The Consort

I watch Heloix come to a halt in the middle of the corridor, his head tilting towards as his hand reaches out to graze the brick wall. Copying his movements, I look upwards, eyes tracing the designs that cover the entire ceiling.

"I lived here for a summer when I was younger." He murmurs.

It's hard to tell whether he's speaking to himself or me, but I hum quietly either way, distracted by the beauty of the vaulted ceilings.

It's breathtaking, with intricate etches carved into the wood to create abstract circular shapes that span down the entire hallway. If it weren't for Heloix's interest I likely never would have noticed, and I wonder if the ceilings back home have the same design.

"This castle was built back when humans still ruled the planet." Heloix comments, dropping his head back down and focusing on where his hand touches the wall.

I watch in confusion as he brings up his other hand and begins poking around with them both, seemingly searching for something within the bricks as his long fingers prod at the cracks.

While he works, I bring my attention back to the ceiling, imagining what it was like when the humans built this place. It's no secret that most of the homes and technology that the Beasts use originated with us, but it's always surprising to hear it confirmed. Unfortunately, the Beasts often choose not to give us any credit.

Over the years, they've successfully managed to remove most of human history from our knowledge, the only truths we know now having been passed down from the older generations.

The sound of scraping rock as me focusing in once more on Heloix, my eyes widening as I watch him pull one of the bricks out from the wall. I open my mouth to ask what he's doing but quickly close it, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to his actions.

The brick slides out quietly, and Heloix sticks his hand in the newly created hole with no hesitation, the appendage disappearing to the wrist as he searches for something inside. I nervously glance around, making sure that nobody is in the corridor to see his actions.

I suppose that answers why Heloix dismissed his guards earlier.

As quickly as he put his hand in the hole he pulls it out, hand tightly fisted around a small object. I try to spot what he has removed from the socket but Heloix moves too fast for me to catch it, shoving it immediately into his pocket.

"What's that?" I inquire, tilting my head to the side in question.

Heloix doesn't immediately respond, too busy sticking the brick back into place before somebody comes walking around the corner. His secretive actions have me a bit worried, and knowing that he's probably doing something that he shouldn't, I decide not to push for an answer.

"Let's go." He murmurs, turning and glancing down the hall before continuing our journey as if this brief pause never happened. I wish for him to say more but a couple of servants come walking around the corner just as I go to ask, effectively killing any chance I had to get more words out of him.

The servants pause as they see Heloix standing in the hallway, visibly wary of his intentions, before moving to walk along the edge of the corridor. Heloix doesn't seem to notice or care, as he turns abruptly on his heel and returns to his quick walking, leaving me with no choice but to scramble behind.

Despite my unfamiliarity with the castle, I recognize that we are heading back to the room we are staying in, the corridor long and narrow with large, unique paintings hung up along the wall. The guards can be heard from inside their rooms as we pass, loud shouts coming out through the wood as they take pleasure in their free time.

My eyes roll slightly as I listen to them. It must be nice to have free time and enjoy the company of one another without the threat of death. Jealousy courses through me as one particularly boisterous laugh comes barreling out into the quiet hallway, the sound loud to even my ears.

If the humans dared to be this noisy they would immediately be silenced, the biggest offenders probably losing their tongues as punishment.

Anger begins to fill me as I watch Heloix's back, years of mistreatment bubbling up my mind and bringing me to a boiling point. My entire life has been written for me, my role as a servant decided the moment I was born.

It made things simple, but since meeting Heloix he has done nothing but turn that upside down. He treats me differently and now finds it appropriate to drag me to new kingdoms with no rhyme or reason.

My jaw clenches as I think about how he likes to pretend to care for my well-being yet murders my own kind without so much as batting an eye.

I remain silent the entire journey despite my mind racing with a thousand questions ranging from why we are here to what his issue is with me. Spotting our door up ahead, I speed up my pace, legs pushing forward in a punishing rhythm in an attempt to beat him to the room. Heloix still manages to get there before me, his fat palm pressing open the door with ease.

I hurry in immediately behind him, eager to get some answers.

The door slams shut behind me with a loud bang, and immediately I run around Heloix's body in an attempt to stop him. Looking up at him with a scowl, I cross my arms over my chest as I block his entry into the rest of the room.

"Why are we here?" I probe, widening my stance.

I may have had my doubts on our journey here, but after the conversation I had with Jo I am beginning to feel confident that there are big things he isn't telling me.

Heloix ignores my question with the shake of his head before attempting to walk around me. I remain still, despite my slight fear, legs planted firmly into the ground to block his path.

