New beginnings

Chapter 9


Spike was sulking.


The sun was sinking below the horizon as he stood in the shadows well apart from the others. He slouched against a tree as they rested and ate after a long day of hard labour slashing their way through the thick forest undergrowth chasing Tara’s merry little Tinkerbell guiding light.


He was in pain, and instead of being sympathetic over his predicament the young humans were highly amused. It wasn’t fair.


Spike was sunburnt.


He fiddled with his lighter as he repeatedly searched his duster pockets for the packet of cigarettes he knew he wouldn’t find. A major reason he smoked was to give him something to occupy his hands and his mouth when was feeling antsy and he had nothing to do. Then of course the smoke helped deaden his sense of smell, something he really appreciated when he had to hang around humans so much. The nicotine buzz was way down his list of reasons for the habit. He glared resentfully over at the three people gathered around the campfire.


It had been a stressful exhausting day and conversation had of necessity been restricted by their physical exertions. Even so, Xander had constantly whined about Anya’s unreasonable attitude, Tara had fretted about how Willow might be reacting to their disappearance, and Buffy couldn’t stop theorising guiltily about the horrors that her sister could be experiencing all alone in a strange dimension.


Once Tara had assured them that the mere fact that her tracking spell was working proved that Dawn was certainly still alive, the one thing apart from working alongside Buffy that had made the day bearable for Spike had been the chance to luxuriate in the wonderful sensation of having the warm sun beating down on him, and he had taken every opportunity to bask in it. It had never occurred to him that his pale skin, which except for the few minutes he had been able to take advantage of the gem of Amara had not experienced direct sun for over a century, might object, and now his nose and forehead in particular were very sore.


He knew that with his rapid Vampire/Slayer healing abilities the burning would shortly be gone, but that didn’t lessen the sense of betrayal he had felt when Buffy had joined in the teasing when Xander Harris had laughed at him and started mocking him by singing (badly), ‘Spikey the red nosed vampire’.


When the sun began to get low in the sky, as soon as they found a suitable clearing they had stopped to make camp. Buffy and Spike had gathered dry wood, Xander had built the campfire, and Tara had gone through their supplies and rationed out the food and water. That was when they had encountered a problem.


They discovered that cooked fish was not designed to be carried around in makeshift unsealed wrappings in backpacks in very hot weather. Neither were bags of pigs’ blood. They had had to discard the rancid fish and putrid blood and rely on the leftovers from the small animals Spike had caught the night before, and all of them had been left with hunger pangs unsatisfied.


As the sun finally disappeared and Spike’s face lost its sting he decided to work off some of his irritation by going hunting. This would serve the double purpose of enabling him to provide fresh blood for himself and food for his companions while at the same time giving his demon a chance to work off its frustrations with a spot of violence.


He shrugged out of his coat and sword, then after a few moments’ thought also removed his red shirt and boots to leave himself unencumbered and able to take full advantage of his natural vampire stealth. As only the smallest of the three moons had so far risen, the darkness was almost complete, so it wasn’t until he approached the cheerful little campfire that Buffy and her friends noticed his actions.


Buffy looked up from her repeated apologies for missed classes, unexplained absences from work and unpatrolled cemeteries to ask with a puzzled little frown, “Watcha doin’?”


Shrugging petulantly, Spike answered, “Gonna go and try and find something to kill.”


Brightening up immediately, Buffy eagerly asked, “Ooh, can I come too?”


Smirking wickedly, Spike said, “If you think you can keep up, Slayer…” and he turned abruptly to leap up onto a branch leading out into the forest.


To enhance his predatory senses he vamped out as he trotted along the branch and jumped to swing from an overhanging limb to launch himself at his next target perch. Behind him he heard Buffy giving hurried instructions for Xander and Tara to keep the fire built up and to scream loudly if they felt threatened, then after a couple of minutes he heard an excited little giggle as she began following his route among the trees.


While Buffy was lighter and so able to take advantage of thinner branches, she didn’t have the benefit of Spike’s demonic claws to give her a secure grip, so every few minutes Spike hesitated to listen for movement in the forest. In this way he unobtrusively gave Buffy time to catch up with him, he didn’t want to risk them getting separated.


As he focused upon the hunt, without realising it Spike gradually sank further and further into his demon persona, leaving his human ‘William’ side completely suppressed in a way that had never happened before, even when he was newly turned or at his most evil. Every now and then when they came to more open areas he soundlessly dropped to the forest floor to check for animal tracks and scent, and it was during one of these pauses that Buffy hissed at him from her position crouched on an overhanging branch. When he looked up he saw her pointing off to their left.


Clambering nimbly up beside her he looked where she indicated and saw the game trail she had spotted, and recognised that her discovery would likely make their hunt much simpler. Without a word they traversed the short distance to the narrow path through the forest and dropped to the ground.


