jessara40k_lj (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jessara40k_lj) wrote2006-09-18 09:34 am
jessara40k_lj) wrote2006-09-18 09:34 am
FIC Rescuing Regulus Part 1
As requested ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kuromirai here's the first part of the sequel to 'The Mate'
Rescuing Regulus
Anita stalked around her mate's bedroom while he watched curled on the bed with Julianna nursing at his right breast. It turned out that Jean-Claude's fears about being unable to provide enough milk were unfounded, his milk had let down after the first time he'd fed his daughter, last night after he gave birth. All Jessie was needed for was to feed her during his daylight slumber.
“Jean-Claude, how can you suggest this so calmly? You aren't my slave, you're my lover and I can't believe you made arrangements for this without even warning me?” Anita found herself wondering if her mate had told her about the arrangements he'd made for all of his property to be transferred to her name, and that his lawyer was coming in with the papers to be signed tonight while he was breastfeeding so she wouldn't hit him in her initial anger. It disturbed her that he could be so afraid of her temper and have so little trust in her ability to control it.
“I checked what human law said about mates when I learned what I am. I'm legally obliged to sign everything I own over to you within a period of a week after the birth of my first healthy child. Human law when it comes to mates is basically a codification of vampire law, so to sum it up it says you own me. I've had time to come to terms with this and I knew it would happen, but I was scared of how you'd react. So I put off telling you and can only beg forgiveness for my presumption.”
Anita calmed at his explanation and stopped her stalking, moving to sit by her mate and picking up the hairbrush as she did. She put it on the bed between them, she knew that Jean-Claude was expecting to be punished, and she couldn't let him keep hiding things from her, or acting without her approval. Not if she wanted to keep him truly safe.
“Ten for keeping things from me, and ten for acting without my approval.” A subtle tension eased from Jean-Claude's body when Anita made her announcement. “Now tell me exactly what human law says about mates.”
“A mate cannot own anything; it all belongs to the 'father' of his children. As my Sire you have the right to do anything you want to me, even kill me if that strikes your fancy. You own me and are expected to provide for me, but the degree to which you do so is for you to determine. I am permitted to get a drivers licence but only with your permission, you have to sign off before I can take the test. I don't lose any qualifications I already have, but to get any others I have to get your permission. And I always have to wear something marking me as yours; the necklace you gave me will do perfectly well. There is one positive aspect - I cannot be arrested or punished by human law, you are expected to discipline me as it is needed.”
Anita accepted the single positive aspect of the whole mess and began trying to think of ways to alleviate the problems. “So you can't be executed ever?”
“No, it is assumed that a mate will not kill people without a direct order from his master, or use his powers in any illegal way unless his master orders it. And you are expected to make sure I do not. I would never embarrass you that way.”
“You mean you won't break the law where you'll get caught. I won't hold you to a standard I don't adhere to.” Anita grinned cynically at her mate. “Now, what can we do to alleviate this? Can you stay as CEO for the JC Corporation, or whatever position you hold in it? I'm assuming that the JC Corporation encompasses all of your businesses?”
“Yes, the JC Corporation includes all of my businesses. I hold the post of CEO and as long as you wish it I can continue to hold the position. But I cannot sign anything, my signature is legally meaningless, I would have to come to you for everything that needs to be signed, either every time I got a contract that needed your signature, or bringing all papers to you once a day.”
“I can handle that if you can. Now when it comes to money I can give you access to whatever accounts I want, even if you can't hold them in your own name any longer, can't I?”
“Yes, if you wish it you can. There is one other thing, it does not apply to me, but it will apply to Regulus if you can get him. When a mate is transferred to a new Sire then his original Sire is expected to pay a dowry, one that they negotiate.”
“I don't intend to keep Regulus, but what do you think would be reasonable to ask for as a dowry?”
“He had land and jewellery worth more than a million dollars in modern terms when he first got pregnant, I checked with the Traveler when he was visiting. You should ask for twice that in stock, stock that pays dividends and good dividends if possible. Failing that go for the better stock, grade AA or higher, and let him negotiate down to no less than half a million.”
“So I'll be able to set up an account for him to draw on using the dividends you mean? And have them converted into Francs if he's willing to go back to the Traveler.”
“I was not thinking of that to be honest. A mate is supposed to be totally dependent on his Sire; it never occurred to me that you would want to give us any form of independence. Are you not worried that Regulus would try to run away from you if you gave him so much freedom?”
“Not really, I don't want him; I just want to make sure Hugo can't have him, to punish him for trying to steal you.”
“Oh.” Jean-Claude dropped his eyes, blushing at the implied compliment, and it was only then that Anita noticed that Jean-Claude had just told her he didn't expect her to work around the laws that restricted him.
“Jean-Claude, don't you want to have access to your own money? And it is yours no matter what the stupid law says.”
“If I don't have any resources it will be...easier in some ways. I love you, and I want to be yours, but if I have money there's the chance that for some reason, some stupid reason, I'll try to leave you and then I'll be at risk of being captured and enslaved by someone else, someone who won't be as gentle as you. I...on some level I want to be totally dependent on you, for everything.” Anita couldn't quite believe that, but she focused on what he said about trying to leave her.
“What reason could you possibly have for trying to leave me?”
“Nothing sensible. You've given me guarantees that you won't abuse me, and belonging to you is much better than belonging to any of my previous masters. But if I've got the option of leaving, then I might try to because of some stupid argument, or jealousy.”
“Jean-Claude, if you don't want me to take Regulus from Hugo then I won't. You don't have any reason to be jealous, and I won't give you any reason to be jealous.”
“If you don't get Regulus pregnant then I have to carry another child as soon as possible. I won't let your immortality rest on just one child's life, I couldn't bear losing you. I'm not even sure that two children gives you enough of a margin. But you're so good about not demanding that I share your bed, about not taking me to bed unless I want it that I'm afraid that if you gave me another child you would deny yourself for my sake, and I don't want that.”
“Jean-Claude you don't have to have children just to please me you know. I'm sure it can't be healthy for you to carry kids too close together, and I don't want you worrying about my sex life, if you don't want to have sex then I can wait.” Anita couldn't quite believe how submissive her mate sounded; his every concern had been about her, not about himself and his needs.
“And, I think that I like being a mother, having children, not so much being pregnant, but having children to care for.” That was a bit better, he was talking about what he wanted, even if she'd never thought of Jean-Claude as the paternal - or maternal type. “How long do you want me to wait between children?”
“At least eighteen months, I'd prefer two years from the birth of one child to the conception of the next.”
“But human women have children a lot closer together than that. I remember when I was mortal; most women were almost constantly pregnant if they could afford it.” Anita was getting annoyed at her mate's persistence. In a way it was nice, she was glad he had enough confidence to speak up for what he wanted, but she wasn't certain that Jean-Claude understood that much about what being a parent entailed.
“Maybe, but I'm assuming you won't be too interested in sex while you're pregnant. I don't mind not fucking you then, not if you aren't willing, but I want to have you willingly in my bed for at least a year before I even think about letting you have another child.”
“As you wish, ma petite.” Jean-Claude lowered his eyes in acquiescence and stood to return his daughter to her crib. “I had not thought of that.” Whatever Anita would say to that was lost when one of the lesser vampires knocked on the door.
“Master, Mr. Senet is here, he said that he'd been sent for?” He made it a question, with an upward lilt of his voice at the end of the sentence.
“Send him in then. I'll sign those papers if I have to, and I'll find a way to give you some independence. I hope you told him to bring whatever I need to sign so you can apply for your driving licence.”
“Yes Anita. I told him that I thought you might wish that, and he should bring it in case.” Jean-Claude returned to his bed quickly, he knew that Anita didn't want him out of bed for too long; she'd made that all too clear. In fact except for when he was caring for their daughter, or taking a bath Anita had ordered him to stay in bed for the first week after he gave birth. And even if he wanted it she'd forbidden him to have sex at all during that period. “I also told him to bring whatever documents you'd need to sign if you decided to leave me as CEO, and documents for other eventualities.”
“What other eventualities?”
“Among other things the possibility that you might wish to ensure I couldn't travel anywhere without you. Or various other restrictions you have the right to impose according to the mate laws. I just told him to prepare papers for all the restrictions the mate laws permit you to impose, and for the two liberties I thought, and hoped, you would permit.”
