The House of the Rising Sun, Chapter Nine

[ladydeathfaerie]

Title: House of the Rising Sun
Fandoms: a cross over between Marvel's X-Men(to some degree) Universe and the Anita Blake Universe
Rating: no one under 18. there will be blood and gore, sex and violence. dirty language and whatever else i feel like tossing in here.
Warning: as i said, sex and violence and dirty words. said sex will include, but not be limited to, M/F, M/M, M/F/F, F/F, M/M/F and probably any other combination i can work out. weak stomach, not my fault. you have been warned.
Disclaimer: i do not own anyone from the Marvel universe. i do not own anyone from the Anita Blake universe. i don't even own Gin. i'm lucky to own myself. i swear i'm not making any money from this. i just do what the sick voices inside my head tell me to. i write purely for my enjoyment. and possibly the comments. please don't sue, harass or bother me. i have no money to pay you, but i do have a really nasty temper. and i know some good cuss words.

Author's Notes: sorry, guys. i couldn't help myself with this one. i really couldn't.

The House of the Rising Sun: The Index


The room was unfinished as yet and Jean Claude had had some of his people move a few chairs into it so that he could bring the newest additions to his kiss there. He needed to talk to them, all of them. And he wanted to do it on a one on one basis. It would be easier to extract the truth from the three of them if he spoke to them individually. Easier to compare stories. He'd already had refreshments brought in, on the off chance that the women found themselves in need of a drink.

There was much he needed to know. Not just about the group, but about each one of them. Of course he'd had the basics from Anita. And he knew just what kind of woman Belladonna was. He was more than certain that the only ones who could give him a truly accurate picture of what had happened in New Orleans were the three people his human servant had brought back with her. He would find out everything he needed to know, then he would decide what to do with the three of them.

He took one last look around the chamber and sighed. It would have to do. He'd thought using one of the empty rooms would be prudent, would put the women and their master at ease. His private room would suggest things he didn't think would be welcomed by any of them. Seduction was, at this point in time, uncalled for. He knew it was be difficult enough to get anything out of Jo without giving her further reason to fear him. That wasn't something he could do in a bedroom. However, looking at the plain stone walls and their lack of ornamentation and the two chairs that had been brought in at his request, he knew that such things would prove problematic. Because the chamber and its lack of comforts gave the impression of a dungeon. There was no help for it.

Everything was as ready as it was going to be.

Jean Claude sent a mental call to Jason and asked him to bring the first of the trio to him. Then he waited in silence, carefully closing off his links with Anita. He didn't need her in his head any more than he needed her bursting in on them at any given moment.

Five minutes had passed before the door creaked softly open. He made a mental note to have the hinges oiled, then schooled his face as Jason ushered Ginette inside. She was hesitant, her hand clinging tightly to his arm as if he could protect her from all of her fears. The blonde smiled at her, carefully extracting his limb from her hold while patting her arm with his free hand. He cast a look toward Jean Claude, turned and left the room. The door closed quietly behind him and the silence fell upon them like heavy cloaks.

Her fear was thick in the room and her eyes were wide with trepidation. He motioned casually to the empty chair. "Please, little cat. Take a seat. I only wish to talk to you about Belladonna. I promise no harm will come to you."

She stared at him with wide eyes for a the space of a heartbeat or two, then carefully settled herself into one of the empty chairs. He noticed that she was perched on the edge, as if she thought she might need to make a quick escape. Her hands were clasped tightly together in her lap, knuckles gone white with the grip. Her tension ate at him. If not for all of his many long years of life, such as it was, he would have been wound as tight as she and ready to spring at a moment's notice. He thought the best way to handle the woman was to do what he could to put her at ease. A faint smile slid across his face and pulled the corners of his mouth up.

"What do you want to know?" she asked. Despite the fear he could read in her expression and the way she held herself, there was a no nonsense tone to her voice that saw him chuckling softly.

"There is the little cat who so boldly begged me over the phone," he remarked. The comment, combined with the hint of mirth, saw her shoulders dropping a notch. "You can relax, Ginette. I have no desire to hurt you. I simply wish to understand this strange trio that Anita has brought to live amidst my people."

"You mean you want to find out if we're a danger to you."

Jean Claude inclined his head at her astute statement. "Can you blame me? I am responsible for many people here. Not just the vampires. The lycanthropes, all of them, are as much my people as the members of my kiss. I must place their safety, and mine, above yours."

"I understand. But we're not going to hurt anyone. We just want to be safe," she whispered and glanced away from him. There was such truth to her words that he thought that he could put aside the idea that she and her friends were a threat to him. It would be foolish to do so. But he was already inclined to grant them their wish of asylum.

"Why did Belladonna take such interest in you and your friend?" The question saw her almost fold in on herself, saw guilt take the place of her fear. He almost regretted asking it. But it was important to know why she chose them above other mortals. "What makes you special to her?"

"We knew Remy when he was still alive. We'd spent a week with him when we visited New Orleans before."

"Five years ago," Jean Claude interjected, recalling what Anita had told him over the phone. Ginette nodded her head at him to let him know that he was correct. "And you went seeking him when you returned to New Orleans?" He'd phrased the statement into a question in order to let her lead the conversation.

"Yes." There was a red flush of embarrassment in her cheeks when she answered, He ignored it and waited for her to continue. "We both fell in love with Remy that week and, even though we never talked about it between our high school graduation and our return to New Orleans, we both wanted to go back and find him. To see if it was all real."

"Was it?"

"We searched for him for weeks, went to the same club every night. Each time we went and never saw him, it killed something inside of us both just a little more. We were on the verge of giving up when we found him. He was just suddenly there. And so was all of the emotion that I'd wondered about. It was all just there. As if it had never left us. Any of us." She paused and stood, then paced a few steps before turning back to face him. Jean Claude saw the turmoil in her eyes. "He told us to run. Made us want to run."

"How did he accomplish such a thing?"

"He scared us," she shrugged one shoulder. Jean Claude could tell that she was holding something back, but he let it go. He could always ask the young master about it if he needed to know. "We ran. Maybe a week later, I came home from work to find Ivan, Dmitri and Darious in our apartment. We waited until Jo showed up and Darious forced her to comply with his demands."

