Chapter 44

The light breeze ruffled his hair, tendrils of Elain's honey brown hair blowing across her face as she gazed up at him. He lifted a hand to her cheek, brushing her hair back as pink petals rained down around them, falling from the tree stretching above. When Elain wrapped her legs around his waist, Lucien bent to press his lips to hers, pushing forward when she opened her mouth to him. The soft groan she made into the kiss had him reaching between them, dragging the skirts of her dress up to her waist. She loosened her legs enough for him to push the dress out of his way and provide him with enough space to undo his own pants.

Glancing around them he looked back to Elain's dark eyes as he raised a questioning eyebrow. They were laying on her blanket under the tree in her garden at the Town House and, while everyone else was up at the House of Wind, Lucien wasn't sure that Elain would be okay doing this here. She just grinned at him, and he felt one of her hands slide up the back of his neck and into his hair.

"Hurry up…" she breathed.

"As you wish, Petal." He gave her a lazy smirk before kissing her again. When she tugged gently at his hair, Lucien shifted his position over her, bringing his hands to her hips before carefully pushing into her tight body. Elain's quiet moan sent his heart racing in his chest as he felt her tighten her legs around his waist, holding him inside her. Her hand slipped from his hair to his cheek and he felt her trying to lift his face so that she could look at him. Lucien raised himself a little until he could meet her gaze. Watching the emotions flicker through her eyes, he slowly began to rock his hips, listening to the soft sounds she made as he moved gently inside of her.

Elain stared at the roof in the darkness. The faint glow of the moonlight outside meant that she could see little more than outlines and shadows around her room, but she didn't need to see more. Her heartbeat was still quickened from the dream from which she had just awoken and, if she listened very carefully, she could hear that Lucien's was as well. She had known that it had been his dream the moment she had opened her eyes in the darkness, and something about that knowledge had comforted her. She hadn't been able to feel him since not long after he had left. He had been too far away to feel anything, and she had only been able to hear his heart when the world was quiet and she really listened hard.

This dream had been the first thing she had managed to glean from him, and the fact that he was still dreaming about her at all comforted her. As she ran her fingers over the garnet necklace Lucien had given her, Elain bit her lip. The dream had been interesting. It had been sweet and gentle, and not some perverted physical release that was all about fucking her body. She had wanted him, in that dream. That had been a large part of the fantasy, she realised. Lucien had been dreaming about her wanting him.

Rolling on to her side, Elain sighed. It had been difficult enough for her to fall asleep earlier, she knew she wasn't getting back to sleep now. She still missed him, and she dearly hoped that he would return tomorrow. If he didn't, she was strongly considering having Rhys locate him. Then, Elain thought, perhaps she might go and tell him to come back. Would she actually do that? She didn't know. She thought it might have been disrespectful. To ignore his struggle purely for what she wanted was unkind. It was selfish. Making a face, Elain clutched at the necklace at her throat. She would just have to wait, she decided. He had said that he would only be gone a few days. She would just have to deal with that. He would return when he had figured out what he wanted, and she would have to wait until that had happened. Rolling onto her back again, Elain kicked the sheets off of her legs. She was burning.

Closing her eyes, she allowed the images from that dream to wash over her again. She rather liked the thought of laying on her blanket under that pretty pink blossoming tree while allowing Lucien to kiss her like that. She just hoped that, if that ever happened in reality, they really wouldn't be interrupted by anyone coming out into the garden. She didn't want to think about how embarrassed she would be if Cassian or Amren came outside and found them. She would probably never hear the end of it.

Opening her eyes again, Elain realised that she was contemplating a possible future in which she and Lucien would be laying around on blankets in gardens and kissing. What did that mean she wanted? She suspected it was more than just for him to come back. She really wasn't going to get any further sleep tonight.

Elain lay awake in her bed until dawn when she finally allowed herself to get up and get dressed for the day. Grabbing the new book she had begun, she took it downstairs to the dining room to wait for the others and for breakfast. Something told her that it was going to be a long day.

She was quite surprised when she found Feyre and Rhys already at the table, and they looked up as she entered, coming to a halt in their conversation.

