Chapter 428
Watching Elain like this had to be Lucien's very favourite thing. Even if he only had one good eye, it was seeing her like this, on her back beneath him, blush staining her cheeks, as she groaned and gasped, that made him glad that he could still see. He made a distant mental note to send a letter to Nuan, thanking her again for his metallic eye. He wouldn't need to tell her why he was thankful for it, other than being able to see, of course, but he was truly thankful for the brilliant vision it afforded him. He could see Elain in perfect, perhaps better than perfect, detail, and he did his very best to soak them all in.
He could see the way the little hairs at her temples had begun to curl as perspiration had begun to bead on her skin, and he could trace the exact route that blush had worked its way up her throat to her cheeks and he could see now the route it would take as it crawled toward her chest. When her pretty eyes opened, looking for him, Lucien could see the different shades of brown there, lit by the flickering flames in the fireplace. There was, he thought, perhaps little flecks of amber and gold in there, and he suddenly wanted to get her out into the bright sunlight to properly catalogue every colour he could find. Tomorrow, perhaps.
"Lucien…" she groaned, hand tightening on his shoulder, and Lucien made sure not to break the steady rhythm he had built with his hand between her legs. She had been wet when he had pushed his fingers into her, but she was soaked now. He could feel the difference as he continued to move those fingers in her, and he could feel her hips shifting as she tried to move to meet him.
"Yes, Petal?" he asked, pleased that his voice was still working.
"Oh…" Elain's eyes slid closed again, and her back arched a little. Her hand clutched at his shoulder, and Lucien smiled.
"Do you want me inside of you?" he asked, knowing that despite being so utterly thankful that he could see, he would probably give both his good eye and his metallic eye in that moment to be allowed to sink himself deep into his mate. She nodded, hand still tight on his shoulder.
"Yes…" she breathed, shifting beneath him, legs widening. "Yes…"
Lucien moved, pulling his fingers from inside of Elain as he shifted over her. She made a small sound of protest and disappointment when his fingers left her, but Lucien pressed his lips to hers by way of answer and amendment. He shuddered as Elain's hand slid from his shoulder and up the back of his neck into his hair. He had always loved her hands in his hair. She moved a little, shifting, and then he felt one of her feet hook behind his leg and he lifted his head to meet her dark eyes.
Reaching down between them, Lucien had to bite his lip to keep from groaning at his own touch when he took hold of himself. Elain's gaze flicked down and then she slipped one of her hands between them, her fingers moving over him carefully. Lucien choked back a moan and removed his own hand, allowing her control. Bracing himself over her, Lucien allowed Elain to position him correctly, and then her foot moved up the back of his leg to his knee, and he knew that she was ready for him.
Lucien would have loved to simply watch Elain, drinking in every detail of her face and body, but in that moment he did not wish to simply be a spectator. Every inch of him burned with the need to touch her, to taste her. That old voice deep within him had begun its usual chant. Mate. Mate. Mate.
"Elain…" be breathed, eyes on her face. He waited for her to meet his gaze, felt her hand slide to his cheek, fingers brushing against that horrific scar, and then she had nodded, just a little.
Carefully, yet smoothly, Lucien sank into her. One fluid movement saw him buried deep within her, and he relished the sound she made directly into his ear. "Is that okay?" he asked, and she nodded quickly, hands tightening on him.
"Yes…" one hand slid back into his hair, gripping fiercely. "Yes, Lucien…. Just do it."
Lucien did not need to be told twice. He had nearly lost his mate so many times since he had found her, since she had come to love him. He had nearly lost her today, had thought that he would see her die right before him while he was powerless to do anything to stop it. That had always been his worst fear, and it had nearly come true. Again. He did not intend to waste any time with her. They were both here, both ready for their future in this place. He was lucky enough to have been able to bring Elain back to their shared room, unharmed. He got to crawl into bed with her, hold her in his arms. He was going to make sure he did not waste any of the privileges and chances that he was being given.