Alone with Lucien, Elain has to set her feelings straight. When an innocent hike, turns to something a little more meaningful, she finds it hard to breath.

Fanfiction Masterlist

(Hi, so I haven’t exactly decided who I ship Elain or Lucien or anyone with, but I was toying with the idea and that’s where this fic came from.)

Warning: Contains mature content not suitable for some readers. Read at your own risk.

*****

Elain wrung her fingers as she watched Lucien approach. The house was empty for once, even baby Nyx had gone with his parents to the theater. So it was just her and Lucien tonight.

She didn’t know why that made her nervous.

He passed by her on the way to the kitchen. giving her a small smile that barely lifted his lips.

He didn’t smile around her.

“Do you want anything? I think Feyre left some cake for us.”

“No, thank you,” Elain chirped, searching for a way to leave without being rude. “I’m full from dinner, so I’m just gonna head to bed.”

His expression flickered, but it was too fast for her to read. “Alright. Sleep well.”

She nodded absently as she retreated to her room, her heart hammering. She wasn’t sure why. Desperately needing to cool down, she opened the window to her room, glancing over the edge to see the night-blooming flowers she’d planted earlier in the season. They were just barely opening as the sun made its descent, having flourished well in this land of moonlight.

Elain tugged her hair from its braid, smoothing a hand through it. She sighed as a tingling started at the base of her spine. It did that whenever Lucien was near, warning her of his presence.

A moment later, a soft rap sounded at her door. 

“Yes?”

The knob turned, revealing that golden face. He’d cut his hair in the past months so it was now short as most males preferred. She would never admit it aloud, but it made him more handsome, showing off the sharp angles of his face. 

“I was wondering if you’d like to join me for a hike. I know it’s late, but the view is better at night.”

Elain hesitated. Walking alone with any high Fae through the woods already sounded like a trap, but him… being alone was already miserable enough.

Lucien watched her face carefully, the pupil of his metal eye narrowing slightly. “You don’t have to say yes. I was going to go anyway— I just thought you’d like the fresh air.”

She glanced back to her window, where the flowers rose just beyond the pane. “I suppose it can’t hurt.”

“Brilliant. You’re gonna need better shoes.”

She looked at her slippers and chewed her bottom lip. “Alright.”

*****

In Feyre’s ill-fitting boots, Elain panted as she climbed after Lucien. Of all the things being high Fae had given her, stamina wasn’t one of them.

“You alright back there?” he asked over his shoulder, face washed in patches of moonlight coming through the leaves.

“I’m fine,” she rasped, catching up to him. The ground leveled finally, allowing her a bit of reprise. Thankfully, her wheezing breath had made talking difficult for the past mile or so they’d walked, but that advantage was quickly fading.

“You know,” Lucien said, eyes fixed on the trail, “your father talked about you a lot.”

She nearly tripped. She often forgot that Lucian had met her father, traveled with him. It was a fact that she buried deep with all the other uncomfortable knowledge of this world.

“What kind of things?” she made herself ask. She could be pleasant, even if she was craving the next slope and the asphyxiation it brought her.

Lucien kicked a rock out of the way, his boots torn and dusty. “He talked about how you used to collect wildflowers for your sisters when you were younger, and horrify your mother whenever you braided them into your hair.”

Elain chewed on her lip. She remembered those moments, before they’d installed a garden on the estate. The village girls would often help her, creating giant bundles to leave on people’s doorsteps. It was when she returned home with mud on her hands and in her hair that her mother would curl her lip and call a maid to bathe her until her skin was pink. Of all the things her mother did, that was one of the lighter punishments.

“I never understood why she didn’t like them.” 

Lucien let out a small laugh. “He also talked about you finding a fruit from a poisonous tree and then puking for a week straight.”

Her nose crinkled. “Yes. That was a punishment in and of itself.”

She looked up, finding another hill for them to scale.

“We’re almost there,” Lucien said, shouldering the pack he’d brought with. She wasn’t sure what was in it, only that it bulged at the seams with cargo.