Spike lifted his head and tested the air, turning back and forth to decide which way to go and after a few seconds, with a quiet grunt to his Mate to follow, he set off at a ground-eating lope up the gentle incline.


After using the handy knife tucked into her boot to score the bark of a tree at the spot where they joined the trail to allow them more easily to find their way back to the camp site, Buffy chased after him. Soon she was jogging easily at his shoulder, allowing him to set the pace.


They’d been running for about twenty minutes when they came to a place where a narrow tumbling stream crossed the trail at an angle. Both steep banks were trodden into muddy slopes showing that it was a popular watering place and crossing point for the native wildlife. Buffy crouched gratefully to drink her fill of the cool clear water and splash her sweaty face while Spike scouted for a suitable place to lie in wait for any unsuspecting creatures that might come to drink.


The undergrowth was so thick Spike couldn’t find a clear space big enough to afford them cover, so he gestured up at the overhanging branches. Vampire and Slayer climbed up and made themselves secure resting on sturdy branches in neighbouring trees with unobstructed views of the approaches to the crossing point, and settled in to wait.


With his human side so completely restrained, Spike didn’t suffer from his usual impatience at enforced inactivity. While he gave every outward appearance of sleeping, remaining so still that he vanished into the shadows like the pure predator he was, his demon sank into a semi-meditative state with all his preternatural senses fully extended to alert him to any approaching life-forms.


Buffy was less fortunate. She fidgeted for several minutes in an attempt to find a comfortable position, the rough bark scraping painfully against her bare legs. Eventually she wedged herself in the fork of her chosen branch with her back braced firmly against the trunk, and relaxed.


The night was calm and quiet, although to the enhanced senses of the blonde couple there was a constant buzz of background noise. Under the rushing and splashing of the stream there was the rustle of foliage, and insects and small forest creatures scuttled about their business, both on the forest floor and in the canopy above their heads. Spike could also clearly hear his Mate’s steady breathing and heartbeat as they got slower and slower as she gradually sank into an uneasy sleep.


It was a few minutes after the appearance of the second moon, the largest of the three which shone a bright misty green in the deep black sky sprinkled with only a sparse scattering of stars that Spike at last sensed movement approaching along the trail towards them. The noise of many hoofed feet trotting purposefully over the compacted leaf litter of the path and the snapping of twigs combined with occasional grunting and squeaking sounds gave notice that a prospective meal might be on the way.


Without pausing to wonder how he knew exactly what to do, Spike sent a mental nudge to wake his Mate and sat forward to wait for his potential prey to come into view. He didn’t have to wait long. As Buffy gave a soft whimper of surprise as she woke the little glade was invaded by a herd of creatures most of which were the size of large black dogs, although they were more barrel shaped and had a pair of curly horns sprouting from behind their large ears. Two of them were much bigger however, the size of shire horses, and this pair sported four large pointed horns on their broad heads.


Spike gave them the chance to stop and gather around the water’s edge, jostling for the best positions, before he silently dropped out of his tree and landed on the back of one of the larger creatures. Grasping its horns, with a violent wrench he twisted its neck until there was a sickening crunch.


Glancing around as his mount slumped into the mud with a quiet grunt of expelled air, he saw his Mate dropping the limp form of one of the smaller animals at her side as she leapt out of the way of the second adult which was charging her, head lowered to bring its forward pointing horns to bear on her chest as it bellowed in rage. She executed an expert somersault over its head and landed neatly behind the creature that came to a stumbling halt and grunted in confused frustration at losing its target. It swung its massive head from side to side to locate the threat and then backed and turned awkwardly in the narrow space to face her once more.


Upon seeing its mate’s lifeless body it gave a low cry of distress and forgot the fight, choosing instead to herd its young to safety. Buffy nimbly dodged into the undergrowth at the side of the path to avoid it as it ignored her and lumbered back towards the stream. Firmly nudging the closest youngsters with its horns it began to encourage them to return the way they’d come, grunting urgently at them to move more quickly.


As their heads came up in response and they began to retreat in some disarray, Spike dived and caught one of the stragglers by one hind leg and with athletic grace rolled easily back to his feet bringing his struggling prey up to his mouth. He forced its head back and sank his fangs into its exposed throat and began to drink thirstily as it squealed in panic and its legs twitched and beat ineffectually against his muddy chest.


As he drank he turned to check on the condition of his Mate who was extricating herself from the prickly bushes, brushing twigs and leaves from her clothes and hair. She glanced up at him and smiled affectionately to see him feeding before crossing over to where she had left the limp form of the young creature she had killed.


Spike discarded the drained carcass of his kill and ran his tongue around his fangs to catch the last drops of blood. He watched entranced as Buffy prowled towards him and held out her contribution to the hunt which he gratefully accepted. Biting down on its throat he proudly acknowledged the superior nature of his Mate, smugly satisfied that he had chosen such a competent partner. She had proved her efficiency in providing for the clan by her enthusiastic and effective participation in the hunt, and her respect and affection for him by handing him her kill so he could feed before she made use of the flesh of the beasts to feed the rest of their clan who didn’t need the blood.


