SWNOVELS Chapter 42: Quarrel
"You're burning them." He comments, hand returning to its position next to my head as he points a finger at the black edges.
Smacking away the limb once more, I let out an exasperated groan and rip the oven mitt off my hand before throwing it onto the floor in anger.
"Then you do it." I snap.
Heloix's thick arm wraps around my stomach and pulls me back against him, preventing my escape. I reach down and push his arm away, not in the mood for his antics. He has spent the past two days hinting that I make him some cookies, but the second I give in and start baking them he finds it appropriate to lecture me on all the ways I'm doing it wrong.
"Don't be like that." Heloix pouts, letting me remove his arms from around me.
I sigh, feeling a bit guilty for being so snappy.
"Then stop correcting me."
Heloix hums slightly, his arms grabbing my shoulders and turning me around to face him. He looks worried as he stares down at me, his lips pulled into his mouth and eyes narrowed.
"What's wrong? You've been pouting around our home and acting grumpy since our union. Are you embarrassed?" He probes.
I shrug in response, not having a good answer to his question. I've just been feeling off, my mind racing ever since Heloix and I slept together. It didn't take long for word to spread throughout the castle, and now all the humans give me dirty looks and are curt whenever I try to start a conversation. Even John, who I thought was beginning to warm up to Heloix a bit, has been distant.
"No, just not been in a good mood. Must be my period starting." I lie, not wanting to share my feelings with Heloix.
He furrows his eyebrows at my words, tilting his head to the side in question.
"Your period doesn't start for another seventeen days." He's quick to point out.
I snort, annoyed that he's calling my bluff. I don't want to hurt his feelings by sharing with him my worries and regrets. I'm glad that we had sex and that I shared myself with him, but a small part of me is ashamed and wishes we had been more discreet. At the end of the day, this is still the man who idly sat by and watched as his humans were raped and beaten.
I've been fortunate enough not to see that side of him since arriving here, but that is not the case for most of the slaves. They judge me for what I've done, and now I feel like an outsider. I don't fit in with the Beasts or humans, and it's put me in a bad mood.
"How do you know when my period starts?" I ask, glaring up at him.
Heloix sighs quietly, his hand leaving my shoulder to pinch at the bridge of his nose.
"I'm your mate." He answers simply.
"That doesn't answer the question." I retort, crossing my arms over my chest.
"What do you want me to say?" Heloix finally snaps, his voice loud as he loses his patience with me. "I can smell whenever you get it Addie. It's regular, and over time I've learned your cycle."
I drop my head to the ground in response, feeling guilty for pushing him. Heloix sighs quietly and bends over to grab the oven mitt off the floor, his hand snatching it up and holding it out for me to take. My shoulders roll forward as I grab it from him and slip it back on my hand.
"They're going to be undercooked," I warn, turning back around to face the oven.
Heloix's arm wraps around my stomach once more, his front pressing firmly against my back. There's pressure on my shoulder as he rests his chin on it, peering into the oven and watching as I take the dessert out.
"We'll see." He mutters, tucking his head into my neck and kissing gently at the sensitive skin.
Heloix remains connected to me as I putz around, his large body crowding over mine as I move from the oven to the sink and set the dirty dishes inside.
"When is your little human girl coming?" Heloix asks, picking up his head and looking around the messy room.
"Betty," I start, purposely using her name. "is no longer cleaning our wing."
I felt so guilty watching her come in here every day to clean after my messes, her clumsy hands shaking every time Heloix enters or exits the place. She always spoke eagerly about the gardens, so I moved her to work out there.
"So, who's going to clean it?" Heloix probes.
I snort at his question, wondering if there's ever been a day in his life where he cleaned up after himself.
"We are."
Abruptly, Heloix disconnects himself from me, his heavy hands moving to my shoulders and spinning me around to face him. He wears a deep frown on his face, and is clearly unamused by my antics. In an attempt to lighten the mood, I give him a toothy grin and pop up on my tippy toes to kiss the skin of his neck, the only part I can reach when he is standing at full height.
His lips twitch slightly at my actions, and I feel good knowing that he isn't nearly as angry as he lets on.
"I thought you liked when I cleaned for you?" I tease, reaching down to grip his soft cock through his pants. "You at least seemed to enjoy me making your bed, rubbing my scent all over your sheets every day."
Heloix's eyes flash as a muffled growl flows from his chest, his hands dropping down to my thighs and lifting me onto the counter before slotting his hips between my open legs.
"I was so desperate for you," He mutters, voice low. "One time, I purposely spilled wine on my sheets so you'd have to clean them."
I can't help the loud laugh that falls from my lips at his admittance, loving the slight blush that spreads across his cheeks. That stain was the death of me and never truly came out. A small part of me always wondered if it was left there by Jade or some other woman visiting his room late at night, but I never dared to ask.
The mental image of him purposely dumping it over his sheets, probably feeling so proud of himself for having come up with such a flawed idea, has me bent over cackling. I reach out and grab Heloix's shirt, pulling him against me as I lean my forehead against his body, my chest heaving as I laugh.
"It's not that funny." He huffs, removing his hands from me and backing up slightly.
Despite my best efforts, I'm unable to calm my laughter, and Heloix eventually turns away and grabs a cookie. He shoots me a quick wink before heading to the front door.
"I'll be in my office if you need me. Tell your human male that he will be accompanying you and me to the city tomorrow." He chuckles, his smile growing as my laughter comes to an abrupt halt.
I open my mouth to pry more, but he is out the door before I have time to respond.
