Chapter 11
Faith looked up when Tara stumbled into the room with tears on her face. She wondered what Willow had done now to make the kind-hearted Wicca so upset. “Hey, Glinda. What’s Will done now?”
Tara sniffled. “An-Anyanka is b-back. Willow m-made her third w-wish.” Tara brushed the tears from her face. “She’s gone forever now.”
Faith closed her eyes, and she tilted her head with a shrug. “What on earth was she thinking?”
“I don’t know.” Tara glanced at Faith. “I haven’t understood what Willow’s been thinking since that first wish.” She went to the couch where she perched on the edge.
Faith studied Tara for a moment. Everything was feeling out of sorts for the dark-haired Slayer. Slaying used to make her horny and hungry, and it didn’t even do that anymore. Faith felt cold and alone despite the fact that Jesse tried his hardest to help her. “You want to go get a drink or something, Tara?”
“Y-you want to me to go with you?” Tara was surprised. Faith had never been mean or anything, but on the other hand she hadn’t really acknowledged Tara before either.
“Yeah, sure.” Faith nodded towards the backdoor. “Let’s get out of here. We can go have some fun without the significant others.”
Tara glanced at the door that led to the other part of the store. She wasn’t sure if she should leave without telling anyone. Dot and Oz were being great friends at that moment.
“I’m sure Spike and Lawson can hear us. So, they know where we’re going. Especially that Lawson, he was really checking you out.” Faith went to get her jacket, ignoring Tara’s sudden blush. She turned towards the front of the store. “We’re just going to the Bronze guys. You can join us later to check on us if need be.”
“A-Alright, I guess it’ll be okay. I think I need something stronger than a soda today anyway.” Tara gathered her belongings before she followed Faith out the back door of the Magic Box. As they walked towards the nightclub, Tara wasn’t even aware of the shadow following them.
Faith looked back over her shoulder. She knew Lawson was pacing them, keeping an eye on the pretty blond Wicca walking next to her. The old Faith would have teased Tara about her new admirer, but the new Faith just didn’t have the emotional gumption for such an act. The girls continued on to the Bronze without incident.
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“Let me tell you all about the blood bonding ceremony,” Anyanka announced.
Lawson ignored the vengeance demon as he made his way towards the back of the store. He heard the dark-haired Slayer’s offer to Tara to go have a drink or two at the Bronze. The vampire didn’t want the Wicca to go out alone. The state of her emotions was too unstable at the moment, and alcohol might make her even more upset. Lawson gave Spike and Buffy a slight nod as he left.
“Why on Earth would you want to do a blood bonding ceremony?” Lydia asked in surprise.
“Oh, I don’t want to lose my Rupert, of course.” Anya smiled brightly at Giles. “When we do the bonding ceremony our life forces will be tied together. It’s much like a vampire mating. You will stop aging, just like Buffy has.”
Giles and Lydia stared at Anyanka in astonishment.
“What are you talking about?” Lydia spluttered. She glanced over at the blond haired Slayer and her vampire companion. “A Slayer would never consent to be the mate of a vampire. It’s just not done.”
Buffy smirked as she flipped her hair back to show off the newly opened fang marks on her neck. “Oh, I consented. I consented a lot.”
“It’s all one sided, isn’t it?” Lydia was a little worried. If the Slayer was under the vampire’s control, things could go pear-shaped any time he got a little out of sorts.
Spike let out a bark of laughter. “Not hardly.”
The others from Buffy’s group laughed. They all knew that Spike had been reluctant to claim the Slayer in the first place. He had been worried that she hadn’t known what she was doing since he didn’t know that Buffy had researched the whole mating act before hand.
“Spike’s mine. I’m the one in charge in this relationship.” Buffy knew that the others in the group would go along with anything she said. They had already briefly discussed letting everyone think that Buffy was the dominant one in the relationship instead of the equals that they really were. Buffy turned to Spike with a smirk. “Take off your shirts, Spike. Assume the position.”
Spike quickly got into the game by slipping off his duster and pulling off his shirt to expose his lash striped back. The bleached blond vampire sank to his knees next to Buffy’s side. He put his hands behind his back with his head bowed.
“Good boy.” Buffy patted Spike’s head.
Giles was agog until he saw Buffy give him a little wink, and then he realized the whole act was for show. Buffy was establishing her supremacy over her demon mate, at least in the eyes of the other demons in Sunnydale. This also had the added benefit of flustering Lydia Chambers. He gave a little chuckle.