As he drank his gaze never left his Mate’s flushed face. Her wide eyes were shining and her little pink tongue kept flicking out to moisten her luscious lips. Her heartbeat raced and her breath began to come in shallow pants and the musky scent of her arousal filled the air as she dragged her sweater off over her head and dropped it beside the discarded carcase.


Grinning around the warm flesh in his mouth, Spike moved forward and took one hand from his meal. He tenderly combed his fingers through his Mate’s hair then skimmed his hand down her shoulder and breast and over her waist to her hip. Splaying his hand over her backside he turned his head to get his meal out of the way and tugged her forward until his throbbing erection was pressed into her hip and started rubbing against her in rhythm with his gulps of blood.


He felt himself being freed from his constricting coverings and gripped by strong warm hands, and he lunged eagerly forward into their pressure, growling softly in approval. After a few moments she slipped out of his grasp and sank to her knees, drawing his binding wrappings with her. He grunted in appreciation as he kicked away the useless fabric and she began to lick and nibble at him before she enveloped him in the hot wet cavern of her mouth. He absently thrust in to her eager orifice as he drank, revelling in the twin pleasures of feeding while his Mate twirled her tongue around his aching hardness and excited him to greater heights of lust.


Once the blood ceased to flow down his throat he dropped the empty carcase in the foliage beside the trail with its fellow and turned his full attention to the tiny female at his feet. He had taken pleasure in the hunt, and in the kill, and in the feed. Now he needed to take pleasure in his Mate.


He wound his fingers in her hair, loosely holding her head and rubbing his thumbs in tiny soothing circles over her temples. Then he closed his eyes, shoved his hips forward and threw his head back in ecstasy, giving himself up totally to the wonderful sensations she was inducing in him.


In only moments he found himself on the brink of release, and with wild abandon he let out a primal roar as he spent in long hot bursts down her throat.


As he recovered he hauled his gasping Mate to her feet and clamped her to his chest, lapping tenderly at her mouth and jaws as he stroked and caressed her belly and breasts. Turning his attention to his mark he teased and nibbled at it as he thrust one thigh between her legs and allowed her to rub herself against him as he sought friction against the animal skin covering her belly. He felt her slick juices coating his leg as she gasped and whimpered in desire.


Sensing her need he gripped her head and shoulder and turning her around he pushed her to her knees. Following her down, he knelt behind her and flipping the obstructing leather out of the way he grasped her hips and buried his face in her musk.


He licked and nibbled at her delectable moist folds, taking care not to tear her silky flesh with his fangs. Not until she was writhing with unfulfilled pleasure and crying out in desperation did he suck the little bundle of nerves at her apex into his mouth, nicking it with one cautious fang to send her over the edge into orgasm. With his elongated rasping tongue dipping deep inside her he sucked and lapped at the rich powerful mixture of her blood and her juices as she cried out wordlessly and quivered and pulsed around him.


Only when she gave signs of calming down slightly, her laboured breathing slowing as she regained her awareness of her surroundings, did he withdraw his mouth from her centre and rear up over her back, draping himself over her as he thrust into her heat. Supporting himself on his arms either side of her he rose up on his toes and began pounding into her, causing her to fall forward onto her elbows and rest her head on her arms as she braced herself and began ramming back into him as they repeatedly came together with punishing force.


The little moonlit glade was filled with the sounds of flesh slapping against flesh, ragged gasps and low animal grunts as the two passionate super-powered beings succumbed to a basic instinctive need to join together in mutual enjoyment.


Without conscious thought Spike firmly gripped the nape of Buffy’s neck with his fangs. Without piercing the skin he exerted only enough pressure to hold her in place, as with powerful precision he drove them both quickly towards a wild unrestrained climax which caused him to release Buffy’s neck to lift his head in a full throated roar while Buffy’s voice rose from a low breathy moaning to a crescendo of a high pitched wail.


Spike relaxed for a few moments, resting his full weight on his Mate’s back while his hips rocked gently to extend the pleasure as they both began to recover. He was rudely disturbed however when Buffy shrugged him off and crawled out from underneath him, leaving him to collapse on his side in the mud with a surprised grunt.


Snarling in frustration he looked up to see her standing beside him as she peeled off her black tank top, reached behind her back to unclasp her tiny black lace bra and pulled it off and then allowed her skirt to slip down her legs. She dropped each garment in turn into the greenery beside the trail. The moonlight glistened off their combined fluids trickling down her inner thighs as wearing nothing but her shiny black knee high boots and a wide smile she stood watching him watching her as she caressed her breasts, and then slipped the fingers of one hand down to her dark curls and into her moist folds.


