The Consort

Chapter 55: Status

I lay on the very edge of the bed, close enough that should I need to I can be on my feet at a moment's notice. John spoons me from behind, his hand stroking my side as he reassures me that Heloix is okay and well.

It's been hours since Heloix closed his connection with me, and despite my attempts I'm unable to reach him. John has prevented me from leaving the wing a couple of times, going as far as to tackle me to the ground when I try to sneak past him.

At some point it got late and he insisted that I try to get some sleep, practically forcing me into the bed. He says that Heloix will come to me when all is over, but I believe that less and less with each passing minute.

My throat is dry and raw from all my crying, and I wince a bit as I try to swallow.

The position John and I are in is arguably quite intimate and should anybody see us they will get the wrong impression, but I can't bring myself to care. John has been my best friend since childhood, and his presence brings me the comfort that I desperately need right now.

Eventually John's movements on my arm slow, his hand falling from my shoulder and landing around my body. His breath comes out in a slow, even rhythm, and I find the repetition relaxing. I know this means that he's fallen asleep, and I debate sneaking out and trying to find Heloix.

Even as I think it, though, I know it's a bad idea. If I run into an angry Beast ill be dead within seconds, making the risk too high.

My mind runs as the night continues to darken, and I remain put trying to connect with Heloix's Beast.

I tell myself that he probably just shut his emotions off and will return to us soon, but the later it gets the harder it becomes to believe it.

If he is shutting them off, then what is he doing that he cannot turn them back on? Is he hurt so badly that even after all this time, he hasn't healed?

At some point exhaustion wins over, and my puffy eyes close into a fruitless sleep. I feel my consciousness reappear what feels like every couple of minutes, my mind maintaining enough of an awareness that it wakes me up at every creak and rustle heard within the room.

My eyes pop open as goosebumps pebble up along my skin, the feeling of being watched spreading within my body and putting me on high alert.

Glancing up, I lock eyes with Heloix standing at the edge of the bed. The moonlight filtering in through the open window illuminates his naked body, casting him in an eerie light. To say he looks exhausted would be an understatement, his eyes half shut and his chest rising slowly with each breath he takes.

Absolute bliss fills me at the sight of him, my body slumping as it truly relaxes for the first time in hours. His skin appears clean and hair wet, and I wonder how he managed to take a shower without me waking up.

I watch as he looks between John and I, his body trembling as he struggles to hold myself upright.

My arms push against the mattress as I start to sit up, but I pause as he holds up his hand, signaling me not to move. Tentatively I relax back into the mattress, my back connecting with John's chest once more.

With an inaudible sigh he crawls onto the bed behind John, the weight of his body causing the mattress to sink in the middle. John groans a bit as his body is jostled around, his arm tightening around my stomach.

I expected Heloix to be angry at the sight of John comforting me in such a way, and am surprised at his lack of care. I'm sure it also helps that he can feel my emotions, and knows I feel no lust for John.

He sags down into the bed and presses his front against John. His arm wraps around us both as he pushes John's hand away from my stomach, replacing it with his own.