SWNOVELS Chapter 24: Aftermath
My jaw aches from how hard I'm clenching it, the muscle clamped painfully as I try to focus on anything other than my pain. After what seems like hours, but is probably only a couple of minutes, I feel it finally start to fade, the pressure present but no longer so intense.
I can barely make out the sounds of movement around me, feet shuffling along the floor and quiet clinks as objects are moved. I try to open my eyes to get my bearings, wanting to know where I am and who is around me, but my lids don't cooperate. None of my limbs are cooperating, opting to remain still despite my many attempts to move them.
"You're making a huge mistake." A familiar voice calls out, tight and full of anger. I try to make out who it belongs to but can't seem to put a finger on it.
There's silence for a brief moment before another speaks. "I don't give a fuck."
"What will the people think?" The first voice speaks up again.
A quiet growl reverberates throughout the room, silence following as the two cease their movements. I try once more to open my eyes, beginning to panic as I realize that I'm trapped within my body.
"Again, don't give a fuck."
There's a loud sigh before something to my left clatters. It sounds almost like a heavy object being slammed down onto a counter but it's hard to tell. More footsteps echo through the room, sounding hurried, before a door slams shut.
"Heloix, stop and think about this for a minute. You don't want to make any rash decisions." The man urges, a slight tinge of desperation in his tone.
Heloix? I try again to open my eyes, eager to know if he is in the room. Despite his apparent plan to turn me into some slave, I know he doesn't want harm to come to me. If he's here then the other Beasts won't be able to get me.
My mind is quite hazy, but I clearly remember the guard forcing his way into my room and attacking John and me.
The feeling of his hand around my throat and the murderous look in his eye are ones I know I'll never forget. I don't remember anything after he struck me in the face, my mind having been quite jumbled from the force, but I can only imagine it wasn't good. Nothing good ever happens when the Beasts are involved.
Worry rushes through me as I think of John, remembering how he struggled to breathe after the Beast released him. I desperately hope that he was able to escape my room and make it back to the servant's quarters before Heloix showed up. It was a mistake bringing him to my room in the first place.
"Quiet. Adeline's awake." Heloix says, sounding much closer than before.
Seconds later, I feel my hair being pushed out of my face and warm fingers brushing lightly against my forehead. The touch is comforting, but is quickly removed as the sound of another clearing their throat echoes throughout the room.
"Relax, Adeline. You and your-"Heloix pauses, clicking his tongue quietly in annoyance. "friend are safe."
His words calm me only slightly, bringing me comfort for a moment before I begin to attempt once more to open my eyes and get my bearings. I want to know what happened and who else is in this room with me.
The lack of control I have right now has me in a panic, the feeling of being so weak and exposed unsettling.
A hand is suddenly placed on my shoulder, large fingers curling around the muscle and pressing me into the mattress. I know that it's probably Heloix touching me but I still try to jerk away in fear.
"Adeline, you need to calm down. I was able to heal your face and neck, but I can't give you any more blood and you still have a lot of trauma your body needs to heal from." Heloix whispers into my ear, his thumb rubbing gently against my collarbone.
Ignoring his words, I continue to try and move, my body screaming in pain at the effort. I'm too exposed like this, unable to protect myself against an attack. Most humans have been through much worse and I'll be damned if I act like a damsel in distress over one punch.
A loud growl rips throughout the room, and Heloix's grip on me tightens. "Goddammit, Adeline. You're going to hurt yourself."
"Do you want me to bring in her human friend?" The other person in the room asks, the question making me momentarily cease my struggling.
Are they talking about John? The image of him hunched over on the ground, face red as he struggles to fill his body with oxygen rushes through my mind at the mention of him. Heloix said that he would castrate John the next time he entered my room and I wouldn't put it past him to do just that despite his earlier statement that John is safe.
Heloix sighs, his hand leaving my body as he begins speaking too quietly for me to hear. I'm frustrated by the secretive conversation, but no amount of straining to listen seems to be doing the trick. I know that they are talking about John, and am desperate to know what they are saying about him.
