Chapter 14

The connection between our Champion and his Seer-to-Be grows deeper, but the portents of this variable signal danger to us all as the End of Days draws near.

Arriving back at Angel Investigations, they found the offices dark and quiet. Calling out for Doyle brought no response. It seemed that the Irish seer made himself conspicuously absent.

“He’s probably at the bar, again,” Cordy scrunched her nose.

Knowing Doyle, that guess would probably be right, Angel figured. Especially since he and Cordy had spent the rest of the day on their own. It wouldn’t take much imagination for his friend to make the next logical leap. Not that Angel was planning to rush her, but he wanted Cordelia— badly. He thought his vampire urges were difficult to control, but being human merely gave him more emotions that knotted up inside begging for release.

Angel rocked back on his feet, his hands fisted in his pants pockets. “Yeah. Probably.”

“You hungry?”

“Not for food,” he admitted with a twisted quirk of his mouth.

Admonishing himself for saying that aloud, Angel tried to stamp out his flaming arousal. He could imagine Cordy’s thoughts: Geez! He’s been human two seconds and already the guy wants to have sex. What’s with that?

Cordelia walked in a slow circle around him, noting the slight sunburn that reddened the ‘V’ of his chest where his shirt lay open to the light. Leaning on the edge of her desk, she perked at the happy memory of their day in the sun. It felt like heaven in his arms—until that dratted policeman arrived.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Cordelia grinned, the tip of her tongue along the edge of her teeth.

Angel’s brow lifted, “I doubt that.”

“Sure I do.” Cordelia cocked her head, placing a hand on her hip.

“No, you don’t,” he countered.

“Do.”

“Don’t.”

Cordelia issued a challenge, recognizing that he seemed to be hedging. Probably thought he was moving to fast. “Then come over here and prove what you’re thinking about.”

Never let it be said that Angel wasn’t up to that challenge. Unfortunately, his stupid conscience kicked in. He wanted her. Wanted to take her in all the ways he had before. Some of those were impossible now— not a vampire. Most would be a little shocking for what would technically be equated with their first date. “Better not.”

There was a flash of sad confusion in her eyes. “Really?”

Seeing the dimming smile on Cordelia’s face, Angel could not take it. “No. Not really.”

A second later he was at her side lifting her from the desk and pulling her into his strong arms. Cordy thrilled at his strength— even as a human. She squeezed his bulky biceps in response to the darting anticipation along her spine. Then he was kissing her— geez, he really kissed like an angel, she mused. Heavenly!

This wasn’t slow and controlled like in the park. Almost immediately the kiss deepened, tapping into the depths of their emotions. Angel clasped Cordy around the shoulder and hips, now lifting her to press hard against his aroused body. She was equally fervent in her response, grasping at his shoulders.

Her wandering kisses followed his jaw line up to his left ear where she nibbled at the lobe before returning to his demanding mouth. Then Cordy felt herself being placed on top of the desk; Angel was laying her down and sending the files on top crashing to the floor.

“You are so cleaning that up!” Cordelia giggled as she saw the stack of papers scattered on the ground.

Tilting her face back to his, Angel kissed her again. Asking in between, “Do you want this Cordy? Tell me what you want.”

“You.” She had hold of his half-unbuttoned shirt and yanked him back down to her. The remaining buttons popped under the pressure, leaving his chest bare to her angled view. “Oops!”

Angel yanked the shirt off, removing it so that she could look her fill. The lust in her eyes as she stared at his bare skin sparked his all over again. Her palms moved over his flesh worshipping the hard contours of his body. Pulling her close, Angel wanted her legs around him, but the damned long denim skirt she wore prevented it.

“This way,” Angel panted as he pulled her into his arms again lifting and spinning them until they hit the wall near the refrigerator. Her sandals went flying shattering several coffee mugs and knocking over a plant on top of the filing cabinet. Standing her up, he tugged at the belt hugging her hips.

Angel noticed that his hands were trembling with adrenalin as he whipped the belt out of the loops and let it hit the floor. “Your turn,” he paused staring down.

