Chapter 236

Pulling weeds from the soft earth, Elain was tossing them aside, intent upon her work. She didn't notice anything going on around her until something touched her shoulder and she looked up in shock to see her mate leaning over her. He smiled at her, evidently seeing her surprise, and Elain dropped the weed she had been holding.

"I didn't hear you come out." She said, and began brushing her dress off, noticing how much dirt she had managed to get on herself.

"I can be sneaky." He replied, reaching a hand down to help her up. Elain took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet and she went up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips when he slipped an arm around her waist, drawing her close.

"I'm sure you can." She brushed her dress off again, smoothing it down. "What have you been doing since lunch?"

"Not a lot." He replied, "I spoke to Rhys about the trade routes, and the progress some of the other High Lords have made on their parts."

"Ahh… taking your role as the heir to the Day Court seriously…"

"Of course." He winked at her.

Elain moved out of the afternoon sun to stand in the shade of the pink blossom tree, and Lucien followed her, his hands coming to rest on her waist and stomach as he pressed himself up behind her. "Ah…" leaning back into him, Elain rested her head against his chest and shoulder, placing her hands over his and enjoying his gentle warmth. Slowly, Lucien began to rock side to side, holding Elain to himself as he pressed a kiss to her hair.

"It looks like this place has missed you." He said, and Elain let her eyes run over the garden once more.

"It's still beautiful." She replied, looking at the riot of colours in the garden beds, highlighted by the perfect evening light. The soft peaches and golds in the sky cast a lovely warm glow over everything, and Elain smiled. "Look at the colours…"

"I hardly noticed them." He kissed the top of her head, "But you are right, my love." Not releasing his hold on her, Lucien walked Elain toward the tree under which they used to sit, and then he turned her. She looked up at him as he backed her into the trunk of the tree, his hands still firmly upon her. "Still, they do not compare to you."

"Are you being flattering again?" she asked, "Using your courtly powers for personal gain…?"

"You did say that flattery will get me everywhere…"

Pink flower blossoms floated down around them, and Elain brought one of her hands up to brush a few from Lucien's red hair. His metallic eye clicked and whirred as he looked at her and she tilted her face up to him, the back of her head against the bark of the tree. "Remember when you first came back?" she asked, "And you would bring me tea and cake…?"

"I will remember those days," Lucien began, his voice gentle, "until the day that I die." Elain wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him in closer and down to her.

"I miss them." She told him, "The freedom we had to just sit out here and do whatever we liked for as long as we liked. There were no responsibilities, and nobody wanting our attention and time…"

"I agree." He murmured, pressing his lips to the tip of her nose. Elain giggled, and he did it again. "We should be sure to spend some more time out here while in the Night Court…"

"But we should now get ready to go to the House of Wind for dinner…" Elain resisted a sigh. She would have preferred to spend her evening out here with Lucien while everyone else was gone. She told him this and he made an interesting face.

"You will enjoy your dinner with your sisters." He said, voice confident, and Elain knew that what he said was true. "Especially watching the way they are with the others…" She knew that he meant Nesta and Cassian, and she knew that it would be hilarious.

"Yes…" she smiled and let Lucien go. He looked as if he were about to step away from her, but then he'd moved closer again, kissing her. Elain wrapped her arms around him again, returning his kiss with enthusiasm and she promised herself that they would continue this when they had the time.

Not ten minutes later, they had gone upstairs, and Elain bit her lip as she thought about the clothing she had brought with her and what to wear.

"Coming, Petal?" Lucien asked when she hesitated by Nesta's door.

"I just have to ask Nes what she's going to wear…" she grabbed her sister's door handle, and then pushed the door open. Her sister hadn't come down since lunch and she knew that she would be in her room. What she hadn't expected was to find her sister atop Cassian, not wearing a thing at all. Before Elain could so much as gasp, Lucien's hand closed over her mouth and he pulled her backwards and out the door into the hallway, closing the door silently as he did so.

Elain didn't make a sound until they were both safely in her room, and then she couldn't help a high-pitched squeal of a sound, flailing her hands as she did so. Lucien just nodded in apparent agreement, not needing words to understand her sentiments.