Justine Ch. 17

Jeremiah watched with envy as Josh Archer was led away to begin his three-hundred year sentence. While it was true that other than immortality and the ability to heal that Josh was for all practical purposes powerless, he would still be free.

A small part of him wished that he could lie well enough so that his sentence would be reduced but he also knew that it would have been only a matter of time before he ended up exactly where he was now. Justine would have kept him in her sights and he would never have been truly free. He knew exactly what she would do. Instead of taking away his desire to continue his life as it was, she would give him just enough free will so that he could hang himself.

He sat down on the cot and wondered how the search for Josephine was going. He was going to ask until he saw who the guard was. The guard glared at him as if daring him to say something so that he could tell him to fuck off.

Jeremiah lay back on the cot determined to rest as much as he could. The next victim could show up at any moment. Rest evaded him as anxiety took over as he thought about Josephine Graves and her role in his future or lack thereof. As he lay there, he thought about all of the possible outcomes and came to the same conclusion that he had reached after seeing his mother. Even if Josephine didn't kill him, even if she put an end to the visitations of his previous victims, he would never be allowed to go free.

He wasn't sure of how he felt about that or if he felt anything. He had given up on the idea of dying accidentally; it just wasn't going to happen. This was his life now and he decided to take the advice he had given to Napoleon- "accept your punishment". Even as he struggled to take his own advice, a small flicker of rebellion remained. There had to be a way out of this house and remain intact, there had to be someone who could and would help him but the question was who?

********

Justine tossed and turned unable to rest no matter how many times Quinn made love to her with the intent of sending her into the oblivion of sleep. The thought that she was so close to finding her mother wouldn't allow her to rest. Question after question entered her mind and was gone before she could think it through. What would she say to her? Would she be proud of her? The vampire that took her- what punishment should he get? Did he deserve to be punished? What if she didn't like her? What if she didn't like Quinn? What was her mate like? What did she look like?

"Sweetheart, why don't you call Delgado and ask him about your mother's mate?" Quinn asked. "It might make you feel better."

"I know." Justine conceded as she turned to face him. "It's not only that, do you think that she'll like me?"

Quinn pulled Justine into his arms and kissed her.

"Are you kidding?" He asked, "She is absolutely going to love you!"

"You sound pretty sure about that." she replied.

"That's because I am." Quinn replied hugging her tighter. "Jussie, she never stopped loving you just like you never stopped loving and missing her even if you never admitted to it."

"That's true but maybe she didn't miss me." she replied.

Quinn pulled back and looked into her black eyes that were filled with tears that steamed from as they rolled down her face. He realized for the first time that as strong as she was, she was to a certain extent very vulnerable. Her mother was her Achilles heel and would be the only way to get at her. They had to get her and her mate to the house as soon as possible. As she looked back at him, the tears dried and the grown up Justine was back. He knew that the reunion would be a bittersweet one but thinking about that had to wait.

"Jussie..."

"I know, we have to get them here." she said as she pushed her insecurities and fears aside and began to think about how to get her mother and her mate to the house.

"I think that you need to call Maurice and...."

Justine already had the phone to her ear even as Quinn was talking and was waiting for Maurice to respond.

********

Maurice had just finished making his last round of calls to David's numbers. He was no longer able to leave messages because the voice mailboxes at each number were full.

"Damn it!" he swore as he slammed the phone down. He sat at his desk staring at the phone willing it to ring jumping when it did. "Delgado." he said not looking at the caller ID.

"Maurice, this is Justine."

"Yes my Queen." Maurice replied wishing that he had some news for her.

Justine hesitated, she was going to tell him to can the "my Queen" thing but decided against it. While it was true that he was one of her guard, he hadn't earned the right to address her by her first name. She still wasn't happy that he withheld information from her even though she understood why.

"Have you reached them?"

"No, in fact, I just hung up after trying the last number on my list." Delgado replied.

"And you have no idea of where they could be." Justine said dryly.

"No my Queen and you would know if I did."

"Tell me about him, my mother's mate." Justine said in a tone that said that it wasn't a request but an order.

