Chapter 452

Elain had definitely pulled less grass out once Lucien had begun his work. She had watched him, not even trying to hide it, as she had half-heartedly continued her job of clearing the earth. Her mate was utterly stunning, and he looked even more amazing as he practically glowed in the sunlight. His skin gleamed in the almost bronze light, and that wonderful hair shone like rubies, and Elain was not surprised that her breath had caught in her throat as she watched him. Appreciation swelled within her, and she smiled happily as she tossed another handful of grass into the bag at her side.

She was not the only one appreciating him. At some point Elain became aware of the fact that most of the other females in the garden had become somewhat distracted. There were those nearby who were painting posts, and it looked to Elain as if several of their brushstrokes were not even making contact with their posts. Their eyes, however, were firmly trained on Lucien. Blinking, Elain struggled to make sense of the emotions warring within her. Figuring she sat somewhere between pride at the fact that her mate was so utterly magnificent and everyone could see it, and know that he was hers, and a little bit of jealousy at the fact that all of these females were quite blatantly ogling her Lucien.

He must have noticed that her attention was no longer on him, because he had straightened, leaning against the hoe. "Petal…" he said, tilting his head in a way that caused that ruby hair to cascade over his shoulder. "I'm over here…"

"I know." She replied, eyes moving over him. "And so does everyone else apparently…" She added, tone low. Lucien's lips quirked in a smile, and he glanced around the garden for a second.

"Ah… I'd forgotten there were others here…"

She smiled at him, knowing he was trying to put her at ease. His words hadn't made the others stop looking though, and Elain pushed to her feet. Something in her was pushing her to do literally anything she could. She figured that if those other females were going to be looking, that she was going to give them something to look at. She wanted them to remember that he was hers, that he belonged with her, and while they might like to look they would never do anything more than that. Lucien, it appeared, knew exactly what she was up to, because he grinned as she approached, and he tossed the hoe aside, turning to face her more completely.

"Did I entice you?" He asked, and Elain just grinned back at him.

"I'd just like to claim what is mine." She replied softly, reaching a hand out to his chest. Lucien stood his ground and Elain moved closer. His skin was slick after the work he had been doing, and she continued to smile up at him. She could feel his utter delight that she wished to claim him in front of all those who were still watching, and she knew that he would probably never grow tired of that. After so long feeling he wasn't wanted or valued anywhere, the public declaration of claiming him as her mate before others meant so much more to Lucien than Elain would have anticipated.

"Go right ahead…" he all but purred, and Elain slid her hand up over his shoulder. Going up on her toes so that she could reach him, Elain made a small pleased sound when he bent a little to make it easier. And then she had kissed him. It wasn't a quick little kiss, but lingering and heated, and Elain knew that she definitely would have been scandalised by the thought of doing something like this in public in the past. That had changed, though. She had changed. All that mattered to her in this moment was that all those females who were watching her mate with appreciation in their gazes knew that he was mated, and that they had better not do anything further than look. In fact, Elain would have been pleased if they had stopped looking all together. She knew that was unlikely, so she would settle for this.

"Are you ready for this?" Stepping back from Lucien, Elain glanced over her shoulder. Kera and Sheera stood together; a sight Elain had never thought she might see. "We brought what you wanted. Is this enough?"

"Oh. Yes, I think so…" She looked at several of the small ivy plants they held, and then at the garden. She had nearly cleared it of grass, and Lucien only had a small patch left to work with the hoe. Tamlin also stood nearby and he moved for a closer look at the ivy.

"I can make this cover the wall…" he said, and Elain lifted an eyebrow. She probably shouldn't have been surprised, as he had been asked here for his particular gifts of Spring, but if he could work that kind of magic, who knew what else he would be able to manage in this garden?