Daylight

Chapter 33

As Elain walked through the autumn forest, leaves crunching beneath her feet like usual, she couldn't help but feel as if these woods were somehow different than they'd been before. The sun shone brighter through the canopy of red and orange leaves, warming her face and her soul. She knew now that these woods were the autumn forests of his home court—the court that had forsaken him.

He was the son of Day... and she thought it was no coincidence that the warmth of the sunshine was what helped bring her back from the depths of despair those first few months she was in Prythian. She caught a faint trace of his scent on the air, or perhaps it was from that worn strip of leather she wore around her wrist. Sunshine, oranges, and sandalwood. Suddenly, the brighter sunlight made more sense.

The scamper of paws running over dead and dying leaves echoed through the empty woods. She never seemed to have any luck catching her quarry when she chased it, so she decided to be still and see if it came to her. Stopping next to a wide oak tree, she leaned against the trunk and waited.

She wasn't at all surprised when the creature finally approached her, timidly at first. She slowly kneeled and extended her hand. The fox looked up at her quizzically and Elain didn't even try to hide her grin upon seeing its left eye was missing. The fox wove in between her feet, its bushy tail wrapping around one of her legs. When she reached down to scratch it behind the ear, it nipped at her fingers playfully.

She woke feeling rested and content, still tucked tightly under Lucien's arm. Her right arm was sandwiched between them and when she tried to move it, it tingled. He was still asleep, but the movement made him stir, pulling her tighter to him.

Elain thought her heart might burst. She had only that brief momentary bliss, however, before remembering why she'd chosen to stay in his room, to sleep in his bed with him. He was leaving.

His eyes opened lazily and the arm around her shoulders withdrew as he stretched. As soon as it was gone, she wanted the comfortable warmth from it back. Lucien propped himself up onto his elbow and gazed down at her, looking at her with an expression she couldn't quite read.

What? She asked down the bond. She didn't want to speak yet. Didn't want to break the spell the night had cast on them and had carried over into the morning.

I was starting to think I would never know what it would be like to wake up beside you.

Elain melted. It would have been cheesy and cliché if not for the tendrils of affection and wonderment that snaked down the bond to her.

The bond.

She wondered if he knew about it snapping into place for her last night. She still could reject it if she chose to. Feyre and Rhys had explained the delicate and intricate nature of mating bonds to her one day shortly after they'd all returned to Velaris. She could reject the bond at any point, even after accepting it. Rhys had told her about mates who sadly grew to hate one another and rejected their bonds after decades of being mated.

But Elain could never dream of putting him through that kind of pain. She would rather never accept the bond than to reject it. Elain knew how Lucien felt about her. If she rejected the bond, she feared it would kill him.

A sharp rap on the door made them both jump.

"Hurry up," came Feyre's muffled voice. "Are you decent?"

Elain's eyes widened. She definitely wasn't ashamed or embarrassed to be in Lucien's room with him. And she knew if Feyre caught her in here, she wouldn't tell anyone else, but she wasn't ready to see the smug look on her sister's face.

I can put a glamour over you so she won't know you're here.

"Her room is empty. I know she's in there," Feyre hissed quietly.