She stopped and turned from him. The room was silent for some time until he prompted her to continue. "He forced her how?"

"He threatened me to gain her cooperation." She swung around and he clearly saw the guilt on her face. It was just as plain to hear in her voice. She blamed herself for their capture. "She tried to fight him. It was so stupid. He could have killed her without a thought. But she didn't care. She just walked right up to him and stabbed him in the throat with a silver cross. Darious threw her across the room."

"She was more interested in saving your life than her own?" he asked, then pressed on without letting her answer him. "She must love you very much."

"We've been friends for so long..." Ginette trailed off and shook her head. "She shouldn't have fought him like that. If she hadn't, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to try and hurt her."

"Darious is as mad as Belladonna. I suspect that he would have stalked your friend even if she had done everything he told her to simply because it amused him to do so," Jean Claude explained softly. Gin blinked at him and he could tell she wanted to believe him. But the guilt and the fear were too deeply ingrained to allow her that bit of relief. "So Jocelyn fought. Even once you had been taken before Belladonna?"

"She fought whenever she could. However she could. And it didn't matter if it was Darious or Ivan. She fought everyone. I was afraid she was going to get herself killed. Remy couldn't protect us during the day and nothing I said to her would convince her to stop."

"That is when you made a deal with the lycanthropes." It wasn't a question but she still nodded in reply. He watched her as she tilted her head down and stared at the floor. "You wanted to protect your friend as much as she wished to protect you."

"I tried. I took whatever they did to me because it was supposed to keep Jo safe. But she fought them every step of the way. She kept putting herself in danger. I had to do something so that they didn't kill her." He could hear frustration and tears in her voice. She was on the verge of losing control.

"You succeeded. She is still alive. So are you. And you will be safe here in St. Louis."

"You can protect me from Belladonna's wrath. But you can't protect me from what I did or what I'll become." The room was flooded with guilt. He didn't have to be connected to her in any way to know that.

"You did what you had to in order..." he began, only to have her cut him off.

"I lured people to their deaths," she hissed, lifting her head to stare at him. Was it his imagination or had her eyes gone a deeper shade of green? Still, the guilt hung around them like curtains. It hadn't abated at all, In fact, it felt as if it had thickened. "I used my gifts and made people want me and then I handed them over to the vampires. They had to die so I could live."

"You hate yourself for this."

"Of course I hate myself for it," she snarled. "I was no better than Belladonna and Darious or Ivan and Dmitri. I used people for gain."

"You chose people you loved over people who were complete strangers to you. It was a normal reaction, Ginette. You did nothing wrong. You kept your life," he pointed out softly.

"At the expense of their own," she flung at him, then stalked across the room to stand by the wall. "Even worse, I combined Jo's gifts with mine so that the people we chose couldn't get away. I felt so bad, but I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't leave Jo and Remy to them. I couldn't. So I did it. And then I..." Gin broke off on a sob and buried her face in her hands. Jean Claude thought he understood.

"You sought out your punishment at the hands of the leopards." Again, it wasn't a question and, again, she nodded as if it was. "You could not fail in your duties because that would mean your death for certain. But you hoped that the cats would oblige you and end your life for you accidentally."

"Jo kept stepping in, kept fighting them. Kept forcing them to hurt me and hurt her. Toward the end, I just wanted it all to be over. I think Ivan might have tried to kill me once or twice, but she stopped him. And she got hurt because of me."

"You think that all the blame for what has happened to you and Jocelyn belongs solely to you?" he asked her. She didn't answer him, but she didn't have to. He knew well enough that she thought exactly that. "What would have happened to your young master and your friend if you had allowed them to end your life? Where would that have left them? What would your death have gained them?"

"They could have tried to leave and get away or..." Ginette tried to argue but he could tell that even she didn't believe what she was saying. There was nothing in her voice other than more fear and guilt.

"You know as well as I that they would have died shortly after you. Jocelyn would have tried to kill those responsible for your death. And it would have earned her her own. Your young master would have followed you both. If he had attempted to fight Belladonna, she would have destroyed him. Is that what you would want for them?"

"No," she shook her head at him though she was still facing the wall.

"Then why would you think such things?" There was something more there, something she hadn't told him yet. Something that drove her.

"I'm scared."

"That is to be expected, given what you have gone through," he told her, voice gentle and soft. She whirled to face him once more and he saw that her eyes had indeed changed, gotten darker. More catlike. They also glittered with tears, her cheeks striped with the trails of moisture.

"That isn't what I'm afraid of!" she snapped. He remained silent and watched as her gaze became unfocused and distant, as she slipped into memory. "One day, when Jo was still sleeping, Dmitri came to drag me from the room we shared with Remy. He took me into the dining hall. The rest of the leopards had gathered there. They'd brought up some of the people I'd helped cage. And then they changed and took on their animal forms. The screams.., Gods, I can still hear them screaming in my head. People were running and trying to get out. They begged me to help them. And I stood there, just watching and staring."

Ginette paced a few steps, then stopped and stared at him. Her eyes were haunted with what she'd seen. "Running only made the leopards hungrier. They pounced on the people and just tore them apart. Ripped them to shreds and ate them right in front of me. And I stood there and just watched it all. I couldn't move or breathe or anything. I could only watch. When it was all over and the leopards were all sated, when there was nothing left beyond a pile of bloody bones and bloody clothes, Ivan changed back and stared at me with triumph in his eyes. He was painted red and naked. He motioned to the remains with one hand and told me that that was what I had to look forward to. That I was going to become that kind of animal. Wild and ruthless."

"Ginette," Jean Claude said softly. She stared back, tears racing down her cheeks in silence.

"I don't want to become a ravening beast. I don't want to do that to the people I love," she whispered.

He crossed the room and gently, carefully pulled her into his embrace. She shook with the weight of her emotions. When she would have buried her face in his chest, he cupped her cheeks and forced her to look up at him. The soft smile was back, a reassuring look meant to soothe her. "You will not become a ravening beast, Ginette. What they showed you is a perversion. No one here would allow such a thing to happen."

"What if they can't stop it? What if I'm tainted because of them? What if I attack Jo or Remy?"

