Chapter 135

It was still dark when Elain awoke. Lifting her head, she could see Lucien asleep beside her, his vibrant hair splayed out across the pillow and the sheet wrapped low around his waist. She let herself reach out to touch him gently as she pushed herself into a sitting position, and she smiled when she thought about the way her had held her in his arms earlier. Everything had been swirling around inside of her, and the only thing that had made it stop had been Lucien. Despite the way she had come at him, he had been patient and gentle and, in the end, she had writhed beneath him, shrieking his name as he had held her tenderly.

Knowing what she wanted, Elain stretched over to press a soft kiss to Lucien's cheek before she slipped out of the bed. Bending to pick up her dress, she pulled it over her head before heading quickly for the door.

She hadn't been to Helion's rooms before, but she knew where they were thanks to her many walks around the palace with Ashk. The hallways were deserted and she didn't see anyone as she slipped quietly through them and, by the time she came to Helion's door, she was trying to keep her mind distracted from what she was about to do.

Swallowing thickly, Elain knocked on the large golden door that she knew led to Helion's private suite. There was no sound within and she knocked again. Perhaps he hadn't heard her, as it was the middle of the night. Elain began to wonder if she should have waited for morning, but then she heard a shuffling from the other side of the door and then a low click before the door was pulled open.

Helion stood in the doorway, hair messed and a rather tiny sheer golden robe wrapped carelessly around his very magnificent body. Elain couldn't stop her eyes moving over him before she tried to swallow again as she forced herself to look back up to meet his eyes. "Elain…?" The High Lord gave her a bit of a smirk, "I hadn't thought I would see you again tonight. Not after the way that you dragged Lucien out of that hall…"

"I… sorry…" Elain tried to clear her throat. "I…" she broke off when a flash of red hair moved across her field of vision behind Helion. Ashk. Elain felt herself blush, and wondered if Lucien knew that his mother was spending her nights in Helion's rooms. "Oh… I…" she twisted her hands together, "I shouldn't have…"

"You wouldn't have come if it wasn't important, Elain." Helion said, his smile still firmly in place. "What can I do for you?"

"I want to accept the bond between Lucien and I." she said quickly.

"…Good…" He nodded, amber eyes still on her.

"Here." She said. "As soon as possible."

Leaning against the door frame, Helion's eyes slid over Elain and she felt as if he were looking right through her. "Do you intend to do it tonight?"

"No…" She blinked, taking a step back.

"Then, if you can give me a day or so to make some arrangements, that should be fine."

"Arrangement?" she asked, "Like what?"

"I would think the very arrangements you considered when you decided to come and tell me of your intention." He said.

"I… thought it would be rude to do it without warning." She told him, "Dangerous, even… I have heard that if someone gets too close things can get violent."

"Yes." Helion said, nodding simply, "So, I will have a self-contained suite set up for you and Lucien that will have everything you will need for as long as your frenzy lasts. You will not need to come out or see anyone… Until it is over."

"Oh… I… Thank you."

"Of course."

Elain watched Helion's eyes move over her again, and she began to feel a little self-conscious. When the High Lord took a slow, deep breath, she knew that he was scenting her, and she wished that she had thought to wash herself before she had come out into the halls. "Does Lucien know that you're here?"

"No… He's… asleep…"

Amber eyes moved over her once more. "You should return to him."

Elain nodded, taking a further step back. She caught another glimpse of Ashk's hair behind Helion and she smiled. "Thank you. Yes. I will… thank you…" Before she could say anything else, Elain turned on her heel and hurried back to where Lucien was still asleep and unaware that she had even left.

He had only moved a little since she had gotten out of bed, and Elain slipped her dress off, dropping it to the floor. Lucien had turned on his side, toward where she had been, and one of his hands was stretched out as if searching for her. As she slid under the covers again, Elain took that hand in hers, linking her fingers through his, and pressing it against her chest as she settled on her back.

"Petal…" Lucien's voice was sleep-thick and mumbled, and his fingers gently stroked her chest, sliding up and across her collarbone.

"Yes…" Turning her head to look at him, Elain smiled when she met his eyes

"Where'd you go?" he asked, shifting closer and pulling her against himself. He was warm, and she hadn't noticed until that moment how much chillier the hallway had been.

