Beast Master

“No?!” The echoed word shattered through the dizzying lure that had carried her to the brink… offering herself to the beast – mind, body, and spirit. Withdrawing from his touch, Willow ’s chest heaved painfully as she struggled for each breath. “No…” she repeated the word as if trying to register the meaning. Her brows drew together in a knot and her fingers flitted to her throat to touch the phantom fang marks that existed only in the visions that played through her mind like a broken reel of film.

Falling back onto her heels so she was kneeling before him, Willow lowered her eyes, mortified. Rejected. Dismissed. “The spell,” she nodded, the deep flush of humiliation replacing the desperate desire from moments before. “Right.”

He gave her a speculative look as her skin heated and warmed, her chest rose and fell... you'd think he was giving her a reason. Oh he wanted to... if he slipped his hand between her legs, he'd have her chanting alright...

He steeled himself and spoke tightly, "hurry up, Red. Then we'll get to the fun bits, I promise."

The flames that moments ago flickered brightly around them now sagged, barely a whisper in the darkness. A slight shake of her head was all she gave in answer as she set about refocusing her attentions on the spell that would imbue the amulet with their joined essence and empower Spike to command a cloak of invisibility.

Closing her eyes, she bit her lip in concentration, pushing away all thoughts of his touch in order to draw on her magical center. Through the darkness, the cinquefoil and mum blossoms slowly began to glow surrounding them in an iridescent circle. Once she’d established the anointed space, she shifted her position so she was cross legged again – careful not to open her eyes for fear that his gaze would break her concentration.

“You have to let go,” she said, her voice felt scratchy against her throat as if it wasn’t her own. “You have to open yourself to feel my essence.”

"To... what..." He hadn't been concentrating at all. How could he when watching her do so was much more interesting? "Right." Closing his eyes, he was immediately tempted to reopen them.

The quicker they got this over with, the quicker he'd get to the prize...

He cleared his mind, trying not to feel too much like that git Angel, and his meditative ways. The big bad didn't have to go through these motions, he just...

Mid stream of thought, things changed. Spike's mind went quiet, and he sensed it wasn't his own doing... there was an outside force helping and guiding. Willow ’s. Forcing himself to relax more, he allowed what was starting to feel like an invasion... pushing, moving through him, penetrating barriers of flesh and bone.

Their auras pressed together... brushed... melded in some places. As her essence flowed into him, the sensation of warmth and safety suddenly shifted. Innocence. Purity. Much like the virgin sacrifice in the lore of a thousand cultures, she was unwittingly taunting his demon. His inner beast roared with need, sending lust pumping through Spike's system. Lurching forward, he gripped her knees and struggled for control... the control to prevent himself from taking her there, from forcing her to meet his beast.

Willow flinched at the unexpected touch and her eyes popped wide just as his did. Their gazes locked, his cool hands seared her flesh in a euphoric juxtaposition of sensations. Fully aware of the amplified need that had him teetering on the edge of control, her hands came over his, holding them firmly in place as her own breathing slowed even further. As the combined infusion of their power coiled into the amulet, her eyes remained fixed on his. The gold flecks in her irises reflected the flicker of the flames that now burned bright, awakened as the natural innocence of her essence caressed his beast – not to tame it, but to join with it.

When they were both fully immersed in the spell, her hands lifted into the air taking his with them as if by some magnetic force. And although she could see that he was no longer physically touching her, she could feel him – his need – demanding, insistent, and intensely arousing as if his tongue were licking across her body. Hyper-focused on the sensations that he was drawing out of her, a sheet of perspiration coated her flesh and her entire body quivered each time she felt him invading forbidden places.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware she was shepherding a trickle of their infused auras into the amulet. But he was powerless to help with the effort as he battled other, far stronger needs and desires. The beast wanted her... its dark desire dominated Spike, forced him to visualize his aura, forcing its will over hers, covering her... taking her innocence, forcing her to acknowledge his control... forcing her to beg him for more each time he battered her defenses and entered the sanctity of her body.

