Jos couldn't contain the nervous energy coursing through her as she entered the Embassy. She and Raven were escorted through the main halls and into the open conference room. It was true most of Jos's memories were nothing more than one jumbled mess after another, but this building was the one thing that could never be erased from it. She could feel her heart rate rise with the steady pounding of her heart causing her face and ears to burn.
A familiar man stood as she was escorted through the doors of the room. A heavy frown rested on his weary face. "Come child, have a seat while we wait on the others." He pulled out a chair closest him and nodded to it.
Jos shot Raven a concerned glance before walking nervously toward the man. She clutched her handbag to her chest as she nodded in greeting. "Prometheus, Sir... It has been a while." She cautiously waited to sit until the man moved away from the chair.
Prometheus frowned as he nodded back to her, "Not nearly long enough, child." He sat back down in his chair and folded his hands neatly on the table over the folder sitting in front of him. He followed her gaze from where Raven was standing against the wall behind Jos to the doors as they opened again.
Jos felt some of her stress fade and was quickly replaced by another equally nerve wracking feeling as Arei and Shelly were led into the room. They both made their ways over to her side quickly. Shelly rested her head on Jos's thigh and whined as Jos stroked her head. "Hey, are you feeling any better?" She asked Shelly as she rubbed behind her ear. When the wolf nodded, Jos asked. "Have you eaten anything since you've been here?" Jos frowned when the wolf shook her head 'no'. "I'm sure they'll let us order out, if you'd like to think of something you'd like." Her frown deepened as the wolf snarled her nose. Her attention quickly traveled to Arei and the hand that rested on the back of her chair as he took the seat beside her.
Arei forced a smile. "I had some groceries and other supplies called up. They should be delivered by the time we get back to the room." He bent closer to Jos and whispered in her ear. "Don't worry so much, I'm here... we are here for you. You're not alone this time, I promise." He moved his hand from the back of her chair to her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze as he lowered himself to his chair.
A side door opened, and three more people entered the room. They each took a chair opposite of Jos, nodding their heads to Prometheus then the others in the room as they sat. Prometheus waited until they were seated before he leaned forward and clicked on a recording device in the center of the table. He set back in his chair and began the interview. "I Prometheus will be directing the majority of the interview today though I am accompanied by council members: Lamia representative of the shifter population, Isha Fae representative, and Marcus vampire representative. We are gathered here today, December the first, to obtain the statements of Joslyn Decker, Rachelle Boosilis, Areion, and Raven DeFuc..." He arched a brow as he looked up from the stack of papers sitting in front of him. "Are you seriously still going by that insanely inappropriate last name?" He asked, still on record.
Raven smiled widely as she shrugged. "Too much paperwork to change it."
He shook his head as he turned back to the files. "I see Rachelle Boosilis will not be giving a verbal statement." He glanced down at the wolf. "Will she be able to answer simple yes or no questions?"
Jos nodded nervously as she snuggled Shelly's muzzle tighter against her.
"Please reply with a yes or no for the record, child." He said indicating the recorder with the base of his pin.
"Y-yes." Jos answered.
He glanced up at Raven. "They wolf is still under your care, Raven DeFuc?"
"Yes." Raven said with a nod, trying avidly to avoid her wife's heated gaze.
He nodded and tapped the file with his middle finger. "Areion, be it that you have the least involvement with Princess Rachelle, I will ask that you interpret her responses when she is asked a yes or no question."
Arei nodded. "Yes Sir." He responded curtly. He pulled out the chair beside him and nodded to Shelly to take the chair. Everyone waited patiently as the wolf reluctantly lifted her head from Jos's lap and made her way over to the chair. When she struggled to get into it, Arei gave her a boost then patted her head.
"Are we ready to begin, now?" Prometheus asked.
"Yes." Arei responded.
Prometheus tapped the stack of papers and files in front of him as he held Jos's nervous stare. "It has been fifteen years since you were last in this court. You applied for and was refused guardianship over the Boosilis twins, yes?"
Jos nodded nervously as she tried to swallow past the lump forming in her throat. A hand took hers under the table and squeezed it firmly. "Y-yes, that is correct." She finally managed to stutter.
"Please recall for the record, why were you refused guardianship?" Prometheus directed.
Jos swallowed hard and the massive hand holding hers tightened. "B-because it had only been five years since the end of my sentence."
"And what was the cause of that sentence?" Prometheus probed.
Jos's gaze darted to Marcus, the vampire didn't seem at all happy to be in her presence. She had to force the words out as she held his hate filled gaze. "I... I... attacked and killed a vessel carrying a large number of vampires."
Marcus narrowed his gaze. "Let it be known, for the record, it was more than 'a vessel' carrying a 'large number of vampires'. It was the largest FLEETS in existence at the time made up of several 'vessels' and each was manned by no less than 200 men. It was a total of 1000 vampires killed that evening." He bit out as he drummed his fingers on the desk.
Jos could feel the tears burning the backs of her eyes, but they would do her no good here today. She turned her hand over in the massive hand gripping hers and squeezed back. "I... I..."
Marcus held up his hand. "Unless you mean to add to the facts, I've stated please withhold any other statements."
