SWNOVELS Chapter 43: City
Bringing up my hand, I lightly run my finger across his lips, enjoying the opportunity to scrutinize him discreetly. His nose crinkles slightly at the contact, eyes fluttering open to return my stare. I expect him to make a joke about my creepy actions, but instead he seems to enjoy the attention, his own eyes raking over my face.
We continue to admire one another in silence, a small smile spreading on my face as Heloix scootches forward and places a small kiss on my cheeks.
"You excited to go into the city today?" He asks as he pulls back, his voice rough and heavy with sleep.
I shrug. "A bit nervous."
A thick arm wraps around my waist and pulls me forward, slotting my body against Heloix's. He rolls on top of me slightly, caging me in as he buries his head into my throat.
There's a sharp pressure on my neck as Heloix bites gently onto the skin, teeth grazing against the surface before his tongue darts out to soothe the marks. As enjoyable as it is, I find myself pulling back to look in his eye, wanting to see his reaction to my question.
"Why are we going?" I probe.
Heloix's face remains blank, giving nothing away and only furthering my suspicion. John is convinced that he has plans to claim me today, but I'm doubtful that that's true. It's unlike Heloix to spring such a thing on me, and he's made it abundantly clear that this isn't the right time.
Instead of answering me, Heloix leans back in and continues biting at my neck, his hand sliding up my leg until it rests at the top of my thighs. I keep my legs closed, ignoring his advances, but he still manages to wiggle his hands between the muscles and spreads my knees apart, exposing myself to him.
Soft fingers graze across my underwear, pressing gently over my clit before moving down to my entrance. I buck up slightly against his touch, breaths coming out in small pants as I gyrate my hips against him.
"If I fuck you, every Beast in the city will be able to smell you on my skin." He murmurs, pushing his palm against me through the underwear, the rough fabric rubbing deliciously against my clit. "And they'll be able to smell me dripping out of you."
I let out a quiet gasp as he shoves my underwear to the side and slides his middle finger in me, continuing until the digit is buried to the hilt. "I want everybody to know you're mine."
The finger slides out with a wet pop before moving up to my clit and circling the skin, using my wetness as lubrication. I reach down to grab him, a quiet whine falling from my lips as I realize my hand can only reach as far as his lower abdomen.
I attempt to slide down further in bed so I can take his cock in my hand, but Heloix has other plans and pulls me on top of him. He moans as he lines me up so my clit rests against his already-naked cock.
He has a wicked smile on his face as he fucks up against me, rubbing his length through my wet folds. His thick tip catches against my clit at the motion, forcing a surprised gasp from my lips.
"Do that again," I command, sitting myself up on him for a better angle.
Placing my hands on his chest, I roll my hips against him and rub my clit on his cock once more. My motions are a bit jerky and uncoordinated, my body still learning how to use these newfound muscles, but Heloix grips my hips and helps to guide me.
His hands flex against my waist as he grinds me against him.
A deep moan falls from his lips as his eyes drop down to watch his cock slide along my pussy, the skin covered with my wetness. My hands continue to push off his chest as I rub myself on him, the digits turning into fists as I feel my orgasm start to approach.
Reaching down, I cup the head of his cock and hold it against me, keeping the heavy muscle pressed firmly in place as I rub my clit against it and use him as a toy to masturbate.
"Fuck Addy." Heloix grunts, throwing his head back as his hands tighten on my waist, the fingers digging painfully into my skin.
I know that his hands will leave marks, small purple bruises that claim me as his. The thought turns me on, and in response I lean back and rub my clit against the thick rim that separates his tip and shaft.
"I'm going to cum." I cry out, hips sputtering against him. "Heloix, I'm-"
A silent cry cuts off my words as my orgasm crashes through my body, hot waves that pour out from the depths of my core.
Heloix continues thrusting up against me, his breath shaky as he pulls back and lines himself up. He's only able to slip the top of his cock inside of me before he freezes and cries out, face scrunching up as he fucks only the first inch of his cock up into me.
I slowly ease another couple inches of him inside of me as he cums, stopping only when he lets out a loud gasp and squeezes my hips to still me.
"I was hoping to at least get halfway inside of you before cumming." He laughs, lifting me off and watching as his cum drips onto his stomach.
A loud giggle erupts from my lips as he grimaces at the mess, eyeing the cum that coats his skin with disgust.
Heloix growls, eyes flashing.
"My little minx. "
"I thought I was your little human." I tease.
With an exaggerated groan, Heloix wraps his arms around my back, pinning me to his body, and stands. "You're both."
