Love In Vein: Book Two - Chapter 1

Spike turned sharply and paced back across the length of the room, his body tense and his hands curled up into fists. His brows contracted into a pensive look as he stared at the floor under his feet, the patchy worn-out carpet giving him something to focus on.

His head hurt.

His chest echoed its pain.

He sneered as he turned again, moving with the stealthy quiet determination of a panther that had spent too long locked in a cage too small. His eyes slid to rest on the door, narrowing into nothing more than black slits as he regarded it.

She'd been gone too long.

His lip curled back to reveal his teeth elongating into fangs, the bones of his face shifting and moulding into his demonic visage as anger took hold of him.

All the way back to the office she'd been concerned with Angel. The words of worry that she gave to his grandsire were needles that pierced his own heart and stuck in his throat. It hadn't helped his temper when his car had upped and died the second they'd pulled up outside the building. He'd wanted nothing more than to get out and kick the living hell out of it as he'd watched Angel walking up the steps with everyone surrounding him, but the way Buffy had hung back from the crowd and calmly assured him they'd get her fixed again had gone some way to soothing the rage inside him.

For a short while at least.

He growled quietly and pivoted, wearing down the carpet of the bedroom further than it already was as he paced the same course to the other side of it.

He reached out and tried to get a fix on her location. She had been with the little redhead and the stuck up brown-haired one of Angel's. They were tending to the vampire's needs and he imagined his mate's fingers patching him up like she had with himself.

Touching him.

He could feel her, there on the edge of his senses like she always was these days.

She felt worried.

Anxious.

Grinding to a halt, he turned steely eyes on the closed door of the bedroom again and almost laughed out loud at himself.

What was he doing?

Spike, William the Bloody, the Slayer of Slayers had been brought to his knees by one. By her. He was acting like a human, caught up in emotions and wanting to be the only one on the receiving end of her most sweet affection.

He growled disgustedly at himself and felt the anger inside him flare up into blind rage.

He was stupid if he believed she'd ever leave Angel behind, deep inside her there would always be a place where his grandsire had a hold over her.

Where she loved him.

She didn't need himself; she needed Angel--was by Angel's side right now mollycoddling him.

And where was he?

He was pacing a dark room waiting for her, acting like a fool and daring to hope she would leave Angel in order to be with him of her own accord--without the need for making the claim take action and make her come to him.

He was a fool.

He paused for a moment as a brief calm washed over him.

But she had told him he couldn't leave her.

The depth of concern and affection in her eyes when she had said those words told him that she was telling the truth--she couldn't do this without him.

She needed him.

He swore he'd seen love in her eyes, felt it in her body, heard it in her heart.

Right now that thought only made the passionate feelings inside him grow worse as his moment of calm ebbed away. Rage mixed with despair, desire mixed with jealousy.

He stilled his movements.

Right now, he felt like he was balancing on a precipice and one false step would cause him to fall, to act upon the wild uncontrolled emotions he was becoming consumed by.

Spike grabbed his long leather duster with a roar and headed straight for the door.

Right now, he needed to kill something.


Buffy wrapped her arms tighter around herself. She felt cold. Even in a room full of people, full of friends, she felt so distant like she didn't belong here anymore.

She looked at the door.

Her heart ached.

She knew where she belonged. Where she should be. So why couldn't she go to him?

She'd felt concerned about Spike from the moment they'd rescued Angel. He had become quiet and she could still feel the coldness of the barrier he'd placed between them in the car. Even after what she'd told him and the moment that they had shared.

She was scared that he'd leave her.

That he would reverse the claim.

Buffy didn't know how it would feel to suddenly be without him, to lose the now comforting feel of him inside her and to find herself without his protective embrace.

Safe in the arms of her vampire.

Her mate.

She heaved a long resigned sigh and remembered what had happened when they had made it back to Angel's office--it made her stomach swirl with conflicting emotions and hurt.

Spike had flatly refused to look at her. In his body language she could read all the signs of jealously and pain, of anger and confusion. She had felt that he'd wanted to stay near her but couldn't bring himself to submit to being in the same room as Angel as his injuries were tended to.

