Chapter 280

The sun was setting and the smoke from the pyres was curling through the air, casting a strange glow over the town by the time Elain returned with a basket full of flowers. The street was pretty much empty, and Elain paused by the tables, her eyes on the oranges and purples above. She realised that it would be getting dark soon, and wished that she'd thought of that before.

"You had me getting worried, Petal."

Elain turned, smiling as Lucien strode toward her. She watched the sunset play off of him, golden light turning his hair molten. "Did I?"

He reached her then, one of his hands brushing her hair back from her face. "Everyone else has gone to bathe and change before the meal…"

"Ah…" Elain eyed the glass jars and vases arranged equidistantly along the table, water already in them. She wondered who had realised what she had gone to do and put them out for her. "Well, as soon as I get these into water, I shall do the same."

Lucien bent and slipped his elbow through the basket's handle, lifting it from Elain's arm and she let him take it. "I'll help you…" he told her, giving her one of his well-practised courtly smiles. Elain smiled back at him, taking a few of the flowers from the basket and moving toward the table. She began arranging what she had collected into the jars and vases as she and Lucien moved up the table. The darkness continued to fall and Elain looked up and around.

"We won't be able to see before long…"

Lucien followed where she was looking and Elain smiled as several small balls of faelight appeared, twinkling and hovering above the table. "Is that better?" he asked, and she nodded, slipping one of her hands into her mate's.

"That's lovely." She replied, smiling at him again as she reached for some more flowers from the basket. They continued moving up the table until Elain had used all of her flowers and put some in all of the jars and vases. Just as they were finishing up, Cerridwen and Nuala came out into the street, holding several trays and dishes and Elain smiled, pleased to see them. She supposed that Rhys had been successful in contacting them for some food from Velaris.

"We will set this all out." Nuala said, smiling as she met Elain's eyes. "You should go and change." Elain glanced down at herself, frowning as she noticed the splatters of blood from earlier in the day.

"Ah…" she nodded, "Thank you, I will."

Lucien slid an arm around her shoulders and steered her up the hill toward the cabin they had been staying in with Feyre.

"You hadn't even noticed, had you?" he asked, and Elain knew that he was referring to her dress and the blood. She shook her head.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked, glancing at him as they walked and he gave her a small smile.

"Still tired, but I'll survive."

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" she asked, and he looked at her again. "Or go back to Rhys' house?"

"Which would you prefer?"

"I would like to leave…" she said, "Once we're back in the Town House, it will be easier to get back to the Day Court… and we can just… relax." She let out a sigh, feeling weariness come over her. They had been travelling and moving for so long, and she really did just long for an extended period of time where they could just be in a place together and put together some semblance of what their lives would be together. Hopefully, with nobody else trying to kill them.

"We can do that, Petal." He said, "I'm assuming Rhys will be returning after dinner, along with Cerridwen and Nuala…"

"Good." Elain resisted a yawn as they reached the cabin and went inside.

It was only twenty minutes later that she was heading back down the hill with Lucien, Feyre and Rhys. They had all bathed and changed and Elain could hear her stomach rumbling as they approached the table. Lucien's faelights were still twinkling in the darkness, casting a shifting glow across the tables and the faces of those who had already claimed seats. The food smelled delicious, and she could see the appreciative faces of several of the Illyrian females who were seated nearby. Elain let Lucien lead her to a chair which he pulled out for her and she took her seat between her mate and her younger sister. This was nice, despite the day they'd had. Elain had to admit that. She was, however, just bout counting down the minutes until they would be able to pack up and return to the Town House and escape it all. No mount of bouquets on the table or twining faelights could make her forget what she had seen in this place.