Chapter 69

The pinks and purples across the sky as the sun sank toward the horizon were enchanting, and Elain found herself unable to keep her eyes on the ground in front of her as she and Lucien walked back to toward Tamlin's manor. The whole world appeared to be bathed in a peachy glow and as Elain's eyes scanned the sky again, Lucien slipped his hand into hers. "You'll trip…" he told her, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"It's so beautiful…"

"You'll love the Dawn court." He replied, "The colours are always like this."

"Ah…" Smiling, Elain glanced at Lucien before looking back to the sky. She stumbled on the tangled path a moment later, and Lucien's grip on her tightened as he kept her on her feet. She gave him a smile of thanks and made herself look down at the path they walked along.

Swinging her free hand, clutched tightly around a small bouquet of flowers from the glade, Elain smiled happily to herself. She was glad they had a week before they were due to head to the Summer Court. This was about as pleasant as she could ever have imagined anything to be. Glancing again at Lucien, she watched him walking beside her. He had the basket of their leftover food in his other hand, the rolled up blanket beneath his arm, and he wore a thoughtful expression on his face. The orange light the setting sun was casting across the world caught on Lucien's vibrant hair, making it look like molten metal, and Elain could barely force herself to look away from him. She could hardly believe that someone so stunning and good could be her mate. She didn't know anybody in her life that had ever been that lucky, let alone herself.

When her foot caught on a root, Elain stumbled and managed to right herself before making sure she began watching where she was going again. She could feel Lucien's eyes on her, and smiled softly to herself as they continued to walk in silence. When they came into sight of the manor, Elain looked back up to the sky, now a darker shade of purple. She could still feel Lucien's eyes on her and she glanced his way again.

"How do you feel?" he asked, hand still firmly holding hers.

"I'm okay." Elain looked him over when the sun caught his metallic eye, glinting brightly. "I feel just fine…"

Lucien lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the underside of her wrist. "Good…"

"I would like a bath…" she added, and Lucien nodded.

"Yes…" He agreed, as they headed up the steps. "Me too."

They were on their way upstairs when Tamlin appeared nearby. "Lucien…" Elain paused, looking back around to see the blond High Lord sticking his head out of a door to the hall. "There's a letter for you."

"Go on…" Lucien's hand pressed into Elain's lower back as he pressed her in the direction she had been walking. "I'll follow in a second…" Glancing at him, Elain then flicked a glance toward Tamlin who was now standing in the hallway, closer to them. "Go on…"

Elain let out a soft breath and nodded, continuing up the stairs and heading for Lucien's bedroom.

Lucien didn't take his eyes off of Tamlin, even as he pushed Elain to continue on upstairs without him. He wanted her to get upstairs and to take the bath she had told him that she wanted. Lucien could still smell himself on her, and he knew that Tamlin would be able to as well. His old friend would, no doubt, know exactly what they had done, but that didn't mean that Lucien wanted Elain standing in front of Tamlin while the High Lord came to that conclusion and was thinking about it. As much as he liked his scent on her skin, liked her smelling of him, he figured it was probably better if she had a bath before she came down for dinner.

"A letter?" He asked Tamlin, taking a step down to the hallway and heading for the other male.

"Yes." Tamlin handed Lucien a small letter and Lucien opened it quickly, recognising Eris' tiny cramped handwriting. Anxiety filled him as he scanned the contents before folding the parchment and slipping it into his coat. When he looked back up, Tamlin's green eyes were on him.

"Bad news?"

"I…" Lucien let out a huff. "My presence has been requested."

"Why?"

"I don't know…"

"Will you go?"

Lucien thought for a moment. "I wasn't requested as Emissary for the Night Court…" he pretended he didn't see the sneer that crossed Tamlin's face at those words, "So… I wouldn't have that protection… I… I couldn't take Elain with me…"

"She is welcome to stay here."

Biting his lip, Lucien turned away for a moment, pacing a little. "I want to check on my mother…" He glanced back to Tamlin who had not moved, and had not spoken. "It would be good to see what has happened there now that Eris is High Lord…" Tamlin nodded once, and Lucien kept thinking. "I could go in the morning and be back the next day…"

"You could."

"Elain can really stay?"

"Of course." Those green eyes swept over Lucien then, and he remembered his earlier thoughts. He knew when Tamlin scented the air, knew when one blonde eyebrow lifted, that his old friend had come to the correct conclusion.

"Alright…" Lucien ran a hand through his hair, "If I can leave Elain here, I'll go to the Autumn Court tomorrow morning…"

Elain had just folded her letter to Feyre when Lucien walked into his bedroom. "What are you doing?" he asked lightly, slipping his jacket from his shoulders.

"Writing to Feyre." She replied, "I was telling her that if she hasn't already been to the Winter Court, she should go to see the Eisblume. I bet she would love to paint them."

"I'm sure she would." Lucien smiled at her and she watched his eyes, russet and gold, move over her. "You've already had a bath?"

"I did…"

He nodded and headed for the bathroom. "I'm going to do the same."

"Alright…" Elain sealed the letter, and then got to her feet. She pulled one of the blue flowers from her bouquet she had set up in a vase and decided that, while Lucien was bathing, she would go and find Tamlin and ask him the name of this flower. He had told her that he would know and be able to inform her, and she needed the name for her book.

She found Tamlin in the dining room, just as he was sitting down in his usual seat and she strode toward him. "Good evening." She greeted, smiling.

"How was your day?" he asked her, leaning back in his seat and surveying her with interest.

"Quite pleasant…" she responded, before holding the flower out to him. "This is the blue flower… do you know what it is called?"

Tamlin took the stem from her fingers and held it up to look carefully at it. "This is called Love-in-a-mist."

Elain smiled widely. "Really?"

"Yes." Tamlin nodded and handed the flower back to her. "It is quite delicate and lovely."

"I thought so too." She said, smiling at the flower. Then, remembering the way that Lucien had traced one of them over her body, following the path it had taken with his mouth, she blushed. "A lovely flower with a lovely name."

When she looked back up, it was to find Tamlin looking intently at her. "How do you feel about remaining here when Lucien goes to the Autumn Court?" he asked her, and she tilted her head.

"When he what?"

Tamlin's eyebrows lifted, "Did he not tell you?"

"No…" Elain's stomach twisted, "What are you talking about?"

"He received a letter from Eris requesting his presence."

"Why?"

"I don't believe the letter said. But," Tamlin paused for a second, "He wants to check on his mother, and to see the way of things now that Eris has taken over from Beron."

Nodding, Elain bit her lip. She could understand well enough that Lucien would be eager to see how his mother was faring with things having changed. "And he wants to leave me here…"

"I don't know that he would put it that way… but he knows that you would be safe here."

Thinking of the brother that had attacked them as she and Lucien had tried to get out of the Autumn Court, Elain winced. She knew that Lucien wouldn't want to take her back there while there was the possibility of something similar happening and, until it was clear what kind of Court Eris was running, he knew that Lucien would take any chance he could to keep her away. That didn't mean that he would be safe, however. Stepping back from the table and from Tamlin, Elain straightened her back.

"Excuse me." She said, turning toward the door, "Lucien and I need to have a conversation…"