SWNOVELS Chapter 37: Complaints
We haven't spoken much since he rejected my advances, my ego being much too bruised to hold any sort of conversation with him. A part of me is grateful he didn't take me up on my offer, but another part feels offended that he didn't.
Despite the anger and the overwhelming betrayal I feel, I can't seem to stop myself from wanting him.
"What are you and your human going to do today?" Heloix asks, picking up my plate and setting it in the sink.
I hold back a sigh at his word choice.
"His name is John, and he isn't mine. He's his own person." I retort. "And he's busy all day, so I'm going to hang out here by myself."
Heloix hums quietly, dishes clanking as he sets his plate in the sink alongside mine. He got up early today and made us some eggs and toast for breakfast, insisting that I eat before going about my day. The thought of him doing something so kind for me has my cheeks heating up.
I shake my head to rid myself of the softness I feel for him. He owns hundreds of humans and is allowing his kind to hurt mine. I can't just give in to him because he does one nice thing for me.
"Do you want to come to work with me?" He asks, turning slightly to peek at me out of the corner of his eye.
My eyebrow furrows at his question, surprised by the offer. Other than the short period of time when we shared an office, he has never offered me to join him while he works.
"Well?" Heloix urges, turning completely to face me. "My people are coming into the castle today to share their grievances. It doesn't happen very often but I think you'd like it. It's full of drama."
I try to hide my interest in his words. I do long drama, and it could be helpful to know if there are any complaints around the new human regulations Heloix has put into place. Meeting his gaze, I hold back a smile at his excited expression.
Shyly I nod. "Okay, I'll come."
Heloix claps his hands together at my answer, a large smile spreading over his face. His excitement to have me join brings heat to my face, my mind flattered by his interest.
"Let's get you in something nice." He murmurs, eyes trailing down my body.
I frown at his words, head dropping to look at myself. I'm not wearing one of my best dresses, but it's one that Heloix got me so I know it's in style. As I inspect myself, Heloix takes the opportunity to move past me towards my bedroom, earning a quiet sigh from me as I follow after him.
He doesn't hesitate to push open my door and head inside, immediately walking over to my closet. I lean against the doorframe as I watch him, my gaze following his long fingers as he brushes them against all my dresses.
I know what those fingers feel like inside of me. He coughs as I think this, his head tilting to the side as he exaggeratedly sniffs the air. Crossing my legs over one another, I turn my head to the side and avoid his gaze. He chuckles but says nothing about my arousal as he focuses back on my closet and pulls out a dress.
I recognize it immediately to be the red one that I tried on for Heloix before, and the sight of it brings up several memories that make my cheeks heat up.
"Yes, this one!" Heloix mutters to himself, eyes darting between me and the dress. "You need a bra for it."
Without warning, he turns and walks over to my dresser, his intention to look for a bra clear. Panic rises within me at his actions, and I dart to move in front of the dresser, wanting to stop his efforts before he can go searching around in them.
Betty put some new ones away for me a couple of days ago, no doubt at Heloix's command, but I didn't intend for him ever actually to go through my drawers. My hands move to cover the dresser drawer he reaches for but Heloix is too fast, his hands darting forward to pull it open and expose the contents inside.
He freezes as he takes in the objects, and I shove his hands aside and slam the drawer shut.
"I don't know how those got there." I lie, unsure how else to explain the hoard of his dirty shirts I have been snatching from his laundry basket and hiding in here.
Ignoring me, he reaches back out and opens the drawer once more, easily overpowering my attempts to keep it shut. My hands start to clam up as he carefully grabs the one on top, lifting it slowly and bringing it up to his nose, inhaling deeply.
"You've been wearing them." He comments, eyes flashing as his Beast takes in the news.
I don't bother denying the accusation, knowing that there is no point. Instead, I drop my head to my feet, humiliated that he has found out about my secret. I don't know why I've been doing it, and each time I grab another I tell myself that it will be the last one, yet each day when Heloix leaves for work I find myself sneaking into his room and grabbing the shirt he wore the day before. At first I was just sniffing them in shame, comforted by his smell, but at some point I started wearing them too, going about my mornings in just his t-shirt before Betty shows up.
"Why are you so embarrassed?" Heloix asks, ducking so he's eye level with me. "I like that you took them."
I refuse to meet his eye, opting instead to look at my feet like they are the most exciting objects in the world. He stares at me for a moment longer before straightening back up and placing the shirt back into its original spot. Without another word, Heloix closes the drawer and opens the one next to it, his chubby fingers digging around for a suitable bra.
It doesn't take long before he's pulling out a strapless red one and holding it out for me to take. I'm quick to snatch it out of his hands, feeling frustrated that he's picking out all my clothing for me.
"I'll wait outside for you to get changed." Heloix states. I'm grateful that he isn't commenting further on me stealing his clothing, and nod shyly.
Silently he turns and sets the dress on my bed before leaving the room, the door closing behind him with a quiet click. I don't waste any time changing out of my clothing and slipping on the tight dress. The bra takes me a moment to figure out and is quite uncomfortable, but it does an excellent job of keeping me covered.
I stare at myself in the mirror to double-check my appearance, hands fiddling with my hair and smoothing down the front of my dress as I try to work up the courage to leave my room. Heloix is the only person who has seen me in such nice clothing and I worry about the rumors that will spread when the other humans see me in such an extravagant dress. I especially worry about what Heloix's people will think of me, as they will undoubtedly be curious as to why a human woman is accompanying him.
Leaning forward, I start inspecting my skin, frowning at the minor blemishes that mar my face. As I move in to pick at one a loud knock sounds at the door, and Heloix yells my name through the wood.
"You okay in there?" He questions.