“You think so little of me?” Anita couldn't hide the hurt in her voice, and didn't notice the human who'd entered as Jean-Claude spoke.
“No, I worship you, but I would rather make sure we comply with the laws so I cannot be taken from you.”
“Technically you could not be taken from her even if you didn't sign everything you own over to her.” Anita spun to face Mr. Senet. “However the government could confiscate all your property, leaving you totally dependent on whatever your master earns.
“What papers do you wish your mate to sign, and to sign yourself Ms Blake?”
“The minimum required by law, and the papers that will leave Jean-Claude as CEO of JC Enterprises and the ones that will let him get a drivers licence.”
“Here they are then.” Mr. Senet handed six documents over to Anita to sign and a whole pile over to her mate. When they'd finished Jean-Claude glanced up at Anita from beneath lowered eyelids.
“You will need to initial my signature, but can you not do that somewhere else master? I should like to rest a while longer.”
“Of course we can. Come on.” And Anita led her mate's lawyer away.
~~~000~~~
Somehow Jean-Claude had managed to doze after Anita took the lawyer away, his daughter held loosely in one arm and his book abandoned beside him. He was woken fully when Asher came into the room, without even knocking, and stood in front of him looking up and down his body.
Jean-Claude reluctantly shifted to sit upright, Julianna in his lap, looking up at his lover from beneath lowered lashes. When his daughter complained of her hunger he moved to put her to his left nipple with a slight sigh of relief, as he'd started to ache there, had been in fact since before Anita left.
“Hello Jean-Claude.” Asher sat down by him on the bed, laying a gentle hand on the side of his face. “You look incredible with your daughter at your breast.”
“Thank you.” Jean-Claude murmured in response, bowing his head and actually blushing. “There is little else I can do for the moment, save tend to my daughter.”
“Has Anita restricted you to your bed then?” Asher let his hand wander lower down his lover's naked body as he spoke.
“Yes, she has.”
“But surely there is something else you can do abed my beautiful one.” Asher leaned in to kiss him, and his hand slid between Jean-Claude's legs, fingers slipping into his new opening. “I for one would love to explore this while we have the chance.”
“She has forbidden it.” There was no need to say who had forbidden him to have sex, Jean-Claude belonged to Anita totally, and they both knew it, even if she was willing to let Asher borrow him from time to time. And Jean-Claude realised just how lucky he was that he'd been given those instructions as Asher reluctantly withdrew his hand. The contract he'd written effectively gave Asher the right to take him to bed whenever he wanted, provided Anita wasn't using him at the time, or hadn't given him orders not to have sex. And he didn't want to try out how it felt being taken the way a woman would be, but he knew he wouldn't have been able to refuse Asher had he insisted.
“For how long?” He knew then that Asher believed Anita's orders that he was only to have sex when he initiated it had applied only for the duration of his pregnancy. He remembered that, even if Julianna had been reluctant, if Asher wanted to lie with her he did, something Jean-Claude would have never done.
“For the week after our daughter's birth, she will not let me out of bed, but she will not make use of it with me either, nor permit anyone else to. I half expected her to use my leash to keep me here as long as she wished.” Jean-Claude joked and teased to make light of what almost happened, and to distract Asher as the older vampire withdrew his hand slowly from the younger's body.
“She knows this is not the first time you have worn a collar I take it?”
“With my history how could she not realise it? Although I have not told her, for she has not asked.” Jean-Claude shrugged gracefully, calculatedly provocative.
“But is she aware it is not even the first time you have worn a collar willingly?” Asher was speaking to hurt now, at least a little, plainly cut that Jean-Claude didn't object to his master's decree.
“No, she is very dominant, and would not understand that sexually I am submissive.” He didn't like the more extreme form of D&S games, or too much in the way of S&M, but Jean-Claude was submissive, and far preferred taking his cue sexually from his lovers, once he'd got them in bed, or the other way around. He'd always been drawn to the aggressive type, Asher certainly qualified on that count and so did Anita, to an even greater degree, Julianna not so much so, and he found a certain relief in only being responsible for obeying his lover.
“You should tell her, before she finds out from someone else. I'm sure you can make her understand.” Asher patted Jean-Claude on the head and left then.
~~~000~~~
Jean-Claude could tell that there were two humans in the bedroom besides his daughter when he woke up the next night. His ass still ached from when Anita had administered his punishment after Jessie came to take his daughter for the day, and it would the next night as well, but he determined not to let that affect his behaviour. He twisted to look at the humans, recognising Jessie and her son sitting beside his daughter's crib.
“Hello Jean-Claude.” She looked tired; taking care of his daughter as well as her son had taken its toll on her. He'd babysat for her in the weeks before he'd given birth, to give her a chance to get some sleep - she'd been using a breast pump from the start to make sure she'd have enough milk to feed his daughter as well as her son and he'd put it to use.
“Hello Jessie. Would you like me to take care of Isaac for a few hours while you get some sleep? Just send someone in with his crib and some of those bottles of milk for him in case I need them.”
“You think you might not?”
“My chest aches constantly, the only time it stops aching is when I've just fed Julianna - and that never lasts more than fifteen minutes, twenty at most.”
“Have you been leaking milk then? I do that sometimes, it's why I still use the breast pump during the night.”
“I think I might have been leaking milk a bit. But I haven't been wearing anything since I gave birth, so I didn't really notice.” Jean-Claude smiled at Jessie and shrugged in resignation. She hadn't been in a position to spend the week after she gave birth in bed, but then there hadn't been anyone to order her to, he would have preferred to be up by now. He had made sure the lesser wolves and vampires helped her where they could, so for instance she hadn't had to worry about laundry.
“You could try using a breast pump to get rid of the excess milk and store it. Depending on how long you can store it you might be able to use it for your next child's daylight feedings.”
“If you think it would help my chest stop hurting. I wonder if I will be allowed to return to taking an active role as Master of the City. Things seem to be limiting me more and more, and the chances of much in the way of independence are getting slimmer and slimmer. If I cannot go more than half an hour without breastfeeding or expressing milk...” Jean-Claude trailed off in despair.
“And my nipples hurt!” He knew he was whining, he hated it, but somehow he couldn't stop and he had the nagging feeling that he was simply proving to anyone who cared to pay attention that mates were unfit to rule.
“Try putting Vaseline or something on them, they'll be less likely to crack and that might help.”
“Thank you.” Jean-Claude smiled and vowed to send one of his wolves to get the things Jessie had suggested as soon as he could.
“You're welcome. Here.” Jessie walked over and handed her son to him. “Do you want me to bring your daughter to you before I leave to get some rest?”
“Please.” Jean-Claude carefully laid the boy beside him and held out his arms for his daughter. “I can take care of both of them easily enough. Just come to pick your son up before dawn. Is there anything in particular I need to do for him?”
“If you would bathe him when you do Julianna I'd appreciate that.” Then she smiled. “But I don't expect you to take care of my son for the rest of the day and all night too. I'll pick him up around midnight.” That would give her about 12 hours to catch up on her sleep and enjoy time for herself. “Thank you for this, I am grateful.” She gave him a final smile as she left.
Jean-Claude just enjoyed holding his daughter and the boy who'd probably be her playmate for a while, until Jason came in carrying his cot with half a dozen bottles of milk in. The wolf refused to look directly at Jean-Claude as he bent to take the bottles out of the cot.
“Where do you want them?”
“Just put them on the dresser please. There's money there,” about a thousand dollars Anita had left as 'spending money' until she opened an account and got an ATM card for him, “could you buy me some Vaseline, a breast pump and about two dozen bottles with it?”
“Sure. You need to feed?” Jason finally turned to look at the vampire in the bed.
“Yes, I do.” Jean-Claude reluctantly returned the children to their cots and lay back down waiting for Jason to join him. He took the wolf's mind and bit into his neck hungrily, enjoying the ability to feed fully again.
“You can just stay here for a while and rest.” Jean-Claude suspected he'd taken a bit more blood from Jason than was wise or safe for the werewolf - he'd done the same to Micah the night before in the relief of not needing to stop because of nausea. The vampire put Julianna into her carry crib, and took Isaac into his arms to carry through to the bathroom.
Jean-Claude sat on the side of the bath as he ran it. Julianna woke up hungry so he put Isaac down and lifted her to his breast. She was still fussing afterwards, but for a different reason, she needed to be changed, and he decided not to bother putting her in another diaper. Instead he washed her and carried the dirty one back through to the bedroom to dispose of, along with his naked daughter.
