"Your furniture comes in today." Heloix comments, glancing up from his paperwork.
I let out an excited shout, clapping my hands together excitedly. I've been waiting on them for almost an entire week, annoying Heloix every day for updates. He gives me a small smile, eyes glinting at my reaction, before looking back down at the papers on his desk.
Opening my mouth to speak further, I hesitate as he lets out an exasperated sigh and harshly crosses out some words printed on the sheet. He won't tell me what the cause is, but he's been stressing over work for a couple of days now, oftentimes leaving before I awake in the morning and only returning when I'm asleep in bed.
I'd never admit it to him but I'm starting to miss his presence, and in sheer desperation ended up moving all his belongings into my bedroom while he was at work one day, forcing him to sleep with me at night. He didn't comment on it, but ever since has been sneaking into my room every night and crawling into his side of the bed without complaint.
"And you promise that you like everything?" I blurt out, eyes narrowing as I analyze his reaction to my question.
Heloix groans, dropping his head to the desk. A loud bang echoes throughout the room as his skull makes contact with the hardwood, and I resist the urge to chuckle at his dramatic reaction. Rocking back slightly on my heels, I grimace and eye the door, debating whether or not I should leave. I know that I should. I know that he wants me to.
But I'm bored.
Despite my better judgment I move towards him and scurry around the desk, pushing on his shoulder so he sits up and I can fit on his lap. He allows me to do as I please, climbing him like a monkey and plopping down so my back is to the desk and we are face to face.
"Are you working late tonight?" I inquire, tilting my head to the side in question.
Heloix nods, his hands moving to my hips and pulling me closer to his body. I stare up at him as I wait for an answer but he stays quiet, adjusting his hand to rest on the back of my head and pushing my face into his neck.
My body melts under his touch, enjoying the feeling of his fingers carding slowly through my hair. It isn't until I feel his other arm begin to move that I realize that he's gotten back to work, his soothing actions serving only as a way to silence me.
Unamused, I move to pull away, but his hand once again presses against my head to me in place.
"Please, Addie. I have a nice night for us planned and if you keep bothering me we won't be able to enjoy it." He murmurs, hand sliding from the top of my head to the nape of my neck.
Sighing, I give in and slump against him. The knowledge that he has a date for us planned excites me, my stomach tingling in excitement. He still hasn't told me what the object he bought from the city is and has been oddly secretive about it, keeping the package on the top shelf in his office so I cant look inside.
I'm willing to bet that his night involves whatever is in the box, and only wish that I could sneak a peek at what's in there.
Heloix's pulse picks to against my lips as he scribbles out some notes. I wish to ask what he's working on and what's got him so riled up, but I resist, forcing myself to remain still in his lap.
We sit like this for a while, my eyes gradually dropping as I breathe in his scent, only to be jerked awake by his furious writing. His hand slowly slides from the nape of my neck down past my shoulder blades towards my waist, stopping when he reaches the exposed skin between the bottom of my shirt and the top of my pants.
His fingers lightly dance along my skin, fingers drawing small patterns on the surface. My body heats up under his touch, and despite the innocence of his actions I find myself clenching my thighs around his waist in response. Pulling my head back slightly, I open my mouth and lick the vein in his neck, enjoying the taste of his skin and the way his body stiffens below me.
He doesn't comment on it at first, ignoring the action and pretending he doesn't notice. I can feel him harden below me, though, his length pressing against my thigh and worsening my need for him.
Desperate for intimacy after being ignored the past few days, I sneak my hand up the hem of his shirt and press it against his bare skin as I bite roughly on his neck.
"Adeline," Heloix grumbles, pulling his head back so it's out of my mouth's reach. "Stop that."
His tone is identical to that you would use on a small child or pet, and in rebellion I grind my hips against his, wanting more attention than I'm getting. I expect Heloix to give in like he usually does, but instead he pushes his chair back and slides me off his lap, forcing me to stand on my own.
"Go wait with John until your furniture comes in." He orders, pointing to the door.
I'm offended by his dismissal, but as I take in his tired face and tight lips I sigh quietly and exit, leaving him alone to his work. Hopefully we will get to spend some private time together tonight.
The hallways are bustling as I search for John, eyes scanning every room until I find him loitering about in the kitchen. He offers me a wide smile as I approach, setting down the bag of flour he holds in his hand.
"Doing some baking?" I ask, jerking my head towards the large bag.
John laughs, shaking his head.
"No, just refilling the containers for the actual cooks."
He quickly abandons the task and moves to stand beside me, linking his arm through mine. "What're we doing today?"
Smirking, I raise my eyebrows suggestively, knowing his hatred for my furniture taste. "My items are coming in today."
John groans, but I can tell he's holding back a smile at my antics. With his arm still looped through mine, he leads us out of the kitchen towards the main entrance where the objects should arrive.
We get a couple of sideways looks from the guards as we pass, and I happily note that the humans don't seem to be throwing me such nasty looks anymore. I need to double-check with Heloix on this but I'm pretty sure that they received their first pay yesterday, and by now all of them should have received a day off.
There's a visible change in their attitude, the hesitancy and fearfulness still there but much dulled and replaced with what I would almost describe as excitement. Much to my enjoyment Heloix has even begun to refer to John by his name, no longer calling him my human boy.
The first time it happened, I ran to John to share the news, but he didn't seem to care much, laughing at my excitement and claiming that he can still tell that Heloix hates him despite what I may think.
"Oh!" John shouts, drawing my attention back to the present. "I bet that's them."
He points to the window that looks outside the main doors, and I follow his gaze until I spot the object in question. A large moving truck is parked to the side. Hurrying forward, I drag John over to the window to get a better look, frowning as I notice that the back is opened and the bed appears empty.