As they crested the hill, Elain finally caught sight of what they’d been hiking to. A small stream rushed through the trees, barely a dozen feet from a cliff. Beyond that, the lights of Velaris twinkled and winked at her, as if they were sharing a secret. From here, she could see the House of Wind, crowned in gold above the city that only really lived at night.

“This is stunning,” she said, stepping over a root. “How did you find it?”

Lucien shrugged as he eyed the stream. “I like exploring. I don’t really do much else here.” 

At the tone of his voice, she glanced up. He was balanced between two rocks above the bubbling water, shifting his weight.

“Why don’t you find a hobby? Like painting or reading?”

“Or gardening?” he asked, throwing a wink over his shoulder. “This is my hobby. Besides, of course, lowering Rhysand’s opinion of me and avoiding my brothers.”

“Rhys doesn’t think badly of you.” She approached the bank just as Lucien finished crossing. From this distance, the stream was starting to look more like a river. A very fast moving river.

“The stream connects with some more down the mountain and helps feed the Sidra,” Lucien explained, as if trying to fill the silence.

Elain cautiously set her boot on a rock and found it didn’t immediately shift under her weight. As warm as the night was, she didn’t particularly feel like cooling off with a dip in the water.

“Step on this one,” Lucien said. “No. Your right foot.”

She obeyed his instructions and found both sides of the stream beyond her reach. 

“Left foot on the red one. There you go. Good girl.”

She was so distracted by his choice of words that her right foot slipped, sending her forward. Lucien caught her by the elbows, one of his boots submerged in the water. She hadn’t even seen him move.

“Are you alright? Did you twist your ankle?” He guided her to the next rock.

“Is the water cold?” she blurted, then nearly smacked herself. He was still holding onto her, and that tingling in her spine grew to a tickle.

He let out a breathy laugh, not answering until she was safely on the other side. “A bit, but that’s alright.”

“Your sock must be wet.”

He laughed again and Elain found herself enjoying the sound. “Yes. My sock is wet. Is your ankle okay?”

She nodded, biting her lip. He was still touching her, a hand on each elbow, despite both of them being on dry ground. His hands were warm through the sleeves of her shirt.

As she looked up, one of those hands moved, cupping her face. His thumb smoothed over her bottom lip, drawing it out from between her teeth. 

“Don’t do that,” he whispered, before seeming to catch himself. He let go of her as if she burned, instantly putting space between them. “I’m sorry. I—”

“It’s alright.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Right. I’m going to get a fire started. There’s a blanket in my pack if you want to sit down.”

She nodded, blush high on her cheeks as she went for the pack he’d set on the bank. So that was why it looked so big. Inside the blanket, a bundle of cheese and meats were carefully wrapped. She set those aside to lay out the blanket on the sand ground, kicking away a few rocks. 

By the time Lucien had returned, she was munching on a bit of cheese, watching him as he carefully stacked the firewood he gathered. Barely a moment later, the fire sprang to life, sparks flying in the air.

“Why get the firewood at all? Doesn’t your magic just… keep it burning?”

“I don’t want to be focused on the fire,” he answered simply, before sitting beside her, a good foot or two away. He leaned back on his hands, staring at the city below them.

“How often do you come here?” she asked, the silence burning a hole through her brow. 

He shrugged. “Whenever I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

“What are you thinking about now?”

He glanced at her, arching a brow as a little smile pulled at his full lips. “I don’t think you want to know.”

“Well now I’m actually curious.”

His smile bloomed into a grin. “Small talk not enough for you?”

“You’re my mate,” she said, the words like sandpaper on her tongue. His smile died. “I want to know more about you.”

“Thank you for reminding me.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

“You know why.” Because you don’t want me. Because I am not enough for you.

The words didn’t come from her mind, but from a vision, of perhaps a future between the two of them. In a dark meadow, too much space between their bodies. She wasn’t sure who said it. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know at all.

She blinked as the image faded. 

Lucien was still looking at her. “Do you really want to know?”

“What?”

“What I’m thinking.”

She considered him for a moment and realized she didn’t want that vision for them at all. She’d changed the future once before, she was sure she could do it again.

“Yes.”

He rolled his head back to look into the sky. “I’m thinking that after everything I have lost, you are the gift I’d never once thought I’d be given and yet you’re still just out of reach.”