I fear footsteps moving around the room before a door is slammed shut, the loud bang signaling that I am in a space reserved for the Beasts. Only they are permitted to have the heavy doors, the weight of them serving as a way to keep humans and weaker beings out.
I strain my ears to find any sounds within the room, internally cheering as I'm able to faintly make out heavy breathing to my right. Listening carefully, I hear a slight shuffling as the person moves closer to me. In an ideal world I would be alone right now but, knowing that that's not an option, I hope that it's Heloix and not another Beast lingering near me.
"Axis is going to get your human." Heloix murmurs, his voice void of the hatred it usually conveys whenever he speaks about John. "I do not like him, but he protected you so I will not harm him."
I hear him take a deep inhale, his hand sliding from my shoulder to my jawline before gently massaging the muscle below my ear. It feels pretty nice, and my body relaxes slightly at his touch. I'm not too fond of how my body reacts to his, but I blame it on the blood he forces me to continue ingesting.
"I have had us both moved to my private wing. You'll be safe here." He speaks up after a moment of silence.
His words surprise me, making me desperate for further clarification. I was under the impression that his private wing was left empty, only to be occupied once the King has found his mate. Is this what the Second was talking about earlier?
I don't imagine that the King's people will appreciate this, nor will his future mate.
It feels silly even to think, but I wonder if I may be the King's mate. It's uncommon, but there are tales of a Beast choosing a human over another Beast. It would explain why Heloix has been so patient with me.
Although from what I've heard and seen over the years, a mate is sacred. There's no way that Heloix would allow me to remain a slave and be treated so poorly if I was. It would go against everything that the Beasts believe in.
If I'm not his mate, though, then I will no doubt be killed for having shared this space with him. When he finds her, she will undoubtedly call for my head, ordering me to be murdered like Gwen and the others. If I weren't so numbed inside my own body, I would argue with him to put me back in my room.
We can pretend that his slip-up never happened.
The door opening draws my attention once more. Heloix's hand withdraws from my face at the noise, his warmth remaining by my side though as some quiet shuffling rings out followed by a loud squeak as somebody stumbles and their shoe drags against the floor.
There's a gasp, followed immediately by John shouting my name. His loud voice intensifies the pounding in my skull, and I wince at the pain it brings on.
"Quiet, human! She is recovering." Heloix snarls, wasting no time in scolding John for his volume.
While I don't like the way he talks to John, I appreciate it being noted that he needs to be quiet. There's more shuffling before I feel a light pressure on my knee, the hand swiftly removed as a threatening growl emerges from Heloix's throat.
"Don't touch her." He commands.
"Sorry." John mumbles quietly. I wish to see him and evaluate his safety for myself, but for now I have to hope that Heloix is not lying to me.
John clears his throat after a moment of tense silence, the noise followed up with a wet sniffle. If I could speak, I'd tell him that I'm okay and that there's no reason to cry, but instead I lay silent, unable to bring him any comfort.
"I'm so glad you're okay." He eventually whispers, voice quivering slightly.
Nothing but silence follows, and I fight to open my mouth and speak to him despite the pain it brings. Heloix's hand returns to my jaw, his large fingers digging into the muscle as he begins to massage it. The relief it brings is enough to cease my struggling, my body relaxing into the bed as he helps to alleviate some of my pain.
His actions are surprising to say the least, his genuine care for me no doubt frowned upon by all who are present in the room.
"Stop trying to speak." Heloix murmurs into my ear, breath tickling the skin.
His hand slides from my jaw to my forehead as he pushes back my hair and tucks it behind my ear.
"She cannot speak, but she can hear you." He communicates for me.
"Oh," John mutters, sounding surprised. "Well, Adeline, I'm so glad to see you. You were in such bad shape when the Ki-"
The King abruptly clears his throat, cutting off John mid-sentence.
"Leave." He orders.
