Devotia Ch. 05: Envy

"My apologies, Lord Dein," Callie says quickly. "I believe I am being summoned by my counterpart," she nods towards Junivere, "If you'll excuse me."

"Of course," Lord Dein bows lightly, and Callie dismisses the faint undertone of annoyance in his voice, marching to face her fellow Devotia.

As Callie approaches, Junivere waves a lazy hand to dismiss the gathered nobles, blowing a kiss to the one she had blessed. She swears one of the nobles shoots her an impatient glance as she passes Callie.

"So good of you to join me, Callana," Junivere gestures for Callie to sit beside her, which she doesn't.

"How did you do that?" Callie demands, crossing her arms.

"You look lovely," she ignores. "I'm glad to see you clean up well. Sit with me," she gestures again.

Callie sighs, plopping down into a seat at Junivere's left. A sharp scowl sears onto her face as she glares at the mage.

"Remember that eyes are upon you," Junivere whispers. "Do be sure to smile."

Callie rolls her eyes, tucking her ankles together and leaning back into the chair. She couldn't care less about the crowd around her. Her mind felt consumed by questions, by jealousy, by envy... by Junivere herself. Within a day, her fellow Devotia had lodged herself deeply under Callie's skin and she felt an obsessive need to be better than her, to prove her wrong.

"Now, what was your question?" Junivere reclines further, arms behind her head. Callie flashes a frustrated glance at her, eyes asking if repeating the question was really necessary. "Don't be shy. You can ask me anything."

Callie stifles a sigh and pushes her words out, much to the chagrin of her pride. "How did you give out a blessing so easily?" She asks, voice strained and quiet.

Junivere smirks at her, shade shielding most of her body from the midday sun. She thinks for a moment, then shifts her head to face the entrance to the garden. "That Knight-Commander is really quite handsome, isn't he? He's so loyal, so devoted - like a puppy."

Callie's chests tightens and she represses her anger. Her fists clench, wishing they could crash into Junivere - but even if she could act on those feelings, she knew what the mage was capable of. Instead, she stands quickly, storming away from the smug look she was sure was pointed at her.

Hal Devotia summoned me.

She throws herself into conversations with a stubborn pride, quickly introducing herself and absent-mindedly engaging with the generous platitudes of nobility.

"It really is quite warm today," she agrees with Lady Hegra.

How was Junivere supposed to be helping her by being so... terrible?

"Oh no, the villa is far more extravagant than I could have ever dreamed. I come from a very humble background, indeed," Callie answers Lord Waverel.

It was a simple question. If I'm supposed to do this job well, I need to know how to give out blessings like that.

"Suul's wisdom must supercede our own on this matter, Lady Saldove, but I will be sure to enquire about your husbands' condition."

"Only two blessings?" She doesn't understand the pressure I'm under. How'd she feel if she had to run away because she was threaded?

"What about the Glass-smith's Guild? I'd imagine they could easily meet those standards, Sir Gohthe."

"You need me here, Callie." "You can't even talk about it, can you Callie?" "I'm so much prettier than you, Callie." "God, I'm insufferable, aren't I, Callie?"

"Hal Devotia, wonderful to greet you again," Lord Dein approaches, nearly an hour of small talk later. "I was so sorry that our previous conversation was cut so short."

"A tragedy indeed, Lord Dein," Callie shifts, trying to get a better view of Junivere surrounded by the gawking nobles. She swore that the Devotia was trying to get to her, refusing to even look back at Callie.

"I was wondering if I might bend your ear for a moment, hal Devotia, if it isn't too much trouble?"

Callie thinks back to Velena's guidance earlier today. She'd told Callie to be wary of Dein, especially whatever he might request from her. But Callie can only feel a sense of betrayal. Someone must have told Junivere about Calvin, and Callie is sure it had been Velena.

I'm the Devotia, she grumbles. I can make my own decisions.

"Please, Lord Dein, continue."

"Well, as you may recall, or have been informed from the Lord Magist-,"

Callie glares past him at Junivere, who waves a new figure to join her party. She struggles to see who the mage is calling, trying to avoid awkwardly staring.

"- has truly been a mess, though I am sure you can't tell from the state of this lovely property-,"

Callie's skin crawls as she sees Calvin approach the Devotia, bowing as he arrives.

"- Lady Pendele, my wife, as you may recall, requested that the arbiter-,"

Junivere extends her hand out to him, which he kisses softly. Callie swears she can see his lips ask, "How may I be of service, Hal Devotia?"

"- regardless, I don't mean to bore you with this whole tale, hal Devotia."

"Nonsense, Lord Dein, do continue."

Calvin stands behind the Devotia, removing his gauntlets to place his hands onto her shoulders. He massages them gently, though Junivere directs him to apply more pressure.

"-and so, with the parting of your predecessor, which was a sorry loss for us all-,"

Callie's skin burns and her chest shivers as she watches his fingers rub into her soft skin, twisting and kneading with great care. She can practically feel Calvin's palms pressuring into her own flesh, knowing that's where they belonged, almost as though she were now being massaged. Callie rolls her shoulders as inconspicuously as possible, aching for his touch. His hands drop to Junivere's upper arms, squeezing them tenderly and teasing out the sore spots.

"-our house would be most gracious if hal Devotia might honor us with a blessing to remedy this."

Junivere sits up slightly as Calvin finishes. He smiles, nodding again to her, and she reaches up to place a kiss on his cheek. Callie can feel her arms trembling as she takes a hasty sip of wine.

"What do you say, hal Devotia? Might this be possible?"

