#Nesta x Clare

[ae-neon]

Nesta who, in quiet grief, sometimes liked to pretend Clare had escaped to the Continent

That she was out there, somewhere, living the life they so often dreamed of

lq Nesta x Clare my babies

[kataraavatara]

the good luck babe bridge actually perfectly fits nesta cassian and the version of clare beddor i made up in my head

[oristianvalkyrie]

@nestaarcheronweek day four: romance

𝓝𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓪 𝔁 𝓒𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓮

Historians will say they were “good friends”.

[shi-daisy]

Clare Beddor bansee...Girl you are galaxy brained omg!!! Please tell me we're getting Clare and Nesta friendship and Feysand dunking!

I love how you didn't have the others hide the fact that Feyre was the one to give Clare's name but they didn't vilify her either even if they could've and all hate what she's done. Same thing with Rhysand. They tell Clare everything and she's the one who's allowed to be angry or grateful, and she's very angry! Love it so much and I can't wait to see her confront them.

Also Azalea x Tarquin is new otp those two would look soooo good 👀 I need more

Thank you anon! I'm so happy everyone is loving banshee Clare. Justice for my baby girl she literally did nothing wrong!

Yeah I've already had Feysand creepers arguing everyone is taking the Night Court in bad fate which like...They're allowed to?! Feyre destroyed Spring, indirectly caused Daphne's death and didn't stand up for Nesta, then Rhysand wants to be High King (hahahahahahahaha no), almost causes Tamlin to kill himself and locked Nesta up and forced her to help with his bullshit schemes. They're allowed to hate them and worst. But ya know if this was Sarah's book she'd say Spring are the villains for being mad. Though luck dudes my name ain't Sarah and I'm not excusing them.

I had the squad tell her everything upfront not only because she deserves to know but so that the Feysand crowd can't say they didn't tell her the truth that Rhysand 'helped' (would've helped more if you didn't tell Amarantha anything but you stupid fuck) and that Feyre didn't she would die. Clare gets the whole truth but she's still allowed to be mad and say 'Nah fuck them, their little oops cost me my human life and my entire family. They going down'

Confrontation will take a while but we shall get more Clare, both her being besties with Nesta learning about fae life and coming to terms with everything.

Oh glad to hear you like Azalea and Tarquin. It's one of my fave plot threads and I'm looking forward to writing them more. Sarah really made this gorgeous yet shy dude and did nothing with him because she was busy thirsting over Rhys *gag* I wanna change that, plus I feel he'd vibe with a smart yet flirty wife.

[lavendarneverlands]

Refresh/Remind me with fanon & canon as I reread please and have so many questions after finishing all of ACOTAR (onto TOG & CC next)

~ ACOTAR WORLD ~

— Were all the high lords except for Tamlin previously captured & trapped for all 50 years? 

— What was the Night Court doing while Rhys was UTM?

— Is Mor’s power truth (if so, how does that work)?

— Did Rhys know Clare Beddor was a real person or did he think it was a fake name? (Couldn’t he read Feyre’s mind the whole time)?

— Were Rhys first words post UTM to Mor “she’s my mate”?

— Whatever happened to the child of the blessed Briar girl that Feyre saved?👀

— Is there any more canon than the single “she’s beautiful”🥹 Mor x Emerie scenes? Are they mates?

— Does Cassian ever ACTUALLY say “I love you” to Nesta?😭

— Was Nesta “technically” a witch when she had stolen Cauldron powers?

— Is Gwyn Azriel’s mate (Canon or Fanon)?

— Is Gwyn’s full name Gwyneth Berdera?

— Is their currently a High Priestess (or did they start a new rule post Ianthe)?

— Does Rhys, Cassian, or Azriel have a last name?

— Does Tamlin have a mate?

— Is Bryce from Crescent City (or is she a fan-made character)? / Is Bryce the same as Bryaxis? *If this is a major spoiler please don’t answer as I’m reading Crescent City and Throne of Glass next. 😅🤣 lol*

— What decides what the Bone Carver appears to you as?

… Thing to save you, Worst fear, Thing that will destroy you? Etc.

And what does it appear to each character as (Cassian especially)? — Along with what does Cassian see Bryaxis as?

