Chapter 346
Elain felt the heat that flared, even though her eyes were closed, and she wondered just what she would find when she opened her eyes. She thought, perhaps, that Lucien had done what he had done to several of his brothers when pushed to defend himself and her under threat. When he had been in that position before, Lucien had produced a light so bright and hot that it had burned, and she rather suspected that was what had happened now. She also remembered the effect that had had on him and she opened her eyes.
At that instant, the doors opened and a handful of what Elain thought were Day Court soldiers hurried in. They wore the short tunics common in Helion's Court, embellished with the usual Lapis Lazuli and Carnelian, and she knew that the High Lord had sent them. As she watched, they hurried into the room, weapons being drawn and after no more than a heartbeat or two, all of the males who had been facing Lucien were subdued and held.
Then, Lucien was kneeling before Elaina and his hands were on her as he pulled her into his arms. She closed her eyes in relief as those strong arms went around her waist and she released a breath she had been unaware she had been holding as she allowed his strength to envelop her.
"Elain…" he breathed, and Elain's heart throbbed at hearing him say her name, "are you hurt?" his hands were still moving over her, over her back and her sides, one down her leg. "Are you alright…?"
"I…" She had been about to tell him that she was fine, but her arm protested before she could even get the word out and she whimpered. Sharp pains were shooting up her arm now from her elbow to her shoulder and she shook her head when Lucien released her quickly at the sound she had made and he met her eyes, his own wide. That metallic eye clicked and whirred as he looked her over, and she wondered what it could see when he focused on her arm without her having told him anything about it.
"Here…" he whispered, his hands moving carefully to her arm. One rested gently against her elbow, the other holding her steady by the shoulder, and Elain held his reassuring gaze as heat seeped into her from his hands. Elain's breath began to ease when her pain began to dissipate, and she smiled gently at her mate once it was gone completely. "Is that better?" he asked, and she nodded, her own hands reaching for him. She saw him look over her shoulder, saw his eyes sweep over his mother, checking that she was alright, and then he had lifted Elain into his lap where he was now sitting on the floor with them.
"Thank you." She breathed, wrapping her own arms around his neck, pressing her face into his shoulder and his hair. "Thank you for hearing me…"
"Petal." He told her softly, his voice so low Elain was certain nobody else would have heard him, "I was already here when the bond returned," he pressed a kiss to her hair, "I was already coming for you."
Elain looked up at him, her eyes on his face as she tried to figure out how he would have found her. She supposed that would be a tale for another time because, when Lucien's russet and gold eyes met hers, she didn't want to hear the explanation, she only wanted him to kiss her. As if hearing something of that thought down the bond, Lucien did just that, and Elain allowed herself to wrap more tightly around him as she melted into that kiss. Not long ago, she knew, she might have minded that there were others present, and she was sure that at least Ashk and Tisia were watching them, but now, in that moment, Elain did not care. She had her mate back in her arms, felt herself relaxing into the feeling of having his arms around her, and nothing at all in the entire world mattered more than that did.