Chapter 486

Russet and gold eyes were focused on Elain and she met her mate's gaze as steadily as she could. Wobbling a little as she tried to balance on Cassian's shoulders, Elain gave Lucien a wary smile. She could tell from his expression that he knew that she was feeling nervous and the smile he gave her in turn was encouraging. Beneath her, Cassian had readied himself, and Feyre looked to be in her own ready position.

"Do we have a judge?" Lucien asked, eyes still on Elain.

"Don't think we need one." Cassian replied, "The rules are pretty simple."

"Very well…"

Shifting her eyes to her sister, Elain tried to breathe more deeply. She didn't know the best way to approach this. She had to get her sister off of Lucien, which she had no qualms about, and into the water. Feyre was quick, Elain knew this. Her sister had also had training, which she did not. Feyre would not be easy to unseat, and Elain figured that she would probably end up overbalancing herself and finding herself submerged in her efforts. It wasn't that she didn't trust Cassian to hold her, she knew that he was about as solid as it was possible to be, and that he would be very useful in keeping her right where she was. His grip on her legs was firm, and Elain knew that without that grip she would have likely been more wobbly than she already was. She was also thankful that he seemed to have been in his battle stance and that he was not moving around the place. The less movement she had to endure the better.

"Let's go." Feyre said, an excited glint in her pale eyes, which did nothing to encourage Elain.

Cassian didn't move, for which Elain was grateful. He simply stood his ground, his hands on her legs, as she tried to calm herself. It was Lucien who moved, having to come to them, to bring Feyre within reach, and Elain's focus sharpened onto her sister. One of Feyre's hands was raised, ready to reach for Elain, while the other remained tight on Lucien's shoulder, trying to keep herself balanced. Watching Feyre get closer, Elain suddenly wished they did have a judge, or some kind of referee. She would have liked more clarification on what was okay, because she suddenly feared that her sister would grab hold of her hair or something and use that grip to drag her into the water. Was that legal? Was that against the rules? Elain didn't know.

When Feyre's hand gripped Elain's wrist, Elain tried to brace herself, tightening her legs around Cassian as she tried to prevent herself being tugged from his shoulders. Feyre pulled, and Elain pulled back, gripping her sister's own wrist with her other hand. Feyre laughed then and threw her weight backwards, hoping to pull Elain with her. Through the bond, Elain felt Lucien prepare to try and counter that balance, to keep Feyre on his shoulders, and she made the split-second decision to release her sister's wrist. Feyre lurched backwards, and Lucien had to scramble to keep her where she was without toppling off of him and into the water. Cassian chuckled then, and Elain smiled when Lucien met her eyes. She could tell that he knew she had read him and reacted accordingly, and the smile he gave her suggested that he was pleased with that.

"Well done, Elain." Cassian said, "That will teach them to underestimate us."

"I would hope so…" She murmured, watching Feyre as her sister grinned widely at her. Feyre had not been discouraged, and Elain prepared herself for the next attack by her sister.

Wondering if she could use the bond between herself and Lucien to her advantage, Elain reached for it again. She was surprised to feel Lucien meet her there, and she realised that he was allowing her to read him. Of course, she thought, he would not want her to be completely at the mercy of everyone else participating in this game who had had all kinds of training. He wanted her to use everything she could, everything she had access to, and he was giving her access to this.