Elain could feel the darkness in her. It clouded her mind, weighed her body down, filling her with dread, and doubt. Her actions were no longer hers. No matter how much she fought against it. The darkness inside, took her over completely. Eating, drinking, socializing, none of it was her. It controlled her, and she had to watch everything it made her do without being able to do a single thing about it. Friends, family; no one was safe from her. Pain. That's what it dealt with. Forcing her to cause pain to everyone she cared for.

Tonight though, it was different. Something was very very wrong. One minute she was in her room. Keeping herself locked away was the only thing that she could do. To stay away from everyone. But she could only stay in her room for so long, so other times she was in her garden. That helped, but it still wasn't enough. Now, she stood in front of the meeting room at the river house. Voices could be heard from behind the closed door. Rhys and Feyre were having a meeting with the Inner circle, along with a few extra guests. Eris was there, Lord Helion, and…

Lucien… His scent filled her nose, and whatever darkness/evil that possessed her, dulled in that moment. Seer. That's what she was. She saw exactly what the dark was going to have her do, if she opened that door. It had been slowly building in her, for this… No! She wouldn't let it. A distraction. If she could distract it, she could save them. But how? This body, her body, that was the only thing she could do. Whatever it was, she needed to do it quickly. Her fingers brushed the door knob, and then…

When she came back to her own control, right hand and wrists were bleeding. She was kneeling on the floor, with a broken vase in front of her. A piece of it in her left hand. Tears fell from her eyes. It worked. It actually worked. Then the warmest hands were on her wrists. Sparks ran up her arm. And when she met his eyes. Worry, dread, anger, sorrow, there were too many emotions in those eyes. His body tenser than she had ever seen it. She had worked hard on pushing him away, to keep him safe from the darkness inside of her. The commotion that surrounded her didn't matter anymore. Blood pooled on the floor, as she heard Lucien curse.

"Why did you do that?!" He growled at her.

Reality set back in, as she whispered out "I'm sorry." Nesta was at her other side, she could hear shouting. Lucien's growls. They were talking too fast for her to keep up, and then Lucien let go of her wrist. For a second, that's all it was. Only a second. He released her for a second and it scared her. He was the only thing bringing her back to reality. The very next second he was wrapping his shirt around her wrist and applying pressure again.

Dizzy, she felt dizzy, the world was spinning. "I'm sorry." She said again, as she fell forward. Into Lucien's arms. His bare arms, chest… "I'm sorry."

She was being lifted, and carried. By those arms. Safe, she was safe now. No. No one was safe. Not until this thing inside of her was gone. Stars appeared in her vision, and blackness took her.

-The meeting was going as planned. Talk of rebels in the Autumn Court, alliances that were set amongst all the courts. Where everyone stood, and with whom. Talk of the death lord Koschei, there wasn't much. No news… But they knew to keep an eye on him. Even if it has been years since they heard anything. Talk of how the humans are doing in their lands, about Jurian.

Lucien was about to speak more about the humans and Jurian when he felt pain deep in his chest. But something was wrong. It wasn't him hurting, no. It was... "Elain." He gasped out, just as everyone in the room, heard glass breaking on the other side of the door, then the smell of blood. Lucien was the first one out of the room, kneeling down in front of her, grabbing her bleeding wrist.

"Shit! Elain, what did you do?! Why did you do that?!" He growled at her. Tears fell from her eyes, as the blood pool around them grew. She cut deep. Too deep. He growled again.

Nesta dropped to her knees on the other side of Elain. "Elain, what did you do?"

Feyre sent Rhys to go get the healer, and everyone stood around them, watching the scene unfold. Some murmuring about what she did, what could happen. Why did she do it? If she was going to be okay.

"We need something to compress the wound." Nesta had said, but Lucien was already working on it. The only thing he had was his shirt. He tore it from his body in less than a second. Not caring about his appearance, the scars that marked his body. Didn't care to be half naked in public, in Feyre's home. In front of his coworkers, friends, and family. The only thing that mattered was stopping the bleeding.

Elaine had been whispering something, but he didn't hear her from the rage roaring in his ears from what she'd done. But when she whispered it again, as she fell into his arms, he heard her. "I'm sorry." It was different, he knew. Felt the weight of it. There was more behind that sorry than one could possibly know. More than what she had just done. There was more, he knew, but what? What was she sorry for? What could possibly make her feel the need to do something like this? Lifting her into his arms, he ignored everyone as he carried her to her room, as Rhys appeared with the healer next to the bed.

Lucien moved out of the way, but did not leave the bedside. Even after he was yelled at to do so by the healer. Realizing that he wasn't going to move she ignored him, and got to work on Elain.

After the healer finished, she told everyone that Elain should stay in bed for the next few days. After that, she should take it easy.

"What about gardening?" Lucien knew it would be difficult to keep Elain from her garden.

"Only if it is minor labor, and she takes breaks in between." The healer spoke with Rhysand in the hallway before leaving.

Lucien took a seat in the chair next to her bed. Nesta eyed him, but left after squeezing Elain's hand once more. Everyone else became part of the background, and faded in and out. They weren't of any importance to him. Not now. The last thing he recalled was seeing Elain murmuring something in her sleep, before he too went to the world of dreams.