He walks us to the bathroom slowly, using my body as a shield to keep his cum from dripping onto the floor, and takes us directly into the shower. The water is cold as it comes sputtering out of the showerhead, forcing a loud squeal out of me as I crush my body against his until the water heats.
Heloix takes care to wash my body, a soft smile on his face as his soapy hands remove the morning's grit and grime. Reaching down, Heloix grabs and lifts my leg, his other hand washing away the sticky cum that sits between my thighs.
"I'm going to need to go on birth control." I comment, glancing up at him through wet lashes.
Eyes darken, and the hands on my body still.
"Why?"
"Well, we just started getting along and you still haven't publicly claimed me. Now isn't the time for a baby." I murmur, grabbing onto his hand and pressing a reassuring kiss to the skin.
To my shock Heloix rips his hand from mine, glaring down at me as he shuts the water off and steps out of the bath, clearly upset by my words. I fight to get his attention, calling his name and trying to grab onto his wrist, but he ignores my attempts, pulling his skin away from mine and going into the bedroom to get changed.
I copy his actions and stomp over to my closet, annoyed at his unnecessary pouting. It was bold of him to assume that I would be on board with the idea of having a child right now in the first place.
Admittedly, I know that Beasts put great value on having children, often choosing to have them immediately after mating. Still, our situation is quite different from what the norm is for Beasts, and I expected him to take that into consideration.
Heloix continues to ignore me as we get dressed, pretending like he can't hear me every time I say his name and skirting around my body so I can't grab onto him. He barely even waits for me to get all my clothes on before storming out of our wing down towards the servant's corridor, his angry demeanor scaring all the humans and earning concerned glances from the guards.
John waits for us right outside the corridor, his face pale as he stands stiffly against the wall. Heloix doesn't so much as glance at him as he walks past, his pace so fast that both John and I scramble behind to keep up. Out of the corner of my eye I notice John looking at me in question, but I don't acknowledge it, unsure how I would even go about describing this morning to him.
And to think that John had me half convinced that Heloix was going to claim me today.
A car waits outside for us, a Beast already sitting in the driver's seat, ready to take us to the city. Surprisingly, Heloix gets in the passenger seat, forcing John and I to sit together in the back. I expected him to force John to sit in the front so he could be next to me, but clearly he's too upset to even be near me.
I try to send my guilt and apologies to Heloix through our bond, staring at the back of his head and imagining me throwing them into his brain. He still hadn't explained to me how it works or how to block my emotions from him, so I know that he can still feel all of them.
I do this the entire ride to the city, too busy worrying about Heloix that my anxiety of being around the Beasts fades into the background. It's not until the roads change and shops begin to appear that the nerves hit, my attention shifting to the world outside the car.
Wringing my hands together, I glance over at John and grimace, noticing that his expression mirrors my own.
"What do you need to do here?" I ask Heloix, voice cracking at the start of my question.
I half expect him to continue ignoring me but am pleasantly surprised when he swivels in his seat and finally looks at me. His face is hard and blank, but I am able to recognize the insult he feels within his eyes.
"I have some business to attend to you. My driver will accompany you and John around to do some shopping." He replies, reaching into the center console and pulling out a bag full of coins, the black velvet pouch jingling as he moves it around.
With a light toss the bag lands in my lap, and Heloix is back to ignoring me, his body facing forward. John's hand quickly reaches out and grabs the coins off my lap, but drops it back down as a deep growl emanates from Heloix.
The car eventually pulls to a stop outside of a large building, and Heloix hastily exits, his long legs carrying him the car towards my door. It's pulled open roughly, and before I can register what's happening the top half of Heloix's body is inside the vehicle and his lips are on mine, the soft skin pressed firmly against me.
"I'll keep the link open and be there immediately if you need me." He whispers before pressing another small kiss on my cheek.
Heloix is gone as quickly as he arrived, his back retreating into the building until I can no longer make out his form. The driver remains quiet as he begins winding us down the narrow streets, the Beasts staring at us curiously through the windows.
He pulls to a stop in the heart of the city, his motions smooth as he backs us up into a parking spot.
"You two need to stay close together so I can watch you both at once." The Beast orders, twisting around in his seat to glare at John and I.
Both our heads nod in sync before we turn to glance at one another, eyes wide in mirrored panic. The guard exits the car and stands outside my door, and I give John one last look before turning and leaving the vehicle.
The Beasts stop in their tracks to stare at John and I, some seemingly just curious about the humans that stand in the middle of the road while others look at us in disgust, clearly unhappy with our presence in the city.
John scurries around the car to stand next to me, and both of us begin following the guard as he strolls over to the first storefront and peers in the glass. It appears to be some sort of men's clothing store, with many giant Beasts lingering about inside trying on expensive-looking suits.