"Nowhere…" she let one of her own hands slide down his muscled forearm, enjoying those firm corded muscles beneath her fingers.

"You did." He nuzzled against her, his nose pressed to her throat, "You were gone…" Elain felt his hot lips against her skin before he suddenly stiffened, "You smell like…" he lifted his head to look at her face. "…like… Helion."

Elain raised an eyebrow at him. "You can smell that?"

"Yes. Why do you smell like Helion?" Lucien had pushed himself up onto an elbow and was staring directly at her. Elain tilted her head as she met his eyes, wondering what it was that he was thinking.

"I had to talk to him."

"About what?" he frowned, his eyes moving back and forth across her face, and Elain lifted a hand to his cheek, her fingers ghosting over his scar.

"Are you jealous?" she asked softly, and Lucien's hands tightened on her, one at her waist and the other wrapped around one of her upper arms.

"I'm trying very hard not to be."

"Aw." She could hear the restraint in his voice, and she smiled up at him, sliding her fingers from his cheek into his hair. "Don't be jealous." She murmured, "I told him that I want to accept the bond here… and he's going to organise somewhere for us."

Lucien's expression softened and Elain slowly carded her fingers through his hair. "You told him that?"

"Yes." She drew him down a little until she could lift her head to press her lips to his forehead, "I thought he should know." She smiled as she rested back against the pillow again. "They all should know."

"Well, considering the way you dragged me out of that hall earlier, I think they all do know." Lucien's smirk made Elain blush and she winced slightly.

"Yes, well." She ran one of her hands down his back, "As long as you're no longer jealous. Also, did you know that your mother is currently in the High Lord's room?"

Lucien smiled at her. "Is she?"

"She is." Elain watched as Lucien's smile grew even wider.

"Good for her." He gave a soft laugh.

"Indeed." Elain agreed.

"Oh?" Lucien asked, his voice teasing. "You think she has done well?"

"Do you want me to tell you how handsome Helion is?" Elain asked, teasing him back.

"No…" Lucien's hands moved back up over her skin, making her shiver.

"Is that because you know how handsome he is?" Elain asked, grinning at him.

"I do have eyes." Lucien replied, "Even if only one of them is real…"

"Interesting…" She shifted closer to him, tucking her head up under his chin, and pressed her lips to his throat. "Mmm… you are warm…"

"I haven't been wandering the hallways." He replied, his hands pressed to her back, holding her firmly. "I was waiting for you to come back."

"Well, I'm here now." Elain smiled, her lips still against his throat. She licked carefully at him, at the spot through which she could feel his pulse, and Lucien groaned softly. "You like that?" she murmured, and felt him nod in response. "Do you like this…?" She closed her lips around that pulse point as she slid one of her hands lower, wrapping gently around him. Lucien gave a soft gasp as she began to slowly move that hand, working him carefully, pleased when she felt him grow hard beneath her ministrations. When she felt him move as if to roll her beneath himself, she stopped him. "No…" she murmured, licking at his throat again, "Let me do this…" Slowly, she began stroking him again, listening to the soft sounds her actions drew from him. She liked the way that she could hear his breath catch and the way that his grip on her tightened. She liked the small groans that he made into her ear, and she liked that she was able to do all of that to him. Listening to him, Elain continued what she had been doing, moving more and more quickly, letting his reactions guide her, all the while focusing her lips and teeth on that pulse point at his throat. It didn't take all that long before she felt him shudder and one of his hands moved down her thigh.

"Ah… I… I want to do it inside you…" he groaned, and Elain nodded, letting him draw her thigh up to hook around his waist. He had only just pushed into her when Elain felt him shudder again, as he gave a loud cry, one of his hands fisting tightly in her hair. "Oh…" he gave a small sigh, and Elain smiled, running one of her own hands up and down his chest, listening to his heartbeat in her head as it began to slow and return to normal. "That was…" he still sounded slightly breathless, "That was…"

"Yeah…" Elain nodded, tucking her head up under his chin again as she settled comfortably against him, "Good…" she breathed. Closing her eyes, she continued to listen to Lucien's heartbeat, as he ran his large hands soothingly over her moving slowly from the base of her spine up to her shoulders and back down again. Over and over, she followed the passage of his hand with her mind and she sank closer and closer toward sleep.