With her bottom lip caught between her teeth, Cordelia grinned. He was standing there all naked chest and powerful shoulders telling her to take her turn. Oh, yeah. She just had to touch him again, marveling at the way he was put together. Impatient, Angel took her wrists moving her hands down to his belted waist.

“No fair!” So just to torture him for ending her fun, Cordy leaned forward and kissed her way across his chest from one side to the other.

Only when his belt joined hers did Angel touch her again, though he nearly went through the roof when she licked at him with her tongue. “You’ll get your turn again in a minute,” he promised hoping for more of the same.

In three quick movement, Angel unbuttoned her skirt, unzipped it and let if fall to her ankles. She stepped out of the skirt, kicking in away with one still sand-covered foot. It fell unnoticed in the direction of Angel’s inner office.

“Silk panties and denim?” Angel’s hands came down to her hips, his thumbs running across the edge of the turquoise bikini underwear. A rumble sounded in his throat, something akin to a human growl before he cupped the small globes of her buttocks dragging her against the hardness of his erection.

Cordelia felt the size of him against her, letting out a gasp mixed with innocent surprise and wanton need. His name poured from her throat. “Angel.”

Lifting her, Angel pressed his clothed hips and aroused flesh into the center spot between her slender thighs. Slender, but toned with the exercise from years of cheerleading. “Yes, that’s it. Wrap your legs around me tight and hold on.”

Clinging to him, Cordelia swallowed her surprise when he started to move away from the wall. He was carrying her, trying to hazard a path while still kissing her senseless. They made it as far as the door to the stairs before stopping. She was squirming in his arms, unable to touch as much as she wanted to touch.

“My turn again.” She unbuttoned the top button of his pants, but stalled at shifting down the zipper. Darting a hesitant look at his face, Cordy decided to skip that part for now and moved on to the safer task of removing his shoes and socks.

Angel let out a groan of complaint as a river of sand flooded onto the floor leaving Cordy giggling at him. Still kneeling at his feel, she held onto his pant-covered calves while she came to eye level with the large tent beneath his zipper. Watching her lustfully, Angel remembered the days when his mate would take him in her hands and mouth trying the impossible task of sucking him down and swallowing him whole.

It was obvious that her thoughts had wandered in that direction, though her look was more startled and even a little scared. Holding out one of his hands to help her to her feet, Angel told her, “Not today, Cordelia. Come up here. My mouth misses you.”

Flinging herself into his arms, she rubbed her aching breasts against his chest as Angel made her head spin. Breaking apart for an instant, she muttered a question, “Stairs?”

“No,” Angel decided as he ran a hand through the long strands of her wind-tossed hair. Cupping her chin, he slowly pressed smooching kisses against her lips as he led them backwards. “Stairs are too dangerous.”

“Uh— yeah.” Cordy had no idea what he meant and didn’t care as one hand cupped her bottom beneath the barrier of silk.

Angel muttered between kisses. “Might fall.”

He reached out along the wall with his free hand, blindly seeking and eventually finding the button for the elevator. Cordelia’s hands were on his waist, creeping lower along his thighs so her fingernails curled and raked along the surface of his pants. He wanted her touch on his skin.

The elevator doors opened. Angel took her by the shoulders and gently pushed her inside. Then Cordy watched as he took hold of the waistband of his pants, unzipped them and shoved them to the floor. Her breath came a little faster seeing the obvious bulge in his dark boxers and the flex of his powerful thighs as he stepped toward her.

Then a hysterical laugh came as he tripped on one leg of the pants, falling to the floor of the elevator. Cordy poked the elevator button before bending down to her fallen hero. The outer doors shut, grabbing onto the pants ripping them from Angel’s foot. Now Cordelia was giggling uncontrollably at the sight.

By the time the elevator started down, he pulled her back into his arms. Moans of pleasure soon replaced the laughter. With a jerk, the elevator stopped. They were still on the floor, kissing and groping at the exposed areas of each other’s flesh. “We’re here,” Cordy noted with a gasp.

Angel was determined not to take her on the floor of the elevator, but it felt so good to have her in this supine position. Eyes glinting, he had an idea. When the outer doors opened again, he kept her close and rolled them out the door making certain that it was his back against the uncomfortable elevator gap rather than hers.

