The Red Queen | Lucien Castle & Tristan de Martel

Chapter 14

He rubbed his face nervously, lowering his voice. "I never ever fucked someone the way I did with you. The way Lucien made me do. He was right, I was watching you both, I was enjoying it. I liked barging in, I liked... the competition."

"I... I guess we could incorporate what we do with kissing in the bedroom. Take turns with you both present, if you'd like... I doubt Lucien would oppose it."

Tristan hesitated. "Do you think he meant it? What he said about me not being half bad?"

She realized what it was about. "I could ask him," she whispered. "I could see if he meant it a certain way."

"And if he didn't, I'd only humiliate myself. This arrangement started because we both fancied you. If he knew I was starting to desire him as well... it embarrasses me, Vivalda. A thousand years ago, the idea of him disgusted me."

She propped her head up on her knuckles. "Why does it embarrass you? Because you used to be a Count's son and he a servant boy? Because... you think you have to cling to those values instead of accepting that your perception has evolved, that he stopped being a pauper a long time ago? You two are equals now, we all are. We've been through too much to step on each other, to think we are better than one another. It is not shameful to desire someone just because you were born in different worlds. People change, people all have something that makes them special. Don't define yourself or Lucien by who you were a thousand years ago."

He considered it. "How do you think he'd react?"

"Lucien definitely has desires for men and women alike, too. I don't think he'd be against it. We could start off slow, you both with me and taking turns, then we could try to do something that involves... you both."

He covered his face. "I do not know if I can do this."

"It's okay, we don't have to do it yet. It could wait awhile. I will keep this secret if you wish."

"Yes, please. Thank you, my dear." He kissed her. "For listening."

"I will always listen."

She was solemn on the plane ride back to New Orleans, already missing Lucien and Tristan, and wondering what would happen once Tristan was ready to admit how he felt to Lucien. They were already completely tangled together, their relationship was complicated enough as it was. Would it be better if they had feelings for one another too? Or would it be worse?

She feared finding out the answer. Because the only way to get it was to give it a shot and it hadn't been easy getting past the probationary period to begin with. One wrong move on either end, a singular snarky comment, and it could end in murder. She could lose one or both. And she didn't think she could bear it.

Hayley was waiting for her at the mansion, reporting that Elijah had come back just before her and was currently talking with Camille O'Connell, a bartender at Rousseau's studying psychology, who Klaus had been compelling for information about Marcel. It seemed that Elijah was going to free her of Klaus's control, and the hybrid must have been unhappy about that, considering that he, too, was out of the house and not responding to texts. 

"Sounds like we need a girl's day if Klaus isn't here," said Vivalda brightly. "How have you two been, anyway?"

Hayley smiled. "It's been good. We um, we tried this exercise where we write letters to the baby, and I think it went really well. I got to learn more about him," she gestured to her, "the childhood you all had. I didn't know your mother lost two kids."

Vivalda winced. "Yes, she did. And then we became vampires. I resent her a lot but I do think she loved us most when she did that... she just didn't want to lose anyone else."