Matilda and Antonio had yet to leave her side. They had escorted her through the ballroom, stopping occasionally to introduce her to submissive Demalyn, some with mates, others alone. Her heart clenched every time she was introduced to a single submissive. The smile she gave them felt forced, the polite words masked what she really wanted to say. They’re mine.
“We’ll go to the smaller party soon,” Antonio whispered in her ear as they walked away from yet another available submissive. “We must do the rounds in here or else risk offending.”
She didn’t know why she had to do the rounds with them. It would be easier for everyone if they just deposited her in the smaller party and continued alone. It made no sense to have her with them. Besides, she was getting tired of people gawking at her. She looked exactly like they did in their common form, except for her pointy ears which were hidden under her curls, and for once her attire didn’t make her stand out. The Demalyn had discarded their sarongs in favour of formal gowns and tunics. Still, she didn’t move like a Demalyn and her accent wasn’t that of a Demalyn, and they knew she wasn’t like them.
Matilda handed her a glass of wine and gave her a reassuring smile. What she was reassuring her of, Vitoria didn’t know, but she looked magnificent in her gold tunic. Vitoria wished she could spend the evening with them alone. Matilda placed her hand on Vitoria’s back and guided her towards another of the monarchs. All the monarchs dressed similarly. The dominants in gold tunics of varying designs, swords sheathed at their waists, their submissives in beautiful golden gowns.
“Let me introduce you to xer majesty Sovereign Nicoli. Nicoli, this is Vitoria,” Matilda said.
Nicoli was only a little taller than Vittoria, 5’7” to her 5’6”. Xer skin was tawny brown, xer brown eyes a shade darker.
Nicoli smiled at Vitoria.
“A pleasure to meet you, Vitoria. How is your ankle?”
“It’s…” She paused. How did xe know about her ankle? “Much better.” Who else knew? “Thank you.” What else did xe know?
“Good. Very good. No doubt Matilda and Antonio had the very best healers for you.”
“Of course,” Antonio said. “Excuse us please, Nicoli. Vitoria has been standing for some time already.”
Nicoli nodded.
“You must take care of her, of course. Lovely to have met you, Vitoria.”
They made their way through the crowd, making exhausting small talk with the people between them and the sanctuary that waited. The music began to play, and after assuring them that she certainly did not want to learn their dances in front of all their guests, they finally reached their destination. Matilda opened the door and Antonio ushered her inside. The door closed behind them, muffling the sound of music and chatter.
Vitoria let out a relieved breath. Four people sat in the room on plush sofas, sipping wine and talking in blissfully quiet tones. A tall man with long red hair and pale freckled skin stood and walked towards her. He smiled and extended a hand. She took it and he placed his other over hers and held it for a moment.
“This is my brother,” Antonio said. “Kada.”
“Vitoria, it’s lovely to meet you,” Kada said. “Let me introduce you to everyone. This here is my good friend Max.”
Max stood and greeted Vitoria in the same way.
“Such a pleasure to meet you,” they said demurely. Vitoria met their eyes for a moment before Max dropped their light blue gaze, their pale skin flushing.
“This is Drayga,” Kada continued. A woman with thick blonde hair that fell in soft curls around her shoulders stood and took Vitoria’s hand in hers.
“And Lauria.”
A petite woman with dark brown skin and long curly black hair stood and took her hands.
“Hello,” she said.
“You met one of Lauria’s fathers in the ballroom,” Matilda said. “King Randulp.”
“Of course,” Vitoria said, though she couldn’t remember which King had been Randulp. There has been so many Kings, Queens, and Sovereigns. “It’s nice to meet you all.”
“Come, sit with us,” Kada said. “We have wine and food and a dominant-free room.” He looked pointedly at his brother.
“Very well,” Antonio said. “We shall leave you. Please call if you need anything.”
As Matilda and Antonio left the room, two guards entered and stood at the door. Vitoria took a seat next Drayga, resting her walking stick against it.
“Max was recently mated,” Drayga said. “They were just sharing the details of their mating night.”
Max blushed. “I was not sharing the details.”
“You were about to,” Drayga insisted.
“Are you all mated?” Vitoria asked. Had Antonio and Matilda hidden her away with unavailable submissives while they searched the ballroom for a potential mate?
“Just Max and I,” Kada responded. “I met my mates when I was young so I’ve been mated forever. Max is newly mated and refusing to tell us how mated life is treating them.”
“I told you that it’s treating me fine. I’m enjoying the company of my mates and settling into my new routine.”
“The sex, Max,” Lauria said. “Tell us how the sex is.”
Max’s face was bright red, and they did not respond.
“Did you wear the mating gift we gave you?” Drayga asked.
Max lifted their hands to their face and hid it. “I almost died when I opened it.”
The other three giggled and Vitoria looked at them quizzically, wondering what the gift had been.
“We bought them lingerie,” Lauria said to Vitoria.
“You bought me a tiny scrap of material that covered nothing,” Max corrected.
“I bet they couldn’t keep their hands off you,” Drayga said. “Tell us about it. What was it like?”
