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"Riley!" Buffy screeched loud enough to make me flinch. I brushed the dirt out of my hair from where I'd managed to scrape the top of my head on the Tarhul tunnel as we crawled from the Initiative into the cave. I rolled my eyes as they embraced, and shot a look over at Spike who now wore his precious duster, his hands shoved into the pockets as he leaned against the cave wall. Yep, I knew which sight I preferred. I muttered a curse as I stubbed my toe on the box of my own rescued property. I mean, I couldn't let Angel blow up my set of Babylon Five collectibles any more than I'd let him blow up Spike's coat.
"Enemy," the bumpy, greasy looking thing in the cave snapped with this hissing voice before clicking some wicked long teeth.
"Yeah, but not the kind ya get to eat," Spike said, and the Tarhul tipped his head to look at Spike with a swirling green eye.
"Some members of the clan you just keep as far away as possible," Angel added. "But he's Buffy's choice, so you will leave him alone." The Tarhul clicked his teeth several times and I'll be damned if I knew whether that was a promise or a threat or an invitation to shag. Spike and Angel didn't seem upset by it, so I just returned to Spike leerage, ignoring Riley as much as I could.
"What is going on? Your ex is a vampire? Spike and Xander are officially dating? What is- "
"Spike and Xander are what?" Willow gasped as she came into the cave, Tara close behind with three other women I didn't know. Damn, people who hang pictures of witches with long noses and ugly warts had clearly never seen this coven. Woof.
"Xander?" Buffy turned to me, and where I expected anger, resentment, and another round of bash the Zeppo, she actually looked a little amused. "After years of torturing me about how I had no right to love a vampire, *you're* going out with *Spike*? Oh, you will be tortured for this. I see long nights of bad foreign films and Xander torture in your future." Buffy gave me a small smile. The smile didn't quite reach her eyes, but I at least gave her credit for trying to do the supportive thing.
"Oh goddess, you're gay? And dating Spike?" Willow just sounded out of breath. "And when were you planning on telling us, mister?"
"I didn't think they were being particularly subtle, and if you'll excuse me, I don't think I want to be around for their coming out celebration," Angel announced as he started walking toward the mouth of the cave.
"There's going to be a party?" Willow asked brightly, bless her naïve little heart.
"Bloody right there is, and you're more than welcome to join in," Spike said with a grin and a wink in my direction.
"Oh, no. There will be no joining in on the party unless you're planning on having me cut off your party favors," I said right back to Spike with a glare.
"Oh," Willow breathed softly. "Hey. Um, maybe we'll just, you know, make some nice housewarming gifts for you instead."
"And I'm not sure L.A. is far enough away," Angel threw over his shoulder as he walked out of the cave, the Tarhul following close behind still making those clicking sounds with those four scary big front teeth.
"Riley, I need to…" Buffy stopped. "I just have to talk to him," she finished with her best charming look at Riley, and he froze as she pulled away to run after Angel. Yeah, there's a healthy relationship. I actually felt myself sympathizing with Riley. The man had rejected his own pack to side with us, and now the woman he wanted as mate went running after someone else. Ouch. Buffy was not making points with the boyfriend.
"Yeah, well, I think my boy and I have a thing or two to talk about ourselves. Soldier boys taken care of?" Spike asked the girls.
"The coven cast a cconfusion spell. Th-they won't bother you." I looked over and Tara was looking shyly up from under her lashes, but then she gave me a very definite wink. I gave a short laugh that turned into a hyena cackle, and everyone turned to look at me with wide eyes.
"Um, excuse me?" I said as I cleared my throat with a couple of fake coughs. Right, no growling around people and no laughing around people, either. I stopped as I considered that logic. Oh hell, it's not like they didn't already know I was strange, I might as well give them the full show. I walked slowly toward the mouth of the cave, looking back over my shoulder at Spike. Making sure that his eyes were focused on just me, I gave a deep rumbling growl of invitation. The whine that came out at the end was a complete accident, but then considering how much I wanted him and how long I'd had to wait, a little whining seemed in order.