For a moment I debate running after him, but I'm willing to bet that he's already long gone. He moves too quickly for his own good. I'm sure he can sense my uncertainty at the prospect of going to the city, yet he does not come back to comfort me despite it.
Taking a deep breath, I remind myself that he would never let anything bad happen to John or me.
I'm surprised that Heloix wants to take John, who I'm sure will be far from happy about this. His dislike for both Heloix and the city is strong, and with a stressed groan, I realize that I will need to go down and warn him of the plans.
Sighing, I hop down from the counter and grab some tupperware from the drawer below, hoping that Heloix's cookies will serve as a good peace offering. John's known to have quite a sweet tooth, so I'm confident that this will cheer him up.
I throw all but two cookies into the container, making a mental note to make some more for Heloix later, and head out the door, hunting for John. He's typically hard to miss with his tall, lanky frame and messy mop of blonde hair, but no matter where I look, he's nowhere to be found.
Everybody gives me sideways glances as I pass, but I ignore them and pretend I don't notice. I'd give anything to be invisible at this moment.
Spotting his non-girlfriend girlfriend up ahead, I jog toward her. "Hey! Have you seen John?"
Emma seems shocked as I approach, her body stiffening as she turns to face me. I offer a friendly smile, and she gives a small one in return.
Shaking her head, her eyes dart nervously to the guards that stand along the wall behind me. They try to be inconspicuous, but I know that Heloix has ordered them to follow me around the castle, their tall frames conveniently always a couple of feet behind me.
"I think he's still in bed." She finally murmurs, sparing me a quick glance before getting back to work, arms reaching up to dust the pictures that line the wall.
Letting out a quiet hum, I give her thanks and begin heading to the servant's quarters, worried about why John would still be in bed so late in the morning. It's not like him to avoid doing his work, his fear of the Beasts driving him to get out of bed even on days where he is practically too sick even to walk.
The servant corridor is empty when I arrive and I don't hesitate to march into the men's sleeping quarters, knowing that the guards won't question me on it. Instead, they will likely just run to Heloix and tattle, letting him deal with me.
"Go away." A voice I immediacy recognize to be John's yells from a bed further down in the room. His body is underneath the covers, the light gray sheet hugging his frame and doing a poor job at keeping him hidden.
"What's wrong?" I ask, watching his head pop out in shock.
He sits up abruptly, mouth falling open as he looks at me. "You're not allowed to be in here!"
I only shrug in response, moving to his bed and sitting on the edge of the mattress. He looks pretty pale, and I bring out my hand and press it against his forehead to check his temperature. It's a bit warmer than usual, but not so much that it could be a fever.
"I'm having a bad day." He groans, swatting my hand away and rolling over onto his side.
"So you just didn't go to work?" I tease. "That's very un-John-like."
John turns and shoots me a glare, his eyes raking over my face and settling on the dark marks on my neck. Embarrassed, I scrunch up my neck and bring my hair to the front, covering the spots left by Heloix.
"Well, my best friend is fucking the King so I'm taking some liberties." He snorts.
I let out a quiet giggle at his words, deciding not to try and convince him otherwise. It's evident that Heloix and I are together, and I don't want to hide that from John. He's been making real strides at improving the quality of life for humans, and if there's anybody's approval I want it's John's
"You want to talk about what's got you in such a bad mood?" I ask, setting the cookies down on the nightstand. "I brought some treats as a peace offering."
John shakes his head, eyes immediately moving to the cookies. Without warning his arm darts out and grabs the container, snatching the entire thing and bringing it under the covers with him.
"Why would you need a peace offering?" He asks, eyeing me wearily.
Letting out an uncomfortable chuckle, I bring my hand up to rub at the back of my neck nervously.
"Well, at first it was because I thought you were mad at me for sleeping with Heloix," I explain. "Now it's because he is making you go to the city with him and me tomorrow."
John's eyes narrow as I speak, his hand tearing open the tupperware and bringing a cookie up to his mouth. Crumbs fall everywhere as he aggressively bites into it, but I pretend not to notice.
"You overcooked these." He states, pushing himself up on his elbows. "I don't care who you screw Addie, especially if that person gives me a day off once and a while and puts some coin in my pocket at the end of the day."
My body sags in relief at John's assurance, my mind having been so convinced that he was upset with me for giving in to Heloix.
"Why do we need to go to the city? He's never taken us before?" John asks.
I shrug my shoulders in response, having no idea.
John hums slightly, kicking at my butt to get me off the bed, before standing himself. "You think he's finally going to claim you?"
My eyes widen, and I try not to let my surprise show at John knowing that Heloix is my mate. I've been careful not to say anything to him, but it appears that word has spread quickly. I'm willing to bet it's the guards who accompanied us on our trip that spilled the beans, probably having started to run their mouths the second they got back to the castle.
I debate denying it for a moment, unsure what the proper course of action should be, but instead shrug. "I don't think so."
"Well, why else would he want to take you to the city if not to claim you. Or at the very least show his people that he is with you?" John asks, bringing up a good point.
Despite Heloix telling me that I might have to take trips into the city when he first put me in the Head of Household position, he's never once actually made me go. In fact, I'm pretty sure he was having Axis continue to do all the work while giving me fake tasks to keep me busy. Especially since he hasn't had me do one drop of real work since being attacked in my room by the guard. I pretty much putz around and annoy either Heloix or John all day.
"I don't think he would do that?" I state, my words coming out more like a question.
John shrugs, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"We should pick you out a banging outfit just in case." He decides, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me out of the room. "This has really turned my day around. If he claims you I won't have to work a day in my life again. I'll be your human boy forever."