Chapter 12: Threats and Offers

The sanctimonious vamp looked over at the master vampire that apparently caused the ruckus, at first dismissing the morsel on the leash. Was that what this had been about – pre-sale tasting? His eyes narrowed as he took in the smells that permeated the room.

Ah, not just tasting then. The smell of sex was heavy in the room. The female’s aroma was overpowering, intoxicating, there was something unique about it, something that made it especially alluring….but something in the combined scents was missing. Closing his eyes and inhaling deeply it suddenly came to him. There were only faint traces of the males who had been present. Apparently they had all been dusted before reaching… culmination. He could only detect faint traces of male arousal lingering in the air, when he would have expected much more. There had been several of them after all. The scent of cum should have been the strongest thing in the room. He had assumed some kind of forcible union, to which the slave’s master had objected prior to her sale. Yet the slave and her master were unharmed, while the others were dust.

Narrowing his eyes he looked more closely at the human. How had she survived while several strong vampires were destroyed?

Looking closer, it suddenly became clear to him. This wasn’t just any human. This was the girl that was purported to be the Slayer. Interesting.

He didn’t need to know the details. It was clear that several of his potential customers were now dust, and that it was this creature’s fault. Either the master vampire had lost his mind and dusted his fellows over a little over exuberance, or the master vampire had lost control of the Slayer bitch he intended to sell. Either way, it was a serious offense.

The officious looking vamp gestured at Buffy, and one of his guards pushed the girl so that she was on her knees before him. It was a heady feeling, knowing that the Slayer was on her knees to him.

Leering at the girl before him, he spoke to her master. “If she’s broken control, we’ll have to have her put down.”

He glanced at the blonde vampire, and remembered that his name was Spike. “The rules in these types of cases are quite specific. If you can’t maintain the thrall, she’ll have to be put destroyed.” Well, eventually at any rate. No saying he couldn’t have a little fun with her first.

“Her?” Spike tried not to let his voice crack. He hadn’t realized that his actions would put Buffy at risk. Thinking hard, he edged closer to Buffy until he stood directly behind her, ready to defend her if necessary.

He was the one who’d lost his cool and dusted the intruders. If the vamp with the spectacles and the cheap suit had seen anything, he could at least confirm that. If anyone was going to get blamed for this little infraction, Spike would make certain that it was only himself.

Letting the officious vamp take Buffy away to be ‘put down’ was not even an option.

“Re-establish the thrall, you say?” Spike tried to sound insulted. Thank god that Buffy had listened to him for once in her life and was just letting events play out around her. “You misunderstand. She hasn’t broken the thrall.”

He pulled her leash until Buffy was standing beside him, then jerked it hard, making her tilt her head back and look up at him while he stroked her face and neck, caressing his bite marks. Without looking at the smarmy bastard who spoke so casually of having Buffy ‘destroyed’ he continued.

“I killed those vamps. I may have gotten a little carried away, I admit, but I was provoked.”

The auctioneer stared at Spike and then at the girl between them, whetting his lips.

“Are you mad?” Unflinching, he met Spike’s steel blue gaze.

Surprisingly it was the vamp in the tweed suit who spoke up. “Let me take the girl away, before any one else is dusted. If it’s her price you’re worried about, perhaps the auction house can arrange a small compensation package, even if it is against regulations. I know you seem to have her under control right now, Master Spike, but what if she breaks away again?”

The cheeky minion looked directly into Spike’s eyes, as if willing him to take the easy way out. “It’s too dangerous to have Buffy here,” he pronounced, a subtle accent on the word ‘dangerous’ that reminded Spike of someone else. Dalton, perhaps. Dalton had also continued to wear glasses and his beloved tweeds throughout his unlife. It hadn’t helped his reputation among the other vampires, Spike remembered. This fledgling appeared to be cut from the same cloth.

The vamp in charge beckoned to his guards who moved to take the human, but Spike stood his ground. The toady little vamp glared up at Spike. “You’re lucky I don’t have you destroyed as well, for bringing her here and causing all this trouble,” he threatened.

“Wait!” Spike spluttered. “Let me explain.” Frantically he gestured at the tweed suited minion, “Four-eyes here saw it all. I swear, I was the only one doing the dusting.”

The boss man considered. Why would a master vampire admit to dusting patrons at the auction? Wouldn’t it just be easier to let the human take the punishment? True, the master vampire stood to lose a good bit of cash if his property was destroyed rather than sold, but his assistant had offered a settlement.

Spike knew he had the attention of the vampire in charge. He had learned from a master, and Spike knew that best lie was always supported by the truth. And it wouldn’t hurt if his words played into the officious vamp’s own agenda.

“A captured Slayer’s damn valuable property. Not even once in a hundred years does one make it to auction.” Buffy tried not to startle at that little tidbit. She wasn’t sure why, but for once she believed Spike that it was important that she pretend to be quiet and submissive in front of these demons. But surely that statement was a lie. It was impossible to think that a Slayer had ever been auctioned at one of these horrid events.

“She stands to make me a right good sum,” Spike wheedled, “and you a tidy commission. There’s no need to be hasty. Let’s discuss this in private, as one vamp of the world to another.” He needed to get all of the vampires out of this room as soon as possible. If for one second their attention wandered, one of them was sure to notice that Buffy’s was not the only heart beat in the room. If they found Red hiding in the closet, he didn’t know how he’d explain it.

It had taken him a minute, but he finally felt he had the little vamp’s number. When it came right down to it, none of them really wanted to see the Slayer taken away and unceremoniously killed. It was more profitable for all of them if they sold her. And they would all get to stand witness while she was humiliated and offered up for sale to the highest bidder like the commonest slave. The auctioneer personally stood to gain a huge profit on the buyer’s commission, which he would lose if Buffy was ‘destroyed.’ That was a lot of money to pass up in order to enforce a frivolous and outdated rule.

“I started that fight,” Spike continued, “and I finished it. The bird had no hand in it at all.” After all that was nothing but the pure, unadulterated truth. He looked the vamp boss right in the eye as he continued.

“I had a damn good reason for dusting those idiots, and every one of those wankers deserved what they got.”

Spike could practically see the wheels churning in the other vampire’s head. The commission he personally stood to lose if he had to have the girl destroyed, versus the few moments gratification her destruction would bring.

“She certainly looks docile enough now,” he finally admitted. “Maybe we can still salvage something from this mess.”

Pausing for dramatic affect, the greedy troll finally conceded. “All right. Bring her to my office, and we’ll discuss the details. But,” he warned, “you better have a damn good excuse, or she’ll still be disciplined, AND you’ll be lucky if all we do is slap you with a hefty fine.”

The little vamp muttered to his assistant as they walked down the passage. “It’s what we should do anyway, bringing her here without so much as a warning beforehand. Could’a used the publicity in our promotional spots, drummed up a lot of extra business that way. Won’t make nearly as much on the deal as if we’d had a chance to advertise.”

Apparently, Spike had taken exactly the right tack in appealing to the little vamp’s greed.

What Spike couldn’t know was that Buffy’s presence had already caused quite a stir in the demon world. No one wanted to miss this unique event. Vampires and demons were suddenly flying in from all over the country and beyond to take a gander. Those who couldn’t attend, had called to set up remote bidding rights, or had given power of attorney to intermediaries like Wolfram and Hart. No auction house had had an item this unique in far more than a century.

With all the excitement the rumors had already caused, the Auctioneer knew he’d better have an airtight excuse if he removed the Slayer from the docket now. Perhaps they could make a special exception in her case and sell her without warranties. Surely there would still be customers willing to bid on her?