THe House of the Rising Sun, Chapter 1

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After the disaster known as the Cruciamentum, Giles and Buffy become rogue demon hunters.  Their first case brings Buffy to a brothel named The House of the Rising Sun in search of a missing person.

 Chapter 1

Buffy stared into the mirror. After being undercover for two weeks, she still wasn’t used to the glamour that she had on her face. The dark hair was a dye job, but the brown eyes, horns, and non-human skin tone were magic. She thought back to the meeting with Giles in the Sunnydale High School library three weeks ago.

”I have our first job.” Giles held up a paper. “A local businessman’s son went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and ended up missing.”

“And that pertains to us how?” Buffy looked at Giles with curiosity in her eyes. They were supposed to be demon hunters now. This sounded like a police situation for humans.

“Because, my dear, this means we have our first case as freelancer demon hunters.” Giles handed Buffy the paper. “Lance Baldwin Jr. disappeared after going to a brothel by the name House of the Rising Sun with his friends.”

“Why us and not a normal detective agency?” Buffy stared at the paper, taking in all the information.

“Because the House of the Rising Sun is a demonic brothel.”

So, that was how Buffy the Vampire Slayer was sitting in a demon brothel waiting anxiously for the evenings clients to arrive. The mistress of the establishment was the only one that knew Buffy’s real identity. At least that’s what Buffy thought.

Giles had completed extensive research on the demoness to make sure she wasn’t the one behind the disappearance. Luckily for Giles and Buffy, Mistress Jake was an honest, hardworking prostitute who treated her girls and her clients well. Mistress Jake was as concerned about the vanishing man as his father had been. The young woman who had entertained Lance Baldwin Jr. said that he finished up with her, dressed, and stepped out into the hallway. He wasn’t seen again by anyone in the brothel or his friends. It was all very mysterious.

Buffy took one last look in the mirror before she slid the little crystal into a secret pocket in her garter. Once crushed on her client’s skin, the crystal would make him believe that he had just had the best sexual experience of his lifetime. It further allowed the victim to think he had participated in his favored fantasy. Buffy straightened her garment at her breasts, and she hurried out of the room.

Downstairs, Buffy waited with the other girls. She thought they were all very nice girls, and she hoped that none of them had anything to do with the boy’s disappearance. Buffy looked around at each of the other women. She fiddled with the ring that held her glamour in place while she studied each woman in turn.


Each one had an interesting story to tell. At thirty, Jehna was the oldest of the ladies residing at the House of the Rising Sun. There was also Jheina, a half Brachen who could shift from a human guise to a demonic one at will. Nalia was the youngest at eighteen, not counting Buffy who was a few months younger, but no one else knew that. The Slayer had upped her age by a year for the assignment. Jeheria, a statuesque black woman who was a quarter Polgara demon, was the most unexpected mix. Buffy hadn’t understood how that had happened until Jeheria told her she was from a long line of women of the night. Killisa and Millisa were twins that specialized in double teaming their clients. It helped that they were half Naga which allowed them to unhinge their joints, making them extra flexible.

Buffy herself was going by the name of Jalav for the duration of her stay. She had randomly picked the name from a Starbucks menu on the way to LAX. It sounded cool when she had ordered the Venti Jalav with extra shots of vanilla and whipped cream on top. Giles had given her an odd look, but he hadn’t protested her choice.

Mistress Jake clapped her hands. “Look alive, ladies. The guests will be here in less than five minutes. Killisa and Millisa, I have a pair of twins that will be interested in being with you tonight. They are quite rich. So, your tips will be splendid. Jalav, your special talents will be needed for a vampire tonight. The rest of you will have ordinary mortals. Be careful with them.”

Buffy touched the spot where the crystal was hidden. Of all the men she had been paired with, this would be her first vampire. She just hoped her instincts didn’t go haywire. If he ended up staked before he could pay Mistress Jake, she wouldn’t be happy. It would be bad for business. Buffy rose to her feet to cross to the bar for a glass of water before she greeted her vampire client.

“Give me a glass of water, Loki,” Buffy said softly to the bartender. She scanned the mirror behind the bar when the clients trailed in the front door. Buffy could feel the shiver of power on the back of her neck that told her that whoever her vamp patron was, he was old enough to be a master. She gave a grateful smile to Loki when he handed her the water. In the mirror, she could see Mistress Jake approach, one hand floating in midair.

“Jalav, this is your benefactor for the evening,” Mistress Jake said.

Buffy turned around, and she had to swallow a gasp. Standing there with Mistress Jake’s hand tucked inside his elbow was her mortal enemy Spike. Buffy knew this would be a test for her glamoured look. If she could fool Spike, she could fool anyone.

Buffy took a deep breath, held out one hand, and warmly cooed, “Hello, handsome. What’s your name?”

“Hello, luv.” Spike bowed over the outreached hand, and he brushed the knuckles with cool lips. “My name’s William, but you can call me Spike.”

“Pleased to meet you, Spike,” Buffy replied. She resisted the urge to pull her hand away from the vampire. The sensation running up her arm to her spine was not the revulsion that she thought she’d be feeling. Buffy gestured towards the bar. “Would you like a drink before we retire upstairs?”

“That sounds like a right fine idea,” Spike answered. “Give me a shot of Jack Daniels straight up.”

Loki poured the vampire’s drink. He knew without being told that the new girl was the Slayer. She had made him feel all out of sorts the entire time she had been in the building, but he still had no idea what she was doing in the House of the Rising Sun. He was equally unsure if Madam Jake knew her identity. He hoped that the Slayer took some kind of rash action towards the bleached blond vampire. If the Slayer staked the client, then Mistress Jake was sure to get rid of her. Loki needed her gone to make sure his secret was safe.

When the drink was placed on the bar, Spike took the glass in one hand, and he offered the other to the call girl. He had a hard time thinking of her as Jalav. There was something vaguely familiar about the female. He hoped by morning he would figure it out. Spike hated when he couldn’t solve a puzzle of this type.

Buffy took Spike’s arm, and she led him upstairs to her room. Once inside she undressed to the point she always did with her clients. She was naked enough to be enticing but still dressed enough to cover all the important parts. Buffy watched as Spike dispensed with his duster, outer shirt, and boots before he lay back on the bed in a casual pose.

“Come here, pet.” Spike beckoned the call girl towards him with a wave of his hand. He licked his lips in anticipation as the female sauntered towards him. It had been months since he had looked for sexual gratification. After Drusilla’s escapade with the Chaos demon, and his jaunt to Sunnydale, the vampire just hadn’t been up to having sex. No pun intended.

Buffy crawled up the bed to straddle Spike’s hips. She leaned down to cover his lips with her own while her hand slid along the garter belt to where the fantasy crystal was hidden. Buffy moaned in surprised passion when Spike’s hand touched the back of her head. Before she could grab the crystal, she found herself flat on her back with the amorous vampire nestled between her legs.