The Consort

Jerking upright, I turn to look at John with flushed cheeks, embarrassed to have been caught not paying attention.

"I'm sorry." I apologize, turning to give him my full attention once more. "I just haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately."

I don't know what has gotten into me lately, but I've just been feeling so tired all the time. In a fit of desperation, I ended up going to bed early last night instead of waiting up for Heloix like I usually do.

It didn't help, and I still woke up exhausted this morning, barely able to drag myself out of bed.

I worry that I'm coming down with a cold or something, but Heloix has assured me that I'm perfectly fine and he would know if I was sick in any way.

John frowns as he looks over my hunched shoulders and dark bags.

"Everything okay between you and Heloix?" He asks.

I nod my head yes. I'd be lying if I said that things were completely back to normal, but we have been getting better each day and I don't spend a lot of time stressing over him. He's been making many efforts to please me, too, coming home early from work and making sure to fill me in on all the essential information.

"Maybe it would make you feel better if we went downstairs and hung out with some friends." John suggests, covering my hand with his.

I appreciate the gesture, but cringe at the thought of having to face everybody just yet. Since my outburst, the only places I've wandered to are Heloix's office and our wing, having been much too embarrassed to go anywhere else.

John sighs quietly, unhappy with my rejection.

"Well, let's at least sneak down to the gardens. We can take the back staircase so nobody will see."

"That's not a bad idea." I admit.

It would be nice to get outside for a bit, and I know that it will make Heloix happy to have me leave the place. To my face, he tells me that I'm okay to stay in here as long as I need, but the fact that he has started sending up John to spend time with me is a pretty big sign that he's trying to encourage me to interact with others that aren't him.

Hesitantly, I nod my head, agreeing to the plan.

John's eyes gleam at my reluctant yes as he jumps up out of his seat. He's heading out the door before I'm even on my feet, and I have to jog slightly to catch up to him.

"Slow down." I chuckle, slowing to a walk as I saddle up alongside him.

John pitches a right and turns down a small hallway, leading us towards the back staircase. It's much grimier than the others, and I cringe as we enter the small space.

"It smells stale in here." John comments, taking the words directly from my mouth.

Snorting, I nod my head in agreement, moving past him towards the dusty steps. He makes a gagging noise as he follows me, the dramatics forcing a loud laugh to fall from my lips.

My laughter quickly turns into a choked cough as my foot misses the first step, sliding out from underneath me. I throw my hands out in an effort to grab onto the railing, but I'm falling too fast to get a good grip. My fingertips graze against the wood as I slip downward, my back slamming into the stairs before sliding down a handful of them.

A pained cry falls from my lips as my body makes contact with the steps, and I instinctively roll to my side to get the pressure off my back. I hear John shout my name, followed by the sound of his footsteps as he runs down to me.

His face hovers over mine, concern written on his features.

"Are you okay?" He asks, eyes wide in panic.

Groaning, I lift myself into my elbows and give him a nod. "Yeah, I'm fine."

My entire back is on fire, and I blink quickly in an attempt to dry up my tears. John doesn't seem to believe me, and grabs onto my arm to help steady me.

"We should wait for Heloix to make sure you haven't hurt yourself." John suggests as I try to stand.

I know he's anticipating Heloix to come running in here, and I let out a weak chuckle, knowing that it's only a matter of time until he bursts into the stairwell. If there's anything that my Beast is good for, it's finding me after I've managed to injure myself.

Reaching towards my back, I poke gingerly at my tailbone, wincing as a sharp pain flashes through me at the contact. John moves around my body and plants himself at my feet. He bites his lip as he looks at me, grimacing slightly.

"It looks like you accidentally smacked your arm against your face when you fell." He comments, reaching forward and wiping his thumb along the skin directly below my nose.

Blood coats his finger as he pulls it away. Sighing, I watch as he wipes the moisture on his shirt, staining the white fabric.

Reaching up, I gingerly wipe my nose, disgusted by the blood that spreads along my hand. I must have really knocked myself.

The door to the stairwell rips open, and both John and I snap our heads up to watch as Heloix comes storming in. His large body fills the doorway, and he pauses for a quick moment to take in the sight of us and deduce what's happened here.

He's in front of me in the blink of an eye, his black pupils inches from my face. His body quivers as he looks me over, loud rumblings falling from his chest.

Audible pants leave his mouth as he evaluates me, his hands clenching the wooden banister so hard that it cracks within his fist.

I anticipated him to be worried over my fall, but this reaction is beyond that. Hesitantly I cover my hand with his, hoping to calm him down.

"I'm okay- just a bit of a tumble." I explain, forcing a slight smile on my face.

The blood tickles my lip as it seeps from my nose, and I quickly reach up and wipe it away. Heloix's eyes watch the movement, his body moving to hover over mine.

"Heloix?" I ask, confused by his actions.

His hand lifts and gently touches the smeared blood on my face.

"You fell."

I nod.

"You are hurt."

