Chapter 75

Pacing back and forth in the room she had been provided with, Elain chewed her lower lip. It was the same room she and Lucien had shared when they had last been in the Autumn Court, and she had wanted the familiarity to be comforting, but it was not. It had been entirely too long, and she was beginning to think that Eris had changed his mind about Lucien being free to move around the house of his own volition. She hadn't wanted to let him go earlier, but Ashk had requested, when everyone had been dismissed, to speak with her sons, and so, Elain had been shown to her room. Far more time had passed than she had expected, however, and she had just begun to consider going to look for Lucien when she decided better of that. She had not forgotten her encountered with one of Lucien's other brothers as they had tried to free the court. Being cornered in a hallway by any of them again was not something she wished to experience.

Striding into the bathroom, Elain moved to the sink wanting to was her face with cool water in an effort to calm herself down. It wasn't as effective as she had hoped and so she stood there, leaning on the edge of the sink, and trying to control her breathing when she heard the door open. Standing bolt upright, Elain froze, hoping that it wasn't one of Lucien's brothers, and cursing herself for not locking the door. She listened for a moment, relief flooding her when she heard Lucien's heartbeat nice and close.

"Petal?"

Elain spun around and threw herself at Lucien as he stepped into the bathroom. "I thought he was going to lock you up again…" she murmured, pressing her lips to his cheek, his throat, his hair, and just about anywhere she could reach.

"No…" his hands moved quickly over her, clutching at her, and pulling her to himself, lifting her and holding her close. "Our mother wished to speak with us. She didn't know where I spent last night…" Elain closed her eyes as images of Lucien's hands clutching at those iron bars flashed through her mind. "She wanted an explanation from Eris."

"She's not the only one." Elain kissed his cheek again, wrapping her legs around him as he held her tighter. She gave a small gasp when one of his hands slid up her thigh.

"He's not going to out my mother as having had an affair publicly. He wont announce that Beron was not my father, so he wants me to renounce any claim that other would expect me to have myself."

"Why?" Elain asked, her eyes sliding closed again when Lucien turned and pressed her into the bathroom wall, pushing himself firmly against her.

"Anyone who might prefer me over him as High Lord would have the chance to offer me support… Unless I publicly deny my claim."

"So he locked you in the dungeon?" one of her hands slid into his hair when she felt his togue on her throat, licking at her skin carefully. "Mmm…"

"He does have a reputation to maintain…"

"Yes…" Elain didn't know if her response was to what Lucien had just said, or the fact that she could feel his hands tugging her dress up and pulling it from between them.

"I'm sorry…" he breathed, lips brushing her ear then, "I promised I would come back…"

"I'm still holding you to it." She replied, shifting herself so that he could undo his pants. "Did he hurt you?" her hands pulled at the laces of his shirt, loosening it so that she could better see his chest.

"No."

"That's all I could think about… I couldn't wait…" She thought about the panic that had filled her while waiting for dawn, trying to work out what to do.

"You shouldn't have come." He breathed, looking her in the eyes then, "But I'm glad you did."

Elain dipped her head to kiss him softly, "I was never going to let him have you." She murmured, "You're mine…"

Lucien's hold on her tightened instantly and he nodded. Elain felt him adjust her in his arms, pressing her into the wall again as he settled carefully against her. He hesitated for a moment, and she felt him try to leash himself, trying to be gentle. She threaded her fingers into his hair when his lips went back to her throat, kissing and licking at her skin and she bit her lip hard when he pushed slowly into her. Lucien's groan into her ear was almost a growl and Elain tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. He was still, although his heart was anything but, and Elain had only just released her lip, about to tell him he could move, when they heard the door to their room open again and several voices came closer.

Gasping, Elain went tense. Lucien had pulled himself from her and set her carefully on her feet in an instant. She just stood there as he quickly laced his pants as the voices came to a halt in the other room. "… Nesta?" she breathed, turning her head. Lucien glanced at her, meeting Elain's eyes, before they both strode for the door.

Nesta stood in the centre of the room, Feyre and Rhys beside her. Elain stared. "…you're here?"

"We got your letter and we-" Feyre broke off, her blue-grey eyes moving over Elain before going to Lucien and doing the same thing. Tugging her dress more into place, Elain tried to look as innocent as possible. Glancing at Lucien, she noted that his hair was rather messed up from her hands, and his shirt hung loose and open from where she had pulled at it.

"Are you serious?" Nesta's voice held ice.

Elain glanced at her older sister, but said nothing.

"We came as quickly as we were able." Rhys put in, his voice as even and smooth as always, "But it seems as if most of the drama was over by the time we arrived."

"Yes," Lucien said, adjusting his shirt as he moved to sit on the bed. Elain followed him. She sat herself beside him, unable to keep her hand off of him as he explained to the others what had happened, why Eris had locked him up, and what he had admitted he wanted when Elain arrived with Tamlin. Tracing her hand across Lucien's shoulder, Elain watched Feyre for her reaction to the mention of Tamlin. Her sister didn't so much as blink, however.

"So," Rhys began, "As soon as you renounce any claim to Eris' throne, you'll be free to leave?"

"Apparently." Lucien said, giving a light shrug.

Elain smiled, looking at him, but then shifted her gaze to Nesta who was eyeing them intently. Blinking, Elain just met her sister's eyes. She knew that her sister was trying to work out what she was seeing, and it was then that Elain remembered that the others had only seen her kiss Lucien once, when he had given her the blue cloak before they had headed to the Winter Court. Remembering that she had wished she could speak to Nesta when she had been waiting for Lucien to return to Spring, Elain smiled at Nesta. She still very much would like to discuss things with her sister, although, she might prefer a time where she and Lucien hadn't just been interrupted in an intimate and compromising position. She wasn't sure that the others realised just what they had interrupted, but she suspected they probably got the general idea.

"Do we need to have a conversation?" Nesta asked, blunt as ever.

"About what?" Elain asked.

"About what was clearly just going on through that door." Nesta indicated the bathroom, and Lucien gave a wry chuckle.

"Bit late for that…" he said. Elain's jaw dropped and she turned her eyes on him. Nesta looked rather scandalised, while Feyre looked as if she were enjoying every second of what was going on around her. Rhys looked like he would have rathered he were anywhere else.

"Well, we will stay until you're able to leave." Rhys said, sliding an arm around Feyre. "We've been given rooms across the hall."

Elain didn't take her eyes off of Nesta. She would need to have a conversation with her. Not out of any uncertainty, or for permission for anything, but because her sister had always been a part of her life and deserved to be kept informed on what she was thinking and feeling. Because she was her sister.