Daylight

Chapter 44

The journey back to Velaris had been quick, just as Azriel promised. When they reached the townhouse, Azriel wasn't even winded whereas Lucien would have been too exhausted to stand.

He was looking for her even before Azriel opened the front door. Her scent was everywhere. A lingering trace of it had clung to him when they had left for the continent but each passing day it had grown fainter. It had all but faded completely by the time he was huddled in that cave Azriel found him in.

But now it was surrounding him, making it hard to focus on anything else. He automatically peered through the patio door, but her little garden was empty. Several pairs of footsteps came thundering down the stairs and a moment later, Feyre, Rhysand, and Nesta appeared in the foyer.

Feyre didn't hesitate—she strode across the hall and embraced him tightly. When she pulled back, she noticed the large bundle tied carefully to his pack. "You got them," she breathed.

Lucien only nodded as he slid his rucksack off his shoulder. No one spoke as he carefully untied the delicate bundle. He removed them from the rucksack but left them wrapped in the sheet, feeling like unwrapping them would be somehow disrespectful, and extended them to Rhys. "It's long past time these were returned to you."

Nesta, for once, remained silent as a tomb. She stood back and watched the exchange with her arms crossed and her jaw clenched.

Rhysand approached Lucien slowly. He accepted the bundle, holding it as gingerly as one might hold a newborn. Feyre's eyes glistened with tears as she watched her mate. Rhys closed his eyes for a long beat, his face etched with pain and mourning. When he opened his eyes, the pain was gone. He gently laid the bundle on the dining room table and extended his hand to Lucien.

Lucien grasped Rhys's forearm and Rhys pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Lucien was immensely grateful that Azriel insisted he heal himself, otherwise a few more of his ribs might have broken.

"You have no idea what this means to me," Rhysand croaked, his voice raspy and thick.

The moment Rhys released him, Feyre whacked him on the back of the head.

"What was that for!" Lucien rubbed the spot where Feyre hit him as he scowled at her.

"Why didn't you come straight back?"

"Well, because—"

"Because," Azriel cut him off, "Tamlin beat the shit out of him." Angry shadows curled around his shoulders.

"What?!" Feyre's mouth fell open.

"I found him bruised and beat to hell in that cave—the one that's the transfer point to Autumn," Azriel said.

"What happened?" Feyre hissed.

Lucien shrugged in Azriel's direction, "He pretty much covered it."

"By the Cauldron, Lucien," Feyre snapped, "I'm glad I asked Az to just go check and make sure you were alright. What would you have done if I hadn't?"

"I'd have made it back... eventually."

"You said if you ran into any problems, you'd get in touch with Elain through your bond and call for help," Feyre reminded him.

"I wasn't about to make her worry."

Feyre scoffed with an incredulous shake of her head. "You're fully healed now?"

Lucien nodded. "Azriel insisted he could get us both back, so I used all my energy to heal myself."

"Good," Feyre growled. And punched him right in the stomach. Hard.

Lucien doubled over, more out of surprise than from pain. "What the hell was that for?!"