Chapter 158

Elain had never seen Nesta so embarrassed. Her elder sister kept glancing at Cassian and then back to her plate, colour high in her cheeks, and Elain loved it. Cassian had seated himself beside Elain, in Lucien's recently vacated seat, and had begun talking almost immediately about the things he had seen that morning around the Day Court, and it was evident that he was speaking just to fill the awkward silence as Nesta hadn't said a word since he'd sat down.

"I have to say, though." Cassian announced, and Elain watched as he grinned Nesta's way. "I was kind of hoping for a kiss by way of greeting."

"Uh…" Nesta went even more red, the blush working its way down her elegant throat. She narrowed her eyes at the Illyrian then when he went on.

"From anyone… really… anyone at all…"

"Well," Rhys muttered, "I hope you sort that out, because I'm certainly not kissing you."

"Feyre will." Cassian said, arrogance dripping from his voice.

"Feyre will not." Feyre replied flatly. Cassian pouted and turned his eyes on Elain, although she saw him glance quickly at Nesta.

"How about you?" he asked, and Elain made a face. "No?" he asked, leaning toward her to present his cheek.

"No…" she grinned.

"Stop it." Nesta muttered, "Nobody is kissing you but me." Elain's eyes widened as she looked at her sister again and she watched as Nesta somehow turned even more red. "I… mean…"

"I know what you meant." Cassian snickered, and Elain resisted a laugh, watching as Nesta sank lower in her chair as if wishing she would melt under the table.

Looking up when Ashk appeared beside her, Elain smiled. "Would you like me to show you what we discussed?" the Lady of the Autumn Court asked, her voice warm and gentle.

"Yes, that would be lovely." Elain replied, pushing her chair back and getting to her feet. Happiness and a small spark of excitement passed across the other faerie's face, and Elain smiled at her.

"I am certain you will like it."

"I'm sure I will." Elain gave a small wave to her sisters and the others at the table as she turned and followed Ashk out the door and into the hallway. They walked silently, and Elain could still sense the excitement coming off of Ashk, and she couldn't help smiling. Elain began to wonder just how long Ashk had been waiting for her son to find his mate. "Did… you help Helion set it up?" she asked, eyeing her out of the corner of her eye.

"I might have discussed some things with him."

Elain smiled again and then they had turned down a new corridor. She hadn't been to this part of the palace before, and she tried to pay attention to where they were going, hoping that she would be able to find her way back again. By the time they stopped before a pair of large ornate doors, Elain was trying to cement the mental map in her mind. She traced her finger over some of the pattern in the doors, realising that it was a large sun. "This is it?" she asked, and Ashk nodded.

"This is it."

"Oh…" Elain hesitated, suddenly nervous about opening the door and going inside. "Okay…" her hand rested on the handle and she bit her lower lip, trying to imagine what would be on the other side. She glanced again at Ashk who was watching her with a gentle smile. "Okay…" Drawing a deep breath, in the hopes of steadying herself, Elain turned the handle and pushed the doors open.

There were more suns. That was the first thing that she noticed. There were suns on the walls and on the roof, and mostly everything was golden. "Wow…" she murmured, taking several steps into the room and stopping to look around. Low on the walls there were flowers, and Elain tilted her head. More flowers decorated the bedspread and the cushions on the low couch by the window, and she turned to smile at Ashk. "This is lovely."

"Take a closer look…" Ashk gestured further into the rooms, and Elain moved forward. There were several couches in the entrance, curshions and throw rugs sitting neatly, and a small table before them. Moving past that, Elain looked at the large bed. Golden bedspread, covered in vibrant wildflowers embroidered across it, more pillows and cushions covering the whole thing. She ran a hand gently over the heavy wooden bedframe as her eyes went to the windows. "There's a door here…"

Elain followed Ashk to the door and watched as the other faerie opened it. They walked out into a small courtyard and Elain gasped. She had not expected a garden. "This is…"

"You will not want to spend your entire time inside."

"I should hope not." Elain looked at the small section of grass lined with flowerbeds and then lifted her eyes to the young trees which stood by the wall. She knew that she would definitely be spending time with Lucien out here. It was such a little space, but it was so pleasant and relaxing.

"Come…" Ashk linked her arm through Elain's and took her back inside, closing and latching the door after them. "There's a kitchen."

"Of course." Elain murmured. "Wouldn't want to accidentally kill anyone whose job it was to bring us food…"

"Yes." Ashk nodded. "These things have happened."

"Do you really think Lucien would…" Elain slanted a glance at her mate's mother and Ashk tilted her head.

"It is difficult to say." She replied softly, "When the frenzy takes over…there is not a whole lot of control."

"But…" Elain paused, "He… will… still… be… him… right?"

"Yes." Ashk said, "but, remember, part of him is protective and territorial of his mate." Ashk smiled at her, "He has felt that way about you since the bond snapped into place."

Nodding, Elain let those words sink in. She had known that. She had even become accustomed to it, she realised, thinking about the way that Lucien sometimes got when they were together. She thought about the way his hands would sometimes tighten on her, especially after something had happened or when they had been apart. He was often possessive.

When she looked at Ashk again, the Lady of the Autumn Court smiled at her and then pulled open a cupboard. "In here…" She gestured into the cupboard and Elain moved closer to look. "All you will need. Supplies."

Feeling herself blush when she took in the amount of food in the cupboard, Elain wondered just how long the frenzy would last. "That is quite an amount of food." She murmured softly and Ashk nodded.

"It may be necessary."

"Alright." She looked then to the other door across the room, and Ashk began heading that way. "Is that the bathroom?"

"It is."

"Wonderful." Elain walked quickly across the room to the door to the bathroom, grinning when she looked in and saw the largest bathtub she thought she had ever seen. "Oh my…"

Ashk made what Elain thought may have been a huff of a laugh as she stepped through the doorway. "This…" she said, "was all Helion's doing."

"I… actually don't think I'm surprised." Elain replied, glancing at the other female. "This is very… Lucien." Her eyes moved around the luxurious bathroom. The large tub took up nearly a third of the room, and there was a distinctive Autumn motif around the walls and set into the tiles.

"Yes." Ashk agreed, her voice joyful. "It is."

Elain smiled at her before glancing around the bathroom once more. She then went back into the main room of the suite and let herself take it all in again. This would definitely do well for what she anticipated she and Lucien would need.

"Do you like it?" Ashk asked.

"I do." Elain nodded, her eyes still sweeping the room. "It's perfect."