Solstice

SOLSTICE
Part 7/10

The vamps are having a meeting. It was called before ever I arrived here, and it’s half a dozen of the most elder of Aurelius’ own childer. The rest know what is going on, but are remaining away. Japheth says they will be a second front if these elders fall. So, it’s them and me.

Japheth insisted that I stay for the meeting – I would have done that anyway – and he also insisted that I have my old room back and get some sleep. As if I could. He brought me some herbal tea to help. Vampires and herbal tea? You just never know, do you? Perhaps it did help a bit, because I did sleep, although very fitfully. I dreamed, too.

I dreamed that I was somewhere with Angel, and it was a dreadful place, but it was truly Angel, not Angelus. And then it was Angelus, not Angel, in that same dreadful place. Both of them told me to go, to leave them, not to try to rescue them. I know it was both of them, because they may look alike, but I can tell one from the other. It’s as if each of them resonates differently in my spirit. I know that Angel must be safe in the ether, waiting for me. His soul was that of an innocent, and Hell can’t touch him, of that I’m sure. So this terrible place must be a reflection of my own fears for Angelus. It must have been about Angelus, mustn’t it? Or could it have been Angel, warning me? I don’t know what to think, except that if either of them thinks I’m leaving him there, they’ve got another think coming. The dream did give me the seed of an idea, though.

These elder vamps are very intelligent. Generally, the vamps I’ve staked have been sly and cunning, and maybe even devious, but little more than teeth on legs. The Aurelians are different. Except the Master, who was as stupid as they come. Vicious, but stupid. If I understand what Angelus has told me about Nest, these vamps would agree with me on that if they were honest about him. He’s definitely txcepxception, though. Perhaps these Aurelians come from different stock, and are not the same as other vampires. I don’t know. When I have time, I’ll have to find out more.

Since we have nothing else to go on, they are starting with the theory that Wolfram and Hart are behind this. We have crossed one of their senior partners, and they do not seem to be the forgiving and forgetting kind. Additionally, the Aurelians seem to have upset the firm themselves. They are talking about Japheth’s recovery of the last of someone’s bones, held by one of Wolfram and Hart’s sorcerers. They manago bro break into the firm’s building in Los Angeles and found the bone, but not before all hell broke loose, and that was almost literally. They lost half their number getting out, and that’s when they took Lindsey with them.

I make a call to Wesley. Apparently security has been tightened, and he’s pretty sure the same ploy won’t work again. He puts me onto Will, who has persevered with scrying for Angel. I tell her that Aurelius is missing, too, and about Sekhmet. I see some scowls around the table here, but we have to learn to trust each other.

She’s had some results from the scrying, but they are very strange. The pendant kept trying to go to L.A., but was pushed away. The effects were subtle, but she’s good at this sort of thing, and she’s pretty sure he’s there. When I tell her about Sekhmet, she has an idea. If Sekhmet is affected by sympathetic magic, maybe that magic can be backtracked. Perhaps she and Tara can whip up a spell to tell them whether the cat can see anything. My seed of an idea grows, but I don’t say anything just yet.

The vamps keep talking. Japheth is the leader, as the eldest. He told me last night that he is Keeper of the clan, and what that meant. In the absence of the clan master and his beta, the Keeper is in charge.

We’re going with the Wolfram and Hart connection, although not blindly so. Other of Aurelius’ childer, those not here, will keep on looking for other leads. But we are after the lawyers. There are lots of good ideas, but something is wrong with all of them. Eventually, they start to become frustrated, and decide to take a break. I’m pretty sure I know what they are going to do, and my slayer instincts war with my current sense of purpose. I find out later that Aurelius has strict rules about excessive killing in his home territory. They’ve fed on animals. There are plenty of horses and donkeys and cattle around, and many of those animals are in such poor condition that a few fang marks won’t be noticed.

