Chapter 445

Up before the sun had even risen, Elain peered at herself in the faint grey light, trying to see her reflection in the mirror. She had successfully gotten out of bed, and fumbled around for her dress, without waking Lucien. This would have been far easier if he were awake, because he would have lit their room up with his little balls of faelight, and she would be able to see what she was doing. Instead, she felt around the back of her head in the dark, trying to capture all the bits of her hair that were attempting to escape the braid. She wanted to get down to the garden before anyone else was there to try and get herself organised, and ready for when the rest of the Court arrived.

Before they had left the others last night, Elain had asked Helion if there were ashes left from the pyres that could be brought to the gardens and he had agreed, telling her that he would have that seen to first thing in the morning. Something told her that they were out there right now collecting what she had asked for, and Elain intended to be there when those ashes were brought to the garden.

A little golden ball of faelight appeared behind her, reflecting its golden light in the mirror, and Elain turned. Lucien was sitting up in bed, his expression still sleepy, and his ruby hair shining messily in the light. "Whatreyoudoing?" he murmured, rubbing at his good eye.

"Getting ready." Elain replied, still trying to tackle her unruly hair. "You don't need to get up yet. You can get some more sleep…"

"Are you leaving?" he asked, dropping his hand to the bedspread and then rolling his shoulders.

"Going to get an early start…"

Lucien appeared more awake then and he stretched before flinging the covers back from himself and getting to his feet. "I'll come with you."

"You don't have to do that. It's not even dawn yet."

"And you don't need to go wandering around the Palace on your own."

"Ah…" Elain frowned at that, "Do you not think it's safe now?"

"It's not that…"

"Then what is it?" She asked, "It's not like I will be wandering around aimlessly…"

"No…" He moved toward her, "But… with Tamlin here… I just…" he frowned then and she tried to read his face. She had thought that after what they had gone through, and when Tamlin had sheltered them after they had fled the Autumn Court, that the relationship between the two of them had improved. Afterall, Tamlin had even gone with Elain back into the Autumn Court to help her try and rescue Lucien from Eris' dungeon.

"Do you not trust him?"

"I…" Lucien ran his hands over his face.

"He has come to help us…"

"I think he has come to help you." He replied a little abruptly. Elain blinked, looking at Lucien.

"What do you mean?" She asked, moving to try and read him down the bond. Why would Lucien think that Tamlin had come to help her? Her mate sighed, shaking his head.

"I… can't tell," he began slowly, "if it's my own possessive jealousy telling me that, or his behaviour."

"What behaviour?" She asked, "He hasn't done anything…"

In two steps Lucien was directly in front of Elain and she looked him over in the golden faelight. He looked confused and she shifted a little closer to him again when one of his hands came up to her cheek, fingers gently ghosting over her skin. "I've known Tamlin for a long time." He said, "I lived with him for a long time…"

"I know…"

"I've never seen him act the way he does with you with anyone."

"What way?"

"He's… so polite and attentive." Lucien frowned again, "Even when he was in love with Feyre he was nothing like that…"

"Perhaps he learned a lesson from what happened…" Elain had been told how much the High Lord of Spring had suffered when Feyre had left him and his Court had crumbled.

"Perhaps," Lucien said, fingers sliding into Elain's hair at the back of her neck, "he's felt your kindness, your gentleness, and he wants more of it…" Elain shook her head, eyes on her mate's intense gaze.

"I… I haven't given him any reason to think that…" She broke off, hoping that Lucien wasn't right about this.

"I know that, Petal." He pulled her closer, and Elain stepped into his warmth. Her eyes closed as Lucien's arms wound around her, and she breathed him in. A moment later she felt his lips on her forehead and she released a slow breath. "I know…" One of his hands slid down her back and she felt him release a breath of his own. "Like I said," he murmured, "I can't tell if it's his actions or my own jealousy…"

"You have nothing to be jealous of."

"I know." His hand settled at her waist, and she tilted her head to look up at him. "But I am going to make sure that he has no opportunity…"

"To what?"

"I… have no idea." Lucien said, "But it's not going to happen."

Elain just nodded, trying to read the bond. All that she was getting was a low level possessiveness, and she knew that he was unable to help it. Fine. If Lucien needed to stick to her side while Tamlin was here in order to manage that possessive jealousy, then she had no problem with that. "I… want to get to the Garden before anyone else this morning…"

"Then let's do it." Lucien let her go and smiled at her. She just held his gaze as he reached up and tucked a loose piece of her hair back into the braid she had been struggling with. "Let me put something on, and we'll go…"

Allowing her eyes to move over him, Elain grinned. "Weren't you going to work without a shirt?" She asked, and he winked at her as he moved to the cupboard.

"Maybe once the sun is actually up." He replied, and Elain turned back to the mirror, making a note to remember to remind him of that later in the day.