Chapter 51

Lucien was looking intently at the end of Elain's braid as he ran it gently between his fingers. Elain watched him, still able to feel the fear and anxiety coming off of him. He hadn't looked away from her braid since she had asked him why he hated Ianthe, and she was growing more and more concerned. "Lucien?" she asked softly, her hand trailing down his arm.

"Yes?"

Elain watched his face, noting that he kept his eyes on her braid as he held it carefully. "Tell me what Ianthe did…"

He let out a soft huff, lifting his eyes to hers for a moment. "She… liked the idea of mixing her bloodline with mine."

"What?" Elain frowned, looking at him. Lucien nodded slowly.

"She was … quite persistent."

"Did you sleep with her?"

"Ah…"

Horror coiled through Elain as she stared at him. Lucien released her braid, his golden eye whirring as he focused on her face again. "I…"

"You did."

"Not once I met you." His words came out rushed, and it took Elain a moment to understand. "I swear."

"But you did before…?"

He made a face, and Elain just waited for his response. "Do you know what Calanmai is?" he asked and she shook her head. "It involves a rite during which the High Lord allows powerful magic to enter him." Lucien spoke softly, and Elain struggled to focus on what he was saying and not on the fact that he had apparently slept with that awful priestess. "During the rite he is forced by that magic to seek out the Maiden."

"And bed her?"

Lucien nodded once. "This allows the release of that magic, which ensures that crops will grow for the next year…" his eyes moved back and forth across her face. "It's highly important that the Rite is completed…"

"And that's what you did?"

"Yes."

"But… you're not a High Lord."

Lucien made another face. "Tamlin… refused… to complete the Rite. He was … upset… that Feyre was gone."

"So you did it?"

"I did."

"… you and Ianthe?"

Lucien dropped his gaze again, and Elain could feel embarrassment and disgust coming from him. "Yes." He murmured, "She ensured that she was the one I took into that cave…"

"You didn't have a choice?"

He shook his head and Elain reached out to him, laying her hand gently over his. She jumped then as her ears began to ring in that familiar way she had begun to become accustomed to.

Drums pounded and Lucien gasped as bright light surrounded him and Elain could feel the sting as it touched his skin. She watched as it seemed to wrap around him and he fell to his knees, his ruby hair falling forward and covering his face. Knowing she couldn't do anything, Elain took a concerned step toward him all the same. A moment later the light vanished, appearing to disappear into Lucien and, when he lifted his head, Elain was the one who gasped. He was resplendent, glowing from within, and the fire in his russet eye was brighter than she had ever seen it.

He was on his feet in an instant, stalking toward the fire by the nearby cave and Elain hurried to follow him. There were female faeries of all kinds waiting by the entrance, but Ianthe stood before them all, blocking them from view as she presented herself and it was more than clear to Elain that that had been the priestess' intention. Lucien barely paused for a second before he had seized Ianthe's arm and dragged her into the cave. Elain's stomach twisted, but she followed, the sound of drums growing louder around her.

By the time she caught up, she found Lucien and Ianthe in a dimply lit cavern. Fire flickered around on the walls, casting lengthy dancing shadows, and they stood by a raised dais sporting a long stone alter. Stumbling forward, Elain watched as Ianthe grinned widely at Lucien, telling him how pleased she was that he had chosen her. Lucien stalked toward the priestess and Ianthe reached out, untucking the white shirt that he wore. She continued to talk about how she knew the Rite would be successful with the two of them taking part, but Elain could not take her eyes off of Lucien. His expression was feral and his eyes alight. The magic had turned him wild and she didn't think she had ever seen that expression on his face before. Ianthe didn't appear to have noticed as she monologued, but she gave a small startled gasp when he suddenly reached out and ripped her dress from her body.

Lucien stalked toward Ianthe who slowly began to back toward the dais, her pretty blue eyes now on his face. Elain supposed the priestess had finally noticed the feral look in his eyes, and was wondering about her choices in coming here. Lucien undid his pants as he walked, his skin still glowing with all of that magic he had taken into himself.

