Chapter 219

When Lucien and Eris approached herself and Nera from across the courtyard, Elain slowly got to her feet, making space beside Nera. Her gaze flicking between her mate and his brother, Elain took in the worried expression upon Eris' face, and the somewhat bemused expression on Lucien's. Reaching for the bond, Elain brushed lightly against it, just enough to pick up what Lucien was so amused by. Apparently he had never seen Eris so ruffled like this, and Lucien found it intriguing. Elain supposed it must be as this was completely unlike the Eris she had thought she'd begun to understand just a little. She couldn't imagine having an image she'd built over centuries shattered like this. Lucien seemed amused by his ideas being changed, whereas Nera was still uncertain and somewhat afraid.

"Nera…" Eris sounded hesitant as he reached them, and his amber eyes locked onto Nera who was still sitting with her head down. Elain was surprised by the gentleness and uncertainty of his voice and she couldn't help watching him as his eyes remained on Nera, waiting for her to acknowledge him. He took a small step toward her, then stopped, his back straight and his hands clasped firmly together before him. It appeared as if he were warring within himself as to whether he should approach her or not. Those amber eyes didn't move from the female sitting before him and, after a moment during which Elain saw several emotions flicker across his face, Eris slowly sank to his knees.

Nera looked up then, Elain's gaze flicked to her almost instantly, and she watched surprise and disbelief cross that pretty face. Nera's dark eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "… What are you doing?" she breathed, those eyes flicking around the courtyard for a moment before returning to Eris. "Someone might see…"

Elain glanced around the courtyard herself, then. Nobody was out here but them, although that didn't guarantee it would stay that way. Lucien moved toward her an instant later, taking one of her hands in his own as his fingers traced the back of her hand carefully. They both watched the scene before them with interest.

"I need you to listen to me…" Eris breathed, looking up at Nera who was still watching him with wide eyes.

"Get up…" Nera sounded almost scared, "You're the High Lord. You can't be kneeling before me…"

"I will once you hear what I need to tell you." He may have been kneeling on the ground, but Eris sounded as sure and commanding as always with those words, and Nera stopped protesting and set her own hands in her lap as she just looked at him expectantly. Elain glanced up at Lucien who looked just as surprised as Nera at what was taking place before them. As if sensing her gaze, he turned his head to meet her eyes and he raised a questioning eyebrow at her. Elain knew that he was asking about Eris' current behaviour, but Elain didn't know what to tell him and so she shook her head. They both then looked back to the others.

"You killed him…"

"I…" Eris lowered his gaze, his eyes shifting to focus on the ground before him. "I lost control…" he murmured, "Just for an instant."

"And killed someone."

Looking back up, then, Eris nodded. "Yes." He said, "I did. But I would like to explain…"

Elain looked quickly at Nera, half expecting her to tell him that she didn't want to hear it. Nera, however, nodded and remained silent, giving Eris the space to say whatever it was that he needed to.

"I… I'll not deny that I panicked when I saw he had you cornered like that…" he began, amber eyes lifting to Nera's face and remaining there as he spoke. "I wanted him off you… and to stay that way. I… what he said made it clear that he wasn't going to leave you alone. The moment I was gone and nobody was watching him, he would have come for you again. He believed that was his right. That was the kind of Court that Beron ran and it is not how my Court will be. The change may be slow, but it will happen. I would have ended up bringing him before the Court and passing my judgement on him there, and it would have been the same. I need to make an example of those like him who think that they can do whatever they like with whoever they feel they outrank. I could not let an assault on a member of my household stand. So, even in front of the Court I would have delivered that sentence and had it carried out… I… I should have done that." He nodded slowly, "I should have done it the right way… but hearing him say that… knowing that he thought he had a right to you… I lost control… I… I am sorry that I frightened you." A kind of pleading expression worked its way onto Eris face as he continued to look up at Nera. "Please don't be afraid of me. I would never harm you… I… I could never do that. Please…"

"Is that what you're afraid of?" Nera asked softly, and Eris nodded.

"Yes." He replied, "You…" he flicked a glance Lucien's way before looking back to Nera once more, "you are the only one who… talks to me like I… like I am just me…" Elain could actually see Eris struggling to swallow, "I need that…" he bit his lip, "I need you… I don't want to lose you."

Elain watched with disbelief and awe, her eyes following Nera as the other female got to her feet and moved slowly toward the High Lord still kneeling on the ground. "Don't you?"

"Nobody knows me like you do." He said, his voice barely more than a whisper, "I swear on everything I am that I would never hurt you, Nera. Please… please say that you're not afraid of me."

Elain squeezed Lucien's hand slightly when Nera reached Eris and went down on her own knees before him so that they were eyelevel with one another. "You killed a high-ranking High Fae male for wanting to take liberties with a lesser fae house servant."

"No…" Eris sounded almost choked, "I killed a male for touching you and thinking that he had the right to."

Elain thought that she'd stopped breathing when Nera lifted one of her fine-boned hands and set it to Eris' cheek. "I hadn't realised that you were so territorial."

"You hadn't?" he asked, a half-smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Maybe you should sit in on one of the next meetings of the High Lords."

"Oh, I knew you would be about your Court." Nera smiled warmly at him, "I just didn't realise that I was part of your territory…"

"Oh…" Doubt flickered across Eris' face, dulling the light that had appeared in his amber eyes for a moment, "… are… sorry… I shouldn't have assumed… I… are you not…?"

"Ah…" Nera's smile brightened as she leaned in a pressed her lips to his carefully. "I am."