He reached down and slowly unzipped his boot. He slid it from his foot as carefully as he could, putting his foot down experimentally. He hissed in pain at the barest touch, and hopped backwards, away from the bed; away from her.

He sat on the top of a set of drawers to examine his foot. Two circular discs lying flush with the sole, one each of silver and black.

He stared at the hated thorns. The black one, embedded in heel, had revived him, after the Greys had killed him. This ebony monstrosity gave him tremendous power. Chief among the abilities he now "enjoyed" was the capacity to endure pain beyond the human norm. This fuelled his desire to inflict pain beyond human endurance.

The Belzebub thorns, as their masters called them, controlled the levels of aggression in the hunters, making them prisoners of their emotions. He had already witnessed first hand the pain their masters could inflict through the thorns by simply standing! His gaze shifted to the silver one. Now, the silver one–

"Why do you change like that?" She questioned from the bed.

He glared glacially at her, he didn’t want to talk to her or acknowledge the obvious effect she was having on his body.

"Use the thorns" she urged "I know how much that hurts." She gestured to his feet resting on the floor.

He put his foot down, and started to unzip the other boot slowly. "It reminds me," he intoned coldly "That I was human. Once." He sat atop the chest and continued to undress the old fashioned way.

She shifted, and even in the darkness of the dingy hotel room, he could see that barb hit home. Good! He undressed swiftly now that he was off his feet. He removed his jacket and shirt, whilst continuing his bitter tirade.

"I miss the little things. Changing, feeling hungry, laughing." He pulled his top clean over his head, snapping his head back up, his accusing emerald glare meeting her hurt soulful eyes. "Being in love." He threw his confession away as though she meant nothing. He saw her eyes fill with tears and stared at his discarded clothes "I miss that most of all," his voice cracked and he fell silent.

She knelt up on the large bed "I lo–"

"Don’t say it!" He barked looking at her tear–stained face. "Don’t lie to me again!"

"It’s not a lie. Dominic, I love you. I thought– I thought you–"

He studied the floor, choosing to shut his companion out of his mind, sight and earshot.

"I loved Cathy." He murmured "With all my heart." there he stopped. He didn’t want to go down that road; he started anew. "That man today. I broke his ribs and cracked his skull. I choked him for so long, I could feel his life slipping away." His voice quaked to a standstill and he swallowed his anger. "I can do that!" He prodded himself in the chest finally feeling bold enough to meet her gaze "I do that! And I enjoyed doing it…" He stared at her. "When I was hurting him, MY pain stopped." He grimaced remembering. "I had focus… I."

His anger ran out unexpectedly, replaced with a horrific realisation."You did this to me!"

She stood approaching him by half a step. The moonlight in the room glinting on her naked form, highlighting her tumbling hair He backed away fearfully. "The woman I loved … she … she wouldn’t have done this to me." He stammered. As she advanced, he retreated. "She wouldn’t have watched them fire the thorns into my feet" he finished venomously.

"Please," she pleaded.

"No." He continued "She wouldn’t have … have…" he closed his eyes. "…Have taken a hammer and. " He couldn’t go on. He thought of the silver thorns and re-lived the pain when they had pierced his feet, the pain in his heart when he realised that she had been responsible. He leaned against the wall, fighting for breath, avoiding her gentle face.

Cathy perched on the bed, and curled her own feet beneath her. "After I had inserted the first thorn, you freed your hand, do you remember."

"Yes." He answered still looking elsewhere.

"You could have strangled me. I wouldn’t have stopped you. But you let go, you allowed me to insert the second thorn." If he heard her he made no indication. "Do you know why?"

He opened his mouth slowly and replied. "I thought you were someone you’re not."

She ignored his acidic remark. "You trusted me. You knew I wouldn’t hurt you without reason."

"I was wrong." His voice was empty, he wished his heart was.

"Those thorns bind you to me." Her expression gave away nothing of her true feelings for him. She had to concentrate hard to create this eye of calm in his anger.

He gazed at her doubtingly. "W–what?"

"Without them, you would be just another one of the drones, under the control of the Greys." She allowed herself a small smile, he was beginning to understand.

"Why didn’t you tell me?" He looked at her suspiciously, but at least he looked at her!

"I’m not supposed to. If they find out, they’ll terminate us both." Her control failed but it didn’t matter, he was calm and rational now.

He stood wavering, "Then why tell me?"

"Because I love you. They sent me to find a partner, another hunter. I found you and fell in love." She smiled tenderly "I told you because, I want you to trust me, again, to." Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. "Love me again."

He closed the gap between them, uncertain about what he should do. She moved her legs from under her and allowed him to examine her feet.

"Y–you have three thorns," he studied each foot. Two black thorn’s, and a larger blue one embedded in her sole.