“Your parents will not be happy if they know you are talking about this with us,” Max directed their words at Drayga. “And Lauria’s parents will probably stop her from seeing us if they found out. Why can’t you just wait until you’re mated and find out for yourself?”
Drayga’s face dropped and she looked down into her glass of wine.
“Drayga, I’m sorry,” Max said quickly. “I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”
Vitoria was confused by the conversation. She guessed that Demalyn didn’t have sex until they were mated, but she couldn’t decipher what Max had said that was so wrong.
Drayga shrugged.
“Vitoria,” Kada said. “How have you found things here so far? Do you like the city?”
“It’s beautiful,” Vitoria responded honestly. “Matilda and Antonio have been very generous.”
“Of course,” Kada responded with a frown. “That is their duty.”
They chatted for hours about Kiilasalia, people the others knew, and places they thought she should visit. When the night drew to an end Matilda and Antonio returned. The group dispersed with promises to meet for morning meal the next day, if dominants allowed it.
Matilda reached out a hand to help Vitoria stand. She swayed slightly and giggled. “I feel so…”
“Drunk?” Antonio supplied with a smile.
“Good,” she slurred. “I feel good. I had a fun night.”
Matilda lifted her easily into her arms. “You may not feel so good in the morning, kitten.”
“That’s okay.” Vitoria said. She leaned her head against Matilda’s shoulder. “I feel good now.” She closed her eyes as Matilda carried her from the room, and was sleeping before they even reached their suite.
*
Drayga was the only one who made it to the morning meal with Vitoria. The others had sent apologies, stating that they were feeling unwell after their evening of revelry. Vitoria felt fine. The illness that Matilda had warned her would follow a night of alcohol consumption hadn’t manifested.
“Solviso don’t get sick from alcohol,” Drayga said matter-of-factly. She sat across from Vitoria at Matilda and Antonio’s table. The monarchs had made themse
lves scarce, saying they were going to leave them to chat and enjoy their morning meal.
Vitoria nodded her agreement.
“I don’t usually drink, but I lived above a tavern for a while and I’ve never heard of people being unwell the morning after.”
“Demalyn get terribly ill from drinking. After the feast of Lencura the country pretty much grinds to a halt for days while people recover.”
Drayga ripped open her pastry and smothered it in butter and jam. She tore off a small piece and popped it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and sighed happily. “These are my favourite.”
Vitoria poured cream into her coffee, added a generous spoonful of sugar and stirred. “Do you live in the city?”
Drayga nodded and swallowed a mouthful of food. “I live between this palace and Autonno palace.”
Vitoria lifted her cup to her lips and took a sip of the steaming, bitter coffee. Autonno palace. The name was familiar but she couldn’t remember which of the four palaces of Kiilasalia it was.
“Which one is Autonno palace?”
“It’s the one where the council sits. Have Matilda and Antonio told you about the palaces?”
Vitoria slathered butter on her pastry as she spoke.
“No, but I’ve been reading books about Kiilasalia, so I know there are four palaces. I can just never remember which one is which.”
“So, this one, the one that we’re in, is formally Estate Palace, but everyone just refers to it as the palace. It’s where the ruling monarchs reside. And then there’s Autonno where the council of Kiilasalia sits. Most of the monarchs live there, or at least, it’s their official residence.”
Drayga paused and took a sip of her water.
“And then there’s Primavera Palace, or the party palace, as it’s known. All the big royal celebrations happen there. Coronations, matings, naming ceremonies. It’s the best place to be for the Feast of Lencura. The fourth is Inverno Palace, which is where monarchs live when they retire from the council.”
Drayga ran a hand over her blonde hair. Her curls from the night before had fallen and there was only a slight wave now.
“Have you been to all of them?” Vitoria wondered if they were all as beautiful as Estate Palace. She probably wouldn’t be around long enough to find out.
“I’ve never been to Inverno. It’s really remote and nothing ever happens there. I prefer to be in the city so I spend most of my time here.”
“I hadn’t realised. I’ve not seen you around before.”
“I’ve been at Autonno for the past lunar cycle. I returned yesterday for the party.”
“And your parents?” Vitoria had gathered from conversations the night before that Demalyn submissives lived with their parents until they were mated.
“They live in a little hamlet outside of the city. They’re farmers. What do your parents do?”
“My parents are dead. My father worked in whatever jobs he could find. My mother died when I was very young, I don’t know what she did for work.”
“I’m sorry,” Drayga said.
Vitoria nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. Thinking of her parents would always hurt, but it wasn’t the stabbing pain it had once been.
“Can I ask you a question? A personal one.”
Drayga shrugged.
“Sure. Go ahead.”
“Is it normal for Demalyn to have sex outside of being mated?”
“It really depends on all kinds of things. Like age and where in Palici they’re from, and how religious they are. It used to be that people would wait until they were mated, and a lot of older people still think that sex before mating is wrong, but unmated people have sex all the time now before they meet their mates. Kiilasalia is one of the less traditional monarchdoms though, there are still some monarchdoms that have really strict laws about sex before mating. Some don’t even allow mates to have sex until they find their third. How is it in Calibrai?”
