Daylight

Chapter 6

Elain woke just before first light, groggy and bleary-eyed after she and Feyre had stayed up until well past two in the morning. Even though she would suffer for it today, she was glad Feyre had come to her room. She couldn't remember the last time she and her sister had just talked... like sisters are supposed to. Not stressing over where their next meal was going to come from. Just talked.

The first thing she noticed was that the sheets were the wrong color. Elain's sheets were white but the sheet and matching pillowcase beneath her head was dark green. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, recognizing his scent not even a second before she saw him, sleeping beside her.

Lucien. Her mate.

Heart beating wildly, Elain slid out of the bed as quietly as she could and with rushed, quiet footsteps, retreated back to her own room.

She just couldn't understand it. Two nights in a row she had somehow meandered or otherwise transported herself to his room. She was just grateful he hadn't woken up—she had no idea how she would explain that.

She took several deep breaths once she was back in the safety of her room. It was too close to dawn for her to go back to sleep. Not that she would have been able to, in any case. She sat down at her vanity and began brushing her thick wavy hair just for something to do until Nuala and Cerridwen came in. She'd told them she didn't expect them to come every morning, but they said they enjoyed the routine and her company.

Elain thought about some of the things her sister had told her last night. About how Lucien had become Feyre's first real friend in Prythian... after he had nearly gotten her killed sending her to hunt the Suriel. How he'd become an unintentional matchmaker between her and Tamlin. Elain detested hearing about that brute but reminded herself that if Feyre hadn't loved Tamlin first, all of Prythian would still be under the tyranny of Amarantha.

Elain had felt a tug at her heartstrings when Feyre told of her time Under the Mountain and how Lucien had helped her—and suffered greatly for it. Feyre told her about how she'd found out that the only reason Lucien hadn't come to heal her, leading her to make the bargain with Rhys, was because Lucien had been whipped so fiercely, he couldn't walk.

And then Feyre had told her about Lucien trying to find her, to bring her back to the Spring Court, on Tamlin's orders. Elain had physically shuddered when Feyre had said, "Gods, I can't imagine what it was like during those months. Living with Tamlin was already a volatile thing but when I left him... I honestly feel terrible for leaving Lucien to deal with that."

"Do you think Tamlin..." Elain had faltered, not willing to voice the rest of the question.

"Do I think Tamlin took out his rage on Lucien?"

Feyre's eyes had turned dark. "Yes... I do. And it makes me sick."

Elain had felt physically ill. "Why would he stay there? Why would he remain loyal to someone who treated him that way?"

Feyre had sighed and said, "Lucien hasn't had an easy life. Tamlin was... is... his friend and for someone who doesn't have a lot of those, it's hard to make yourself admit the bad parts. You just want to focus on their strong points but eventually, even that isn't enough. Anything more than that... It's his story to tell, not mine."

Elain had understood—at least the part about it being his story to tell. She wanted to know more, but only when he was willing to share that part of himself with her.

The sun peeked through her window as dawn finally broke. Elain hadn't even noticed that Nuala and Cerridwen had come in and were rifling through her wardrobe.

"Good morning," she said to them with what she hoped was a light, cheerful tone. Her mind was heavier than it had been lately.

"Mind in the clouds today?" Nuala teased.