"What do you want to know?" Maurice asked cautiously.

"How do you know him?"

Maurice explained how he and David were on again off again business partners but had always been friends.

"I hadn't heard from him in years until he called me asking for help in finding his mate. I didn't know anything about her other than her name and that he was frantic. In all of the years that I've known him, I've never seen him so beside himself."

"Did he hurt her?" Justine asked.

"No and I would wager my life on it." Delgado replied.

"Tell me how he found her." Justine said once again leaving no question that she had just given an order.

Maurice hesitated. The story wasn't for him to tell. Risking her anger, he told her as much. Instead of being angry as he thought she might be, she seemed oddly relieved and he felt as though he had passed a test of sorts.

"I hope that you understand my position." he said politely.

"I understand and appreciate the fact that you aren't afraid to be honest with me." Justine replied.

"A question if I may." Maurice said.

"Shoot." Justine replied.

"You were testing me weren't you?"

"Have a good evening Delgado and call me as soon as you hear anything."

Justine hung up without verbally answering his question but he had his answer. If David asked him the same question, his response would be the same. He wasn't about to muddy the waters by speaking out of turn for either party. Their stories were for them to share.

"Daddy!" Jon called as he ran into the office.

Maurice never failed to smile when Jon ran into a room calling him daddy. His smile broadened when Regina followed on his heels obviously feeling much better. She wasn't enthused about the move to Philly but chose to see the bright side of it.

"There's so much history here and I've always wanted to go to the Philadelphia Zoo." she said after Maurice told her about the meeting with Justine.

She had something else on her mind but he knew better than to ask her what it was. She had to work it out in her head before she came to him with it. He had a good idea of what it was; she wanted to offer her assistance to the queen. He had no doubts that Justine would accept the help and he had no doubts that Regina would adjust to her new life.

"So what happens now?" she asked.

"Well, I contact others like me and present them to the Queen for her approval." Maurice said.

"Will she turn any of them away?"

"Hard to say but I'm certain that there is at least one that she will reject and if she doesn't, I'll be surprised." Maurice replied.

"Who is he?" Regina asked.

"He is someone that I never want you to be alone with but someone who would protect you and Jon with his life." Maurice replied cryptically.

"Is he that bad?" Regina asked.

"Yes... how about we go out for some real Philadelphia cheese steaks?" Maurice asked changing the subject.

The deliberate change of subject didn't escape her but she let it pass. Like her, he would tell her when he was ready and the thought of cheese steaks made her stomach rumble.

"You've got a deal." she said as she moved from his lap. "I'll tell the others."

"Sounds good." Maurice said as he held her in place. "Regina, I want to thank you for being so gracious about this. I know that you really didn't want to move."

"Maurice, I'm your wife." she said softly, "we go where you go even if I don't like it and maybe the Queen will let me help at one of her houses."

"Maybe so." he agreed.

When Regina and Jon were gone, he started calling David's numbers again this time starting with the last one called. He cursed when he got the voice mailbox is full message, "Damn it all to hell!"

*******

David checked all of his phones and heard the same messages on each one.

"David, call me as soon as you get this message, it's urgent that we speak."

David's anxiety grew with each phone message. Had Delgado found Josephine's daughter? Was she dead?

"Anything but that." he prayed.

He went to check on Josephine relieved to find her still sound asleep. He almost compelled her into a deeper sleep but changed his mind. If she woke up during the conversation with Delgado then she was supposed to hear what was going on but his prayer was that she remain asleep. If the news was bad, he would have some time to decide how to break the news to her.

He softly closed the door behind him, went into his office and closed the door. With shaking hands, he picked up the phone and dialed Maurice's number. The ring hadn't even completed when Maurice's voice came over the phone.

"Maurice..."

"David? Where in the hell have you been?" Maurice demanded. "Didn't you get my messages?"

"I... no. I took Josephine away and warded the area so that we couldn't be disturbed. What's happened?"

"That's just great!" Maurice snapped, "You couldn't see your way clear to have at least told me that?"

