The Consort

Chapter 40: Bath

"What are you doing?" I shriek as Heloix bends over, causing my body to tip backward and hair to brush against the ground.

"Getting dressed."

Heloix stands once more, hiking me up so I'm sitting up on his stomach, and starts pulling up his pants. Quiet grunts fall from his lips as he tries to maneuver around both me and the clothing, the sight making me chuckle.

"You can put me down?" I offer, unsure why he is insisting on holding me.

He frowns, shaking his head.

"No."

Heloix continues to pull on his pants, a triumphant shout emerging from him as he gets them around his waist and zips them up. I want to ask about my rocks and make sure that none have fallen out but I resist the temptation, not wanting to offend him.

I laugh as he bends over again and grabs his shirt, his movements quick enough to give me whiplash as he straightens back up and drops the fabric between our bodies. His eyes narrow as he digs around and shoves his arm through the neck hole down to the waist opening.

My head tilts to the side as I watch him move, unsure how exactly he plans to get his shirt on this way. I feel my cheeks redden as he brings his arm to the top of my head. He's trying to put it on me.

The material is dropped on the crown of my head, and seconds later Heloix begins tugging it down over my neck and shoulders. He struggles to do it with one hand, his arm constantly switching positions to pull on the fabric from another angle.

"A little help would be nice." He laughs out, deepening my blush as I scramble to stick my arms into their respective holes.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking." I mumble, feeling embarrassed for having just sat there watching him struggle.

Heloix grins down at me before beginning his march back to the castle. I open my mouth to ask about my dress but change my mind last minute and lean into his chest. It's not every day I get carried around by a King and I'll be damned if I waste the opportunity now.

The walk back to the castle is much quicker than the one to the pond. Heloix's long legs are better able to navigate the rough terrain despite the added weight of my body. Nerves begin to filter through me the closer we become, knowing that the castle hallways will be filled with humans and Beasts at this time of the day.

I do not doubt that each and every one of them is going to notice and spread the word that Heloix carried me back to his wing half-clothed. Pulling back to ask Heloix to let me walk, I take one look at his darkened eyes and drop the subject.

There's no way he's going to put me down, and I highly doubt that he would agree to walk all the way back to the pond just so that I can change into my dress.

The castle doors are opened before we even arrive, the guards pushing them open from the inside for us to enter through. I hide my face as we cross the threshold, fully anticipating keeping hidden until we are back in the safety of our wing.

Loud footsteps, quiet murmuring, and the occasional chuckle make their way to my ears as Heloix leads us upstairs. He places his hand against the bottom of his shirt to keep it flat against my body and protect me from any prying eyes, the action much appreciated on my end.

"We're almost there." He murmurs before pressing a small kiss to my head.

I can't help but feel a little embarrassed when he carries me like this, my body slotted tightly against his like a small child, but tell myself that it's natural for Beasts to do things like this. King Richard used to carry his mate around like this all the time before she died.