Chapter 583

Lucien shifted, and Elain could feel her mate's awkwardness down the bond. She glanced at him, wondering why he was feeling awkward at all when he had just spent time with his brother, and their relationship seemed to have developed nicely over the last little while.

"Advice, I suppose." Lucien eventually said, and Elain watched Eris' eyebrows lift slightly.

"About the Vassa situation?" Eris asked, "We spoke about that earlier."

"Yes." Lucien lifted his left hand and ran it through his hair before rubbing at his forehead. "And then I returned to our rooms to find that she had visited Elain there, trying to talk her way in."

"Into your personal rooms?" Eris asked and Lucien groaned his response. "While Elain was there?" Eris' amber eyes flicked her way and Elain nodded. She read the question in his face and made a face of her own.

"I think she was trying to get in before I got there." She told them, "I returned from the city to find her at the door. Then she told me that she was meant to meet Lucien there and that he was going to show her our garden." Elain glanced at her mate when he growled at those words.

"That garden you told her that she would not be given access to?" Eris asked and something in Elain relaxed, knowing that Lucien had previously spoken to Eris about the fact that he would not be showing Vassa anything in their room. It had evidently been enough of an issue for her mate to tell his brother about, but that also just made Vassa's apparent audacity all the more frightening.

"I can't believe she tried to get in by herself." Lucien muttered and Elain lifted an eyebrow. She could certainly believe that was something Vassa had tried.

"Of course she did." Nera said, and everybody seemed to look her way. Elain smiled at the almost embarrassed look on the other female's face, but Nera just nodded. "It seems she has never been told 'No' before."

"Fair." Eris said, "Did she leave when you arrived?" he asked Elain, and Elain shook her head.

"No. She followed me inside and tried to talk me into showing her the garden."

Eris sat back a little at that. "Her behaviour is completely inappropriate." He said, and Elain nodded her agreement. "Playing political games and trying to manipulate others around herself is one thing." He patted Nera's knee a little as he spoke, "But what she is doing now goes beyond that."

"Yes." Lucien let out a long sigh of a breath, "I thought it may have been my fault that she had misunderstood our friendship… but…" he shook his head, "I told her as clearly as I could when we spoke this morning. And then she's done this."

"What did she want?" Nera asked, and Elain looked to Lucien.

"I had assumed more time with me…" he said, "I don't think it was actually about the garden."

"Then why did she still try to get in with Elain when it was clear that you were not present?" Eris asked, "It's unlikely she wanted time with Elain."

"I don't know." Lucien flopped dramatically back against the chair, "I don't understand anything she has done since being here."

"When you wouldn't let her into the garden," Eris began, looking at Elain, "what did she do?"

"Not much…" Elain said, "She looked around the room." She thought about the way that Vassa had surveyed the room, stroking the things on the table next to her. "And she took a piece of leather…"

"She what?"

"It was yours." Elain said, turning to her mate. "One of the things you use in your hair."

"I think," Eris said softly, "This is worth discussing with Helion."