Landing on top of him, Cordy shifted herself into a comfortable position. His hardness pressed prominently through the thin barrier of his boxers. That part felt really, really good, but there was something not right. Something else she needed. As her chest moved against his, Cordy realized what it was.

“Take off my top?” She leaned down with her head resting on his shoulder to give him better access to the ties.

Not bothering to answer, Angel moved his hands up from her ass to pull at the ties of her halter top, first at her back. After sweeping aside her hair, he undid the one at her neck. Lifting herself just a fraction, Cordy tugged the annoying cloth barrier away and threw it as far as it could go. It landed somewhere in the vicinity of the kitchen floor.

‘Ah!” She let out a sigh of pleasure as the flesh of her full, sensitive breasts compressed against Angel’s skin. “Better.”

“Much better,” Angel was muttering again as he flipped them over so that Cordelia was beneath him.

Though he loved every part of her, Angel admittedly admired her breasts. Oh, the many ways he had loved them- his errant thoughts roused his excitement even higher. Kissing his way down Cordelia’s chest, he lay on his side on the hard surface of the floor, freeing up one hand to touch what he wanted.

“Gonna touch you,” Angel gave warning while Cordy was silently urging him on. Then not so silently.

Trembling in pleasure at the feel of his fingers on her sensitized flesh, Cordy simply lay back on the floor soaking it all in. At first, it was just those naughty, wandering fingers. Then they curled around her left breast cupping her, gently feeling the weight of it against his palm.

“You’re so beautiful,” he looked up into her eyes trying to contain the urge encircle those feminine assets around his hard male flesh. “Always.”

Reaching up, she ran her hand through his hair. “You’re such a guy. Loves boobs.”

“Especially yours.” At her grin, Angel kissed her again. When they were both breathless again, he lifted his head up to suggest they get off the cold floor. “Bed?”

Cordelia held up her arms, waiting for him to help her up. He did more than that. Angel swept her up into his arms, carrying her across the threshold of his bedroom. Setting her down on her feet, he leaned over to grab the covers and thrust them to the bottom of the bed.

Before dropping her down on the bed like he wanted too, Angel saw the expression on her face as he yanked away the covers with an almost vicious pull. Again, there was a hesitancy he detected that he did not understand. Please don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind, he begged silently.

“Cordy?”

Realizing that Angel had sensed her sudden confusion, Cordelia was grateful for the opening. Her heart was beating like a drum in her ears and her body tingled everywhere. All in wont of need for him. But he didn’t know the truth, she realized. He needed to know before this went too far. Before they were in the bed and all over each other and in too deep.

“Angel,” she licked at her suddenly dry lips. “I-I have to say something.”

Oh, god! Please, please, please. No, no, no. Don’t say no, Cordy. Not now. He really did not want to hear this. Angel gave a little shaky breath as he responded contrarily to his own thoughts, “Okay.”

Reaching down, Cordelia stared at his hand taking it in her own to play with his fingers. “I-I’ve never done this before. Been with a man, I mean.”

“What!” He blurted it out realizing with stunning accuracy that Cordelia Chase thought she was still a virgin.

After the initial shock dissipated, Angel knew that she had no reason to think otherwise. He— Angelus— had taken her virginity that night in front of Xander’s house on the hood of her car. The memory spell had washed that away. Fortunately, he did not have to say anything to explain his surprise at her words.

Cordelia figured her reputation preceded her. “It’s the cheerleader thing. A girl shakes her pom-poms and everyone immediately believes that she sleeps with the entire football team.”

“But you didn’t— obviously,” Angel was irritated that she would believe he thought that way, but he couldn’t say anything to counter it without providing an explanation he was not prepared to give.

“Dated them,” Cordy gave a shrug. “Didn’t get much past the kissing and groping part— even with Xander.”

Angel forgot for a moment that he knew Xander hadn’t gotten much farther and the fact that Cordy still thought herself a sexual innocent. He let out a jealous grumble. “I don’t want to hear about Xander Harris right now!”

The mention of the name actually helped cool his ardor so that his erection wasn’t quite so painful. Closing his eyes for a moment, Angel opened them to ask, “Do you want this to go on, Cordelia? I can stop— if I have to. We can take things a little slower.”

