In Thrall by Frau Hunter Ash

Disclaimers: The characters and show all belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, and God only knows who else. The storyline, however, is the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices. "Buffy vs. Dracula" Written by Marti Noxon, directed by David Solomon.

Author's Note: A Special "Thank You" to Joan the English Chick (pisces@englishchick.com) for her transcripts.

Summary: Adam has been defeated and the gang are recovering. In this one Willow uses her magick to help things along with major consequences for two couples and there's a 'guest' appearance here.

"Dracula has her," Tara answered the question. "I had a flash from Willow shortly after the sun went down."

"I don't know," Tara said softly, pulling Buffy into an embrace. The blonde witch felt the Slayer finally relaxing in her arms. "She was scared and screaming for help."

"God, how could I just let him waltz into my room and bite me?" Buffy demanded, beginning to pace again.

"Buffy, we know that he could just walk in the door and you'd probably stand there and bare your neck to him," Anya said bitterly. "Now my Xander is missing."

"Enough!" Giles snapped. "We're not going to get anything done tonight; I suggest we start bright and early tomorrow searching for him."

"What about keeping him away from Buffy?" Tara demanded. "He's bitten her once and he was able to block Willow's thoughts. He called Willow to him before even biting her."

"How about the crypt?" Brad suggested and Giles raised his eyebrows in surprise and then smiled.

"Yes, it's perfect," Tara said slowly. "We can change the combination on the lock so Dracula can't force her to open it and we stand guard over her."

"This is so not productive!" Buffy complained. "I'm the Slayer, I can't slay if I'm locked up at night."

"You can't slay if you're in thrall to Dracula," Giles countered and Buffy glared at all of her friends and lover. "Buffy, what are you thinking?" Giles asked softly.

"No, don't like the idea," Buffy snapped, getting up to pace again. "Can't be locked up."

"For what?" Giles demanded and Buffy suddenly looked confused and looked around at her friends but stopped when her eyes met Tara's.

"Tara?" Buffy whimpered. Tara jumped up and grabbed Buffy into a tight hug. "I'm waiting for him," Buffy admitted in a whisper.

"Okay, Brad and I are going to take Buffy to the crypt, the rest of you stay here," Giles said.

"Well, I don't think Xander is dead, I…I think it's likely that Dracula is, well, going to try and use Xander against us," Giles hesitated. "Willow said he likes minions, tomorrow night Dracula will probably have Xander under his spell too."

"Yes, that makes sense," Anya agreed. "Dracula always wanted several humans around him for protection during the daytime. Disgusting humans, always eating bugs and rodents and stuff."

"Yes, it was always a rip off though," Anya said calmly. "He always promised them eternal life for devoted service."

"Well, they could never please him so he always found an excuse to kill them before turning them into vampires," Anya responded. "See, he picks those he can control and he usually picks males, a bit of a sexist pig. Dracula doesn't want male vampires close to him so he won't turn his servants."

"Right, we'll get Buffy safe and start tracking him down in the morning," Giles said firmly.

Willow coughed and tried to refuse the orange juice being offered but with her arms tied it was difficult. The witch finally swallowed as much as she could without throwing it back up.

She heard soothing voices and a cool cloth wiped her face and forehead tenderly.

Willow tried to focus and then tried to comprehend that three women were sitting on the bed with her, one on each side and one at the foot of the bed. Willow, remembering Keanu Reeves in a similar position with three female vampires, whimpered and pulled at her bindings.

"Shhh, you lost a little bit of blood and it makes the stomach rather upset," the first voice said. Willow placed the accent as upper class British.

"Yes, drink as much as you can, sister," the vampire on her right instructed. "Prince Vlad doesn't wish you to die too soon, so we must keep you healthy."

"You have power," the third answered. "Power he hasn't seen since he first crossed. He wants you and the Slayer totally, heart, soul and bodies."

"No, I won't!" Willow protested and felt her breathing increasing as the women drew closer. "Don't, please," she begged.

"Xander?" Giles called out as Brad kept a hand on Buffy's shoulder. They spotted a blood-soaked Xander stumble out from behind a crypt, falling to the ground to his hands and knees.