“I’m right here.”

“Are you?” He lowered his chin, face framed in moonlight.

Elain swallowed. “I am.”

“Then come here.”

Eyes widening, her body registered the words before she did. Going molten in all the right places, she found herself shifting so they were knee to knee. 

Lucien said softly, “Lay back.”

She did and didn’t know why. A moment later, Lucien’s face was above her, his hand cradling her cheek. “Do you want me to kiss you?”

More than anything. But she said, “Yes.”

Her eyes fluttered closed as the ghost of his mouth brushed across her cheek. “Like that?” he asked, the words a hot rush across her skin.

“No.” More.

He pressed his lips to her jaw, tilting her head back slight. “That?”

“Please.”

Her eyes were still closed as his mouth finally met hers, softer than she’d expected. He kissed her lips once, twice, before nipping.

She gasped and he used that to his advantage. As his weight settled fully over her, he deepened the kiss, his tongue hot in her mouth. She welcomed it, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to pull him closer, if such a thing were possible. His chest pressed into hers, his other hand resting on her hip as they kissed and kissed and kissed.

It was over before she wanted it to be. 

He pulled back, lips bruised. “Have you ever… Are you…?”

“A virgin? No.” She laughed. “Though I’m not very experienced.”

“Do you want me to show you?”

The tingling at the base of her spine grew, as if in warning. She said, “Show me.”

He grinned and a moment later she found herself on her stomach, having been flipped faster than she could register. She laughed a little, pushing herself to her elbows as he pulled off her boots, then her pants.

“What about the socks?” she asked breathlessly.

“I can throw one in the water so we’re even,” he said as he pulled those off too.

Elain laughed again, for some reason not at all bothered by the fact that her ass was exposed to the moon and everyone else in the company of two.

Lucien pressed a kiss to her ankle, trailing up the back of her calf. She warmed at the feeling until he bit lightly at the curve of her ass.

She gasped, tempted to turn over to smack him, but before she could make the decision, he pulled her up by her hips, guiding her onto his lap where she could feel the press of his against her backside. 

He ran his hands up her thighs as she leaned her head back onto his shoulder, content to let him touch. He lifted her shirt, guiding it over her head to toss it somewhere with the rest of her clothes. Then his hands met her breasts, squeezing gently. He twisted a nipple between his fingers, earning a sharp breath as the sensation shot to her core. 

His chest rose and fell behind her with breath. “Are you already wet for me, my dear?”

She bit her lip, earning another harsh pinch to her nipple. 

“What did I say about that?” he asked, nipping her ear.

“You said not to do it.”

“Good girl. You remembered.”

She blushed as one of his hands trailed down, gliding across the band of her underwear. 

“Do you want me to touch you here?” he asked hotly.

“Yes.”

He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck as that hand dipped into her panties, trailing down through her core. He hummed at what he found waiting, brushing his thumb over her clit.

She let out a soft sigh, head lulling against his shoulder while he began careful circles, his other hand still working her breasts.

“You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of you,” he said, guiding a finger inside of her. “How long I’ve craved you.”

She moaned while he pumped that finger in and out, curling slightly to touch that spot she wasn’t sure existed until now. As he added a second, she tucked her face into his neck, arching into his touch.

He worked her slowly, his thumb grinding against her clit. She felt release build in her faster than it ever did with her own hand, fueled by the rough calluses of his hand and the feeling of him hard behind her.

She came with a cry, convulsing around his fingers. He held her while she shook, working her through the throes of it until she was too sensitive to enjoy his touch. She pulled his hand away, but he guided it to her mouth.

“Open up. Taste yourself.”

Her lips parted around his fingers, taking in the salty flavor. Her tongue flattened under the pads, teeth scraping gently at his knuckles. 

“Don’t you want some?” she asked as she pulled her head away, eyes heavy.

“I’d rather taste it from the source.”

Heat shot through her again, making her turn in his arms. His mouth met hers like it was made to be there, hands lifting her slightly so she could properly straddle his lap. She fumbled to undo the buttons of his shirt, dimly aware that she was one piece of clothing away from full nudity yet he hadn’t even taken off his wet sock. 