When he got back his bath was nearly full and Isaac was fussing now, from the smell he needed changing. Jean-Claude turned the taps off and repeated his actions with the boy while the water cooled. On his way back he snagged a bottle of milk for the boy just in case he didn't have enough when Isaac was hungry.
It turned out to be an unnecessary precaution, Isaac didn't need to feed until the end of Jean-Claude's bath, and there was more than enough milk for him then. When he returned to his bedroom, hair still wet, he found that Jason had already left. Reluctantly he returned the children to their cots and took up a hairbrush and hairdryer to tend to his hair.
~~~000~~~
Anita cursed to herself as she led Asher into Jean-Claude's bedroom. It was the last day while Jean-Claude was confined to his bed, and if Maenial had waited just one day more to decide that he wanted to visit St. Louis she wouldn't even have been involved.
Jean-Claude sat up in bed slowly, blinking at Anita and holding his daughter to him.
“Anita, Asher. What is your wish?” His words, implying that she would only visit him if she wanted something angered Anita for a moment, until it occurred to her that Asher had avoided her mate in the last stages of pregnancy.
“There is a master vampire called Maenial who wants to visit St. Louis. He says he has clan here who want to become vampires, and he wants to check out the vampires who are planning to bring them over.” Anita sat down on the bed by her mate and as Asher sat on the other side he scooted closer to her, watching the older vampire from the corner of his eyes.
“What did you decide master?” He rested his head on Anita's shoulder.
“I didn't. You are Master of the City here, it is your choice.” She put an arm around his shoulders as she spoke. “I wondered if you had any history with him, but you don't need to tell me why you've made your decision, I'll accept whatever you decide.”
“You should get him to leave one of his clan in your care as surety of good behaviour while he is in your city. He is very protective of his clan and would do anything for their sake. I was lent to him a few times when I was younger, but he was never too harsh with me. Didn't Asher tell you this?” He gave a puzzled frown towards the blond.
“She didn't ask me. She told me it was your decision, so she didn't need to know unless you wanted to tell her.” There was resentment in Asher's voice, Anita let Jean-Claude see how that confused her and was rewarded when her mate smiled and nuzzled against her.
“Asher, go ring Maenial, tell him that I want one of his clan to stay with us as a hostage during his visit to St. Louis. While he's here I want him to obey human law, other than that he can do as he wishes. But I advise him to wait until I finished presenting my daughter, it should be done by this time next month.”
“Yes Anita.” With those words Asher left, leaving Jean-Claude alone with Anita and their daughter. There was an appreciable air of relaxation in his body immediately. Anita noted this and picked up on it instantly.
“Jean-Claude, what's wrong? You seemed almost...scared of Asher.” She put an arm around him to reassure her mate.
“He believes that your restriction on sex with me to only when I initiate it only applied while I was pregnant. He...put his hand between my legs after I'd signed everything over to you and if you hadn't forbidden me to have sex at all...”
“Are you telling me he would have raped you?” Anita felt purest rage at the idea.
“No. I am a mate, and he has permanent permission to lie with me, he would have had every right to take me if you had not specifically forbidden it.” Anita was appalled by the acceptance in her mate's voice and words, and it showed. “I'm sexually submissive,” Jean-Claude scrambled to explain, “I always have been. I don't like being hurt, but I do prefer to satisfy my lover's needs first, and to be controlled sexually. I've worn a collar before, willingly on occasion.”
Anita was shocked speechless by how submissive her lover really was, and by just what it really meant to be a mate. “Wh-who did you wear a collar for willingly before?” It was the only question she could think to ask.
“Asher for one.” Jean-Claude bowed his head, letting his hair cover his face and hide how he was blushing. “I...he was jealous that Belle Morte had given me her favour as well. I didn't like that, but he did appeal to me, so I seduced him. He...I fell in love with him, and when he suggested dominance games I was happy to comply. Later he showed Belle Morte. That's one reason she would send me to the sexually dominant more often than she would Asher, or more often than she sent me to the sexually submissive.”
“You said that you and Asher were equals when you were both with Julianna.”
“We were both masters then. I leaned that I was a master about a year before he did, and he had me top on occasion after that - whenever we played dominance games until he found out he was a master too, and very rarely thereafter. But generally I was still submissive in bed, even if we were equals or I played at being Asher's master out of bed.”
“Would you like me to forbid you to have sex at all for a while, or shall I tell Asher that until further notice sex is restricted to when you initiate it?” Anita put a hand on Jean-Claude's chin, tilting his face to look at her.
“When I initiate it, please. I still don't feel ready to have sex yet, even though I've given birth.” Jean-Claude smiled gently up at Anita in gratitude. “Are you having any problems, do you not want to wait for me to be ready?”
“I'm happy to wait. But Ronnie's been nagging at me about you. She thinks you got pregnant deliberately to 'trap' me. That's nonsense, you're the one who's trapped. Do you have any idea how to show her that?”
“How many additional companions did you plan to invite to the initial dinner for Sires?”
“Three, I was planning to bring Micah, Richard and whoever he wants to bring with him.”
“You could invite your friend Ronnie, and her wererat lover. This is more of an informal event; your companions should be your friends, not your allies. Richard is attending the first formal presentation among vampires as one of your triumvirate anyway.”
“It's scheduled for two weeks away. I'll have Jessie send the invitations to Ronnie and Louie, but we should give them warnings about what's going to happen ahead of time. What colour cushions do we need to arrange for each mate?”
“Hugo puts Regulus in white, so his cushion should be white. Amber is Inanna's colour and Enkil uses black for all his mates.”
“Midnight blue for you.”
“Yes Anita.” Jean-Claude twisted away from Anita, reaching for his breast pump. She immediately stood and left to give him some more privacy.
~~~000~~~
Jean-Claude fastened the charm bracelet Anita’d given him around his biceps beneath the robes and reluctantly put the finishing touches to his make-up under her watch. He didn’t really like wearing it, but this was a formal affair, and he wasn’t going to do anything that would reflect badly on Anita. He turned his back to her, offering his wrists crossed at the small of his back.
“No, I’m not going to chain you up.” Jean-Claude wondered why Anita didn’t want to display her control over him that way. He knew his thoughts were open to her, but he only knew she’d been listening when she continued. “I can show my control over you a lot better if I don’t need to restrain you. Now come on. Ronnie and Louie will be here in five minutes.”
Jean-Claude followed his Sire quietly, carefully keeping his eyes cast down submissively. He half wanted to hide his face behind the fall of his hair, but he’d seen how much it hurt Anita when Asher hid from her that way. He suspected it would be the same with him, or even worse, and so he’d braided it back, tying it with a piece of leather.
Ronnie and Louie were being shown into the living room when they arrived, Ronnie was wearing a pale lavender blouse with a grey skirt, amethyst jewellery and black pumps while Louie wore a grey suit and amethyst cufflinks. By contrast Jean-Claude was wearing one of his cotton jumpsuits with blue linen robes and all the jewellery Anita had given him since they learned he was a mate – that is collar, wrist and ankle restraints, necklace, belt, bracelet, arm band and ring. And Anita wore the black suit he’d given her at Christmas with a black leather belt, no jewellery and black heeled leather boots.
“Ronnie, Louie, I asked you to come here early to give you some information about etiquette in this situation, and what will happen at this dinner.” Anita walked over to a chair as she spoke. She sat, and Jean-Claude knelt at her feet, glancing up at her friend through his lowered lashes.
“Anita, why is Jean-Claude kneeling at your feet?” Louie sounded shocked to see the Master of the City in that position.
“And why is he wearing a collar?” Ronnie seemed equally scandalised, and she seemed to have a reflexive distaste for the implication of slavery.
“Because he’s a mate. The first thing I need to tell you is that all the mates will sit on cushions at their Sires’ feet. Don’t be too horrified by that. Or by the fact that if we decide to give them something to drink they’ll be licking it from our fingers.
“The other thing is that you shouldn’t speak to any of the mates. They’re recognisable because they’ll be wearing collars, and on leashes.” As she spoke Anita pulled out her mate’s leash and fastened it to his collar.
“Why not?” Ronnie almost sounded outraged. Jean-Claude shivered as Anita began running her hands over his body, where she could reach it.
“Jean-Claude can explain.”