"We will not allow it to happen, Ginette. You will learn that all that has changed is the fact that you will now grow fur once a month. You will still be who you are," he promised her and tilted her head back so that he could see her face. It was damp with tears, pale with fear. He realized, staring down at her, that he had to prove to her he meant what he said. Words were simply words. Actions and deeds spoke to her louder and with more sincerity and honesty.

Bending down, Jean Claude caught her tears on his lips as he pressed tiny kisses to her cheeks. When he drew back, she stared up at him in wonder and confusion. He offered her a full smile this time. "We will teach you what it means to be a lycanthrope, Ginette. We will show you that there is no shame in being what you are. I promise you this."

He meant every word of it.

~*~*~*~*~

Jason had come at Jean Claude's mental call and wordlessly collected Ginette. He'd given her time to gather herself back together so that she would be able to, at the very least, present a calm face to her friends. It had taken her several long minutes to find a sense of peace and he'd given her a few more just to be certain. She'd gone with Jason easily enough that Jean Claude knew he had no reason to worry about the woman. The one he needed to worry about would soon be joining him. Whether she wanted to or not.

He took the time between the departure of one woman and the arrival of the other to ponder what the little cat had told him. While he hadn't been surprised by what he'd heard from her, she'd told him more than he'd expected to hear. Somehow, he hadn't been surprised or shocked by what she hadn't told him. It had been easy to sense the confusion and the guilt, naturally. But there'd been more. So much more.

The fact that she'd wanted to die at the hands of the leopards suggested that she hated herself for her role in the deaths of those people. Never mind that he knew as well as she did that Belladonna would have taken her life for not doing what the woman had wanted of her. Ginette's hands had been tied as long as she'd wanted to survive. If she'd defied Belladonna to save a few lives, the Master of the City would have taken Ginette's life as slowly and as painfully as possible. And she'd have made the woman's little family watch the whole thing. None of them would have survived that.

His thoughts were disrupted when he heard the faintest sound outside in the hallway. Schooling his expression into a blank, harmless mask and settled back into his chair. The door swung open to reveal Jason with his companion. There was a faint smile on the blonde's face and only someone who truly knew him could see the hint of tension in that expression. Jocelyn stood beside him, her face filled with anger and her body tense. She was obviously on edge and used her anger as her refuge.

"Please. Come in." Jean Claude motioned to the other chair with one hand. He could tell by the set of her shoulder that she had no intention of stepping into the room. A quick glance sent Jason's way saw the young wolf propelling her forward even though it was obvious that she was fighting the action.

"Take your fucking hand off of me," the girl hissed at Jason. Her voice was heavy with anger. But, beneath that, Jean Claude could hear her fear. The wolf's hand was tight on her arm, though Jean Claude was more than sure that he was far from actually hurting her.

"Jean Claude won't hurt you. No one here will hurt you. I know that you were treated badly, but that won't happen here," Jason told her, his voice soft and gentle. As if he were soothing a scared wild animal. He carefully pushed her down into the chair, then knelt before her and took her hands in his. She kept her eyes locked on his face, refusing to look at Jean Claude. "He just wants to talk. I promise that he isn't going to do anything to you that you won't allow. Trust me. I wouldn't leave you with him if I thought he'd try and harm you."

It was bold of Jason to promise such a thing when he knew that he wasn't strong enough to prevent Jean Claude from doing anything. But he kept that thought from his face, knowing that Jason was giving the young woman the assurance she so desperately needed. There was no telling what would happen if the blonde had left her here without offering her something to clutch at. There was so much pent up hostility coiled with fear that the vampire was certain the girl would do what she could to destroy the monsters in her nightmare. If she did anything to hurt him, the list of those who would punish her was long.

It was nothing to wait, to see what the girl did. She was still and silent as she watched Jason, searched his face for some hint of a lie. Finally, she gave a faint nod. Jason's smiled widened before he let go of her hands and got to his feet. Then he cast a look at Jean Claude that plainly said care should be taken. There might have even been some kind of threat there, but Jason was gone before Jean Claude could sort it all out.

The sound of the door closing behind the wolf as he left the room could very well have been a death knell.

Jocelyn clasped her hands together before her, fingers tight around one another. She wouldn't lift her head, refused to look at him. As if doing so meant he wasn't there. Her reactions made him wonder just exactly what it was that Belladonna's vampires had done to her. Ginette had answered just about any question he'd put to her, but nothing had given him reason to suspect that there was more going on than she'd mentioned. Perhaps she was as unaware of what her friend had gone through as that same friend was aware of the things that had happened to the other woman.

"Would you care for a drink? There are several different beverages to choose from," he offered her politely. He got no answer. Not that he'd been expecting one. He could feel a wall between them, some kind of barrier that she'd erected as soon as Jason had left them alone. He'd known that this would be difficult, but he'd underestimated just how strong her stubborn streak was. "Then perhaps you can tell me about your time in New Orleans."

Her lips moved, but nothing came out. Based on the look she wore, he suspected she'd just told him to fuck off. He needed her cooperation if he was going to decide just what to do with the three of them, needed to know what she could tell him. Her body language suggested she wouldn't be easy to crack. "I realize that this is difficult for you. And I can appreciate that you were terrorized by Belladonna and her kiss. But I can assure you that such things will not happen here. You are safe."

Her head lifted, eyes narrowed until all he saw were slivers of color glaring angrily at him. There was something dark living in her gaze, something old and bitter and strong. Hatred. It was a familiar presence in her life, much used and tattered like an old friend. But still so very strong and filled with life. "Fuck. Off. You're like her. You and every last member of your fucking band of merry undead men."

He studied her a moment. The tone of her voice suggested she truly meant what she'd said. But there was something in the set of her shoulders or in the way she held her mouth, a hint of softness hidden beneath the armor, that suggested she didn't really believe it. He'd had many, many years to learn how to accurately read a person. "Not every member of my kiss," he remarked finally, allowing an expression of contemplation to push aside the blank mask on his face. "You did not react so sharply to Asher. Or, perhaps I should say, you reacted differently to him. Why is that?"