And then it was as if everyone else in the cave just fell away. All I could see were the eyes that had flashed yellow the minute I growled, and all I could hear was Spike’s soft answering growl. We stood frozen in that stare and then I saw Spike's hand twitch, and I turned and bolted.
The night air slapped against the bare skin of my face and arms and I used every bit of my demon strength to get us far enough away from the gang to finish this in private, because one more interruption and I was going to reconsider my 'avoid killing' policy. Graveyard. It was close, and was as good as anywhere, especially since I wanted to stop running before I totally ran out of breath and energy. I was going to need plenty of both to get my way with him.
I grabbed the iron fence and vaulted to the top of the short four-foot barrier before leaping over the bushes and back down to the soft earth on the far side. I could hear Spike's boots pounding over the concrete sidewalk, and I ran to a tree where I tore off a low hanging limb.
Planting my feet, I stopped and waited, breathing in the night blooming jasmine and my own musky lust and the scent of freshly turned dirt and the faint perfume of roses wilting on tombstone bouquets. Wait, fresh dirt? Oh, god help the fledge that even considered it because I wanted this thing with Spike settled. One of us had to submit before we killed each other and everyone else ended up as collateral damage.
Spike came sailing into the graveyard, clearing the fence and bushes with a single fluid movement that was half leap and half vault with one hand on the top cross rail. His coat flew out behind him, and he landed with a dull thud before started toward me with his shoulders rolling in that fluid gate that’s peculiar to an excited Spike. He looked like sex on legs.
I dropped into a crouch and held the branch in front of me as I continued to breathe heavily, the scent of Spike's lust now competing with my own.
"Oi, no fair goin' for the wood, pet," Spike complained with an aggravated glance at the branch in my hand. I glanced down, and he sprang. Of course, I had expected him to spring, so I threw myself to the side and used the branch like a bat at his exposed side. It hit with a solid thump, pulling an umph noise from Spike before he grabbed the far end of the branch.
We stood there under the half moon, each holding one end of the branch and slowly circling. I watched the pattern of his feet, judging when he would have the least balance, the least control. When he took another step, I rammed the branch forward, forcing him to push it to one side, away from his body.
He took two stumbling steps back to catch his balance, and I dropped my end of the branch, lunging forward and striking out at his knee. Take out the knees and the prey is helpless. If Spike had tried to stay upright, my kick would have broken his leg. Instead, he allowed himself to go down onto his back in the dew-damp grass and I threw myself down on top, the sight of him nearly sending me blind with need.
Unfortunately, he was as ready for me now as I had been for him earlier. He pulled his legs up with the knees bent and put both boots deep into my stomach, forcing the air out and neatly tossing me to one side. I landed on my arm and instantly sprang up into a defensive crouch. Spike had done the same and now we mirrored each other again.
Spike growled as he moved stealthily with one hand touching the ground as he slid to the side. I returned his growl with one of my own as I settled my knees to the ground and pivoted to keep myself facing Spike. He circled several times while I regained my breath and considered the land for any possible advantage. The trees with their thick branches seemed the best bet, but I didn't dare turn my back long enough to snap a branch and Spike had thrown my weapon from earlier over the fence and all the way out to the street.
Without warning, Spike dashed forward, and I braced myself with my feet and knees in the ground as my hands reached for his shoulders and his reached for mine. His legs were spread wide to try and get leverage as he twisted at my arms to get me to flip. My own legs started sliding in the grass, and I widened my stance as I struggled to keep upright. His attack left us face to face, and I gazed into those yellow eyes and the snarling mouth and I wanted nothing more than to kiss it until those eyes closed in pleasure, but I had to earn that right.
Spike must have felt me slipping because he fisted my shirt in one hand and slid his hand farther down toward my armpit on the other and pushed even harder. Now it took everything I had not to be flipped.
