The Consort

Chapter 22: Blood

"What do you mean by that?" I inquire, unable to keep the shock out of my voice.

While Heloix isn't rumored to have taken nearly as many lovers as most other Beasts do, he's by no means known to be chaste. Tales of his human whores float around the castle, us humans always eager to gossip about who the royals are sleeping with.

Heloix raises a brow at my question, crossing his arms over his chest as he pretends to pout. I roll my eyes at the action, watching as he narrows his eyes at me in response.

"I feel my statement was quite self-explanatory. I have saved many parts of myself for my mate." He repeats.

Heloix casually blows a piece of hair out of his eye before turning and making his way over to my small bed. He holds a wide smirk as he casually sits himself down, the wooden frame creaking underneath his weight and filling me with fear that he's going to break it.

"You're not a virgin." I point out, knowing that he has been with several human slaves.

"Maybe not."

I sigh, exasperated and annoyed with his roundabout answers.

"Are you?" I ask, crossing my arms.

The motion pushes up my chest and Heloix's attention quickly lowers to the newly exposed skin. The moment I notice it I drop my arms, not wanting to encourage his advances.

Heloix frowns at my actions, drawing his gaze back up and meeting my gaze once more.

"Why do you want to know?"

I shrug, not having a good answer to his question. Why do I want to know? A large part of me is curious to know if the big bad Beast is a virgin as his vague words suggest, but a small portion of me is excited at the possibility that he might be. I'd make him feel less threatening, enforcing that not all the dark and twisted rumors I hear about him are true.

"Forget it." I eventually sigh, turning to head back into the bathroom to change.

It's clear that he isn't going to tell me, and I have things I need to do today that don't involve me standing around playing dress-up for Heloix.

"Oh, come on, I'm just teasing you." He murmurs, jumping off the bed and inserting himself between me and the bathroom door in an attempt to stop me from going in and changing.

"I'm not a virgin in the way that you would consider it." Heloix finally answers before reaching forward and grabbing my chin. He tilts my face upwards gently, urging me to look him in the eye.

I can feel my cheeks warming in response to his intense stare, the heat only growing as he leans down and nears his face to mine. My vision blurs the closer he comes, his advancing stopping once he is only millimeters away. He breathes out softly, the air hitting me in the face and bringing awareness to the fact that if I so much as pucker my lips that his skin will be in contact with mine.

"But my penis is not the only part of myself that I have to offer my mate." He continues, hand moving from my chin to the back of my neck. "It might please you to know that you are the first woman I have ever kissed."

He looks into my eyes, searching for some answer I'm unable to give, before closing the gap between us. I gulp as his soft lips make contact with mine, his movements slow and gentle. It's a drastic change from any other interaction I've ever had with him before, and takes me a moment to process.

I don't immediately respond to his kiss, shock keeping me frozen in place as he shuts his eyes and cups my cheeks with both of his hands. Heloix nudges his lips harder against mine, encouraging me to return the action, before tilting his head to the side and deepening the kiss.