She slowly rubbed herself, her slick fingers sliding in and out of her opening as she pinched one nipple, licking her lips sensuously. She moved to stand astride his thighs, and keeping his eyes fixed upon her he rolled onto his back growling in pure lust, his fist absently pumping his erection as he gazed up at her as she tantalised him.


For several minutes each of them watched as the other put on a show for them, their excitement mounting until at the same moment neither could wait any longer. Giving a little moan Buffy bent her knees and crouched down, legs spread wide as Spike held his erection so Buffy could impale herself on him.


She eased down with a little wriggle to ensure that Spike was fully embedded then heaved a happy sigh and relaxed and grinned down at him. She began a gentle rocking motion as she braced herself with her palms splayed on his muddy chest while Spike’s hands went directly to cup and caress her breasts, his calloused fingers teasing her nipples into hard peaks.


After a few minutes Buffy leaned forward, supporting herself on one elbow. She stroked and kissed Spike’s rough brow ridges, triggering a quiet purr which thrummed through her entire body, causing her inner muscles to clench and pulse around him.


Buffy gave a surprised gasp as Spike’s hands went to her hips to grind her down more firmly onto him, crashing their pelvises together. Her lips travelled from his brow over his nose eyes and cheeks to his mouth, the kiss long and slow and gentle. When she needed to breathe she pulled away slightly, her hand running through his tousled curls and cradling his head. Then her pink tongue began to play around his fangs. Spike groaned in delight. His eyes closed in bliss, his head went back and his mouth opened wide to give her better access. How had she known how sensitive a vampire’s fangs were? She’d never shown any interest in them before except for when he would sink them into her neck!


Buffy licked and tasted and swirled her tongue around, exploring and caressing his razor sharp fangs as she rocked on him. Eventually she transferred her attentions along his jawline and down his neck. When she started sucking and nibbling the silvery scar she had put there Spike was roused to respond in kind.


His hips bucked, his arms tightened around her shoulders and back, his head came up and his fangs slipped easily into his mark. He thrust eagerly up into her, clamping their bodies so tightly together Buffy could only take very shallow breaths around the flesh she had trapped between her blunt teeth.


At the first sip of her rich powerful blood Spike slipped into a long gentle orgasm, taking Buffy with him as she gasped and mewled in ecstasy. While she was shuddering through the aftershocks, her inner muscles twitching and throbbing, the one small part of Spike’s brain that was still functioning on full power came to an important realisation. He no longer needed to hold back from his own pleasure to ensure his Mate’s satisfaction. With Slayer blood flooding his system and the Bond transmitting his ecstasy to her he could enjoy as many climaxes as he could reach without concerning himself with the possibility that his sexual stamina might peter out before they were ready to stop. Grinning around her neck he immediately began rocking his hips and took another tiny sip of blood.


This time as Buffy came down from her orgasm she chuckled into Spike’s neck and began to massage him with her strong vaginal muscles, sending ripples of pressure up and down his erection in ever strengthening waves. Letting himself go completely Spike erupted yet again, Buffy relaxing to following him to her own climax.


Time passed. The only sounds disturbing the surrounding wildlife were of quiet gasps and whimpers and the occasional soft growl as the two blonds lay in the mud completely engrossed the physical and emotional closeness they were sharing. The only movement was an occasional reversal of position when they rolled over to alternate who lay over whom or they chose to lie side by side for a while.


When Spike felt fangs sinking into his neck he accepted it without question and responded to the new and exciting stimulus by rolling to cover his Mate and strengthening his movements until he was ramming into her repeatedly with all his superhuman strength. With their fangs clamped to their marks they were connected in the most fundamental way. He was in her and she was in him and together they were both complete.


To strengthen the wondrous sensation Spike shifted to pull Buffy’s legs up and out to deepen his penetration, twisting his hips to reach that special place he knew so well as the demon within exulted in the blood sharing that was so very powerfully erotic.


With a muffled roar he exploded into his Mate as she screamed into his neck in her own release. Her inner muscles spasmed and squeezed him unmercifully while her fingers dug into his flanks, her nails gouging deep into his flesh. The delicious pain increased his enjoyment of his most intense and extended orgasm ever.


This time they took the time to calm down slowly in stunned stillness except for Buffy’s ragged gasps for breath, their mouths still firmly attached to each other’s necks. They curled up around each other, still intimately joined, and rested in a state of absolute bliss.


Spike’s mind wandered as he revelled in the unfamiliar sensation of total fulfilment. He abruptly came to the startling knowledge that this is how it should be. He and his Slayer fit together perfectly as if they were made for each other. He was given a semblance of life by his demon, coming from the darkness of death and evil only tempered by the brightness of the residual human emotions William had never relinquished, particularly his immense capacity for love. His Slayer came from the pure light of vibrant life but deep within her she held a dark centre containing her Slayerness that allowed her to revel in the performance of her duty, nightly dealing death using the powers that had been gifted to her. They were the embodiment of yin and yang, the complementary opposites who fit together to make up a complete, balanced whole.