“Poor people can do as they please. I’ve heard that there are rituals and rules for the rich, but I don’t know much about the way they live. Does everyone have mates in Palici?”
For a moment, Drayga looked sad, and Vitoria wished she could take back the question, but the look passed quickly and she answered.
“Yes, at least that’s what I believe. I guess it’s complicated. There are different beliefs around mating. Those of us who follow the Book of Lencura believe that everyone has two mates, but it’s not always romantic or sexual. For most people, it is, but for some people it can be sexual but not romantic, or romantic but not sexual, or neither of those things. In Kiilasalia, we believe that each triad has two dominant mates and a submissive, but in some of our neighbouring countries they believe the opposite, that each triad has one dominant mate and two submissives. And then there are Kenti.”
Vitoria leaned forward, eager to learn more.
“What are Kenti?”
“They’re a religious minority, they follow the teachings of the Kenti Lencurinas. They basically believe that the book of Lencura was written in code, and the Kenti Lencurinas cracked the code three centuries ago. They believe that mating in threes was one of many different relationship types that the goddess blessed, and that each individual person is sent a message from the goddess Lencura regarding what kind of relationship, if any, they should have. And then, of course, there are the rationalists who think it’s all rubbish and that there’s no set number of mates.”
“And that’s legal here?” Vitoria frowned at Drayga who frowned right back at her.
“What do you mean?”
“To be a rationalist or a Kenti.”
“Oh yeah, of course. How can you legislate faith? There are something like 67 different religious groups in Kiilasalia. I don’t know what they all believe about mating but there is a whole section in the library on religion.”
“Hmm. I haven’t made it past the romance novels yet. There are literally hundreds of them.”
“You’re welcome,” Drayga said. “Most of them are books that I ordered. I’m expecting a delivery later this week.”
“Well, I’m never going to get to the books on religion if you keep ordering romance novels.”
They chatted long after the food was finished and the hot drinks had turned cold. When Drayga returned to her own suite Vitoria went back to her room and took a seat at the window. She smiled as she watched the Demalyn going about their lives. It felt good to have a friend.
Chapter Nine
Vitoria sat on one of the plush sofas in Matilda and Antonio’s lounge. Music played softly on the radio while she read a romance novel she’d picked up in the library after Drayga had left. Matilda entered the room and sat on the arm of the chair next to her. She stroked Vitoria’s hair and Vitoria closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation.
“Did you have a nice morning with Drayga?” She asked.
Vitoria nodded.
“I like her. It’s nice to have a friend. I like the others from last night too.”
“You and Drayga have a lot in common. She’s different to others around here, I think that you will be as good for her as she is for you.”
“We’re going to visit the market tomorrow.”
“Are you now?”
Vitoria opened her eyes at Matilda’s tone and looked up. Matilda gave her a stern look.
“Can I?” Vitoria asked.
“Perhaps. I will speak to the guards, have them escort you both.”
Vitoria beamed at her. “Thank you. I just want to look at the stalls.”
Matilda stood and held out her hand to Vitoria who took it without hesitation.
“Come, sit with me,” Matilda said.
Vitoria followed her through the lounge to Matilda and Antonio’s bedroom. The room was as big as her own, but it was very much Antonio and Matilda’s. Where her room had art on the walls that could belong to anyone, theirs contained photographs of the two of them. The shelves were full of books, the dressing table cluttered with bottles,
jars, and brushes. Matilda guided her to the window seat and sat down, her back against the wall, her legs out in front of her. She spread her legs and Vitoria sat between them. Matilda wrapped her arms around Vitoria and she leaned back against her.
“This is my favourite view,” Matilda said, indicating the view of the courtyard. “It’s always been my favourite, but now when I look out of the window, my eyes are drawn to that tree and I think of you. I remember being under that tree with you.”
Vitoria remembered too and the memory made her tingle, her pussy growing wet at the thought of Matilda’s dominance.
“I’m proud of you,” Matilda continued. “I’m proud of the trust you put in us, the way you submit to us.”
Vitoria’s heart swelled with pride at the compliment. She wanted to make Matilda proud and happy. Antonio too.
“I have a request to make of you,” Matilda said. “It’s a request, not an order, you can say no if you want to. When we are alone in our suite, I want you to be naked.”
Vitoria’s face heated. Naked? Of course, they had seen her naked before, but to just be naked in the suite? The idea made her wet and nervous at the same time.
Matilda stroked her bare arm. “I find myself wanting to touch you and finding material where my fingers should be.”
“Should I undress now?” Her voice was breathy and her stomach fluttered with anticipation.
Matilda pressed a kiss against her hair. “Yes, kitten. Remove everything, fold it neatly, put it on the bed and then return here.”
Vitoria stood and moved to the bed, using the bed post to steady herself while she removed her clothing. Matilda watched her intently. When Vitoria had taken off her clothes their eyes met, and Matilda gave her a slow, sensuous smile. Vitoria’s skin flushed and she lowered her gaze. She folded her clothing and placed it on the bed. She went back to Matilda and settled between her legs again, bare back against her bare chest. It felt good to be skin to skin.
Bound to the Monarchs Page 8