Xander's nose looked broken and both eyes were blackened. The front of his shirt was covered with blood and he looked only semi-conscious.

Xander's eyes snapped open and his hand flew upwards, first hitting Brad with the pipe concealed along his baggy trouser leg and then arching back to hit Giles on the temple. Both men fell without a sound.

Buffy stood looking at Xander and the two older adults with a confused expression.

Buffy turned but didn't react as Dracula walked out of the shadows. The vampire Prince extended his hand and Buffy moved forward to accept it. Xander scrambled to his feet and followed the vampire and Slayer like a puppy dog.

"Yes, very well," Dracula nodded and Xander rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Leave us now, go back to the castle and watch over the scarlet one."

Buffy frowned as Xander ran off, jumping over the graveyard wall easily. She turned back to the vampire with a frown.

"They wished to interfere with us," Dracula shrugged. "Come to me," he instructed her.

"Your power is rooted in darkness, in killing and blood," Dracula countered. "You enjoy the hunt, you relish the kill and you fight for the blood."

"And the destiny of each Slayer is to fall to a vampire, to die," Dracula said firmly. "Why wait to fall to someone unworthy? You can be the Queen of Vampires at my side, embracing the very blood that your fight for now. You go on, getting older, getting slower, eventually a pack of vampires surrounds you one night and take you. Is that what you want? I can give you immortality without turning you into those lesser vampires that you fight."

"What is a soul?" Dracula growled. "No, I am like no other vampire you have ever seen before and my gift of immortality is special. Come to me and accept it."

"Why do you want my consent so badly? You have me and I can't fight back, damnit! Why don't you just take it?"

"I want my gift accepted willingly," Dracula explained with a smile. "I can show you what your power truly is, like I am showing your mate."

"Yes, she is amazing," Dracula admitted. "She will soon totally accept the darkness. The magick is very seductive and she has tasted the darkness. I am surprised however at your other mate."

"She is such one with the light, it is painful," Dracula growled. "The fact that the three of you are mated together and it works is unusual for humans, especially Slayers. That two who have been touched by the dark are so attracted to one with the light, is surprising."

"Willow accepted that darkness to save me from a werewolf bite," Buffy protested. "It was a good deed thing."

"Yes, but it opened a door to something none of you wished," Dracula smirked. "Follow her through that door."

"You think you know what you are but you don't," Dracula said softly. "You, whose powers are so close to ours, fighting against what is to come, what is inevitable. Reject Tara, the lover of light, and follow me to your other mate, the one in darkness. Together we will be fantastic and will rule the vampires."

"Tara?" Buffy whispered and shook her head. "No, not Tara," she muttered. "Won't let go of Tara."

///Yes you can!/// Tara's voice insisted. ///Find the light in you and hold onto it!///

"Enough!" Dracula suddenly shouted, backing handing Buffy several yards away. The Slayer tried to sit up and screamed as Dracula landed on her, sinking his fangs in her throat.

Buffy tried to struggle but couldn't as he held a bleeding wrist to her mouth. Buffy wondered if she was dying.

Buffy tried to smile when she opened her eyes and saw Tara looking at her and holding her hand.

"I'm sorry, Tara, I'm so sorry," Buffy whimpered and broke down as Tara wrapped her arms around the Slayer.

"He has Willow and is trying to seduce her to dark magick," Buffy said when she pulled back after a few minutes of crying.

"What else, Buffy?" Giles' voice brought the Slayer's head around and she saw Giles sitting on a stool near the end of her bed.

Bed, strange bed - beige blanket, white sheets, tubes, machines = hospital. Tubes running from her arms to clear IV bags and one containing blood. Buffy turned pale at the sight of it and fought back the urge to retch.

"He almost drained you enough to kill you," Giles answered. "Xander gave me a pretty good headache and he broke Brad's jaw."

"Figured that after he hit me with a pipe," Giles growled. "What happened, Buffy?"

"Xander whacked you two and Dracula came out of the shadows," Buffy tried to explain.

"Why are the fang marks torn at the edges and why did he just leave you?" Giles asked.

"He wants me to accept him and become a vampire," Buffy explained. "Dracula wants me to beg him and not force it. To do that I have to reject my bonding with Tara."

