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The Silken Cage: Journey	By : margotlefaye Category: -Buffy the Vampire Slayer > Het - Male/Female > Angel(us)/Buffy > Angel(us)/Buffy Views: 21206 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel or any of the characters therefrom. No profit is being made from this work of fanfic, which is intended as commentary on the original, not as a derivative work. No infringement intended.

Chapter List
- 1-The Silken Cage: Journey
- 2-Part 2
- 3-Part 3
- 4-Part 4
- 5-Part 5
- 6-Part 6
- 7-Part 7
- 8-Part 8
- 9-Part 9
- 10-Part 10
- 11-Part 11
- 12-Part 12
- 13-Part 13
- 14-Part 14
- 15-Part 15a
- 16-Part 15b
- 17-Part 16
- 18-Part 17
- 19-Part 18
- 20-Part 19
- 21-Part 20
- 22-Part 21
- 23-Part 22a
- 24-Part 22b
- 25-Part 23
- 24
- 25
Angelus slept for only a few hours. The sounds of their breakfast being delivered woke him at ten in the morning, the time he had prearranged with Mai. No matter how delightful or exhausting the events of the night before, there was much to be done if he and Buffy were to catch the evening tide.
Moving with the sinuous, dangerous grace of a leopard, he stretched his long body, waiting until Mai’s ever-efficient servants had departed before heading off to the bathroom, where he began to fill the pool-like tub. When he’d adjusted the temperature and water flow to ensure that he had a good half hour before the bath would be ready, he returned to their room to wake Buffy. A predator in her own right, she would doubtless have risen as easily as he if the drugs in her system weren’t still masking her abilities. Not for the first time, Angelus reflected that he would be glad when he could dispense with those drugs altogether. Still, he wasn’t quite ready to take that step now. Much as he had enjoyed their island interlude, Angelus was not convinced that he’d completely tamed his Slayer, but rather suspected that she still harbored dreams of escape, of rejoining her friends and family. He was confident that she wouldn’t be able to hold on to those dreams much longer. The further he took her from Sunnydale and the people who had been part of her life there, the easier it would be to make her understand that she didn’t need them any more. They belonged to a past she had outgrown. Her future lay with Angelus, and he was eager to show her all the dark and delightful possibilities that future held. They needed to resume their journey, and for that to happen, Buffy had to get up.
"Breakfast is served, my love," he said, drawing the covers down her body.
"Food later, sleep now," she mumbled, reaching for the disappearing blankets.
"No, lover, food now," he said firmly, tossing the covers aside and scooping her out of the bed and up into his arms.
"Angelus!" she protested, but she didn’t struggle as he carried her out into the living room where a cart laden with covered dishes, silver coffee pots and various eating utensils waited. Buffy inhaled appreciatively. The aromas wafting in the air were delectable. If she couldn’t sleep, eating was an acceptable way to replenish her stores of energy.
Stores that had been depleted in the most delightful way all through the night. Buffy was famished but, surprisingly, not in the least sore. It seemed that she had healed completely, despite the prolonged and vigorous activity in which they’d indulged off and on all night long. Just the thought of what they had done together, the things that she not only willingly, but enthusiastically submitted to, ought to be making her blush crimson and hang her head in shame. But she did neither. Buffy didn’t feel anything remotely akin to regret, embarrassment or shame. Rather, she felt deliciously sated, powerful, adored. And somewhat curious as to exactly what had been in the berries Mai had given her. The answer to that question could wait. For the moment, Angelus was intent on feeding her, and she didn’t particularly object to the way he planned to assure himself that she was properly nourished.
Angelus sat down on the couch before the serving cart, a naked Buffy on his lap. He grabbed a soft throw lying across the back of the couch and tucked it around her. Buffy pressed her face into his shoulder feigning to be more tired than she actually was in order to hide the smile that was spreading across her face. It would not do for Angelus to realize that he was coddling her, treating her tenderly, the way Angel might. But she was aware of it, and would use it to her advantage.
With this vampire, she needed every advantage she could possibly get.
Once he was satisfied that he had settled Buffy comfortably, Angelus pulled the cart closer to them, took a plate, and proceeded to fill it up with whatever she requested, or things with which she was unfamiliar that he thought she would enjoy. As he fed her a forkful of delicate smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, she had to admit that his guesses in that regard were pretty accurate.
