Just A Bit Of Trust (Constel·lación #1) (12 page)

Didac could not contain his smile when more warriors stood up to talk on behalf of the Queens character. His heart swelled with pride and love. He finally had to put a stop to it because everyone wanted to say something to defend their Queen.

Soon the whole crowd started chanting her name.

The chanting confirmed the love the people had for the Queen.

“Get up.” Vivian threw a pillow at the mop of dark hair beside her.

A groan emerged from the lifeless bundle and silence.

“Don’t make me do it twice.” She hit Didac again, and he cursed under his breath. His hand snaked out under the blanket and pulled Vivian on top of him.

“What do you think you are doing?”

Vivian put her hands on his shoulders to brace herself up to look in his face. ”Do you know what day it is today?”

“Yes, but you are going to tell me anywhere.” Didac face crinkled with a sleepy smile. His hair was disheveled and his eyes still half asleep.

“You got that right King Didac Castell.” Vivian's arms went around his neck, and she hooked her leg behind his thigh.” I am so worried that it would be a flop.”

“It won’t, I love the decorations and the menu.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I do.” Didac buried his nose in her neck.” And do you know what else I love?”

He sucked on her neck.

“You can’t do that. My skin is easily marked It will show.” Vivian protested, but she threw her head back to give him more access.

He licked his way up to her earlobe. His mate’s skin was sensitive. He was more than happy for the other males to see it and know she was taken.

Vivian caught her breath. “I don’t feel clean enough for this.” She ran her hands over his back.

“I like dirty.” His lips descended to her neck again, moving down to cover her nipples. His fingers touched her nether lips and any protests she had glided from her mind.

“Dirty is good.”  She opened her legs wider to give him better access. Her fingers tumbled into his hair, scratching his scalp.

He moaned softly. His lips continued to her navel. ”Let’s stay in this morning.”

“I can’t, I have to make sure that everything is ready.” Vivian’s panted her answer. Didac’s tongue swished from her butt hole to her clit and Vivian almost came off the bed with the sensations .”I guess I can spare some time.”

“You guess.” He bent her knee and constructed small bites on her thighs.

Vivian lost her resolve. ”I know I can.”  She got up and pushed him on his back.

“That’s what I’m talking about.”

His smile left her heart defenseless. My god, I love this man.

She froze at the realization. Her heart hammered in her chest.

Didac inhaled. He felt that. Fate had joined them together, but time had sealed what fate already knew. He didn’t say anything because he felt her panic.

She angled over him, and her lips softly and doubtlessly caressed over him. He sloped his head to intensify the kiss. Their tongues intertwined in a mating dance.

As if they knew, no one in the castle disturbed the Queen and King the whole morning and part of the afternoon.

******

Vivian found herself standing next to the buffet table with Paka and Annais that night. She observed her husband in conversation with some of the Constel·lación socialites oblivious to what Paka and Annais were talking about. Didac threw his head back and laughed. Her guts twisted. The rich, deep laugh was so beautiful. She never got tired of hearing it. His white teeth were visible through those lips.  She shuddered when she thought of the places where those teeth had been, oh the places they had been. The love she felt for the man bubbled in her heart.

“He is something to look at, isn’t he?”

Vivian replied without thinking because she wasn’t paying attention. ”Oh, yeah, he is so hot.” Vivian smile dropped when she turned around and was face to face with a woman she didn’t recognize.

The woman frowned in confusion at Vivian’s words. She tried to compose herself as best as she could and rephrased her words. ”Oh, yes, he is a beautiful creature.” She almost burst into laughter at her choice of words.

“Isn’t he? The King will be happy to hear that you think so.”

The broad smile coming from the other woman made her too comfortable. ”He already knows.”

“We know he does, the way you guys look and talk to each other makes me want to gag. I bet you told him after he made you come several times.” Paka added dryly

Vivian pinched Paka, and she turned around to look at her. ”Paka watch your mouth, we have company.” Vivian blushed. ”You must excuse my sister, my lady; she is blunt.”

“That she is, but I do not hear you contradict her.”

“It would be easier for me to deny if it were not true, my lady.”

“You do not find it shameful as the Queen to speak of such matters in public.” The woman’s face was expressionless.

“Forgive me, my lady.” Vivian was gravity itself, not sure how to think of the other woman’s statement. ”You put me in a tight spot.” She lost her queenly stance for a moment.”-If you know what I mean. It would be unqueenly for me to lie.”

“Unqueenly? Seriously? Does such a word exist?” Paka muttered under her breath.

Annais smacked her shoulder hard.

The woman amused unrestrained laughter turned heads. ”I am sorry Your Highness,” she curtseyed. ”We have not been properly introduced. My name is Gemma, Governor Oscar Agusti’s mate.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Agusti. Your husband has told me so much about you.”

“Likewise. If you have time, maybe we could discuss further the issues that you brought up with my mate.”

“I will be delighted.’ Vivian waved her hand for her to lead the way and turned around to search for Didac in the crowd.

Didra’s hand was on her husband’s arm. Her heart plummeted. Why did she have to do that all the time? Yes, Didra was a friend, but sometimes the familiar way she knew what her husband liked bothered her. But that could have stemmed from the fact they grew up together. And the other woman was so disgustingly beautiful, kind and elegant; it just made her sick to her stomach sometimes considering that she worked in proximity with her husband almost every day. It just left her feeling inadequate.

Vivian turned around to catch Lady Agusti watching her pitifully. ”Your highness, you do not need to worry about her.”

“I am not sure what you are talking about.” Vivian’s skin flushed.

“You have to learn to hide your emotions a little bit better, Your Highness; you reek of jealousy. You have the respect and the love of your mate. A Constel·lación male will never stray once they find their mate.”