Elain just watched, unable to look away, as Ianthe hit the alter and had nowhere else to go. Lucien reached her and shed his shirt, tossing it aside as he stared down at the blonde female before him. Ianthe reached out, trying to help him remove his pants, but Lucien brushed her hands away before removing them himself. When he stood straight to look at Ianthe again, Elain was sure she saw the priestess shudder.

"Finally…" Ianthe said, her voice steadier than Elain would have expected it to be judging by how wide her blue eyes were. "Didn't I tell you this would happen…?"

Lucien's only response was to grab a handful of Ianthe's blonde hair. He used it to turn her around before bending her over the alter. Watching, Elain could barely swallow, and she couldn't force her eyes to look anywhere else as Lucien held Ianthe in place with that handful of her hair, his other hand on her lower back as he forced her legs apart with one of his own.

The drums seemed to grow louder, increasing in tempo, as Ianthe appeared to spread herself eagerly. Elain watched, knowing that she couldn't do anything to stop it. Her heart was pounding almost painfully in her chest and her stomach was twisting and churning enough that she thought she might be sick. She really didn't want to see this, and was thankful that from where she was standing all she could see was Lucien's back as he bent a little into a better position before coming back up with a hard thrust. Ianthe's high pitched cry echoed around the cavern and Elain closed her eyes, both hands coming up over her mouth. She had no idea why she was being shown this. The other visions she had seen of Lucien all had a purpose. They had helped her to better understand him and who he had become, but this? There was no reason for her to see this.

Turning, Elain hurried back toward the entrance to the cavern, but found herself unable to go any further. That made sense, she thought, as this was Lucien's memory. She was stuck where he was, which meant remaining where she could see and hear everything going on up on that dais. With a whimper, Elain glanced back at Lucien and Ianthe, her breath catching at the sight of Lucien yanking the priestess back by her hair as he fucked her with what appeared to be brutal force. Harsh grunting sounds echoed around the cavern, broken every so often by Ianthe's cries, and Elain turned away again, bringing her hands up over her ears.

Looking for another option, Elain moved around the cavern, hoping there was somewhere else she could escape to, but that proved fruitless. Ianthe's high pitched cries turned to shrieks then and Elain couldn't help but cast her gaze toward the dais again. She watched, unable to help herself, as Lucien dragged the priestess off of the alter and threw her to the ground. The blonde had only just lifted herself onto her hands before he was on her again, lifting her hips and thrusting himself between her thighs once more. When one of Lucien's hands seized a hold of that long hair again, yanking her head back, Elain could clearly see the priestess' expression and she knew without doubt that this was exactly what the blonde had wanted. Lucien yanked her back again before throwing her forward as his hands went back to her hips and he continued to fuck Ianthe on the floor with unrestrained violence while he snarled viciously and Ianthe cried out with delight and pleasure.

Feeling a tug, Elain blinked, her vision shifting before it changed altogether. Ianthe now sat atop Lucien who was on his back on the floor as the priestess rode him, her hands reaching up into her own hair as she moved, her cries still echoing around the cavern. Elain turned away as she felt another tug and the cavern disappeared altogether.

"NO!" Lucien leaped to his feet and moved away from Elain on the bed. He strode to the window, dragging his fingers through his hair. "I didn't want you to see that!" She heard a slight hitch in his voice and got to her own feet, moving slowly toward him.

"Did you just pull me out of that vision?" she asked, wondering if he'd fought what the bond was showing her.

"I didn't want you to see it…" his voice was soft now, but Elain could feel panic and embarrassment coming from him. Silently, she continued to move toward him at the window where she wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing herself into his back. "That wasn't me…" he murmured and Elain felt his hesitant hand over hers against his chest. "I'm not like that… That wasn't me…" She knew that he was referring to the violence of what she had just witnessed and Elain nodded her head against him.

"I know." She breathed, tightening her arms around him. "It was that magic you took into yourself. I saw it."

"Yes…" Lucien's voice shook slightly, and she felt him draw a slow breath. "The Rite is not for lovemaking."