"Though I don’t know why we had to have breakfast so early," she said with only a mild hint of reproach.
"Because you and Mai have a full day ahead of you," he answered. "You’ve got to go back to the modiste for your final fittings, for one thing. They’ll need time to make whatever alterations are required before your new wardrobe can be sent on to the ship. And I assume you’ll want a bath before you leave."
Buffy blushed. Yes, after their various nocturnal gambols–she could feel a bit of sand in some interesting places–she most certainly wanted a bath before appearing in public. Then again, whatever had been fueling her libidinous hunger of the night before still lingered. Not as strongly, to be sure. Still, her demon lover was too beautiful, too skilled for her to be unmoved by his proximity, no matter how thoroughly he had seen to her needs just hours before.
And, on a more cold-blooded, cynical level, keeping her demon lover happy, addicting him to her equal participation in their lovemaking–if not yet in their relationship–was a move calculated to keep her as safe and unharmed as it was possible for her to be while still, effectively, his prisoner.
She must never forget that however silken the bonds that held her, however luxurious her cage, she was not free, would likely not be free for months or years, if ever. And as long as she remained the prisoner of Angelus’ desire, it was in her best interest to make sure the flames of that desire remained at a white-hot pitch.
Considering how much pleasure she had found in his arms, how easily her own hunger rose to meet his, binding Angelus with the silken threads of her own sensuality was not an unduly burdensome task. On that thought, she gave in to her appetites, and let a slow smile curve her full lips.
"You could probably use a bath, too," she purred seductively.
"Yes," he grinned back, "I probably could."
Knowing that it would be days before the Lamia venom worked its way out of Buffy’s system completely, Angelus had expected Buffy’s offer. That was, in fact, why he’d chosen to fill the bath, rather than opting for the more efficient shower.
As he’d planned, the tub was full of deliciously warm water when he carried his lover into it and sat her on the oh-so-convenient ledge. She leaned back, spreading her thighs, her sensuous smile inviting him to come into her while the steaming water rose around them. Smiling down into her smoky green eyes, he obliged her, drawing her to the edge of the shelf, teasing her entrance with the crest of his erection as she rubbed up against him, mewling like a kitten. A kitten in heat, he thought, pleased, as he thrust inside and she tilted her hips just so, to take him deep, with a breathy moan of need. He dipped his head, capturing her lips with his own, drinking down her little cries and whimpers. He loved the way she responded to him, her desire for him, her pure animal hunger a match for his own dark appetites and insatiable cravings. As ever, he lost himself in the silken wet decadence of her flesh, the tight fit of his body within her own, the innocent enthusiasm with which she met his most decadent demands. For she was, despite the care with which he had begun her education, still so much an innocent. He was the only lover whose touch she had ever known, would ever know, and he had barely begun the many lessons he had to teach her. Lessons he didn’t have time to indulge in, just now.
He didn’t have time to tease and play, tempt and torment. Instead, he angled his thrusts to hit her sweet spot, relishing the way she quivered around him, holding him close, the way her succulent little cunt fluttered around his aching flesh, clasping him tight in the most glorious, most intimate, embrace. Once he found that perfect angle, he concentrated on building speed and power, needing to bring her off hard and fast. To judge by the way her legs tightened around him, her nipples pebbled into hard points as they thrust against him, the way she was churning her hips, sucking on his tongue and scraping her nails down his back, he was well down that road.
Buffy was as lost in his embrace as he was in her flesh. The night before had been about uncontrollable need, desperate urges, mindless passions. The morning found her entangled in more deliberate carnality, enticing her demon not despite what he was, but because he was hers, and she was his, and what was between them was something that was meant to be.
Buffy was under no illusions. The hands touching her so delicately, so caressingly, were steeped in innocent blood. The mouth so hungry upon her own had drunk down life upon hapless life. Angelus was not Angel. He was demonic evil, rapacious appetite unrestrained by moral compunction, profligate death consuming all in his path. Ultimately, she knew, she herself would be consumed. He’d been blunt about his intentions. He would mold her into the perfect consort, and then he would drink down her life as he had the lives of so many thousands before, turning her, forcing her to become the one thing in this world she could not bear to become.
