Justine Ch. 13

"Seventy-two hours?" he asked for the third time.

"That's what she says?" Freddie replied.

"Do you believe her?"

Freddie shrugged, "I don't think that she's lying but you do understand that we probably won't get the money but something's changed. I don't know about you but I want that money."

Eppi gave him a dubious look. It was clear that he thought that they should consider her offer.

Josephine continued to watch them as she tried to reach David. She didn't know if they would go for her offer or not but she could tell that Eppi wanted to by the way that he kept looking at her. While she waited, she began to plan her trip to Philadelphia. She still didn't know what she was going to do about David. He had been lying to her for years and had kept her away from her daughter. How she felt about him wasn't the issue, she loved him but the fact remained that he lied to her about some very important things. But no matter what happened, she was bound and determined to remember everything about her past life including what happened to her that she would have left her child. But first things first, she had to get away from Freddie and Eppi.

She no longer hid the fact that she was watching them or that she was trying to break through the wards. Whenever they looked at her, she gave them a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Whenever one of them left, the other one stayed on the far side of the room and didn't speak to her. She also knew that even though she was a captive, she was now in control.

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Justine and Quinn finished dinner. To their delight they could eat human food again although they still needed blood. Violet and Edward wondered if they could eat human food as well and decided to try it. They took several small bites and finally gave up deciding that they didn't care for it.

Dessert sat in front of them and they looked at it skeptically. Violet picked up her spoon, put a small amount of vanilla ice cream on it and looked at Edward. She knew what it was, the women who lived in the house with her had eaten vast quantities of the stuff but she had never been tempted to try it. She looked at Edward who returned the gaze and nodded.

"Come on guys!" Quinn said as he doused his ice cream with chocolate syrup, "it's just ice cream. Try it." He encouraged.

Slowly Violet put the spoon to her mouth and ate the ice cream that had already melted. Her eyes widened in surprise and pleasure as she tasted ice cream for the first time. "Edward! You must try this... it's...Divine!" she exclaimed as she took a bigger spoonful of the ice cream.

Edward gave her a wary look and took a small taste of the ice cream. His expression mirrored Violet's. "This is one human food that I like!" he exclaimed.

"There might be others." Justine said laughing.

"Violet," Quinn called, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of Course." She replied.

"When you ascended, was it your birthday?"

"Why yes it was." She replied surprised by the question.

"And did you and Eddie have to be mated by a certain time?"

"Eddie?" She asked confused and then realized that he was referring to Edward. "Yes but why are you asking?"

"I was curious." Quinn replied as he finished Justine's ice cream. "I'm willing to bet that if you asked every other queen they would tell you the same thing, their ascensions were on their birthdays and they had to be mated by the time of their births."

"Interesting." Violet commented. "No one has ever made that connection before but as you know, the previous queens didn't exchange information. Even in the realm of the queens before there is very little interaction between us. This thing that is happening between us, friendship is a new thing and Edward and I thank you for it."

"The realm of the queens that came before doesn't sound like a fun place." Justine commented, "Which brings up something that Quinn and I have wanted to talk to you about. We would like it if you could stay for a while longer. You have contacts that I don't have and let's be honest, I suck at the protocol thing and I could really use your help in planning the gala."

Violet was so touched and stunned that she didn't speak for several minutes. She looked over at Edward who smiled and nodded his agreement. He liked the reigning king and queen and had never wanted to go to the realm if the queens who have gone before. He wanted to explore and experience the world and thanks to Quinn and Justine, that was going to happen. Like Violet, having friends was a new thing and he liked it. As he sat there, he swore his allegiance to Quinn and Justine just as he knew Violet had done. It was another unprecedented occurrence.

The rest of the evening was spent in making plans for both business and pleasure with the business part of it being looking for Justine's mother.

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

"How are you doing?" Pam asked Jeremiah, "You look like shit."

"What the fuck do you want?" Jeremiah asked.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to see how you were doing after our meeting with Maeve."

