Curse

Chapter Three: Belonging

The sun set in crimson colors, the heavy curtains containing the deadly light before it could reach the trio further within the old bedroom. Two of the occupants were sound asleep, one from contentment one from exhaustion. Angelus was once again the first awake, but he had not slept fully to begin with. The boy chained on display in front of him, and the older curled at his side were both beautiful in their own rights. Xander had fought and screamed and kicked and bit at him violently last night, while Spike had writhed and rode and purred in the way only the blonde could. The duel reactions and sensations had not only intensified Angelus' hunger but had reminded him of days with Drucilla and a 'new born' Spike, and how much he had missed the way things were, even with a damn soul. Spike was not a replacement for Dru, he was better, niether was Xander a replacement for Spike, he was too different, but this arrangement somehow aggravated and excited his demon more. Perhaps that was a reason as to why once downstairs to retrieve his whip Angelus had decided to start the fire in the fireplace, had decided to let the steel poker rest in the scolding embers and had proceeded in carving a symbol in the hard muscle on Xander's left pectoral.

The fledgling had remained still, had tried to stay strong, but the moment the glowing red tip was a hair's length away from his skin it had sizzled, and he had screamed. Angelus had been able to feel that pain, could feel Spike cringe and look away from the boy as he was marked. It still made Angelus smile. William had been given only one small mercy when he had run away, and that was the absence of the branding iron, merely because Angelus had some sympathy left in him to recognize the deep emotional connection the blonde had had with his mother, and then to have to kill her himself. The oldest vampire remembered quite well what it felt like to have his baby sister die in his arms, after he had offered to give her immortality and she had disowned him completely. His demon had been uncontrollable when he was first turned, like all vampire fledglings without a proper Sire, but he refused to feel guilt for it now. After decades with nothing but guilt he refused to return to brooding. The night was young after all, and the calligraphic 'A' on Xander's chest still looked fresh and raw, surrounded by deep slash marks that had healed almost entirely from the sound whipping. Angelus had not spared an inch of flesh from the torment.

He sat comfortably, reclined against a thick pillow on the head board with Spike's head on his thigh and his lithe body wrapped around his leg. The proclaimed 'Big Bad', although fully demon still had the tendency to cuddle and curl about himself while in deep slumber, and although Angelus did not mind the closeness with his Childe sometimes it almost felt too human. He would allow the blonde his tendencies however, he understood his upbringing and the training because he had been the hand who dealt most of the damage, but there are human memories that still carry over the initial transformation and remain with a vampire for their entire existence.

Xander moaned softly, slowly coming back to consciousness and the first thing he felt was the tightened skin over the brand from the night before. The skin had healed enough not to rip when he moved, but he couldn't feel his arms and knew without moving them they were still dislocated. His entire body ached terribly, and his head throbbed. He was starving and very lonely although he knew his family was right infront of him. Opening tired brown eyes, Xander found himself staring directly at his Sire, who was watching him intently, expressionless. He shivered, feeling his unsatisfied erection return full force and Angelus smirked. He had, between lashes continued to teasingly stroke and toy with the boy's sensitive body, keeping him at full attention with no release. Angelus expected Xander to have two things on his mind when he awoke, blood and sex, two of his favorite things, and judging how quickly Xander's body reacted to seeing him he was right.

"Later, Childe." Angelus said.

Xander's eyes dropped but he fought back the mix of anger and dissappointment that rose in him. Spike had rolled over, rubbing his eyes as sleep left him. The sound of his Sire's voice had brought him out of his dreamless rest, and focusing he saw the sun had fully set behind the horizon.

"It's time to go," Angelus motioned towards Xander. "Unchain him and get dressed. We will eat on the way out of Sunnydale."

~*~

"Willow, what are you talking about?"

The red head tightened her lips in frustration. Why was it so hard for these people to pretend they cared?

"Xander is missing..."
"Excuse me, but what do you expect us to do about it?"

Willow glared daggers at Cordelia, causing the brunette to shrink a little in her seat and avert her eyes carefully. Oz stood silent at the witch-in-trainings' side, Giles was leaning against his desk with his hands in his pockets and Buffy was looking between the group dumbfoundedly. Willow had called a full group meeting yesterday, but they couldn't all find the time until this evening after Buffy's nightly patrol. The skinny blonde had returned home after a sudden downfall in L.A. almost six months ago, and had not seen or heard from the goofy Xander, nor had she heard anything about him or why he was absent from their little gang. Willow had been unusually depressed about it and Giles had refused to talk about it. She had almost gotten Oz to tell her what had happened the day before, but he'd shut up quite suddenly and left.

