Chapter 65

Lucien had awoken early and, finding Elain still asleep, he slipped quietly from bed and got dressed before heading outside for a walk. The sun had not yet completely risen, but he was full of energy and thought that if he took himself out to one of the old roads he had used during his patrols, he might be able to work a bit of it off before he had to properly begin the day.

He found the surrounding areas much the same as when he had used to live in the manor, if slightly less populated, and he wondered where everyone had gone. To which courts, he wondered, had they fled?

Turning his mind to the coming hours, Lucien tried to work out what to do. He wanted to ensure that Elain had a pleasing day before the evening. He knew that tonight, when he took her to bed, he would be able to give into the driving urge that had been pushing him ever since he had discovered that she was his mate. Yes, he knew that was coming. They had a whole day to get through first, however. He would take her to the glade, he decided. She wanted to see the blue flower he had spoken of, and that would take at least a few hours if they took some food and books with them. They had been able to spend hours in the garden together at the Night Court, so he knew that it would only be too easy to do in that glade. There were many flowers there she could inspect, and he did want to continue reading that book with her.

Once he had decided on a course of action, Lucien headed back to the manor. He knew that breakfast would be in motion in the dining hall, so he headed for the kitchens first. Some of the kitchen staff were faeries he knew and remembered and, with only a few quick smiles, he was able to talk them into preparing a small basket of sandwiches and cakes. Then, once he had what he needed, Lucien ran upstairs to collect the book and a blanket. Elain and Tamlin were in the dining room, as predicted, when he returned and Lucien smiled as he strode in and saw Elain's head whip around instantly.

"There you are…" she said, and he saw her eyes shift over him from head to foot as if assessing.

"I went for a walk." He told her, striding toward the table and taking up his usual seat. "I hope you weren't too worried."

"Not worried…" she replied, her eyes still moving over him, "Just…"

"Sorry." He gave her a slow smile, "I would have told you, but I didn't want to wake you." She nodded, looking back to her plate and Lucien noticed her book open on the table beside her. "Working already?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Tamlin was telling me more about the flowers I'd chosen from his gardens last time."

"Oh?" Lucien looked toward the High Lord who gave a nod of his own. "Well," Lucien continued, looking back to Elain, "If you're ready to add another… I've collected everything we need for a little walk."

Elain's brown eyes lifted to meet his gaze and her pretty lips quirked in a smile. "…what do we need?" she asked softly.

"Maybe you'll have to wait until we get there…" He felt the curiosity swirling off of her, and he couldn't help his own wide smile as he looked back at her.

"Where are you heading?" Tamlin asked, and Lucien flicked a glance at him.

"Not too far." He replied. He'd never spoken to his friend about the glade he had so often visited. It had seemed he should keep it a secret, a place just for him. He was happy to share that with Elain, but he wasn't about to tell Tamlin about it. Not now. Not yet.

"When will we leave?" Elain asked.

"As soon as you're ready."

Elain got to her feet, slipping her book into her pocket as she did so and then looked at him expectantly. "… We will need a blanket." She said, "If I'm going to sit for so long to draw this flower…"

"Already taken care of, Petal." Lucien enjoyed the smile he was rewarded with and then pushed his own chair back as he stood. He was aware of Tamlin's green eyes following them as he strode for the door and he cast a quick look over his shoulder at his old friend. He could have sworn it was jealousy he read on Tamlin's face, but then Elain had taken his hand and Lucien forgot all about Tamlin as they headed out into the hallway.

The walk to the glade passed quickly, but the sun was pleasant and warm in the sky, and Lucien had almost forgotten how mild the days were in the Spring Court. Nothing was ever harsh or unpleasant and he remembered why he had fallen a bit in love with this place. It was in such contrast to the brutal aspects of the Autumn Court, almost like a balm to everything he had been running from. He thought Elain must have sensed something of his thoughts down the bond because she wandered closer and took his hand gently in hers, not saying anything but there all the same.

The familiar peace washed over Lucien the moment he stepped into the glade with Elain and, judging from the soft sigh he heard from her, he figured that she felt it too. A moment later she had hurried forward, her hand tracing through the violet flowers that snaked their way up most of the trees around the place, and he knew that she was searching for blue flowers. He moved toward the place he had used to like to sit, and spread the blanket out in the shade, before setting the basket down beside it. As he dropped down to sit, he glanced across to where Elain was kneeling beside a tree, her hands moving over a small red-flowered bush.

After several moments, she straightened and headed toward him, sinking down on the blanket and pulling her book from her pocket. Lucien smiled at her and indicated a small plant growing right next to where he had set the blanket. "As promised, Petal."

He saw her interest sharpen as she leaned toward the plant, her gentle fingers reaching out to trace the light green lacy leaves that seemed to surround the blue flowers. "Oh…" she bit her lip for a moment, as her dark eyes moved over the flower, "These are quite delicate…"

Lucien nodded. "Every time I came here, I would find myself drawn to them. I would sit here mostly…"

Elain flicked a smile at him before she began to quickly sketch the flower. "Thank you for showing me…" she murmured and Lucien watched her with a smile of his own before opening the basket and setting out some of the sandwiches and cakes. He knew that it was still a time until lunch but he had interrupted her breakfast, and he hadn't eaten at all himself.

As Elain sketched, he slowly passed her bits and pieces to eat and then, when he figured that he'd gotten enough food into her, he began to read from the book he'd brought. She had moved on to a different flower by the time he had finished the next chapter and set the book aside.

"Would you show me?" He asked, indicating the book and then the blue flower.

Elain looked up at him from beneath her lashes. "Of course…" she passed him the book and he flicked back a page to her illustration.

"You're getting quite good…"

"Do you think so?"

"I do." Lucien smiled at her, flicking further back through the book, looking at other flowers she had drawn.

"That kind of makes me want to go back to the beginning and do the original ones better…"

"Well, they are back at the manor…"

"True."

"I kind of like it, though." Lucien told her, flicking to the first few pages. "It's like tracing the journey we took… Your skills have changed as you have…" he looked at her, "As we have…"

Elain grinned at him, "Are you trying to say that my skills have grown like our relationship?"

Lucien gave a derisive huff, and then tilted his head. "…maybe?"

"Well," Elain took the book from his hands and scooted closer to him on the blanket as she set it aside. "that is somewhat sweet."

"You think so?" Lucien could feel his blood beginning to quicken in his veins, and when Elain smiled more widely at him, he knew that she had noticed his heartrate increase. "Imagine where your skills will be by the time we've been to all the courts."

"Imagine where we'll be…"

He couldn't help lifting a hand to her hair, trailing his fingers along her long braid all the way to the end. "That is a fascinating thought…" his voice held the edge of a low growl, "I truly can hardly wait for tonight…" He watched a light blush creep into Elain's cheeks, but she held his gaze.

"I know."