But he wasn’t going to do that, yet. She had time, months and perhaps even years, before he would decide she was ready.
And in those months or years, she would be molding him.
Her actions must be covert, where his were open, for her very life depended upon her ability to keep him from guessing what she was about, but there was no other choice for her. She’d been shown that escape was not an option; more, that there was purpose in her captivity. It was up to her to see that purpose fulfilled, a task she must complete without help from her friends, or her Watcher, or anything at all but whatever guidance her prophetic dreams–and Angel’s spirit–could provide.
And in the completion of that task, her best weapon was the potent desire she felt for the demon inhabiting the body of her one true love. The battle in which she was engaged was no less deadly than those she had waged every night on patrol. Perhaps more so. If the Powers That Be had ordained a purpose for her captivity by Angelus, then the fate of the world might well be in the balance. They would not have set her on this path for any lesser prize.
No guilt, then, to what she did now. No need for restraint. She wanted him, and there was no bar to her hunger, but rather, every reason to indulge it. So Buffy reveled in the way her body fit that of her demon lover, the way he filled her, the way they moved together in a perfect ballet of consummate bliss. She relished the taste of his tongue on her own, the cool press of his body against hers, the firm touch of his hands guiding her hips, the power of the rhythm he set her, and her own ability to match his every move.
Angel or Angelus, he was her mate, the one being in the world who could complete her, appease the ache in her body, assuage the ache in her soul. She had been born for him, as he had been born for her, and it was impossible that their joining would be anything less than perfection.
Angelus achieved his goal of quickly bringing her to pleasure. Soon enough, Buffy stiffened in his arms, flung her head back and cried out as she tumbled over the precipice of passion. Angelus held her to the pinnacle, eased her down, and immediately began to drive her toward rapture again. A second crisis took her, and then a third before he followed her into the blinding white maelstrom of ecstasy, where he knew no other world than the one encompassed by her embrace.
He returned to himself to find he was resting against a very compliant Buffy, who was nuzzling against him, once more putting him in mind of a kitten. For one moment, Angelus was tempted to carry her back to bed, and let their ship sail without them. The world was full of oceans, and ships to sail them; he could find another freighter on which to book passage. Then he remembered how, shortly before their arrival on Kauai, he had never wanted to leave the ship. Angelus smiled ruefully to himself, and let the temptation go. Mai had arranged everything to his specifications. In a few hours, he and Buffy would return to their cabin, sailing out on the evening tide. Mai had been instructed to provide certain creature comforts that would make the last week of their journey even more entertaining than the first had been. One way or another, he would be spending all of his nights with Buffy in his bed. A separation of a few hours, when that separation was in the interest of furthering his own plans, was the most trifling of inconveniences. In the end, he saw to it that Buffy finished her bath with enough time to be dressed and ready to go at the appointed hour. Leaving her to her toilette, he dressed quickly, then made his way down the shaded stairs to Mai’s apartments.
"Why do I think that you won’t be surprised if I ask for a supply of your venom?" he drawled as he stalked over to where the beautiful demoness lounged on her sofa. She was as immaculately groomed as ever, wearing another sun dress, this one of pale yellow linen. Her inky hair was once more piled on her head, held in place two black lacquered combs. Her dainty feet were thrust into a pair of sleek leather pumps. She was an enticing creature, and Angelus was male enough to respond to the enticement. Faintly. Buffy had satisfied him too completely for his response to be more than a brief stirring of the flesh, dissipated before it had even fully formed. His attention had not been drawn from the point he wished to make, and he regarded Mai steadily.
"It is here," she replied tranquilly, waving her hand toward the end table beside her, where an intricately carved rosewood box waited to be claimed. Angelus raised a brow at the carvings, which seemed unexceptional at first glance, until one looked closely and realized that the depiction was one of a full Bacchanalia, and the erotic sport of nymphs, satyrs, and the hapless mortals who had engaged their amorous attentions. He flipped open the lid, and stared down at a number of glass vials, each filled with a small quantity of green liquid, nestled in a bed of black velvet.
"Sure of yourself, weren’t you?" he said as he snapped the lid closed, allowing just a hint of displeasure to color his voice, though in truth, things were going too well with Buffy for him to feel very much in the way of displeasure, just now.