She retreated into her anger, shooting him a belligerent stare that suggested she wasn't going to answer. But he'd started her thinking. It was plain to see by the slight softening around her eyes. It took her several long minutes of thought to answer. "Because he's as damaged as I am." The words were a whisper of sound that a normal person wouldn't have heard.

"How can you be so sure of this?" It wasn't exactly the line of questioning he'd intended to take, but if it encouraged the girl to talk, he'd follow it for the time being.

"I could feel it on him. There's a dark cloud hovering over his soul." She frowned at what she'd spoken, then the glare returned suddenly. As if she'd caught on to what he was doing.

Jean Claude ignored her fit of temper as his mind turned over possibilities. Chances were good that Asher wouldn't like that they'd discussed him in such a manner, but it was a moot point. Asher would likely never share such intimate details with the girl as Jean Claude planned on sharing. And, if it helped to further his goals, Jean Claude could forgive himself that. "Asher has been sorely abused at the hands of mere humans. Priests in your church tried to drive the evil from his body using holy water. It has forever scarred not only Asher's body, but his mind and soul. Which you felt."

"It isn't my church," she snapped, pushing personal and painful details about someone she was supposed to hate away from her. He knew that she couldn't allow herself to think much on that information because it would make Asher, and by extension, the rest of them, seem more human. Not the monsters she needed them to be to keep herself safe.

"You claim no affinity to religion?" he questioned lightly.

"No. Not to Christianity. Such pompous assholes. They all think that their beliefs are the only correct ones. Anyone who doesn't follow the church is going to burn in Hell. What a crock of shit."

"You do not believe in Heaven or Hell?" The idea intrigued him. He'd been born at a time when the church had been almost more important than the king or queen who sat the throne.

"I'm pagan. Heaven and Hell are Christian concepts, to try and force people to conform. Be good and you'll be blessed and go to Heaven. Be bad and you'll be damned to burn in Hell for all of eternity," she snorted and focused her gaze on a point somewhere over his shoulder. "I don't concern myself with the crap that the priests and pastors and fathers out there spew. I try to be good. I try to do what's right and stay away from what's wrong. But it doesn't always work that way."

Her voice trailed off and tears gathered in her eyes. She blinked them away, as if she refused to let them fall. He knew she was remembering what she'd done for Belladonna, thinking about all those people that she'd helped lure to their deaths. "You would have died if you had fought them," he reminded her gently.

"Maybe that would have been better for everyone concerned." Her voice was suddenly older and very tired. The anger and tension drained away, replaced with deep guilt and remorse. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, as if she'd taken a sudden chill.

"You would do that to your friends? To a man you spent an entire week with? A man you spent five years dreaming about and then spent weeks looking for? You care for him very much, do you not?" he asked her gently. She just nodded at him in a distracted kind of way. "And what of your friend, Ginette? You would have left her to face Belladonna's vampires and leopards on her own?"

She shrugged a shoulder, though it was a half-hearted gesture. "The vampires didn't bother her." The sentence was simple enough. Meaningless, really. Or, it would have been, if not for the slight catch he'd heard in her voice. That told him that the vampires hadn't bothered Ginette because they'd been too busy bothering Jocelyn. Given what he knew of Belladonna and Darious, Jean Claude could speculate fairly accurately just what those vampires had been like.

"No. Only the leopards." His comment didn't draw a reaction from her. So he moved on to a new tactic. "Your friend Ginette told me that you fought against your captors, no matter what kind of pain that meant for you."

She turned flashing eyes to him, mouth pressed together in a thin line that spoke of the anger simmering just beneath the surface. "Gin had no right to tell you those things. It isn't any of your business."

He smiled at her, real humor prompting the action. The look saw her scowling at him deeply. "But of course it is my business. I am your master," he explained patiently, spreading his hands in an encompassing gesture. "I offer you safety within my city and within my kiss."

Her face colored with her anger and she shot out of her chair to pace a few feet away. Then she turned back to him, eyes blazing and hands fisted at her sides."You are not my master!" she hissed at him.

"By allowing you to stay here, you and your friends, I have claimed you as mine," he told her evenly. She vibrated with her emotions, her body strung so tightly that he thought a simple touch might shatter her into thousands of pieces. He could see the denial in her eyes, could tell it was on the tip of her tongue to give voice to it. But he could also see that she knew he was right. She knew as well as he did that she was caught in a trap of safety. After allowing her a few moments alone with her thoughts, he pressed his issue. "I do not understand why you would continue to fight, knowing that these people could and would kill you."

"I did it for Gin," she whispered at him, then turned and paced over to the wall. For a second or two, she simply stared at the gray stone before her. Then the tension ran out of her and she leaned forward into the wall, resting her forehead against the cool, uneven surface. "You didn't see what they were doing to her. She's a witch. She follows the old ways. Taking someone's life, even in a round about way, went against everything she believes in. She felt dirty and used, felt that there was some wrongness about her because of the things that bitch demanded of us."

She turned to face him. The anger was back. This time, she was directing that rage at Belladonna. And at herself. "What was happening in that club was killing her. Belladonna was killing her and she didn't even have to lift a finger. Gin was dying a slow, painful death. I fought back. Of course I was going to fight back. I had to put a stop to it,"

He wondered if Ginette and Jocelyn knew just how much they loved one another. Slowly, carefully, he stood and moved closer to her. The instant her body went rigid, he halted his steps and simply stared across the distance between them. "No matter what it took?" The question was soft and gentle.

Her eyes hardened, the blueish-gray becoming the color of steel. "No matter what it took."

"And if that meant your death?" He was sure he knew the answer but he wanted to hear it from her lips. During the course of his conversations with both women, he'd come to realize that they were both very similar to one another on some level. Jocelyn's answer would confirm the thought for him.

"Then I'd have died." There was nothing in her voice to let him know what she was thinking. He couldn't see anything in her face, either. It was almost as if she'd closed herself off from everyone and everything. Perhaps it was the only way she had to cope with the things that had happened. Perhaps it was simply who she was.