When we reconvene, I tell them I have an idea. It’s foolish and dangerous, although I don’t say so because they can see that for themselves, but it might work. They listen politely. When I’m finished, there is stunned silence for a few moments, and then everyone starts talking at once. These may be ancient and powerful vampires, but they can still behave like a pack of schoolchildren.

They don’t like it. Well, neither do I, but none of us can think of anything better. They don’t trust me, either, and that much is perfectly clear. Well, why should they? They’ve known each other for thousands of years, and I have only met one of them before. Oh yes, and let’s not forget that I’m the Slayer. I may be Angelus’ mate, but they really don’t kno int intentions here. In the end, it’s Japheth, the eldest, who turns the balance in my favour.

“We face losing Aurelius and Angelus, our master and his beta. We have lost many members down the centuries, but never will this clan have suffered such a heavy blow. It seems that vengeance has been taken on both of them for actions against three powerful demigods. If we go up against these three, they may annihilate us. If we allow them to steal these two away, who is to say that these beings would not still turn their attention to the rest of the clan as well?

“We have with us the Slayer, the most powerful weapon we could possibly choose to assist us. Who is to say that this was not meant to be? We are reluctant to trust her, and so we should be. After all we are what she slays. And yet, she has chosen to ally herself with us. There may be family… disagreements… in the future, but here and now we have common cause. As Angelus’ mate, we can either reject her – and him – completely; we can consider them outcast from the clan. Or, we can trust her and follow her lead. Aurelius clearly wishes her to be considered family. She carries his blood, and we all know it. I choose the same. I will follow the Slayer. Who will join me?”

And that is how it goes. Arrangements are made to transport the seven of us to Sunnydale. We’ve decided to combine forces. I’ve chosen Sunnydale rather than Los Angeles to start with, because I like to have that bit of distance between me and this particular enemy. Besides that, my plan requires everything to look as normal as possible. How normal is it, arriving home with six ancient vampires and a comatose four hundred pound sabre-tooth cat? Still, we do what we can.

When we get home, Lindsey has disappeared. I’m not taking bets on where he’s ruf tof to, and why. He’s dead when next I see him. Well, deader.

***********

These guys at Wolfram and Hart really do well for themselves. I know lawyering is high up on the list of things to do if you want to be a big earner, but this is beyond even that league. I’m here to see a woman called Lilah Morgan. Gunn is my insurance, waiting outside.

Lilah’s office is big and very expensive. I could get used to this…

“Faith. What a surprise.”

“Yeah, well, you know me. Always doing things differently.”

“Well, what things are you thinking of doing now?”

She’s got a very lawyer-like face on –’s n’s not giving much away – but as I tell her what I’m thinking of doing now, the mask slips, just a little. So it should. I’m asking if she wants to buy a Slayer. Well, two, but on rather different terms.

I’m offering to deliver Buffy to her, and to come over and work for the firm if they have a job for me. After all, I’m a wanted killer. They can fix things like that, make sure I never see the inside of a jail, much better than the ire ire ever can. I want to be free of his influence and I’m sure they can do that, if anyone can. Well, you know what he kept saying about me. Gotta get my mind right.

Lilah is astonished and very interested, although she tries not to let on.

“Why would we want Buffy alive if, as you say, we were behind trying to kill her in June?”

“You don’t want any Slayer under the influence of Angelus, helping him, strengthening him. He’s got two now, and you want to take those away from him. I’m offering you my services if you’ll do exactly that, and I can’t see how you wouldn’t want B at your disposal. She’ll never work for you like I will, but I’m sure you want to find out how she works, what effect mating a vampire has had on her, run your tests, have a slayer lab-rat.”

“Why would you do this?”

“I want the cops off my back. I want the sort of money that I can see is just small change around here. I’m tired of being poor, of living on someone’s charity. Living off you? Well, I’m sure you’ll find some way of letting me earning my corn, something to fit my… talents. And I got to cut the vampire up pretty damned bad. I found that I… liked it. Will you have some more jobs like that?”