His musings were brought to an abrupt end when it registered that the splashing sounds he had been listening to for some time were in fact caused by many heavy feet tramping towards them along the stream. Aware that in their present situation they were far too vulnerable to defend themselves, Spike’s conscious thought ceased and instinct once more took over.


Leaving his fangs in place as long as he could he pulled back from his Mate, trying to disengage their bodies. Twin surprised yelps of pain resulted from the effort when they discovered that, as had happened a couple of times before, her body had tightened around him and trapped him in place with an unbreakable grip.


Grunting in frustration he lifted her arms around his neck to show her to hang on to him and stood up on rather shaky legs. Buffy’s thighs gripped him firmly around the hips and her ankles hooked together behind his back as he walked around the little glade checking that all their possessions were well hidden. Remembering that there had been no suitable hiding places on the ground he looked up at the branch where he had rested to lie in wait for their prey.


With their fangs still firmly embedded in each other’s necks Spike leapt up and gripped the overhanging branch, swinging them easily up off the ground. He padded along the springy limb towards the tree trunk and settled down in the fork of the branch with his back leaning against the rough bark, Buffy sitting astride his lap and his arms wrapped protectively around her.


They had got out of sight just in time. A few seconds later a group of about twenty slate grey tall muscular demons came into view. They were vaguely humanoid except for their glowing red eyes and a sharply ridged deep blue bony crest that sprouted from their foreheads and extended over the top of their bald heads and down their spines to disappear under the loose animal skins they wore draped around their hips. They carried long wooden spears tipped with crudely shaped metal points that gleamed in the dappled moonlight and broad, irregularly beaten metal knives.


Barking orders in a harsh guttural language, the leader who was easily identified by the fancy leather straps crossing his chest and back, led his troop into the glade. They cautiously investigated the body of the huge horned creature Spike had killed. Evidently deciding that ‘finders keepers’ they got to work, efficiently skinning and butchering the still warm carcase.


When one of the demons approached too close to their perch for comfort, stopping directly under their hiding place, Buffy began to hyperventilate nervously and tried to burrow further into Spike’s arms. Spike took a deep breath and began to purr very quietly into her neck, the soothing sound and gentle vibrations doing more to quell her anxiety than any words could have done.


The deep breath brought to Spike the scents of the night around him. He instinctively analysed them. There was the fresh scent of growing things in the forest and the warm earthy smell of the leaf mould and mud they had been lying in that now covered their bodies and disguised their scent from the new arrivals. There was the sharp metallic aroma of fresh blood, and the heady combined musk of their recent sexual activities. From below came an acrid smoky bitterness that he associated with the demons, but behind and under that he could just pick out a hint of… what was that very familiar scent?


He flared his nostrils and took another breath, stiffening in shock when he recognised the faint trace of…


“Dawn.” Buffy’s mouth had left his neck, and her astonished voice breathing into his ear articulated the first word that had been spoken between them since they had left Xander and Tara at the campsite.


Spike’s demon subsided. He acknowledged the prompting from his awakening ‘William’ side that now was the time for considered thought, not impulsive violent action. It would get them no closer to finding Dawn if he gave into his instinctive eagerness to drop down among the demons and tear them limb from limb for daring to touch the girl who had wormed her way into his heart with her guileless acceptance of him even before he had recognised his true feelings for her big sister. The girl he was sworn to protect. Besides, his movements were a tad restricted just now with his Slayer still attached to him so securely! With his soft human tongue he tenderly licked at the fresh wound on Buffy’s neck and closed it.


At a curt order from their leader the demons gathered up the rolled hide and chunks of meat, one proudly lifting the horned head onto his shoulder. They left nothing in the glade but a steaming pile of entrails and a pool of blood rapidly sinking into the soil, and when they turned to retrace their steps back upstream the couple in the tree were finally able to relax.


“We have to follow them, Slayer.” Spike whispered urgently as the splashing sounds began to fade into the distance.


“No!” Buffy exclaimed with conviction. “You have to follow them.” Pressing a finger to his lips to silence his imminent protest she continued, “Use that vampire stealth you’re so proud of to track them to wherever they’ve got Dawnie. Don’t let them see you. Meanwhile I’ll go back to the others and as soon as it gets light I’ll bring them to where you are. If there are twenty demons in a hunting party, how many do you think there may be at wherever they’re going? We’re going to need all of us to get her back!”


Anxious to get moving, Buffy attempted to pull away from Spike by standing up, only to shriek in frustration when she found that they were still firmly stuck together. She batted ineffectually at his shoulders and whined irritably, “Spiiiike! Get your… parts… out of my… parts!”