Jeremiah rolled over and moaned. His cock was swollen to twice its normal size and his balls were the size of oranges from the almost non-stop pulling, yanking and twisting on them by Maeve as she yelled in his face about what he and others did to her.

"I used to dream about this day." She hissed as she squeezed his cock so hard that he thought that she was going to break it off. "Do you know what happened to the asshole that you sold me to? He's dead and no I didn't kill him. I wish it had been me but he was so far into debt that they killed him. Do you have any idea of what it was like to be treated as if you were nothing but a toy?"

Yank.

"To be passed around and to be used to pay off debts?" she screamed.

Yank, squeeze, twist.

Jeremiah missed more than half of what she was saying even though she was screaming in his face. His screams overshadowed hers. For four hours she tormented his cock only stopping because she had allowed him to pass out.

He closed his eyes in an attempt to erase the memory. When he opened his eyes, Pam was still watching him. It occurred to him that her mate was never with her and he wondered why.

"As I was saying," she continued, "You look like shit, what did she do to you?"

"None of your damned business!" Jeremiah snapped.

Pam stiffened; her tone became cold and unforgiving. "I still have the option of taking my retribution so if I were you, I would be very careful of how you talked to me."

Jeremiah's shoulders slumped, she was right.

"Let me ask you something." Pam said, "Did it ever occur to you that you would get caught?"

The reality of it was that he hadn't thought about it. He thought that he would retire and live the life of the idle rich but then again maybe not. It was because of his greed that he was here. That and the fear of not having enough money to live on. It was worse than that now, he had to depend on the bitch queen for everything, and he had absolutely nothing but his life such as it was and his name. The thing was, even with all that was happening; he couldn't say that he had any regrets and if asked, that's what he would say.

"Why is it that your mate doesn't come with you?" he asked.

"He would kill you if I did and that's what you want." Pam replied.

"You know Justine, will she go through with this sentence?" he asked.

Pam smiled at him and vanished.

"Time for your shower." A guard said after Pam was gone.

Jeremiah looked in the direction of the stairs and wondered what would happen if he tried to run. Would they kill him on instinct? He made a split second decision and took off toward the stairs and ran right into Mikhail.

"Going somewhere?" Mikhail asked.

Jeremiah backed up as Mikhail walked toward him.

"I asked you a question." Mikhail said.

Jeremiah realized that even when he ran no one had come after him. There was nowhere for him to go, no escape except through death which wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"It would be much easier for you if you would accept that this is your life until the queen decides otherwise." Mikhail said as he took another step toward Jeremiah. "Go back to your cell, we have things to discuss."

"My shower..."

"You forfeited it when you tried to escape." Mikhail said dryly, "Now back to your cell."

"Did you really think that I wouldn't try to escape?" Jeremiah asked.

"Of course we knew, it was only a matter of time but as you can see, we weren't concerned that you would make it. Now back to your cell."

Jeremiah thought to resist but walked back to his cell. He had no doubt that if Mikhail helped him back to his cell that a great deal of pain would be involved. He sensed that Mikhail hoped that he would resist so that he would have a good reason to inflict pain, not that he needed one. What was done to his mate was reason enough.

He counted himself fortunate that Justine-and that was how he would refer to her even to her face, hadn't included the mates of the females in his punishment. When he was in the cell, he waited for further instructions.

"Sit down." Mikhail said.

Jeremiah sat down. It was clear that he was given a command.

"The queen has reason to believe that her mother lives and I have been charged with finding her."

Jeremiah's stomach roiled at the thought of being punished by Justine's mother. She could well be the one to kill him and if that happened, it wouldn't be a quick death. She could make him linger for years or she would make him complete his sentence. He wasn't sure which of them was the lesser of the two evils.

"In order to do that," Mikhail was saying, "I need to speak with the last person to see her alive which would be you since you had your nephew killed."