"Say, rather, I strive to anticipate my lord’s every need," Mai said temperately.
"And so you have, thus far," he agreed. "On the whole, I am pleased, Mai, but your trespass cannot be so easily forgiven. You should have asked me before giving Buffy your blood or your venom, and the fact that I enjoyed the results of your actions doesn’t excuse your failure. I have decided that I will not discharge your debt." He watched her closely, and saw the flicker behind her eyes that had to be triumph, and knew he had guessed correctly. For reasons that most likely had to do with the Gordian knot of Lamian court politics and House intrigues, Mai wanted to remain in his debt. What advantage that might be to her, he couldn’t guess. But, then again, he didn’t particularly care.
"As my lord wills," she murmured demurely.
"Good girl," he said. "And the other things? The ones I wanted brought on board?"
"Your quarters have been supplied with the items you required."
"Excellent," Angelus nodded.
Satisfied that the arrangements regarding Buffy were now complete, he turned the topic to Wulf, and the other business matters that he and Mai needed to settle between them. Once those were disposed of to his satisfaction, he returned to his mate.
The night’s exertions and the morning’s romp had taken their toll, and Buffy was yawning widely as she stood before the mirror putting the finishing touches on her appearance. Once more, she put him in mind of a sleepy kitten, and he found himself chuckling, which somewhat annoyed this particular cat. "I suppose you’re just going to go back to sleep," she pouted as she drew a brush through her hair. She’d chosen to leave it loose down her back, a style he found particularly fetching. The short denim skirt and white tank top were also fetching, especially with the heeled sandals making her legs look delightfully long. It really was a pity they didn’t have more time just now. But, he was a demon with all of eternity to look forward to. He could wait.
"Actually, no," he said in response to her complaint, amused rather than angered by her indignation. He chose not to examine why this was so, and simply informed her of his own plans. "Mai is leaving some files with Mr. Sung for my review. Some of my business ventures have been without my attention for far too long. Most of them can be left a bit longer, but there are a few that Mai believes I should check into before we leave. That’s how I’ve been spending my days while you and Mai have been out. Most of the work is done, but there are still a few things to wrap up."
"Oh, well, then have fun wrapping," she said cheerfully. From the sound of things, Angelus was going to have a dull time of it. For her part, Buffy had no further reason to resist his plans for her, and was free to throw herself into them enthusiastically. She was looking forward to her visit to the modiste, and was growing excited about the prospect of seeing Japan, especially with Angelus to show her that ancient, exotic land through his own perspective. Of course, once they landed, the whole issue of hunting would come up, but she was confident that she could find a way to curb the worst of his depredations.
She would have to. As the Slayer, she would not, could not, turn a blind eye to the murder of innocents.
And the not so innocents? came the wicked, disturbing thought. Angelus wielded power, and there would be humans hungry for a taste of that power, humans willing to do things only marginally less evil than what Angelus himself was capable of doing. Humans perfectly aware that dealing with Angelus meant dealing with death, and that their own lives were at risk. Such could not be called innocent, and it was so seductive to think that the world would be better off for their absence, that she wouldn’t really be betraying her Calling to protect humanity if she let Angelus snack on them. Buffy deliberately pushed such thoughts aside. She had at least a week before Angelus’ desire to hunt became an issue, and other matters to attend to, right now. Setting down her brush, she scrutinized her appearance a final time in the mirror, and satisfied with the results, allowed Angelus to lead her downstairs to Mai.
They took the white Miata once more, and Buffy, no longer preoccupied with plans for escape, allowed herself to enjoy the drive. There were, however, a few questions that wanted answering; one in particular.
"You know, I’m feeling better than I have in days," she said breezily.
"I am delighted that you have enjoyed your stay with us," Mai said graciously as they sped down the highway. "These islands often have a beneficial effect on those who visit them."
"I’m sure they do," Buffy returned. "Just as I’m sure that my current well-being doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the islands. What, exactly was in those berries you fed me, Mai?" If her question caught the Lamia by surprise, Buffy couldn’t tell. Mai didn’t betray by so much as a flick of an eyelid that Buffy had said anything untoward.
"There was nothing in what I fed you that could do you any harm," was her answer.
