Justine Ch. 09

The previous queen would pass on to the new queen the things that she accomplished and the list of those that she considered enemies.... He would be on that list. What it amounted to was that while he might be alive, that would be all that he could claim but maybe if he could get away....

********

Quinn pounded on the door again. Jeremiah was taking too long in answering him and in his experience that meant that he was weighing his options.

"Never give them too much time to think." Quinn's father used to tell him when he was teaching him the fine art of selling cars.

"Mathers!" Quinn called, "Open the door!"

**********

Amanda waited quietly; she didn't want to do anything that would draw attention to herself. Her anxiety grew when she heard Jeremiah mumbling to himself and she realized that he was trying to make a decision.

"Please god, let him just leave here without hurting us!" she prayed saying the same prayer over and over again like a mantra even as she tightened her grip on the knife handle so hard that her hand hurt.

With mounting fear, she watched as Jeremiah slowly turned to look at her with eyes that held no trace of their original color or warmth.

He had made his decision.

*********

Even Quinn sensed the subtle change in the atmosphere. The danger had just increased exponentially but he wasn't afraid, not even of dying which he knew was a very real possibility. His only regret would be that he didn't get to finish making love with whom he considered the most beautiful woman in the world.

He felt Justine tug at his hand again and then he heard her speak.

"He's scared and that makes him even more dangerous."

"I know." he mouthed back to her as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

*********

Justine watched Quinn as he talked with Jeremiah noting that there was no fear coming from him and that to some degree worried her. She pushed the worry aside and refocused on Quinn and Jeremiah. She listened to Jeremiah's voice and heard the fear in it.... He was going to try to escape and if he couldn't, he was planning on someone dying with him... and he didn't care who it was.

Her concern shifted from Quinn to the children. Quinn at least could try to protect himself, there was Mikhail, and the others to help but the girls would be defenseless. It dawned on her that she might have to make a choice, Quinn's life or the lives of Amanda and the girls and at that moment, she really didn't know who she would choose but either way, Jeremiah Mathers was going to suffer for making her have to make that choice. He would suffer for more than that, he would suffer for every woman that he turned against her will and sold and for those women that Justine knew with a certainty that he killed.

"Quinn, I'm going to unlock the door." she said telepathically. She realized what was about to happen, Jeremiah had no intentions of opening the door because he realized that he was cornered. She was about to unlock the door when they heard Jeremiah scream in rage and pain.

********

Amanda refused to look up at Jeremiah, she knew that if she did it would be over; she wouldn't be able to protect her girls. She heard him approach her, squeezed her eyes shut and fought the impulse to look at him to see where he was.

"Don't look." she added to her prayer "oh god help us!"

She held her breath when she felt his hand brush by her to reach for the girl closest to her. The hand paused and made its way to her thigh. She waited until it rested on her thigh before whipping the knife from behind her and stabbing Jeremiah's hand. That the knife went through his hand and into her thigh didn't register as Jeremiah screamed and jerked his hand back taking the knife with him.

She had been lucky and she knew it, there would be no second chance but at least his anger was directed at her. She moved off the couch and away from the girls staying in Jeremiah's sight. She hoped that if Quinn came through the door that he wouldn't worry about her but that he would take the girls and run.

Amanda stole a glance at the still sleeping girls and blinked. Sitting in front of the couch was a dog. She didn't have time to wonder where it had come from as Jeremiah had begun to move toward her with murder in his eyes.

*******

Mikhail moved to the other side of the door and waited for Justine to unlock the door. As soon as they heard the soft click of the lock disengaging, Quinn shoved the door open in time to see Jeremiah advancing on Amanda.

"I'm here you son of a bitch!" he announced drawing Jeremiah's attention from Amanda to himself. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Buddy sitting in front of the couch guarding the girls and he had to wonder how he got in without an invitation.

That moment of distraction was all that Jeremiah needed. He was on Quinn before Quinn realized his error.

"This is the second time that you've interrupted my dinner with your poor timing!" Jeremiah said as he lifted Quinn and then tossed him as if he weighed nothing and began to advance on him.