“I know that Hugo punishes Regulus if other people speak to him, and I’m worried that other Sires might act in a similar way.” Jean-Claude gasped as Anita pinched and twisted one of his nipples and then fell silent, shutting his eyes in resignation.
“Your nipples are still sensitive then?”
“Yes.” Jean-Claude looked up at his master with his eyes wide and frightened. He knew his master wouldn’t really hurt him, they’d semi-rehearsed this to show her friend just how vulnerable he was, but it still scared him. He hadn’t known exactly what Anita was going to do to illustrate his position, and he wasn’t sure if she was going to stop with that. “P-please, I hurt,” he gestured towards his chest in explanation, “might I go and...” He let his eyes fall to the ground in shame.
“Go ahead. I’ll get you from your bedroom when we’re ready to leave.” Anita casually slapped him on his ass when he stood and almost fled from the room after a frightened glance at her.
“Why did you grope him and pinch his nipple like that in front of us?” Ronnie sounded slightly outraged, but Jean-Claude could ‘hear’ her voice again, through his link with Anita – she was echoing it to him.
“He’s mine to touch or grope if I want to. His nipples became sensitive during pregnancy, and I wanted to check if they still are. I decided not to initiate sex with him until he’s fully recovered from his pregnancy, and I’m using that as an indicator. Jean-Claude found another reason to be grateful Anita had let him leave to use the breast pump. He knew he was blushing, and he found it almost humiliating that she could so casually discuss her plans about when to have sex with him before even talking to him about it.
“Is he going to put some shoes on while he’s gone?” Jean-Claude couldn’t help wondering if Louie had only just realised he’d been barefoot.
“No, we won’t be going outside for long enough for it to matter. It’s tradition for mates to be barefoot, a bit like that old saw about women – keep them barefoot and pregnant. Like the other traditions about mates it’s to make them more dependent and vulnerable – and to make them feel that way!
“The human mate laws are more of the same. Jean-Claude can’t own anything, he needs my signed permission for almost anything; to learn how to drive, to stay in charge of his own businesses, even to get his hair cut!” Jean-Claude was startled to realise that his master had studied the mate laws in such detail once she knew they existed. He got the impression that she’d said all this before, but Ronnie had dismissed it. Louie seemed to be taking it more seriously.
“Is that what sitting at your feet and licking drinks from your fingers is about too?”
“Pretty much, but vampires can’t drink more of anything other than blood at a time than they could lick from someone’s fingers. I’d actually done something like that with him even before he conceived my child – it is sort of suggestive.” Jean-Claude blushed himself, and he knew his master was blushing too. He felt her cut him off and knew she was changing the subject.
~~~000~~~
Anita sighed and gave up trying to persuade Ronnie that if anyone was trapped in their relationship it was Jean-Claude, not her. She hadn’t really understood that he belonged to her until he’d tried to say no to her, and then stopped, lying back for her to rape him. Hopefully after this Ronnie would be able to see just how vulnerable Jean-Claude was.
They’d been chatting for about fifteen minutes when Micah arrived, bringing four weres, with one leading an ash blond vampire on a gold leash. It was almost certainly Hugo with Regulus, and the mate was badly bruised, and restrained to a ridiculous degree. His wrists were bound together and to his belt at the small of his back, his elbows were pinned together too and he was hobbled to the point where he couldn’t take steps longer than six inches, if that. Like his collar and leash his belt and all the other restraints were made of yellow gold, and so were the nipple rings and elaborate weights attached to them and the chain joining them. Other than that all he wore was a pair of thin white linen pants, while Hugo was wearing an elaborately tooled version of the black leather pants, vest and jacket he’d dressed his weres in.
“Hello. Hugo I presume? We’ll leave introducing our companions until everyone is here, unless you object?”
“This is your city, but where is your beautiful mate?”
“Cooing over our daughter most likely. You know what mates are like with children, especially their own.” Jean-Claude had apparently babysat for Monica once or twice, even before he became pregnant. After Isaac had been born he’d spent as much time as he could playing with him and caring for him and he’d been almost inseparable from Julianna since her birth. “I’ll go and get him while we’re waiting for the others.”
Jean-Claude was curled up on his bed with a book when Anita got there, and despite what she had said Julianna was nowhere to be seen. He was playing idly with the end of his braid, and Anita realised how very unadorned he seemed despite the gifts she’d given him.
“Time to leave my lady?” He put his book aside and stood slowly keeping his eyes cast down. He handed the end of his leash to Anita, she took it with a sigh and fixed it to her belt and Jean-Claude clasped his hands behind his back.
“Yes, Hugo’s here. I told him you were probably with our daughter.” Anita let her mate fell her amusement as she led him to the living room.
When they got there Severus and Enkil had both arrived. Enkil had black eyes and black hair in lots of thin braids and his mates were identically dressed in black robes and veils. All that was visible of them was their hands and bare feet, the robes riding just high enough to show they’d been hobbled by about two feet of gold chain. One of them was pregnant but they all wore gold belts, and their gold wrist restraints were fastened to the belt by four feet of gold chain for each wrist. His companions were all human, Arabic and African in origin.
Severus had dark blond hair and light brown eyes. He was wearing a dark grey tuxedo with a dove grey shirt, while his mate, Inanna wore an elaborately folded and pleated dress, vaguely Egyptian like her black braided hair and she had warm brown eyes. She was the least restrained apart from Jean-Claude, only hobbled by a three feet long chain between her ankles. Her collar, leash and restraints were all made out of red gold, as was her jewellery, including necklaces, brooches, and her wedding and engagement rings. Anita smiled at all of them as she made her way over to her friends and Nimir-Raj.
“Hello, I’m Anita. Micah here is my Nimir-Raj and my friends are Ronnie and Louie. My mate is called Jean-Claude.” That was as far as Anita could stretch protocol to acknowledge her mate. Effectively she was introducing him the way she would a pet or any other animal and inviting comments on him.
“He looks gorgeous. I do approve of your decision to limit his jewellery. Too much would be like gilding the lily.” Enkil smiled at Anita, one hand falling to caress his pregnant mate.
“Indeed, still, if you want I can have Inanna show him how to do his hair in a more elaborate style.”
“Thank you. There’ll be a separate room where mates can gather, so they’ll have the freedom to gossip without any inhibiting presence.”
“They know not to speak around people of course. You mentioned that your mate has a strong maternal instinct, you are lucky then – mine never looks at our children if he can help it. I’ve learned to have a wet nurse on hand for the birth.”
“He’s really that bad about it?” Anita knew she sounded surprised, but she couldn’t help it. “My mate loved children even before he got pregnant. One of the local vamps got a woman pregnant before he got himself killed and Jean-Claude’s babysat for the kid from time to time. Of course I expect that he might lose interest if I let him have too many children at a time.”
“You sound as if it might be his choice.” Severus sounded curious about that, and the other two Sires seemed equally intrigued.
“He’s been asking me to get him pregnant again since he gave birth. I think he’s afraid that Julianna might not survive for some reason. Enkil, aren’t you going to introduce your companions?”
“Of course. This is Ahmed, Khayman and Ousanas. I hope you understand that I do not care to introduce my mates. I tend to be possessive about them.”
“Of course. I’m possessive about Jean-Claude too, I would never lend him to anyone but Asher, and he was Asher’s lover long before I took him to my bed. Severus, what about your companions?”
“This is Natalie, Rebecca and Gretchen.” All of his companions were European women, two blondes and one brunette. “And my mate here is called Inanna.” He caressed the woman kneeling at his side and smiled. “But I’d rather you didn’t feel compelled to comment on her.”
“If you would prefer me not to then I won’t.” Anita smiled at Severus, and then turned to Hugo. She knew he was a lycanthrope, but she couldn’t tell what type, and none of her vampires knew either, something that had confused her. “Hugo, what about you? And did you have any trouble clearing your presence with the local lycanthropes?”
“No, I’ve known Narcissus for a while. My companions are Genma, Alexander and Olaf.” So he was a hyena. If he could be goaded into lending Regulus to Anita then he would probably have Narcissus or one of the other hyenas test the challenge unless he’d already lent the vampire to one of them. “My mate is Regulus. He needs a strong hand.”
“And I can see you supply it.” Anita did her best to keep her disapproval out of her voice, but she had a feeling she’d failed.
“Yes. It is my affair how I deal with my mate, as it is your affair how you deal with yours.”