“I am human. The males I am acquitted with do not have such qualms.” Vivian felt she had found an ally.

“You have been here long enough to know that a Constel·lación male is like no other male.”

“I guess so, but I think every woman experiences these kinds of feelings from time to time.”

“You are right, Your Highness. You don’t have to obey them. Uncertainty is a part of life in general, but does not apply to a mating bond.”

Vivian was warmed by the touch from Lady Agusti’s on her arm. ”Please call me, Vivian.”

Gemma smiled at her. ”And please, call me Gemma.”

“Lead the way then Gemma.”

As Vivian followed Gemma to the chairs on the other side of the room, though comforted by her words, her heart was doubtful.

******

Severus and Didra studied Primo take the serving spoon and play around with the soup in the serving bowl.  ”What in Constel·lació is this?”

“I don’t know it could be anything; it looks sticky.” Severus offered a reply.

Didra turned to Didac behind her. ”Primo wants to know what that is.”

Didac laughed and pulled Vivian close, her back to his front. ”I don’t know ask my mate.”

Vivian moved forward and took a soup bowl. ”This is sticky soup.It is made from Jute mallow leaves. The chef and I prepared it together. You use it a lot for fiber here. It’s nutritious, excellent for your health. Do you want to try it?’

Primo hesitated. ’No, maybe later.”

Vivian smiled at her husband. The soup wasn’t for the faint-hearted. She had added some chili spices as well. ”Nobody wants to try my soup Didac.” She pouted her lips.

Didac moved forward and took the soup bowl from his mate. ”Well, I’m going to have some.”

“But you do not like spicy food,” Didra said.

“I like anything that Vivian makes. Take my word for it. She is a superb cook.”

Didac kissed his mate and moved away with Primo and Severus in tow.

Didra watched Vivian and Didac together. They looked so good together and so much in love.  She felt jealous and sad: jealous because Didac had never been like that with her. Sad that fate hadn’t chosen them for each other. She was by no means in love with him, but the way things had ended still hurt. She felt humiliated. Everyone in Constel·lació was aware of the social alliance she had with Didac and for the first few days, they couldn’t look at her in the eye. She lowered her eyes in misery to hide her feelings. She soon realized her mistake when she caught Vivian watching her. It was at that moment that she knew that Vivian knew too.

Both women stared at each other.

“You slept with him, didn’t you?”

Didra struggled to meet Vivian’s intense gaze. ”That was before he met you. Didac needed me and my help before he met you.” If she only knew.

“And you helped him didn’t you?” Vivian couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You are in love with him.”

That was putting mildly. ”I am not going to respond to that, and you are way over the top.”

“I don’t hear you deny it.” Vivian felt betrayed. ”Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wasn’t easy for me to keep this from you. Guilt and shame have been gnawing at me. Please try to understand. Didac was alone, and I was alone, can you blame us from being drawn to each other?”

“I understand, but it still hurts.”    

‘No matter what you feel or think I am still your friend.”

“What kind of friend are you? Were you just waiting for things to go sour between him and me so you can just slide back in?” Betrayal fueled Vivian anger.

“That is not fair.” Didra reached for Vivian. ”I understand how you feel; I would feel the same way. If it makes any difference I will go away. While you and Didac have been building a life together, mine has been on hold. He has been the center of my life for so long, and the problem is that he is yours. What we had was convenient, it was never meant to last for long.”

“Please just don’t touch me right now.” Vivian backed away and went to her room.

Tears of rage, shame and disbelieve assaulted her. When she had been standing with Paka and Annais watching Didac and Didra a part of her had suspected something but she had dismissed it. Didra was a close friend; she could have mentioned this to her. To think that after all the intimate moments they had spent together, the laughter and the loving touches, Didac had never said anything. Just because they laughed together and the sex was good, her brain still had the capacity to see the lies. Lying by omission was still lying.

Was everybody laughing at her behind her back? They must have been surely, thinking it was a perfect love triangle. Was that why Dolores made the snide comment before she fired her? All sorts of things were forming in her mind.

She had trusted him and given him part of her.
Her heart
. And she had even believed that Didac had done the same.
Given his heart
. Now she felt that he had never given his heart at all.

Dumb.Dumb.Dumb.

Did they continue sleeping together after their marriage? All the times Didac had stayed away late telling her that he was working, was he having raunchy sex on his desk with Didra? They must have laughed together, thinking she was stupid for falling in love with him. Vivian closed her eyes to block the images in her mind. She felt just like a fool.

The pillow she was laying her head on smelled like him. That traitor.

Vivian took her clothes off and filled the bath with hot water and lay inside looking at the ceiling. There was something comforting about a bath and heartbreak. She went for it. This was her time to shine.
In snot and tears
.

*****

Didac listened to Oscar with half an ear. Didra was agitated, and Didac couldn’t take it anymore. It was distracting. Didac had tried to ignore it for most of the night. ”Do you have something you want to tell me?”

“She knows, Didac.”

”Will you please excuse me?” Didac nodded his head slightly to dismiss Oscar. “What do you mean?” Didac was confused.

“About our social alliance.”

”Why did you tell her.?” That explained why he hadn’t seen his mate in the last hour. He hadn’t wanted to ask around because he didn’t want any judgments from the other socialites.

Didra resentment of Didac’s accusatory glance and tone shone on her face. ”She confronted me, and I couldn’t lie to her. She is a smart woman; she figured it out.”

“I have to go to her; she must be hurting.”

“I am hurting too. I know we didn’t have a true mating, but I cared for you. Imagine my surprise when I was told to move out of your chambers before you arrived back from Mother Earth because you were mated.” Didra’s pain stank. ”By Primo of all people, I have been trying to move on pretending this did not happen, but what hurt me the most is that you didn’t have the decency to tell me yourself.”