"Yes you are," Giles said thoughtfully. "I think I understand. Dracula needs Buffy and Willow to accept his darkness for some reason and you represent the light in their lives."

"No, I-I'm just me," Tara protested. "They're the ones that are powerful, not me."

Buffy smiled slightly. "Honey, you are stronger than you give yourself credit for. You're the one that saved Will when she tried to kill herself with that silver knife."

"You are the stabilizing power in their lives," Giles countered. "Willow invited darkness into her through magick and Buffy deals with darkness every day and night of her life."

"I don't believe that," Giles shook his head. "You fight against evil; I don't believe the powers of the Slayer can come from evil to fight evil."

"We either end up dead at a very young age or we become the very thing that we spend our lives fighting against," Buffy said bitterly. "Ironic, huh?"

"Why does he want them to submit willingly?" Tara asked, trying to change the focus back to the original questions.

"Dracula said that he's not like any other vampire that I've ever met and that his gift of immortality is different," Buffy said, remembering the conversation. "I wouldn't reject Tara and he threw me across the graveyard and attacked me."

"Yes, I think I did," Buffy whispered, dropping her head again as Tara wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Shhh, it'll be okay," Tara urged. "You were able to call out to me, that's a good sign."

"Yes, you actually fought back and resisted him, Buffy," Giles pointed out. "We have got to kill him soon though."

"He's bitten you twice and you've drank his blood," Giles said wearily, touching the bandage wrapped around his head like a headband. "If the legends and stories are true, then he can call you to him easily now and he already has Willow."

"Willow doesn't have the two of you there to help," Giles shook his head. "For some reason he needs both of you to submit before he turns you…. Maybe it has to do with the amount of self realization left to the victim."

"Dracula's brides are described as typical vampires," Giles said, a little more eagerly. "Blood thirsty, no soul, no compassion and little intelligence or self motivation."

"Exactly, in the book 'Dracula,' the brides were almost mindless except for their lust for blood and one would assume they were at least a few years old as vampires."

"Unless they submit and embrace the darkness, they turn out to be morons?" Buffy ventured.

"Well, I'm not sure I'd describe the process in that manner, but probably," Giles responded.

"What's the difference between holding someone in a thrall and turning them or willingly submitting?" Tara demanded, losing her stutter in her anger.

"I'm not sure," Giles grumbled, "this is all theory with little to go on. He seems to be holding Willow and Buffy in thrall until they agree to what he's offering. Dracula doesn't play fair, I'm not saying that. He's willing to kidnap, drain them of blood and energy to keep them off balance and enthrall them until they do submit."

"Sorta like holding someone's arm behind their back until they agree to what you want," Buffy suggested as a comparison and Tara grinned.

"Yes, exactly," Giles managed to smile. Leave it to his Slayer to turn to a violent image for comparison. "If Buffy can continue to deny him, we might have a chance."

"Well, it'll give us time to search and find Dracula and then destroy him," Giles said calmly. "The longer Buffy holds out, the longer he has to keep trying."

"Dracula has total access," Buffy said softly as Tara turned to glare at her as well. Buffy felt her cheeks flaming with a blush of embarrassment. "I can say truthfully that I wouldn't last two days and nights with him."

Neither Giles nor Buffy would agree with her and Tara ran out of the room crying.

Willow screamed as her body arched on the bed of silk and velvet. She could feel her fangs ripping at her lips as she fell back, totally exhausted.

"Master," Xander's voice reached her through the haze. "That looks like fantastic sex but you're not touching her except on the forehead? That's a really weird erogenous zone!"

"Silence, rat-boy," Dracula's voice commanded and Willow felt the waves building again and whimpered.

"No please, no more," she begged, opening her black filled eyes as Dracula smiled at her.

"Enjoy, Scarlet One," he urged and Willow cried out as the magickal energy hit her system again. The only thing better was being loved by Buffy or Tara.

Willow had no idea how long she was riding the waves or how long she had been screaming in pleasure that was bordering on intense pain.

"She still resists accepting the total darkness but it won't be long," Dracula said confidently. "Release her bonds and walk her around a bit, there is food in the kitchen, make her eat with you. I want you both healthy."

"Why don't you turn her, Master?" Xander asked as he hurried to unlock Willow's bindings.