“Of course. There’s a limo waiting to take us to the restaurant.” And Anta led them all off to it.
~~~000~~~
kuromirai here's the first part of the sequel to 'The Mate'Anita stalked around her mate's bedroom while he watched curled on the bed with Julianna nursing at his right breast. It turned out that Jean-Claude's fears about being unable to provide enough milk were unfounded, his milk had let down after the first time he'd fed his daughter, last night after he gave birth. All Jessie was needed for was to feed her during his daylight slumber.
“Jean-Claude, how can you suggest this so calmly? You aren't my slave, you're my lover and I can't believe you made arrangements for this without even warning me?” Anita found herself wondering if her mate had told her about the arrangements he'd made for all of his property to be transferred to her name, and that his lawyer was coming in with the papers to be signed tonight while he was breastfeeding so she wouldn't hit him in her initial anger. It disturbed her that he could be so afraid of her temper and have so little trust in her ability to control it.
“I checked what human law said about mates when I learned what I am. I'm legally obliged to sign everything I own over to you within a period of a week after the birth of my first healthy child. Human law when it comes to mates is basically a codification of vampire law, so to sum it up it says you own me. I've had time to come to terms with this and I knew it would happen, but I was scared of how you'd react. So I put off telling you and can only beg forgiveness for my presumption.”
Anita calmed at his explanation and stopped her stalking, moving to sit by her mate and picking up the hairbrush as she did. She put it on the bed between them, she knew that Jean-Claude was expecting to be punished, and she couldn't let him keep hiding things from her, or acting without her approval. Not if she wanted to keep him truly safe.
“Ten for keeping things from me, and ten for acting without my approval.” A subtle tension eased from Jean-Claude's body when Anita made her announcement. “Now tell me exactly what human law says about mates.”
“A mate cannot own anything; it all belongs to the 'father' of his children. As my Sire you have the right to do anything you want to me, even kill me if that strikes your fancy. You own me and are expected to provide for me, but the degree to which you do so is for you to determine. I am permitted to get a drivers licence but only with your permission, you have to sign off before I can take the test. I don't lose any qualifications I already have, but to get any others I have to get your permission. And I always have to wear something marking me as yours; the necklace you gave me will do perfectly well. There is one positive aspect - I cannot be arrested or punished by human law, you are expected to discipline me as it is needed.”
Anita accepted the single positive aspect of the whole mess and began trying to think of ways to alleviate the problems. “So you can't be executed ever?”
“No, it is assumed that a mate will not kill people without a direct order from his master, or use his powers in any illegal way unless his master orders it. And you are expected to make sure I do not. I would never embarrass you that way.”
“You mean you won't break the law where you'll get caught. I won't hold you to a standard I don't adhere to.” Anita grinned cynically at her mate. “Now, what can we do to alleviate this? Can you stay as CEO for the JC Corporation, or whatever position you hold in it? I'm assuming that the JC Corporation encompasses all of your businesses?”
“Yes, the JC Corporation includes all of my businesses. I hold the post of CEO and as long as you wish it I can continue to hold the position. But I cannot sign anything, my signature is legally meaningless, I would have to come to you for everything that needs to be signed, either every time I got a contract that needed your signature, or bringing all papers to you once a day.”
“I can handle that if you can. Now when it comes to money I can give you access to whatever accounts I want, even if you can't hold them in your own name any longer, can't I?”
“Yes, if you wish it you can. There is one other thing, it does not apply to me, but it will apply to Regulus if you can get him. When a mate is transferred to a new Sire then his original Sire is expected to pay a dowry, one that they negotiate.”
“I don't intend to keep Regulus, but what do you think would be reasonable to ask for as a dowry?”
“He had land and jewellery worth more than a million dollars in modern terms when he first got pregnant, I checked with the Traveler when he was visiting. You should ask for twice that in stock, stock that pays dividends and good dividends if possible. Failing that go for the better stock, grade AA or higher, and let him negotiate down to no less than half a million.”
“So I'll be able to set up an account for him to draw on using the dividends you mean? And have them converted into Francs if he's willing to go back to the Traveler.”
“I was not thinking of that to be honest. A mate is supposed to be totally dependent on his Sire; it never occurred to me that you would want to give us any form of independence. Are you not worried that Regulus would try to run away from you if you gave him so much freedom?”
“Not really, I don't want him; I just want to make sure Hugo can't have him, to punish him for trying to steal you.”
“Oh.” Jean-Claude dropped his eyes, blushing at the implied compliment, and it was only then that Anita noticed that Jean-Claude had just told her he didn't expect her to work around the laws that restricted him.
“Jean-Claude, don't you want to have access to your own money? And it is yours no matter what the stupid law says.”
“If I don't have any resources it will be...easier in some ways. I love you, and I want to be yours, but if I have money there's the chance that for some reason, some stupid reason, I'll try to leave you and then I'll be at risk of being captured and enslaved by someone else, someone who won't be as gentle as you. I...on some level I want to be totally dependent on you, for everything.” Anita couldn't quite believe that, but she focused on what he said about trying to leave her.
“What reason could you possibly have for trying to leave me?”
“Nothing sensible. You've given me guarantees that you won't abuse me, and belonging to you is much better than belonging to any of my previous masters. But if I've got the option of leaving, then I might try to because of some stupid argument, or jealousy.”
“Jean-Claude, if you don't want me to take Regulus from Hugo then I won't. You don't have any reason to be jealous, and I won't give you any reason to be jealous.”
“If you don't get Regulus pregnant then I have to carry another child as soon as possible. I won't let your immortality rest on just one child's life, I couldn't bear losing you. I'm not even sure that two children gives you enough of a margin. But you're so good about not demanding that I share your bed, about not taking me to bed unless I want it that I'm afraid that if you gave me another child you would deny yourself for my sake, and I don't want that.”
“Jean-Claude you don't have to have children just to please me you know. I'm sure it can't be healthy for you to carry kids too close together, and I don't want you worrying about my sex life, if you don't want to have sex then I can wait.” Anita couldn't quite believe how submissive her mate sounded; his every concern had been about her, not about himself and his needs.
“And, I think that I like being a mother, having children, not so much being pregnant, but having children to care for.” That was a bit better, he was talking about what he wanted, even if she'd never thought of Jean-Claude as the paternal - or maternal type. “How long do you want me to wait between children?”
“At least eighteen months, I'd prefer two years from the birth of one child to the conception of the next.”
“But human women have children a lot closer together than that. I remember when I was mortal; most women were almost constantly pregnant if they could afford it.” Anita was getting annoyed at her mate's persistence. In a way it was nice, she was glad he had enough confidence to speak up for what he wanted, but she wasn't certain that Jean-Claude understood that much about what being a parent entailed.
“Maybe, but I'm assuming you won't be too interested in sex while you're pregnant. I don't mind not fucking you then, not if you aren't willing, but I want to have you willingly in my bed for at least a year before I even think about letting you have another child.”
“As you wish, ma petite.” Jean-Claude lowered his eyes in acquiescence and stood to return his daughter to her crib. “I had not thought of that.” Whatever Anita would say to that was lost when one of the lesser vampires knocked on the door.
“Master, Mr. Senet is here, he said that he'd been sent for?” He made it a question, with an upward lilt of his voice at the end of the sentence.
“Send him in then. I'll sign those papers if I have to, and I'll find a way to give you some independence. I hope you told him to bring whatever I need to sign so you can apply for your driving licence.”
“Yes Anita. I told him that I thought you might wish that, and he should bring it in case.” Jean-Claude returned to his bed quickly, he knew that Anita didn't want him out of bed for too long; she'd made that all too clear. In fact except for when he was caring for their daughter, or taking a bath Anita had ordered him to stay in bed for the first week after he gave birth. And even if he wanted it she'd forbidden him to have sex at all during that period. “I also told him to bring whatever documents you'd need to sign if you decided to leave me as CEO, and documents for other eventualities.”
“What other eventualities?”
“Among other things the possibility that you might wish to ensure I couldn't travel anywhere without you. Or various other restrictions you have the right to impose according to the mate laws. I just told him to prepare papers for all the restrictions the mate laws permit you to impose, and for the two liberties I thought, and hoped, you would permit.”
“You think so little of me?” Anita couldn't hide the hurt in her voice, and didn't notice the human who'd entered as Jean-Claude spoke.
“No, I worship you, but I would rather make sure we comply with the laws so I cannot be taken from you.”