I felt Spike's hands dig into my arms, my borrowed shirt tightening up under my armpit and pressing into my skin as Spike pulled the fabric. And I felt an irresistible urge to straddle that body and hold it down until it turned pliant under my hands. I realized I couldn't hold out forever, my own need for oxygen was proving to be a real disadvantage. So, I didn't just let myself roll, I actively pushed into Spike's grip rolling both of us and then I kept right on rolling until I got back to my original crouch and could retreat several steps as Spike bounced back up onto his feet.
"Bloody obstinate bugger," Spike snarled at me. “I'm going to pin you to the ground and bloody well make you submit," he said, and yes, this would be the verbal portion of tonight's program.
"Not likely. You're doing the submitting here tonight. I'm going to pin you to the ground until you beg me to fuck you," I returned as I launched myself at his legs, lifting his body and slamming him into the tree right behind him. He made a heavy gasping sound that told me I'd gotten in a good hit. I felt Spike's hands grab at the back of my neck and I started pulling back, but my foot caught on something and I stumbled to one knee. Before I could recover, I felt Spike's weight land on my back, an arm bending around my neck tightly.
And yes, that was that chocolate-craving urge to submit creeping up my backbone, and dammit, I was not going down that easy. Spike lay on my back as I knelt on hands and knees. I could feel his strong thighs closing on either side of my hips, and I had to suppress a shiver at the thought of which of Spike's body parts was now pressed up against my backside.
As I struggled to push myself up, Spike's arm tightened around my throat so that I struggled to pull air into my lungs. I didn't have much chance of pulling his arm away before I either passed out from lack of oxygen or lost to my urge to submit, so I let myself collapse onto the grass. Of course I hadn't stopped to consider that falling with Spike's arm around my neck might be of the bad. As I hit the ground, his arm was forced up into my neck, and I started coughing as tears prickled my eyes.
Where I had intended to try and fake submission and slip out of Spike's grip, instead I found myself completely freed as Spike let me go and flipped me over onto my back. Made it easier to see Spike's near-panicked expression on his now very human features.
"Bloody stupid…" Spike seemed to run out of words, which, hey, was actually something I'd never seen before, but right now I had other concerns. I let the tears run as I continued the coughing and choking long after the flash of pain in my neck had passed, and now Spike, who still straddled my legs, pulled me up to a sitting position. I leaned forward more as though trying to catch my breath, and I brought my hand up to rub at my neck, and Spike scooted back so that he straddled my ankles as I supposedly tried to get my breath back.
Spike's hands rested on my thighs, and I moved one hand restlessly as though still struggling with the pain while my left hand stayed near my neck. When my wandering hand came close to Spike's left hand, I snatched his thumb and gave it a brutal twist outward. Spike lunged to the side to try and free his hand, meaning he lunged right off me. As I struggled to my knees, I grabbed that captured thumb with both hands and twisted even harder.
Spike now stumbled to the side, clearly off balance and I half stood, dragging his hand upwards and pushing Spike onto his back. The game face crunched back into place, but I let all of my weight fall into his stomach using just one knee, and now that ridged face registered pain. I felt a brief flash of guilt, but shoved it aside- I just had to get him to submit and then I could spend the rest of my life making sure nothing ever hurt him again.
Spike flailed up with his free hand and grabbed a fistful of my hair to pull me down to him, his teeth gleaming even in the dim moonlight. I let him pull my head closer, but I planted my thumb under his jaw in a very special little spot Oz had once shown me. Spike shook his head to get free of my grip, but he also couldn't bite that way, so I just waited until he stopped and tried to bite me again. He struggled, but I had him trapped at three points- a knee in his stomach, one hand pinned over his head, and his jaw immobilized with that werewolf/Vulcan pressure point thingy. He didn't have a chance. I pressed the spot a little harder, and now Spike was hissing mad. I smiled into his eyes, saying nothing.
