Chapter 610
Lucien felt the flare in the bond when Elain leaned into kiss him and he gripped her hips firmly where she sat on him. "Is that helpful?" he murmured, and she nodded. Lucien looked at her face, her pretty dark eyes unfocused and he felt when she cut a little more of the web. He had told her that he would do what he could to help, and he was more than happy to keep his hands on her, touching her if that would help with what she was trying to do.
He knew that asking Elain to do this without guidance or training was a big ask, but he also knew that either of them would do what they could for the other. She was understandably nervous but Lucien trusted her implicitly. He knew that there would be no way she would cut something away that she shouldn't. Not a single part of him considered that an actual possibility and he tried to push that certainty toward his mate.
Each time Elain touched the web she was trying to remove, Lucien felt it. He could feel what she had described, and he knew that they had been right. The spell was looking to protect itself by pulling magic and energy from Elain when she touched it. She needed more, and he tried to give it to her. Lucien ran one hand up her arm to her shoulder and then to the back of her neck. She leaned into him again and Lucien wrapped his other arm around her to hold her closer. She was trembling and Lucien leaned his head back to look once more at her face.
"Petal?" he asked, "Are you alright?"
The small sound she made did not fill Lucien with confidence and he frowned. He could feel her struggling, and he slid both of his hands down her waist, still watching her face.
She had gotten half of the door clear and Elain drew a shaky breath as she looked at the next part to pull free. It was taking its toll on her and she tried to pretend to herself that she couldn't see the knife shaking in her hand. There was no telling what she would find behind this door, so she knew that she couldn't allow this first obstacle to be all she had in her.
Down the bond she could feel Lucien's concern, and she could feel his hands moving over her. She knew that he had been feeding her strength as she continued her task, but her exhaustion was becoming stronger than what she was getting from him down the bond, and she knew that she would need to borrow more.
"Are you alright?" he asked, and Elain slid her own arms around his neck. Slowly, she bent to kiss him, trying to convey her need for more energy, looking to strengthen that brilliant golden glow of the bond. When her mate sought to deepen that kiss, Elain knew that he'd gotten the message. Again, the bond flared and the heat of her mate's strength flooded her, rushing down the bond. That was what she needed and she pressed herself closer to him, asking for more.
She felt him lift her, hands firm at her waist, and she wrapped herself more tightly around him. Elain realised that Lucien had gotten out of his seat and was moving across their room, carrying her as he went. "It's alright," his voice murmured in her ear, "I've got you."
"I know." Elain felt the soft covers of the bed beneath her and then Lucien's warm weight as he moved over her. The bond flared again, stronger this time, as her mate's hands slid up her thighs beneath her dress when Elain wrapped her legs around his waist.