Mikhail had him got through the entire story once without interruption and then had him repeat it again stopping him to ask questions.

"Do you realize that you made two mistakes?" Mikhail asked. "If you hadn't hired Justine as your nephew suggested, you might not be sitting here. Had you let Pam go and not pursued Justine, you might not be here. At least not yet anyway. Everyone who had anything to hide took cover when they felt Justine take power but they are in for a very rude awakening. They will be dealt with once the situation with her mother is resolved.

The hope that he might get a reprieve vanished with that statement. The best that he could hope for was that the next queen would grant him clemency.

"Where is the house that you took Josephine to located?" Mikhail asked. He was in hunter mode and realized that he missed it and that maybe he wouldn't have to give it up after all. He could hunt for Quinn and Justine but no one else. He was aware of the long list of beings that needed to be found to face justice and once her mother was found; a major worldwide house cleaning was going to begin.

Jeremiah told Mikhail where the house was.

"How long was Malcolm gone?" Mikhail asked.

"I don't know, around an hour, maybe a little less.

"And you are positive that she was alive when he took her?"

"She was alive." Jeremiah replied.

"I was very close to figuring out what you were doing and had I found out, you would be dead right now. Think about that and by the way, you have a three day reprieve. The queen wants you completely healed for any visitors that you might have.

Mikhail left him sitting on the cot not sure of whether to be relieved or nervous. He decided to be both.

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Josephine

The chance to talk to Eppi alone didn't happen for several hours. Freddie was going out to make some kind of arrangements. Before he left, he issued a stern warning.

"Stay the hell away from her, is that clear?"

"Yeah I got it!" Eppi snapped not appreciating the tone in which he had been spoken to.

"I mean it, don't touch her!" Freddie said as he vanished from the dingy room.

Josephine waited for a full ten minutes before beginning to work on Eppi.

"How are you related?" she asked in a conversation tone.

"Cousins."

"He takes care of you?"

"I take care of myself!" he snapped.

"I can see that." Josephine said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Who owns this place?" she asked changing the subject.

"Me and Freddie, we bought it a few years ago. Why do you care?"

"I don't, I was making conversation... how long have you owned it?"

"I don't know exactly, five years or so."

"I see, where's your family?" she asked wanting to hurry but knowing that she couldn't.

"I don't know, it's always been just me and Josh."

"Josh? Who's that?"

Too late Eppi realized his error, "I mean Freddie." He amended relieved when Josephine didn't question him.

They talked about other incidental things and when he seemed to be more comfortable, Josephine asked about the wards.

"Did you make them?"

"Me? Nah, Freddie did. He used to work for someone who taught him how to do it."

"Do you know who taught him?"

"He never said." Eppi replied nervously.

"Freddie told me that there are times that the wards are weak, is that true?"

Instead of answering, Eppi walked away.

*********

David went home, checked in with everyone and thanked them for their help. After the last call he poured himself a drink, sat at his desk, closed his eyes and waited for Maurice to call him back. In a fit of anger, he opened his eyes and threw the empty glass across the room.

He should have told her as soon as he found out who she was and they could have looked for her family together. If he had told her, they would have been past this and her daughter would have become his daughter as well.

He had been selfish, he saw that now but he had always been that way even when he was human. He was the youngest of five brothers all of who were long gone. Because he was the youngest, he had been spoiled far beyond what was acceptable. Whatever he wanted was given to him with little hesitation or argument. He had lived his entire adult under the same premise.

He had been turned when he was what was considered old. He was mid-forties, his dark hair was already graying and he was considered to be an eligible if not eccentric bachelor. The problem was that none of the women interested him. As far as he was concerned, they were after him for his money and the prestige of being Mrs. David Hiram Sheffield.

Additionally, he didn't think any of them terribly bright with the incessant twittering about things that he considered silly. He tried to remember that that the era from which he came was one in which the women weren't expected to do much more than to look pretty and become wives and mothers but he wanted more than that. He wanted to be able to talk about the issues of the day whatever they happened to be.

