Justine Ch. 11

Even now, they were on the phone hiring physicians, therapists and psychiatrists to meet the mental and physical needs that these women would have. Even Violet and Edward were helping by offering the services of their own private physicians.

They had a long road ahead of them and neither Quinn nor Justine could even begin to imagine what some of the women had been through.

*************************************************************************************************

Jeri/Josephine

Jeri was alarmed by the intensity of David's relief and the almost desperate way in which he held her. She closed her eyes, held him as tightly against her as she could and ground back against him. Desire for this vampire with whom she had spent more than a quarter a century with flared. It wasn't that she hadn't desired him before, she did but she had to admit that part of it was out of duty but this was different somehow. There was no sense of duty involved; it was all want and need. She didn't know why she hadn't told David how she felt about him until now. The only thing that she could think of was that it the time wasn't right.

Now the time was right but there was more to it, there was...

A light nip on her neck brought her back from her thoughts. It didn't matter. The important thing was that she finally realized after all of this time that who and what she needed had been with her the entire time. She also realized that he had been waiting for her to come to that realization. That he waited so long and relatively patiently amazed her and clarified a few things as well.

The impatience that he sometimes showed had nothing to do with whether she had done something wrong but was more to do with him waiting for her. Granted, David was impatient by nature and there were times that he really was irritated with her but that was only when..."

Another nip on the neck, this one, while playful.... Playful? David and playful in the same sentence? Jeri pulled back and took a good hard look at him. Who was this in bed with her? She asked herself silently. Their lovemaking wasn't what she would call perfunctory but it wasn't like this, not even close.

"David?"

"Yes love?"

"What just happened?" she asked knowing that he was anxious to make love.

"Can we talk about that later?" he asked, his eyes twinkling in a way that made Jeri's heart speed up.

Whatever was happening, an explanation could definitely wait.

David couldn't even begin to explain his sense of relief and now returning anxiety. For twenty -seven years, he had kept her identity from her and granted it was partly for her protection but partly because of purely selfish motives. He wouldn't have been able to let her go. It wasn't until now that he could say it, she was his mate. That was why he gave her his blood instead of the bagged human blood. He hadn't claimed her then because in spite of what others thought about him, he could be kind, caring and gentle... to the right person. And she had been in his bed for years but she hadn't been ready. What changed he didn't know and he didn't care, all that mattered was that finally she was coming to him.

He knew that he was going to have to tell her, but not now, they would mate first. He knew that he was hedging his bets but instinct was in control now that she had accepted him. In one move, he was on top of her and inside of her before she could blink. He covered her mouth with his not caring that he was crying. This was his mate and if one couldn't show emotion to her then what was the point?

He knew that he was rushing but he couldn't help it, he had waited for so long... he felt Jeri shaking beneath him, a sure sign of her impending orgasm, the first of many that he planned to give her. He kissed her lips again before moving to her neck. This was it... in all of their time together they had never exchanged blood and the last time she had taken from him was when he had saved her life.

He salivated at the thought of the first taste of her blood and had to force himself to step back. He had no desire to frighten or hurt her. He stopped moving even though Jeri protested and bucked up against him telling him verbally and non verbally that she wasn't happy with him.

"Jeri... love, wait a moment." He said in uncharacteristic gentleness. The tone was an unfamiliar one to the both of them but it felt right. David now understood the vampires who he had considered pussy whipped, always seeing to the comfort and needs of their mates. "Pathetic!" he would exclaim under his breath and now he had joined their ranks after almost a millennia of scoffing at them.

As he began to move within her, Davis could have sworn that he felt the aging process begin to reverse. He would never go back to being as young as Jeri was, but there was the possibility that he could go back to the age when he was turned which would have been at the ripe old age of fifty.

"David?"

He stopped when he heard just a trace of anxiety in her voice; he was scaring her without meaning to. He had become someone that she didn't know. He was a stranger.

"I'm here love." he murmured in her ear, "I'm here and I've got you."

Jeri knew that something momentous was happening and she trusted him but this vampire was not the same one she had gone to bed with. Instead of reassuring her, it made her anxious but he felt so good, better than good and she wondered how much of it was because of whatever it was that was happening.

"Oh God Jo... Jeri!" David murmured catching his almost slip of the tongue just in time thinking that she hadn't noticed. "I have waited so long for you to accept me as your mate, so long."

Jeri in fact had caught the almost slip but her orgasm had started pushing it out of her mind. Instinctively she turned her head to the side, her anxiety gone. David had never ever hurt her no matter how exasperated he was at her or anything else for that matter. He would actually go out sometimes for hours before saying anything to hurt her, and now she fully understood why, he loved her.

As soon as he felt her begin to tighten around his cock, David kissed her neck and bit. He sobbed as he tasted her blood for the first time. Even though in the throes of orgasm, Jeri sensed his profound relief and realized that she was just as relieved as he was.

**********

Zoe got ready for her meeting with Jeremiah. Like Pam, she wanted to go alone much to Mikhail's chagrin. He understood on an intellectual level that Jeremiah powerless but he still wanted Zoe nowhere near him. However, he understood, she had to show Jeremiah that she wasn't afraid of him and that she didn't want her mate to be at her side to do it, she had to stand alone.