Spike chuckled as he defended himself against her sulky blows. His Slayer could be so charmingly innocent sometimes. Those occasions were just as attractive as when she was being a demanding wanton. He caught her by the wrists and murmured, “Here now, sweetheart, gently does it! Give a bloke a chance…” He captured her pouty bottom lip in his mouth and nibbled it seductively and when she opened her mouth to protest he slipped his tongue inside and captured her lips in a hungry possessive kiss.


Buffy gave up the struggle after a few moments and began kissing Spike back, weaving her fingers through his curls. Spike started rocking his pelvis upwards, gripping her hips and angling them so as to grind them together where they were joined. Buffy got the idea very quickly and turned from his mouth to bite down with her blunt teeth on her mark, increasing his ever present arousal.


Spike began licking his mark, slipping one hand between their bodies to caress her sweaty belly and slide his thumb bearing his chunky silver ring down to rub the little bundle of nerves nestling in her curls.


In what seemed like no time at all, Buffy was panting and whimpering as she neared yet another climax and Spike gave himself up to sensation and followed her over the edge into paradise once more.


Buffy lay limp in his arms for a couple of minutes as she got her breath back then giggled softly as she commented, “Well… that was a first! Making love naked in a tree! Not exactly the most comfortable place we’ve picked!”


This time when she eased away from him they came apart with a wet slurping sound, each giving a soft whimper at the loss of closeness. Then they both jumped gracefully to the ground.


Buffy crumpled her nose up and made an ‘ick’ face, grumbling about ‘Spike stuff’ trickling down her legs, and went to the stream to rinse her groin and thighs with the chilly water and remove as much of the drying mud from her skin as she could reach. Meanwhile Spike retrieved the knife from Buffy’s left boot and set to work gutting, skinning and butchering the two animals he had drained earlier, before taking Buffy’s place at the stream to wash the blood from his hands and arms.


Still unashamedly naked Buffy stood perusing the chunks of fresh meat lying on a bed of leaves with one hand on her hip and the other rubbing her chin. She pleaded in a whiny ‘help me, I’m just a helpless girly’ tone, “Spike… How am I gonna get this meat back to the others so we can get it all cooked ready to eat before we set out in the morning?”


He strolled towards her and stood at her back, wrapping his arms around her waist and nudging her backside with his persistent erection. Resting his chin on her shoulder he regarded the problem. After a few moments he suggested, “Tie it all up in the skins and sling them over your shoulder, darlin’.”


Shrugging, Buffy asked, “Sling them with wha... Oh!” She bent to collect her clothes and held up her lacy black bra. Chewing her bottom lip as she concentrated she crouched down and arranged the butchered joints in two equal piles on their furry black skins and knotted them into tight bundles.


Spike watched, admiring the round pink peach of her bottom and the rippling muscles of her back as she worked.


She then tied one end of her bra around the fastening of one skin and cocked her head to one side as she reconsidered. Nodding to herself she picked up her tank top and using the same knife Spike had used for his attempt at butchery she carefully cut a two inch strip from the bottom hem. Tying this to the other bundle she then attached the free ends of bra and black cotton so she could hang the whole contraption around her neck like a sling.


She stood and turned to wrap her arms around Spike and instructed him, “Go. Catch up with those demons and don’t leave their trail.” She kissed him fondly and added threateningly, “Don’t go and do anything silly like attack them on your own, you impulsive vampire you. Wait for us. If you get yourself dusted we’ll never get back home and I’ll so kick your ass!”


Chuckling as he recognised that her cautionary warning was appropriate, Spike gave a mock salute and said, “Yes ma’am, Slayer. Message received and understood.” He dipped his head and gave her a thorough kiss which gradually became more passionate as Spike rubbed his arousal into her firm warm belly. Bending his legs slightly he nudged Buffy’s thighs apart with his knee and slipped his erection back into its welcoming home.


Buffy whined, “Spiiike, we don’t have time for this…” But she didn’t pull away and her hands clutched at him as he started to slide in and out with long measured strokes.


Spike murmured into her hair, “Always have time for this, darlin’.” He chuckled, “’Sides, I think I’ve figured out the quickie thing. Just let yourself go and concentrate on what you’re feeling.”


He closed his eyes, covered her mouth with his and concentrated on the feel of her tongue tangling with his, the silky smoothness of warm skin still smeared with dried mud, the atmosphere of the glade which was redolent with the evocative scent of fresh blood and the pheromones of sex, and above all the heat of her body as it surrounded him and warmed him.


He moaned in ecstasy as after only about a dozen thrusts he came to the brink of orgasm and transferred his mouth to his mark and sucked on it. Buffy whimpered and tended to her own mark and within seconds they were shuddering through yet another mutual climax.


They clung together for a couple of minutes, both panting for breath. As they both had shaky knees it was uncertain who was holding up whom. Once they were both feeling a bit steadier they shared another long kiss and drew apart.


