"Don't forget to stay quiet and keep your head down." Heloix instructs as he bends to tie up my shoes.
I watch him with a frown, frustrated that he is forcing me to stay by his side all day. Although rare, it's standard that when a human travels with a Beast that they work in the castle with the other slaves while their owner goes about his business.
I was looking forward to spending time with the kind woman from last night and don't understand why Heloix is so insistent on keeping me from doing just that.
"Can I work with the other slaves instead?" I ask again, jumping to my feet as he completes the last tie on my shoe.
Heloix doesn't even consider my words before shaking his head no, his mind having been already made up. I resist the urge to stomp my foot in anger, knowing that nothing will come of my childish behavior, but instead glare holes into the side of his head and throw as many evil thoughts his way as I possibly can.
Heloix lets out a quiet grumble at my glaring, his eyes darkening until I turn away in submission.
"Come on. We are going to be late." He states, standing abruptly and walking to the door.
His footsteps are loud as he stomps away from me, both of us angry. I don't immediately follow, but as he reaches the exit I let out a quiet sigh and make my way over to him. The sooner we start today, the sooner it will be over.
The hallway is packed full as we enter, all the guards standing along the wall waiting for the Heloix to pass. He doesn't so much as spare them a glance as he makes his way down the hallway, his strides long and fast. I struggle to keep up after him, my feet banging loudly against the floor as I attempt to.
The guards follow along behind us, my cheeks heating up as I hear their quiet snickers at my struggle. I know they are speaking about me, no doubt making jokes about me being the King's whore.
Heloix walks confidently throughout the hallways, not once faltering as he approaches a turn. It makes me wonder if he has been here before, and I make a mental note to ask him about it later. As he leads us through the corridors, I hear some chattering, the noise increasing the closer we become.
Eventually the hallway opens up into a large dining area, King Stephen already present.
He sits at the head of the table, a spread of food covering the entire surface. I'm not surprised to see he's wearing another extravagant outfit, the fabric jingling with his every movement. Humans stand along the wall, occasionally moving forward to serve him or fill his water glass, and I instinctively move to stand with them.
Heloix doesn't seem to notice as he sits down at the other head of the table, his guards lining up behind his seat. The human next to me jolts forward as Heloix lowers himself into the chair, immediately working on filling his plate.
"Good morning." The King greets Heloix, shooting him a toothy grin.
Heloix only nods in response before turning to watch the slave dish up his breakfast. A slight frown spreads on his face as he watches, his eyes suddenly flickering. I'm shocked by his apparent aggression, unsure why his Beast is fighting with him.
"Adeline." Heloix eventually grunts, his head swiveling to look at me standing along the wall. "Come eat."
All eyes immediately fall to me as he speaks, my heart rate spiking in nervousness as I shuffle forward and sit myself down in the chair to his right. I've never sat at a Beast's table before, and anxiety fills me at the sudden change.
The maid serving Heloix glances up at me in shock as I sit, but quickly drops her head back down and continues to dish up his meal. I do my best not to stare at the food, my mouth watering at the sight and smell.
"You've caused quite a stir with this little human here." The King speaks up, and I fight against every instinct in my body to look over at him.
"Is that so?" Heloix asks, picking up his fork and prodding at one of his sausage links.
Moments later, a plate is placed down in front of me and I slowly copy Heloix's actions, grabbing my fork and stabbing it into the meat. It's hot as I stick it into my mouth, but not wanting to draw any attention to myself I keep my mouth shut around the burning object and suffer silently.
The King lets out an unattractive snort at Heloix's words, seemingly finding them funny. "I'm intrigued. Is she your whore?"
An ear-piercing scrape tears through the room as Heloix's fork drag against his plate. Peeking up to see his reaction, I notice that he's gripping the utensil so tightly that the metal has bent around his fingers. Not wanting to anger him further, I focus my attention back on the food in front of me and tentatively bringing another bite up to my mouth.
The room is silent as everybody waits for Heloix's response, yet he offers none. Instead, he leans back in his chair and glances around the room, head swiveling left to right.
"Where is your mate?" He finally asks, much to my surprise.
While I wasn't exactly excited to hear Heloix's answer to the question, I want to know how he perceives our relationship. Does he view me as a whore? We don't have a normal relationship, and I would say it's clear that Heloix, at least to some extent, cares for me.
The King doesn't push Heloix for an answer, instead letting out a slight shrug at his question. "I'm sure she's somewhere wreaking havoc. I have a human mistress who would love to spend some time with your human."
