Part 6<\/b>\u00a0– Rueba de las Almas<\/p>\n
\u201cYou voted against releasing Angelus? Why do I not believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBelieve what you want, you fucking whore, but I didn\u2019t want Angelus freed,\u201d Lilah shouted at Cordelia. \u201cWithout a soul, he couldn\u2019t feel the pain of loosing his son. Without a soul, he couldn\u2019t feel the guilt when we fucked with your mind. I want the son of a bitch to feel pain. But now, the monster is on the loose and apparently we have no idea where he is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWolfram and Hart had been keeping tabs on him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApprarently,\u201d Lilah spat. \u201cBut a couple of our people turned up dead a few weeks ago. I guess Angelus knew someone had been watching. I don\u2019t know much beyond that. Except that some Indian looking man seems to have taken up residence in our offices. He wears a necklace all the time. Has a bunch of small glowing beads on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI find it hard to believe you haven\u2019t done any snooping,\u201d Cordelia said.<\/p>\n
Lilah spat at her while trying to keep pressure on her leg wound. \u201cThe bosses have buried me in work and deadlines. They didn\u2019t like that I voted no. Now they\u2019re making me do secretarial shit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m crying on the inside,\u201d Cordelia said. Kneeling beside the bloody lawyer, she poked the arrowhead into Lilah\u2019s gut. \u201cThis is my best friend we\u2019re talking about. If for one minute I think you lied to me, or kept some key bit of information from me, I will come back and I will kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia shoved Lilah flat against the floor. Without a second glance, Cordy tucked the crossbow out of sight and left, followed closely by Gunn and Tara.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas she telling the truth?\u201d she asked Tara as they piled into Gunn\u2019s pickup.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so,\u201d Tara said. \u201cHer mind was clear. I don\u2019t believe she was hiding anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gunn put the truck in gear and took off. \u201cWhat the hell was that?\u201d he asked Cordelia. \u201cI know that woman\u2019s a bitch, but I wasn\u2019t expecting you to shoot her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard once the threat of pain is oftentimes worse than pain itself. I needed her to know that I was fully capable of inflicting it on her. Besides, it got us some information, didn\u2019t it?\u201d Gunn reluctantly agreed. \u201cNow we go through the books and see if we can narrow down who that Indian man is.\u201d<\/p>\n
**************
\n\u201cHello Cordelia,\u201d a silky smooth greeted from behind her.<\/p>\n
Cordelia turned to find Angelus standing in her bedroom doorway. Dressed in tight black leather pants and a midnight blue silk shirt, Cordelia could almost let herself forget who this was.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you get in here?\u201d she gasped, all the while staring below his waist.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let me in,\u201d he said innocently. Angelus smirked when he saw where she was looking. \u201cSee anything you like?\u201d he asked as he gyrated his hips. \u201cI know I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although she wanted to run, Cordelia\u2019s desire to stay overrode the flight instinct. She was powerless to move as Angelus slowly sauntered over to her. He gently fingered the straps to her black thigh-length dress.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I like this a lot,\u201d he whispered to her. His right hand dropped down to just below her knee. Slowly, too slowly, it began to make its way upward. His hand continued to move until he found the object of his desire.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo knickers,\u201d Angelus teased gently. \u201cI didn\u2019t take you for that kind of girl. Nice to see that you\u2019re ready for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d she denied softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you are. I can smell you.\u201d Angelus took a slow, deep breath. \u201cIt\u2019s surrounds you like a fine perfume. I can also feel you.\u201d Cordelia gasped loudly as two fingers slowly entered her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve wanted this for a long time,\u201d Angelus insisted. \u201cWhy else would you be wet and waiting? Admit it, you\u2019re just a horny little slut.\u201d Angelus smirked at her shocked expression. He was easily able to block the hand meant to slap him.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust lay back and let Angelus do the work,\u201d he ordered softly. Cordelia was shocked when she seemed to obey. \u201cThat\u2019s my girl,\u201d he whispered. Angelus took hold of the dress straps and pulled them off her shoulder. \u201cLift up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cordelia obeyed once more. Angelus slowly slid the dress down her body, his mouth leaving a trail of kisses over her breasts and stomach. \u201cGood girl,\u201d he told her. Cordelia watched in a daze as Angelus painstakingly began to undo the buttons on his shirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cFuck that,\u201d Cordelia cried as she grabbed his shirt and ripped it open. Buttons flew everywhere, as her hands took on minds of their own. They made several sweeps across his chest before finally settling on his belt.<\/p>\n
\u201cOff, now!\u201d she shouted. Angelus grinned at her eagerness. He liked a woman that could be assertive. That\u2019s why he stayed with the syphilitic whore for so long.<\/p>\n
Cordelia batted his hands away when she decided he was taking too long. The belt was undone in moments and was promptly thrown away, hitting a bedside lamp and knocking it to the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cPants, off, now,\u201d she said more to herself than him. Angelus adjusted from his kneeling position above her to allow Cordelia to pull his pants down. She jerked down hard on them, leaving angry scratches on Angelus\u2019 sides. The vampire moaned at the sensation. This he liked.<\/p>\n