"I know that, Mai," Buffy said dryly "The fact that you are sitting beside me, and haven’t been torn into a million bloody bits by my very temperamental demon lover tells me that. You haven’t answered my question."
"Are you sure you want the answer?" Mai returned.
"Your spells were meant to keep me from escaping," Buffy said. "But you and Angelus seem to have relied on his use of the Crucimentium drugs to keep me from trying to kick your asses from here to daylight. But, the thing about the Crucimentium drugs? They were meant to test a Slayer’s ability to kill a vampire without relying on her Slayer strength and powers. I passed that test once, Mai. Do you want me to prove that I can pass it again?"
Mai took her eyes from the road just long enough to cast Buffy a very considering look. It was fleeting, but Buffy could have sworn she’d seen the Lamia’s red lips curve ever so slightly into a smile…a smile with the barest hint of opalescent fang. But she did not answer Buffy’s question, or, not immediately.
"When my lord brought you to us, I was dismayed," she said frankly. "The idea that he could keep a Slayer captive was shocking. Such a thing has never been done. Such a thing ought to be impossible to do. But my lord is no ordinary vampire. And I have discovered that you are no ordinary Slayer."
"Very flattering," Buffy said dryly, "but still not an answer."
"If you want to know what I did, it will help if you understand why," Mai told her.
"All right. Explain."
"I told you a bit about the Lamia, and you already know a great deal about vampires. So while it may displease you, it will not surprise you to learn that when we first met, more than a century in the past, Angelus and I shared physical intimacies."
"Right on both counts," Buffy said shortly. "I am neither surprised nor pleased by the fact that you and Angelus had sex and shared blood."
"Not quite," Mai told her. "The sex was a given. But we shared Lamia venom, not blood. You understand the dual nature of our relationship with our prey. It is the same as the dual nature of the vampiric relationship with human prey: they supply both food and sexual release. Lamia venom, in sufficient doses, can completely paralyze our desired victim. But in smaller doses, the effect is instead that of an aphrodisiac."
"Oh, really?" Buffy said testily as rather a lot of things became clear. That explained not only her own overpowering desires of the previous night, but Angelus’ hunger their first night here, as well as her reaction to him. He’d somehow transferred the venom he’d gotten from Mai–and just how had he gotten it?–to Buffy. Other things were still unclear. "You shared venom, but not blood? Why not?"
"Politics," was Mai’s surprising answer. "Lamian blood is the original source of vampirism. You know its effects upon humans. Upon vampires? It increases their existing strengths and abilities exponentially."
"Meaning, Lamian blood must be a very desirable commodity amongst vampires."
"We are too little in this world for it to be more than a rumor, or legend, to most of them," Mai said. "But for those who know of us, yes, it is something they desire greatly. And, something that, unlike most things they desire, is not theirs for the taking. Lamian blood may not be compelled, it must be freely offered. To do otherwise insults every member of our race, and we do not brook such insults. The moment I entered Angelus’ debt and his service–from the moment we met, then–it was impossible for me to offer it to him. As his servant, it would be viewed as something given under obligation. This would not have been tolerated by the Lamian houses, and the empress would have commanded Angelus’ destruction."
"And that would have stopped him, why?" Buffy said wryly. She knew her demon. Mai went so far as to chuckle.
"Angelus is fond of taking risks, but he’s not a fool. Going against the empress would have been a very foolhardy act. And, unnecessary. My debt to him will not last forever. Eventually, once some time has passed after the end of my service, there may be an opportunity."
"Oh, there might, might there?" Buffy fumed.
"So I believe he planned when I first entered his service," Mai temporized. "Now, it might not be necessary."
"Why would that be?"
"Because in feeding you just enough of my blood to speed your healing, I allowed Angelus a portion of my blood, as distilled through your own veins."
"And giving your blood to Angelus’ lover differs from giving it to him, how, exactly?" Buffy demanded. "Why won’t the empress be angry about this?"