The vampire’s body reacted to the needs of his demon. He was hard, aching... his body his enemy, wanting to make the demon's desires come true. He struggled between letting go of the bit of humanity he had left, and gripping to it tightly.

Willow felt Spike fighting to contain his vampiric nature, but he had to unleash the beast or the struggle would strangle them both and suffocate the spell. So she taunted him with tendrils of innocence and purity, drawing it out until she felt its fangs and claws carving into her essence, feeding from her spirit, dominating her soul, forcing her to bend to its will… but it was Spike’s need that she felt pounding into her core, deep and penetrating and wildly out of control.

Leaning close to her ear, fighting her scent... fighting the knowledge that she was aroused too... he gave a strangled call. " Willow . Hurry... can't..."

Giving voice to the rapture sent Willow hurtling over the edge of control as a violent and completely unexpected orgasm ripped through her. Candle flames exploded like signal flares, streaking through the darkness to coalesce above their heads in a cyclone of sparks. Throwing her head back, the witch cried out in a guttural moan as every muscle in her body convulsed and her back arched in response to the mind shattering ecstasy that gripped her.

When the sensations finally subsided, the flames extinguished and Willow slowly came back into herself feeling light headed, but completely satiated.

Still in the grips of lust, but this time only his own, he leaned forward and sought the comfort of her mouth. He needed her... wanted the prize she'd offered earlier. His tongue moved over hers, trying to make her engage, to make her burn again. He grew frustrated, and not too patient, he pulled his mouth away. "This your revenge, then? For last night?"

Willow couldn’t see Spike through the darkness and in her state of post euphoria she couldn’t be certain if the touch she felt against her lips and tongue were real or lingering sensations from the spell. It wasn’t until he spoke that she realized he was even still on the bed. Hopping up, she flipped on the lights, but he was gone. Invisible, she belatedly realized.

“Looks like the spell worked,” she said, instantly put off by his accusation of revenge. Did he really think she’d deliberately turned the spell into something powerfully sexual just to get back at him for rejecting her? What a fool she’d been to think there could ever be anything between them. “Touch the amulet and you should become visible,” she told him, her tone instructional.

He didn't want to chit chat, or talk about the spell... more pressing urges were driving him, and he found her suddenly cool attitude irritating. Still, he looked down and was a bit disconcerted by the fact he couldn't see himself... Maybe that's what was her problem.

He quickly touched the amulet, and found himself still looking down. His legs and body were there, as was the bulge in his pants. Turning heated eyes to her, he put his hand out. "Now, Red? For real this time, yeah?"

“I did my job. Now go do yours.” Emboldened by the experience of sharing her aurora with the beast, Willow strode over to the door and opened it. “Giles and the others are waiting for you.”

"What... your job." His jaw tightened. "What about your... you said there would be tumbling, after the spell." His resentful gaze went to the door, then back to meet hers. "This a joke, Red? It's not funny, yeah?"

“I did not say that. You did,” she leveled an unwavering gaze on him before scooping up his shirt and coat and shoving it at him. “You don’t get to lead me around by the nose, accuse me of trying to tame you, reject me, and then expect me to wait until you’re good and ready for me, Spike. Not anymore.” She moved behind him and gave him a shove toward the open door.

"But... I didn't do any of that..." he protested. A voice whispered in his head... show her Given a few minutes, he should be able to have her begging him for his mouth, his tongue, his cock or whatever he was willing to give. It was tempting... especially when thoughts of doing exactly that were torturing him. If he hadn't recognized the dark quality of the voice, he might have made good... demanded satisfaction. But the beast had been riled enough for one day, and if he was wrong... if she didn't fall to his charms, no good would come of it. All it took was the memory of how close he'd been to losing control of it to make him know he was right.

He threw his shirt back at her. "Keep it. Something to keep you warm at night." Eyes filled with fury, he turned and left her at her door... again.