A soft growl halted Jeremiah's progress. He looked at Buddy, blinked rapidly as if he were trying to clear his vision and then looked at Quinn. Like him, he was wondering how Buddy had gotten in uninvited but he also knew that the dog couldn't interfere unless ordered by his mistress who fortunately for him and unfortunately for Quinn wasn't there.

Quinn sat up holding his arm that had taken the brunt of the force when he hit the wall. He tried to move it and realized that it was at the very least dislocated but more than likely broken. He caught sight of Amanda inching her way toward the girls and waited. He wanted her to be as close to Buddy as possible before he called for Justine and the others in the hopes that Buddy would protect her as well.

Whenever Jeremiah tried to turn in her direction, Quinn would say something to bring Jeremiah's focus back to him. Only when she was next to the sofa did he call for the others.

*******

Justine heard the crash of Quinn's body hitting the wall and tried to go in but was stopped by what seemed to be an invisible barrier. She looked at Mikhail who could only shrug his shoulders and give her a look of sympathy. He was as powerless as she was as far as getting into the house.

"Come on damn you!" she thought at Quinn not knowing whether he could hear her or not. "Come the fuck on!" she screamed at him telepathically.

After what seemed to be an eternity, she heard his slightly dazed and pain filled voice filter out to the front porch.

"Now! Come in all of you!"

Justine tried to run into the house and bounced backwards as if someone had grabbed her by the neck and yanked her backwards.

"What the fuck?" she screamed.

"Oh shit!" Mikhail exclaimed alarmed, "This isn't his house! The woman has to be the one to do it!"

"What?" Justine asked softly. Her fury was only evident in the intensity of the tone in her voice, "You didn't know this?" she demanded.

*******

Mikhail swallowed hard, it was something that he knew and had forgotten. His exposure to humans was minimal and he had never had to enter a human home under these conditions. He knew that if he didn't do something, he would be sitting right along side of Jeremiah as Violet and Justine decided how best to punish him. It alarmed him that he was actually afraid of Justine and that he had no desire to see what she could do if angry. He had a feeling that Violet would be tame compared to Justine. He even felt a small amount of sympathy for Jeremiah; he was in for a long and painful death.

"Tell Quinn that he has to get the woman to invite us in! He said urgently.

He was given a cold glare that spoke volumes. He watched as Justine tried to speak telepathically with Quinn. Like her, he didn't know if it would work because of the barrier of the house.

******

Quinn looked expectantly toward the door frowning when he didn't see anyone there. "Get your asses in here!" He yelled again.

******

Jeremiah looked toward the door and realized what was happening or in this case not happening. Mikhail and the queen had made a grave mistake, she was here, he now knew that but she couldn't come into the house. She didn't know that her mate although human couldn't invite vampires in for one simple reason; this wasn't and had never been his home. Only the woman or one of the young ones could do that and the young ones were out cold. That left the woman and he doubted that she knew what she had to do.

He looked over at Quinn and licked his lips as he wondered what the blood of a king would taste like. The thought to turn Quinn himself crossed his mind but what in the hell would he do with him afterwards? Jeremiah looked at Quinn again; he was looking at his way out of this mess. As long as he had Quinn, he would be able to get out if the house... Then he remembered why he was going to make his stand. He no longer cared about the humans; he knew who was going to die with him.

*******

Quinn looked calmly at the door. There had to be a way to get Justine and the others inside if only he could remember.

"Think!" he told himself and he began to sift through all of the vampire lore that he knew immediately discarding anything that wasn't pertinent to his situation.

"Damn it!" he screamed when Jeremiah grabbed him by his injured arm and pulled him up so that they were nose to nose. He didn't flinch when Jeremiah sniffed at him, frowned and then sniffed again looking disappointed.

"Something wrong?" Quinn taunted.

"You aren't afraid of me." Jeremiah said.

"Hell no, my old dealers and bookies were scarier than you are." Quinn replied groaning when Jeremiah tightened his grip on his arm.

"Very amusing." Jeremiah said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Let's see how amusing you are when I drink from one of the two young ones."

Quinn didn't flinch as he shrugged his good shoulder, "Your life so go ahead."

