Chapter 558
She had stayed in the garden, finding a small bench on which to sit and think about her previous conversation with Vassa. Elain was uncertain how she felt about the redheaded queen. It seemed to her that Vassa was suffering greatly over what had been done to her, and Elain could hardly blame her for that. It must have been beyond horrible to have had half of her life taken from her each day. Elain had no idea how she would have been altered if she literally ceased to be herself each morning at sunrise. It must have felt so isolating and she suspected that Vassa was more than a little lonely. Again, she supposed she understood why Vassa, Jurien, and Lucien had all found themselves together in that manor for several months. They had all been through horrible things, and there had to have been some kind of understanding or companionship they'd found among one another. That did not mean, however, that Vassa could decide that she was better suited for Lucien than his actual mate, and it did not mean that Elain was just going to stand there idly while the mortal queen did her best to steal him.
Not that Elain actually thought Vassa stood a chance of being successful. She trusted Lucien implicitly and knew that he would never betray her in any way. Vassa could strut through the entire palace naked, and Elain knew that Lucien would take no notice. It was not Lucien's reciprocation that Elain had concern about, it was the lengths to which Vassa might actually go. She had seen Ianthe assault her mate when he had declined her invitations, and she was not about to let someone else mistreat him because they did not get their way. Elain did not know Vassa all that well, but she knew that the redhead had a temper and that she evidently had no qualms about saying what she thought and how she felt. It seemed to Elain that Vassa would do just about whatever it took to achieve her goals, and that was slightly concerning for Elain.
Allowing her mind to wander just a little, Elain tried to imagine all the things Vassa might do. If she was prepared, she figured she might be able to handle it a little better, or even come up with a response. Vassa seemed fairly direct, so perhaps she would just go directly to Lucien to make her offer? The image of Sorcha on her knees before Lucien in the hallway flashed through Elain's mind and she scowled. That was not something she ever needed to see again. Vassa, too, would probably not be stupid enough to do such a thing publicly, and that through sent anxiety flowing through Elain. She knew then that Vassa did intend to be rather more sneaky about it. Perhaps, Elain thought bitterly, the little bitch queen would have done well growing up in the Autumn Court. Thinking about that, Elain wondered if any of Lucien's brothers would have turned Vassa's head. She dismissed the thought immediately, not even wishing those brutes on the redhead. Vassa, Elain knew, would have been destroyed by any of them. It was not more violence and harshness the mortal woman needed, but peace and healing, and she wasn't going to get that by causing trouble in the Fae Courts.
Getting to her feet then, Elain knew that she needed to go and find Lucien and let him know about the conversation that she had had with Vassa. He knew Vassa better than Elain did, and perhaps he would be able to shed some light on the types of things the mortal woman might have planned.