"…what is it?" Elain asked, sinking into a chair opposite her sister. Feyre slanted a glance at Rhys, and Elain just waited for her to respond, pouring herself a cup of tea as she did so.

"We received a message from Vassa and Jurian." Feyre's voice was soft, and Elain's eyes snapped directly to her sister's.

"Is Lucien there?" she asked, a sick feeling twisting in her stomach. She had wondered if he had gone back to them. If he had, what did that mean? Jerking the teapot upright when she realised her teacup was now full to the brim, Elain focused again on her sister.

"No… Well, the message didn't say so if he was." Feyre shook her head, "They want us to try and break Vassa's curse. They found something they want me to try as 'Cursebreaker' and Nesta and Amren may be able to try a few things… and you, too…" Feyre paused for a second, "I'd like you to come and see if your abilities might show us anything…"

Elain set the teapot down carefully, drawing one slow breath after another as she thought about that. Graysen owned that manor. He had given it to Vassa and Jurian. She knew that he frequented the place. She really did not wish to run into him if he happened to be visiting while they were there. "When?" she asked, looking back to Feyre and Rhys.

"We would leave today." Rhys replied.

"What about Lucien?" Elain asked. He was meant to be returning any day now.

"He can meet us there." Feyre said, "We can send word to him."

"You don't know where he is…"

"We can find out." Feyre smiled at her.

That would make him come back, Elain knew. If he found out that she was going to that manor, with even the slightest chance of seeing Graysen, Lucien would come back. "Okay." She said.

Dropping the wood he had collected by the small firepit, Lucien let out a sigh. He had nothing to do here. He had sharpened and polished all of his weapons this morning, and he had cleaned out the little cabin so that it was more habitable. He had collected enough firewood to last him far longer than he intended to stay, and he was beyond bored.

Hesitant to sit down and read, he eyed the surrounding area again. He knew that he would get through his book in next to no time and he hadn't brought a second. With a muttered curse, he went and picked the book up, throwing himself down in a chair in the sun. He wanted to know what happened in the story. It was engaging enough that he would probably read it again anyway. Elain would like it, he thought. Perhaps he would suggest it to her when she had gotten through the pile he had already given her.

Setting his book in his lap, Lucien stared at the trees. He missed her. He wanted to go back. It hadn't been that long, though. He hadn't been able to feel her since he had first arrived, so he had no idea if she had had enough time to figure out how she felt about him. It hadn't taken him long at all to work his own feelings out. His desire to get back to her hadn't diminished, and it was no longer just the pull of the bond. He wanted to be with her, talk to her. He wanted to hold her hand, and sit with her in the garden. He wanted to see her wonder and expressions of awe as they travelled thorough the courts of Prythian, and she got to experience the unique beauty of each. He wanted to listen to her excitedly talk about what she had learned or what she had been reading, and he wanted to tell her about what he had been doing and know that she was listening. Nobody had ever listened to him the way Elain did, genuinely interested in what he was saying and attentive enough to care. He was in love with her. It was as clear as day, and Lucien knew that he had been in love with her for a while.

When the Morrigan walked out of the trees, Lucien got to is feet, his book still held loosely in his hand. "How did you find me?" He asked.

"Az can find anyone."

"Ah."

Mor's dark eyes looked past him to the cabin and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Is this your house?"

"What, no?" He replied.

"Who lives here?"

"Nobody…" He watched her looking around before she turned back to him again.

"Why'd you come here?"

"Does it matter?" He asked, setting his book on his empty seat. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you."

Fear spiked through Lucien. "Is Elain alright?"

"She's fine." Mor replied, waving her hand dismissively. "Been a bit withdrawn, but she's fine."

"Then why do you need me?"

"Oh, it's your choice to come." Mor said easily, "You don't have to come if you don't want to. We're all going to that little manor you shared with Jurian and that mortal queen. They want Feyre to try and break the curse again."

"Elain too?" he asked, hoping that the Graysen prick wouldn't be there. Mor just nodded and Lucien bent to pick up his book.

"Let's go."