Junivere pulls Calvin to stand in front of her, guiding him to kneel down as the eyes around them focus upon her. Ribbons of light slowly cascade around his body as Junivere places a kiss upon his forehead, lips pressed against his skin and hands cupping his chin as her eyes dart upwards to meet Callie's horrified glare.

"Of course, Lord Dein," Callie snaps back to focus on the man in front of her. "I think we could absolutely arrange a blessing for your house," she clears her dry throat.

"Really? Hal Devotia your generosity is unmatched. When might we be summoned to-,"

"Now," she interrupts, refusing to stare at Junivere any longer. She nods, the inertia of decision welling up inside of her. "Your Devotia is feeling generous now."

"Now?" Lord Dein stares at her hungrily. "I should go ask my wife befor-,"

"Invite her to join us," Callie declares.

"Indeed?" Lord Dein practically licks his lips, waving his wife over to join them.

"Lady Pendele, our Devotia has generously offered to-,"

"Come with me," Callie stowes her glass with the nearest butler, grabbing Dein by the hand and marching into the villa. His hand grips hers nervously, aware of the scene that it must be causing, but Callie is beyond care.

"Truly, your charitable heart must be eager, indeed," Lady Pendele exhales quickly, trying to keep pace with Callie's brisk advance into the central atrium, "hal Devotia."

"Here," Callie says suddenly, pulling the two of them into a side hallway and closing the curtain behind them.

"Lord Dein, I must say, this is quite the rush to be inclu-," Lady Pendele begins, interrupted by Callie energetically pushing her back against the nearest wall, throwing herself into the kiss.

"Hal Devotia," Dein's voice practically drips with lust, hands fiddling with the buckles of his tight trousers.

Callie hardly listens, pressing her body into Lady Pendele and wondering if the middle-aged woman had ever kissed a girl before. The noblewoman's hands were practically bonded to the back of Callie's neck, bringing the Devotia's tongue deeper into her eager mouth.

What am I doin-, a voice inside her begins, clumsily interrupted by the feeling of Lord Dein's cock whipping against the back of her dress.

"This is exhilarating, hal Devotia, never in my wildest dreams could I have anticipated this," Dein says longingly, hands drifting down to the hem of her skirt, rubbing upwards against the back of her thighs.

Callie felt wild with the feeling of his hands gripping her ass at the same time as his wife's drifted towards her breasts. It was as though her consciousness was fading away into this feeling, replaced with the base hunger to fuck and be fucked. It was no longer a question of need or desire or generosity, this was simply what had to happen.

She moans into Pendele's mouth, cheek pressing into her button-nose, her dick harder than she'd care to admit. Callie wants to reach down and feel the woman, feel the sensation of taking control of her, feel the sensation of being inside of her, but Callie's arms are forced to remain steady against the wall as Dein's hips begin humping her ass. She grinds with him, throwing away all thoughts and cares of decency, of obligation.

It isn't until Dein's fingers reach under her dress, awkwardly searching for the edges of her panties that a sense of alarm crashes through Callie. She jumps forward, laying flat against a gasping Pendele, lifting her head to face Dein.

"What's wrong, hal-,"

"Wait!" Callie scrambles for words and tries to disguise the worry in her eyes. For a brief moment, she had forgotten what might happen if they knew she was threaded, and now it was far too late. There was a desperation inside of her, and as much as she hated admitting it, she didn't want to stop.

She takes a breath, passing it off as a quiet moan, and turns to Dein with as much charm as she can muster. "I want you to take me in the back, you understand?"

Dein's eyes widen, and Callie stifles a sigh as he turns to his wife and says, "You've never let me-,"

"My Lord!" Pendele guffaws, and Callie kisses her briefly to quiet her.

"Is it fine if I just put it in? Do I need anything to-,"

"Just spit on it," Pendele snaps impatiently. Her eyes return to focus on Callie, hungry for more of the Devotia's lips.

"Just don't touch the front, got it?" Callie warns Dein. "And panties stay on."

"How will I enter if they're sti-,"

"Just pull them to the side, Dein," Callie scowls, amazed Pendele was willing to put up with this.

"Very well," Dein spits into his hand a few times, rubbing it sloppily along his cock. "Here I go."

Callie grimaces slightly, fingers digging tightly into the wall as Dein's tip presses against her asshole. Tears form in the corners of her eyes as he thrusts forward slowly, but she pushes away the pain, directing her focus into shoving her tongue back into Pendele's mouth. Pendele kisses deeply, hands once again finding their way to Callie's breasts, which rock with each of Dein's thrusts.

Dein is hardly shy about expressing his pleasure, gasping loudly with each thrust as though he could finish at any moment. Callie heaves back and forth with him, feeling his dick just barely brush against a good spot, awkwardly shifting her hips to find it. Her breath lurches in her lungs, mostly tired, and sometimes delighted.

"About the blessing... hal Devotia," he speaks through grunting breaths, "will it be bestowed only when you-,"

"Oh shut it," Pendele snaps. "He never lasts long enough," she hisses to Callie, who doesn't even bother with a response. Her mind feels clouded, as though she was watching herself from beyond, hardly attached to her body at all. Distantly, she could feel pangs of concern, interspersed with tiny jolts of pleasure, but mostly she feels nothing.

She feels nothing as Pendele's lips slop against her neck. She feels nothing as Dein's hips slap against her ass. And she certainly feels nothing as he huffs and groans, aching to last just a little while longer.

But as the curtain flips open, her head twisting to meet the horrified shock in the hazel eyes of the Knight-Commander, Callie feels something.

Pain.