"They probably already brought everything in." John comments, shrugging. "Let's go check."
He doesn't wait for my response before pulling me away from the window towards the stairwell, his long legs moving us quickly down the hallway. As always, we begin the trip upstairs full of energy, but by the time we reach the top floor we are both hunched over panting, struggling to catch our breath.
Once more, John loops his arm with mine, setting the pace as he pulls me down the hallway. His steps dramatically slow as we pass by Heloix's office, despite the fact that Heloix can hear us either way, but quicken once more after we pass the room.
I spot a couple guards walking out of my wing as we approach, causing a smirk to spread across my face at the knowledge that my furniture is likely waiting for me inside. The Beast that accompanied us to the city nods in our direction as we pass, his gaze on me briefly before sliding over to John.
He's gone before I have the chance to nod back, and I hope that he doesn't take my lack of response as a slight. The last thing I want right now is to anger any more Beasts. John's grip on my arm tightens as we enter the room, his fingers digging into the flesh of my bicep.
"I'm going to fuck that man." He comments the second the door closes behind us.
Shocked, I rip my arm out of his and spin to face him. "Are you stupid? He'll kill you once he finds his mate."
John smirks, hand reaching forward to boop me on the nose. I recoil from his touch, too worried about his safety to find the humor in his actions.
"His mate is dead." He answers, shrugging. "So I don't have to worry about that."
I sigh, not having a good rebuttal at the moment. "Be careful."
I make a mental note to ask Heloix about it later, wanting to know both if that information is true and, if so, what the risk is for John. He's the only friend I have here, and the last thing I want is to see him hurt.
John agrees to my request, assuring me that he will be fine before turning the focus back on my deliveries. The guards set them in the middle of the room, leaving them for us to unpack and organize, but I don't mind.
Thankfully they are all assembled, so all we need to do is take off the protective wrapping and move them into position.
"Let's start with the couch." I comment, walking over to the large object and getting to work.
John's quick to help, his strength coming in handy whenever I need to move one of the larger pieces. We work in comfortable silence, our actions reminding me of what it was like back at King Richard's. John and I have always made a good team, working together and coordinating our efforts smoothly.
Time passes quickly as we move all the old furniture into the corridor, leaving it lined up along the wall for Heloix to take care of and replacing it with the new, colorful objects.
Anxiety quickly begins bubbling up within me as we get everything into position, my eyes scanning the room with minor disgust. The furniture all looks so silly in here, the colors and fabrics clashing. It completely ruins the calming atmosphere that Heloix worked so hard to create.
My hope was to spice it up a bit, not destroy it. John doesn't say anything as we unpack, but I know he feels the same way.
I do my best to hold my negative emotions back, plastering a large, fake smile on my face every time a new mismatched object is put in place. It's not until John sets down the pink barstools that I break.
"John, this looks like shit." I cry, flinging out my arms and gesturing around.
Turning slowly to face me, John's mouth stretches into a wide told-you-so smile.
"Yeah, it's awful." He agrees.
My eyes begin watering, the regret I feel overwhelming. I stare up at the ceiling in an attempt to keep the tears from falling, but it proves to be ineffective as I feel wet tears begin to drip down my cheeks. These items cost a lot of money, and Heloix will undoubtedly be quite upset with me for wasting it.
"What are we going to do?" I ask, desperate for some advice.
John opens his mouth to respond, looking at me in pity, but snaps it shut as the door opens and Heloix comes barreling in.
His eyes immediately lock in on me, face hardening as he takes in the tears on my cheeks. Slowly he turns to glare at John, eyes darkening as he watches the human shrivel up under his stare.
"What are you going to do about what? Have you gotten my," Heloix pauses, eyes darting to quickly look at me, gauging my reaction. "mate in trouble?"
Shock spreads on John's face at Heloix's purposeful admittance, and I'm sure mine matches. The fact that I'm Heloix's mate isn't exactly a secret within the castle walls, especially to John, but Heloix has never admitted it out loud to anybody except for me.
He claims that rumors are often untrue and the Beasts don't put a lot of weight on them, but outwardly saying anything will cause an uproar.
Heloix looks between John and I, face falling as he takes in our shocked reactions. "Did the human not know?"
Furniture long forgotten I shake my head. "John knew." I confirm.
"Then why do you both look at me like I've grown three heads? And why are you crying?" Heloix questions, voice low.
He still holds a pencil between his fingers, and I realize he came here directly from his office, probably having rushed over after sensing my negative emotions. If I knew that crying was all it took to drag him away from his paperwork, I would have done that days ago.
"I have to tell you something." I pause, tentatively eyeing the room once more. "I hate this furniture."
My bottom lip trembles as I admit the truth to him, feeling overcome with guilt at how much money I have wasted on it. I expect Heloix to get angry and yell, or at the very least show some annoyance, but instead, he laughs.
He walks over to me with a smile, his hands moving to grip my cheeks before leaning down and planting a wet kiss on each one.
"Thank god." He laughs out.
I stare at him, shocked, ignoring the sight of John sneaking out of the room in the corner of my eye.
"You're not mad?" I ask, wanting further assurance.
Heloix shakes his head, straight teeth on display as he grins at me. "No, this is the best outcome I could have ever wished for."
I frown at his words, knowing that he was lying when he assured me that he liked the furniture. The hands on my cheeks move down to grip my hands, unclenching my fists until my fingers soften against his.
"I suppose I've done enough work for today." He comments, raising my hands and kissing my palms. "I need to go get something from my office. Go change into some comfortable pajamas."
His grip on my hands relaxes before being removed completely. I'm excited that he is done working today, and even more so that I finally get to know what he bought in the city. I nod in agreement, my mood lightened as Heloix leaves to get what I assume to be my present from his office.