Buffy ran trembling fingers over her muddy tangled hair and giggled self-consciously. “Oh - kay… Go us! We’ve finally cracked the quickie thing!” On legs that were still rather wobbly she stepped back over to her piled clothes and began to get dressed. Spike turned away to the stream and bent to gather handfuls of soft mud to rub over his luminous hair and pale body.


When Buffy’s head emerged from the neck of her sweater and she saw what he was doing she scrunched up her nose in disgust and said, “Ew! What’s with the full body mudpack?”


Spike trailed his muddy hands down over his chest and stomach leaving irregular smears. He grinned and replied, “Camouflage!” and finished with a smear across each of his cheeks and jokingly dropped a dab on the tip of her nose.


He assisted Buffy to settle the sling holding the humans’ food around her neck and stroked her cheek tenderly. “Take care, my beloved Slayer. Go look after your mates and try to get some sleep. See ya later.” Then as she gave him a little wave and trotted off back down the game trail he rolled his jeans into a tight bundle, tucked them under his arm to keep them dry and stepped into the tumbling stream. He allowed his demon to come to the fore again, both to take advantage of his heightened senses as he tracked his quarry and to help Buffy see more clearly as she made her way back to the others.


Spike ran easily along the stream bed, dodging around and over the rocks and fallen branches that cropped up in his path with agile grace. The splashing noises his feet made in the frigid water were masked by the sound of the tumbling current. As he rushed along his eyes scanned the muddy banks for anywhere the demons might have left the stream.


With his predatory senses running on autopilot he focused on the Bond with Buffy. He felt her frustration, then her relief and then at last an overwhelming weary satisfaction that he took to mean she had found her friends. After a while he felt her calm down and peace enfolded him as she fell asleep, and he smiled in fond satisfaction.


He found the place where the demons had left the stream bed and turned onto a broad beaten path, much wider than the narrow game trail from before. Occasionally he came to a fork in the track. He could easily tell which way his bunch of demons had gone, both by the traces of their scent and by checking which path had the more recently crushed grass, but he realised that by the time Buffy came along in daylight the scent would have faded and the bent blades may well have sprung back up, making it difficult for them to trace his steps, so he snapped twigs off bushes at the side of the track and unobtrusively arranged lengths in the shape of an arrow at each junction to guide them. He was speeding along the grass track when Buffy started dreaming.


Spike’s pace faltered when his erection bobbed up and slapped him on the belly as a burst of pure lust flooded him through the Bond. He tried to keep going, but eventually he became so distracted and uncomfortable he had to stop and sink to the ground, leaning against a tree with his legs splayed out before him as he closed his eyes and immersed himself in his Mate’s erotic dream.


His left hand went automatically to his throbbing hardness and he tried to visualise what Buffy was fantasising about. He pictured their lovemaking in the little streamside glade and breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of her arousal that still clung to him. He started panting as he felt her hands caressing him, her tongue dancing with his and her burning heat enveloping him. He moaned in delight when the calloused fingers of his free hand rubbed across the fresh scar on his neck that had already completely healed, and he quivered as he relived the thrilling sensation of her fangs sinking into his jugular. His tongue ran over his fangs and he licked his lips at the memory of her rich blood pooling in his mouth and sliding down his throat.


His head went back in ecstasy and he shuddered and groaned when thick ropy bursts of cool semen splashed onto his chest and stomach… and then his eyes abruptly opened wide in shock. Fangs? Fangs? Buffy had sunk fangs into his neck?


He sat staring into space as he reconsidered, his fingers brushing the raised silver scar which now had a subtly different shape than before. Yes, there had definitely been fangs. It was a sensation he was more than familiar with, he couldn’t have been mistaken. He wondered if she had realised what had happened. A wicked grin spread across his face and he rubbed his hands together in glee. Well now… wasn’t that interesting? Now he had something to tease his Slayer with when they met up again.


He massaged his spendings into his skin then stood up and pulled his jeans on. His journey along the stream had washed away all the mud on his legs up to mid-thigh and he had dried during his run up the track. His progress would be a lot more comfortable with his persistent erection supported by the familiar tight denim. He set off again and it wasn’t long before he began picking up the sounds of many heavy feet clomping up the path ahead of him.


Spike dropped out of his full out run and began jogging along the side of the track, hugging the undergrowth in case he might need to take cover.


He had casually observed that both the canopy overhead and the all pervasive undergrowth were becoming progressively thinner and the glimpses of the moonlit night sky were coming more frequently, but it was still a shock when a few minutes later he came to the edge of the forest. He stumbled to a halt just in time before he gave himself away by running out into the open.


He crouched under cover of a thick bush and watched as the group of demons went pounding off into the distance. He glanced away from them to take in the panorama spread out before him. Rolling grassland extended to the tree-lined horizon. Here and there small irregular areas of what looked like crops grew in scattered fields and a narrow stream wound around the contours of the land, glinting in the moonlight.