She laughs then, and makes a call. Three men – well, two men and one something else that looks like a man – come in and are introduced as Linwood and Hamilton. The other one is Lindsey. She outlines my plan to them. It takes a while, but they are agreed. They’ll hire me. I ask them if they want the Watcher, too. They demur a bit, because the Watcher is more of a nuisance than anything else. I remind them that if they leave him loose, he’ll contact the Watcher’s Council. Is that the sort of problem they want? They decide they’ll take the Watcher. Lilah looks at her fingernails and suggests, softly, that I might bring the other Watcher, too. The failed one. I say that’s nobleoblem.

Then we talk details, but can’t agree on a plan. I can’t just walk in the front door with three kidnap victims. They are worried about trusting me, I can tell, and this is getting to be a problem.

“Look, if you think I’m going to sell you out, you’re insane. I’ve got nowhere else to go but here. If you don’t trust me, test me. I’m sure you’ve got stuff that wiell ell you whether I mean what I say.”

The four of them move to the far side of Lilah’s office for a spirited but whispered conversation. A phone call is made, and almost immediately a pair of dark-haired, and extremely spooky, identical twins come in. They both stand in front of me for several very long minutes. Then the examination is over.

“She speaks the truth.”

That was weird. They said it in stereo. They surely couldn’t have said anything else, but I breathe a sigh of relief anyway. Linwood then makes a suggestion.

“She could bring them directly into the Hole.”

“The Hole?” This sounds interesting. Lilah explains.

“It’s a small hole in reality. It’s a walled-off e ofe of nothing. It’s outside space and time, and everything else you think you know.”

She turns to Hamilton.

“If we keep the Slayer in there, we could use her and Angelus against each other. That could be interesting. And fun.”

“You’ve got the vampire in there?”

Hamilton looks suspicious again, but I don’t want to let this chance slip.

“Well, I was only thinking you might let me play with him again. Perhaps I was only practising last time.”

The sisters nod, and Hamilton smiles indulgently.

“I think Faith will be an intriguing addition to our payroll.”

“Talking about that, I need to have some help to get three of them here. I know some people who hate Angelus almost as much as I do, and who think Buffy is a danger to humans, now, going over to the dark side like this. They probably won’t want to work for you, but I’m sure they’ll help me get rid of her. It’ll be easier using them than trying to introduce strangers.”

“You sure you know what you are doing?”

“Never more so.”

“Fine. Bring who you like.”

“How will I bring them into this Hole?”

Hamilton fishes in his pocket and brings out a small crystal, wrapped round with intricate silver wire. He tosses it to me, and fetches out another one.

“One shot job. It’ll get you in and out of the portal once. Don’t try to use it again. Tell us when you’re coming. Right, everyone. Ready?”

He looks at me, and I nod. He holds thestalstal up and calls out, “Enter”. There’s a shimmer now, in the middle of Lilah’s office. She gestures to me to follow Lindsey, and I do. It’s like walking through a very thin sauna, hot, moist, and sticky on the skin, and then we are in a large, almost bare, room. not not quite bare, because there are chains round the walls, and a couple of silver-coloured cns, ns, covered in crosses. I think I can guess who’s in there. Lilah can see my interest.

“No, you can’t play with either of them just yet. But, when we get Buffy here, who knows?”

I can’t keep the smirk of anticipation off my face, and she sees it.

“So, I just say the word, bring them here, and then the people with me can go, right?”

“Do you want them to ‘just go’? Wouldn’t you feel more comfortable if they stayed here as well?”

That’s Hamilton. I think about what he has said.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, at that. Do I get to keep their pay?”

I get another indulgent laugh from Hamilton. We go back to Lilah’s office, and she insists on taking me out for dinner. It’s good, a proper restaurant. Then it’s back to Sunnydale for step two.