Despite her cool exterior, Willow caught the shirt and bundled it to her chest. Moving to the door even as it swung shut, she fell against it and sunk to the floor, dropping her face into the fabric and inhaling his deliciously untamed scent.

* * * *

If the Slayer hadn't insisted, Spike would have been found nowhere near the surprise party they were springing on Giles. Now that they'd successfully stopped another apocalypse, the Scoobs were looking for any excuse to relax. He understood that... but he also understood that being anywhere near Willow was not in the least bit relaxing.

That game she played... showing him the door when she'd straight out told him she wanted him and he'd jumped at the chance right after the bleeding ritual... its still boiled his blood. She was angry about the girl at the bar, right, he got that. Even explained about it, but payback wasn't what he'd expected. Not from her of all people.

He stood with his back against the wall, knocking back the beer he'd brought with him, and brooding. Bloody hell, she'd managed to turn him into Captain Broody Pants himself.

Crouched behind the couch with Buffy, Willow looked at Spike out of the corner of her eye, careful not to make eye contact. She was done playing the pawn in his head games and had successfully avoided him since the invisibility spell – even though she really should have gotten her amulet back. The enchantment would have faded by now, but it was a perfectly good all-purpose amulet and he had no right to keep it.

“Giles is totally going to see Spike standing in the window…” Willow complained to Buffy in a harsh whisper. “He’s going to ruin everything with his big bad attitude. Tell him to go in the other room or something.”

"There's nothing wrong with Spike's hearing," he answered, shooting the witch a heated glare. "And no one gets to tell me where to go."

"Spike, get down here," Buffy snapped. "If you ruin this..."

"I can hear him coming from miles, he's not here." He took another swallow if his beer, set his drink down and ambled over to the couch. Dropping down on all fours, he crawled toward the girls. The predatory look on his face was hard to miss. "This what you wanted, luv. Here I am, bigger than life, yeah?"

“Your head sure is,” Willow answered back, cursing the reflexive flutter of her pulse as she caught the look in his eye. She shifted as far away from him as she could without losing the cover of the sofa. “And if your hearing is so good, you would have heard that what I wanted was for you to go in another room.”

"Seems you're the mistress of saying one thing and meaning another, so I've stopped listening," Spike countered. She couldn't really fault him for it, could she?

Buffy looked at them and gave Willow a look that said they'd need to talk later. Something was definitely up here.

“I’m not the mistress of anything! If anybody’s the mistress, you’re the mistress. Mistress of manipulation,” she shot back, belatedly catching Buffy’s look. “What? He’s just trying to get a rise out of me, but it’s not going to work.” Her face flushed and she made a dismissive gesture, smacking the back of her hand hard against the frame of the couch in the process. “Ow.” She shook out her fist and glared at Spike as if he’d deliberately caused her to do that.

"You could be the mistress," he purred. "Keeping the monsters in their place... wearing black leather and lace--"

"Cut that out," Riley said from across the room. "Can't you see she's waaay too classy to even get that, you jerk."

Spike's gaze met hers, and he knew... she got it alright.

Willow swallowed and her pulse kicked up a notch. “It’s not going to work…” she repeated in a low hiss through clenched teeth. With renewed determination, she dragged her gaze away and stared at the pattern on the back of the couch, methodically counting each paisley leaf until she was able to get her heart beat back under control.

"Coward." He whispered, and told himself to forget... forget how good she tasted, how good she felt in his arms. Forget how wild she could make him feel. But saying it and doing it were two different things...

“You’re the coward…” she answered back automatically without looking at him. Let it go…

"Not the one who keeps running--"

Right then, Giles' key scraped against the door and a hush fell on the room.

Willow turned and held Spike’s gaze. The rush of blood pounding in her ears was deafening, drowning out the shouts of “Surprise” as everybody else jumped up from their hiding spots. It wasn’t until Buffy literally hauled her to her feet that she tore her eyes from his and joined in the celebration. And it wasn’t until everybody settled down to mingle that she noticed Spike had slipped out.

Now who’s running…

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