Chapter 612
Elain had gotten though the door. Having cut away all of the insidious blue webbing she could see, she had been able to push the door open and step through. This was the core of Lucien. Even if he was not currently in the room himself, she could feel him. It was much the same as the first time she had entered his old room in the Spring Court. She had noticed then that, although he had not occupied the room for some time, it had felt like him. This room was much the same. In the centre was a large fire emitting rather more light than she would have expected for a fire that size, and Elain smiled in understanding. Fire and light were what her mate was made of, and it made absolute sense to her that she would find this here.
"Petal?"
"Yes?" Elain blinked, bringing herself back to meet Lucien's eyes. He still hovered over her, his gentle weight comforting over her body and she ran her fingers through his hair. She could see he was concerned.
"Tell me what else you need." He said, "I can feel you shaking…"
"You're doing it." She told him, fingers sliding out of his hair and down his cheek. She followed the line of his scar from brow to jaw as she had done hundreds of times before. She could see her own hand shaking then, and she lifted her eyes to his again. "Feeling you," she told him, "connection to you… it helps."
"Yes, but is it enough?" he asked, "Is it giving you enough to make up for what is being taken?" One of Lucien's hands moved up past Elain's vision and, a moment later, she felt his fingers carefully brushing the hair back from her forehead. She closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the sensation, before she looked at him again as he continued to stroke her hair. If she were being honest with herself, and her mate, and Elain saw no reason she should not be, she had doubted she would be able to remove all of Vassa's spell before she passed out from exhaustion. The horrible magic of that spell was draining her faster than she had expected. Without having to say any of that, Lucien evidently read it in her face. "Take more." He told her.
"Do you have more?" she asked, softly.
"Yes." His hand slid down her cheek, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw before moving across her lips. "I won't have this hurt you." He said, "I want you to take whatever you need from me."
Elain swallowed, her eyes locked on his. "And how would you like me to do that?"
"However you can." He blinked after a moment, and Elain felt him tug a little on the bond. "I've been trying to push my strength to you down the bond." He said, "But it's not as easy as it usually is."
"I know." Elain bent one of her knees before pressing a hand to Lucien's chest. In one swift movement, she had pushed him sideways, over onto his back and she had rolled herself to sit atop him. He looked up at her, surprised, and she adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. The bond had always been at its strongest and brightest when they'd been together and Elain thought of how brightly it had shone, how powerful it had felt, during their mating frenzy. She saw the moment then when Lucien's mind reached the same conclusion she had, and he nodded, eyes on hers.