**************

When I came back from Cairo, we all went for a walk in the Cemetery of Eternal Rest, and I told people about my plan. There were reservations, and all of them thought I was mad, but they are prep to to try it. I’m humbled by how much they must love and trust me, to do something as foolish as this. It’s been three weeks now since Angelus and Aurelius were taken. I have to believe they were taken, and that they still might be found. That he might come home again. The builders have finished with the mansion, and it’s clean and new and fit for his return. I’ll make sure he gets back to enjoy it.

Aurelius’ childer have made themselves scarce in the various crypts that Sunnydale has so many of. Willow and Tara have visited, to see if they can backtrack the trail of magic from Sekhmet, or get any idea what she can see. That was almost a disaster, because a spike of magic backlashed onto both of them. It took them three days to recover, so we won’t be trying that again. They won’t tell me how bad it was, but I think they might have almost been killed. Everything else we’ve tried has come up a blank.FaitFaith is here. She’s been in and out for the last week or two, sitting in on some of our meetings, and not on others. She went off for a couple of days, saying she needed some alone time, that all these vampires and demons were upsetting her slayer senses, something that I still find difficult, and even now she doesn’t seem very okay. She appears to be drifting apart from the main group. She’s very buddy with Xander, Gunn and Clethra, the junior member of the Norag contingent; all the ones who were most discontent with the plan. Perhaps the ones who were most discontent with Angelus. If Cordelia were here, it would be a matching set.

I’ve asked Faith to come and see me, to set about putting my plan into operation. Everything seems to be ready, and I don’t want to wait any longer.

***************

B has summoned me. She’s taken to using the rooms that belonged… belong to Angelus. Time to swing into action, then. We’re as ready as we’re going to be, so there’s no point in letting the grass grow. Lilah gave me something to help, here. Well, three little somethings, one for each of them. All I’ve got to do is touch skin and we don’t even have to duke it out. Very thoughtful of the lawyers.

B is sitting in the study, and she’s got papers and plans and maps all over the desk in front of her. Much good thosel bel be, and she knows it. I sit down and slip her a note.

‘Don’t say a word. Wes and Giles are outside. They say the mansion might be bugged. Let’s go.”

She doesn’t say anything, just gets up and slips on her jacket. We’re off. Giles and Wesley are indeed outside. It’s just that they are… incapacitated. Just like B will be in a couple of minutes. We get out into the garden, and into the little summerhouse that Angelus has had built for her. She sees Xander and Gunn and Clethra, with two bundles at their feet. She’s got no time to react, though, because I press my little gadget to the nape of her neck, and she goes down.

I look at the other three. They’re ready. I hold the wire-wrapped crystal up and say ‘Enter’. The wall of the summerhouse shimmers. Xander shrugs, hoists B onto his shoulder and stands to one side. Gunn and Clethra take a Watcher each, and walk through. I follow them, and Xander sticks a broomstick through the portal, holding it open, just like a door.

Just as Hamilton said, we are back in that creepy room. There’s a welcoming committee. The four lawyers, well three lawyers… No, let’s start again. The two lawyers, dead vampire ex-lawyer, and indeterminate thing are there, with a dozen or so thugs, each with cattle prods. They are taking no chances, then. Two of our three captives are on the floor, still unconscious.

“Where is the Slayer?”

That’s Hamilton.

“You’ll get her.” I point to the broomstick. “When I give the right tug on that, the Slayer wil bro brought through. Sort of like a Masonic handshake, you know.”

The lawyers start to look angry, and I hurry on.

“It’s just a precaution – you tested me. I just want to be reassured. You say that Angelus and Aurelius are here, but you’ve shown me shit. I just want to see them, nothing else. I want to know that neither of them is going to come a me me for what’s going down here. That’s reasonable.”

Linwood hesitates, then nods and gestures to the assembled muscle and, four to a coffin, they take off the lids. I don’t even want to register what I can see. I’ll have nightmares about it for years. I grab hold of the broomstick and tug twice. Xander comes through the portal, followed by the half a dozen of Aurelius’ childer who came with B from Cairo.