"I wish her alive, especially until after I have the Slayer," Dracula said calmly. "Once she accepts the darkness then that magickal power will be at my command and there is no fiercer protector than a werewolf."

"Not like a werewolf," Dracula countered. "Put the laundry out for pick up as well."

"Yes, Master," Xander agreed quickly as he lifted Willow into a sitting position. Seeing his best friend's eyes totally black was a little unnerving, Xander thought. But then again, eating bugs hadn't been in his life plans either. Asking Anya to marry him had been the plan, not serving Dracula and eating bugs.

The young man frowned as he pulled Willow to her feet; the witch seemed barely coherent enough to keep her feet under her.

Xander continued frowning. This wasn't what he wanted for his friend. Will was his best friend since pre-school. Never mind that Barbie Doll incident, or when he was possessed by the spirit of a hyena. Willow was always there for him.

///Willow?/// "Willow?" Tara asked, sitting up from leaning on Buffy's shoulder in the hospital. ///Where are you, Will?///

///Will, how can I find you?/// Tara asked as Buffy and Giles watched the blonde witch carefully.

Tara could feel Willow frowning and trying to concentrate. The witch sat up quickly, her eyes distant, as if looking at a TV across a large room.

Giles followed Tara out of the hospital, trying not to let his concussion interfere.

It was a maddening hour of trying to find the witch. The psychic beacon wasn't direct or strong as they made several wrong turns and had to back track many times. Tara was getting frantic as the sun sank lower in the sky and Willow began to weaken.

Finally, Tara looked confident and rushed into a downtown alley. She stopped at several doors and a loading dock as Giles caught up with her. The witch concentrated for a moment and pointed to the loading dock.

She rushed up the stairs and moved inside what appeared to be an industrial laundry cleaning service. Giles, muttering about being killed for trespassing, followed her.

He found Tara tearing through several industrial size laundry bins, the kind with wheels for transporting goods back and forth. Giles moved closer, watching at the same time for workers or security guards.

Tara whimpered and Giles glanced in a basket and saw familiar red hair mixed among the dark sheets. The blonde witch turned the basket onto its side and Willow tumbled out into her arms.

"Oh my God," Giles muttered as they saw her black filled eyes, barely half open.

The red-haired witch was shaking all over and seemed incoherent. Tara frowned, taking in Willow's trembling body and raggedly cut hair.

"She's needs an ambulance," Tara urged, showing the ex-Watcher the fang marks on Willow's neck.

"Her eyes, oh God. I don't know how but Dracula has been feeding her pure magickal energy," Giles muttered as they carried Willow onto the loading dock. "Wait here, we'll put her on my shoulder."

The Englishman moved down the short flight of stairs and stood in front of Willow and Tara. The blonde witch gently helped him place the non-coherent red-head over his shoulders in a fireman's carry.

"Some magickal energy, if it isn't used and grounded properly it feels like a drug in the system," Giles explained. "You've felt some of that. When you feel like you can take on the world after a good ritual working."

"This is worse, Dracula was sending the energy through Willow and back and through," Giles tried to explain. "It's like the two of you were on the same level as marijuana and she moved onto cocaine after doing that werewolf spell. Now Dracula has been feeding her the magickal equivalent of pure heroin."

"It's quite possible," Giles panted. "It is possible to become addicted to almost anything within the first few tries. Right now she's hitting withdrawals."

"Doesn't take much," Giles grumbled. "Given the fact she escaped and called for you is a good sign, which means she didn't give in totally."

Buffy's blue eyes flashed brilliantly when she walked slowly into Willow's bedroom and found her tied to the bed by her wrists. The Slayer spun on Giles, her face enraged.

"Buffy, she's detoxing off some major magickal energy and is under Dracula's control," he tried to explain. "We can't take the chance."

"Are you going to tie me down to my bed tonight or do Willow and I get the share the same bed and the same ropes?" she demanded, shouting.

"Enough!" Giles snapped. "I'm supposed to figure out how to protect all of you and I've failed!"

The Englishman's anger faded quickly and he sank into a chair as Willow thrashed and whimpered on the bed, sweat covering her body.