"Sir, I-"
"Leave." Heloix repeats once more, words muffled by what I'm assuming are his extended canines.
The tumulus emotions that I've been experiencing drain my small energy reserve as I listen to John get up and shuffle around the room. I wish to speak to him and see his health for myself, but as Heloix continues to rub my pained muscles I find myself not trying very hard to do so.
"Why bring him here if you were just going to kick him out?" The Second asks, chuckling to himself.
It's a question I'd like the answer to as well, and I strain my ears to listen to Heloix's response. I don't hear anything for a moment, making me wonder if he is speaking quietly so I cannot hear again.
"And I doubt she would have calmed down until she knew that the human was alive." I hear Heloix finish up, confirming that he was purposely hiding his earlier explanation from me.
His secretiveness is confusing, and I wonder what happened that he doesn't want me to know about. I make a mental note to ask him about it when I'm able to communicate, not liking that something is being kept from me.
I try to follow what they are saying as sleepiness overcomes me, slowly but surely turning their words into a jumbled mess as my mind fades to black.
——-
A loud bang jolts me awake, my eyes slowly opening despite the heaviness behind them. It takes a second for my vision to focus, large colorful blobs slowly transforming into a man and a chair.
Heloix sits slumped over in the small recliner, his head thrown back and mouth wide open as he sleeps. His large frame looks comical squeezed into the tiny seat, and I wonder why he didn't just go to his bed to rest.
I slowly turn my head to scan the room, searching for the source of the large bang, frustrated as I come up empty-handed. As I look around, I find myself distracted by the grandness of the room. A sizeable wooden dresser sits immediately to my left, my rocks placed neatly on top, and next to the dresser is a matching vanity topped with all my perfumes and lotions.
As I continue to look around, I spot a large seating area in front of the bed I lay on, a grey couch sitting in the middle with matching chairs on either side. They all face a beautiful brick fireplace, and I can't help but wonder what it would be like to curl up in front of it.
"Adeline?" Heloix questions, capturing my attention.
He sits up quickly, his long limbs easily pushing him onto his feet as he strides over to me. His eyes flash as he approaches, and I hesitantly watch as they finally settle on their natural color.
"How are you feeling?"
I stare at him blankly, pushing my arms against the mattress in an attempt to sit up. My body moves less than an inch before I collapse, but Heloix recognizes my struggle and grabs me gently by my sides before lifting and pushing me back against the headboard.
"You've been asleep for almost an entire day now." He says, worry evident in his tone.
I open my mouth to respond, wincing slightly at the soreness of my jaw. It takes a couple of tries before the muscle loosens enough for me to speak, but Heloix remains patient as he waits for me to work it loose.
"What happened?" I ask, holding back a grimace at the burn of my dry throat.
Heloix sits down on the edge of the bed, avoiding eye contact. I can tell he doesn't want to give me my answers, but I'm not going to rest until I have them.
"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" He eventually asks, avoiding my questions altogether.
I frown, not wanting to play these games with him today. "No to both. What happened?"
Heloix sighs, running his hand through his hair to push back the curls. A sudden wave of anger rushes through my body, shocking me at the intensity of it.
"Fuck you." I spit out, overcome with the need to vent my rage.
Heloix looks up at me, shocked, the anger quickly fading. My cheeks redden as my emotions settle, embarrassed at my uncontrolled outburst. It's unlike me to act so brashly, and I wonder if the knock to my head has affected my impulse control in any way.
"I'm sorry, Sir." I drop my head in submission as I apologize, eager to show Heloix that I mean no disrespect.
I continue to stare at the sheets in front of me as I wait for permission to look up. Instead of giving it, Heloix reaches out and grabs my chin before tilting my head upwards. He looks at me carefully, scanning my face with a frown.
"That's not ideal." He murmurs to himself, dropping my chin as he takes a step back.
"What isn't?" I can't help but ask, eager to know what he's thinking.
"Nothing. Go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake."