Just A Bit Of Trust (Constel·lación #1)
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Authors: Noma-Tee Thompson
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THE CONSTEL·LACIÓN SERIES 1
NOMA-TEE THOMPSON
Contents
—Just A Bit Of Trust—
Noma-tee Thompson
---A treachery that fosters an opportunity for a true mate encounter
---
Didac
. Alien. King of Constel·lació.
Vivian
. Human. Abused. Untrusting but artless. Daughter of the man who betrays Didac.
Vivian's father is villainous and greedy to the point that he never has an interest in being a good father, husband, and leader. In a world where interplanetary trading is common, her father, Martin Bradford, the President of Mother Earth betrays the most powerful man in the solar system, and she finds herself "mated" to him and carted off to another planet.
Though abused, Vivian is still green enough to believe in love.
Didac is the King of Constel·lació. When his planet is ambushed and more than six hundred Constel·lacións are murdered. He takes on the men who betray him. He declares war on Mother Earth and what he doesn't expect to find is a mate.
Leave it to a woman to complicate things.
Even if these two come together in a peculiar way, they learn to love each other but would Constel·lació accept their love?
Copyright © 2016 Noma-tee Thompson
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of very brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Didac watched the procession of the leaders of Constel·lació approaching the throne in their respective colors with their commissaries in tow. His eyes scrutinized the crowd discreetly. Were they as bored as he was? He fought the urge to yawn and exhaled deeply. The sound must have been audible because Madu’s eyes lowered to him on the chair, twinkling with amusement, his bushy eyebrow tilting. Didac’s lips turned up at the sides as he looked into the royal guard’s eyes. Talk about secret smiles. Didac was not going to hear the end of this from Madu.
Seriously, he had to admit some bits were honestly boring and not necessary at all. If the council members had been uninvolved, he would have cut the whole thing in half, but tradition was tradition. Just an illusion, a pretense that he would have to go through every time there was an event like this. Even as immortals, life was change. It was just one of those things that were a requirement, not an anomaly. He almost sighed again. Slouching was a big no no lest his people thought he was disinterested in the proceedings. He checked his posture, held his head high and lifted his chin.
Destiny
knew it had been drilled into him since he was a youngling. The ceremony was going to be long.
Today was the formal admission of Oscar Agusti into office as the new Governor to the Star of Temprança. The people from The House of Temprança were a warrior caste who specialized in combat and warfare. Didac’s people were born with an ineradicable sense of duty and service more so the people from The House of Temprança because their role was to protect the planet by fighting in wartime and governing in peacetime. Their vigor, courage, and aggressiveness made them great soldiers. A clearly defined code of conduct established by the council ensured that they were uncorrupted. And as a people, their honor was dependent on following that law. But codes were often broken.
Didac‘s eyes moved gingerly and located Abramo walking behind Oscar. Abramo was a legend of some sorts in Constel·lació. He was known as the Great Liberator; his life was a unique window into the world of their planet. Abramo and Didac's father had seen their kinfolk murdered and had been bereaved, but against all the odds had managed to triumph. On the brink of death and a dying planet, they had fought fiercely leading Constel·lació to what it was today: One of the most powerful planets in the solar system. However, his misgivings as an individual had almost dwindled any respect and admiration his people had for him. Abramo’s familial connections did not cloud Didac’s judgment to the man’s flaws.
His relegation to Policy Adviser a few months ago had come as a surprise, only to Abramo. The man thought he could do whatever he wanted without any repercussions. He was lucky that a demotion was all he got because the rumors and complaints about him were shoddy. Everyone said he was unstable, abusive and violent.
Unstable that he could vouch for them, their previous confrontations at the council meetings were disturbing if not downright verbally abusive.
Abramo’s lowered brow, thinned lips and flared nostrils were evident for anyone to see how angry he was. Didac felt dejected, but his face was inscrutable, which was a requirement for a man of his position. Being a leader was difficult, especially at times like these when he had to do things that were out of his comfort zone.
The cavalcade stopped just before the marble steps leading to the throne and inclined their heads in reverence to Didac. Didac stood up and gestured for Oscar to come up the stairs. Didac took his hand and placed a golden ring with a red crystal on his finger.
“I present to you the new Governor of Temprança.” Didac raised his hand as his voice vibrated in the silent hall.
The crowd cheered and applauded at the top of their lungs. Didac palm closed and the people quieted.
“I, Oscar Agusti solemnly swear that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of the Governor to the best of my ability. I am grateful for your faith and confidence in me.”
“This is an insult to my birthright. The position should be mine; I am the eldest.” Abramo’s angry voice thundered over the applause.
The people muted when the sound reached their sensitive ears; they gasped, apparently stunned by the lack of respect exhibited by Abramo. In the old days, that meant instant execution, but Didac’s reputation as a merciful and fair leader was remarkable and unsurpassed.
Didac inhaled deeply to calm himself. His resignation in Abramo’s unaltered attitude was a hard pill to swallow. “You cannot escape the consequences of breaking the codes that we live by, Abramo. Your heir does not want the position. The people of Temprança were getting restless without a leader; we had to choose a successor.”
“It is my birthright.”
The peppery smell of Abramo had Didac’s guards alert. “You sold your birthright for greed.”
“The new governing system you have put in place is a direct threat to the planet. We have to preserve the old ways. Your father would turn over his grave.”
“If you claim to have known my father, you would know that this is what he intended for the planet before his death. He was a good man, and he gave no thought for his well-being except for his people. He looked aside while you transgressed over and over again because he was loyal to those he loved. He dreamt of a Constel·lació without dictators. The people joined and supported this because they dreamt of a better Constel·lació too. Change is a state of life; you have to embrace it.”
Destiny
bless Aleix's soul. His people, though immortal were capable of being killed if the right methods were implemented. Didac’s father’s death was untimely at the hands of the Kuipian Emperor who was also history, killed by Didac own hands. His wish was not to have any more blood on his hands, but the adopted uncle before him aggravated it.
Abramo was stubborn. “Your father and I fought for this planet. You wouldn’t be king right now if it weren’t for me. I deserve better treatment than this.”
“Silence! “ Didac’s shout bellowed in the hushed hall.” You want to stay here as a citizen of Constel·lació, great, but I am the King, these are my people and my rules.”
“And if someone had to break those rules.” Abramo negated.
Everyone in the room flinched. Rumors of Didac’s physical prowess were prevalent in Constel·lació. A few people claimed to have had the privilege to witness the King in action.
“They die.” Didac did not believe in execution. It had little effect overall on the offenses committed. Abramo was conscious of the empty threat. ”Because I have a forgiving heart. I will let you go.”
The people exhaled.
“Mercy is for the weak.” Abramo stubbornness had Didac out of his seat faster than lightning. A kick to his chest had Abramo sprawling from the throne to the door of the hall meters away.
“No, it is not. One has to be strong to grant people like you mercy. Don’t mistake it for a weakness. Even my tolerance has its limits. Now get out of my sight before I lose the propensity to grant it.”
The people's respect and love for their King intensified.
Abramo’s sense of entitlement irritated Didac. It had been hard for him to demote the man he had known as an uncle most of his life and come to terms with his flaws. Didac was a descendant of the Royal House, the very pinnacle of the noble caste, but whatever decisions were concluded regarding anything to do with the planet had to be approved by the council. As a former member, Abramo was aware of that.” If it had been another male, I wouldn’t have beseeched the council to allow them to retain their wealth after their relegation.”
Abramo stood up and raised his chin and pushed back his shoulders and glared at Didac, his body language an explicit sign of a challenge. A lesser man would have scurried away. Abramo was an imposing male.
Didac’s lips turned in a half smile and half disgust. ”Are you challenging me?”
Abramo was not a stupid man. Didac was his father’s son, slow to anger but deadly. The calm demeanor in which he had executed his last statement did not fool him. He lowered his head in submission and stormed out of the hall and made sure to bang the door behind him only to come face to face with Agostino who was patrolling the sizeable corridor.
“How could you stand by and watch your legacy being stripped away from you.”
Agostino was wary of his father’s antics. Abramo was a genius, but Agostino’s experiences with him branded him a monster. “I do not want anything to do with your legacy.”