“Technically you could not be taken from her even if you didn't sign everything you own over to her.” Anita spun to face Mr. Senet. “However the government could confiscate all your property, leaving you totally dependent on whatever your master earns.
“What papers do you wish your mate to sign, and to sign yourself Ms Blake?”
“The minimum required by law, and the papers that will leave Jean-Claude as CEO of JC Enterprises and the ones that will let him get a drivers licence.”
“Here they are then.” Mr. Senet handed six documents over to Anita to sign and a whole pile over to her mate. When they'd finished Jean-Claude glanced up at Anita from beneath lowered eyelids.
“You will need to initial my signature, but can you not do that somewhere else master? I should like to rest a while longer.”
“Of course we can. Come on.” And Anita led her mate's lawyer away.
Somehow Jean-Claude had managed to doze after Anita took the lawyer away, his daughter held loosely in one arm and his book abandoned beside him. He was woken fully when Asher came into the room, without even knocking, and stood in front of him looking up and down his body.
Jean-Claude reluctantly shifted to sit upright, Julianna in his lap, looking up at his lover from beneath lowered lashes. When his daughter complained of her hunger he moved to put her to his left nipple with a slight sigh of relief, as he'd started to ache there, had been in fact since before Anita left.
“Hello Jean-Claude.” Asher sat down by him on the bed, laying a gentle hand on the side of his face. “You look incredible with your daughter at your breast.”
“Thank you.” Jean-Claude murmured in response, bowing his head and actually blushing. “There is little else I can do for the moment, save tend to my daughter.”
“Has Anita restricted you to your bed then?” Asher let his hand wander lower down his lover's naked body as he spoke.
“Yes, she has.”
“But surely there is something else you can do abed my beautiful one.” Asher leaned in to kiss him, and his hand slid between Jean-Claude's legs, fingers slipping into his new opening. “I for one would love to explore this while we have the chance.”
“She has forbidden it.” There was no need to say who had forbidden him to have sex, Jean-Claude belonged to Anita totally, and they both knew it, even if she was willing to let Asher borrow him from time to time. And Jean-Claude realised just how lucky he was that he'd been given those instructions as Asher reluctantly withdrew his hand. The contract he'd written effectively gave Asher the right to take him to bed whenever he wanted, provided Anita wasn't using him at the time, or hadn't given him orders not to have sex. And he didn't want to try out how it felt being taken the way a woman would be, but he knew he wouldn't have been able to refuse Asher had he insisted.
“For how long?” He knew then that Asher believed Anita's orders that he was only to have sex when he initiated it had applied only for the duration of his pregnancy. He remembered that, even if Julianna had been reluctant, if Asher wanted to lie with her he did, something Jean-Claude would have never done.
“For the week after our daughter's birth, she will not let me out of bed, but she will not make use of it with me either, nor permit anyone else to. I half expected her to use my leash to keep me here as long as she wished.” Jean-Claude joked and teased to make light of what almost happened, and to distract Asher as the older vampire withdrew his hand slowly from the younger's body.
“She knows this is not the first time you have worn a collar I take it?”
“With my history how could she not realise it? Although I have not told her, for she has not asked.” Jean-Claude shrugged gracefully, calculatedly provocative.
“But is she aware it is not even the first time you have worn a collar willingly?” Asher was speaking to hurt now, at least a little, plainly cut that Jean-Claude didn't object to his master's decree.
“No, she is very dominant, and would not understand that sexually I am submissive.” He didn't like the more extreme form of D&S games, or too much in the way of S&M, but Jean-Claude was submissive, and far preferred taking his cue sexually from his lovers, once he'd got them in bed, or the other way around. He'd always been drawn to the aggressive type, Asher certainly qualified on that count and so did Anita, to an even greater degree, Julianna not so much so, and he found a certain relief in only being responsible for obeying his lover.
“You should tell her, before she finds out from someone else. I'm sure you can make her understand.” Asher patted Jean-Claude on the head and left then.
Jean-Claude could tell that there were two humans in the bedroom besides his daughter when he woke up the next night. His ass still ached from when Anita had administered his punishment after Jessie came to take his daughter for the day, and it would the next night as well, but he determined not to let that affect his behaviour. He twisted to look at the humans, recognising Jessie and her son sitting beside his daughter's crib.
“Hello Jean-Claude.” She looked tired; taking care of his daughter as well as her son had taken its toll on her. He'd babysat for her in the weeks before he'd given birth, to give her a chance to get some sleep - she'd been using a breast pump from the start to make sure she'd have enough milk to feed his daughter as well as her son and he'd put it to use.
“Hello Jessie. Would you like me to take care of Isaac for a few hours while you get some sleep? Just send someone in with his crib and some of those bottles of milk for him in case I need them.”
“You think you might not?”
“My chest aches constantly, the only time it stops aching is when I've just fed Julianna - and that never lasts more than fifteen minutes, twenty at most.”
“Have you been leaking milk then? I do that sometimes, it's why I still use the breast pump during the night.”
“I think I might have been leaking milk a bit. But I haven't been wearing anything since I gave birth, so I didn't really notice.” Jean-Claude smiled at Jessie and shrugged in resignation. She hadn't been in a position to spend the week after she gave birth in bed, but then there hadn't been anyone to order her to, he would have preferred to be up by now. He had made sure the lesser wolves and vampires helped her where they could, so for instance she hadn't had to worry about laundry.
“You could try using a breast pump to get rid of the excess milk and store it. Depending on how long you can store it you might be able to use it for your next child's daylight feedings.”
“If you think it would help my chest stop hurting. I wonder if I will be allowed to return to taking an active role as Master of the City. Things seem to be limiting me more and more, and the chances of much in the way of independence are getting slimmer and slimmer. If I cannot go more than half an hour without breastfeeding or expressing milk...” Jean-Claude trailed off in despair.
“And my nipples hurt!” He knew he was whining, he hated it, but somehow he couldn't stop and he had the nagging feeling that he was simply proving to anyone who cared to pay attention that mates were unfit to rule.
“Try putting Vaseline or something on them, they'll be less likely to crack and that might help.”
“Thank you.” Jean-Claude smiled and vowed to send one of his wolves to get the things Jessie had suggested as soon as he could.
“You're welcome. Here.” Jessie walked over and handed her son to him. “Do you want me to bring your daughter to you before I leave to get some rest?”
“Please.” Jean-Claude carefully laid the boy beside him and held out his arms for his daughter. “I can take care of both of them easily enough. Just come to pick your son up before dawn. Is there anything in particular I need to do for him?”
“If you would bathe him when you do Julianna I'd appreciate that.” Then she smiled. “But I don't expect you to take care of my son for the rest of the day and all night too. I'll pick him up around midnight.” That would give her about 12 hours to catch up on her sleep and enjoy time for herself. “Thank you for this, I am grateful.” She gave him a final smile as she left.
Jean-Claude just enjoyed holding his daughter and the boy who'd probably be her playmate for a while, until Jason came in carrying his cot with half a dozen bottles of milk in. The wolf refused to look directly at Jean-Claude as he bent to take the bottles out of the cot.
“Where do you want them?”
“Just put them on the dresser please. There's money there,” about a thousand dollars Anita had left as 'spending money' until she opened an account and got an ATM card for him, “could you buy me some Vaseline, a breast pump and about two dozen bottles with it?”
“Sure. You need to feed?” Jason finally turned to look at the vampire in the bed.
“Yes, I do.” Jean-Claude reluctantly returned the children to their cots and lay back down waiting for Jason to join him. He took the wolf's mind and bit into his neck hungrily, enjoying the ability to feed fully again.
“You can just stay here for a while and rest.” Jean-Claude suspected he'd taken a bit more blood from Jason than was wise or safe for the werewolf - he'd done the same to Micah the night before in the relief of not needing to stop because of nausea. The vampire put Julianna into her carry crib, and took Isaac into his arms to carry through to the bathroom.
Jean-Claude sat on the side of the bath as he ran it. Julianna woke up hungry so he put Isaac down and lifted her to his breast. She was still fussing afterwards, but for a different reason, she needed to be changed, and he decided not to bother putting her in another diaper. Instead he washed her and carried the dirty one back through to the bedroom to dispose of, along with his naked daughter.
