keys to the Corvette onto a table in the center of the foyer. A quick glance around the room showed the entire membership of the household in various states of irritability. Drusilla was the only one smiling, but that was clearly in anticipation of knowing what was to come.
Her minions were already crowding around her murmuring their relief that their mistress was alive and apparently well. For the moment. They scattered apart as Angel descended the stairs and crossed the foyer with a growl sounding under his breath. He barked out at them a dismissal, “Goodnight!”
Without a word of protest, all five backed away and disappeared into other parts of the mansion.
Pulling the hot cloth away from her head, Cordelia found Angel standing directly in front of her. She knew her mate had been anxious for her return even before meeting his gaze. After removing the rest of the confining garment that completely covered her, Cordelia looked up only to react with a start. Angel’s expression was one of intense control. Any second now, she sensed it was going to break.
Even so, when Angel reached out and yanked her against his hard torso, Cordelia was not prepared for the fury behind his kiss. The hard swipe of his lips came close to bruising as they traced hers. Angel’s mouth pressed open her lips to delve inside tasting her on his tongue as he wound his fingers through her hair to hold her in place. Not that he needed to since her arms moved around his back to clasp his shoulders. After the initial shock, Cordy returned his kiss voraciously eating up the no-holds-barred manner in which he claimed her mouth.
Then his rounded teeth nipped her lip causing her to let out a small cry as it drew blood. Angel sucked away the crimson stain taking the lip into his mouth laving it until the wound closed. It was one thing to be anxious, but this behavior seemed strange. “Angel?”
Breaking away from the embrace, Angel held his mate at arms’ distance still looking at her with barely controlled rage. “Don’t ever put me through that again, Cordelia. This is not some sleepy little village in the middle of Central America where you have your run of the place. This town has a Slayer who is not exactly fond of you.”
“Pfft!”
“What the hell were you thinking, Cordy?” Angel barked angrily. “Did you even consider the possible consequences or that I— we— might be concerned when you didn’t return at the expected time?”
Cordelia did not like being questioned, even by her sire. Especially when Angel was in a lecturing mode and she did not deserve it, “I called. I talked to Dru.”
“Drusilla has as much sense as a—,” Angel broke off mid-sentence not really meaning to insult his other childe no matter how true the words. “You should have called me.”
Licking at her sore lip, Cordelia narrowed her eyes at him. If she was going to be accused of worrying her sire then Angel better get his facts straight. “Check your cell phone. You will see that I tried to call you not once, but twice.”
“My cell phone,” Angel muttered suddenly remembering that he owned one. “Must be in my car.”
“Hah!” Giving him a scornful grin, Cordelia knew she had won that point. For someone who was as intelligent and well-read as Angel, you would think the vamp could learn the simple use of a cell phone. His determination to avoid aspects of modern technology was a mystery.
Spike dared to cut in with, “The chit has a point.”
“Go to bed, Spike; take Drusilla with you.” The words were accompanied by a growl that indicated he was angry with the vampiress.
“Who do you think you are— Angelus?” Spike didn’t like to hear anyone threatening Dru even if Angel had the right to do so.
“I told you to get out,” warned Angel now turning to Spike. “I want to be alone with my mate, not have a fucking family reunion.”
Drusilla giggled from the top of the stairs. Hearing Angel use bad words was always a treat since he normally avoided them. Only when he was really mad did her souled sire ever say such naughty things. Heading up the stairs, Spike told Dru, “Don’t take it so literally, luv. He wasn’t really suggesting *that* kind of a reunion.”
Eep!
Willow turned as red as her hair as she thought about what the vampire had suggested. It was a rather graphic picture that popped into her head and wouldn’t seem to go away. As she needed to go back out to bring in their purchases, she crept back toward the door and stood there with her back pressed against it. If Cordy and Angel remembered that she was there, neither acknowledged her. They were too caught up in each other.
Cordelia found herself simultaneously ticked off and turned on by Angel’s bad attitude. It was not like him to be quite so rough with her. She demanded an explanation, “What the hell do you think you’re doing treating me this way?”
Without waiting for an answer, she stared back to his lips asking, “Can I have more?”
“You’re about to get it all, tigress,” Angel swept her up into his arms and headed for their bedroom.
Willow heard the door slam shut behind them. “Don’t bother saying goodnight to me.”
As she headed out to retrieve their packages, Willow found herself smiling in spite of her tiredness. She had wondered how Cordelia was planning to make Angel wait a whole day before her little seduction scene. Some days the vampires barely got out of bed and Cordy thought she would talk her naturally amorous— downright horny in her presence— mate out of taking her to bed?
Cordy’s favorite response seemed to be apropos, “Pfft!”
If things went right, Willow wouldn’t have to wait until tomorrow night to see if her plan worked. She’d find out today. Because it looked like Cordelia and Angel were definitely gonna do it. Sometime between their multi-orgasmic clinches, Angel would recall that his soul was safe and then happiness would be had by all.
“Yes, Cordy,” she murmured darkly, “you can have more— of Angelus.”
