Chapter 100

Her pulse quickening in her veins, Elain tried to force herself to calm down. If that female did not get her hands, mechanical or otherwise, off of her Lucien immediately, she was going to march over there and make her. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but she had a few ideas. Pretty female laughter had Elain surging forward, her eyes locked on where those slender golden arms were wrapped tightly around Lucien's neck, and she was just picturing throwing herself at the dark haired faerie when Lucien turned his head to look at her. His wide eyes told Elain that he knew exactly what she was thinking, and then he had straightened, taking himself out of those delicate arms. "Petal…" he smiled at Elain, holding a hand out to her, and Elain took it quickly, possessively. "I'd like you to meet Nuan."

Nuan. Elain's eyes moved over the faerie, noting the gorgeous dark hair and slightly upturned eyes. She looked rather like Amren, really. "Hello…" Elain tried to keep her face neutral, not trusting her expression to be polite when jealousy was still pumping through her veins. She took in the mechanical hand again, and then something clicked in her brain. Looking up at Lucien she focused on his metallic eye, before looking back to Nuan.

"Yes, that was me." Pretty lips curved into a satisfied smile and Elain just about gasped.

"You made…"

"Yes."

Elain looked back up, intending to have another look at Lucien's eye, only to find his free hand reaching out to take hold of her chin. She just watched him as he bent and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, and she knew it was entirely to help ease the tension still within her. His eyes met hers when he lifted his head, and Elain knew that he'd deliberately just claimed her, in front of Nuan, while also announcing that he was hers. "Nuan," he said lightly, his eyes still on Elain's, "This is my mate, Elain Archeron." He looked then toward the other female and, when Elain also turned her eyes on her, she found herself much more at ease. She knew beyond doubt that Lucien had just done that entirely for her benefit, and it made her squeeze his hand more tightly.

"I did hear that you had a Mate…" Nuan's black eyes flicked to Elain, moving over her quickly. Elain was surprised when a smile met her then. "I also heard that Elain Archeron is a Seer."

"Somewhat." Elain said, and Nuan smiled again at her.

Onyx eyes returned to Lucien and Nuan looked up at him. "After lunch, I would really like to take a look at that eye. It has been a long time since I've been able to properly get at it…"

"Yes, that mask was more than a little inconvenient…" Lucien muttered, "In a multitude of different situations…"

"I'll just bet it was." Nuan turned and seated herself at the long table as several faeries entered the room carrying various trays.

Lucien pulled a chair out, and gestured for Elain to claim it. She sat and he pushed it in, before taking a seat beside her. "She made your eye…" Her voice was low and Lucien smiled at her, nodding.

"She's a talented… tinkerer."

"Talented doesn't cover it." Nuan said, glancing their way as dishes were set down before them. Lucien smiled more widely.

"I would have to agree."

Elain noticed Lucien watching her, to see where her eyes were directed, before he leaned to pick up the dish she had focused upon from further up the table and he passed it to her. She gave him a flash of a smile before dishing some of the fantastic looking salad onto her plate.

As Thesan strode into the room, faeries scrambled to make sure that he had ample selection of a variety of dishes within reach from his seat at the end of the table. His brown eyes settled on Lucien the moment he was seated however, and he smiled.

"Did you both sleep well?"

"Yes, we did." Lucien nodded, his hand coming to rest on Elain's knee beneath the table. She glanced at him before looking again at Thesan.

"I thought you must have when you didn't appear for breakfast. I did send someone to let you know, but apparently there was no answer…" Thesan's tone was gentle, his voice rich, and Elain found him incredibly soothing to listen to.

"We didn't hear a thing." Lucien's own tone was soft, and Elain knew that he was trying to sound innocent.

"You did go through quite an ordeal." Thesan conceded, before lifting his fork to his lips. Lucien nodded, his hand sliding slowly up Elain's thigh. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, Elain held her breath, wondering what he was doing. After a moment, the High Lord spoke again. "I'm sure that Nuan has you ready to submit to her ministrations… but afterwards, if you would like to discuss the progress of the court and any news that might be of interest to the others…"

"Yes, that would be excellent." Lucien nodded, and Elain's gaze slid toward the nearby window. When he left to speak with Thesan, she figured she would head outside to see if she could find any flowers that would be suitable for what she wanted. There had seemed to be quite a bit of agricultural action out there when she had caught a glimpse of the countryside passing a window earlier. No doubt there would be endless choice out there.

When Lucien got to his feet at the end of their meal, Elain did the same. There was no way that she was not going with him for whatever Nuan wanted to do. The jealousy had faded, and she no longer felt like throwing herself at the dark haired faerie, but that didn't mean that she was okay with letting the tinkerer disappear with her mate. Lucien wrapped an arm around Elain's shoulders as they followed Nuan out into the hallway, and Elain leaned into him comfortably.

"You don't have to be jealous." Lucien's lips brushed Elain's ear as he whispered to her and she glanced up at him.

"Sorry…" she murmured, "I couldn't help it."

"I know, I'm just letting you know." He pressed his lips to her cheek. "She was only ever a friend."

Slipping an arm around Lucien, Elain smiled. "Thank you." She liked that he was seeking to reassure her, and making it clear to her that there was no cause to the feeling she had absolutely no control over. Wondering if this would still be the way of it when she had accepted the bond, Elain smiled again when he tucked her in tightly to his side. "I don't think I want to wait." She said, and Lucien's large hand moved up and down her arm as he waited for her to continue.

"Wait for what?" he asked when she said nothing more.

"I don't want to wait until we go back to the Night Court."

His hand froze on her arm and then lifted to her chin, tilting her face up so that he could meet her eyes. "To accept the bond?"

"Yes." She said simply. So many emotions hit Elain down the bond then, and she didn't know where to begin in trying to sort them out. Two stood out to her, however, and that was enough for her to get the general idea. Longing and joy.

Lucien stopped walking, right in the middle of the hallway, and pulled Elain around to face him. She gave a small gasp of surprise but then both of his hands had come up to take her face carefully between them. She met his eyes for only a moment before he kissed her, his hands holding her gently. One remained at her cheek, his thumb caressing her cheekbone slowly, while the other dropped to her shoulder and made its way lightly down her arm before jumping to her waist, and drawing her closer.

Wrapping her own arms around Lucien's neck, she leaned into him, against his chest as she allowed him to deepen the kiss. She didn't know when she would do it, she hadn't thought that far ahead, but she had meant what she had said. She didn't wait to wait until they returned to the Night Court. That was entirely too far away.

A small cough from further up the hall reminded Elain that Nuan was waiting for them, and had likely just been given an eyeful when she had turned to find that she was no longer being followed. Lucien didn't seem to mind, however, and kissed Elain again before finally releasing her. There was a grin on his face, and heat in his eyes, as he regarded her. "Well, Petal." He murmured, "Isn't that interesting…"