Chapter 405

Staring hard at his mate, Lucien tried to think. With every thundering beat of his heart, fear coursed through him, and his thinking was foggy and slow. "You are not Beron's son…" Elain's words repeated over and over in his mind, and Lucien knew that that was important. He was not Beron's son. After so long believing that was the case he had learned that he had never been Beron's son. He belonged to Helion, he had come to feel the truth of that. Here, in this place. His home. He was Helion's son. A son of the Day Court. This place felt like him. This was a place of light and learning, not of blood and violence. There were hundreds of libraries here, and one only had to look to find the answers to any questions that one might have. This was where he belonged. This place was in his blood.

When Elain had been tipped out of the Cauldron onto that cold floor, Lucien had been desperate to get to her. He hadn't noticed at the time that he had broken the spell Hybern had cast to hold him in place. Lucien had been too focused on Elain at the time to realise what he had done, but he had thought about it since then. When his mother had told him that he was Helion's son, Lucien had thought about it again. He had thought about that moment many times since then, and he had used that ability he had inherited from his true father a few times since. Each time had been when he had been desperate to help his mate, and even his mother had told him that Elain had brought his true nature to the surface.

"Not Beron's son…" Elain said again, voice gentle. Lucien nodded, never looking away from her brown eyes. He saw so much there, as she looked at him. Behind the fear and the anguish, he saw trust and acceptance. He could see her love, and knew that she believed he would help her.

"No," he replied, "I'm Helion's." He had the ability to get through this shield, he knew it. He just needed to figure out how to use that power. Looking over the shield again, Lucien tried to find any kind of weakness in it. Nothing had happened to it when he had struck it before, and Lucien rather thought that the flames he had hit it with had fed the thing. Perhaps the more energy used against the shield, the stronger it would become. Perhaps, then, Lucien thought; he would not give it energy, but take it.

Not far away Helion was still talking to Colm, who appeared to be doing rather a lot of the speaking, and Lucien dismissed the hope that his father might instruct him on how to do what he needed to. The ability was within him, he knew that. He had always been able to access it when he needed to in the past, and he knew that he would be able to now. Elain was smiling at him then, and he knew that she had felt him down the bond. She knew the way his thoughts had gone, and her eyes gleamed as she looked at him. That had been exactly what she had hoped he would realise, and Lucien lifted his hands, hoping that this would work. "Don't worry, Petal." He said, ignoring Rian whose hands were still on Elain, but would definitely not be for long, "I'm still very much looking forward to our wonderful future here…" Lucien tried to think about that future, drawing strength from the few images that Elain had shown him. He could do this; he would do this.

Elain knew when Lucien had realised what he needed to do. She had seen the difference in his expression, and felt his reaction down the bond. The fact that he was Helion's son and therefore would be able to use his own abilities to destroy Rian's shield sent relief through her mate. She watched as he lifted his hands, knowing that he was thinking about the future she had shown him.

An instant later, she gasped as her ears began to ring in that familiar way.

Elain lay on the silken sheets, enjoying the opulent feeling against her naked skin. She enjoyed mornings like this, where she and Lucien had no demands set upon them or their time. They could have stayed in here all day and nobody would have come looking for them. It was on mornings like this, where she felt that they were the only two beings in the entire world, and she had him all to herself. He certainly had her all to himself and, as she looked at him lying sprawled beside her, she smiled.

"I'm glad we can stay here like this…" he said, and she wondered if he had been able to read what she was thinking down the bond.

"As am I." she replied, tracing her fingers across the smooth skin of his wrist. "I often wonder," she went on, "if we will always have time like this…" Lucien lifted one eyebrow, his metallic eye clicking and whirring as he looked at her, clearly wondering what she meant. "When you are the High Lord, surely your time will be more and more spent elsewhere, doing other things."

"Ah, Petal." Lucien shifted closer until she could feel the warmth of him beside her. She cuddled into him, her hand shifting from his wrist to his waist, her fingers unable to help stroking his skin as she did so. "Do you think Helion lets his duties as High Lord get in the way of what he wants?"

"Considering he let it keep him from your mother for centuries…" she breathed, "Maybe he does."

"That is different." Lucien told her, his own hand stroking her thigh. She met his eyes as he spoke, and he went on. "He has plenty of time which he uses for himself. As will I." he smiled then, and Elain couldn't help but return the smile. "And if it begins to prove a challenge, I will pass a law that gives everyone the day off, including us and we shall spend the entire day in bed."

"Every week?" she asked, and Lucien's smile turned lascivious.

"Twice a week if you prefer."

Elain gave a soft sigh, pouting for show as she pretended to think about it. "I don't know how I will fit my other lovers in…" She had been joking, but she regretted the words the instant they were out of her mouth, and she looked up to meet her mate's gaze, wanting to apologise. Lucien shook his head, his hand coming to her cheek. "Sorry," Elain murmured, "I… didn't… that was…" she frowned and he moved to press a kiss to her forehead.

"It's okay, Petal." He said, pulling her closer and holding her to his bare chest. Elain tucked her head up under Lucien's chin, trying to burrow in closer to him. "I know you don't want other lovers."

"I don't."

"I know…" he rubbed her back, and she was able to feel his breath against her hair. "And I don't want other lovers either."

"I know…" Elain settled comfortably against him, pleased that he hadn't been hurt or offended by her thoughtless words. "Let's not even joke about it." She didn't even like the idea of Lucien having other lovers, and she knew that he wouldn't appreciate the thought of her with anyone else.

"As you wish, love."

Tilting her head to look up at him, Elain rested her head against Lucien's shoulder and he shifted so that she could move over to be half lying on him as he settled on his back. "It's only us." She said, one hand sliding over his warm chest. "For the rest of forever."

"Yes," he gave her a gentle smile when he met her eyes again, and she could feel his desire for that to be true. She could also feel that consistent relief that he had her, and she wanted him, and Elain stretched up to press a kiss to his cheek. "That is as it should be, and that is all that I have wanted."

"This is all that I want." She told him, bringing one knee up to hook across his body as she cuddled into his side, her head on his chest. "For the rest of my life."

"All?" he asked, and she could hear the smile in his voice without having to look up to see it. One of his hands slid down her back to her arse and he squeezed gently. "What if I can give you more…?"

Elain staggered, gasping when rough hands pulled her upright, and Rian squeezed the back of her neck again. "What are you doing?" he snapped, but Elain's gaze was locked onto her mate. Lucien was smiling at her, and she knew that he had seen what she had. "Lucien Spell-Cleaver…" she breathed.

"What?" Rian asked again, but Elain ignored him.

Lucien's lip quirked in a half smile an instant before he lay his hands against Rian's shield.