Looking back to where he had last seen the demons Spike swore when he realised they had passed out of sight.


Taking a moment to centre himself and extend his vampire senses to their limit he flowed down the grassy slope, easily following the well trodden trail left by the demons in the worn grass. Twice he had to drop to the ground, roll off the path and adopt the preternatural stillness that allowed him to go unnoticed by bands of demons taking the same route. One troop, carting the bloody carcasses of the fruit of their hunt, passed within touching distance as he lay in the long dusty grass.


At this point Spike paused to consider his actions. Should he turn back and wait at the edge of the forest for the others to arrive, or should he continue following until he found the demon’s destination? He didn’t need to think for long. Determined to have some positive news for his Slayer when she arrived he rose to his feet and padded along the track, keeping the last bunch of demons in sight and frequently checking behind for any more that might be coming up from behind.


He felt as if he had been running for hours when he suddenly noticed that the path ahead of him was empty. With a puzzled frown he dropped to his belly and began worming his way through the dry grass at one side of the track, desperately trying to figure out where they could have disappeared to.


Eventually he came to an abrupt dip in the ground and cautiously parted the stems in front of his nose to peer out into the cleared space that was revealed. In a deep depression in the ground there was the vast arched entrance to a cave. The stream he had noticed before cheerfully trickled along and flowed out of sight into the shadowed opening.


In front of the cave mouth stood half a dozen well armed demons, evidently standing guard. Either they were bored, weary as the end of their shift approached or just plain incompetent, because they were huddled in a group twenty yards in front of the cave and Spike was easily able to work his way around them and sidle in behind them.


He paused just inside the entrance for his eyes to adjust to the lack of moonlight and found he could see just fine. At hip level along the smooth water-worn rock walls of the cave a series of little niches had been cut about twenty feet apart. In these recesses were little wooden bowls of a bioluminescent substance that gave off a dim green glow. It was just bright enough to illuminate a well worn path alongside the stream down towards the broad tunnel that gaped invitingly at the rear of the cavern.


Muttering irritably to himself, “Oh that’s bloody great, more soddin’ tunnels!” Spike crept along, alert for the sounds of approaching demons. He was hesitating, peering into the tunnel mouth wondering whether he should risk exploring further to see if he could find Dawn when something glistening in the dim light off to the side caught his eye.


He crouched to touch it and a wide fangy grin split his features. He picked it up, tucked it into the pocket of his jeans and proudly breathed, “Oh, well done my brave clever girl.” Turning back he made his way out of the cavern. The sun was rising as he emerged and he silently dashed back up the slope behind the oblivious guards and flung himself into the long grass. He needed to find a safe place to rest while waiting for Buffy, Tara and Xander to join him.


He crawled well away from the path that was becoming increasingly busy as more and more hunting parties arrived home. Some were jogging cheerfully along carrying impressive loads while others strolled past, hunched dejectedly and clearly disappointed at having to return empty handed. The sun had totally cleared the horizon by the time the traffic of demons dwindled and stopped and Spike absently wondered why they hunted by night and returned home to the caves for the day. It seemed an unnatural arrangement.


He had made himself a snug little nest in the grass and curled up to sleep when his uppermost shoulder and side began to become uncomfortable, and then very quickly started to burn. Bugger, he’d forgotten his tendency to get sunburnt. He tore clumps of grass out and tried to spread them out over himself as a sunshade, but it really didn’t work. Eventually he shrugged and resigned himself to making his way back to the treeline to find a shady spot to rest until the others found him. He could feel that Buffy was awake and a resolute determination filled the Bond as she led the others through the forest to their glade to pick up his trail.


He figured he’d got about half way there when a vast shadow blocked out the sun briefly. When he glanced up expecting to see a cloud scudding by he was stunned to see a huge winged creature aiming right at him, and he dived to the side and rolled to avoid its open maw.


Well that explained the night hunting! If there were many of these things populating the skies during the day, even if he had been a sun loving creature he would live by night too! He started to run, not caring whether the demons saw him or not. If they had any sense they’d be safe and sound deep inside their cave. The creature soared in wide circles above him and attacked him twice more, skimming over the long grass as it swept past, talons reaching out and jaws gaping hungrily as he narrowly avoided becoming its breakfast. When at last an exhausted Spike came under the shadow of the huge forest trees he sank to the ground and watched as it wheeled away and lazily flapped off into the distance.


He lay there in a stunned daze. Had he really just been buzzed by a dragon? It looked incredibly like that thing that had emerged from Glory’s portal before Buffy jumped. He shuddered to think what might have happened if he hadn’t looked up. As he crawled under a thick leafy bush a good fifty yards away from where the demon’s track emerged from the trees and curled up to sleep, for the first time since Buffy’s sacrifice he wondered what had happened to the dragon that had appeared in Sunnydale. He couldn’t remember anyone ever mentioning it after that terrible morning.

TBC