“Why would I want to do that, dumbass?” Cordy stood there with her hands on her hips, clothed only in the scrap of turquoise still covering her groin.

“Huh?”

Crawling onto the bed, giving him a delightful view of her bottom, Cordy glanced back over her shoulder. “Just thought you deserved to know, that’s all.”

He felt her glowing, almost impish smile right down to his soul. The spell that bathed her mind in a cloak of innocence shined from her inner being. Angel knew then that he had to make this moment special for her. This time, it would be different. Then, it was all about dominance and submission. Then, it was Angelus in the dark, in the night, on the hood of that car— claiming her. That was fucking— wanting, taking, having. This needed to be different. He wanted it to be different. He wanted it to be love-making— loving, giving, sharing.

In a way, Angel thought of the irony, it was his first time too. First night as a human again. First time in her bed again. First time knowing that she loved him without the tie of their blood-bond between them.

“Come here, Angel,” came Cordelia’s soft plea after he seemed to be frozen in place by indecision. Crooking her index finger at him, she waggled it until his mouth curled into a smile. “You’re so far away. I’m lonely.”

“Better?” He asked after doing a flying leap, now lying on his side next to her.

Gazing down at his outstretched body, Cordy decided there was only one way to get over this nervous feeling centering in her tummy. “Almost. Can I ask you something?”

Nodding, Angel traced a finger along her arm from shoulder to elbow. He just couldn’t be this close and not touch her skin.

“Anything?”

“Uh— of course.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Didn’t sound very certain.”

“I am.”

Rolling onto his back, Angel pulled her onto him straddling her legs over his hips, fitting her on top of him. Angel let out a low groan of pleasure at the downward pressure of her body against his. Letting out a little shudder, Cordelia also felt the need to move things along.

As Angel’s hands slipped from her hips to curl toward her breasts, Cordelia grabbed his wrists, stopping his upward progress. “Not so fast, Angel. I haven’t made my request.”

“Request?” Angel’s gaze moved up to her face. Anything. Whatever she wanted. “Tell me what you want, Cordy. It’s yours. I’m still getting used to this human body, but I’ll try my best to make it do anything you need.”

“Guess that makes you kind of  a virgin, too— huh!” Cordy picked up on his own earlier line of thinking. “I like that idea.”

Moving his arms to the side of his head, she leaned down to kiss his mouth. “I want to touch you. Can I touch you, Angel? Without you stopping me?”

Already dark eyes sparked with his arousal. The thought of ‘virginal’ Cordy wanting to explore his body nearly made him come at the idea alone. The actuality might be a little more difficult to pull off.

“Whatever you want. Take it,” he said. “Just don’t be surprised if I stop you sooner than you’d like.”

Excitement made her face glow and her eyes sparkle in a way he hadn’t seen in months. God, he wanted her now. “Gotta move up on the bed a little, Cordy. I think I’m gonna need something to hold onto if you don’t want me to touch what I’m looking at.”

She bit her lip as she glanced toward the wrought-iron bars of the bed. They were shaped into a beautiful design, but also provided well-placed hand grips. She hadn’t noticed that when she slept here those nights when Angel was exiled to the couch in the living room.

Cordelia shifted off of Angel, allowing him to move up. “Turn onto your stomach.”

Might as well start with the easy part, she grinned to herself. Angel complied with her request, a fact that sent a little thrill along her spine. He stretched out, bending his arms at the elbows. No iron bars needed for the moment since he trapped his folded hands below his head as they rested on the pillow.

Once he settled, Cordelia pressed a soft kiss against his face. Whispering in his ear, she told him, “Now I get to have my wicked way with you. Bet you didn’t know I had a wicked way!”

Oh, baby. If you only knew, he thought smilingly.

Angel couldn’t see her from this angle, so he closed his eyes feeling the soft explorative touch of her hands on his shoulders and back. But it wasn’t just the press of her hands and mouth that started to drive him wild. Every time Cordy bent over him or leaned across his frame her pointed nipples or silky hair would graze his flesh.

By the time Cordy reached the edge of his black boxers, Angel was slowly grinding his erection into the bed. She paused, noting this movement with interest. Then her fingers curled into the edge of his boxers, “Lift up a little.”

