Chapter 470
Lucien wanted to clap. He worked hard to keep his face under control as he looked around the room at the members of the Night Court, all of whom were staring at his mate with surprise. They couldn't believe what she had just said to them, it was as clear as day. He could, however. It probably wasn't all that surprising that Elain had told them they would not be looking down at him anymore, but rather it was the way in which she had said that. The tone had been firm, and it was so near to a command. He had seen that growth in confidence and assertiveness in her over the past few months. They had not. Lucien rather suspected that they had probably thought they would walk in here and do and say what they liked and Elain would smile and play nice, or say nothing at all.
"It is as Elain says," Helion put in, and the attention of everyone in the room shifted to the High Lord of the Day Court. "While you are here, you will respect every member of my Court, but especially my family and my Heir."
"Yes, but it was the way that she said it…" Mor purred, stretching one long leg over the other as she looked at Helion. "What have you been feeding her?"
"She's not a dog." Lucien retorted, forcing his voice to sound a little less savage than he felt toward that comment. He looked at Mor, and the way in which her eyes lingered upon Helion, and Lucien wondered if she were aware of his father's renewed relationship with his mother. It was no secret that Morrigan often shared the High Lord's bed when in the Day Court, and he wondered if his mother were even aware of the presence of the blonde faerie in the Court today. How would she feel about that? Lucien wasn't aware of his mother's feelings toward the female who had been intended to marry her son, but who often slept with Helion, on and off over the centuries. It must have been horrible, he knew, having to watch someone you were in love with sleeping with others when you were unable to even show your own feelings. Lucien did not think that his mother would be overjoyed to see Mor here at all.
"I did not intend that to be my meaning…" Mor said, eyes sliding to Elain, "Only to point out that Elain seems to have developed … in many ways."
"I suppose actually seeing more of the world will do that." Elain said, and Lucien wanted to hug her. Even when they tried to praise her, they seemed to do it with backhanded compliments. He didn't think that they should be all that surprised that Elain had been given the chance to actually grow out of their reach. The Night Court didn't really know her, having only gotten to meet her after she had been Made Fae and retreated into herself. They hadn't known who she was before that. They also hadn't known who she was without everybody around her making choices for her. He understood the need to protect Elain, every part of him screamed to do so, but there was a difference in being a shield and in being a gaoler. Lucien rather suspected that this had been Elain's entire life with Feyre and Nesta making her choices for her long before any of them had come to Prythian. She had never been given the space to bloom into herself, so they had no right to be surprised by who she had become when given that space.
"Well, I love it." Cassian declared, clapping his own hands together. "If you ever want some training so you can kick a little arse with more than your words, you just let me know, Elain." He got to his feet and moved to stand closer to Nesta.
"Thank you…" Elain paused, evidently trying to choose her words more carefully, "I do not think that violence is… for me."
"That certainly makes you different to your sisters then…" He grinned and slid his hand over Nesta's backside in a way that made those silvery blue eyes blaze in a way that suggested she was scandalised by the action, and in a way that made everybody else in the room look away from the display.
"No doubt." Elain replied, glancing back at Lucien. He shifted a little closer to her, hand shifting to rest against her elbow. He was pleased that her family had gotten to see a little more of who she had become and had gotten to see that she was happy here and doing well. He also liked that they had gotten to see that even when he was the High Lord here, with Elain beside him, they would not have any ideas that the Day Court would be under their thumb or easy to manipulate. Elain possessed a strength they had been unaware of, but they were no longer unaware, and Lucien was beyond proud of her.