My eyebrows furrow, unsure what's going on with him.

"It's not as bad as it looks." I explain, my words sounding more like a question than the statement I intend them to be.

"My mate."

Once more I nod, wearily looking between him and John. John looks just as confused as me, his eyes wide as he slides down a couple of steps, moving further away from us.

"You fell, and you are hurt."

Heloix leans in towards me, his eyes boring holes into my skin.

"What a-"

My question is cut short as Heloix closes the distance between us, his head burying into my neck as his teeth make painful contact with my neck. Hissing, I try to jerk away, but he wraps his arm around my head to hold me in place.

My hands push against his chest as he sinks his teeth into me. I can feel his tongue running along my skin, forcing my blood that falls from his puncture wounds into his mouth.

"Heloix." I whimper, pushing at his chest to try and remove him from me.

His hold tightens on me in response, his mouth continuing to take my blood. Pulling away from me slightly, I watch with wide eyes as he brings his hand up to his bloody mouth, teeth tearing into the fleshy part of his palm.

He doesn't at all seem phased as he rips open his skin, his eyes completely black as he raises his hand to my mouth and shoves it against my lips.

I clench my jaw shut, refusing him entry. My body is rigid under his touch, fear penetrating every inch of my body as he tries to complete our bond. Again his head is back at my neck, his body crouching over mine and caging me against the stairs.

His palm pushes against my lips once more, trying to slide its way into my mouth. I jerk my head away from him.

"Helo-"

He takes advantage of me opening my jaw to speak and shoves the fleshy part of his palm between my teeth, the blood immediately seeping into my mouth. Instinctively I push my tongue against him, trying to force his hand out of my lips, but he refuses to budge.

My body shivers as his blood drips down my throat, my eyes rolling back in my head. I try to refrain, but almost immediately I switch from wanting to push him away to pulling him closer, my mind a hazy mess.

Heloix doesn't resist as I grip his shirt and pull him into me, his body covering mine and pushing me back against the stairs. My teeth bite on his palm, disappointed as it starts to heal between them.

With a grunt Heloix pulls it away, instantly moving to grip the back of my head and pushing my face into his neck.

"Bite me." He orders, following up his words with a slow lick to my skin.

Disorientated, I find myself obeying his command, jaws snapping shut on his neck and biting down until I feel his skin give way underneath my teeth. His pulse beats rapidly against my tongue, his blood filling my mouth.

Each swallow has me pushing up against him, desperate for more. He moves to rest on his elbows as I continue to take from him, loud pants falling from his lips.

His head dips and rests on my shoulder, and seconds later he slumps down on top of me, his full body weight pinning me to the stairs. Panicked, I rip my mouth from him, gasping as I take in his unfocused, hazy eyes.

"Heloix?" I ask, voice shaky as I try to wiggle out from underneath him.

He groans quietly, head slowly turning to face me.

"My human." He murmurs, knocking his face against my temple. "I love my human."

I manage to get my arms free and push them against his shoulders, trying to roll him off of me.

"Did you guys just complete the bond?"

My head snaps to look at John, having forgotten that he was here in the first place. His face is pale, and he stands uncomfortably along the far wall.

"I don't know." I panic. "I think so, maybe."

Pushing on Heloix's shoulders once more, I let out a quiet cry as he remains still.

"Help me take him to our wing." I beg, scared of what's happening.

I thought that when Heloix said that he would be sick that it would be more like a cold. He'd be groggy and irritable, and I would make him soup. With a heavy heart, I realize that he probably purposefully let me believe that so I wouldn't be so afraid to complete our bond.

John quickly jumps into action, scurrying up to our bodies and helping to roll the unconscious Beast off of me. A pained groan falls from Heloix's lips as we manage to get him onto his back.

His arms lay limp by his sides, and I hold back tears at the sight of him looking at me with empty eyes.

"Heloix, you have to help us get you to our wing." I plead, wiping at my cheeks.

He blinks slowly.

"Please, just help us to get you on your feet."

His eyes shut completely for a moment before slowly opening, his pupils blown out as his Beast pushes to the forefront of his mind. A breathless grunt falls from his lips as he pushes himself up on his butt, his arms shaking at the effort. Both John and I are quick to help, each of us grabbing onto a bicep and tugging him up on his feet.

Heloix stumbles slightly as we get him standing, his body tilting to the side as he rests most of his weight on me. My knees buckle slightly underneath the pressure, but I force myself to keep standing.

Slowly we manage to get him up the couple of steps to the top landing, and John reaches out and pushes open the door. Heloix's steps are loud and uncoordinated as we lead him to our suite; meanwhile, my heart leaps out of my chest every time we turn a corner, scared that we will run into a guard or servant.

Thankfully the corridors are relatively empty, and we manage to get him inside with no witnesses. Waddling over to the couch, we drop him down on the large sofa. He falls face-first into the cushions, a quiet groan escaping him at the process.

"What now?" I ask, turning to face John in panic.