"And it would have been what you deserved for the men and women you helped send to death." He didn't pose it as a question. She didn't answer him, but he saw the way her eyes shifted from steel to cloudy. Whether she chose to admit it or not, she felt as guilty about her involvement with Belladonna's victims as her friend did. For a moment, just a brief flash of time, he wondered if there was anything he and his people could do to rid the two of them of the fears that had been planted deep within them. If it would not start a war, he'd happily go kill Belladonna for him. But that wasn't his battle to fight.

"Why do you think the Belladonna's leopards took such intense interest in Ginette?" he asked in an attempt to switch topics. The redhead crossed her arms over her chest and shot a hateful glare at him.

"I don't know," she answered tersely. It was a blatant lie and it was obvious that she knew he knew it. But she remained stubbornly silent. It was also a signal that the conversation they'd had was at an end. She was done cooperating with his line of questions and had chosen to remain silent and sullen. So he chose then to turn their chat to less painful things. Instead of asking about her time with Belladonna, he asked about her time in New Orleans and her impressions of the Big Easy. It was a subject to which she warmed almost without conscious thought.

Jocelyn became animated as she launched into her tale. She was careful to avoid any mention of Belladonna, the kiss and the leopards. But she spoke so warmly of her young master that it was plain to see that she truly loved him. The change was so startling that it was as if he was looking upon an entirely different person. Was this what she'd been like before Belladonna had taken interest in the two women? Had she and Ginette both been so carefree and innocent?

Would they ever be like that again?

~*~*~*~*~

The young vampire's power arrived well before he did. Jean Claude could feel him approaching, could feel the cool as death power that belonged to the undead. Beneath that, there was something almost warm and spicy. Alive. He frowned at the thought. There was no way such a thing was possible and yet... What was it about this young master that made him so different from all of the vampires Jean Claude had ever known? Who and what was he? Why was he?

There was a brisk knock on the door, then it swung open to reveal the tall, lithe figure of the young man and the shorter frame of his pomme de sang. There was a faint frown on Jason's face and he cast a wary glance toward the man with him, then withdrew and closed the door behind him. Jean Claude took a good look at the last member of the trio. There was a blank look on his face, but his eyes, so strange and alien, glittered with barely concealed anger. He remained by the door and simply stared, as if he planned on forcing Jean Claude to cower from him in fear. Arrogant young pup.

"Come in. Sit," Jean Claude told him, barely keeping the order out of his tone. One hand motioned to the empty chair. The offer was ignored.

Remy leaned up against the wooden panel behind him and crossed his arms over his chest. Jean Claude couldn't feel his power anymore, which surprised him. He'd never come across a vampire so young with such strong and steady control. It was almost enough for him to frown, but he aborted the motion before it began and simply stared back at the young man. "What you do to dem?" he asked in a voice that held a power all its own. It was not a vampire trick and Jean Claude couldn't explain the compulsion he felt in it.

"I do not know who you mean," he replied, careful to hold the blank look on his face. The man across the room from him frowned and the heat he'd felt before slowly filled the room.

"You lyin'." The man stared at him a second or two, then the heat was gone and the room was empty. Blank. "Gin come back wit' tears in her eyes. Jo come back angry. What you do to dem?"

"I did nothing." Jean Claude shrugged one shoulder negligently. "I simply spoke with them about what it was that brought them to my city, seeking refuge and safety." He watched as the boy narrowed those demon's eyes. He'd obviously struck a chord. "Anita made a point of informing me that you and the two young ladies were in need of my protection. That Belladonna had used all three of you as she saw fit and removing you from her kiss would invite her wrath. Is she wrong?"

"Belladonna." Remy muttered in a bastardized version of French, but Jean Claude understood more than enough to take his point. He'd called her a whore, as well as a few other very uncomplimentary things that were far too good for the woman. "Dat one gon' burn in hell for de t'ings she do."

"Are you speaking of what she does in general, or do you mean what she has done to Ginette and Jocelyn?" Jean Claude asked softly.

"What she do to dem... She deserve to die. What she do to de other people, though," the younger vamp whispered the words and looked up. Jean Claude was surprised to find that those odd eyes were actually glowing, a burning crimson color that brought blood and death and destruction to mind. Just what was he? Who and what had Anita brought into his city? "For dat, she gon' burn in hell. Remy gon' see to it."

"Why did you not see to it before? Why not end her life, take the girls and leave?"

The boy snorted at the question, obviously finding it stupid. Jean Claude knew it wasn't the most intelligent one to voice, but he wanted to know what reasons the younger vamp gave. He needed to gauge the man's intelligence. "If it just her, dere no problem. But I can't fight all de vampires in her kiss. Since I can't fight dem all, I do what I can to protect de girls. Dey need me."

"So you defied Belladonna where you could. To protect the girls in whatever manner was open to you.

Remy nodded. "When dey got too tired or dey too hurt or dey were unable to deal wit' de emotions. Then I stepped in. It wasn't much and not nearly enough. But it helped keep dem from going insane. It helped."

"It kept you from going insane, too, non?" Jean Claude watched his face, anxious for his answer.

"I couldn't do anyt'ing else." There was a hint of something that Jean Claude thought might be guilt in the boy's words. He'd obviously wanted to do more, had felt as if his hands had been tied by the fact that he was surrounded by Belladonna's people. Obviously, the young man felt the same about the girls as they felt about him.

"There is no shame in knowing your limits. I suspect that you have not seen the last of Belladonna. And you will have my support behind you the next time you face her," he informed the other man almost casually. Remy's eyes narrowed on him as the man considered what he'd been told. After several minutes, there was a hint of curiosity in his eyes that Jean Claude took as a good sign. "I will offer any assistance you need, so long as there is just cause."

"Dere's a catch," the boy said immediately.

"I suppose you could call it a catch," he said and shrugged one shoulder carelessly. "You are here because I need strong vampires to help me hold my city. While I will not tell you all of the details, there are those within our community who would seek to take St. Louis and my people from me. Anita has told me that you are powerful for one so young. I will allow you and your... women to stay here. But you will give me your oath. You will take my blood. It will be your oath to me, to serve me and my kiss. I will be your master."