"Where the hell has Xander been, period?!" She exclaimed, and the room fell uncomfortably quiet.

"He left a month after you did. He dropped out of school and moved into the city. We don't know where..." Giles started to say, and Willow cut him off.

"He lives in an apartment building working for a dingy construction company and when I went looking for him no one had seen him for a couple of days. I'm worried, he's still like a brother to me and I know there's still some compassion in you people to care enough to help me look for him."

She had spoken carefully and calmly, but tears were flowing silently down both her pale cheeks, and everyone in the room downcasted their eyes in guilt.

"We'll do what we can." Giles said, mostly to comfort the girl he had befriended and grown to be rather protective of, and Willow accepted it with a small gratitude.

~*~

Full and semi-sated for the moment, Spike sat quietly behind the wheel, driving until his Sire told him to stop. They were well on their way past Las Vegas, heading east to the Atlantic coast. They would be inside the New Mexico borders immediately before sunrise, which was only an hour away if they didn't stop more than once between now and then. Spike himself hadn't been this far into America's heartland in a long time, not since everything had developed so much. There was nothing along these freeways the last time he was here, not even a gas station, just barren desert.

Xander shifted in his seat behind the two older vampires, but bit back any antsy comment or attempt at freedom again. The scar on his chest was still too painfully obvious for him to even entertain the idea of rebellion in any way. Angelus had done a good job keeping his demon in line, and Xander knew this memory wouldn't allow him to concieve an idea about running away any time soon.

The car ride had been mostly quiet, Spike and Angelus had bickered over musical tastes and radio stations until Angelus had ripped the stereo system from its frame and threw it out to be eaten by the shadows on the road behind them. Xander had wisely kept his mouth shut. He had been fed more than enough to keep him happy for the next couple of days, and so far he had remained in Angelus' good graces. Spike had spared him a couple of curious glances, and on more than one occasion had looked him over from head to toe almost appreciatively. It made the hair on the back of Xander's neck stand, but he had concluded it was not in a bad way. He did not fear Spike, and the hate he had felt so strongly as a human had dimmenished so much that it was almost as if he were starting to see the blonde vampire in a whole new light. A clean slate and all of that jazz, and it was the same with Angelus. He reasoned it was the connection he felt between him and the older two, but also that he knew he was not who or what he had been born as. He was a new person, a new being, with a new perspective and a new world to get reacquainted with. A new family only made it easier to deal with, and he was suddenly grateful that he had went for a walk that night that now seemed so long ago. He had lost nothing, but had gained everything, and his unbeating heart seemed to lighten and his shoulders relaxed. A smile touched his complexion, and he closed his eyes, leaning into the seat and just let the other two navigate and make the decisions for him. It felt, for a lack of better words, nice.

The drive seemed shorter than it really was, but as soon as the trio first saw the 'Welcome to...' sign the sun had started to crest over the darkened hills and mountains in the far distance. Stepping on the pedal hard, Spike sped quickly through the barren country side towards a dirty little motel on the side of I-33, it's sagging, pale grey rooftops and bland brown siding glimmering with the first golden rays of sunlight. Screeching to a halt, leaving dark black skid marks on the partially gravel parking lot, the three bounded into the nearest hotel room, finding it unlocked and barracaded themselves inside for the day.

With his demon content Xander laid down on one of the two old mattresses in the room, watching Angelus and Spike secure the curtains on the windows and walk the small space, examining everything. An old tube screen T.V. occupied the right side of a low sitting desk, a nightstand seperated the two beds and a bathroom sat nestled in the far left corner of the room. The brown carpet had unidentifiable stains and the tan colored wallpaper was starting to peel in the corners. It was, in a word, rather disgusting but it would do it's job and keep the three safe for the day.

Spike turned the television set on, finding the only working station to be the local news and promptly turned the set back off. They hadn't been here more than a couple of minutes and the blonde found himself quite bored, lighting a cigarette and sitting on the edge of the empty bed. How he hated the sunlight, not just because it could kill him, but because of instances like these where they were left most vulnerable in a small room with absolutely nothing to do. He wasn't really that tired, even though he'd done the majority of the driving, he was mostly antsy. Glancing to his right he saw Xander laying quietly on his back, arms crossed behind his head with his eyes closed and his expression almost peaceful. He knew the boy wasn't sleeping, but he would soon be if left to himself.