“REVIVERE!”

That’s Japheth. On his word, Buffy, Giles and Wes come to their feet, and their senses. We knew there’d be no time for recuperation, so Willow’s revival spell is instanThe The humans amongst us – and I’m not counting me and B here – stand in front of the portal wall, to stop anyone getting out and fetching reinforcements, and the rest of us go to work. The plan is to concentrate on the muscle, figuring that the lawyer-types aren’t going to be very much trouble, apart from Lindsey, that is. He’s staying back, though – not one for close encounters, obviously. Hamilton, standing behind the muscle, searches his pockets, looking for his crystal, I guess, but he doesn’t seem to have it. That’s good. Maybe I’m the only one with the way out.

It takes a little while, and a lot of bruises and several very severe electrical sho bec because these guys are good, but eventually we do get the thugs down and out. Most of them are staying like that permanently, because there was no time for niceties. Now it’s just the gang of four.

Buffy walks over to the coffins, and I hear a choked sob from her. Figuring that Lindsey is going to be no match for these very powerful vamps, and that the others, in their shiny suits – power suit, in Lilah’s case – aren’t important, I risk a look with her. I want to be sick again when I really see what’s in the coffins. The others are sidling over now. I didn’t think that vamps vomited, but I can tell that some of them want to. There’s a lot of silence from our team, because we hadn’t countedthisthis.

***************

Did you really think that Fahad had sold us out? Go The The plan worked, then. I’ll tell you about it later, but none of us were actually unconscious. The lawyers’ spell worked, but Willow had given us some protection. We were limp, but fully aware. Better prepared to get into the fray than if we had come out of a deep sleep. As soon as the men with the cattle prods are disposed of, I go to rescue my sleeping prince. Okay, and my sort-of father-in-law-to-be. I’m really not prepared for what I see. They are both in the same condition, but I only have eyes for Angelus, and the picture of him will live with me forever.

He’s naked, lying in the lead coffin, which has a design of raised crosses inside and out. There’s barely room for him, and in places, his skin is brushing against a cross. In those places, there are angry burn marks. His wrists are crossed on his stomach, and writhing silver tendrils have speared through his body and pierced those crossed wrists, fixing tog together. The tendrils have then split – there may be a dozen of more – and they are threading though every part of him. Yet there is no blood.

One has gone all the way through his right thigh and part way through teft.eft. Another has speared his shoulder, from front to back, turned to travel though his neck and throat and come out through the opposite cheek. A third has entered his abdomen, and, with a high and looping path, is stitching its way though hioin.oin. They are in his legs, his feet, his arms, his hips, his chest, his belly; they are everywhere. All told, it looks like some obscene version of Sleeping Beauty, wrapped around and through by his own barrier of briars. Except, he isn’t sleeping. His eyes are open, and I can feel him. He is awake and in pain, but he can’t move, and I don’t know why.

The human in me wants to wail, but the Slayer in me is dismayed as well. I seize hold of one of the tendrils and try to pull it out. It’s too strong. I can’t even bend it. If we want to get Angelus and Aurelius out, we are going to have to cut them out in pieces. Unless the lawyers can remove the metal artwork, that is.

Japheth has his hand on Aurelius’ shoulder, and anger on his face.

“What is the mechanism to remove this… this abomination?” he snarls at the lawyers. He is met with silence. He stalks over to them, singling out Hamilton, and takes him by the throat.

“Tell me!”

He starts to squeeze. Hamilton takes hold of his hand and prises it away from his neck, despite everything that Japheth can do. Then, casually bac backhands this ancient and powerful vampire and hurls him clear across the room. He is knocked onto the upper edge of Aurelius’ coffin, almost landing on top of the clan master, with such force that the immensely heavy coffin is knocked off the stone platform and cartwheels backwards, landing upside down on the floor. Japheth tries to stand, but it’s clear he’s badly hurt. The other five vamps are instantly on to Hamilton, but even though they have the advantage of numbers, it’s obvious he is far the stronger. I’ve never seen anything like it. Well, not since Glory. The rest of us join in, trying to subdue this creature.

