Song of Shadows

Chapter Twenty-Two

Lucien

I collapse to my knees, clawing at my chest as agony rips through me from deep inside of my soul. I hardly hear the shouts of concern from my friends, Vassa calling my name, Jurian asking what's wrong.

Elain. My instincts flare to life as her name enters my mind. Elain. I'll find you. Please be safe. I pull on the bond, but there is barely a sense of her at the other end. Roaring fills my ears as blind panic ensnares me.

Without a word, I vanish from the hall. I hear them shout my name, but I ignore them. Elain. I tug on the bond with my entire soul, begging my magic to lead me to my mate. Please be safe. Please.

My feet land on the cobblestone streets of Velaris. Store and restaurants surround me, laughter and light pouring out of the open doors. Looking around wildly, I catch Elain's scent. I follow it to a place Feyre mentioned frequently.

The entire Inner Circle is there, eating and drinking wine. I find her immediately. Before I can approach her, the look in her eyes freezes me in place. Joy. Pure, radiant joy shines there. As she glances up at the male next to her, the shadowsinger, her entire face lights up.

As he looks at her, the shadows recede from his face. Affection radiates from him. I can scent it. I inhale deeply, concentrating on Elain's flowery scent. A pulse of fury courses through me as I recognize the smell of darkness and ice intertwined with hers. My vision turns red. The shadowsinger's scent.

The rage is replaced by an emptiness so vast I see no end to it. I clench my fists and grind my teeth, fighting to keep the rage locked down. Kill him. I should kill him for what he did to her. He stole her from me. At that moment, Elain looks in my direction. Her eyes widen with horror as she recognizes me. "Lucien!"

Her voice soothes my burning rage for a heartbeat. The others turn to stare at me. Looks of shock from the females, wariness from Rhysand and the other winged bastard. It's the expression on the shadowsinger's face that catches my eye. She's mine, it seems to say.

I take a step towards him, baring my teeth, as Elain pushes against me. I glance down at her. "What are you doing here?" she asks.

The shadowsinger, Azriel, gets to his feet. "What am I doing?" I snarl. How dare she? "What are you doing with him? When were you going to tell me that you... you..."

Her eyes blaze with anger. She steps away from me, towards the Illyrian."That I what? Say it, Lucien."

I glare at Azriel."That you slept with another male, even though we are mates. You are mine." I snarl out the last word. Any worry, any fear on her face vanishes. My own fury is reflected on her face.

Elain straightens to her full height, bracing her feet apart. She lets loose a snarl of her own. "I belong to no one. I am not your property, Lucien. We might be mates, but I will never be with you I love Azriel. I choose him. Not you."

Her words extinguish my rage. Gone. Gone forever. A void rises up inside of me and swallows me. I feel my magic, the flames I inherited, sputter out. I step away from her, glancing from Azriel to my mate. Elain continues to glare at me, bristling with anger. "Fine." I take a deep breath. "Fine. I don't want the leftovers of a bastard born lesser fae anyways. "

Before any of them can open their mouths, wind rushes around me as I winnow out of the city, away from the female who shattered my soul. My mate. She is my mate. She is supposed to be mine. Not his. I appear in the gardens of my estate, startling some of the human sentries on duty.

How dare they steal everything from me? First Feyre destroys the one home I had, and now my mate has the audacity to reject me. For a lesser fae at that. The Night Court has stolen everything from me. I savor the burning, smoldering fury growing in my heart. I savor the dark thoughts filling my mind. I'll make them pay for what they did to me. I'll take back what is mine.

I catch sight of Vassa entering the gardens as my power flares to life. She calls my name again, but I winnow away. It's better if I don't involve them. They wouldn't understand. My heart leaps as the familiar smell of rose petals and green grass fill the air. I approach the manor carefully. Even in the darkness, his eyes are dead. He barely lifts his head as I cross the threshold.

"Hello, Tamlin."