"Why are we here?" I repeat.

Heloix lets out a grunt at my words, hands coming to grip me by the shoulders before lifting me entirely off the ground and moving me out of the way. I kick my feet out at him as they hover in the air, satisfied as my toe makes contact with his shin.

Instead of dropping me as I intended, Heloix lifts me higher into the air, his fingers digging almost painfully into my biceps.

He raises me until I am at eye level with him, ignoring my feet that hang limply from my body. At this proximity, I notice his eyes flickering and mouth pursing as his Beast fights to take control. Under normal circumstances I would back down and blabber out some apologies, but everything in my body screams at me to fight and demand answers for his treatment.

A loud shriek falls from my mouth as he continues to lift me, my feet kicking out once more in an attempt to hurt him. I miss by a good couple of inches, grunting as Heloix extends his arms so I am a solid distance away from his body and unable to reach him with my limbs.

"Put me down!"

"No."

"Put me down, Heloix!"

His hands abruptly release me at my words, his lip twitching as I drop to the floor. Holding back a wince as my feet slam against the hard surface, I stumble slightly before regaining my balance and returning to my original stance.

"You don't get to make commands of me." Heloix grumbles, and I resist the kick him once more.

My frustration with him is at an all-time high, and I take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself down before continuing. I expect him to walk away from me or punish me for my behavior, but instead he remains still, eyes hard as he watches my attempt to calm down.

"I deserve to know what you're doing with me." I try again, hoping this approach will lead to better results.

Heloix does nothing in response to my question, instead staring at me blankly and forcing my blood pressure to rise as anger.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Heloix?" I shout, tears welling in my eyes as I step forward and push at his chest, all the emotions I've been holding in for the past months coming tumbling out.

He doesn't so much as flinch at my shove, bringing attention to my evident weakness and only serving to further fuel my anger. Bringing my hands up once more, I move to push him again but he snatches my wrists before I'm able to make contact and holds them both firmly in his right hand.

A loud cry falls from my mouth at his actions, the tears that I've been trying my best to hold back spilling over and blurring my vision.

"You're not stupid, Adeline." Heloix responds, dropping my hands and reaching up to push back his curls. "You know the answers to your questions."

His words make me pause, roughly wiping at my face as I stare up at him. "What?"

Heloix sighs, reaching forward to cup my head with a gentle grip before running his thumbs over my eyebrows. I move to jerk my head away from his touch but he holds my head steady, preventing me from doing so.

"I protect you. I've shared my blood with you. You're living in the wing reserved for my mate. I've disposed of all of the women I've ever been with. I've given you many pieces of myself that I've saved specifically for my mate." Heloix's hands lower a couple of inches to my cheeks, rough palms rubbing softly against my skin. "What do you think we are, Adeline?"

I attempt to turn my head away but Heloix keeps it firmly in place, forcing me to look at him. He holds onto my head patiently, waiting for me to compose myself as I take a couple of shaky breaths, mind reeling as I take in his words. Nothing he said is news to me, but hearing him spell everything out so bluntly has me feeling overwhelmed, unable to ignore the truth I've been hiding from.

A stray tear falls from my eye, trailing down my cheek until it reaches the crevice of my nose. Heloix observes it with a frown, his thumb moving to swipe it away.

He lets out a quiet sigh as he watches me filter through my emotions, slowly taking small steps backward and moving us towards the couch. His hands remain firmly on my face the entire time, only disconnecting for a brief moment as he sits down on the cushion. Pulling me with him, his arms wrapping around my waist and holding me firmly against his chest. I bury my face in the hard muscle as he runs his fingers through my hair, the soothing motion helping to ease some of the anger still coursing through my veins.

"You already know you're my mate, Adeline."

Pulling away from him, I look up at his face with a frown, noting the small smile he holds. I can tell he expects me to be happy, to fall into his arms and weep, but I refuse to do so. Instead, I disconnect my body from his, standing back up and putting some much-needed distance between us.

Looking up at the ceiling, I press my fingers against my temples and lightly massage the muscle, wishing I never opened my mouth. Suspecting something and knowing something are two very different things, and this was something I think I would have rather suspected.

The knowledge that Heloix intends for me to live like Jo is crushing, my lungs constricting painfully in my chest the more I think about it. I need confirmation, though. I need to hear him say it, to admit his truth to me.

My body sags as I open my mouth, already knowing that I'm not going to like the answer to my question but needing to ask it anyway.

"Why are we here?"