"Because giving the injured mate of my liege lord enough blood to speed her healing is considered a proper service, even a bound duty. It will not be seen as compulsion. That Angelus will likely drink from you, and will likely also benefit from what I gave you is irrelevant." Mai did not add that, if things went as she hoped they would with Wulf, her action in feeding Buffy her blood would be viewed as a clever way to ensure her overlord’s success against a dangerous rival, and would increase her status. Such information would be meaningless to Buffy. As to the things Angelus–quite rightly–suspected about her intent in giving Buffy the hint of a taste of immortality, Mai suspected that Buffy would be far more angry than Angelus himself had been, and far less restrained in showing that anger. No need, fortunately, to explain her intent. Mai really didn’t have any desire to find out if the Slayer could pass her Crucimentium test, again, after all.
"And I thought vampire relations were convoluted," Buffy sighed. "Do your people ever do anything straightforwardly?"
"Other than assassinating the ruling emperor once every few generations? Probably not."
Buffy shook her head. Lamian society was way too complex and medieval for her taste. She was glad they kept mostly to their own dimension. Mai was interesting, and Buffy found that she’d developed an odd liking for the beautiful demoness, but she was just as happy that she wouldn’t have to deal with too many of her house or kin group or whatever they called themselves.
The confirmation that Mai and Angelus had been lovers irked her. Oh, she had suspected as much, and she was somewhat mollified by the fact that Angelus had not, as far as she could tell, had anything to do with the Lamia sexually since they had arrived. Or, not very much. There was still his own ingestion of venom to be explained. Buffy didn’t think she wanted to ask that question, at least not yet. But it was very frustrating. Angelus had over two hundred years of sexual expertise at his fingers, and he knew how to play her like a violin. She responded to him whether she wanted to or not. Her own experience, outside of one night more than a year ago, had lasted exactly ten days. She simply couldn’t match his skill, didn’t really know the limits of her own sexuality, her own sensual power. In this arena he had the upper hand.
And she would dearly love to turn the tables on him. Turning the tables on him might, in fact, be a matter of life and death. But she couldn’t really think of a way to do that, just now. Buffy turned the conversation to a consideration of what they would be doing at the modiste’s, the problem she faced a nagging question at the back of her mind.
All in all, Buffy found the day going by very quickly. She tried on every single outfit that had been ordered for her, while final adjustments were made. Buffy was pleasantly surprised to find that undergarments appropriate to each outfit were also supplied. It was a totally decadent luxury, and she allowed herself to indulge in it. For the most part, the shoes Mai had already provided would work well with her new clothes but there were one or two outfits that begged for specially dyed leather or matched fabrics. Mai had sent fabric swatches off to an appropriate shop, along with information on the correct size. There was a quick stop there as well, just to make sure that everything fit to perfection.
Mai, with her usual competence had ensured that everything would.
"That went very smoothly," Mai said with satisfaction as they climbed back into the Miata. "We’ll get back to the apartment even earlier than I’d planned.
"You mean we have a little extra time?" Buffy said thoughtfully.
"Yes. Is there something you’d like to do?" Mai asked curiously. Buffy smiled wickedly, and shared with Mai the idea that had occurred to her. Mai raised her brows, but, as ever, knew exactly where to find whatever Buffy required.
An hour later, Mai pushed the speed limit all the way back to the apartments, but she imagined that Angelus would forgive her a few minutes lateness when Buffy sprang her little surprise on him.
Angelus had passed a much less enjoyable afternoon than either woman. Business matters with Mr. Sung had gone well enough, and Mai’s servants were packing away his and Buffy’s belongings with perfect efficiency. But, as the time grew near to leave the island and continue their journey, the confidence Angelus had in the way things were going with Buffy began to fade, and certain doubts reared their heads. It had been less than two weeks, after all, only a handful of days since they’d fought, as she believed, to the death, and he’d captured her, only a handful of days since he’d snapped the neck of her hapless suitor in front of her horrified eyes, since he’d carried her off from everything and everyone she knew and loved, forcing her to share his bed and his pleasures. Pleasures the innocent, near-virginal girl she had been could barely contemplate, let alone enjoy. But, she had, embracing his desires, and making them her own.
Or, so it seemed.
If there was anything Angelus knew about his Slayer, it was that she was clever, and she was patient, and she was determined. He had no doubt that she wanted him. With or without the Lamia venom, her body could not lie to him, however much she might desire to deceive. But he also knew her sense of duty was too deeply ingrained for her to turn her back on it simply because she wanted him. If she could send his ensouled self to hell, no matter how it cut out her own heart, there was little she would not sacrifice to do what she believed to be the right thing.