Except for Wesley. As Hamilton catches me with a blow across the breast that sends me to the floor, gasping for breath, I see Wesley from the corner of my eye, coming up behind Lilah. She doesn’t know he’s there, she’s so busy watching Hamilton knock seven bells out of the rest of us. He grabs her around the throat, and pulls out a large knife from the back of his waistband.

“Tell me how to free the vampires, Lilah, or I *will* cut your throat.”

She doesn’t believe him.

“No, Wesley, I really don’t think you will, you know. I understand you better than that.”

There is something between the two of them, and I’m pretty sure I know what it is. His next action shocks me, therefore. He draws the knife steadily around her throat, leaving a seeping red line in its wake.

“You don’t know me very well at all, Lilah, I can promise you that.”

She believes him this time.

“The ankh on the outside of the coffins. Press the ankh.”

The ankh. The symbol of life. I should have known.

I pick myself up, leaving my comrades to keep fighting the Hamilton creature as best they can, and go to Angelus. Tears come when I see him, and although I try to hold them back, one falls onto his breast. There is a look of anguish in his eyes. I can’t look. I must be quick, if any of us are to get out of here alive.

There are hundreds of crosses on the outside of the coffin. The ankh is hidden at footfoot end, appearing to hang by its loop from the centre of a Maltese cross. I jab at it, again and again, as uselessly as jabbing at the elevator button. It happens in its own time. The tendrils seem to soften and become malleable, and then they pull away from my beloved’s flesh. In moments, all that is left is the spike that impales him. I need help to get him off that. And still he cannot move. What has been done to him?

Japheth is now up on his knees, and trying to go forward to hels brs brothers and sisters, to help the rest of us. I pull him up, and he cries out in pain. I think a lot of things are broken. There’s no time for that now.

“Japheth, help me. Quickly.”

He understands. We go to the upturned coffin that holds Aurelius, and search for the ankh. This time it is at the head end, fitted between the arms of the Cross of Lorraine, and very hard to see. Wesley leaves Lilah and comes to help us. We are only three, and our strongest member badly hurt, but we somehow manage to turn the coffin gently over, adding burns to Japheth’s existing hurts. There is a cry from beneath it as we do so. Aurelius is conscious,n, an, and I don’t doubt the sharp spike has hurt as he slid off it. When we have the coffin off him – and it must weigh much more than a ton – he is on hands and knees, blood running in rivulets down his body. Japheth makes to offer him his arm, but I push him away. He needs all his own blood, judging by the injuries I think he has. Instead, I offer mine to Aurelius. He looks his gratitude, and then takes a few sips, no more. There are few vamps with that sort of restraint when Slayer’s blood is on offer, especially so badly wounded as he is, and starved for three weeks. Still, there is no time. The others are losing badly, now, with the vampires trying to protect the humans, who are all bleeding freely. Hamilton seems to be unconquerable.

“Angelus still can’t move. Help me get him.” I don’t understand why Aurelius is free of the magic, whatever it is, and Angelus is not.

We leave Aurelius where he is, still kneeling on the floor, and go to the second coffin. Between us, we manage to lift my demon out. He makes no sound, not as the spike slides out of his navel, nor when we lose our grip a little and jolt him against the inside of the coffin. The odour of seared flesh reminds us to be careful in our haste.

At last he is out. As soon as the spike can no longer feel his flesh, it retracts into the lead, leaving no trace. I try to offer him my arm, but he cannot move his mouth. I open it, and press my wrist against his fangs, but he can do nothing. His eyes plead with me, and I know I cannot understand what he is trying to say.

“Slayer… look under his tongue.”

