Chapter 147

Lucien's gaze was burning in to Elain across the table on the Northern Balcony, and she smiled at him. He had hardly been able to keep his hands off of her earlier, when she had first put on the pale green dress that Helion had picked for her, and she had stood in the mirror to have a look at herself. Lucien had approached her from behind, winding an arm around her waist and bringing his lips to her ear.

"Helion does know what he's doing." He had breathed into her ear and Elain had nodded her agreement. The dress did look truly wonderful on her, and she planned to ask the High Lord if she got to keep it. If she did, Elain thought she might like to wear it when she formally accepted the bond, and Lucien as her mate. She wanted that to be a special occasion, and this perfect dress would be wonderful.

Knowing that she would be able to heat Lucien's blood just a little, Elain met his eyes across the table again and lifted her chin. As she brought a hand up, Lucien raised an eyebrow at her, watching, as she brought the hand to her own throat. Carefully, she trailed her own fingers down to the low neckline of the dress and then slowly across the top of one of her breasts. Holding Lucien's eyes, she listened as his heartbeat just about tripled in pace and fire erupted behind his russet eye, and she smiled widely at him. The expression that crossed his face then told Elain that she had something to look forward to later, and her own pulse quickened in response. Lucien winked at her and she blushed, unable to help herself.

"If you two are done eye-fucking one another across the table," Feyre said, nudging Elain who blushed even more thoroughly. "Look who just walked in."

Elain reached for the goblet sitting in front of her and, with a pang of disappointment, she realised that it was empty. She glanced toward the door and bit back a sigh when she saw Sorcha's blonde hair bouncing with the priestess' exaggerated walk. "I see." She murmured, flicking a glance at Feyre who made a face in response.

When Sorcha headed down the table toward them, Elain went rigid. She met the other faerie's blue eyes and then Sorcha had stopped by her chair. "I apologise for anything I've done that has been inappropriate and crossed the line." The priestess reached past Elain and set a large pitcher of wine onto the table. "I hope that we can move forward from here."

"Y-yes." Elain looked up at her, "Of course."

Sorcha smiled at her and then continued to make her way up the table, placing another pitcher of wine down as she did so.

"Well, that was weird." Nesta's muttered voice made Elain blink and nod her head in agreement. She then reached for the wine and filled up her goblet before glancing at her elder sister.

"Do you want some of this?"

"Absolutely." By the time Elain had filled Nesta's goblet, several more had been placed beside it, and she filled them with a low chuckle before passing them back to their owners. "She may be a whore, but this is good wine." Nesta said, leaning back in her chair and cradling her goblet appreciatively.

"Make sure you save some space for your actual dinner before you go getting drunk." Elain told her, eyeing her elder sister with amusement. Nesta just made a face at her and took another sip from her goblet. Elain picked her own up and did the same.

"You're right. It is good." She looked around at the others. "Is this some kind of special Day Court Wine?"

"I don't believe I've had it before." Feyre replied, setting her goblet down and watching with wide eyes as platters of food were carried out on to the balcony and dinner was served. Elain did the same, her mouth watering, as she watched plates being set down before those seated further up the table. She realised she hadn't actually eaten since breakfast, as she had missed lunch while visiting the jeweller with Ashk, and she felt her stomach rumble in anticipation.

"Petal, I do believe you're looking at that chicken more longingly than you've ever looked at me." Lucien's voice held the edges of a laugh and she glanced at him.

"Maybe," Nesta suggested, "you should try roasting yourself a little… a few herbs and spices… nice glaze…"

Both of Lucien's eyebrows lifted in surprise as his russet and golden eyes slid toward Nesta. "I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Nesta just lifted her goblet in way of acknowledgement. Lucien's eyes went back to Elain and he smirked, "We could probably work on the glaze…"

"Lucien." Ashk's voice was a little sharper than Elain had heard it before and Lucien dropped the smirk.

"Sorry."

Elain gave him a small smile when he glanced at her again and he gave her a wink in return, before Elain looked up when someone reached around her to set a plate on the table. The chicken did smell and look delicious, and Elain drew a deep breath, inhaling as much of it as she could. Her stomach rumbled again, and she reached for her cutlery.

The ocean crashed pleasantly in the distance, behind Elain when Lucien watched her, and he let his eyes wander down to the coast, taking in the way the golden sun glinted off of the water as it glistened in the light of the day. Having this dinner up here had been a good move by Helion, as the balcony overlooking the cliffs that looked out over the water was a very beautiful, if not dramatic, setting. Letting his eyes drift up and down the table then as those around him received their dinners, he smiled and, when his own plate was set before him, Lucien approached it with enthusiasm. He picked up his goblet and took a sip of wine as he listened to the conversations going on around him. A few places up the table Thesan was going over what had happened in the meeting with Aelius, with input here and there from Tarquin. Rhysand and Eris were doing the same thing in the other direction up the table and, as Lucien lifted a piece of carrot to his mouth, he watched as Helion spoke softly to his mother. Ashk was smiling, even as her russet eyes remained firmly on her plate, but Lucien could see her leaning slightly toward the High Lord of the Day Court.

Lucien found his eyes going back to Elain, as they always did, and he found himself unable to look away from her, especially in that dress she wore. He wondered if the dress was suited specifically to Helion's tastes, or if the High Lord had known it would be to Lucien's own tastes. Either way, Lucien suspected that what he had told Elain earlier about pulling it off of her would prove to be accurate. As he watched her, he saw Elain steal a small yellow vegetable from Nesta's plate and Nesta turn to Elain with a look of mock horror on her face. Elain said something that looked like an attempt to placate her sister before a soft hush went up around the table and Lucien turned his eyes to the end of the table to see Sorcha standing there, holding her hands up to still the conversation.

"Good evening, friends." The priestess called, and Lucien flicked a glance at Helion. Did he know about this? Was this something that had been discussed with Sorcha as a way to make up for her past behaviour? The look that appeared on the High Lord's face, however, told Lucien that he'd known nothing about it.

"Sorcha?" Helion's voice was questioning, and Lucien turned his eyes back on the priestess.

"Yes, High Lord." Sorcha smiled at them all, "I would just like to make a quick toast." She said, lifting a goblet high. "To you, and all the other High Lords." Those blue eyes scanned the table, "And High Lady, of course." She smiled beautifully. "A toast, to what you have achieved here, and what you will achieve in future, together. A toast to friendship."

Lucien lifted his own goblet as everybody around him did the same thing, mirroring Sorcha as she smiled beatifically down at them all. There was the murmured "friendship" from everyone along the table before everybody drank.

Setting his goblet back on the table, Lucien picked his fork up again. He grinned as he watched Nesta and Elain begin to pretend to bicker once more and Nesta moved as if to defend her plate from her sister. When Lucien shifted his gaze and realised that Eris, sitting the other side of Nesta, was looking back at him, Lucien jumped a little. He couldn't decided if Eris' smirk was in response to startling Lucien, or if his brother was amused by Nesta and Elain as his amber eyes were now focused their way.