Jeremiah stared at Quinn in disbelief and then smiled, "I almost believed that you didn't care... I think I'll start with the one called Lana." he turned around, saw Buddy and turned back to Quinn.

********

Buddy moved his body so that he could watch Jeremiah and still guard the humans. He quickly glanced back at Amanda and looked at her as if to say, "Think human! You know what you have to do!"

But Amanda was way ahead of him. She had never been a fan of science fiction, horror or the paranormal opting to read historical romances, mysteries and biographies. He sister Naomi had been the one to watch the vampire movies and read about anything that went bump in the night.

Naomi told her something once... something about vampires but she had only been half listening. Suddenly she knew that whatever it was, it was imperative that she remember it.

*******

Jeremiah threw Quinn back against the wall injuring the same shoulder again. This time Quinn heard the sickening sound of the bone as it broke and felt pain so severe that he threw up. Ironically, it was in that moment of pain that he remembered that Amanda that had to invite the others in. The problem was now how he was going to get her to do it.

*********

"There's got to be something that we can do!" Justine said as she helplessly looked into the living room. She could see Quinn on the floor after being thrown against the wall for the second time and she could see Jeremiah as he looked at the three humans on the sofa. She saw Buddy and knew that for the moment the humans were safe no matter what Jeremiah thought.

It was also clear that as long as Quinn was in the house she couldn't communicate with him telepathically.

All she could do was wait.

**********

"Hey jackass!" Quinn called, his voice filled with pain, "didn't your mother ever tell you that it's rude to keep company waiting outside?"

It was all that he could think of and he hoped that Amanda would remember the conversation that occurred not long after they were married. He had come home after losing almost two hundred in a poker game; the money was at home but the man he had lost to hadn't trusted him to come back with the money.

"I'm going with you." the man said not giving Quinn a choice.

As they walked to the house, Quinn tried to persuade the man that he would be back with the money.

"Just shut the hell up and go get my money!" the man said when they reached the house.

Amanda had been waiting for him and was looking out of the window when they walked up. Quinn hadn't missed the gleam in the man's eyes when he caught sight of Amanda smiling and waving st him. When the man started to follow him up the steps that led to the house, Quinn stopped him.

"You're not coming in."

The man started to argue but Quinn stuck to his guns and decided that they were moving and that he would never expose Amanda to his secret life again. When he got into the house, she greeted him a hug and a kiss.

"Who's your friend?" she asked.

"Nobody, he's just here to pick something up." Quinn replied.

"Well invite him in!" Amanda said as she headed for the door, "didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to keep company waiting outside?"

He remembered grabbing her just before she reached the door and hugging her before sending her into the kitchen to make him a cup of coffee.

"But your friend...."

"Baby he isn't a friend now go make my coffee and I'll be right in."

Quinn closed his eyes and willed her to remember that one conversation, "come on sweetheart remember!"

********

Four vampires waited anxiously for something to happen. Each of them alternately tried the doors and windows to see if they could get in, swearing when they couldn't. Zoe felt guilty, she should never have agreed to this plan not that it would have changed anything but time was getting short. There was only three more hours until sunrise and unless they got in, Quinn was going to die even though Buddy was right there. He was Justine's familiar and not Quinn's... if only they had at least exchanged blood once but there was no point in thinking along those lines, it wouldn't help anything.

**********

Amanda looked over at Quinn; he was trying to tell her something.... There were others! But did she want them in her home? What if they were like the one that she let in? Amanda almost laughed, the time for caution had passed a few hours ago and Quinn had never deliberately brought danger to them and she had no reason to believe that he would now.

*********

Jeremiah looked at Quinn and wondered about the strange comment. By the time he realized that Quinn had given Amanda a hint about what she needed to do, it was too late. He lunged for Quinn, grabbing him by his good arm, breaking it in the process, held him in front of him like a human shield, and waited.

********

"Please!" Amanda screamed as loud as she could, "Come in!"

*******

Justine was the first one to enter. Her eyes were nothing more than black orbs surrounded by a ring of bright red flames indicating the depth of her fury. Mikhail was right behind her and standing to her left as Pam entered through the kitchen and stood behind Jeremiah to the right and Zoe to his left.