"You want to go in here?" The guard asks, turning to look at the bag of coins I hold tightly between my hands. "The King gave you enough money to get anything you want."
I shake my head and glance over at John, seeing if he has any interest in going inside, but he shakes his head as well. The guard sighs, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks between John and me.
"What do you want?" He probes.
"Uh-" I mumble, shrugging slightly. I've never gone shopping before, and if I'm honest I don't even know what my options are.
"She likes home decor," John speaks up. "And sweets."
I hold back a smirk at his words, knowing that the sweets are for him, but don't say otherwise as I nod my head in agreement. The guard perks up at the suggestions, a smile growing on his face as he spins and points towards a store further down the street.
"We will go here." He speaks.
John and I keep close to him as he leads us to the shop, our bodies huddled close behind him in fear of the Beasts. They keep their distance as we walk down the sidewalk, their large bodies jumping out of the way and staring at us with wide eyes. I expected them to yell at or threaten us, but other than the occasional sneer they seem more intrigued than angry.
The door dings as we enter, my mouth falling open as I take in the ample space.
"They call this a department store. Kind of an all-in-one." The guard explains.
Wide-eyed, I turn slightly as I take in the interior, ignoring the Beasts that stop in their tracks to gape. There is a large furniture section to my left, and I glance over at John and the guard before slowly walking over. They both follow closely behind, but John quickly rushes to my left as I near the section.
"This is so cool." He whispers in my ear, and I nod in agreement.
Most of the furniture is quite colorful, reminding me of Jo's room, and I can't help but admire the space. Heloix picked out only dark furniture for our wing, making it appear somber and sad, and it would be nice to brighten it up. Reaching out, I graze my fingers across a navy blue couch, enjoying the feeling of the soft velvet beneath my hand.
"I like this," I comment, glancing up at John.
He looks between the couch and me with a frown, judgment clear on his face as he analyzes at the furniture.
"That is the ugliest thing I've ever seen." He whispers, eyes darting around to make sure nobody can hear.
Frowning, I glance back down at the piece, liking the look of it.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I let out a sheepish huff. "Well, I think it's nice."
We continue walking around the small furniture section, my excitement growing as I pick out several colorful pieces. John dislikes them all, quietly whispering his opinions in my ear and provoking the guard to join in on the teasing. By the time I've picked out my last piece they are both loudly mocking me, the Beast going as far as to claim that Heloix will hate everything I've picked out.
I try not to take offense to their words, knowing that Heloix will like the items I've found and that they are full of shit.
"I think that's everything." I finally state, turning around to face the two menaces.
The guard calls over another Beast, a woman who has been gawking at us from behind the counter the entire time, and she quickly hurries over to us. She seems to be wearing some sort of uniform, a light blue shirt that matches a couple of others in the store, and dark pants.
"Yes?" She asks, the question directed at the guard as her eyes dart between John and I.
The guard steps to the side as he gestures to me. "She would like to purchase some items."
"The human?"
"Yes, the human." A deep voice I've grown quite accustomed to chimes in, and I spin around to spot Heloix walking over to us.
The woman's jaw drops as he approaches, her back straightening and chest puffing out in response. Her reaction irks me slightly, but I make no comment as Heloix comes to stand next to me, his arm wrapping around my waist and pulling me against him.
"What'd you pick out?" He asks, turning his attention to me.
I begin to gesture to the pieces with an excited smile, eager to show him and prove to the others that they are wrong about him disliking them.
"The blue couch over there, the pink barstools by the window, the yellow rug, and-" I pause, holding up the container of large pink doorknobs I hold in my hand. "these. The guard said you could help me put them on our doors."
Heloix's eyes are wide as he examines all the items I've picked out, looking almost panicked as his eyes dart between them all.
"You have quite a-" He pauses, sucking on his teeth as he searches for the right words. "fashion sense."
My face falls.
"You don't like it," I comment, dropping the knobs on the small side table to my right.
Heloix plasters a fake smile on his face at my words, his eyes dead despite the toothy grin he gives me.
"No, I love them!" He argues, turning to look at the still swooning woman. "Have these delivered to the castle."
I wish to argue with him, but the guard interrupts and demands we head to the bakery to pick out my sweets. His eyes are on John as he speaks, and I roll my eyes slightly before agreeing, happy about their newfound friendship.
They both move ahead and begin scurrying over to the bakery, leaving Heloix and I to follow. A loud crinkling captures my attention, and I glance down at the large bag that he holds in his hands.
"What's that?" I ask, pointing to the object in question.
Heloix shrugs, reaching forward and grabbing my hand with his own. "I'll show you later."