"I didn't think about it." David replied. "I just wanted to get Jo away so that we could talk... What happened?" he asked again.

"What happened," Maurice said sarcastically, "is that you have every vampire in the world looking for you and Josephine. I was within a breadth of being labeled a traitor because I waited three days before letting anyone know that I had information about your mate...."

"What?" David asked, "Why are we being searched for?"

"Even Mikhail was in on the hunt!" Maurice said ignoring the question.

David paled, "Mikhail? Why is Mikhail looking for us?"

"If you would have ..." Maurice stopped, took a deep breath, counted to ten and then started over again. "I'm going to tell you but I want my say first. None of this would be happening if you had been honest with your mate as soon as you realized that she had a family. I understand and agree your reasoning at the beginning but afterwards? In my opinion, you lied to her and made a conscious decision to keep her from her family, specifically her child. In the days that you went incommunicado, hundreds of vampires and other beings spent hours following up leads most of which were dead ends..."

David's anxiety grew by the second and be began to make plans to disappear again taking Josephine with him.

"Don't you even think about it!" Maurice snapped. "I have vouched for you not once, but twice. Now if you're not sitting, you'd better do it."

David sat down holding the phone tightly to his ear preparing to hear the worst.

"Is her daughter dead?"

"No, far from it." Maurice replied.

"God damn it! Will you just spit it out?" he growled.

********

The Realm of the Queens Who Have Gone Before was buzzing with excitement and activity that was unheard of. The previous queens were already talking about gala. It didn't matter that the date hadn't been announced, it was something to look forward to. And in all likelihood it wouldn't happen for at least a year if not longer.

"I bet that this one is going to be fabulous!" Dominique one of the queens from several millennia ago exclaimed. "I simply cannot wait to see what she does!" she added.

Everyone, the male mates included in the realm, held that sentiment. Even the servants to the royalty were excited as they also got to attend the gala. It was the one time that they could freely mix with their masters. They were fully aware of what was happening in the human world, all of them were and for the most part were supportive and proud of the way that Justine had taken the bull by the horns and didn't care whose feelings she hurt by changing things that were long over due to be changed.

"It's about time someone started thinking about the women and children." Lenore another ancient queen said not thinking that it was something that all of them had had the power to change but didn't.

The excited chatter about the gala continued as well as the topic about the queen mother. Once it became known that Justine's mother was alive, everyone knew beyond any doubt who Justine was. They were almost sure just because of Justine's eyes and then she made Quinn her equal but now there was no doubt. Her mother was the only one of them whose mother was alive during her ascension. If she was found, then Justine and Quinn's power would be absolute, there would be no way in which to take power from them. Even without the queen mother, their power was almost iron clad.

The only previous queen not participating in the excited chatter was sitting back in a corner with her mate Thomas sitting to her right and her servant Lottie was sitting at her feet. Both Thomas and Lottie wanted to join the activity and excitement- the realm had been far too quiet before Justine came along but they knew better than to even hint at joining in.

Ever since Justine appeared, Wilhelmina's normally sour mood, soured even more with each passing day. She could tell that Lottie and Thomas wanted to join in the festivities but she wouldn't allow it. Their place was with her even if they didn't agree with her.

She was sick of hearing about the new queen, the seeds of hate and jealousy had taken root as soon as Justine came into being. They continued to grow as she along with everyone else watched as Justine gained control and use of her gifts without assistance. She had to admit that she was as impressed and intrigued as everyone else was but that didn't negate the fact that she was jealous and wanted what she thought to be rightfully hers.

"Wilhelmina." Thomas called softly.

He was going to take a chance and ask to join in the festivities.

"No." was her one word reply.

Thomas' shoulders sagged and some of the light went out of his eyes only to reappear as he looked down at Lottie. She was the only thing that had kept him sane for centuries. He often wished that he was mated to her instead of Wilhelmina but it hadn't been his choice to make. He also knew that part of her bitterness was that she had hoped that she would be the queen of queens but she hadn't shown any of the innate abilities that the current queen had but there was more. Wilhelmina had needed more help in mastering her gifts than any other queen before or since. That combined with the fact that she was a cruel, uncaring queen who was the first ever to be impeached completed the picture of the bitter woman that was sitting next to him.

