Chapter 242

Lucien found it all too easy to watch Elain, to keep himself focused on her instead of the different scenes they walked in on in the various rooms. He wanted to make sure that she didn't overdo herself, that she wasn't wishing they could leave without saying anything. Without her, he would have been all too happy to wander for a while, taking in all that was on offer, but with Elain by his side, her hand in his, she was all he saw.

He made sure to keep himself attuned to her mood, her heartbeat, her expressions. She had shown absolutely no interest in the orgy they had come across, but had wanted to see what else they could find. Elain had appeared happy to look but showed no inclination to do more or participate in anything as they had strolled from room to room, passing dancing performances, group sex, some bondage play. She had stopped for a while to watch that last one, and he had felt her excitement as one of the performers had spent considerable time in tying their partner up. There had been slow movements and careful explanation of everything they were doing to prepare for what would come after, and Elain had stood and watched. He could see her listening to every word with rapt attention, and he could feel her thrill. Her heart had begun to quicken in his head, and heat seemed to emanate from her.

Not wanting his mate to feel hurried to move on, Lucien had stood beside her, watching the scene before them. There was some elaborate knotwork that he found interesting, as it seemed like the faeries presenting this little show were completely into the styling of what they were doing and not, as he had seen in some Courts before, simply doing it for show before getting to the fucking. This was being done properly, and he found himself listening nearly as intently as Elain was to their explanations. He slid an arm around her shoulders when she leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder, and they stood that way, taking in everything being presented to them with eager ears.

It was as if the presenters had noticed their interest, and understood that he and Elain were legitimately interested in what they were doing, because the one currently restraining his partner's legs seemed to be directing most of his discussion their way now. When Elain asked a question about the type of material appropriate to use to bind someone so as to not damage skin, Lucien nearly died where he stood. He spent the next five or so minutes lost in his own head, wondering if she intended to tie him up or if she wanted to be restrained herself. Thinking about the way she definitely liked having his hand around her throat, he thought he knew the answer to that.

Once the practical instruction had been completed, Lucien had thought the couple on the little stage would have gone straight for the sex, but they didn't. Elain had leaned more heavily against Lucien as they'd watched, and the faerie who had been tied up was made to endure some fairly intense teasing.

"This entire thing is about anticipation…" Elain murmured, and Lucien nodded, trailing his fingers up her arm beneath her cloak.

"Yes…" he breathed, "It's almost ritualistic. There's the process of restraint, and then this… touching… building the desire, the need for more, for release…"

"Knowing it's coming." Elain added, "just not yet…"

Lucien breathed in deeply, inhaling Elain's scent, enjoying the lavender of her hair. It wasn't just the bondage that built anticipation and tension, he could feel it now. He knew that when he got Elain out of here, when they had their own space and some privacy, that there was going to be no keeping them off of one another. He had promised her earlier, he recalled, but that desire was even stronger now.

Lucien's hands kept moving over her, and Elain smiled. She could feel his desire barrelling into her down the bond, and she found it difficult to pay attention to the demonstration in front of them. Her mate was just about going crazy with need for her, and she didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to keep it leashed for.

Sure, she reasoned, he had been able to do just that for months before she had allowed him to touch her, but he hadn't had to wear that leash for quite some time, and she wondered if he would be able to tighten it again. Smiling at the thought of Lucien in an actual leash, Elain turned away from the scene on the stage and looked up at her mate.

"Would you like to leave this room, my love?" she asked, and she would have sworn that there were actual embers behind his russet eye.

"Mmm…" both of Lucien's hands slid down her back and over her arse, gripping her and lifting her to himself. Elain could feel him hard and ready even through their clothing and cloaks, and she heard the soft growl in his throat as he pressed her to himself. "Yes…"

"Where would you like to go?" she asked, and he stepped away, lifting his head and looking around.

"Why don't we begin with that door…" he said, indicating the door that would take them back out into the hallway. Elain nodded and, an instant later, Lucien was pulling her across to that door. She listened to Lucien's heartbeat, racing now as he struggled to get himself under control, and she couldn't help but smile in anticipation for whatever was to come. There was no hiding that he wanted her, no denying that fact at all, and she wanted him. The only question was if he was going to be able to make it back to the Town House before he slipped.

Elain allowed Lucien to pull her around to face himself out in the hallway. "Lucien…" she murmured, gazing up at him, another smile touching her lips. Lifting a hand, she slid it beneath his hood to cup his cheek, her thumb tracing over his scar.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked, a low guttural quality to his voice.

"Well…" Elain could feel the primal drive urging him on, pushing him for more, to touch her and, as his hands moved over her, clutching at her and pulling her to himself, she realised that the same need was coursing through her own blood. "I'm sure there's somewhere here with a little privacy…"

Lucien's hand closed around Elain's wrist then, and he was walking down the hall, pulling her with him as he went. She tried to keep pace with his lengthy strides, barely noticing the hooded figures that they passed in the flickering light. "There are usually smaller rooms at the back…" Lucien said, "For… this … kind of … privacy…"

She watched as his free hand moved over the wall, passing door after door, and he paused for only a moment each time before moving onto the next. After a moment of this, he stopped and listened. Elain's breath caught in her throat as he then pushed that door open and pulled her inside.