Lucien helped her with a flick of his fingers, the shirt disintegrating from the seams with a small orange flame. Elain stared at his chest. “You didn’t burn yourself.”

He shook his head, leaning forward to kiss her neck.

“But what are you going to wear on the way back?”

“That is the last thing on my mind right now.”

“But—”

“Just touch me. Please.”

It was as close to begging as she thought she’d ever get him. She ran her hands over his chest, dusted with scars and freckles. He was skinnier than the Illyrians, though no less built. His torso was all slim muscle and carefully hidden strength.

Lucien lifted them suddenly, moving forward with a hand braced on her lower back as he lay her back down on the blanket. He glanced appreciatively down her body. “You have no idea how beautiful you are.”

She didn’t know why, but she blushed. She’d been doing a lot of that recently. Her skin was pink from where he’d squeezed and pinched her breasts, but he didn’t seem to care as he lowered his mouth to them, tongue smoothing over a nipple. She moaned softly, running her fingers through his hair while he sucked and toyed with her breasts. 

He moved on when she began to squirm, lips dancing across her belly. Fingers hooked beneath the straps, he pulled her underwear off before guiding her legs open for him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, pressing a kiss to the inside of her knee as he watched her, his single eye dark as coal.

“You don’t have to,” Elain said, uncomfortable being completely open like this. “I know that men don’t really like—”

“There is nothing I want more in this world than to taste your cunt and see you come from my mouth.”

She choked at the harsh words, more filthy, she hoped, than any of Nesta’s books. 

“So let’s not pretend otherwise,” he purred and lowered his mouth.

The first touch of his tongue set her on fire. She moaned as he licked her clit, hands twisting in the blanket beneath her. He set an easy pace, sucking and drawing whimpers from her lips. She managed to release one hand from the blanket to put it in his hair, the red locks like silk between her fingers.

He growled, sending vibrations straight to her core as his hand slid up her thigh, parting her legs wider. He spread her folds, the next touch making her arch against the ground. 

“So delicious,” he whispered, his thumb circling at her entrance while he sucked her clit. 

She moaned as he pushed that thumb inside of her, his tongue moving in time with it. The sensations had her mind reeling, wondering if his cock was as big as it had felt beneath her.

She came with the image in her mind, fingers twisting in Lucien’s hair while wave after wave washed over her. He lapped it up greedily, drawing her slowly down from the high.

When he rose, Elain was delirious with pleasure. She grabbed the back of his neck, drawing him in to kiss her. He responded in kind and consumed her, hands sliding up and down her bare flesh. His hips lowered, grinding into her sensitive core.

“Elain,” he said. “My Tigerlily.”

Her eyes fluttered open. “What are you waiting for?”

“I— I don’t want to go any further.”

“What?” Her heart raced. He didn’t want her? It made sense. After making him wait so long, maybe he’d lost interest. Maybe—

“Because when we are joined like this,” he said, hips making a slow circle against hers that had fire stirring in her belly. “I don’t think we’ll be able to stop. And as tempting as it is, I don’t want to have you in the middle of the forest for the first time.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? That’s all you have to say?”

Her face must have looked like a tomato. “Well, I don’t really know what to say.”

“Say that…’’ He drew her hand from his shoulders, studying the lines of her fingers before threading them through his, and kissed the back of her palm. “Say that there is a future for us. No matter how far.”

She swallowed hard, looking into his eyes, one of brass and one of gold. They glowed like sunlight. It was hard to draw breath, her heart in her chest filling up the space her lungs were supposed to occupy. “There is. No matter how far.”

*****

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In Defiance of the Stars Chapter 8

Link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/38510761/chapters/96915321

Teaser:

“Losing Nesta will not destroy your brother.”

Lucien turned quickly towards her. “I thought you couldn’t see Nesta?”

Elain smiled indulgently, moving behind her mate to rest her hands on his shoulders.

“Sometimes, my love, I am speaking my own opinion rather than a vision of the future.” Lucien raised his hands to cover hers, spinning around and pressing his nose against hers quickly before pulling back to appreciate her smug little grin.