“Are you turning down the opportunity to be the most powerful man in the world?”
Agostino’s jaw clenched. His dad had treated him poorly ever since he had been a baby. It was like he was never good enough for him. He would bait him, even as a small kid, he would beat him and then say 'come on, hit me, stand up and be a man' and he would try to hit back and he'd beat him twice as hard. He used to kick or punch him if he didn't do what he was told. So he learned to go along with whatever he said and to keep out of his way.
The worst thing was that Agusti's mom never told his dad off for the way he treated him. She would just yell at him 'don't get him mad, it's your fault you should do what he says.' She never defended him from his dad; she acted like he deserved everything he got. He had started to believe that everything was his fault.
His life had changed for the better when he had joined the Special Forces Unit.
It was a bitter moment for Agusti. The moment when he realized that the only person he could spill his guts to was the person he hated the most in life.
"I am not turning down the opportunity, dad, I am turning down you, do you understand me? Ever since I was born everything I cared about is gone.
Ruined
. You don’t care about anybody else besides yourself. “
“Come on son; you have done things just as bad.”
“Because I was a kid, you forced me. And don’t you ever call me your son, if killing you would have changed it, I would have killed you long ago. “
Abramo momentary quietude silence perturbed Agostino. His father only noticed when he was lucid instead of manically obsessing over some insane paranoid delusion. Abramo’s soft paranoiac voice thundered in his ears.” Don’t look at me like that. Everybody who goes into law enforcement has this air of superiority; it seeps out of your every pore. Don’t judge me. We are not so different you and I because the games we play make us feel so powerful.”
“I don’t play games; I leave that to you.” Agostino’s voice dripped with detests. “You and I are nothing alike. This look on my face is a look of contempt because you disgust me.”
“Son, we need to stick together as a family and restore our reputation.”
“I hate you so much; my hatred for you runs so deep that it is sometimes so difficult to pinpoint its origins. Maybe I hate that I am the product of a monster.”
Abramo slapped Agostino hard, his face twisted to the side. ”Watch your mouth; you do well to remember I am still your father.”
Agostino quiet hysterical laughter surprised his father.” All of your scheming, all the enemies you have made in all the days of your miserable life, what did you expect? That we will live together as a family.” He wiped the tear that rolled from the corner of his eyes with a finger. ”You broke me, father. You watched the woman I had a social alliance with, choke to death. You could have saved her, but you did nothing.” The discovery had been bone-shaking. In all the centuries he had lived, Anna was the closest thing that had come to being a mate for him.
Abramo’s smile was sinister.
Yes, that bitch had to die, she knew too much
. She had manipulated his son with sex and blackmailed Abramo that she was going to expose him. He hadn’t gone to see her to kill her; he had wanted to talk. She was lying in her bed sick and was throwing up. His first initial reaction had been to save her, then the realization that letting her die would solve his problem came to mind, he just let her choke.” She was no good for you son. “
“Even though she was not my mate, I loved her.”
“It doesn’t matter. She was a whore.”
“It’s because you didn’t give her a choice,” Agusti spoke again quickly because it was useless to reason with a narcissist like his father.
“Your father does not give up on anything.” Agusti’s mother soft voice sounded behind him.
Agusti hated his mother with the same passion he hated his father. They were a sorry excuse for parents. His mother like his father had taken out his rage on him. She would smack him so hard that he would go flying a foot or two. The beating felt like attempted murder disguised as discipline. She always played like he was mentally challenged.
“You would know, wouldn’t you? You are just as sick as he is.”
“Now Agusti, that is not a way to speak to your mother.” Annora was a devil in disguise. She had everybody fooled with her cute blushes and a soft voice, but Agostino knew better. Her monstrous heart ran as deep as his father's. What kind of mother spit in their son’s face? When he refused to cry, she would hit him in the mouth hard, causing splits and a swollen mouth.
“You are dead to me. The only reason why I have never reported you to Didac is because you are my blood. This is your final chance. I am giving you an opportunity to start over.” Agostino moved his eyes slightly between his father and mother. ”An opportunity to redeem yourselves and I will not report you to Didac.”