Chapter 286
Lucien's hand moving through Elain's hair felt so very good and she closed her eyes, enjoying the way he stroked and caressed her. Careful to keep her movements rhythmic, Elain made sure to brace herself in order to remain comfortable and ensure she was able to continue what she was doing. Lucien's appreciative groan told her that what she was doing was very effective and it encouraged her to keep it up. She was pleased that he was enjoying it, that what she had been thinking about since the night before had worked exactly the way that she had wanted it to.
She was thoroughly convinced that she had the best mate in the entire world. She knew that he had been beyond exhausted yesterday, and he had still done what he had for her, more intent upon her than upon himself. It was something that she had always noticed about Lucien. He had always put the needs of others, especially her, before himself. Elain loved Lucien's selflessness, trusted the goodness in him, and it made her heart swell. Something in her had recognised that she could trust him since the moment he had lifted her off the floor, wrapped in his jacket, after she had been dumped out of the cauldron. When he had come back here after having been away for months, she had known that he was not up to anything suspicious, no matter how many times Nesta had told her that he was probably working on ulterior motives. Elain had known deep in her core that Lucien wasn't like that. Something in her had recognised that, and when she had accepted the bond she had been granted a more clear view of his inner workings. With access to all of him, Elain had been pleased to find out that Lucien was exactly who she had thought he was.
It was comforting to know that her mate was more concerned with what she needed than his own desires, because she knew that if she ever truly needed him, and she had done on several occasions, that he would be there for her and she could trust him. Of course, Elain worried that he might one day end up hurting himself in his desire to take care of her. It had almost happened yesterday, she knew. He had drained himself in his efforts to keep that shield up, trying to protect her and the others in that training square. She also knew that he wouldn't have stopped. If Cassian and Azriel hadn't managed to take care of those Illyrians coming at them, and if Rhys hadn't arrived, Elain knew that Lucien would have pushed himself even further. It could have killed him, she knew that. He would have let the shield suck everything from him, and Elain knew that he would have let it suck him dry, let it kill him, before he gave up and let it fall. She knew that his desire to protect her, to take care of her, went beyond his sense of self-preservation and, while the idea of that was romantic in theory, it did scare her beyond anything ever had that he would let himself die if he thought it would keep her safe. She didn't want that. Elain knew that she would never be able to live and move on with her life if she ever lost Lucien, so there would be no point. She hoped that situation never arose, that it never eventuated. But, knowing that her mate was like that was comforting and she felt utterly safe with him.
When his hand tightened in her hair and she felt his hips lift a little from the mattress, Elain opened her eyes and lifted her gaze to watch him. Lucien's head was tilted back and she could see his jaw was tense. His other hand was gripping the sheets tightly and it was clear to her that she'd brought him to the edge of his pleasure. Reaching for him down the bond then, Elain was careful to continue doing what she had been with her mouth, keeping her movements even, while she reached up in her mind and thought about how it felt to rake her fingers down his chest. Her actual hands remained at her mate's hips, bracing herself over him, but he moaned loudly as if he actually had just scratched long red marks across his skin and Elain had to try extremely hard to not lose her focus on her actions. Lucien continued to groan, his hips lifting again. The sounds he emitted made Elain's heart race even more than it already was, and her blood pumped loudly through her body, heating quickly. She listened to her mate's heartbeat, in sync with hers, and she couldn't help letting out a groan of her own.
"Perfect mate…" Lucien breathed, his grip on her hair shifting. Both of his hands then were on her head and Elain allowed him to begin guiding her movements, knowing that he was nearly there. She let out another groan, happy that he was so pleased, her own hands now stroking his hops, enjoying his smooth skin. Carefully, she moved, listening intently to every sound that Lucien made, and she knew just when he had reached that edge, and when he tumbled over with a loud cry, she made sure to continue exactly what she had been doing until he went silent and still, unable to do anything but breathe deeply as he tried to catch his breath. She stopped then, sliding her hands up his chest as she moved to lay beside him. "Perfect mate…" he repeated, his arm sliding around her and cuddling her close.