Chapter 139

Information wasn't the only thing Lucien had brought back from his trip into the city that afternoon. Elian's face hurt from the huge smile that had been plastered across it as he had sat her down at a small table and opened a paper package that he'd set in front of her. "I've missed our days out in the garden." He said, smiling warmly at her, and Elain felt her heart flutter in response. "Where we would just sit and talk… and then you would tell me what manual labour you wanted from me, just so that I would take my shirt off and you could ogle me…"

"No…" She laughed, bringing a hand up to her mouth to try and hide the smile. That hadn't been true, at least, not at first. "But, I miss those days too." She said. Those mornings where Lucien would bring her some form of pastry or other goods from her favourite bakery sat fondly in her memory. That had been how she had properly gotten to know him and, she suspected, when she had begun to fall in love with him. "Oh…"

"Looks delicious, doesn't it?" Lucien pressed the paper packaging open as widely as he was able, and Elain stared down at the delicious looking cake.

"Very much." Her eyes moved over the honey glazing and she nodded, wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue. "Dinner is in less than an hour…"

"I won't tell anyone if you don't." He was grinning at her when she lifted her eyes to his face, and she nodded again, grinning right back at him. "Here we go, then." He quickly set about sectioning the cake out, and passed Elain a piece. She took it and sat back in her chair, pulling pieces off and lifting them to her lips. She watched Lucien do much the same thing, a secretive smile still firmly in place across his features.

"You look like you expect to be reprimanded for ruining your dinner." She said, laughter just behind her voice.

"My mother will be present." He reminded her, giving her a conspiratorial wink. Elain grinned again.

"Ah, yes." She put another piece of cake into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "I hear you discovered some interesting things today…?"

"I went to one of the libraries in the north with Helion." He told her, finishing his own piece of cake, and dusting his hands off. "He told me that I would find some information there that was different to the other stories we found."

"And you did."

"I did." He nodded, his smile turning brighter as he looked at her, "It's as we thought." His voice turned gentle, "You need an anchor. Others have done it and it has worked."

"The bond…"

"Yes." He reached across the table, and Elain took his hand in hers. "It seems fairly simple. Once properly accepted," he smiled at her when she felt herself blush, "I don't think it would take more than five minutes…" his thumb trailed carefully back and forth across her knuckles, and she smiled at him. "I brought a couple of the books, if you would be interested in some of the personal accounts of seers who lived for centuries without any kind of sign they were losing themselves to their visions…"

"Yes, I would." She nodded, "Thank you."

Much of the talk at dinner was about the progress many of the High Lords had made on their allocated aspect of the organisation of the trade routes, and Lucien struggled to keep his mind on the topic of conversation. He kept thinking about what he had read at the library. What he had told Elain had been true. Many of the seers who had anchored themselves to their mates through the bond had lived such long and happy lives. If he could do as they had done, then he would be able to ensure that kind of future for Elain. Lucien had hoped for some kind of instruction, but he had found none. He would continue to look, however. There were many other libraries he had yet to visit and, he supposed, he couldn't do anything about it until she accepted the bond between them anyway. He still had time.

As dinner came to a close, Helion announced that the meeting for the High Lords tomorrow would be at the same time again, and then everyone present broke off into smaller groups, lounging around on couches and talking about all manner of topics. Lucien saw Elain cloistered in a corner with her sisters, and he figured that all three of them would like to hear some of the accounts of seers who successfully anchored themselves to their mates. Finishing his drink, he got to his feet and went to collect one of the books he had brought back from the library for Elain.

As he headed for the dining hall once again, the book tucked under his arm, Lucien wondered which of the stories that Elain and her sisters would find most reassuring. His mate had told him that Nesta had been particularly disturbed, even to the point of seeking out Helion to demand answers, and he figured that if he chose the right account, he might be able to ease the worry in all of them.

He did not expect Sorcha to step out in front of him in the middle of the hallway. "Oh!" he skid to a halt while the priestess smiled up at him.

"Lucien…"

"Sorcha…?" he went to step to the side to continue on his way but she moved in front of him again, lifting her hands to his shoulders and pressing him toward a nearby window ledge. "What… what?" Lucien's back hit the wall and he blinked.

"Out here wandering on your own?" She asked, still smiling up at him, "Where's Elain?"

"With her sisters…"

"Oh…" her bright eyes ran over him and Lucien shuddered when she slid her hands down his chest. "How could she just leave you all on your own? Somebody has to take care of you…" Sorcha's voice was now a mere purr and Lucien lifted a hand to gently push her back.

"I'm fine."

"You are." She agreed, grinning again as she ran her hands over him, and Lucien recoiled as she sank down on her knees before him.

"What are you… no… don't…" he tried to step around her but with her hands clutching at him, blocking his path, short of walking right over the top of her, he was cornered. "Sorcha, what are you doing?"

"What I think we both want…" she purred up at him, her fingers clutching at his belt. Anger flushed though Lucien at that, his heart pounding in his chest as it set his blood racing, and he pushed her hands away.

"No…" he growled.

"I know what High Lords want." She said, eyes large as she looked up at him from the floor, "And you are one, if not yet in title…" One of her hands ran up the outside of his leg and he inched away. "I can feel it in you." Her hands followed him and Lucien clenched his teeth, resisting the urge to throw her back onto the floor, away from himself.

"Sorcha…" he ground her name out between his teeth.

"Yes?" She asked innocently. Lucien shook his head, about to tell her to get out of his way when hurried footsteps caught his attention and he looked up to see Elain rush around the corner, coming to an abrupt stop when she saw him. "Oh!" Sorcha exclaimed, laughing and edging away from Lucien, "I thought you said she was busy with her sisters…"

He brushed the priestess' hands away from himself, his eyes on Elain. Lucien did not think that he had ever seen Elain look at anyone the way she was currently looking at Sorcha and, as the priestess crawled away from him, he was finally able to step around her. Elain was still watching Sorcha and, when the blonde finally got to her feet, still giggling and smoothing her hair down, Lucien's heart dropped into his stomach as his mate turned silently and strode away.