Aurelius is now coughing up blood from damaged lungs, but he has managed to make himself heard. I lift my lover’s tongue, and underneath is the glint of gold. It’s a coin, stuck to the underside. There’s an identical one on the floor below the clan master. When I take it out, Angelus stiffens for a moment, and then takes a deep breath. He may not need to breathe, but that air seems to revive him. It also revives his blood, which streams, dark red, from his many wounds. Again I offer my wrist, and this time he bites. Like Aurelius, he only takes a few sips.

Away from the fighting, Japheth has snatched up one of the bodies, and is working to pull blood from it to speed his healing. All of our comrades are hurt badly now, and only Faith and two of the vampires, Beatrice and Partare are holding out. It won’t be for long though, looking at them. Linwood and Lilah are huddled into a corner, behind Lindsey.

It’s time for me to have another try at Hamilton. If Faith can open the door, we might get out of here, although how we will carry the wounded, and whether Hamilton will let us, is another matter. I brace myself for the charge when I feel hands on my arms, restraining me.

“We’ll do this,” says Angelus, blood still pouring from his mouth, from the ws mas made by the tendril and from his damaged lungs. Aurelius, on the other side of me, continues to pull me back. They look at each other, and Aurelius nods, then they release me and leap towards the figure of Hamilton. They don’t try to fight, though. Instead, they cling to him, one on either side. Then they feed.

Faith and Beatrice and Partha get the message immediately, and they hang on to Hamilton, preventing him from dislodging the two vampires that are sucking out his life. At least, I hope they are. I see the other two tearing at Hamilton’s clothing to find somewhere to sink their fangs, since Angelus and Aurelius are occupying the good spots on either side of his neck.

He doesn’t die, though. As they drink him down and the flow of blood from their wounds lessens, and then stops, Hamilton sinks to his knees, no longer able to support the weight of those clinging to him. Still they feed. At last, he cannot support even theght ght of his own body, and he lies, conscious but barely able to move. Perhaps he’s immortal, like them. Aurelius and Angelus release their hold, and then move quickly amongst the fallen, checking each one and pulling bodies over to the hurt vampires for much-needed blood. The undead have taken a lot of injuries protecting the living.

At last, everyone is on their feet, even if not very steadily. Angelus picks up Hamilton and dumps him unceremoniously into the coffin in which he himself was so recently imprisoned. He holds his hand out to me.

“The obol, Buffy. Do you have the obol?”

I must look blank.

“The gold coin.”

Silently, I pass it over. He pulls Hamilton’s mouth open. From somewhere, the creature finds strength to talk.

“You can’t do this. I am the son of the Ram. His blood is in my veins. He won’t let you live if you do this.”

Angelus appears to muse over this revelation.

“Son of the Ram, hmm? Well, we’ve already taken the brother of the Wolf, so you’ll see him in Hell. Tell your father to bring it on!”

He then thrusts the coin as far down Hamilton’s throat as he can, and presses one of the crosses on the inside of the coffin. Hamilton’s eyes seem to bulge as the spike breaks through his stomach, and the tendrils start to twine around.

“Will he die?” I ask.

It’s Aurelius who replies.

“I sincerely hope not. Not for a long, long time.”

The two of them, with very little effort, replace the coffin lid.

“His blood had a bit of a fizz in it, wouldn’t you say? He was really full of it.”

Angelus smiles in reply, and they lift the overturned coffin back onto its stone platform.

Gunn takes hold of Lindsey, and tugs him forward, clearly intent on offering him the life tenancy on the second coffin.

“No, not him. He goes with us.”

Gunn looks askance at Angelus, and then laughs, shakily. He turns back to Lindsey.

“Well, wait Dad Daddy gets you home. I’m thinking there’s going to be a spanking.”

Lindsey just scowls. Angelus lets his stare dwell on Lilah, and she shrinks backwards, horror written all over her face. Then he reaches out and grabs Linwood, dragging him towards the stone platform. Lilah finds some courage from somewhere.

“You can’t do that. He’s human. It will kill him.”