Jos swallowed hard again. {This man still hates me... maybe even more than before...}
Prometheus tapped the stack of files. "And do you know why you are here today?"
Jos nodded as she cleared her throat enough to answer. "To give my statement involving involvement in a recent vampire attack."
Marcus's eyes bugged and his mouth dropped, "Recent vampire attack?! Is that what you are calling this?" He leaned forward over the table bearing his fangs. "You are the one who attacked, should it not be referred to as the recent Kraken attacks?"
Prometheus cleared his throat, "That will be enough for now, councilman Marcus." he turned his attention back to Jos as he opened the file. "Yes, child, you are correct. You are here today to give your full account of your interactions with the European vampire leader Xavier DeMarco and his brother Dante DeMarco, starting with first how you met them leading up to the events of the day you allegedly killed them and several other vampire leaders from other nations."
Jos's wide eyes shot to Arei. She wasn't sure exactly what she expected of him or what she even wanted from him for that matter, but she couldn't help the desperate plea of her eyes as they held his. He nodded and sent her a reassuring smile. She nodded warily back before turning her focus back to the council members. She recalled all the details of her involvement with the DeMarco's only leaving out details that would implicate her sexual involvement with Russ. She avoided even mentioning his name all together as she wrapped up her statement. "I only happened to meet the DeMarco's at an event that was being held in the town we live in. I thought he was simply a charming, friendly person at first." She turned her gaze back to Arei. "I wasn't aware of his ulterior motives for getting to know me, until I agreed to accompany him on a business trip and sit in as his secretary who had called in sick earlier that week. Even after learning as much, I distanced myself from him with the help of Arei... Areion. I didn't do what I did until I discovered Shelly being held against her will and tortured."
Prometheus's attention turned to Shelly. "Princess Rachelle Boosilis, you acknowledge your part in Joslyn Decker's statements here today to be accurate? Her attack on the vampires was in an attempt to save your life from those very vampires?"
Shelly nodded as tears began to build in her eyes.
Arei spoke up. "She is indicating a 'yes'." He stated for the record.
Prometheus moved his attention to Arei. "You were sent by the council to investigate the United States Vampire Association and to monitor the dealings and transactions where the DeMarco brothers were involved. Were you able to uncover any beneficial information before you were forced to terminate your assignment?"
Arei gave Jos's hand a reassuring squeeze as he began to speak. "Over the past two years I had spent with the USVA I did not note any abnormal dealings or interactions until the DeMarco's became involved. There were rumors of the DeMarco's dirty, underhanded ways of conducting business even before I arrived. The USVA were established out of one of the DeMarco properties in Florida and was threatened with eviction if they were to flat out refuse Xavier DeMarco's plans of consolidation with the EVA. According to the intel I had gathered, Xavier DeMarco had already convinced leaders of Japan, Russia, and South Africa to join his National Vampire Association under his leadership using various forms of blackmail, bribes, and threats. He had personally sent several members of the EVA to relocate to the US in an attempt to strongarm votes." He turned his attention to Marcus. "I'm surprised my reports on this matter hadn't warranted a council evaluation before now."
Marcus lifted his gaze from the files he'd been scanning through. He leaned back in his chair and pressed his index fingers together into points in front of him. "You know... I can't help noticing Dante DeMarco has also been accused of killing multiple humans in the Wilmington area that were televised on the human news feeds." He narrowed his eyes at Jos. "But there were no murders of similar origins during the span of time he and Xavier DeMarco were in Florida prior to the move to Wilmington... In fact, it seems like, if you search the mortuary reports, there were numerus missing persons cases and unsolved murders spanning several months before the DeMarco's had even moved to the town." He withdrew a sheet of paper from the report and slid it across the table to Jos. "In fact, authorities are still trying to decide if the case of this Uber driver was the first victim of the serial killer." He pulled out another page, this time one that was glossy and contained several pictures. "He even matches a similar profile of the other victims minus being a student on campus though it was a frequent stop in his service route." He tossed the paper at Jos, waiting on it to stop on top of the last page he'd tossed to her. "Do these men look familiar to you, Joslyn Decker? I do believe they all attended the exact college you attended and taught classes at, yes?" He leaned across the table, his eyes blazing into her daring her to deny his unspoken allegations.
She clinched the paper tight in one hand as she recalled each of the men pictured there. "They were all rapist!" She blurted without thinking. A hard tug of her hand from under the table silenced her, but it was too late. All of the council members were now staring at her.
Prometheus shot his hand out at lightning speed and caught her hand. Jos sucked in a harsh intake of breath as the color faded from her face. She held her breath as she waited for her past, present, and future to be revealed to the man. His grey eyes finally met hers as he released her hand. "You need to seek council. I will see how soon I can work you in with Themis. You may return to your room; I will call with the appointment time." His gaze moved back to Arei. "I would appreciate it if you could provide a full account of the offenses against the princess." He nodded toward Jos. "And I would like the full account on the murders. Your brother Orion was sent to investigate those, was he not?" He waited for Arei to nod. "I want a written account of your involvement with them Joslyn to compare with Orion's findings."
Jos nodded weakly, knowing she'd messed up.
"Dismissed." He said as he pushed the stop button on the recorder and waved them away.