Chapter 197

She could hardly believe it. Looking at the book in her hands, Elain turned it over and over in awe. She heard Lucien's soft chuckle from beside her, felt one of his hands glide across her back as he moved closer, and she turned the book over again.

"Look pretty good, doesn't it?" he asked, and Elain nodded silently.

"I… it's hard to believe it's mine…" she murmured, "That this…" she ran her fingers over the glossy cover, "this… is what I was scrawling and scribbling in that little book you gave me…"

Lucien pressed a kiss to her temple, and Elain smiled at the book in her hands. "Is it to your liking, Petal?"

"Oh, yes…" she grinned, her eyes moving over the golden vines and flowers across the cover and down the spine of the book. "I love it. It's perfect."

"Alright…" Lucien's hand rubbed her back again, "We will produce and distribute…" he moved away from her then, presumably to go and deliver that message.

"Okay…" Elain breathed, her eyes still on the book. It was more perfect than she would have dared to imagine. It would look at home on Rhys' fancy bookshelves with all of his other books. She could hardly believe that she had done this. Elain would not have believed, two years ago, that she would have written a book and had it properly published and distributed to anyone at all let alone across every Court in Prythian. She felt a wide smile spreading across her face, stretching so far that it almost hurt. She liked this. She could do this again.

Tucking the book close against her chest, Elain thought. She had enjoyed writing her little stories and scenes over the last week or so. She didn't think that she was entirely terrible at it, either. Granted, she had yet to show anyone else anything that she had written but, to her own eye, it seemed alright. She had scribbled down several ideas she had for longer stories, and she rather thought that she had begun to come up with a decent enough outline to try to work on something more substantial. She grinned again, deciding that this was something she could do. This would be something productive, something to contribute to the world.

When Lucien returned to her, he smiled at her, his eyes looking her over and taking in the way she held the book to her chest, and the look on her face. "Pleased with yourself, Petal?"

"Yes." She replied, and he smiled more brightly.

"Good." He said, "You should be." He stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her in against himself, and Elain leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder. "I'm proud of you." He murmured into her hair, and she felt her pulse quicken in response to those words. "Perfect mate. Accomplished published author."

"Oh…" Elain gave a soft laugh then, and nodded, her head still resting against Lucien's shoulder. "I am, aren't I?"

"You certainly are."

"I want to write more." She murmured, and felt him look down at her.

"More books like this?"

"No," She tilted her head up to meet his gaze. "Novels…"

"Oh?" surprise and pleasure crossed Lucien's features then and he nodded his head. "I think you would be rather good at that as well."

"Do you?" she tightened her arm around his waist.

"Yes." He answered, nodding solemnly. "Do you have any ideas yet?"

"Some…" She told him. "I… I've been writing some short stories here and there for the last little while."

"I would be interested in reading those, Petal…" she saw Lucien tilt his head, looking at her then. She felt his excitement mixed with a little pride and she felt the same thing flare within her. "What kinds of stories have you written?"

She knew that she was blushing, and she knew when Lucien noticed. "Ahh…"

"Oh, I see…" he smiled widely at her, "Now I am even more excited to read them…"

"I'm sure you are."

"Would you allow me?"

"I suppose so." Elain ran a hand over her face, knowing that she was still bright red. Her face felt hot, and she could feel it moving down her throat.

"I'll bet they're very good…" He said, "Knowing how you have been… and how… excitable you can be…"

"Lucien…" she breathed his name, her eyes moving around the room. This was not the kind of conversation that she would have liked to be overheard. Especially by the very people who would be producing her book. "Shh…"

"Oh…" her mate gave a low chuckle and pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Do you know which of the Courts you would like to visit with your book?"

"Well, I did tell Viviane that I would personally bring her a copy when it was ready, and we do need to go back to the Winter Court anyway…" she glanced up at him and his grin told her that he remembered why the needed to return to the Winter Court. "Also Mabon is soon and I did tell your mother that we would visit the Autumn Court."

"Yes… I recall." Lucien nodded, his face thoughtful again. Elain could just about see his mind working, thinking about his mother and Helion again. "Nesta and Cassian will be there too, won't they?"

"Yes." She looked up at him, "Do you think Feyre and Rhys would as well?"

"I have no idea." He bit his lip, and Elain watched his face for a few more moments. "… I would like to know." He added. "Perhaps it could be a big enough celebration that Helion would like to join us."

"That's an intriguing idea…" Elain smiled slowly up at him, "So would it be possible, do you think, for us to travel though the Autumn Court for Mabon for a few days and then continue to Winter?"

"I think that sounds plausible."

Elain nodded, allowing Lucien to link his arm through hers, tucking her in nice and close. "Are you going to ask Helion about it this evening?"

"At dinner?" He asked, leading her toward the door. Elain nodded, matching her stride to her mate's. She knew that when they were back out on the street that they would be watched. They had been every time they left the immediate palace since she had accepted the bond and word had spread that Helion's heir was mated. She wasn't yet used to the attention but, with Lucien's arm through hers, she was not really concerned. Let them watch if they liked, she loved people looking at him and knowing that he was hers.

"The more time he has to think about it the better?"

"Perhaps." He replied, "Or, the more time he has to think about it, the more he would question and second guess and have time to change his mind and overthink and then find a way out of it…"

"There is that, I suppose." Elain murmured, smiling at the first group of faeries who wandered past them, eyes following their movement out into the street.

Lucien held her close, a smile on his own face. Elain glanced at him, noting how he had seemed to grow more confident in his now public role as Helion's heir. He truly did look as if he belonged here, and anyone who looked at him could see that. Elain trailed her fingers down his arm, holding him firmly. She was so very proud of her mate, and she pushed that feeling directly down the bond to him. He needed to know that.