“Good.”

Just this once, I can’t disagree with my mate. In a matter of moments, Linwood is in thefin,fin, and Aurelius has retrieved the second gold coin from the floor. He pushes it down Linwood’s throat, ignoring the choking, sobbing gasps, which suddenly die away. Up comes the spike and its searching tendrils. Lilah is wrong. It doesn’t kill him. They heave the lid back on, and now all we have left is Lilah.

“Wes?”

Angelus looks to Wesley, perhaps for an opinion, perhaps for a decision. I’m not sure which, although I suspect I know why.

“Better the devil you know. Let her live. If she comes after us again, she knows what she’ll get.”

Angelus grins. If there is any werewolf left in him, it is all concentrated in that grin, even though he’s wearing his human face now. He stalker ter to Lilah, and not for the first time it occurs to me that if he had a tail, he would be lashing it. She stands, frozen to the spot.

“It looks like we just earned you your promotion, Lilah. Now, let me tell you how this is going to go.”

He behis his head and laps at the blood seeping from her throat, and then suckles at the shallow wound. I can see her hands clench into fists. He pulls back, and unbuttons her blouse, pulling the cups of her bra down. He pauses for a moment, and then casts an apologetic look back at me. I just nod. I really don’t think this is going to be the start of an affair. He takes hold of her breasts, and then moves to stand between her and me so that I can’t quite see what he’s doing. I wonif tif that was deliberate. When he shifts again, she has blood trickling down from her nipples, which are stiff and hard. He kisses her, and as he does so, hangeanges. We see her sgle gle a little, and when he straightens, she has blood on her lips. So does he, and I’m pretty sure it’s a mixture of his and hers. Then he bends down again and sinks his fangs into her neck. His arm is wrapped around her lower back, and he is pulling her tight against his naked erection, rubbing up to her in a parody of sex. Faith moves over to me, and puts a comforting arm around my waist. I return the favour. We aren’t worried by this. We really aren’t. Really. No one else moves. I’m not even sure anyone else breathes, not even the ones who ought to.

As he pulls on her vein, I can see that she starts to fall over the edge of a climax. Faith and I both know just how devastating that can be, reaching orgasm from the bite of a vampire, and we wonder why he is gifting Lilah with this. Just as she is about to fly, though, he pulls abruptly away from her.

“There’s magic in the bite and blood of a vampire, Lilah. It can do all sorts of things. I’ve just marked you as mine, and that mark will stay with you until you die. No spell can ever remove it before then; even my death wofreefree you. It isn’t the mark of a lover or of someone I want bound to me in any good way. It’s a brand of absolute possession. No vampire will touch you, except by my direct command, or unless they are my enemies, so you’d better not consort with any of those, had you?

“If I choose to call you through that bite, you will be irallrall to me for the rest of your miserable existence. And I will make sure it’s miserable, you can trust me on that. If no one here needs a whore, I’m sure my minions will love some entertainment.

“So, Lilah, do we understand each other? If you come for me or mine again, I *will* call on that mark, even if it is with my dying breath, and you *will* answer.”

Her whisper is low, her response snarled, but we all hear it.

“You utter bastard…”

He simply turns from her, glorious in his bloody, barbaric nudity.

“Does anyone have the key to get out?”

Faith holds up her crystal.

“Let’s go, then.”

We start to help each other out, the strongest supporting the most badly hurt. Lilah makes to follow us, but Angelus stops her.

“Not you. You can stay here until someone comes looking for you.”

That terrifies her.

“No! No one else has a key. *I* don’t have a key. Only Hamilton. You have to let me out.”

Lindsey digs into his pocket.

“Oops. That must be what Hamilton was looking for.”

He hands it to Angelus. We all leave that dreadful place, and by some miracle are delivered together back to the summerhouse. Just as the portal starts to fade, Angelus throws the crystal back through. I’m not entirely sure I would have done.

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To Chapter 8