She'd asked him to stay.

He'd told her that she knew where he'd be if she needed him.

If she needed him.

The way he'd said it had been resolute. An ultimatum that she hadn't wanted to be confronted with but one she had known was coming nonetheless.

Buffy wriggled uncomfortably as her stomach tightened up, tiny knots of frustration rapidly formed and made her feel even less like staying near her friends.

She didn't know why she was doing this to him.

She wanted to go to him more than anything but at the same time she wanted to prove something else.

That she could stand on her own two feet. That she was strong.

That he needed her as much as she needed him--if only he'd let himself see it.

Part of her understood why he couldn't allow himself to surrender to her fully. He was as proud an animal as she was and that only meant that he felt the caging effect of their bond as badly as she did.

Their independence lost.

Bound together, to feel each other, to need each other until…

She closed her eyes as an involuntary shiver ran up her spine, caused by the thought of losing him. A quiet whimper escaped her lips and she realised that she was no longer alone with her thoughts.

Opening her eyes, Buffy gave a false smile to Willow as she looked concerned.

She waited for her friend to return to tending Angel's wounds with Cordelia before reaching out and searching for Spike. She didn't want to act stubborn and proud anymore. Her heart told her that the longer she left him alone, the worse the repercussions were going to be and the more chance there was of him talking of breaking the claim again.

Her stomach lurched at that thought. She didn't know if it was possible or if he had just said it to drive her to a decision but she hated the whole idea of it.

She eyed the door again and then her friends. They were so preoccupied with Angel that they surely wouldn't notice her slipping out of the room to go to Spike.

As an overwhelming desire for death and destruction ran through her body she bolted to the door, not caring that her friends were calling her name or that she was losing the battle for control over herself.

She had pushed Spike too far too fast and she needed to get to him. She'd expected more from him than he could offer right now and she realised that it didn't matter if they were so dependent on each other--so long as they were together, she'd submit and let him win this time.

Running down the hall, all she could focus on was his feelings. Maddening rage laced with despair and an underlying edge of jealously and hurt. She rounded the corner sharply and sprinted towards the bedroom door as it opened.


Spike slipped out of game face as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall. He looked up to see Buffy running full speed at him and for a moment, he wondered if she was going to stop or whether she was going to plough straight into him.

As she skidded to a halt and fought to catch her breath, he gave her a cold look.

"Where do you think you're going?" She panted at him as he fixed his steely gaze on her.

"My babysitter now, Slayer?" He let his tone emphasise his mood--it was hard and brutal.

Buffy wasn't quick enough to mask the fact she was taken aback by the hint of venom in his voice. She didn't know what she had expected from him but she hadn't thought the anger he'd been feeling would be so openly directed at her.

"What?" She stammered in a shaken voice and saw him falter for a second on hearing it.

"Nothing." Spike moved to try and get passed her but wherever he went, she went and he realised she wasn't about to let him go out. "Do you mind?"

"Where are you going?" She repeated and watched him roll his eyes. She could sense the anger in him, hidden just below the surface, and it felt as though it was ready to make an appearance if she pushed the wrong button.

"Out." He said sharply with a narrowing of his eyes. His cheeks were sucked in as he gave her a look that said she should stop blocking his path.

Buffy moved to block him again and managed to hide the fact that he was starting to scare her. With the ring on his finger, she was no match for him. He could easily knock her aside and go out into the night but for some reason he wasn't. She just hoped that he had no intention to hurt her like it seemed.

"You can't go out." She frowned up at him and saw his expression remain cold as his eyes moved back to rest on hers.

"You keep telling me what to do, love…" Spike stood a little straighter and stared down at her. He could read the apprehension in her eyes and could feel the slight edge of fear that was running through her veins. He lowered his voice to a deadly whisper. "…And I'll have to ensure that you stop…"

Buffy didn't want to ask exactly how he planned to shut her up, but she wasn't about to let him go out and slaughter half of Los Angeles because he was angry with her.