— Speaking of… WHERE THE HECK IS BRYAXIS? How will Feyre get her😅 … Is that bargain technically broken (can bargains even be broken) if so, could she (and therefore Rhys) die from it??

— What/Who gave Cassian the chest, heart, and throat scar?😬

— Can mates be unrequited, ignored, once in a lifetime, multiple, platonic, etc.

Could for instance: Elain be Lucien’s mate, but Elain’s mate be Azriel, and Azriel’s mate be Gwyn? *or Lucien having a second mate in Elain after his tragic first love (can’t remember if his autumn court lover was his “mate” or not).

— Who holds the title “Queen of Queens” (is this fan given?) I’ve seen it both with Nesta & Mor and I’m quite curious in each characters “Court” story/placement.

— Can you rule a Court without being an Heir/Spouse? (though Feyre totally earned it, honestly it was more like an overdo promotion, so NOT saying she “JUST MARRIED HER WAY IN IN” to be clear)… More like: Could Lucien (being a double sided illegitimate son) be given the reigns to Spring Court (if Tamlin died, retired, was exiled, or goes into the intensive therapy that he so desperately needs)… In that could Elain then become High Lady of Spring Court (or just be given it or “Mother” chosen for her own character (mate aside)); cause she has the vibe (plus it would be cool triad yin-yang with a sister of night, another of death (and now mother given power… so life? … Is Nesta now life & death?) and the last being her (Elain) & of spring (it would have real Mother Nature / Persephone vibes).

[atlasthegreatest]

- Atlas Masterlist - [Requests are open]

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[vidalinav]

Nesta x Rhys embody power marriage that eventually develops some love

Honestly, Nesta x Rhys give me a lot of Nezriel vibes in the sense that they both have ugly emotions inside of them that they don't know how to deal with and which could be easily made into some sort of understanding that turns into romance. The only thing with Nesta and Rhys would be that whereas Nezriel is mostly non-judgmental (as in they accept the ugly parts of each other and in turn learn to accept themselves and see that's not all they are), they would be hardcore judging each other and holding each other accountable which would be so funny and also fantastic for power or moral good or moral wrong if it's a villain pairing.

A lot of the shit Rhys pulls probably wouldn't work with Nesta and all of the emotional shit Nesta pulls probably wouldn't work on him either. But both of them are rich-minded, a little vain, upper-class, intellectual, curious about the world and how it functions. It's a bit like Neris and Nezriel smacked together, though maybe with a little more toxicity. It would be so fun to write, but in that case I would pull a LucNesMonster and just start back at the beginning.

So either Nesta gets across the wall and meets Rhys when she's trying to get to her sister or Rhys tries to kill Clare himself, instead of I'm assuming sending people to do it, though I don't remember if that was the case, and ends up getting Nesta and like kidnapping her intent on using her against Feyre and Tamlin. So it would mostly be that he takes her straight to Amarantha and then she's like... the fuck. It would kind of be cool I think. Of course, she'd turn fae against her will, probably would happen earlier just to draw that parallel between being used and being both in dark places.

[nestasgalpal]

I deadass was about to post this:

Feyre: our lives were ruined when my father lost all his money and I've been hunting for my family since I was 14. Those years in the village are the root of all my trauma

Nesta, who suffered from child abuse since birth: hey Clare, you busy? Cool, let's go make out in my room until y die of starvation *finger guns*

Then I remembered that NestaxClare is a completely made up ship than only exists in my head. Like this fandom will pair together the most random characters and come up with a million quotes and hints in the books to justify them, yet I'm the only one pairing these two together and everything about them is locked in my head.

Like... I've thought so much about them that I forgot it's not canon that Nesta had a girlfriend.

[madmanreaper]

Aelin and Dorian, at some point

Go on Insta @ bookishreaper for more

[darkest-fantasy]

In Sarah’s live she said she didn’t wanna release the mating ceremony because she thought it was cheesy...

With that said, you really think she’s gonna pair the three brothers and three sisters?? That’s the most cheesy thing

That is all

[power-of-words23]

I am not mentally prepare for tomorrow premiere of 'Rule of Wolves'.... I still didn't get over 'Court of Silver Flames' and 'Chain of Iron'...

