Jeremiah said a silent thank you to the fates that his ordeal had finally ended. On the end of that thanks was a "fuck you bitches!" to the king and queen. "So this is what it's like to die." He murmured to himself as he relaxed into the quiet darkness. He had imagined it to be much different than this. According to what he had been told and read, he was supposed to be reunited with the friends and relatives that had gone on before him. Of those, the only one that he wasn't looking forward to seeing was Malcolm. He had been told that old grudges carried over and he was sure that Malcolm knew that it had been him that ordered his death. Who else could it have been?
No matter he thought to himself as he floated in the comforting darkness enjoying the first sense of peace that he felt since his capture. There really weren't too many from his past that he cared to see especially if any of them were those that he had turned and had since died. He sighed in contentment and then frowned as a horrible, foul smelling wetness assailed his nose and touched his skin.
His eyes snapped open to see Quinn sitting across from him watching as Buddy emptied his bladder his-Jeremiah's stomach.
"I'm dead! She killed me!" he screamed as he tried to push the dog that seemed to be immovable off of him.
"Good morning!" Quinn said cheerfully. "That must have been one hell of a dream you were having judging from the smile that was on your face."
"She killed me!" Jeremiah repeated as tears of disappointment, anger and frustration ran down his face.
"No but it was damned close." Quinn replied.
"Why did you stop her?" Jeremiah asked his voice filled with disappointment and anger.
"It wasn't because I wanted to." Quinn replied. "I would love to see your ass dead but Justine made promises and if she broke them she would never forgive herself and I can't have that."
"Have you no mercy?" Jeremiah asked. The anger in his voice was gone but replaced by weariness.
"I have as much mercy as you did when you turned, raped and sold thousands of women to the highest bidder. I have as much mercy as you had when you raped and killed women and then threw them aside as if they were nothing more than trash. How many of those that you thought you killed actually survived?
If Natalia survived then there are probably others. I guess we'll find out won't we?" Quinn asked not really expecting an answer. "You might want to rest up; I hear that there are a few women arriving who would like to spend some time with you."
Jeremiah blinked and when he opened his eyes both Quinn and Buddy were gone. He looked over at Napoleon who was staring at him wide-eyed. He understood for the first time just how lightly he had gotten off.
"Get up stinky!" one of the guards called to Jeremiah.
He got up from the cot grimacing as his clothes stuck to him like a second skin. The urine was already beginning to burn and the smell was getting stronger by the second. Once in the shower he quickly stripped, grabbed the bar of soap and began to scrub his skin. Maybe it was his imagination, but each time the dog pissed on him, the intensity of the odor and the burning increased. He took a moment and examined his skin looking for areas that hadn't healed yet but all he saw were old bruises that were an ugly greenish/yellow in color.
As he finished his shower he tried to remember if the woman who was now Napoleon's owner had been one that he had found for him but he really couldn't remember. There had been too many women to count. The only thing that he was sure of was that the woman's name had to have been Josephine and that initially, she had to have been a strong woman. Those had been two of the most important requirements as Napoleon wanted to break her.
Someone banging on the door reminded Jeremiah that his time in the shower was almost up. They would drag him out even if he wasn't dried or dressed so he quickly dried off, dressed and ran his fingers through his dark hair to give it some semblance of order. As he stepped out of the shower, he heard Napoleon scream in pain.
"Jussie? Baby? Are you alright?" Quinn asked as he snuggled against Justine's back.
"I was going to kill him." She replied.
"But you didn't." Quinn reminded her as he kissed her shoulder.
"I would have if you hadn't been there." She replied. "I would have robbed thousands of women of their right to justice if you hadn't been there. Thank you." She paused before speaking again. "I can't believe that she died like that."
Quinn hesitated.
"Jussie, do you really believe that she's dead?" he asked.
"He isn't lying," Justine replied, "so I guess she is."
"Baby turn around and look at me." Quinn gently commanded.
When she was facing him, he looked into her eyes which were hardly ever their normal shade of brown anymore. He saw the sadness in them noticing that the flames in them were a dull red, she was miserable and in pain. She was missing a woman that she barely knew. She needed closure.
"I want you to forget about whether you believe that Jeremiah is lying or not and listen to your gut. Do you believe that your mother is dead?" Quinn asked.
Justine closed her eyes for several minutes and then opened them. "No." she said softly, "but if she isn't dead, then where is she?"
"I don't know." Quinn replied, "But let me tell you why I don't think she's dead. First of all, Jeremiah knew that your mother was alive when he called Malcolm to clean up his mess. He didn't want the responsibility of caring for her. He didn't even care enough to ask where Malcolm took the body. Secondly, who saw her? The reason why we believe that Jeremiah isn't lying is because he's telling the truth as he knows it. As far as he's concerned, your mother is really dead but what if someone found her like someone found Natalia?"
"You mean like another vampire." Justine said.
"Yes." Quinn replied.
"But no one has seen her." Justine said.
"Okay but what if she isn't in this state?" Quinn asked, "Hell, what if she isn't in the country?"
"Maybe she doesn't know who she is!" Justine exclaimed, "She wouldn't know to look for me! Quinn O'Dell you are a genius!"
"No..."
"Justine cut him off with a kiss. The red flames around her eyes were now bright with hope. Quinn returned the kiss and pressed closer to her as his hands roamed down her back until they rested on her ass. He cupped her ass cheeks and pulled her tight against his hardened cock. Her natural scent of apples intensified along with her level of arousal.
Quinn pulled back so that he could look into her face. He loved the warm red colored flames of her eyes when she was aroused and never tired of seeing it. When she closed her eyes, he moaned in frustration.
"No, please, keep your eyes open." It wasn't a demand or a command but a heartfelt request. When Justine opened her eyes and looked at him, he sighed with pleasure. As much as he loved her breasts, her eyes had come to outrank them as his favorite part of her body.
"Quinn..."
