Chapter 300

Dinner hadn't lasted long and, once the table had been cleared, Lucien found himself sitting on a couch in one of Helion's private sitting rooms. He hadn't been in this one before, and he couldn't help allowing his eyes to wander the edges of the room, taking everything in. Along the far wall was a grand bookcase, floor to ceiling, made of dark wood. Every shelf was stacked to capacity with books, and Lucien itched to get up and go and look at them. He wondered what kinds of books his father would keep in a private room like this, as it wasn't a room that just anyone could walk into and it wasn't a public library.

Glancing around at the others, Lucien saw Elain and Sheera by the window, looking out over the city lights in the dark. He watched them for a moment as they talked quietly with one another, gesturing here and there out the window, and he suspected that they were still talking about their plans for the garden. Neither his mother or father had reached the room yet, so Lucien got to his feet. He stretched a bit, straightening his shirt, before he headed toward the bookcase.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Elain watching him for a moment and he gave her a small smile. He felt her brush against him down the bond, and he knew that she was checking if he was alright. Lucien knew without having to read Elain down the bond, that she had been worried that she might have been neglecting him. She wasn't and he gave her a wink before gesturing at the bookshelf. She smiled at him, evidently amused by his interest and then she had returned to her conversation with her friend and he turned toward the books.

The first thing that Lucien noticed was that Helion had separated his books into fiction and non-fiction. That made sense, and he knew that he would have done the same. He went first for the fiction, having finished the last of the books he had brought with him. Lucien was fairly certain that Helion would allow him to borrow from his private shelves, but he resolved to remember to ask anyway when the High Lord arrived.

While he waited, Lucien spent a little while tracing his fingers over the spines of the books on the shelves, pulling some down here and there to have a closer look as he tried to find something to take up to bed. He had discovered that just about every book on the shelf sounded interesting to him, and he was pleased to have discovered that he apparently shared the same taste in books as his father. He was more pleased, he had realised, than he would have suspected he would be about something like that, and he found himself wondering if he and Helion might some day sit and talk about the books they had both read and enjoyed. The thought brought a smile to Lucien's face. He would never have imagined anything even remotely like that with Beron.

As Lucien took the next book down, his long fingers moving over the cover, the door to the room opened and he knew, without having to turn around, that Helion had walked in. Footsteps were heard across the room, and then the High Lord was standing beside Lucien. "Have you found much to your tastes?"

"I have." Lucien said, "I wanted to ask if I might be permitted to borrow-"

"Of course." Helion said, a laugh in his voice. "This is your home, and you are my son. You may have access to anything you desire."

Lucien glanced at his father, and gave a smile. He noticed the way Helion's amber eyes moved over hm, down to the book he held and the High Lord grinned then. Before Lucien could say anything, however, his eyes caught on a familiar book on the shelf, on the other side among the non-fiction books. He reached out and lifted it from the shelf, cradling it in his hands carefully.

"You have Elain's book…" he murmured, smiling again and then looking at the High Lord.

"Of course." Helion said, nodding. "She is your mate, and therefore somewhat of a daughter to me…" he smiled, "It is a good book…"

"It is." Lucien agreed, glancing toward Elain. He just knew that she would be so very pleased to learn that Helion had her book in his private rooms.