Amanda looked around her and unconsciously pulled the girls closer to her thankful that they were asleep. Buddy licked her hand in reassurance and settled in to wait for instructions from Justine.

"Take them out to the back." Justine said looking at Pam.

Pam approached Amanda slowly, knelt down beside her and spoke softly.

"My name is Pam and these are my friends, you're safe now but we need to go outside for a while."

Amanda nodded dumbly and then realized that she couldn't carry both girls.

"I'll carry the little one, I promise she's safe." Pam said holding out her arms for the baby.

"Quinn?" Amanda called.

"It's alright." Quinn assured her.

Justine waited until Pam, Amanda and the girls were gone before she turned her attention back to Jeremiah. She took in Quinn's appearance her fury rising even more as she saw how his arms hung uselessly at his sides. Her mate had been hurt and it was time to end this and to take him home.

"You will let him go." she said to Jeremiah not really expecting him to comply.

"I don't think so." Jeremiah replied, "Let's see how long you last without a king." he said as he grabbed Quinn's head in his hands using it to hold him up.

The word "king" resonated through Justine's head. She had used the same word for Quinn herself and what was it that Mikhail started to call her before he caught himself? "Queen", he had started to call her queen but queen of...

"Sweet Jesus!" she breathed as suddenly everything made sense. She was the queen of.... She forced herself to focus; she could worry about everything else later.

She gave Jeremiah a smile that made his blood run cold.

***********

Violet was still sitting with Edward holding his cold hands tightly in hers. Just as she was about to give up, she felt the control of the earthly realm begin to leave her. Tears of relief and happiness flowed down her face as the aging process began to reverse itself. By the next evening, she and Edward would be gone, reunited with friends from the past and living the lives that they had put on hold when she became queen. There was only one thing left in order for it to be complete, the new queen and her king had to mate.

**********

"Greed is such an ugly thing isn't it?" Justine asked Jeremiah, "And look where it's gotten you."

She raised her hand, pointed a finger at Quinn and gave him a come-hither motion. Quinn began to move toward her even as Jeremiah tried to hold on to him. Quinn moaned in pain as Jeremiah released his head, wrapped his arms around him, and squeezed.

Jeremiah only let go when he realized that he was moving with Quinn toward Justine. As soon as he let Quinn go, he tried to vanish to the first place he could think of... his secret resting place.

Mikhail pulled a whip from his waistband, and got ready to use it.

"No. he belongs to me and my mate." she said.

What Jeremiah noticed was that not once did Justine raise her voice, not once did she act like a hysterical woman whose mate had been hurt. And .... He finally admitted to himself, he was frightened.

When Quinn reached her, Justine gently took him into her arms and kissed him.

"You have done well now sleep."

"Damn it no!" Quinn exclaimed, "I want to kick his mother fucking ass!"

"Sleep." she said softly as he was screaming at her not to put him to sleep. "Mikhail, take him out of here."

"But...."

"Now."

"Yes my queen."

She waited until Mikhail was gone and turned back to Jeremiah who was still trying to escape.

"Were you planning on going to your resting place in the Himalayas?" she asked conversationally, "the one that no one is supposed to know about?"

Jeremiah froze, no one knew about that place except for Malcolm and he was dead. "How do you know about that?" he asked.

"I just do." Justine replied smiling although her eyes remained dark and red rimmed, "Just as I know that over the centuries you have turned hundreds of thousands of human women and sold them and..." she paused for effect, "You've killed hundreds. One of whom I should have known but you took her away from me before I had a chance to really know her, but we'll talk about that later."

Jeremiah's eyes widened, he had expected to be killed so who and what was she talking about?

"What's the matter? Did you think that I was going to kill you?" she asked as she walked toward him. She didn't stop until she was close enough to kiss him. She inhaled deeply and smiled at him, "what is that delicious smell?" she asked, "Is it fear?"

Jeremiah whimpered and tried to back away when she planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked as she circled him and slapped him hard on the ass as she walked behind him, "we have so much to talk about and plenty of time to do it but before we go, I owe you a little something."