"Spike…" She took a step towards him and saw his nostrils flare as though her close proximity to him wasn't welcome and he was going to have to do something about it. "…The First is out there somewhere; we don't know if the ring would protect you…"

Spike snorted at her and kept his expression blank as his tone turned bitter. "Don't worry your pretty little head about me, run along and tend to your sweetie pie…sure he needs you right about now…I'll find something to amuse myself with, pass the time…take for a drink maybe."

Buffy felt a pang of jealousy lance through her as she realised what he was saying--he was going to go out to find a girl, some random girl that he'd meet and buy drinks for and when she succumbed to his charms, he'd probably kill her in some dark alley.

Or bring the girl back here to parade in front of everyone in order to humiliate Buffy and put her in her place.

She pressed her palms flat against his chest and saw his eyes fall to rest on them. He blinked.

"You're not going out." She ground out and didn't care if he could feel the emotions that laced her body and voice.

"Try and stop me." He leaned forwards so he was towering above her and saw her falter for a second when he slipped into vampire guise.

Taking a much-needed breath to steady herself, Buffy locked her eyes with his and just stared into them for a few seconds before attempting to speak. His signature was making her stomach feel like a hurricane had settled in it and was wreaking havoc with her insides.

"Just tell me why you're upset." She said quietly and searched his face for the reason.

"I'm not." He kept his eyes on hers as he resisted the desire to drop his gaze to her mouth. The longer he stood so close to her, the harder she was becoming to resist. His feelings of rage and jealousy were quietened by her touch.

Her touch.

The touch she'd given to Angel no less.

He growled and saw her flinch slightly. Desire to comfort her ran through him but was soon lost in the tumultuous sea of his rage as he reminded himself again of why he was angry with her.

Buffy risked a giggle. For a brief moment she'd sensed the jealous edge in him and the confused emotions that seemed to always have a stranglehold on him. Tilting her head back, she leaned into him and looked deep into his amber eyes. She couldn't quite believe it when she realised she could read all his feelings in them even when he was in full vampire mode.

"I think you're jealous." She stated flatly and saw him blink as though she'd pinned his feelings down.

Spike growled quietly. "Jealousy is one emotion I definitely don't feel."

Buffy raised her brows into a mischievous look. "Could've fooled me."

She pressed her hands harder against his chest and let them run over the curves of his pectorals down to the start of his abdominal muscles and back up again. She listened to his breathing grow heavy and felt his eyes watching her every move with hawk like interest. Buffy tried to ignore the way the feeling of his body under her fingers made her whole being hum with delight and desire as she took a step closer to him.

Parting her lips, she let her breathing come faster as her heart pounded harder against her chest. She'd forgotten the fact they had been arguing, the feel of his taut muscles and the effect her touch had on him was enough to drive it from her mind. She realised they were slowly moving towards the bedroom and raised her eyes up to meet Spike's.

They were crystalline blue again as he watched her intently, his face and emotions calm once more.

His eyes dropped to her lips as she spoke in a low tone.

"I felt you…you were angry with me…I have a right to know why."

Spike was spellbound; her mouth looked beyond inviting and all he had to do was dip his head and capture her lips with his own. As her words slowly registered in his head he frowned, the calm inside him disappearing and his anger over her being with Angel coming back again.

Buffy cut him off with a sweep of her fingers against his chest before he had time to open his mouth.

"I was thinking about you as I watched Willow and Cordelia tending to Angel. Couldn't get you out of my head, still can't. I leaned against the back wall…thinking over what you'd said, how you felt. I couldn't bring myself to go near Angel, tending one vampire is enough nurse work for this Slayer."

When she looked up at him she realised he looked a little relieved and she let slip a small laugh as it dawned on her why he was angry.

"Did you think all that concern I was feeling was for Angel?" She felt a tiny flicker of shame inside him as he realised what had happened. "I can't lie to you, a minute part of it was but, god help me, it was really all about you."

As he dropped his gaze to the floor, Buffy saw the corners of his mouth twitch into an awkward smile and she was astounded by how innocent he looked.

She saw his eyes move to her hands again where they were still pressed against his chest and let her fingers stoke him through the thin material of his t-shirt.

"Is this our first argument?" She smiled at him as he raised his head.

