Daylight

Chapter 19

The next morning, the sunlight shining into Elain's room was especially bright, almost like it knew it had an entire day's absence to make up for. She sat up and stretched until she heard—and felt—a satisfying pop! from her shoulder.

She slipped the ring back on her finger and rotated it until the diamond was against her palm. She was sure it was only because she'd taken it off, but it felt heavier than it had yesterday. She had grown to hate the damned thing... but reminded herself why she was wearing it. She also reminded herself of everything that could have happened last night if she hadn't taken it off. Her heart clenched at the memory of Lucien's crestfallen expression, believing her appearance to be just another dream.

She got out of bed to find an emerald green dress already laid out on the chair by the vanity. As if the wraith twins had known what a tumultuous night she'd had and wouldn't want to even spare the energy to choose a dress to wear.

"I don't know what I would do without them," she murmured gratefully.

She took her time getting dressed, savoring the natural light the morning sun sent through her window. There weren't many birds at this altitude, she realized. One of her favorite things about mornings in the townhouse was to hear the birds sing outside her window. She was glad they'd be going back today.

She wandered down to the lower level and into the dining room, where several of the others were already gathered. They were picking at breakfast pastries or having low conversations.

Family dinners were usually when the group would blow off steam, celebrate, or sometimes, a combination of both. That combined with someone always having to visit with Bryaxis ensured that at least one person was almost always hungover the following morning. Elain rarely drank in excess, so to her, the morning after family dinner was always entertaining.

"Morning!" She said cheerfully.

"Shh!!" Cassian hissed, not even lifting his head off the table.

"My hair hurts," Mor complained.

From the far end of the table, Lucien surveyed the pitiful group with a bemused smile and a small shake of his head. On a plate in front of him was a croissant with honey drizzled over it. He sat back and sipped loudly from his tea. Having served as a formal emissary for the Spring Court and been taught etiquette as a noble, Elain suspected it was deliberately to get under the others' skin.

"Are they always like this?" He asked when he'd caught Elain's attention.

"Not always."

"Why are you so loud?" Cassian demanded, his voice much louder than either Lucien or Elain's.

She just giggled and poured herself some tea.

You escaped Bryaxis unscathed, it seems.

She tried to keep the wave of relief that had swept over her when Cerridwen told her he'd been asleep last night from passing down the bond. It was remarkable how easy it was to communicate through it. Once she had figured out how to do it, it came more naturally than breathing.

More or less. I'm convinced it's compiling a history of Prythian, one obligated visitor at a time.

So, all it wanted was...

To hear my story.

Elain nodded. The others had said basically the same thing except, they'd all come back terrified. Maybe he had been, and he was just exceptionally well at hiding it. Or maybe... maybe the creature didn't scare him. If that didn't scare him, she wasn't sure she wanted to know what did.