I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH MORE ANGST I AM ABLE TO EXPERIENCE!!!!

[ae-neon]

And perhaps

If you had lived

And I had stayed

We could have grown old together

In that house by the lake

Nesta x Clare

I'm not a poet, don't come for me

[elriell]

Mating Bonds, Spells, Bloodlines & Fate

I have written several posts theorising where SJM will take the Elucien bond in the future (which you can check out here) but I wanted to look in to the idea that the bond could actually be a spell [or something similar] rather than the traditional 'breaking the bond' theory.

Mind you this isn't entirely new, a few others have discussed it in passing, but I really hadn't paid too much mind to it until recently. So I wanted to do a little digging of my own and see what I could find, and it turns out there was quite a bit that stood out to me. So let's jump in to it!

small disclaimer; because in this environment it is often needed, I am not Anti-Lucien, I like his character as many of you know. I do not believe he has manufactured or manipulated anything, that is outlandish to me. This is just a in progress theory that could very easily be right.

“But Fate stirs the Cauldron in strange ways. Perhaps my darling Clare had to die in order for me to have some true amusement with you.”

“There was such a thing as Fate—because Fate had made sure I was there to eavesdrop when they’d spoken in private, because Fate had whispered to Tamlin that the cold, contrary girl he’d dragged to his home would be the one to break his spell, because Fate had kept me alive just to get to this point, just to see if I had been listening.”

“And I knew Tamlin understood a moment before the king laughed. “I don’t believe it. Your bride left you only to find her mate. The Mother has a warped sense of humor, it seems. And what a talent—tell me, girl: how did you unravel that spell?"

I think that there are certainly some interesting... coincidences so to speak in regards to the specific lineages Sarah chose to reveal and how the directly correlate with Elain x Lucien x Azriel.

Lucien's bloodline means not only inheriting Helion's ability to break spells but also renders the Blood Duel a (Autumn Court Tradition & Right) null and void. So peeling this layered mess back one strip at a time, what do we know?

“Their bodies and actions are indeed not their own, but no spell lies upon them. I can feel spells—like threads. Ones that can enchant feel like bindings around an individual. I sensed none of that.”

Interesting that spells can feel like threads, and what else do we know to be used as a descriptor for Elucien's mating bond?

“Elain sidled toward Nesta, who seemed to be at a near-simmer. “It felt … strange,” Elain breathed. “Like you pulled on a thread tied to a rib.”

But then in the very same book, Madja describes a mating bond to be a bridge;

“The mating bond. It is a bridge between souls.”

“Rhys. But the bond, the bridge between us … it was a howling void. A raging, dark tempest.”

“I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife.”

When we combine this with the fact that Lucien cannot hear her heart either, something is definitely amiss. I am sure the first argument to this would be, "Why can't Lucien see/feel it then?" Which is valid.

“This eye …” Lucien gestured to the metal contraption. “It can see things that others … can’t. Spells, glamours … Perhaps it can help me find her. And break her curse.”

&

“Eyes can be blinded,” Nesta said. “Not the ones under my command,” Azriel said with soft menace. ”

What an oddly specific phrase to use, especially considering he is now being shown to be questioning Elucien's bond, perhaps he too is seeing something beyond the veil. Not to mention how circular it would be that Azriel who stands for the love and family you make not given, and for having hope when everything tells him to do otherwise, would believe in his love with Elain despite her being mated to another. Sarah is a genuis.

“If I had not met a shadowsinger, I would not have known that it is the family you make, not the one you are born into, that matters. I would not have known what it is to truly hope, even when the world tells you to despair.” Azriel bowed his head in thanks.”

“There are those who seek me a lifetime but never we meet, And those I kiss but who trample me beneath ungrateful feet. At times I seem to favor the clever and the fair, But I bless all those who are brave enough to dare. By large, my ministrations are soft-handed and sweet, But scorned, I become a difficult beast to defeat. For though each of my strikes lands a powerful blow, When I kill, I do it slow …”

We know a lot more about spells since ACOSF, and there is a lot of complexity to the magic in Prythian, that it could easily be evading Lucien's senses quite specifically.