“That’s so sexy.” Anyanka licked her lips. “Is it like that with all blood bondings?”
“I’ve never seen any but ours,” Buffy replied. “Although Dot mentioned something similar for werewolves.”
Dot nodded vigorously. “There’s a special brew that can be made. It lets the werewolves remember their human sides so that a ceremony can be performed. I saw one before my mom and I met up with the Immortal. Most werewolves just go for the human type marriage.”
“No one takes commitment today.” Anya shook her head, but then she brightened. “Sure does make the scorned women vengeance a lucrative business though.”
“Oh, is that your forte?” Joyce said with a grin. “I sure wish you would have come to visit me when Hank left me. I would have wished for his penis to shrivel up whenever he looked at a woman.”
“Wish granted.” Anya’s demonic visage rippled forth. “I would have been there sooner, Joyce, but Hoffy was worried that your daughter would slay me.”
Halfway across the world, Hank Summers’ cock deflated just as he was about to stick it in his secretary’s fine, tight cunt. When he was unable to arouse the organ again, the young woman slapped him silly before she stormed out of the office. She spent the rest of the week telling the other secretaries about how Hank couldn’t perform under pressure.
Giles’ mind finally wrapped itself around the idea that Anyanka had set forth when she had arrived unexpectedly. He turned to the petite woman, and he asked in a wondering voice, “You want to bond with me?”
“Of course silly.” Anyanka laid a hand on Giles’ arm. “I’ve been a demon for over 1100 years, and you’re the first man I’ve ever wanted to spend more than a few minutes with. You’re smart, fun, and give the best orgasms I’ve ever had.”
“Oh.” Giles didn’t know what else to say. This beautiful creature was interested in him. Most days he felt every one of his forty some years, but when he was with Anyanka, he felt like he was Ripper again.
“I must go call a colleague at the Council.” Lydia got to her feet. “I’m sure you remember Reginald Bey, Rupert?”
Giles nodded mutely. Reginald Bey was the youngest son of a Middle Eastern sheik and his English wife. As the youngest boy of five sons, Reggie had spent most of his childhood in England with his maternal grandparents the Hobsons before following his grandfather into the Council. Giles had hung out with Reggie at Oxford until he got involved with Ethan’s group. Then, Reggie had distanced himself from Giles. Looking back, Rupert thought that Reggie probably had the right idea. They were still friendly, of course. Couldn’t help that one with them both going to Watcher classes together.
“Well, Reginald would be very interested in this thesis I am doing.” Lydia strolled towards the back of the store. “This will be his first field assignment. I’m sure he’ll be eager to see you, Rupert.”
“Anya, how about you go shopping with Mom and Dot? Give Giles some time to wrap his mind around your proposal?” Buffy smiled at the vengeance demon. “Thanks for cursing Daddy’s dick.”
Anyanka glanced at Giles. She realized that he still had a flabbergasted look on his face. “Oh, um, sure, I guess. Are there any good sex shops in Sunnydale?”
“I know just the place,” Hope spoke up. “My friends dared me to go in there once. It’s over on the old Highway close to the Rusty Beaver.”
“You know about that place?” Jesse gasped. He couldn’t believe that Hope had any idea about the seediness of Sunnydale.
“Of course, silly.” Hope grinned at Jesse. “I only had to go into The Shadow’s Den of Pleasure. Lance was the one that had to go into the Rusty Beaver.”
“Rusty Beaver?” Anyanka asked.
“Yeah, it’s the demonic strip club outside of the city limits,” Hope said with a nod. “It’s the coolest ever.”
Jesse’s head dropped into his hand. “I’m so glad you’re leaving Sunnydale, Hope. Otherwise I think I’d need to lock you up and throw away the key.”
“Let’s go, slave boy.” Buffy tapped Spike’s shoulder. “We have some demons to intimidate.”
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Tara fiddled with the umbrella on her drink. She was unsure of what to say to Faith. She and the Slayer had never been particularly close, but before the Wicca could think of anything to say, Faith broke the silence.
“I think I came back wrong,” the dark-haired woman said in a toneless voice. “I know how I should feel. I remember it even, but it’s like I’m dead inside.”
Tara stared at Faith aghast in horror. What had Willow done when she had uttered that life altering wish?