He had no idea what she had planned for the vampire but if the look in her eye meant anything Jeremiah was in for hell. Mikhail glanced at the bag sitting by the doorway and didn't even want to know what was in it. As of yet Zoe hadn't told him what happened to her while she was a captive of Jeremiah and Malcolm and he hadn't asked.

"Zoe..."

'I'm fine," she assured him, "I'll be even better when I'm done. Wait up for me?"

"I could come with you." Mikhail offered for the third time touching her face and then hugging her.

"I know but I have to do this alone, just be here when I get back ok?"

"I'll be here; I promise but Zoe, whatever you do or don't do, it changes nothing between us."

Zoe blinked back tears. That had been her fear, that somehow things between her and Mikhail would change if she did what she was planning to. She hugged him back, looked up at him, kissed him and left their room picking up the bag on the way out.

**********

Jeremiah looked at Zoe with a mixture of anxiety, fear, trepidation and relief. He recognized her as one of the attorneys that he had hired only because a client wanted her. It wasn't that she wasn't a good attorney but her petite build and what humans would consider low self-esteem made her attractive, the very qualities his client had been looking for.

He saw the indecision in her eyes and played on it. If nothing else maybe he could provoke her into killing him.

"Ah Zoe, just as lovely as ever." he drawled, his own fear dissipating as he saw hers rising. He made a move as if he were going to hit her smiling inwardly when she flinched.

What he didn't see was when the guard started to intervene; she made a small movement with her hand warning him off.

Jeremiah took another step toward her and then another until he was inches from her trembling body. It was all she could do not to step back but she held her ground.

"Such a brave little lamb." he crooned as he reached out to stroke her cheek.

Suddenly his fingers were in her hand and were bent back to his wrist. His touching her had brought out all of the deeply buried rage at what he and Malcolm had done to her. Her only regret was that Malcolm wasn't here for retribution.

Jeremiah screamed for the guard who only looked at him with a grin on his face.

"He's not here to stop me; he's here to make sure that I don't kill you." Zoe said in a voice so cold that she didn't recognize it as her own. She stared at Jeremiah with ice-cold blue eyes as she shoved him away from her. "You know, when I went to work for you, I was so proud of myself because well, you remember how I was but I was changing. Then you and that bastard nephew of yours.... Dinner, dancing... and I blamed myself for being stupid enough to believe that someone like him would look twice at someone like me."

She paused long enough to get the bag and then approached Jeremiah.

"Why are you wearing clothes slave?" she hissed any thoughts of not being able to do what she was planning gone.

"Wh..."

Slap.

"Did I tell you to speak?" she demanded.

Slap.

"Why are you still dressed?"

Slap.

"Hurry it up!"

Slap.

Jeremiah was horror-stricken; he now knew how he was going spend his evening.

"Since we don't have the pleasure of Malcolm's company, I've asked Gino over there if he would assist me."

"I....."

Slap.

Slowly, Zoe removed the contents from her bag and set them out on the table placed in the room for her use. She made sure that Jeremiah got a good look at each instrument of torture.

"Remember these?" she asked as she held up a pair of clamps that were attached to a battery. "I believe that you said that they was your favorite item, well let's see if you still feel that way when I'm finished."

"Zoe..."

Slap.

"You don't get to say my name, but I will refer to you by name that you called me, do you remember what it was?" she asked coldly. "You may answer."

Jeremiah whimpered as he realized that she was only the first of many.

"Nobody, I called you nobody." he said softly.

Four hours later, Jeremiah's bloody and battered body lay in a heap on the floor. He was alive and wishing that he wasn't. He had felt every ounce of her rage as she tortured him as he had done her, that it sickened her to do it only made it worse because it should have sickened him to have done it.

He groaned as the Gino the guard who had helped in his humiliation unceremoniously dragged him to the shower, tossed him in and walked away. Jeremiah lay on the floor of the shower and let the hot water wash away the blood and pain.

"Centuries." he murmured, "Centuries of this."

**************

Mikhail was about to go see what was happening when Zoe came in, her face tear streaked, hair mussed and clothes bloody.

"Jesus! Zoe? Did he hurt you?" Mikhail asked and then realized that the blood wasn't hers.

Zoe didn't speak but threw herself into his arms and sobbed. It was over, she had effectively exercised Jeremiah Mathers from her soul but now she had to deal with what she felt she had to do in order for that to happen. Mikhail picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, within minutes, they were in the tub and for the first time since she was turned, Zoe told someone about her time with the Mathers.

Mikhail wanted to tear Jeremiah apart piece by piece not just for Zoe but for every woman that he and Malcolm had turned, violated and then sold as if they were no more than a piece of merchandise.

"No, please... I just never thought that I was capable of the anger that I showed... and the things I did...."

"He deserved that and more." Mikhail told her.

"But I'm no better than he was." Zoe replied crying.

"Zoe, ihbim-sweetheart, at any time did you enjoy what you were doing?" Mikhail asked.

"No but still...."

"Do you feel guilt?"

"Yes."

"Would you choose to do this thing again?"