Spike let go of my hair and scrabbled at my hand on his jaw, managing to force it away as he strained upwards, snarling. For all his vampiric strength, though, I still had the advantage of position and it was time to end this. With a growl, I reached over like I was going to press into his jaw again, and when he flinched, pulling his head to the side, I struck.
My teeth dug into the side of his neck, in low near the shoulder. I could feel his entire body shiver at the strike, and his muscles tensed as he tried to throw me. His hands became claws tearing at me, and I blindly reached for his arms, struggling before I could get his wrists captured, struggling even more to pin those strong hands to the ground. I lay my weight on him, and he bucked up, squirming and cursing as I continued to dig my teeth into that powerful neck muscle, tasting the tang of vampire blood in my mouth and sucking at the wound.
Spike tried to roll, but I used my knees to brace us and just bit down harder. Spike's struggles weakened, but I just hung on like one of those remora fish that dangles on the underside of a shark because if I got this wrong, Spike was going to be on me before I could recover from another mistake.
Sure enough, Spike started another set of struggles, weaker this time, but the cursing got more interesting. I didn't even have time to listen to his complaints; the need to take and have and own tangled in my brain until I couldn't think of anything but feeling him submit.
The struggles grew weaker again, and then I felt it. Spike's head tilted farther and his whole body went limp, and I felt this intense… pride seemed a strange word, but it was like I was so damn proud of how beautiful and how strong and resilient and loyal he was because he was mine. And now I could smell the sharply sweet scent of submission and I gave a low deep and very, very happy growl.
I whined and licked the wound I had just made and I could feel Spike trembling under me. When I pulled back, he lay on the ground looking at the stars above, but I wanted those eyes on me.
"Mine," I snarled and those brilliant blue eyes snapped to me, but the demon wasn't at the front, and something wasn't smelling right. I sat up so that I could feel his hardness under my butt. "You're mine," I repeated. Didn't really have the brain cells for much more because I was fighting every instinct I had that just wanted to strip him naked and take him, drive into him, claim him. I thought the magnified chocolate craving of submission was bad, but this craving was like… it was like something way, way, way, way more crave-worthy than chocolate. This was Spike-craving, mate craving, and I struggled against that instinct as I smelled the first wisps of fear.
"Bloody hell, get on with it then," he snarled, and no, this wasn't right.
"Mine," I repeated. Yeah, I may have mentioned the lack of speak-capable thought.
"For how long then, mate? How long til you get tired of me?" Spike still lay compliant but now I suddenly understood his need to not be the one submitting. I shook my head as I tried to focus on Spike's problem ahead of my own overwhelming urge to mate. I leaned down and licked the bite as he shivered.
"Forever." I whispered. "If you run, I'll track you to the ends of the earth. You're my pack. But you're more, you're pack mate. My mate. You're mine." I sucked at the wound, getting the taste of vampire blood again as he bucked up, the lust once more drifting off him in waves.
"I stuck by Buffy even when she used me." I sucked harder, and Spike started panting in little needy shallow breaths. "I stuck by Willow and Giles." I went back to small licks. "I'll never give up on you." He gave a shuddering sigh.
"I'm bloody love's bitch. Can't give my loyalty by halves." He looked over at me and I could see the lust and the fear and the hope.
"Me too. But not so much with calling myself a bitch, which is funny because I think I technically am part bitch. Or don't they call female hyenas bitches?" I gave Spike a smile and he rolled his eyes.
"Loon."
"Nope, hyena. And you're pack and you’re mine and I'll never let you go," I said as I started working the buttons of his shirt, moving down his chest and reverently kissing the skin I was exposing. He opened his arms and I pushed his shirt open revealing the perfection that was Spike. I whined in half pleasure, half frustration as I indulged myself by taking his nipple in my mouth and nipping sharply before sucking on the offended flesh. Spike responded with a new burst of pheromones and an involuntary rippling of stomach muscles.