The night that he was turned, he thought that he had met such a woman in Sylvia Manchester. She was exquisite with her long black hair and the most unusual shade of light brown eyes. She was the unmarried cousin to his best friend Nigel Manchester and needed an escort to the New Year's Eve gala that was to usher in 1812. He had no plans of attending but when he saw her, he was smitten. He recalled thinking that there was something odd about her but her beauty and intelligence overrode the strangeness.

Soon after midnight when people were still hugging and calling out salutations for the New Year, Sylvia asked him to escort her outside for a breath of fresh air. Without hesitation he agreed and to this day he had no memory of what happened once they reached the rose garden.

He woke up at home, in bed and dressed in his night shirt. He remembered with vivid clarity how he had burned with fever and then chilled so much that he shivered uncontrollably. Food tasted horrible and he craved something that he couldn't define.

The next evening he received a visitor who said that he could help him. At his wits end, David accepted the visitor who turned out to be none other than Nigel Manchester. He apologized profusely and offered Davis a way out after he explained what happened. David refused because he really didn't believe Nigel and partly because he did.

Nigel stayed with David for several months teaching him what he needed to know in order to survive as a vampire. When he finally asked about Sylvia, Nigel went silent.

"What became of her?" David asked.

"I am sorry to say that Sylvia no longer walks amongst us. You aren't the first male that she has turned and left to fend for himself."

"Are you saying that she's dead?" David asked shocked.

"We have a council whose job is to keep us safe." Nigel explained. "Sylvia was a threat to that safety and had to be eliminated. I know that it seems harsh but this is the way of my now your world so have a care."

David swallowed hard before asking the next question, "What happened to the men that she turned?"

"Not all of them were as fortunate as you were. Most of them had to be killed because they had become like rabid animals killing at will because they didn't know any better."

That conversation took place a little over two-hundred years ago and in all of that time he hadn't found anyone that he wanted to spend his life with until Justine and now he was in danger of losing her in more ways than one.

"Where are you?" he whispered.

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Justine and Violet walked around the grounds while the men played pool.

"When were you thinking of having the gala?" Violet asked.

"How long does it take to plan one of these things?"

"It depends but at the very least, several months." Violet replied.

"Does it have to be formal?"

"That is up to you." Violet replied, "You could have everyone come in sweat suits if you wish." She added with a smile.

"But they've always been formal haven't they?"

"Yes." Violet replied.

"Damn Violet! Don't we ever get to have a little fun?" Justine asked.

Violet lay a hand on Justine's arm.

"Justine this is your reign. You have already made your presence known and have turned our world on its ear. Do what you will."

Justine nodded and then smiled, "Quinn and I are getting married; I want the reception to be part of the gala which is going to last for two nights. The first night will be formal for the ones who insist on having to wear formal attire. The second night will be purely casual meaning people can wear whatever they want as long as it's clean. However, nothing is going to happen until my mother is found but it doesn't hurt to start planning."

As the women talked, their mates looked down at them.

"Violet and I are pleased that you consider us friends." Edward said.

"We're glad that you're staying." Quinn replied, "But be honest, you didn't want to go to the realm did you?"

Edward blushed, "No but I would have gone without complaint, my place is with Violet. There is so much of this era that we haven't seen or experienced and thanks to you and Justine we now have that opportunity.

"She's something isn't she?" Quinn asked looking at Justine.

"Yes she is." Edward agreed, "You are a very lucky man to have been given one such as her."

"Violet's no slouch either." Quinn replied as he waved at Justine who was smiling and waving at him.

Edward had a suspicion about who Justine and Quinn were and wondered if he should say anything. After a brief hesitation he decided to tell him.

"Quinn I am aware that there is much about our world that you don't know and you probably know even less about our politics."

He now had Quinn's full attention.

"You already know how the queen is selected. They are already chosen and remain unknown until the reigning queen decides to give up her rule."