When he got back his bath was nearly full and Isaac was fussing now, from the smell he needed changing. Jean-Claude turned the taps off and repeated his actions with the boy while the water cooled. On his way back he snagged a bottle of milk for the boy just in case he didn't have enough when Isaac was hungry.
It turned out to be an unnecessary precaution, Isaac didn't need to feed until the end of Jean-Claude's bath, and there was more than enough milk for him then. When he returned to his bedroom, hair still wet, he found that Jason had already left. Reluctantly he returned the children to their cots and took up a hairbrush and hairdryer to tend to his hair.
Anita cursed to herself as she led Asher into Jean-Claude's bedroom. It was the last day while Jean-Claude was confined to his bed, and if Maenial had waited just one day more to decide that he wanted to visit St. Louis she wouldn't even have been involved.
Jean-Claude sat up in bed slowly, blinking at Anita and holding his daughter to him.
“Anita, Asher. What is your wish?” His words, implying that she would only visit him if she wanted something angered Anita for a moment, until it occurred to her that Asher had avoided her mate in the last stages of pregnancy.
“There is a master vampire called Maenial who wants to visit St. Louis. He says he has clan here who want to become vampires, and he wants to check out the vampires who are planning to bring them over.” Anita sat down on the bed by her mate and as Asher sat on the other side he scooted closer to her, watching the older vampire from the corner of his eyes.
“What did you decide master?” He rested his head on Anita's shoulder.
“I didn't. You are Master of the City here, it is your choice.” She put an arm around his shoulders as she spoke. “I wondered if you had any history with him, but you don't need to tell me why you've made your decision, I'll accept whatever you decide.”
“You should get him to leave one of his clan in your care as surety of good behaviour while he is in your city. He is very protective of his clan and would do anything for their sake. I was lent to him a few times when I was younger, but he was never too harsh with me. Didn't Asher tell you this?” He gave a puzzled frown towards the blond.
“She didn't ask me. She told me it was your decision, so she didn't need to know unless you wanted to tell her.” There was resentment in Asher's voice, Anita let Jean-Claude see how that confused her and was rewarded when her mate smiled and nuzzled against her.
“Asher, go ring Maenial, tell him that I want one of his clan to stay with us as a hostage during his visit to St. Louis. While he's here I want him to obey human law, other than that he can do as he wishes. But I advise him to wait until I finished presenting my daughter, it should be done by this time next month.”
“Yes Anita.” With those words Asher left, leaving Jean-Claude alone with Anita and their daughter. There was an appreciable air of relaxation in his body immediately. Anita noted this and picked up on it instantly.
“Jean-Claude, what's wrong? You seemed almost...scared of Asher.” She put an arm around him to reassure her mate.
“He believes that your restriction on sex with me to only when I initiate it only applied while I was pregnant. He...put his hand between my legs after I'd signed everything over to you and if you hadn't forbidden me to have sex at all...”
“Are you telling me he would have raped you?” Anita felt purest rage at the idea.
“No. I am a mate, and he has permanent permission to lie with me, he would have had every right to take me if you had not specifically forbidden it.” Anita was appalled by the acceptance in her mate's voice and words, and it showed. “I'm sexually submissive,” Jean-Claude scrambled to explain, “I always have been. I don't like being hurt, but I do prefer to satisfy my lover's needs first, and to be controlled sexually. I've worn a collar before, willingly on occasion.”
Anita was shocked speechless by how submissive her lover really was, and by just what it really meant to be a mate. “Wh-who did you wear a collar for willingly before?” It was the only question she could think to ask.
“Asher for one.” Jean-Claude bowed his head, letting his hair cover his face and hide how he was blushing. “I...he was jealous that Belle Morte had given me her favour as well. I didn't like that, but he did appeal to me, so I seduced him. He...I fell in love with him, and when he suggested dominance games I was happy to comply. Later he showed Belle Morte. That's one reason she would send me to the sexually dominant more often than she would Asher, or more often than she sent me to the sexually submissive.”
“You said that you and Asher were equals when you were both with Julianna.”
“We were both masters then. I leaned that I was a master about a year before he did, and he had me top on occasion after that - whenever we played dominance games until he found out he was a master too, and very rarely thereafter. But generally I was still submissive in bed, even if we were equals or I played at being Asher's master out of bed.”
“Would you like me to forbid you to have sex at all for a while, or shall I tell Asher that until further notice sex is restricted to when you initiate it?” Anita put a hand on Jean-Claude's chin, tilting his face to look at her.
“When I initiate it, please. I still don't feel ready to have sex yet, even though I've given birth.” Jean-Claude smiled gently up at Anita in gratitude. “Are you having any problems, do you not want to wait for me to be ready?”
“I'm happy to wait. But Ronnie's been nagging at me about you. She thinks you got pregnant deliberately to 'trap' me. That's nonsense, you're the one who's trapped. Do you have any idea how to show her that?”
“How many additional companions did you plan to invite to the initial dinner for Sires?”
“Three, I was planning to bring Micah, Richard and whoever he wants to bring with him.”
“You could invite your friend Ronnie, and her wererat lover. This is more of an informal event; your companions should be your friends, not your allies. Richard is attending the first formal presentation among vampires as one of your triumvirate anyway.”
“It's scheduled for two weeks away. I'll have Jessie send the invitations to Ronnie and Louie, but we should give them warnings about what's going to happen ahead of time. What colour cushions do we need to arrange for each mate?”
“Hugo puts Regulus in white, so his cushion should be white. Amber is Inanna's colour and Enkil uses black for all his mates.”
“Midnight blue for you.”
“Yes Anita.” Jean-Claude twisted away from Anita, reaching for his breast pump. She immediately stood and left to give him some more privacy.
Jean-Claude fastened the charm bracelet Anita’d given him around his biceps beneath the robes and reluctantly put the finishing touches to his make-up under her watch. He didn’t really like wearing it, but this was a formal affair, and he wasn’t going to do anything that would reflect badly on Anita. He turned his back to her, offering his wrists crossed at the small of his back.
“No, I’m not going to chain you up.” Jean-Claude wondered why Anita didn’t want to display her control over him that way. He knew his thoughts were open to her, but he only knew she’d been listening when she continued. “I can show my control over you a lot better if I don’t need to restrain you. Now come on. Ronnie and Louie will be here in five minutes.”
Jean-Claude followed his Sire quietly, carefully keeping his eyes cast down submissively. He half wanted to hide his face behind the fall of his hair, but he’d seen how much it hurt Anita when Asher hid from her that way. He suspected it would be the same with him, or even worse, and so he’d braided it back, tying it with a piece of leather.
Ronnie and Louie were being shown into the living room when they arrived, Ronnie was wearing a pale lavender blouse with a grey skirt, amethyst jewellery and black pumps while Louie wore a grey suit and amethyst cufflinks. By contrast Jean-Claude was wearing one of his cotton jumpsuits with blue linen robes and all the jewellery Anita had given him since they learned he was a mate – that is collar, wrist and ankle restraints, necklace, belt, bracelet, arm band and ring. And Anita wore the black suit he’d given her at Christmas with a black leather belt, no jewellery and black heeled leather boots.
“Ronnie, Louie, I asked you to come here early to give you some information about etiquette in this situation, and what will happen at this dinner.” Anita walked over to a chair as she spoke. She sat, and Jean-Claude knelt at her feet, glancing up at her friend through his lowered lashes.
“Anita, why is Jean-Claude kneeling at your feet?” Louie sounded shocked to see the Master of the City in that position.
“And why is he wearing a collar?” Ronnie seemed equally scandalised, and she seemed to have a reflexive distaste for the implication of slavery.
“Because he’s a mate. The first thing I need to tell you is that all the mates will sit on cushions at their Sires’ feet. Don’t be too horrified by that. Or by the fact that if we decide to give them something to drink they’ll be licking it from our fingers.
“The other thing is that you shouldn’t speak to any of the mates. They’re recognisable because they’ll be wearing collars, and on leashes.” As she spoke Anita pulled out her mate’s leash and fastened it to his collar.
“Why not?” Ronnie almost sounded outraged. Jean-Claude shivered as Anita began running her hands over his body, where she could reach it.
“Jean-Claude can explain.”
“I know that Hugo punishes Regulus if other people speak to him, and I’m worried that other Sires might act in a similar way.” Jean-Claude gasped as Anita pinched and twisted one of his nipples and then fell silent, shutting his eyes in resignation.
“Your nipples are still sensitive then?”