"I wasn’t a natural dominant personality so I needed to be given two thorn’s to change my nature." He remembered the pain from having one, and flinched. He sat next to her and reached for her hand, it was a simple gesture of comfort, and it was a start.

"… The blue one?" He asked. She looked up at him, as his gaze met hers

"It binds me to you. They were given to me by my trainer, he wanted me to be happy"

He frowned at her. "Your Trainer?" Cathy had never mentioned her own trainer… "Who put the blue thorns in?"

Their eyes locked. "I–I had to have them, or you would have been…"

He inched closer. "Who, Cathy?"

Their mouths were mere inches away from each other. She turned her head to the side. "Joseph." She said, a half second before her lips touched his.

He wanted to talk to her, about her trainer, to tell her how sorry he was, how much he loved her. But he could never break off that kiss. So like the first kiss they had shared all those months ago, tender, warm, and human. He pulled her closer, as they fell together onto the bed. He tangled one hand in her hair, the other roamed down her body in one long caress, he was unwilling to break contact even for a second.

Her hands moved across the muscled planes of his chest and continued down to his abdomen, her nails scratching scarlet trails like arrows to the waistband on his leather trousers.

His lips seared sweet kisses on her throat, concentrating on the hollow of her collar bone he breathed hot and hard there, hoping to distract her from his hand which had settled on her buttocks, pulling her flush to him.

She felt his hard length through the straining leather of his trousers. He moved her body against him, alternating capture and release he knew that the feel of leather against her bare sex drove her mad!

"Use the thorn" She growled as she slipped her leg over his waist locking and guiding him in one sliding sensual movement along his leather clad leg.

"Spoilsport." He used the thorn, anyway. Grateful for the first time for having it, his remaining clothes disappeared instantly. He had to admit that was impressive, clothes summoned at a moment’s notice from an inter-dimensional portal for their personal use. His partner explained that the Greys portal clothed them traditionally in leather.

He slid his hand between her thighs, preventing her from claiming his cock too soon. He teased her with his fingertip, stroking her folds. She bucked towards him, but his restraining hand kept her still. He flipped her over onto her back, "Not yet." He said, as much for himself as to her.

He laced his fingers in hers as he lifted her arms above her head. He let go his eyes speaking of untold horrors should she move them, skimming his hands slowly down her arms, relishing the feel of her warm skin under his cool finger tips.

He alternated his kisses with soft bites as he travelled down her throat and across her collarbone. His mouth continued down her chest, reaching her breasts, as his hands met to caress the sweet flesh there. He flicked at her nipple with his tongue, nipping lightly making her gasp. Her breath quickened in anticipation, as his pace slowed. Finally and with agonising slowness, he reached the swell of her pubic bone, lingered a heartbeat then started to move back up.

Her growl of frustration made him grin as she forcefully pushed him in the right direction. He wet his lips, before using his tongue to wet hers. He slipped his tongue inside her, and followed her inner contours. He touched as much of her shivering flesh as he could, pulling away slightly he licked his lips, tasting her there.

He moved against her heat again, licking laborious trails with his tongue. He used the tip of his tongue to stimulate her clitoris, making her shudder. He swirled his tongue away, only to settle there a moment later, like a taciturn butterfly; his lips met and massaged it at last, scraping his teeth gently over the sensitive nub of flesh. The effect was magical.

"Dom, now!" He glided up caressing her legs before settling over her, impaling her, in one swift motion, he groaned at the feel of her around him. She arched forward grinding herself against him, her legs locking around his waist. His mouth found her breast he feasted eagerly while his hands roamed over her body.

He groaned and thrust deeper and wilder as his mistress demanded. They moved as one the sounds of their love filled not only the room, but possibly the hotel as well!

The moment of her release approached. His strokes seemed almost vicious to an outsider but these two demanded rage as well as lust. He felt her walls contract and he howled moving almost entirely out of her body to stab back in for one final fix of her tightness, their shouts of ecstasy mingling as they came as one entity.

He rolled onto his back whilst still inside her, as she shook from her release. He stroked her hair lightly, holding her close to him. He had missed being together and being in love. "I love you," he murmured, kissing her forehead.

She smiled "I know." She looked at him, and sighed. "We need to finish the Watcher soon."

He smiled back at her wickedly. "Oh, but not yet." He asked sitting up and gripping her tight. She pushed him back, and returned his smile. "No, Not yet." Her scarlet talons flexed over his heart, he glanced at her nails and gave an imperceptible nod. A look of pride flitted over her imperial features.

"My slave!"

"My Dominatrix!" He sighed and shuddered

End of part 7

Site Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. own the Buffy characters.
All products, movies, books, songs, etc. are owned by their respective owners.
No copyright infringement is intended.
All ORIGINAL plots and characters on this site are owned by their respective authors.