The soft fabric stretched across his cock as Cordelia pulled it down over his hips, causing Angel to let out a strangled groan. “Cordy!”

“No turning around,” she instructed while tossing his underwear to the floor. “I’m not finished.”

“Well I’m gonna be finished— real soon if you’re not careful,” Angel warned, loving that she wanted to touch him. Next time he vowed to let her play first, when he hadn’t already been waiting so long.

Then suddenly there was a spread of silence in the room. Cordy neither touched him with her hands nor spoke. After a long pause, she let out a long sigh. “Mmm! Angel buns. My favorite.”

Angel burst out laughing, his amusement at the realization she had been staring at his bare ass almost distracted him from his own needs. Then she put her hand there and he thought of nothing else.

“Tempting, Angel,” she tittered.

There was a dark tone to his voice as he cautioned her, “Don’t start something you don’t know how to finish.”

“Well that sounds creepy,” Cordy admitted moving her hand down to the hard muscle of his thigh. “You can tell me more later.”

“Much later.”

“Turn over, broody boy.” Before she finished the sentence, Angel was on his back. As promised he held onto the bars, making every effort to let her finish this little game of Doctor.

The swift move left his rigid penis bobbing heavily against his abdomen leaving Cordelia suddenly agape as her hazel eyes darted in that direction. Omigod! How is that thing supposed to fit? Big. Huge. All mine. The thought made her curiosity override her sudden fear.

Cordelia glanced up at Angel who now looked like he was having difficulty keeping his hands away from her. If there was a question in her gaze, he answered it with an appeal that left her breathless.

“Touch me, Cordelia. Wrap your hand around it.” Angel urged her. “It’s just me. Nothing to fear.”

The hand on his thigh moved to rest on his hip as Cordy contemplated her next move. She kept staring, still boggled that somehow— before the end of the night— they would lock their bodies together like puzzle pieces. He was uncircumcised, she realized, then figured the procedure probably wasn’t done routinely when he first became a vampire.

The glistening tip peeked out from that flap of skin already weeping threads of sticky fluid onto his stomach. Cordy’s gaze traveled down the rigid bar of human flesh covered by distended veins and further still to the nest of hair surrounding its base and the large pouch below.

“Cordy!” Angel’s call was not so much about letting her learn the feel of him to get over her fear as it was to sate some of his lust.

The impish grin suddenly returned. Cordy followed his instructions, but less than an minute passed before Angel took his hands away from the bars of the bed to pull her beneath him. “Did I do something wrong?”

“God, no! Just something too right.” Then he plundered her mouth with a kiss of such fervency that they both saw stars.

Catching his breath, Angel tried for her sake to slow down again. He didn’t know how much longer he could make this last. He wanted to be inside her when he came, not putzing around like a schoolboy. So what if he didn’t have vampire stamina— he had enough experience at lovemaking to control his appetites.

It was just that Cordelia was driving him wild.

“Now it’s my turn to play,” Angel made clear, “but I won’t be so mean, my sweet Cordelia. You can touch me anywhere you can reach.”

She was drowning in his kiss again when the wandering hands returned like they’d been on an extended vacation— touching everywhere. Then his mouth was on her right breast with whispered kisses, soft smooches and flat licks of his rasping tongue. That had Cordy nearly shrieking.

“Angel! Oh, yeah. No! That’s enough.”

“Not yet.” He moved to the other breast and gave it equal attention.

Writhing at the pleasure he evoked, Cordy was clasping at his head and shoulders. “Uh— yeah. Do that thing again with your tongue.”

As he was at her navel, Angel knew what she meant and complied by flicking his tongue across the concave indenture there. So close now, he could scent her arousal. With his human senses Cordy’s scent was tangier than he remembered, but he couldn’t remember ever wanting her more.

He tugged her turquoise panties off, tossing them over his shoulder where they landed on the threshold of the open door. Cordelia’s glazed expression asked for what she would not voice as Angel spread her thighs, settling himself between them on eye level with the moist center of her womanhood.