I moved down, nipping the skin just above his belly button as he lay there, spread out like a feast and I was a starving man who damn well needed to eat. I flipped the button on his jeans and slid the zipper down revealing the most beautiful cock in the world, and I gently kissed the head. I started pulling his jeans down, not bothering with the boots but instead letting the jeans hobble him because if I had to wait much longer it was not going to be pretty.
I reached down and unbuttoned my own jeans far faster; in fact, it might have been qualified as ripping them off as I toed out of my sneakers. The release of pressure as I finally got my fly open returned some control and I crawled back up Spike's body.
He was fumbling in one of the duster’s pockets, finally producing a small bottle. "Want?" he asked with a knowing grin as he held it up, and thank god one of us thought to be prepared. I snatched the bottle as I bent over and nipped at his pale neck again, causing another shiver.
"Over," I hoarsely ordered, my voice breaking at the end just like my control was about to. He gave me a small leer and started rolling, shrugging out of his coat and shirt at the same time. His back was a smooth expanse of skin that I wanted to touch and taste and feel moving under me, and I opened the lube quickly, slicking one finger and working it into him as he obediently spread his legs as far as he could. Funny what you can learn on the internet.
I reached inside and felt for that celebrated spot, and yep, I knew just when I found it. Spike threw his head back and arched his back with a hoarse growl, and I pressed again as the little needy sighs from earlier became gasps that imitated life. I could see Spike's legs struggle to open farther, the muscles in his hips and butt surging helplessly against the denim around his calves. When his head dropped back down, he turned it to the side. Now I could see the passion and lust and need in his face.
I pressed the spot again, stroking it more firmly, and when Spike squirmed and pressed back into the touch, I pulled out before pushing in again with two fingers. With my free hand I opened the lube and slicked myself, stroking my cock in the same teasingly slow rhythm I was using to torture Spike. I moaned as he bit his lip, clenching around my fingers and arching his back.
"Not Angelus or Dru. Won't ever leave you. Like you. Liked you back when you were evil. Well, not liked as much as lusted after." I panted as I felt my own need, but I'd make him see that he was important enough to make me control my demon. Oh shit, I hoped I could control the demon because that new burst of lust and desire was about to override any control I might have once had. Gasping, I found the words.
"Strong mate. Survivor. Sexy as hell. If you'd just shown up at the school naked, Buffy would have stood and stared in awe as you killed her. You took care of Dru. Loyal… to pack..." Oh yeah, losing it. Need. Burning need.
"Bloody hell, just fuck me."
"Don't want you to think…" I struggled to catch the tail of my escaping thoughts. What didn't I want him to think?
"Fucking hell. Got it, feeling wanted already, just bloody get on with it." At the challenging tone, I growled and threw myself over Spike's back, snarling and biting at the wound again as his body bucked under me. I pulled back and slammed into his body, growling at the friction and the tightness. I pulled out and thrust in hard again and again.
"Bloody hell yes, fuck me. Fuck me already." I did just that, pounding in so hard that he was forced down to his elbows, his head resting on the ground as I grabbed his hips and held him still. I growled at the scent of submission and lust and musk as my cock throbbed with need. My whole world focused in on slamming into that tight embrace and the scent of desire and the muttered chorus of "yeah" and "fuck me" and "bloody hell, pet," that came from below as I allowed my demon instincts to guide me. I arched so far back that I almost pulled out and then slammed in so hard that I could hear the slap of flesh as my hips hit his ass.
"Fuck, yeah. Harder." I pulled back again and pounded in as hard as I could over and over until the need to come overrode the need to dominate and it started, the orgasm robbing me of all human thought as I growled and dropped my body onto Spike's back and bit his nape even as he cried out his own release. The air filled with the heavy thick scent of come as I gave several more small thrusts.