So, the question before him now was simple: was his darling girl’s seeming capitulation genuine, or was it merely a ruse, intended to lull him into a false sense of security so that she could find a way to escape him, and return to her friends and her sacred calling?
Grimly, Angelus contemplated that possibility, and decided that a bit of a test was in order. Under controlled circumstances, of course. No matter how devious his darling thought herself, she simply could not out-scheme him, the master manipulator and tactician extraordinaire.
When Buffy returned, excited and tired from her fittings, Angelus sat with her while she ate the dinner he’d ordered for her, pretending to be more relaxed then he was, as he listened to her giddy recitation of the day’s adventures. He saw her off to her shower, and once more made his way to Mai’s apartments. Their conversation was brief, but productive. Buffy never knew he was gone.
She emerged from the shower in a lovely silk shift of sapphire blue that set off her newly enhanced tan, and displayed her beautifully rounded form in a tasteful, yet seductive, display. She wore a pair of strapped, heeled sandals, and had topped the whole off with the diamond necklace he’d given her.
"Don’t you think you’re a bit overdressed for a simple ride to the ship?" he asked, not entirely displeased to see her wearing his gift. He signaled to Mr. Sung, who had been waiting patiently to finish packing, into a small overnight bag, whatever toiletries Buffy had needed to use before leaving. Mr. Sung bowed and went off about his duties.
"Oh, I’m not in the least overdressed," she purred, checking out her image in the mirror, turning to scrutinize her rear end. "Good. It doesn’t show."
"Panty lines?" Angelus asked, amused. He’d never thought her particularly concerned with such details.
She grinned at him wickedly. "More, like, not panty lines," she said teasingly. He blinked and then her meaning came clear to him.
"Garter belt lines?" he said, his own grin growing to match hers.
"Nuh-uh. Something else. Mai helped me pick it out today." She scooped up the purse that had been waiting for her on the bureau, and withdrew a small oblong of plastic which she handed to him. He kept his face impassive, but he recognized exactly what his darling girl had just handed him.
"That’s the remote," she told him, her voice sultry, her smile sensuous, her eyes smoky with passion "It’s supposed to have a range of twenty feet. I’m giving it to you. I’m not wearing panties, just a harness. It’s keeping the silicone cock I put inside me in place, keeping me open and wet for you. And no one can see it. The motor is quiet. We checked." Angelus growled, wondering exactly how they’d checked. She giggled at him. "They let Mai take a model into the privacy room. She assures me her hearing is very good, and that this is very quiet. When I’m sitting beside you in the car, no one will know if you decide to throw the switch. Not even Mai. If she’s with us. And, if she’s not, you can decide." She moved closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling up into his eyes. "Maybe you’ll just put it on the first speed, just enough to make me hotter than I already am," she said seductively. "Maybe you’ll make me suck you off that way. Or, maybe you’ll turn it up really high, until I’m almost ready to come, but you’ll stop it, and then you’ll take it out and you’ll come into me and fill me up, the way I like best."
"Really," he rumbled, pulling her more tightly into his arms, and kissing her hungrily, "I’m what you like best, little girl?"
"Always you, only you," she repeated her words of the night before.
It was a great pity he couldn’t just back her against the wall and fuck her, right now, but Mr. Sung was emerging from the bathroom, determined to give the bedroom a final look to assure himself that nothing Angelus and Buffy might require was left behind. Angelus smirked and pocketed the remote, then took Buffy’s arm to lead her down to where Robert waited with the limo, parked close to the lanai so that Angelus need not fear the weakening rays of the descending sun.
A glance at Mai confirmed that everything was as he’d told her it should be. She joined him in the limo, as Mr. Sung packed the last bag in the trunk, then took his seat beside her.
As she had on their trip out a few days before, Buffy spent much of her time admiring the view, but this time, she also chose to join in the conversation.
"I’m going to miss Kauai," she said. "We didn’t have nearly as much time here as I would have liked."
"That can be remedied," Angelus said, unobtrusively pressing the low setting on the remote. She hid her reaction well, stifling the gasp of surprise and simply smiling at him, before turning to look at the view outside her window, once more.
"If it is my lord’s pleasure, I shall be delighted to arrange a longer visit in the future," Mai said tranquilly, pouring them each a glass of champagne.