Now that he was naked, Cordelia took the initiative. Kneeing him in his side, Cordelia flipped him onto his back. \u201cJust lay back and let Cordelia do the work,\u201d she said with a smirk. Cordelia then raked her fingernails down his chest, leaving angry red trails down to his waist. The guttural moan he emitted sent shock waves through her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think you\u2019re evil?\u201d she taunted. \u201cI can do worse.\u201d Cordelia wrapped a hand around his erection and began to slowly stroke him. Angelus arched his back so far, Cordelia thought he\u2019d fold backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the love of God, woman,\u201d Angelus moaned. \u201cCordelia, you need to wake up.\u201d Angelus looked her directly in the eyes. \u201cCordelia, you need to wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n
***************
\nCordelia shot awake. A large demonology book that had been resting on her chest fell to the floor beside her bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia,\u201d Willow said. \u201cYou need to wake up. I think I found something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia stared up at Willow in confusion. Breathing heavily, She tried to calm herself enough to understand what Willow was saying. \u201cWhat?\u201d she asked in a ragged breath.<\/p>\n
Willow stared down in concern. \u201cI said I might have found something about this guy you told us about. The Indian dude?\u201d She saw recognition flash in Cordelia\u2019s eyes. \u201cCordelia? Are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Cordy lied. \u201cI\u2019m fine, just a weird dream. Let\u2019s go see what you found.\u201d<\/p>\n
****************
\nAngelus splashed cold water over his face. Looking in the mirror to the spot where his face should be, he was vaguely amused to see water droplets trickle slowly in midair.<\/p>\n
He grabbed a towel and dried his face roughly. That dream was\u2026intense. That foreplay had been more exciting that any he\u2019d ever experienced. But it had all been a fantasy, hadn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
It also went to prove, at least in his mind, why she was the perfect Queen. She was strong in will, perhaps even stronger than himself. She had been assertive, commanding, and he liked it.<\/p>\n
But perhaps she had been that way merely because he imagined her to be.<\/p>\n
No, Angelus thought. Nancyboy knew well enough what the woman could be like. Strong, independent, yet playful.<\/p>\n
He was getting a hard-on again. And so soon after a wet dream. The last time he had one of those, Angelus was 12 and dreaming of Betty McCormack. Damn, that woman had an effect on him.<\/p>\n
Angelus reached and grabbed his silk shirt off a hanger. There would be time to imagine later. He had business to attend to now. Putting on the shirt, he went back into his bedroom.<\/p>\n
On the floor lay the pale body of the \u2018gift\u2019 Kelemoke had given her. The little minx had come at him with a knife. Angelus had to admire her courage. Of course, that hadn\u2019t stopped him from snapping Hannah\u2019s pretty little neck like a twig. It was a shame really. The girl had been a great fuck. He really liked the way she screamed when he entered her.<\/p>\n
She was one in a million. Angelus laughed at that. Who was he kidding? He\u2019d just find himself someone new when he went out tonight.<\/p>\n
Angelus grabbed a black bag from beside the bed and then put on his coat. So little time, so much to do. Well, if Angelus got going now, he should be able to finish up by morning. If not, he didn\u2019t have anything pressing to do tomorrow morning.<\/p>\n
Whistling \u2018The Goldberg Variations\u2019, Angelus blew a kiss to Hannah\u2019s cold body. He was gone to make a house call.<\/p>\n
*************
\nWillow placed a large tome in Cordelia\u2019s lap. On the page was a drawing of a necklace with tens of beads on it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s the necklace that you were told about,\u201d Willow explained. \u201cIn many Native South American cultures, there are stories of men who traveled through the forests of Columbia, Venezuela, and Brazil. They wore these necklaces.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Spanish called them \u2018fantasmas\u2019, meaning ghosts, since these men seemingly had the ability to disappear at will. Many of the Natives also used a Spanish phrase to describe them, since many tribes believed these men harnessed another ability. They called them \u2018Rueba de las almas\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow looked away for a moment before answering. \u201cIt means The Stealer of Souls.\u201d<\/p>\n
**************
\nLilah Morgan limped off the elevator when it reached the Wolfram and Hart parking garage.<\/p>\n
All day she\u2019d been in pain because of what Angel\u2019s whore did to her. On top of that, she\u2019d got her ass chewed because she\u2019d yet to file a report of the Davidson case. If Lilah had known that voting \u2018no\u2019 would have reduced her to secretarial chores, she\u2019d have kept her fucking mouth shut.<\/p>\n
Pulling out her keys, she hit the button on the chain that unlocked the door to her Mercedes. Opening the door to the car, she tossed her briefcase in. Lilah never heard Angelus come up from behind her until it was too late.<\/p>\n
Holding the chloroform soaked towel over her mouth, Angelus grinned as Lilah slowly lost consciousness. Opening the back door, he tossed her in a heap across the seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow Lilah, we\u2019re going to go to your place and discuss what you and my Queen talked about last night. I hope you have some wine stocked, because later, I was hoping you\u2019d join me for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angelus climbed behind the wheel of Lilah\u2019s baby. \u201cDamn!\u201d he said. \u201cI love a stick shift! Makes me feel all manly.\u201d Angelus peered at Lilah in the rearview mirror. \u201cI guess that\u2019s why you got it, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angelus started the car and popped it in reverse. \u201cI wonder how fast this thing hits 60?\u201d Angelus shrugged his shoulders. \u201cOnly one way to find out.\u201d Throwing the car into gear, he hit fourth by the time he hit the street.<\/p>\n