The man stared at him for several tense moments, face cast in lines of neutrality as he considered what was he'd been told. Jean Claude had no doubt that the young vampire was picking threads out from between the spoken words to find what hadn't been said. He waited for Remy to speak. He wanted to know if the newest addition to his kiss was truly that smart. "I blood oath to you an' dat breaks my bond wit' Belladonna? She's no longer my master."

"Oui. You will give your oath to me and Belladonna will no longer be your master. She will still be your creator, but I will be your master." Jean Claude offered him a faint smile.

"An' what about Gin and Jo?"

"What about them?"

"Where do dey fit into all dis?" Remy motioned with one hand toward the room. Jean Claude took it to mean everything in general. "Dey still gon' be mine? Or you gon' claim dem, too?"

"Ah. Well, that all depends on you, Remy," Jean Claude told him softly. Remy frowned at this. "They will still be yours. Do not fear. However, they will also be mine, because you will be mine."

"Dat mean you gon' protect dem, too."

"If they are ever in danger, then yes. I will protect them. Is that acceptable to you?" Jean Claude asked, staring at the man.

"D'accord." The man gave a sharp nod of his head. Then he pinned Jean Claude with his demon's eyes and frowned softly. "If you ever hurt dem again like you did tonight..."

"Let us hope that no one gives me reason to hurt them," Jean Claude countered in a quiet, empty voice. The two of them stared at one another until the silence stretched painfully between them. That same, strange heat he'd felt earlier slowly eddied around him, an alien power that Jean Claude had never before encountered. It brushed over his skin like fingers of satin and silk, bringing to life a yearning that he'd only felt with a few people. He fought off the shudder and the urge to close his eyes. All that mattered was that he not show any weakness to this strange vampire with a master's powers. And as sudden as the power came, it was gone, leaving Jean Claude feeling... cold.

Pushing aside the strange sensations, Jean Claude took a few steps closer to the young man. He watched as the lazy pose disappeared in a fluid tightening of muscles that saw him come to attention in the blink of an eye. It wasn't the action of a vampire. It was something he'd been capable of before he'd died. Interesting. "Come, Remy. It is time to make the blood oath."

As if it had never there, the anger fled and a faint smirk lifted the man's lips. His entire demeanor changed with the same speed he'd used to come to attention. Arms hanging loosely at his sides, the younger vampire crossed the floor with slow, steady steps. If Jean Claude hadn't known that Remy's sire was Belladonna, he would still have recognized the innate sexual quality that said his maker had come from Belle Morte's line in the man's motions. He had a sensual grace that was beyond that of one of Belle's children, something that he'd brought with him from his life into his undeath.

For just a moment, Jean Claude felt as if he were being stalked by a giant jungle cat.

The boy stopped before him, that same smirk on his face, and caught his gaze with the oddity of his red on black eyes. Their stares locked and held, a wealth of understanding passing between them. Jean Claude allowed it because it wasn't an attack against his position. If he had to hazard a guess, it felt more like a seduction than anything else. "How we do dis?"

"The blood oath is simple. All you have to do is take blood from me. It will tie you to me. In doing so, you pledge your loyalty and strength to me. To my kiss and my city. There is nothing else required," Jean Claude told him. He watched as those strange eyes slid slowly up and down the length of his body before they finally stopped on his face. There was a look in them that Jean Claude found he was unwilling to decipher.

Remy made a show of reaching for Jean Claude's arm, his motions exaggerated and slow. Fingers that could grip with the strength of iron curled around his wrist and lifted the arm they held up toward his mouth. Then the boy brought his other hand up and it took hold of the arm close to the elbow. The first hand shifted until it was wrapped around Jean Claude's hand. Then, with that same knowing smirk, Remy turned the arm until Jean Claude's wrist faced up toward the ceiling.

The younger vampire's nose and cheek, covered with a light fringe of rasping bristles, grazed the pale flesh of Jean Claude's palm. The touch sent shivers racing up his arm. He had to take control of himself when the wetness of a tongue flicked over the heel of his palm and across the taut skin covering his wrist. Somewhere, somehow, the young man had learned the art of seduction and he had absolutely no shame in using it on a perfect stranger.

Teeth grated against the vein pulsing in his wrist. Jean Claude held back the desire to close his eyes and was glad of it when he caught the demon's stare that the boy had directed at him. Jean Claude was sure the boy was working by instinct. But his instinct was driving his new master utterly insane with need. Blood oathing wasn't supposed to be this sensual. The thoughts rolling through his head were the kind that shouldn't be allowed to see the light of day and his body was anxious to find out if the promises he felt were in the caress were real or imagined.

The sharp prick of fangs brought him back to his senses, shoving aside every single thing he knew he wasn't supposed to be thinking. Until he took in the look of rapture on the other man's face. Remy's eyes were closed in bliss, his mouth locked down over the pale flesh pulled tight over Jean Claude's wrist. There was something disturbingly erotic about it.

The boy's mouth tugged and sucked, drawing blood into his mouth as he completed the oath. The feel of it almost made Jean Claude lose his mind. Even though he knew that allowing the younger vampire to drink too much would be bad for both of them, some part of him didn't want the amazing sensations to stop. He'd never before reacted like this to another vampire performing the blood oath with him. There was a part of him that wanted it to go on, that wanted it to lead to other things. He had to force himself to remember why such things were bad. And it was about that time that the boy lifted his head, letting his tongue trail across the wounds he'd left in Jean Claude's flesh.

Their eyes met, a clash of cool, calm blue and fiery, burning red. Their gazes held. Something passed between them, some flash or spark of heat that shot through him and set every nerve ending on fire. He tore his gaze from Remy's, allowed it to drop until a glistening bead of crimson snared it once more. Blood colored the other man's mouth, painting his lips with liquid rubies. The desire to taste that drop was so strong, a building pressure deep inside that sprang out of nowhere.

And then the decision was gone, taken from him when Remy closed the distance between them and touched his mouth to Jean Claude's. Blood, still warm and filled with power, coated his lips and sent a tingle of hunger through him. It tasted so good and sweet against the boy's mouth. He wanted more. So much more.

The spark of heat burst into consuming flames. There was a moment to be startled when the younger vampire's hands reached up to cup Jean Claude's cheeks. Their bodies touched while their mouths moved against one another, that same hot and spicy power closing around the two of them, cloaking and wrapping them in it. It felt as if that power was begging for more, trying to convince him to give in and let everything go.