Her impeachment was the topic of discussion for decades after it happened. It was also added to the story told to the females as a warning. He had tried to warn her himself.

"Wilhelmina, what you're doing... it isn't...."

"Shut up!" Wilhelmina shouted at him.

However, he didn't listen; he kept talking.

"You are being called the cruelest queen that ever was." he said, "You think that you are respected but you aren't... Willie, listen to me. You have to stop allowing the rampant hunting of humans! We have to learn to live amongst them and if they volunteer to be our nourishment, then fine but you are sanctioning murder!"

That little outburst earned him three months locked away in a room with no food of any kind or contact with anyone except Lottie who would sneak into the basement just long enough to whisper words of encouragement. That confrontation took place a decade before Wilhelmina was impeached. Other previous queens shared her reign until her replacement was born, found and passed the test for her rule.

That they were even allowed to enter the realm of the queens that came before in and of itself was a minor miracle. He found out later that it was only because of the fear of what might happen if she wasn't allowed in that prompted the decision. Thomas understood and agreed and if there had been any way that he could have taken Lottie and left, he would have.

Thomas looked over at his mate and his stomach dropped. There was going to be trouble.

********

"What did he say?" Quinn asked Justine after she hung up the phone.

"He hasn't heard from them yet but is still trying to reach them. He also vouches for David Sheffield but wouldn't tell me what happened." she replied.

"You could have ordered him to." Quinn said.

"I could have but he's right, it needs to come from them. He asked me if I was testing him." "And?" Quinn urged.

"I didn't reply but yes I was and he passed. I need to know that whatever I say won't be on the vampire internet and the fact that he won't tell me about what happened with my mother and how she came to be with the vampire who is her mate tells me that I can trust him."

"But you already knew that." Quinn said, "We all knew it." he added.

"I know but at heart I'm still human, I needed to see proof." Justine replied.

"Understood but I have a question, what are you going to do about her mate?" Quinn asked as he took the phone from her hand and laid it on the bedside table.

Justine shrugged, "I don't know yet. I'll see what he has to say and then go from there."

"Sounds fair." Quinn replied as he pulled Justine back so that she was lying on her back. "Have I told you that I love you?" he asked as he took an already hardened nipple into his mouth nicking it with the sharp tip of a fang.

"Not today you haven't." Justine replied arching her back to push more of her breast into his mouth. "But tell me later." she added not wanting him to stop what he was doing.

She opened her legs when she felt Quinn's hand wander down her belly, pause and then continue on not stopping until it rested on her....

"Jussie? What did you do?" he asked after letting her nipple fall from his mouth. "Where's the hair?" he demanded.

"I just thought I'd surprise you. You don't like it?" she asked surprised.

"No." Quinn replied, "I don't. I love the feel of your mound hair on my face when I'm eating you. Please put it back."

"I didn't know." she replied.

"Other than peeking into my mind, you wouldn't have because I never told you that." Quinn replied. "Sweetheart, I thank you for the surprise but I want and love you exactly as you are."

"So no EEE boobs?" she teased.

"Nope, you're perfect." Quinn replied and then sighed with contentment. "That's better," he said as he ran his fingers through the coarse hair of her mound before slipping them between the lips of her nether lips. He went back to nipping at her nipples as he rolled, pinched and pulled her clit with his fingers. The scent of her arousal almost made him come but he managed to hold back by thinking of something else. Then he had an idea.

"Quinn? What are you thinking about?" Justine asked.

"I'm wondering if I can desensitize my cock." he admitted.

"Dese... why would you do that?" Justine asked even as understanding dawned on her.

"Okay, here it goes." Quinn said as he concentrated on his cock. After a few minutes, he had the hang of it. He could still feel but the sensation felt as though it were coming from far away. He experimented with increasing and then decreasing it when the urge to come became too much.