Angel grazed his hands along one thigh, finding it trembling under the force of her need. He blew air across her petaled flesh, causing her to jerk in startled pleasure. Then Angel’s fingers moved intimately with his expert touch, brushing against her and inside her in ways that made it impossible for her to think.

When his mouth joined his fingers in pleasuring her, Cordelia immediately plummeted over a high cliff of building ecstasy as she came crashing down in orgasm. Calling out his name again and again, Cordy begged for him to take her. And though Angel moved up her body, settling his erection at her opening, he waited until Cordelia settled enough to look into his eyes.

He kissed her softly and Cordy realized with a strange not-eew-in-any-way thrill that she tasted herself on Angel’s lips.

Cordelia clasped onto his strong shoulders, waiting anxiously for him to move, to enter her body, to make her his.

“I’m yours,” she whispered against his mouth promising fidelity in a way that somehow echoed the claiming in their past.

Not to be outdone, Angel answered as he penetrated her core, “And I am yours. I love you, Cordelia.”

A gasp of pleasure sounded in his ear and Angel wasn’t certain whether the sensations of his entry, his words or a combination thereof came as the cause. Cordelia knew only bliss as Angel brought her back to that high place again. Her legs wrapped around him to hold him close as he thrust and retreated time and again.

And when they both crashed down together, it felt like coming home.

Neither was surprised to find a stray tear in each other’s eyes when their senses returned. So poignant was the moment, they said nothing, merely eating each other up with their eyes. Timeless minutes passed until Cordelia repeated the words he whispered in her ear adding on his name. “I love you, Angel.”

“Love you too, baby.”

She blushed, grinning at the pet name again. What was it about that word that made it seem like he had called her that forever?

“Angel— I’m hungry.”

He seemed surprised. “So soon?”

“Not that, dumbass!” Cordy whacked his arm. “Food. Sustenance. We didn’t have dinner, remember?”

Angel swept the sheets around her while he streaked naked to the refrigerator. Grabbing several items, he darted back to bed. After their attack of the munchies was over, Angel and Cordy talked into the night until she finally fell asleep in his arms.

Unable to sleep, Angel watched her sleep in dreamless contentment. Starting to settle down from the blissful high of these past hours in her presence, he was jolted back to a state of wakefulness at the sound of Doyle’s voice and hurried footsteps on the stairs. Easing himself away from Cordelia’s sleeping form, Angel grabbed for a robe and went to find out what the commotion was about.

Doyle wouldn’t barge in like this unless there was a reason— unless he was drunk again. “Angel! I had another vision. That Mohra demon has regenerated itself.”

“A vision? You’re still my seer?” Angel was confused. “The Oracles said something about replacing me. That my humanity did not suit their needs.”

“Looks like they’re not done with you yet.”

Planning for action, Angel told his seer, “Let me grab my clothes.”

Suddenly, Doyle snorted with laughter. “That may take you a while, man. They’re all over the office and downstairs. I thought for a moment that Demolition Spike returned to look for the ring again.”

Then Doyle glanced beyond Angel’s shoulder seeing the head and shoulders of Cordelia Chase against the dark background of the bed covers. A twinge of envy hit him, but then he remembered his own theory about the champion always getting the girl. Now knowing their true history, Doyle figured that Angel had Cordelia all along. And though she did not know it, Cordelia had him as well.

“Are you gonna wake her?” Doyle asked thinking Cordy would want to know where her mate was going right before a big fight.

“Let her sleep,” Angel shook his head. Moving back to her, he pressed a kiss on her forehead before heading back out the bedroom door. “I wouldn’t wake her for the world. Write a quick note while I get dressed just in case she wakes up. Otherwise, I’ll tell her everything in the morning.”

The crystal remains the linchpin to this variable. The crossroads now lie directly before our Champion. And so he will come again to our demesne full of questions, searching for answers. We, the Oracles, possess the power to alter time, to turn back the clock for the space of a day. Choices made may be undone or remain unchanged. Our Champion must decide whether to face this alternative, an act which will forever bind him to his destiny.

SOULBOUND – BOOK TWO – THE NEXT CONNECTION: CHAPTER LINKS

Book Two Chapter 13                    Book Two Home                    Book Two Chapter 15