"NO! Oh my god Mikhail! How could he have done this for so long?"

"Because not only is he greedy, he is a vampire without honor and integrity. He also has no compassion or empathy. In other words, you are everything that he is not and those qualities are what makes you different than what he is."

Zoe snuggled back into Mikhail's arms, she would never look at Jeremiah Mather's face again and she never wanted to hear his name again.

***************

When Jeremiah came to, he was in his cell lying on his cot buck-naked.

"Damn!" a soft voice said, "remind me not to piss Zoe off." Pam said amazed at the damage to Jeremiah's body.

Jeremiah tried to jump up but found that he couldn't move because excruciating pain in areas where there should be none. The bitch had hurt him and badly... he had at least tried to make sure that she had gotten some pleasure out of it but this was... Revenge.

"So Jerry, how's it hanging? Oops wasn't quite the right thing to say was it?" Pam said laughing. "Anyway, it's my turn and even though I should kick your ass up and down this cell I won't. It looks like our girl Zoe did enough for the both of us. So guess what? Just to show that I'm not heartless, you get a get out of jail free card for tonight at least from me. I don't know about Justine though, she's still pretty pissed off about her mom and then there's Quinn who I hear is looking for a guinea pig to experiment on.... New gifts and all of that and let's not forget Mikhail. Damn! Wouldn't want to be you! Nighty night!"

Then she was gone. What she had done Jeremiah thought was worse than what Zoe had done. He would be unable to rest now. He would jump at every voice and sound just waiting for one of them to torment him.

Fuck.

Pam stood just out of Jeremiah's sight and laughed, she loved mind games.

************

Justine paced the length of the game room several times before Quinn finally grabbed her and hugged her.

"Talk to me." he urged.

"The bastard killed her. He killed my mother and ....."

"Baby don't...."

"I want to know what happened, I want to know how he found her, and I want to know who he was supposed to sell her to...."

"Justine listen to me," Quinn said making her look up at him, "is knowing any of that going to change things?"

"No, maybe, I don't know but what I do know is that I have to know what happened to her. Maybe it's because I want closure. Maybe then, I can stop secretly hoping that she's alive somewhere but Quinn, I have to do this and... I want you with me. I don't trust myself not to kill him."

"Did you really think that I'd let you go through that alone?" Quinn asked. "I know that you're the queen which by the way, I think is way beyond cool but you're also my wife and you don't go through anything without me got it?"

"Got it and have I told you that you wear being bossy very well?" Justine teased.

"Yeah?" Quinn replied as she kissed her.

"Yeah." Justine replied. In truth she liked the fact that he was confident enough to put his foot down and to argue with her and it felt good not to always be in control. That Quinn had no problems with taking control was all the better.

'Let's go." he said stepping back.

"Go? Where are we going?" Justine asked.

"Out," he replied, "Do you realize that we've never gone out on a date real or imagined... well I imagined anyway."

"There wasn't time for that." Justine replied.

"And now there is." Quinn replied. "Jussie from the first time I saw you my life became this trip that I don't think any drug in existence could simulate. I went from a quiet landscaper working for a rich old woman who turned out to be a vampire queen to a love sick thirty something year old man who jacked off to a woman whose name I didn't know and to whom I'm now married to. I just want to do the one thing I've wanted to do since I saw you that first time; I want to take you out."

"Where would we go?" Justine asked warming up to the idea.

"Do you like to dance?" Quinn asked.

"Sure.... Dancing? You want to go dancing?" Justine asked excitedly looking like nothing more than woman whose man had just surprised her with something that he knew would please her.

"Gregory Hines I'm not but I'm not too bad." Quinn replied laughing at her enthusiasm. Her eyes had gone dark and there was the slightest hint of red flames surrounding them. He was quickly learning what the flames meant, they matched her mood... this one was the one he always wanted to see... She was happy, at least for the moment.

"Yes!" Justine exclaimed.

"Great, you go get ready and I'll ask someone for suggestions." Quinn replied kissing her.

*********

Before heading to their rooms, Justine decided to pay a visit to Jeremiah. She found him huddled in a corner of his cell, his eyes glued to the front.

"Did you have a good evening?" She asked startling him.

"Why don't you just kill me?" he asked tiredly.

"What? Despondent already?" Justine asked. "If it makes you feel any better, I would like nothing more but I made a promise that as many women as I can find will have the choice of confronting you....."

"Confronting?" Jeremiah exclaimed jumping up from his corner. "Look at me!"

"You really are something." Justine replied amazed. "After all that you've done, it still comes back to you. Good night Jeremiah." Justine said as she walked away ignoring his demands that she come back.

*************************************************************************************************

Jeri/Josephine

Jeri couldn't remember feeling as safe as she did right now. She wondered why she hadn't seen it before and stopped herself. She believed that all things happened for a reason and not before they were meant to, and this thing between her and David wasn't supposed to happen before now.

In the end, she decided that it didn't matter. She closed her eyes, pushed back into David who tightened his arms around her and adjusted himself so that he was pressed tight against her ass. He opened his mouth; he was going to tell her.... J...

There were soft snores. She had fallen asleep.

Tomorrow he would tell her.