Spike slumped to the ground with a soft growl that sounded suspiciously purr-like. I just allowed my own body to drape over his, my burning lust dissolving under completion and being replaced with a more subtle if still powerful lust. A lust for what was mine. My mate. My pack. Yeah, gotta find new words for those. I resolved to look in a thesaurus later because right now I just wanted to curl up with the mate. Sunrise was hours away, so we could avoid Joyce's basement for a bit longer. Certainly no demons were going to come near with the mingled scent of primal and vampire arousal so thick in the air. I wondered if Angel could smell us on the highway as he drove back to L.A.
I slowly rolled to my side and pulled Spike with me so that he was tucked in against my chest, my sweaty skin sticking to his cool back. I curled both arms around his body and held him close.
"Are you okay?" I before slowly licking his neck and shoulder. Yeah, made a bit of a bloody mess there, and that would be my guilt showing up right on schedule.
"Yeah, pet. Perfect now." Silence fell between us at last, and I was happy to just enjoy the moment of relative peace, listening to the cars on the other side of the bushes and a cat prowling through the grass and a fledge on the other side of the cemetery crawling out of a grave. Right, need to come back tomorrow and patrol.
"So, how long were you willin' to wait?" Spike finally asked.
"Huh?"
"You wouldn't take what was yours. Waited for me to ask for it instead. How long would ya have waited, pet?"
"Forever," I whispered, moving up to lick his ear. "I'm just thanking god we finally had a night to ourselves. Between the stealing and the planning and the you negotiating with demons along with Broody McHair-gel, I was really starting to think I was going to explode."
"Well, except for Peaches over there on the mausoleum," he answered so casually that for a moment the words didn't register. When they did, I snapped around and looked at the shadowy building where he'd gestured. All I could see was the angel statue with her wings spread over the stone vault.
"Tell me you're joking," I demanded as I turned back to look at Spike. He sucked in his cheeks and gave me a mischievous grin. "Tell me Angel did not just watch me having sex." Spike remained silent, blue eyes twinkling.
"Consider it payment,” he finally said, and still with the casual, damn him.
"For what, biting me?" I heard Spike growl, and I smiled at the possessiveness he still showed even if he hadn't won our little contest.
"Made him promise to sell off some of the old family treasures, give us enough money that we don't end up livin' in the slayer's basement," Spike admitted with a shrug.
"Family treasures?" I asked dubiously. I didn't even want to think about what a vampire would consider a treasure, images of skeletons like out of the old 50s horror movies came to mind. "Is this treasure in the 'only a demon can appreciate that' kind of treasure?"
"The wanker still has some of Darla's jewels. Bint did love anything bright and shiny, which explains her picking up Peaches along the way, well the shiny part anyway seein' as how he isn't always that bright."
"You're shitting me," I accused my beautiful mate. Mate. I repressed an urge to whine happily. Oh hell, who cared. I went ahead and whined into the neck I was currently licking. It suddenly occurred to me that I might have inherited the whole hyena grooming thing because I could lick Spike forever and be blissfully happy.
"Oi, never joke about money or havin' to live in the slayer's house. Bloody bad for my reputation. Mind, he's not givin' us enough to set us up for life."
"You know, I don't even know what to say. But you were just joking about him watching." I said hopefully. "Right? Spike?" Spike just laughed knowingly, until I gave him a little nip on the shoulder. He made a sort of gasp that trailed off into a purr. I smiled and pulled him closer, licking the spot I’d nipped.
"You're just never going to make it easy for me, are you?" I finally asked sadly. Strong fingers reached down and interlaced themselves with mine.
"Never," he whispered as he looked up at me. I looked into those sharp blue eyes, and I couldn't keep the stupid grin off my own face.
"Good." I whispered, and for the first time, I truly, deeply kissed him. Lips pressing hungrily against lips. He moaned into my mouth, and god I loved the Initiative for starting all this. How's that for irony?
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I know this sounds like the end, and hey, don't let me stop you from writing all the wonderful comments I always get at the end of the fic, but there will be a pair of epilogues, one tomorrow and one Wed, so keep checking... same bat time, same bat channel.
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