"If we don't count the ones before the claim…guess it could be." He looked pensive as he tried to remember if any arguments had come before this one, but his thoughts were lost as he felt Buffy slowly backing him towards the bedroom.

"Better kiss and make up then."

As the backs of his knees hit the foot of the bed, he sat down and stared up at the girl in front of him. The bright light from the hall made her nothing more than an angelic silhouette in the dimly lit room, her golden hair shining like a halo. He grinned at the contrast as her fingers edged lower down his body and she kicked the door shut.

Inhaling deeply, he wanted to test if what she'd told him about her not tending to Angel had been true.

It was.

She didn't smell like Angel.

Her clothes, her hands, everything about her still smelt like himself.

The concern he'd felt in her really had been about him.

Buffy looked down at Spike's chest as her eyes acclimatised to the low light and licked her lips, suddenly wishing that there wasn't a t-shirt between her fingers and his body.

Spike frowned as her fingers slipped into his jacket and over his shoulders. He watched her as she pushed the leather down his arms and at the right moment, he freed himself of it. A flicker of a smile on her lips told him she wasn't about to stop there.

He breathed out heavily through his nose as she ran her hands down his torso and tugged at the hem of his shirt. Swallowing hard, he delighted in the warm feel of her fingertips as they brushed against his stomach. He sat mute with fascination as she slowly eased the t-shirt up to his chest and then raised his arms to allow her to remove it completely.

Buffy felt breathless as she looked down at him, the taut curves of his body making her stomach tighten and ache with desire. She bit her lip as she ran a single finger down his chest, tracing the dips and peaks of his torso, enchanted with the way his body tensed under it.

She subconsciously licked her lips again as she raised her eyes up to his face and saw his were closed, his mouth forming a slight 'o' as he furrowed his brows. Pressing her hands hard into his chest, she fell onto the bed with him as she claimed his lips with her own.

Spike felt like he'd died and gone to heaven this time. After desiring her kiss for what seemed like eternity, she was suddenly laying on top of him with her mouth attached firmly to his and her tongue playing along his lower lip as she teased him with it.

He growled and wrapped his arms around her, responding to her kiss. Letting his hands roam up her back, he spread his fingers wide as he reached her shoulder blades and held her flush against him.

Buffy rewarded his possessive move with a quiet moan and then squealed as he flipped her onto her back.

Staring up into his eyes, she let her breathing fall into synchronisation with his and smiled up at him as his gaze moved to her mouth once more. As his lips descended upon hers in a kiss that made her knees weak and her stomach squirm with the desperate need to get more from him, she held him as tight to her as possible. She didn't care that the grip he had on her was hurting her or the fact that his weight was too much for her to hold. The slight edge of pain just seemed to make the feeling of desperation inside her more exquisite and her desire to have him spiralled out of control.

Letting her lips part for him, she moaned in supplication as his tongue met hers and her hands automatically held the back of his head--forcing his kisses to grow harder and more fervent.

Spike moaned into her mouth as he followed her, surrendering to the need to be close to her and letting the desire that he felt towards her control his actions.

Pushing her shirt up he released her mouth and pressed firm kisses into her flesh as more and more of her stomach was exposed to him. He smiled as she moaned, her back arching off the bed as he slid his hands into her top and ran them over her bra-clad breasts.

He laved his tongue against her skin, tasting her scent as he tried to explore every inch of her that was visible to him.

Buffy wound her fingers into his hair and held his mouth against her for a moment before wanting it back against hers. Pulling him up to her, she hooked her arm around his neck and kissed him hard, her teeth clashing with his as her tongue forced its way into his mouth. She moaned as he wrapped his arms around her and held her to him so they were skin on skin, his cool flesh making hers burn with a fire she'd never felt before.

A knock at the door made them freeze.

Spike broke the kiss and raised himself up.

Staring into Buffy's eyes, he waited for someone to speak.

"Buffy?" Willow's voice sounded through the door and he saw her frown. He could feel she wasn't happy about being disturbed.

Dipping his head, Spike kissed along her jaw and then down her neck. He grinned as she rolled her head to one side and her fingers played in circles on his lower back.

"Buffy? Angel's awake…"

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