Chapter 230

The golden liquid filled the mug as Elain tipped the bottle, and she smiled. The delicious scent that she remembered from the marketplace swirled around her, and she breathed deeply. Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and citrus.

"Is that Gluhwein?" Lucien asked from where he lay among the blankets and furs on the bed.

"It appears so." Elain turned her smile on her mate, then looked back down at what she was doing. As the world had grown darker outside of their little glass igloo, she had showered and set about making their home for the night comfortable. Lucien had followed her into he shower, and then taken a peek at what had been left for them for dinner, before he had returned to flop onto the bed with only his towel around his hips. Elain tried not to watch him as she put two mugs on a small tray and set two plates on the bench.

Lucien, it appeared, knew that she was trying not to watch him and began to adjust himself into various poses in what was evidently an attempt to draw her eyes back to him. "Are you hungry, Petal?" he asked, his voice a mere purr as he shifted onto his side, resting his elbow against the mattress and his head in his hand. His eyes were on her when Elain glanced up and over his way again and, the instant she met his gaze, his smile turned vulpine.

"That would be why I'm dishing out dinner for us." She replied, raising an eyebrow at him, even as heat flooded her body.

"What made you think I was referring to the food…?" he asked, his smile widening, and Elain made a show of rolling her eyes.

"Maybe it was the fact that I'm holding food?" she lifted one of the little containers that had been left for them.

"I was, in fact, referring to something else…"

As Elain watched him, Lucien took hold of the edge of the towel he had wrapped around his hips and ripped it away from his body. Unable to help herself, Elain cracked up laughing. The look on Lucien's face told her that this reaction had not been what he had been hoping for. "Oh… I am sorry, love." She grinned, "You are very dramatic…"

"Dramatically unimpressive, it seems…" He gave her a pout and pulled one of the furry blankets over himself. Elain just smiled and shook her head.

"Not at all, my very impressive mate." She replied, dishing some of the roast potatoes from the container onto the plates she had laid out. "I am supremely impressed." She set the dish aside and picked up the next. "Ah, yes." She smiled again as she found the familiar delicious stew inside. "I hoped there would be some of this…"

Lucien sat up on the bed, the blanket over his lap as he looked at what she was doing. "Ah, yes. That's what we could smell." Elain nodded her agreement, trying not to spill any of the stew.

When she had finished filling the plates with enough food, she set them on the tray she had lay out with the mugs of gluhwein. "Are you ready?" She asked, placing cutlery on the tray and then lifting it carefully.

"You know I am, my love."

"Get comfortable then." Elain carried the tray from the little kitchenette area to the bed where she set it carefully on the mattress and, as gently as she could, she sat down beside Lucien and crossed her legs.

"Thank you," Lucien said, and Elain felt his hand ghost across her back as she leaned for the tray and picked up a plate and mug. She passed them to him, giving him cutlery next, before she picked up her own plate and a fork.

"Not a problem." She replied, flashing him a smile and then popping a piece of roasted potato into her mouth. She smiled again when he leaned into her, pressing his lips to her cheek, and she watched him, warmth moving through her again, as he sat straight once more and turned his attention to his plate.

They ate in companionable silence for a while, and Elain's eyes were drawn to the swiftly changing sky outside. The sunset had come and gone, and now the sky beyond the glad was turning dark and inky. "It is lucky that the snow has stopped…" Lucien put in, and Elain nodded her agreement.

"Yes… We will have an unobstructed view." She replied.

"Let us hope the Aurora will put on a show…"

"I have been hoping just that since I saw the roof." She told him, setting her now empty plate back onto the tray and cradling her mug in her hands. Lucien set his empty plate atop hers and then picked up the tray and put it down on the floor beside the bed. He then shifted himself closer to her, allowing her to lean into him as he held his own mug in one hand while his other settled around her waist.

Elain leaned into Lucien, settling her back against him and enjoying his steady warmth. She allowed that warmth to seep into her as she listened to his heart beating in her head while she was able to feel it at her back. Lifting her mug to her lips, she took a slow drink, allowing the delicious flavours to slide easily over her tongue. When she swallowed, Elain tilted her head back to rest against Lucien's shoulder, and she smiled at how comfortable and content she felt. "I love you." She murmured, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"And I love you, Petal."

"I'm so happy that I got a handsome fae lord for a mate…"

Lucien gave a low chuckle at that, squeezing her to himself just a little. "And I am so happy that my mate is the most stunning creature I have ever beheld…" his voice was a purr again, and Elain smiled happily. "… and I have beheld some beautiful creatures." He added, and her smile disappeared as she looked up at him.

"Who?" she asked, and he winked at her.

"You've seen some of the fae females in all of the courts now…" he told her, "Each more stunning than the last…"

Elain knew that he was teasing her, but jealousy flared deep within her all the same, and she set her empty mug aside as she turned more to look at him better. "Who?" she repeated, hurt spearing through her before she could control it.

"No…" Lucien's expression changed as he looked at her, and one of his hands came up to her cheek, his thumb caressing her cheekbone gently. "No, my love…" he murmured, and she felt him reaching for her down the bond. "Nobody that compares to you… Not ever…"

Elain allowed him to soothe her, leaning into his touch, her eyes closing as he continued to caress her cheek, and she allowed him to wrap himself around her through the bond. She could feel the honesty of his words, could feel that he had only been teasing her, and she let it calm the irrational jealousy that had moved through her. "This handsome fae lord…" he breathed, "has never met anyone who could even compare to his beautiful mate."