"He anticipated everything, Buffy," Giles said softly, trying not to let the tears filling his eyes escape. "He took Xander before we even thought of protecting ourselves. He got to you and Willow the very first night. Dracula used Xander to find out where we would take you and he was waiting for us. The only thing he didn't plan on was Willow escaping, I think."

"Has she said anything?" Buffy asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and stroking Willow's now shaggy red hair.

"Tara is downstairs fixing everyone breakfast," Buffy said, crying as she watched Willow struggling. The witch whimpered and pulled at her bindings and Buffy's whimper matched Willow's when the witch opened her eyes. There still wasn't anything but black showing.

"I'll be right back!" Buffy muttered and scampered out the door and down the stairs.

Tara looked up with a surprised expression as Buffy skidded to a stop in the kitchen.

"No, she's okay, I mean, she's the same," Buffy stammered. "Still miserable and out of it."

"I got an idea," Buffy said. "Giles says you're the light in this mess. Can you lend me strength when I face Dracula again?"

"Yeah but without the spell thing, I mean just us," Buffy stammered. "I mean channeling light stuff to me?"

"Tonight, I think," Buffy mumbled and gave Tara a quick kiss and dashed back up the stairs. She skidded into Willow's room. "Giles, what would happen if you untied Willow?"

"I'm not sure," Giles said thoughtfully. "I seriously think she might try and get back to Dracula right now. Willow managed to call for help…but, she…she's hurting so bad."

"Could she make it back to him before dark?" Buffy asked, turning to look at her lover.

"I don't know, I'm not sure she can make two blocks in that condition," Giles muttered. "She's so weak."

"What are you thinking, Buff?" Tara asked, going around to the other side of the bed as Willow thrashed.

"We put her in the car, she should have some kind of a reaction if we're in the right area," Buffy suggested.

Giles' eyes brightened. "Yes," he said slowly. "We have a good idea where Dracula might take up residence."

"Will she react if we do it now? We could find him before dark," Buffy suggested eagerly.

"And you'll both end up in his hands!" Giles protested. "Brad is in the hospital with a broken jaw; Xander is already Dracula's; Anya will be useless against Xander; Willow is worse than a junkie; and all Dracula has to do is snap his fingers at you!"

"I think I can help protect Buffy, channeling light to counter his darkness," Tara said softly as Willow whimpered and twisted, her muscles contorting. "And Brad is on his way over, he's being released. His jaw is wired and he's upset."

"Only Anya, Brad and I will be able to fight," he said slowly. "Tara will be busy trying to keep you balanced and we can't count on you being able to resist him."

"I know that but we have to try or we lose Will," Buffy reasoned, stroking Willow's cheek. "All he has to do is mentally tell us to invite him in tonight or tomorrow night."

"Or he'll pick t-the rest of us off one by one," Tara added, "l-leaving Buffy alone."

"Alright, let's have breakfast," Giles said firmly. "I want everyone in the best shape we can."

"You'll eat," Giles said flatly. "We're not going to let you slowly fade away to his vampiric bite either."

Giles was uncomfortable with the situation but couldn't see any other options. The only other plan was to look for Dracula in the daytime and lose Willow and Buffy by night.

The ex-Watcher glanced over the seat at Willow in Tara's arms. The red-haired witch still was incoherent and her suffering was getting worse. They had tied her hands together to keep her from tearing at her own skin and it broke his heart to see her thrashing against the seat.

Buffy had no idea how they got through the rest of the day. It was an agonizingly slow process, even worse than when Tara had been looking for Willow. One by one they eliminated potential houses and areas until the possibilities were narrowed down.

Willow had gone into convulsions when they had reached the southern part of town and her muscle twitching had eased up when they started back north.

Everyone was at the end of their frazzled nerves. Buffy and Tara weren't sure how much more they could take and Giles was ready to scream or drive the car at full speed into a brick wall and get it over with.

"Buffy, we need to get back," he finally said. "It's almost sundown, Dracula will know where we are before we know where he is."

"He's not awake yet, I can tell," Buffy said absently. "He didn't feed last night and slept heavy."

"Any other time and I'd want to know how you know that," he muttered. "I'm too tired and I'm turning the car around."

Giles glanced in the rearview mirror and was reassured to see Brad's car with Brad and Anya still following them.