Angelus stood solemnly by the window, watching the cars pass on the street through a thin crack in the blinds. The sun wasn't wasting any time and before long the older vampire had to move to avoid being burned. He turned and dropped his coat on the top of the desk before looking to Spike, the cigarette smoke haloing above the blonde's head artfully, and raised his hand to brush a wayward curl from the vampire's forhead. Spike watched the brunette move, the smoke surrounding him whisping away at the small movement, his dark brown eyes trailing from Spike to Xander's still form. Without a word he moved silently to the boy's side and with gentle fingers pushed the white t-shirt up and off the still tanned chest.

Xander opened his eyes at the first touch of his Sire's fingertips, but didn't move as Angelus examined the brand that had completely healed but still left prominent scar tissue that would take a decade to dissappear. The pride that Angelus' face betrayed made something stir in Xander's stomach that wasn't fear or anxiety, but a mixture of lust and something he couldn't quite identify. It was a good feeling that ran down his spine when Angelus' fingertips traced the calligraphic 'A' slowly, deliberately.

A feral emotion ran through Angelus, an extremely primal instinct rumbling low in his very being. It made his eyes glimmer dark gold through chocolate brown pupils, ripples of demon making his eyebrows twitch ever so slightly. His fangs emerged slowly, a low hiss escaping his throat as he stared intently at the mark he'd left on his youngest. The boy was his. The hand that teased along the mark was now joined by it's twin, and both palms began to run across the expanse of Xander's chest and ribs.

Xander's body grew flush under the touches, his pants suddenly becoming too tight and his eye lids fluttered. He felt his demon croon gently, becoming more and more empassioned and closer to the surface the longer Angelus was touching him. It felt almost as if he were being made to dance under those large hands, all the while mesmerized by his Sire's attentions. He raised his gaze to see Angelus staring directly into his eyes, his strong profile accented beautifully with the trademark ridges and Xander lost his grip on reality. The room around him ceased to exist, all of his senses focused on the powerful presence hovering over him and his skin crawled pleasently.

Spike's jealousy flared forcefully, his demon snarling to life. He smelt the possesiveness itself heat the room, saw the need burning in both vampire's eyes. He knew he could not challenge his Sire's actions, and this was Angelus in pure, vampiric form. The pheromones he secreated had enticed Xander's easily succeptible hormones to explode in sensation, and Spike ruefully recognized the familiar submissive body language Xander was writhing to. He knew he did not exist to them at the moment, and grudgingly he remained still on the opposite bed and watched, lighting another cigarette to calm his sudden anger. The boy had not been fully claimed nor marked, this was a moment he knew was coming, but had not anticipated it to be this soon, nor had he planned on being around when it happened.

This was the calm before the storm, two beasts testing limits, asserting dominance and accepting submission respectively. There was another short moment before Angelus lunged, latching on to Xander's neck hard and merciless and the fledgling vampire rose to meet his Sire, purring uncontrollably.

The boy's coat was pulled from his shoulders roughly, Angelus taking care not to rip the new leather as he drank deeply still. Xander's hands gripped at Angelus' back, claws extending and digging into the soft black shirt, cutting little holes and drawing blood. The older vampire withdrew his fangs with a snarl and made short work of Xander's white t-shirt and pants, tossing the articles of clothing to the ends of the room carelessly. With a quick motion Angelus undid the button and zipper of his own pants, and without preperation or warning hoisted Xander's legs around his waist and buried himself in the boy's body with one hard thrust.

Spike tensed for the scream, but when Xander moaned deliciously and began to arch into the rough movements the blonde felt his body react against his will. His rage was not pleased that his passion and lust were rising, watching Angelus pound himself into the young body beneath him, but Spike knew he couldn't deny the arousal. He could smell it, he could see it, fuck he could 'feel' it, the remnants of being claimed becoming suddenly fresh even after over a hundred years. Subconsciously, Spike shrugged his jacket off.

Xander barely noticed his arms being pinned at the side of his head painfully, or the blood seeping from his entrance, it was the undeniable heat that was engulfing his entire body. He felt absolutely intoxicated, filled completely, he felt owned, and this was what his demon had been craving.

The pressure surrounding his cock and the fire that swirled in Xander's eyes as he accepted him fully made Angelus surge. He felt his orgasm breaking to the surface, his hips snapping harshly against Xander's yielding form, and pressed himself chest to chest against his Childe. With fangs still partially stained in the boy's blood from earlier, Angelus bit into the still fresh marks again and drank, the sweetness of the thick, cool blood making him rise and force himself as deeply inside of his boy as he could. With a second to spare Angelus grabbed a fist-full of Xander's sable brown hair and pressed the boy's eager mouth to his neck.