“Yes.” Jean-Claude looked up at his master with his eyes wide and frightened. He knew his master wouldn’t really hurt him, they’d semi-rehearsed this to show her friend just how vulnerable he was, but it still scared him. He hadn’t known exactly what Anita was going to do to illustrate his position, and he wasn’t sure if she was going to stop with that. “P-please, I hurt,” he gestured towards his chest in explanation, “might I go and...” He let his eyes fall to the ground in shame.
“Go ahead. I’ll get you from your bedroom when we’re ready to leave.” Anita casually slapped him on his ass when he stood and almost fled from the room after a frightened glance at her.
“Why did you grope him and pinch his nipple like that in front of us?” Ronnie sounded slightly outraged, but Jean-Claude could ‘hear’ her voice again, through his link with Anita – she was echoing it to him.
“He’s mine to touch or grope if I want to. His nipples became sensitive during pregnancy, and I wanted to check if they still are. I decided not to initiate sex with him until he’s fully recovered from his pregnancy, and I’m using that as an indicator. Jean-Claude found another reason to be grateful Anita had let him leave to use the breast pump. He knew he was blushing, and he found it almost humiliating that she could so casually discuss her plans about when to have sex with him before even talking to him about it.
“Is he going to put some shoes on while he’s gone?” Jean-Claude couldn’t help wondering if Louie had only just realised he’d been barefoot.
“No, we won’t be going outside for long enough for it to matter. It’s tradition for mates to be barefoot, a bit like that old saw about women – keep them barefoot and pregnant. Like the other traditions about mates it’s to make them more dependent and vulnerable – and to make them feel that way!
“The human mate laws are more of the same. Jean-Claude can’t own anything, he needs my signed permission for almost anything; to learn how to drive, to stay in charge of his own businesses, even to get his hair cut!” Jean-Claude was startled to realise that his master had studied the mate laws in such detail once she knew they existed. He got the impression that she’d said all this before, but Ronnie had dismissed it. Louie seemed to be taking it more seriously.
“Is that what sitting at your feet and licking drinks from your fingers is about too?”
“Pretty much, but vampires can’t drink more of anything other than blood at a time than they could lick from someone’s fingers. I’d actually done something like that with him even before he conceived my child – it is sort of suggestive.” Jean-Claude blushed himself, and he knew his master was blushing too. He felt her cut him off and knew she was changing the subject.
Anita sighed and gave up trying to persuade Ronnie that if anyone was trapped in their relationship it was Jean-Claude, not her. She hadn’t really understood that he belonged to her until he’d tried to say no to her, and then stopped, lying back for her to rape him. Hopefully after this Ronnie would be able to see just how vulnerable Jean-Claude was.
They’d been chatting for about fifteen minutes when Micah arrived, bringing four weres, with one leading an ash blond vampire on a gold leash. It was almost certainly Hugo with Regulus, and the mate was badly bruised, and restrained to a ridiculous degree. His wrists were bound together and to his belt at the small of his back, his elbows were pinned together too and he was hobbled to the point where he couldn’t take steps longer than six inches, if that. Like his collar and leash his belt and all the other restraints were made of yellow gold, and so were the nipple rings and elaborate weights attached to them and the chain joining them. Other than that all he wore was a pair of thin white linen pants, while Hugo was wearing an elaborately tooled version of the black leather pants, vest and jacket he’d dressed his weres in.
“Hello. Hugo I presume? We’ll leave introducing our companions until everyone is here, unless you object?”
“This is your city, but where is your beautiful mate?”
“Cooing over our daughter most likely. You know what mates are like with children, especially their own.” Jean-Claude had apparently babysat for Monica once or twice, even before he became pregnant. After Isaac had been born he’d spent as much time as he could playing with him and caring for him and he’d been almost inseparable from Julianna since her birth. “I’ll go and get him while we’re waiting for the others.”
Jean-Claude was curled up on his bed with a book when Anita got there, and despite what she had said Julianna was nowhere to be seen. He was playing idly with the end of his braid, and Anita realised how very unadorned he seemed despite the gifts she’d given him.
“Time to leave my lady?” He put his book aside and stood slowly keeping his eyes cast down. He handed the end of his leash to Anita, she took it with a sigh and fixed it to her belt and Jean-Claude clasped his hands behind his back.
“Yes, Hugo’s here. I told him you were probably with our daughter.” Anita let her mate fell her amusement as she led him to the living room.
When they got there Severus and Enkil had both arrived. Enkil had black eyes and black hair in lots of thin braids and his mates were identically dressed in black robes and veils. All that was visible of them was their hands and bare feet, the robes riding just high enough to show they’d been hobbled by about two feet of gold chain. One of them was pregnant but they all wore gold belts, and their gold wrist restraints were fastened to the belt by four feet of gold chain for each wrist. His companions were all human, Arabic and African in origin.
Severus had dark blond hair and light brown eyes. He was wearing a dark grey tuxedo with a dove grey shirt, while his mate, Inanna wore an elaborately folded and pleated dress, vaguely Egyptian like her black braided hair and she had warm brown eyes. She was the least restrained apart from Jean-Claude, only hobbled by a three feet long chain between her ankles. Her collar, leash and restraints were all made out of red gold, as was her jewellery, including necklaces, brooches, and her wedding and engagement rings. Anita smiled at all of them as she made her way over to her friends and Nimir-Raj.
“Hello, I’m Anita. Micah here is my Nimir-Raj and my friends are Ronnie and Louie. My mate is called Jean-Claude.” That was as far as Anita could stretch protocol to acknowledge her mate. Effectively she was introducing him the way she would a pet or any other animal and inviting comments on him.
“He looks gorgeous. I do approve of your decision to limit his jewellery. Too much would be like gilding the lily.” Enkil smiled at Anita, one hand falling to caress his pregnant mate.
“Indeed, still, if you want I can have Inanna show him how to do his hair in a more elaborate style.”
“Thank you. There’ll be a separate room where mates can gather, so they’ll have the freedom to gossip without any inhibiting presence.”
“They know not to speak around people of course. You mentioned that your mate has a strong maternal instinct, you are lucky then – mine never looks at our children if he can help it. I’ve learned to have a wet nurse on hand for the birth.”
“He’s really that bad about it?” Anita knew she sounded surprised, but she couldn’t help it. “My mate loved children even before he got pregnant. One of the local vamps got a woman pregnant before he got himself killed and Jean-Claude’s babysat for the kid from time to time. Of course I expect that he might lose interest if I let him have too many children at a time.”
“You sound as if it might be his choice.” Severus sounded curious about that, and the other two Sires seemed equally intrigued.
“He’s been asking me to get him pregnant again since he gave birth. I think he’s afraid that Julianna might not survive for some reason. Enkil, aren’t you going to introduce your companions?”
“Of course. This is Ahmed, Khayman and Ousanas. I hope you understand that I do not care to introduce my mates. I tend to be possessive about them.”
“Of course. I’m possessive about Jean-Claude too, I would never lend him to anyone but Asher, and he was Asher’s lover long before I took him to my bed. Severus, what about your companions?”
“This is Natalie, Rebecca and Gretchen.” All of his companions were European women, two blondes and one brunette. “And my mate here is called Inanna.” He caressed the woman kneeling at his side and smiled. “But I’d rather you didn’t feel compelled to comment on her.”
“If you would prefer me not to then I won’t.” Anita smiled at Severus, and then turned to Hugo. She knew he was a lycanthrope, but she couldn’t tell what type, and none of her vampires knew either, something that had confused her. “Hugo, what about you? And did you have any trouble clearing your presence with the local lycanthropes?”
“No, I’ve known Narcissus for a while. My companions are Genma, Alexander and Olaf.” So he was a hyena. If he could be goaded into lending Regulus to Anita then he would probably have Narcissus or one of the other hyenas test the challenge unless he’d already lent the vampire to one of them. “My mate is Regulus. He needs a strong hand.”
“And I can see you supply it.” Anita did her best to keep her disapproval out of her voice, but she had a feeling she’d failed.
“Yes. It is my affair how I deal with my mate, as it is your affair how you deal with yours.”
“Of course. There’s a limo waiting to take us to the restaurant.” And Anta led them all off to it.
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And something to clear up :
I thought there was a mate of Enkil named Wufei? I'm sure you mentioned he was allowed to hold Beijing for 50 years after he became a mate.
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