My ears perk up at this, excitement flooding through me at the possibility of being able to spend time with another human. It gets tiring being treated like an object all the time, and I'd love nothing more than to spend some time with an equal.
I look up eagerly at Heloix, hopeful that he will agree for me to spend some time with her, but he avoids eye contact and pretends like he doesn't even notice my stare.
"Your mate allows you to keep a mistress?" Heloix furrows his brow as he asks.
I continue to stare at him, flinching as his foot makes contact with my shin. The kick isn't hard, but is enough to give me a fright, the message to stop staring at him loud and clear. Holding back a huff, I drop my gaze back to the plate, accepting that he isn't going to let me spend any time with the humans.
My hand tightens slightly around my fork in anger as I harshly stab into the eggy food, the metal clinking lightly against the glass.
The King watches our interaction silently, clearing his throat in amusement as I shove a forkful of food into my mouth.
"She's not my true mate, so I'm not obligated to keep up traditions." He responds, awfully proud for a man who is admitting to skirting around the rules.
"Yes. I've heard rumors your true mate was a human." Heloix probes.
"That's correct, but I was able to force my Beast to take another. The human now s-" The King responds, stopping abruptly as another enters the room. "Ah, there's my beautiful mate. Come sit with us, will you?"
I resist the urge to look up at her, instead listening carefully as her heels click against the floor as she enters. She approaches quickly, sliding into the chair next to the King with a deep growl.
"What's the human doing here?" She sneers, clearly talking about me.
Heloix stands at her words, the chair scratching loudly against the floor as it is pushed back. Out of the corner of my eye I watch as he leans towards me, his hand coming to wrap around my bicep before he pulls me up out of the chair.
"She's with me. Perhaps we should finish this conversation in your office?" Heloix responds, directing his question towards the King.
His grip on my arm loosens slightly as he speaks, his fingers digging into the muscle before he removes his hand entirely and grabs my plate of food. The King stands as well, and I fight to keep my face blank as his mate lets out a loud huff and signals for one of the slaves to fix her a plate.
"Where is your mistress?" Heloix speaks up once more. I can see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye as I try to keep my glee hidden. "My human wishes to spend some time with her."
My back straightens at his words, excitement flooding my system as the King gives instructions to Heloix on her whereabouts. Heloix nods at the directions, his hand moving to rest at my lower back as he nudges me to move towards the exit. I do as he wishes, practically prancing over to the door.
Heloix murmurs to the King as we pass, his voice too low for me to hear despite my best attempts to eavesdrop. The King's eyes fall to me at Heloix's words, signaling that whatever is being said is about me.
We exit the room quickly, the guards following closely behind, and make our way down the hallway. Heloix stops and turns to face us as we reach the end of the corridor, looking over each of the guards.
"You will stay with Adeline." He commands, pointing to the three that stand to his right. They nod at his command, eyes flashing to me for a brief second before focusing once more on the King.
The largest of them takes a small step forward, bowing his head before responding. "Yes, Sir."
Heloix nods in approval, hard eyes softening as he looks at me. "Please keep in mind that everything you say will get back to Stephen."
I nod in understanding, having already known this fact. It's common knowledge that humans who talk too much are disposed of, and I learned at a young age what's appropriate to share and what will get you killed.
Seemingly happy with my response, Heloix turns on his heel and leads us down the large corridor. I'm surprised to see that the hallways are still empty considering that the sun has risen long ago. I would expect to see the place bustling with humans as they rush around working on all their duties at this hour.
The more I think on it, the more I realize that the only humans I've seen have been the woman from last night and the few that were serving breakfast this morning. Maybe, despite all the glamour, the King is poor and unable to maintain a full staff. I wouldn't be surprised.
We continue making our way through the castle before Heloix stops in his tracks, his abrupt halt causing me to skid to a stop and grip his shirt in an attempt not to crash into him. Despite the effort, my face smashes into the bottom of his shoulder blade, pain shooting through my nose at the contact.
Resisting the urge to swear, I remove my hands from his back and take a step away as my face heats up in embarrassment. There's some snickering from the guards behind me, but I ignore them, not wanting to egg them on further.
"She is through these doors. Do not leave. I'll come and get you when I am finished." Heloix orders, his back still facing me.
Turning, he shoves the plate of food he grabbed from the table into my arms before leaving without so much as a glance. I watch his retreating figure in shock for a moment, wondering if I have done something to make him upset.
I wouldn't be surprised if I did, but tell myself not to dwell on it as I take a deep breath and turn the face the large door he claimed that King Stephen's mistress is behind. Forcing a wide smile on my face, I reach forward and push open the heavy door.