Jean Claude felt the arduer answer it, felt it wake and uncurl inside. It was eager to be set free. He felt, if for only an instant, as if he were once more young and without control. He had to pull back, had to get away before he lost his head. But the boy broke from him and took a pair of steps back so that there was a gap as wide as the ocean between them. Half of him wanted to close the distance and give himself over to that kiss again. Old and jaded as he was, he couldn't recall ever experiencing anything like that before in his life. Not even when he'd been in the grip of the arduer.

The other part of him knew that something strange had just happened, that the young master came to him with more gifts than he'd been led to believe the boy could possibly possess. There was no way that so young a vampire could prove so dangerous to someone as old as Jean Claude. And yet, the boy had done just that. He'd thrown off Jean Claude's equilibrium so badly that it felt as if he'd gone for far too long without feeding.

He was going to have to find a way to keep the boy from taking such advantage and control again.

Jean Claude didn't allow the turmoil he felt to show on his face. He didn't let the boy see how the kiss had affected him. He presented a perfectly blank mask to the newest member of his kiss. "You have given me your loyalty. Do not make me regret my decision."

Remy responded with another one of his smirks. Perhaps it was time for Jean Claude to remind the boy exactly who was in power here. "By taking the blood oath, not only have you pledged yourself and your strengths to me, but you have also pledged your little cat and her friend to me, as well. I should hate to have to see them punished because you failed me in some manner."

The smirk died, replaced by a frown and a hint of anger in the boy's eyes. "You not gon' hurt dem."

"Then do not do anything that would force me to hurt them. I have no wish to bring more suffering to them," Jean Claude told him. He meant it, too. He'd seen already just how damaged they'd become in such a short time while at Belladonna's tender mercies. He had no true desire to do anything to cause further pain. But he would, should the boy force his hand. And he could see that the young man was smart enough to know that it wasn't an empty threat. There was a look in his eyes that told Jean Claude precisely what he was thinking. He was tired of this game. He motioned toward the door with one pale hand while calling for Jason. "You may leave. But think on one thing before you and the girls retire for the rest of the evening. Should you try to take them away from here, even if you believe you are doing it to protect them, I will find you. All of you."

Remy opened his mouth to say something, but the door opened and cut him off. Jason stood in the doorway. "Take our new friends to one of the guest rooms. They will be allowed to spend the rest of the night there." Jean Claude gave the instructions to the wolf, who simply nodded his head and waited. Then the master vampire turned back to the other man and finished speaking to him. "Someone will fetch you before dawn and show you where you will sleep during the day. You would do well to remember what I have said here. I can be most creative when the need arises."

The two of them stared at one another for a short while, then Remy nodded his head curtly and turned to follow Jason from the room. When they were gone, the door closed behind them, and Jean Claude could no longer hear the wolf's heartbeat, he summoned those closest to him for one last meeting.

Then he allowed himself to wonder what the hell he'd been thinking.

~*~*~*~*~

Jason was the last to arrive, having had to take Remy back to the girls and gather them up, then escort the three of them to the room that Jean Claude had designated for their use for the rest of the night. When the blonde shut the door behind him, Jean Claude allowed himself to look over the gathered group. Naturally Anita was there, as well as Asher. The two of them held the highest positions in his kiss and were entitled to know what he was going to do. Also, he'd called on Meng Die and Requiem. They were the next ones in line and deserved to understand what was going to be happening.

"What did you find out?" Anita asked once Jason had settled into a chair. Trust her to be blunt and to the point.

"Beyond the fact that, as we already knew, they are traumatized?" Jean Claude asked lightly. Anita frowned at him, suggesting to him that she was not in the mood for a long, drawn out conversation. She wasn't the only one. He wanted nothing more than to forget the events of the night and spend time wrapped around her. "There is much more going on than we suspected. Ginette allowed Belladonna's leopards to claw and chew upon her as they saw fit."

"Why?" Jason asked the question. It was obvious from the look on Anita's face that he'd beaten her to it.

"She was trying to protect Jocelyn. The leopards would leave her alone so long as they could do as they pleased to Ginette. But each time they turned their attentions to Ginette, Jocelyn stepped in and tried to aide her."

"Vicious circle. The little bit I've learned suggests Jo wouldn't let them get away with anything." Anita frowned. Jean Claude nodded in reply. "What else did you find out?"

"Jocelyn is hiding something," he told them. "I cannot be certain what it is. It was difficult to get her to speak. But I believe it is something to do with the vampires. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say mostly Darious. But I cannot be sure."

"Something happened. The minute she found out that she was going to talk to you, she started fighting me. I didn't want to hurt her but..." Jason's voice trailed off. "Whatever they did, they made it next to impossible for her to stay here without freaking out. She hates all vampires and freaks out every time she's in the same room with one."

"Not all," Jean Claude said.

"Right. She doesn't hate Remy," Anita added.

"There is another." His words drew every last bit of attention to him. Jean Claude slowly turned to look at Asher where he lounged against the wall. "She is not as afraid of you as she would like to be."

"Why me?" Asher asked, voice bland. Jean Claude knew him well enough to know that he was intrigued and frightened all at the same time. Too much damage had been done to his friend's soul. And there was only so much that he and Anita could do to repair those wounds.

"She can feel your pain. She told me that she believes you are as damaged as she is. That calls to her despite the fact that you are a vampire. It is what you will use to help befriend her. You will show her that not all of our kind is as cruel as Belladonna."

Asher actually stood away from the wall, his lips twisted down into a scowl. "You wish to use me to soothe her? Do you truly believe she will allow such a thing?"

"I have faith that you will be able to show her that not all vampires are like those that she was first introduced to. I believe she finds you to be a kindred spirit."

"And what if I cannot do this thing you wish me to do?" There was a hint of petulance in Asher's words.

"Then you will use your powers of seduction to make her see the light."

"Jean Claude," Anita broke in. "You can't do that. She belongs to Remy."

"The young master pledged himself to me tonight. Which means that he has pledged the women to me. I will do what I believe is best for the kiss. I have no desire to use those women as Belladonna did. But I will not have my own people so afraid of me and my own that I must fear they will resort to drastic measures to escape."