I nod before realizing that he can't see me.
"Yes, coming out now."
With one last glance at my body, I turn away from the mirror and leave my room. Heloix stands just outside the door, his head nodding as he takes in my appearance. I remain still under his scrutiny, eager to see his reaction.
To my disappointment he gives me only a tight smile, his hand moving to the small of my back as he guides me out of our wing.
"There are a couple of options for you to choose from when we get to the throne room." He says, hand moving up to cup the nape of my neck. "And I fear you aren't going to love any of them."
I halt my walking, turning to look at him questioningly. "What are they?"
"Well, it's about where you will sit."
"Where I'll sit?"
"There will be two thrones in the room, one for me and one for my mate. Unfortunately, you can't sit there until I have publicly claimed you." He says, fingertips brushing across my face in an attempt to soften the blow of his words. "So you can either sit on the floor by my feet, which will make people think you're my whore, or you can sit in my lap, which will make them think you're my whore that I have feelings for. Alternatively, you may stand along the wall with the other humans."
Heloix pauses, tongue running over his teeth as he searches for the right words. "Most of my people already know of you, so to stand with the humans will make them think that you mean so little that I don't even allow you to sit by me."
I'm filled with disappointment as I hear the options, my original excitement to accompany him fading into anxiety. None of these options sound appealing, and I wonder why he even bothered to invite me in the first place.
"What do you want me to do?" I ask, curious to hear his answer.
Heloix shrugs slightly in response, his cheeks reddening as he looks at me. It's the first time I've ever seen him blush and I force my face to remain still, not wanting to show my surprise at his reaction.
"If the decision is mine my Beast will force me to put you on the throne. You have to choose." Heloix murmurs, bringing his bottom lip between his teeth and biting gently on the soft skin.
I've never seen such a human reaction out of him before, and it helps to soothe some of the anger I feel towards him for making me choose between such shitty options. I debate each one for a moment, but none stand out as being better than the others.
"I'll stand with the humans." I eventually answer, figuring that it will at least preserve the respect the humans have for me.
Heloix nods before leaning down quickly to kiss me, his lips pressing against mine for just a moment before he pulls back and stands up straight. The action surprises me, but as I take in his darkened eyes I realize that it was his Beast that forced the response out of him.
Without another word he turns and starts walking, his pace slow enough that I can comfortably keep up. I've never been to his throne room before, the area typically off-limits to all but the select few servants who clean it regularly.
As we reach it I'm not at all surprised at the grandness of the space. It's larger than I expected, and is already jam-packed with Beasts. They turn to stare at us as we enter, and I hesitantly slow down so I can fall back behind Heloix, not wanting to offend anybody by walking alongside him.
Heloix enters the room with grace, his pace picking to its natural speed as he walks over to his throne. There are two that sit at the head of the room, both huge and regal. I can't help but stare at Heloix as he sits himself down in the seat on the right, his eyes immediately falling to me as I shuffle over to stand along the wall with the other humans.
The room eventually comes to life with hushed whispers as the Beasts get back to their conversations, their eyes flashing to me as they laugh amongst themselves. Their dislike towards me is pretty outwardly expressed, and I can tell that their laughs are at my expense, but I pretend not to notice, eyes facing straight ahead at the wall opposite me.
Slowly the attention shifts away and I take the opportunity to look around. A couple of humans walk around with trays of food, their steps slow and timid as they weave throughout the Beasts.
To my left a particularly large group breaks up, the Beasts heading in separate directions as they move on to other conversations. My muscles tense up as I recognize Jade among them, her long blonde hair styled into loose curls, bouncing slightly as she moves. Dropping my gaze lower, I shift uncomfortably as I take in her outfit, a skintight dress that is just transparent enough to leave absolutely nothing to the imagination.
She makes her way over to Heloix with a wide grin, and I turn to look at him, catching his eye just as he turns to greet her. My eyes narrow as I take in their interaction, jealously flaring to life inside of me. I resist the urge to reach up and touch the thin scar on my neck, my hands instead clenching into tight fists by my side.
Heloix doesn't seem particularly happy to be talking to her either, his face blank as he nods slightly in response to her words. I wish to hear what she is saying but they are too far away, leaving me to guess based on body language alone.
Abruptly she throws her head back laughing, her hand moving to grab Heloix's forearm in the process. His eyes immediately turn to me, nodding slightly in my direction before he focuses once more on her. I expect him to push her away, but instead he stays still, allowing her to continue touching him.
Shifting slightly between my feet, I can feel my face and chest begin to heat up in anger as I watch them. Heloix doesn't look at me again, despite my blatant staring, which only further aggravates me.
It's not until he gives her a wide smile that my legs begin moving, my body forcing me forward despite my mind screaming at me to stop. My pace is quick as I walk towards them, loud footsteps that alert the Beasts of my presence. By the time I have made it only halfway across the room the volume has gone down, everybody turning to watch me.
Heloix turns to look at me with a small smile, his head moving slowly as he finally gives me his attention. I'm livid that he chose to forget and ignore me the second Jade touched him, all his assurances that he isn't going to make me live like Jo coming to my mind and making me doubt his words.
Jade watches me through narrowed eyes as I approach, her hand visibly tightening on Heloix's arm. I watch the motion angrily, only slightly satisfied when Heloix reaches over and brushes it aside.
Knowing already that this is a stupid move, I bump my shoulder against hers as I pass, ignoring the pain that shoots down my arm as I turn and sit myself down in Heloix's lap. His arms immediately wrap around my stomach while his chin moves forward to rest on the top of my head.
"Took you long enough to come over." He murmurs quietly, voice rising as he addresses the crowd. "Let's get started."