"Willow?" Tara's voice stopped the ex-Watcher and Giles pulled over to the curb so he could turn and look at the witches.

Willow's eyes appeared to be more focused and she was attempting to sit up without much success in her weakened condition.

"You know, I've lived in Sunnydale for awhile now," she said, pointing up a slight hill. "You know, I've never seen a castle in Sunnydale before."

"A castle?" Giles muttered and opened his car door and looked over the roof at the reality of a castle in Sunnydale. "Well, yes, that is a castle, isn't it? Looks like something out of Rocky Horror."

"I can't see you in fishnet stockings!" Buffy mumbled, shaking her head. "Nope, scary visual place. I am so not seeing that in my head!"

Giles pulled out a large pocketknife and cut the leather holding her wrists together. Willow whimpered as Buffy opened the door from the outside and the red-haired witch fell to the sidewalk.

"Shouldn't we lock her up in the car, like with handcuffs from Brad?" Buffy demanded.

"Yes, we should," Giles agreed. "Buffy, I need you to trust me and I need to trust you, can you face him?"

Buffy started to respond immediately and then hesitated. "The sun is going down, he's beginning to stir."

"I want you and Willow to go up there," Giles said slowly. As the ex-Watcher had expected, Tara was out of the car in a flash and holding the shaking Willow in her arms and glaring at Giles.

Brad and Anya trotted up from Brad's car and stood back, watching the interaction between the lovers and their mentor.

"They'll be the distraction, Dracula knows Willow is missing and having both of them show up will surprise him," Giles reasoned. "He'll have to get Willow stable and then he'll turn his attention to Buffy, giving us time to get in, find them and kill him."

Brad grunted and nodded his agreement to the plan as Buffy and Tara glared. Tara finally lowered her head and looked at Willow. After expending her energy getting out of the car, Willow was as weak as a newborn kitten, one hand clawing at the sidewalk to get to the castle.

"Buffy, do it," Tara said finally. "I'll be with you; I'll try and stay connected."

Buffy frowned but knelt beside the two witches. She gently stroked Tara's cheek and kissed the blonde witch. "I love you," she said softly and picked Willow up in her arms.

Giles held out a hand to Tara and helped her to her feet. They watched with sinking hearts as the Slayer and lover walked towards Dracula's lair and into hell.

Giles turned and went to the trunk of the car, ignoring the fading sight of Buffy and Willow. He threw a blanket aside and handed Brad a box of bullets. The police raised his eyebrows in question, drawing his own gun and spare clips.

"Silver tipped bullets," Giles explained. "Dracula might have more werewolves other than Willow."

Giles handed Anya a crossbow and a quiver of wooden arrows with silver tips. Bottles of holy water and gold crosses came next. Tara received a pistol with silver bullets and a stake. Giles took an axe coated in silver, three stakes and a cross.

Brad motioned with his hands, first together and then moving apart and around in a circle.

"Split up in teams?" Giles translated and Brad nodded. He pointed at Anya and himself and motioned to the left of the castle and then at Tara and Giles and motioned them towards the right.

A vampire in full game face opened the door but failed to get a reaction out of Buffy except for the Slayer to shove past him into the foyer. She quickly put Willow down on a sofa and turned to the main hall.

A door opened and Buffy was surprised to see Xander rush out towards her. She cautiously held up her hands in a semi defensive position as she took in Xander's condition.

The young man had recently been beaten. His clothes, the same he had been in for days, were filthy with grime and blood and his hair was unkempt and matted to his head. He was holding his left arm close to his body and moving as if he were hurting from his ribs to his legs.

"Buffy?" he asked softly as the vampire leaned against the front door, smirking at them. "You brought her back? Why?"

"You helped get her out, didn't you?" it suddenly became clear to Buffy why Xander was surprised to see Willow and why he looked a mess.

"She's too far gone, Xander," Buffy tried to make it sound reasonable. "She'll die without him now."

Xander frowned and squeaked, moving behind Buffy as they both turned to the stairs.

"Go back to your corner, Xander," Dracula ordered. "I'm not done punishing you."

"Please, Master," Xander begged. "She's back, they're both here! Don't hurt me again! Please!"

Dracula waved Xander aside as the young man cringed and moved away, staying out of Dracula's reach, disappearing into the shadows. The vampire Prince approached the women slowly, his blue eyes drilling into Buffy's.

He stood over the Slayer for a moment and seemed satisfied when he reached out she moved her head to one side, baring her neck for him. Dracula glanced down at the twitching and moaning Willow.

"Willow is hurting! Please help her!" Buffy begged, letting those emotions come through in full force.

"You are willing to join us then? Her pain will stop and she will be one of the most powerful humans on earth," he said easily.

Buffy's face was pained with conflicting emotions and tears fell as she looked at her lover.

Dracula smiled and motioned to the other vampire who was at his master's feet in a moment.

Dracula surprised Buffy by laughing and releasing her. "I'm glad you haven't lost that fire, Slayer."

Buffy had been expecting a medium sized room with a desk and maybe a couple of easy chairs surrounded by shelves of books. What she didn't expect was a room the size of a small school library with shelves and rows of books. There were three desks, five easy chairs and two tables with wooden chairs surrounding them.

Buffy and Dracula approached the witch slowly and Buffy tried to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest when Willow opened her eyes. Again they were totally black, with no color or white. The witch looked straight through Buffy but saw Dracula and tried to sit up.

When she was unable to sit up she rolled off the sofa. Buffy whimpered but Dracula held out an arm, stopping the Slayer from approaching her lover. Willow turned over and got to her hands and knees slowly. Buffy hissed in anger as her mate began to slowly crawl across the floor towards Dracula.

"You reject your lover, Tara, and your connection to her?" Dracula asked softly.

Buffy saw that Dracula was actually surprised at her hesitation and getting angry.

"Reject her!" he ordered. "Reject her and you will feel what you felt before, incredible power that makes sex seem pale. Claim the darkness in you!"

"Tara?" Willow whispered again and Buffy struggled to keep her emotions hidden behind walls in her mind and soul. Willow looked puzzled and glanced at Buffy.

"You want this?" Dracula asked, waving a hand in front of Willow's face and Buffy gasped at the energy shooting from his hand into her lover. Willow's head and arms snapped back and out. It looked like she was being shocked.

"I was a sorcerer before I turned myself into a vampire by sheer will alone," Dracula bragged. "The vampires you deal with were turned by another and lost their souls when turned. I had no soul left to lose when I was wounded and dying. I simply refused to die and became this."

"Tara!" Dracula hissed, kneeling down on one knee in front of her. "Sever the connection!"

"Fine!" Dracula growled as he stood up. "Another night and day and you'll accept."

"Why do you need our submission so badly?" Buffy demanded as Dracula turned to her. "You could just keep hitting her with that magick drug thing until she's totally mindless and you could have turned me several times."

"I need your consent for the magick to work properly," Dracula shrugged, turning his back on the witch. Buffy struggled slightly as he wrapped an arm over her shoulders and started guiding her towards the door.

"Don't worry, my people will make sure she lives," Dracula said easily. "She'll accept us tomorrow night."

"Yes, tonight you are mine, Slayer," Dracula nodded, smiling at her confused face. "She'll accept your fangs tomorrow night along with the darkness. We'll keep her alive for a few years; she has much power to mature into. Then you will take her as your mate, forever."

"Yes, I am not a fool, Slayer," Dracula laughed as he opened the door. "I know you feel nothing for me. We will make good companions for eternity. Most royal marriages are arranges as such. I even married a King's daughter and changed my religion to regain political power."

"With your consent your soul blends with the demon your vampires talk about," Dracula explained. "Your personality remains the same but you lose some of that human guilt that has held civilization back for centuries. Oh, man has progressed beyond belief over the last few centuries but he has lost something that you and I understand all too well."

"The killer instinct," Dracula smiled, pouring two goblets of wine and handing one to Buffy. "The need to hunt and the thrill of the kill."

Dracula laughed. "Yes, if there were wolves in Sunnydale. Werewolves don't howl a lot."

"She will fight us for the Scarlet one and for your soul, she will die," Dracula said casually and merely smiled as Buffy frowned. "She will die, Slayer!" he said firmly. "At your fangs, your Tara will die."

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