"You think that Jo would try to stake someone here?" Anita sounded like she didn't believe it. Hadn't she been the one who'd told him of the young woman's attempts to stake Belladonna?

"I am not willing to take the chance. Starting tomorrow night, Asher, I want you to woo the girl. I give you permission to use whatever means necessary to accomplish it. And do not worry about Remy. I will see to it that he will offer you no resistance."

Asher scowled at him, but said nothing more. He merely nodded his head, then returned to his position against the wall. Jean Claude turned his attention to Jason. "I know. You want me to continue working with Gin until she isn't afraid of the pard."

"She needs to learn other things, Jason. She is terrified that she will become a monster when she shifts. You must teach her how to be a lycanthrope. She knows nothing. The only thing she ever learned at their hands was how to abuse a weaker being and what kind of monsters Belladonna keeps in her company."

"I can't teach her how to be a leopard," Jason insisted. "When it comes time to change, she needs to have a leopard there. I'm good, but there are some things even I can't do."

"That is why I am trust you to help her see the error of her ways before the full moon comes." He knew his tone of voice let Jason know that there was nothing more to be said on the subject. The blonde subsided and allowed him to continue on. "I want them all kept separate until I believe that it is safe to put them back together."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Anita asked. "Remy has more power than he should and he seems to be very protective of the girls."

"By your own words, he has only been a vampire for five years. And yet, he has already marked the women as his own." Jean Claude felt the attention of everyone else in the room sharpen at his words. He allowed his gaze to float around and land on each of them until he saw that they understood what he was talking about. "Yes. He has already given them the first mark. And he does not even know that he has done this. I do not dare leave them together until they can prove to me that they will be loyal."

"And keeping them apart will keep Remy from taking the girls and running," Anita added. Jean Claude nodded.

"He understands what will happen if he should attempt to run with them." When no one said anything else, he continued on. "We will allow them to have the rest of the night together. Tomorrow will be soon enough to put this plan into motion. Asher, I would ask that you use patience with Jocelyn. She already finds herself drawn to you. I do not think it would take much to show her that you are nothing like Belladonna. But she is easily frightened and she uses anger as protection."

Asher nodded, heaving a sigh as he thought about what was before him. "I will do the best I can, Jean Claude."

"That is all I ask of you." He looked around the room. "Are there any questions?"

"I have a question, Master." Meng Die's voice drew all attention to her. There was nothing on her face to go by, but Jean Claude was certain she was jealous.

"What is it?"

"Will you give me the pretty boy to have as my own?"

"No, Meng Die. You cannot have him."

"You have given his women to your wolf and your... second." She sneered the words out, letting him know that she felt she was being petulant. "Yet you will not give him to me? Are you saving this one for Anita, too?"

"I will not give him to you, Meng Die. Do not ask again," Jean Claude replied. "I am saving him for no one."

If he were to save the boy for anyone, it would be for himself.

~*~*~*~*~

The room was opulent for all that it was prison. Remy knew it without being told that they were going to be held here for the night. For a moment, he'd truly thought that they'd found a place to be safe. But Jean Claude had proven him wrong. All vampires were the same. All they cared about was power. They didn't care one bit for people. Jean Claude didn't care about the girls. All he cared about was his power. And how Remy could best serve it.

Of course the girls knew that something was amiss. They'd been giving him odd looks since Jason had told them that a room had been prepared for the three of them. Neither would ask him outright. They knew he wouldn't talk about it unless he wanted to. Instead, they clung to him as the three of them stared at the room they'd been deposited in.

The bed was large, bigger than king sized. It had a post at each corner, thick as a tree trunk and stained a deep, dark cherry. The head and footboards were thick as doors and carved with any number of faces and creatures, just as the posts had been. The coverlet was blood red velvet, as were the curtains that hung at the corners. The pillows were encased in black silk. There were a couple chairs in the same heavy, dark wood and red velvet as the bed, as well as a vanity mirror over a low chest of drawers. The floor was covered with pale grey carpet. A door opposite the one they came through led into a lush bathroom. All in all, a very opulent prison.

"You t'ink dat bed strong enough for all three of us?" he asked the girls to keep them from wondering why he was so tense.

"I don't know. It sure is big enough for all three of us," Gin replied. A look at her face suggested she might know more than she was letting on. If it were true, then the only one he was protecting was Jo. And she wouldn't take the news well, were she to find out about it. It would be best if she was so distracted that she didn't know about it. So he put on his most charming smile and set about distracting the two of them.

"How `bout we find out?" he suggested before tugging Jo toward him. She'd been silent and withdrawn since she'd come back from talking to Jean Claude. He gave her enough time to see the intent in his eyes, then his mouth took hers in a searing kiss that saw her molding her body to him. Their tongues dueled for dominance while she clung to him as if afraid to let him go. By the time he broke away from her, she was panting for breath and flushed, the scent of her need painting the air around them thickly. "Get undressed, cher. Get into bed. Me an' Gin, we gon' join you soon."

"Sounds good to me," she whispered a little breathlessly, then started pulling at the clothes she wore. Once he was assured that Jo was going to listen to him, he turned back to Gin. She stepped willingly into his arms, offering him her lips before he even had time to wrap his arms around her. Like the one he shared with Jo, his kiss was filled with passion and desire, Her body clung to his, her mouth begging silently for more with each stroke of her tongue or shift in pressure of her lips. He still didn't know how he'd gotten so lucky as to have both women in his life. He planned on making sure that they never wanted to leave him for someone else. And he damned well wasn't going to let anyone take them from him.

When he broke his kiss with Gin, Jo was already naked and laying on her side in the bed. She watched them both with heavy eyes. "Clothes, Remy. Take them off."

"You hear dis?" he glanced at Gin. She smirked and reached for her shirt. "What we gon' do wit' her?"

"Whatever we want, Remy," Gin replied.

"That's what I was hoping you'd say." Jo laughed and slid off the bed to help them undress. She made a game of taking their clothes off and, a few minutes later when they crawled into bed in a tangle of limbs, he found the perfect way to distract them.

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