Chapter 144

Lucien's eyes opened as the sun spilled through the window and across the bed. Stretching slightly, he smiled when he found Elain still laying beside him. Gently, he brought a hand up to stroke her hair back from her face, noting the way that the morning sun lit it up to look like actual gold. "Petal…?" he asked, shifting his fingers to her cheek. "Petal, wake up…" Usually he would have let her sleep, figuring that she would need the rest after the previous night, but he knew that there were things to be done before the meeting between the High Lords. "Elain…?"

"Mmmm…" Her head turned toward him and Lucien smiled when her eyes opened to meet his.

"Good morning." He breathed, sliding an arm around her waist. He smiled more widely when she cuddled into him, tucking her head up under his chin.

"Comfy." She murmured, and Lucien groaned when he felt her lips against his throat.

"Oh… Petal, we have to get up."

"No, we don't."

"We do." He replied, his eyes closing as she continued kissing him. "We need to bathe before we get dressed…"

"No."

He tightened his arm around her, pulling her over and onto himself. "Let's go." He said, grinning as he sat up, lifting her into his arms. The blanket fell away as he got to his feet, carrying Elain across the room. Meeting her eyes, he gave her a wink, as she traced one of her hands up the back of his neck before laying her head against his shoulder. "Giving up your protest?" he asked, and she nodded.

"If you're going to be in the bath, then I'm happy to join you."

"How sweet." Lucien set Elain on the edge of the tub as he filled it. While he waited, he fetched a couple of towels and lay them within reaching distance, and then flicked a thought at the tub to heat the water before Elain turned and slid in, sinking back against the side with a sigh. Stepping in and resting back against the other end, Lucien let out a sigh of his own.

He had always very much enjoyed hot baths, and he loved the way that he could feel the hot water having a relaxing effect on his muscles. He knew that he always carried himself around tighter than necessary, and he figured that came from growing up in the Autumn Court with brothers who couldn't stand him. Every time he sank into hot water, however, Lucien felt himself let go.

"Your face…" Elain's gentle voice made Lucien open his eyes to see her crawling toward him. "You look so peaceful."

"Yes." He smiled at her, as she lay herself against him. "Hot water…"

"It is very luxurious." She murmured, and Lucien smiled again, reaching to pick up the soft washcloth. He dipped it in the water before beginning to rub it gently over Elain's back, her little appreciative groan heating his blood more effectively than the hot water. She lay against him, silently, as he continued to wash her back and then down her arms, before she pushed herself up and took the cloth from his hand. "Thank you." She murmured, dipping the cloth in the water, and then bringing it up to his chest. "Are you hopeful that the meeting this morning will be productive?"

"Yes." He replied, "They've all had enough time to get together the initial plans… Hopefully we will be able to agree upon a date by which those plans will be put into place and get the route operational."

"Sounds good." Elain smiled at him, and Lucien could see actual pride in her eyes. "Feyre told me they looked to you to break it up and allocate responsibilities."

"It was strange." He nodded, but Elain shook her head.

"Clever little Emissary." She murmured, running the cloth over his chest again, "Son of the High Lord of the Day Court… they all see your worth."

"You think so?" he asked, and she leaned forward to press her lips to his.

"Just like I do." When she met his eyes, Lucien lift a wet hand to her cheek. "It is becoming more and more evident when one looks at you." She told him, and he felt his pulse quicken. "Learning who you truly are and accepting that has had an impact on you."

"I think no small part of it is down to my mate." He smiled at her, watching as she blushed a little at that.

"Oh." She said, sitting back. "You should get dressed." She smiled at him and Lucien tilted his head, "You don't want to be late."

"Petal?"

Large brown eyes lifted to meet his gaze. "Yes?"

"Did I just say something to… upset you…?"

"No." She shook her head, "Not at all…" she smiled gently, glancing down at her hands, before back up to meet his eyes again. "I just don't want you to ignore the fact that the good things you do, and the reason that everyone will see that, is because of you."

"I know." He breathed, reaching a hand out to her, his pulse quickening when she took it in one of her own. "But you are a part of it. You make me feel… like I have a purpose."

"Is that all I make you feel?" she asked, and Lucien raised an eyebrow in surprise. She moved closer again and he nearly jumped when one of her hands took hold of him beneath the water.

"O-oh… Certainly not." He breathed, one of his own hands grabbing hold of the side of the tub. His eyes remained on Elain, watching as her expression grew more and more confident as she stroked him gently. As her hand began to move more quickly, those pretty brown eyes lifted to his face, and he knew that she was trying to gauge his reaction to what she was doing. Deciding to show her exactly how he felt, Lucien dropped any pretence from his face, his mouth opening in a gasp as his eyes closed. Elain's pleasure at his reaction reached him down the bond, and he heard her soft voice encouraging him before he came with a cry.

Stepping out of the bath, Elain moved to collect the towels Lucien had placed nearby. She wrapped one around herself, before kneeling by the bath, watching him as he tried to catch his breath. Noticing that the ends of his hair had gotten wet, she lifted it into one of the towels and squeezed gently, trying to get the water out. "You can think about that…" she murmured to him, "while in your meeting later."

"With Feyre in the room?" he asked, and Elain paused. She hadn't considered the fact that her sister would be there.

"She… doesn't just… invade peoples' minds." She said, grinning.

"Not when she can help it." He replied, "Which isn't all the time."

"True." Elain had to admit that. "Now," she said, her voice a little stronger, "Get that gorgeous body out of that bath, and clothe it."

She felt Lucien's surprise at her words before he turned to look at her, his eyes wide. She just smiled at him and held a towel out. Wordlessly, he stood up and took the towel, and Elain sat back on her hands to watch him as he stepped out of the tub.

"Gorgeous body?" he asked, wrapping the towel around his waist.

"Don't act like you didn't know." She was surprised at her own words this time, and she felt herself blush.

"Oh, I think we will be revisiting this conversation when we have more time." He winked at her on his way across the bathroom, and Elain gasped when he dropped the towel on the floor in the doorway before striding into the bedroom. Getting to her feet, she hurriedly followed him, stepping over his towel on her way to get another glimpse of him.

Lucien was pulling on his Day Court attire when she reached the bedroom and he gave her an amused grin which told Elain that he knew exactly what she had wanted. "And what are you going to do this morning?" he asked, his tone light.

"Nesta and I are going to spend some time with your mother and Viviane."

"Sounds good." Lucien moved toward the mirror and pulled a comb through his half damp hair. "I'll find you when we're done. Perhaps we can go though some of the stuff I found yesterday." He smiled at her again as he moved for the door, and Elain nodded her agreement watching him. When he paused by the door and looked back at her, she grinned and hurried forward, throwing her arms around his neck.

"See you, then." She said, going up on her toes to press her lips to his cheek, pleasure moving through her when he lifted her off of her feet for a moment. When he set her back on her feet, he pressed a kiss of his own to her forehead, his fingers ghosting over her cheek before he turned and slipped out into the hallway, and was gone.