“I was happy where I was. I knew Hope and Jesse had each other.” Faith stared into her cup of beer as if she was searching for answers in its depths. “Now they don’t even have that. They barely look at each other. My return has ruined everything.”
“No, you return hasn’t ruined anything,” Tara protested. “It was Willow’s fault. You haven’t messed anything up. Jesse and Hope both love you very much.”
“I love them too.” Faith sighed. “At least, I used to. I remember what it feels like to love them both.”
“You still love them. I’m sure of it.” Tara looked around the club. She noticed Lawson across the room watching them with an intent expression on his face. “What’s he doing here?”
Faith glanced in the direction Tara was looking. “Somebody has a crush on you,” she observed with her usual insight.
“But I’m not his type.” Tara continued to stare at Lawson. She thought he was almost pretty for a man. She had to admit one thing; Angelus knew how to pick the pretty ones. If she was going to go out with a guy, Lawson would be the one.
“Obviously you are, sweets.” Faith raised an eyebrow at Tara’s naiveté. “You need someone whose darkness is on the outside where everyone can see it.”
“Maybe.” Tara looked at Faith. She had a question burning in her mind. “Did I ever really know Willow?”
Faith shrugged. “Do we ever really know anyone? Most of us don’t have the privilege of living inside each other’s heads like the other Slayer and her vamp toy does.”
Tara looked at Lawson again. The vampire hadn’t moved an inch, and his attention was squarely fixed on her much to the displeasure of the women trying to get his attention. “I’m gonna go talk to him. Be right back.”
“Take your time.” Faith gulped down her drink before she rose to her feet. “I’ll be on the dance floor.”
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Buffy sauntered into the Rusty Beaver, a demonic strip club on the outskirts of Sunnydale. In one hand she carried a loaded crossbow, and in the other she held a leash attached to a collar around Spike’s neck. The vampire was clad only in his jeans and boots. Oz and Wesley followed behind the Slayer and the vamp, and they both had loaded crossbows too.
The demons eyed the submissive acting vampire. Most knew that the new Slayer was in town, and that William the Bloody had accompanied her, but they had no idea why the infamous vampire was with the known killer of his kind. The demons saw the lash marks that marred Spike’s skin, and they collectively shuddered. If the Slayer could subdue and command a creature as wild and craven as William the Bloody, what on earth would she do to them?
Buffy strolled over to the stage. She hopped up on the platform, and she leaned the crossbow across her shoulder. Buffy nodded to Spike, who put two fingers into this mouth to let out a loud, sharp whistle.
“Hey, listen up!” Buffy shouted. “I’m the Slayer, which I’m sure you’ve figured out already. I own this town now!”
“Says who?” A scar-faced vamp stood up from his seat at the bar. He waved a hand at his comrades. “It’s just one broad, her bitch, and two humans. We can take them.”
Buffy leveled the crossbow at the vamp. “Mr. Pointy part deux says so.” An arrow zinged through the air, and the vamp’s dust littered the floor.
The demons backed up from the stage.
“You all see ‘my bitch’ here?” Buffy pointed at Spike. “He isn’t some housebroken puppy. No, he’s a trained attack dog.”
Oi, watch who you’re callin’ a pooch, Slayer. Spike’s indignant voice echoed through Buffy’s head.
Buffy smirked at the congregated mass. “If you’re good little demons, I won’t sic him onto you. But if you cause havoc of any kind, me and my guys will kill you dead.” She glanced at the vamps at the bar. “Or deader, whichever the case may be.”
A floppy skinned demon in the back raised a hand. “Is kitten poker okay?”
“Don’t see why not.” Buffy shrugged. “And you are?”
“Clem,” the demon replied happily.
“Wes, you were looking for a liaison person.” Buffy nodded to her Watcher. “Clem here just volunteered.”
“I did?” Clem puffed up with importance. “Will you be paying me? Can I have it in kittens?”
“Sure, if that’s what you want,” Wes replied. He wondered why Clem was so interested in kittens.
“Uh, Mistress?” Another demon raised his hand. “Will you beat us like you did him?”
“Not bloody likely,” Spike suddenly growled, all pretense of being submissive gone. “She’s mine, and you’ll keep your nasty thoughts to yourself.”
“Oh, I love it when he gets all hot and possessive,” Buffy cooed. She let out a shriek when Spike grabbed her off the stage, and he slung her over his shoulder. Buffy had a contented smile on her face as her vampire went all caveman on her.