Xander was besides himself but did not hesitate, mentally he mapped every sensation, the feel of his teeth sinking into that powerful neck, the strong, heady taste of the liquid that poured down his throat, and especially the pleasure that ran through his veins. The blood allowed him to feel what his Sire was feeling, he could hear a light murmur of voices in his head that sounded of a mix between his Sire and the Angel with a soul. The voices grew louder, the pleasure immense, and just before Xander could make out the words they were saying his cock twitched and climax hit him.

Angelus roared, tearing away from Xander and in the process ripping the boy from him. His body convulsed ravenously and he came deep inside the young demon, growling nose to nose with Xander as the tremors in both bodies started to subside.

Spike had released himself from the confines of his leather pants, he'd given up trying to be angry and couldn't even pull off irritated anymore. He'd settled on stroking the erection he'd accomplished by watching the claiming. Yes he was extremely jealous, but he'd always been a bit of a voyuer and his favorite fetish had been his Sire. He remembered hunting with the master vampire in England, watching Angelus masterfully seduce a pretty little servant girl or a young stable boy, then feed as he raped them, ravaging their bodies until their last breath. Angelus would always come for Spike afterwards, the blonde waited and anticipated it, and loved every second of it.

The demons had resided, leaving all but small streaks of gold in both Sire and Childe's eyes, gazes still entranced with each other. Angelus knew he would be weakened after the claiming, would need to rest, but he also knew that Xander would be full of energy and sexual tension. With the sun up and the room small, Spike would be the only entertainment the boy would have.

The blonde on the next bed watched Angelus move away from Xander, before his Sire smiled at him, and suddenly Spike remembered. An intimate claiming such as what had just transgressed was extremely draining on the part of the Sire, it was a giving of immense energy and blood, Angelus had to permanently mark Xander not only with essence but with power and crest. It was the Childe that recieved the marking and the energy. Spike's hand stopped moving.

"I trust you to keep the new boy in good company, William." Angelus said as he carefully laid himself out on the now rumpled bed.

Xander, who was still laying naked and hard turned to look at Spike curiously. It was the first time he had noticed Spike's presence since they'd gotten to the motel, and he'd be damned if the blonde wasn't alluring as he was, reclined on his one arm, shirt pulled up on his stomach and full erection firm in hand. Xander's body ached just looking at him, all his demon could recognize at the moment being an intense need for more passion.

Speechless, Spike only watched as Xander moved languidly to stand in front of him. They stared at each other for a moment, emotions flashing across both faces; a craving stirred, a hatred started to die, and in unison both demons rose again and Xander pounced on the snarling blonde.

Lips and teeth clashed as Spike fell to his back under the brunette's hands, naked thighs straddled his waist as insistent fingers held his arousal steady. A broken moan escaped Xander as he forced himself onto Spike and the blonde's back arched as his throbbing member was swallowed by the hungry body. Xander allowed no movement on Spike's part, and fully guided the thrusts with sharp rotations in an almost angry fashion.

Spike couldn't take it any longer, he needed to be able to thrust into this body, needed to fuck Xander into this mattress until the boy couldn't move. Grabbing the boy by the arms Spike none-too-nicely threw the brunette off of him, sending him stumbling off the bed entirely. Before he could get his footing back, Xander found himself pinned to the wall behind him, a seething demon in his face.

"Stay where you are." Spike whispered, and took a single step back.

With elegant, nimble fingers the blonde promptly divested himself of his outfit, and let Xander's golden eyes roam. Spike watched the younger vampire lick his lips before taking the boy back into his hold and kissing him. Xander moved against him, begging to be filled again and Spike granted his unspoken wish, spinning the lithe body and pushed inside.

Xander moaned from deep in his throat, face pressed against the cool wall as the older Childe took him without remorse, his chest bouncing off the old wallpaper with each punishing movement. Secretively, Xander smiled, his demon laughing quite happily internally. This morning had spun full circle for him, he felt as if he were home, it was a feeling he couldn't remember experiencing even as a human, at least not as strongly as he felt it right now.

Angelus spared the two a few minutes of avid attention, before he couldn't force his eyes to stay open any longer. With a smirk on his face he let himself fall asleep to the sounds of his Childer resolving their differences, fully looking forward to the coming night, and the nights after.

~*~

TBC...

thank you for the reviews to the people who left them, i hope you enjoyed this chapter and would very much like to hear your thoughts! next installment soon :)