"That would be lovely," Buffy managed, keeping her hand steady as she accepted the glass. Angelus shut off the remote. For the moment.
He continued to tease her for the rest of the ride. She was either a brilliant actress, or she really was putting herself even more under his control than he’d forced her to do. Buffy was willingly making herself his partner.
Or she was pulling off the greatest scam in history.
He debated bringing her to orgasm, decided against it. He did put the remote on the highest setting when the docks came into view, but didn’t leave it on long enough to finish her off. She was only the slightest bit unsteady when he helped her out of the car before the waiting gangplank.
An awning had been stretched over it, reaching to where Angelus emerged from the car. And still, there was ample opportunity for her to escape. If she were going to do so, now would be the time, as it had been when they’d left the ship, a few days before. She could hurl herself over the gangplank, and into the water, she could sprint down the docks. If she were really clever, and wanted everyone caught totally off guard, she could even wait until she was on board, then use the various cranes and nets of the cargo ship to get her back to dry land, the plan he had interrupted, before. A glance at the men loading cargo told him which were the ones Mai had set to this task. With a smile, Angelus turned to Buffy.
"Why don’t you go on ahead, while I finish up with Mai?" he said.
"All right," she said cheerfully, then made her own good-byes.
"Thank you for everything Mai," Buffy said warmly. "I honestly hope we will meet again."
Mai inclined her head graciously. "I would be delighted," she said. "Safe journey, my dear."
"Thank you," Buffy said and turned to walk up the gangplank.
Buffy was keenly aware that every step she took was taking her farther and farther away from her friends, her family, her sacred duty, her entire life. Everyone she loved, everything that meant anything to her would be forever out of her reach if she proceeded on this path. Did she really want to give all of it up? Angelus had let down his guard. She’d given him every reason to do so. With a short burst of speed and the smallest bit of luck, she could make good on the escape that she’d desperately hoped for, for days.
But that wasn’t an option, any longer. Not since her dream. Briefly, Buffy considered that maybe the dream had been nothing more than wishful thinking, her subconscious trying to protect her from the knowledge that she was submitting to a vicious, murdering monster. But she rejected that idea almost at once. There was a quality to her prophetic Slayer’s dreams that set them apart from ordinary dreaming. She knew she was doing the right thing, following the path set out for her by the very Powers she had been born to serve.
Dear heaven, let her be doing the right thing...
"It will be now," Angelus said softly, so that only Mai’s demonic hearing could pick up the words.
"I doubt it," she said, the advantage of having walked in Buffy’s dreams assuring her that Angelus’ fears were groundless.
Her decision made, Buffy moved unhesitatingly up the gangplank, oblivious of the dozens of eyes keeping careful watch on her every move. She got to the top and strolled casually over to the rail, looking back down at the shore, and Angelus thought that surely she would act, would take her opportunity to escape. A crane just over her head, an easy jump even with her drug-impaired coordination, provided a tempting opportunity. The lack of watchers on the dock, the seeming preoccupation of the few who appeared to be loading cargo, all were deliberately staged to present an enticing lure to freedom.
If she wanted to be free, she would never have a better chance.
The moments stretched out, and she did nothing more than gaze idly at the shore, awaiting him. He deliberately made no move to join her, keeping up a quiet conversation with Mai. A minute passed. Two. And more.
Finally, as the sun fully set and the sky around them darkened into twilight, she acted.
Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out to him.
"Don’t keep me waiting, lover," she said, her sultry voice pitched so that only the enhanced hearing of a vampire would pick up the words. Then, with an alluring smile, she turned her back, sauntering toward where their cabin awaited them. It was time to embrace her destiny, she knew, and her destiny lay with the vampire who had set her feet on this journey.
Angelus stood stock still in pleased shock. For all of ten seconds. Then, with a last word to Mai, he sprinted up the gangplank and followed his mate into their new life together, and the wanton delights of the silken cage into which he’d bound her, and now willingly himself consigned.

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A.N. This chapter was the last part of Journey posted at my archive. It was not, and is not, the end of the story, but I'm still not in a position to update it just yet. Thank you to those who have asked about it over the years, and who have continued to show patience, interest and support.
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The Silken Cage: Journey