"I’d never seen such spell work. I’d sent my power over her, Helion too, hunting for any possible threads to unbind it. I found none. It was as if the curse was woven into her very blood.”

“I don’t know,” Helion admitted with unusual gravity. “Rather than a thread, it was more like a mist. A fog, exactly as you described it, Rhysand. There was nothing to grasp on to, nothing tangible to break, yet it was there.”

On another note, a part of me strongly believes Elain might be the only one to actually see/sense something is wrong, hence why she has had such a strong reaction to the bond & Lucien. It would also tie her abilities in seamlessly with her ARC and their respective journeys.

This scene particularly stands out to me,

“Elain now watched Lucien warily. Blinking every now and then. She revealed no hint of whatever she might be seeing—sensing. None.”

He only glanced at Elain, whose face was again a calm void while she traced a finger over the embroidery on the couch cushions. “Yes. Let me help in whatever way I can.”

Even Nesta seemed relatively concerned. Not for him, no doubt, but the fact that if he were hurt, or killed … What would it do to Elain? The severing of the mating bond …”

For Nesta and Feyre to both be concerned for his safety or rather the consequence of his death with relation to the mating bond but Elain to be calm as anything after seeing/sensing something is definitely note worthy, she also displays absolutely none of you "typical" mate behaviour of concern for a potential danger.

“How Nesta had summoned it despite the spells Helion had placed on the other two … He’d think of that another day. Along with the fact that she’d stopped Time with the Harp. And that she seemed to have some sort of connection—or understanding—with the Mother. The Mother.”

We know the Cauldron really likes Elain, and reacts to her in a rather specific way, I do not think it would be without reason to believe that perhaps much like Nesta, Elain is connected to both it and the Mother. That it has shown her something.

“I’ll give it all back.” And a soft, invisible hand brushed her cheek in answer.”

Will this parallel Elain one day in some form? I don't see Elain giving back her powers because it wouldn't make sense to recycle the storyline + the Cauldron gave Elain them as opposed to Nesta. However Elain "giving/breaking" the bond through her connection to The Mother would balance out nicely with the event of ACOSF.

Also this paragraph from ACOSF is deeply intriguing for its connection between Elain & The Mother.

“Her gaze shifted to the carved wooden rose she’d placed upon the mantel, half-hidden in the shadows beside a figurine of a supple-bodied female, her upraised arms clasping a full moon between them. Some sort of primal goddess—perhaps even the Mother herself. Nesta hadn’t let herself dwell on why she’d felt the need to set the rose there. Why she hadn’t just thrown it in a drawer.”

It is attention pulling that there are multiple mentions of the Cauldron & The Mother in relation to Elain and Azriel, constantly tying them and their relationship to these aspects. It is as if SJM is planting very deliberate seeds.

“Why not make them mates?” I mused. “Why Lucien?”

“Rhys straightened his lapels before plucking an invisible piece of lint from them. “Fate, the Mother, the Cauldron’s swirling eddies …”

“Azriel ignored the question. "The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible that my two brothers are with two of those sisters, yet the third was given to another." He had never before dared speak  the words aloud. ”

“Yes" Elain breathed, like she read the decision. Just this taste in the dead of the longest night of the year, where only the Mother might witness them. ”

"What if the Cauldron was wrong?" 

We as readers are being told to question everything, question the legitimacy of their mating bond, I don't think the theory is outlandish at all too consider their might be some falsehood behind their bond.

“...and had not loved, not in the way that could alter history, alter fate, until that silver-haired Prince of Adriata.”

Because love conquers all, I think this tone has been carefully woven in to her storyline for a while now.

“So Elain silently cried, the tears so unending that I wondered if it was some sign of her heart bleeding out. Some sliver of hope that had shattered today. That Graysen would still love her, still marry her—and that love would trump even a mating bond.”

“Elain and Feyre—that was the new status of things. The bond Elain had chosen.”

“I’d never do such a thing. you must be thinking of your other mate.” (just adding this in because v interesting placed in the Feysand POV dropping Elain foreshadowing all over the place.)

Now Mates, let's discuss the certainty behind Lucien truly believing Jesminda was his mate as a contrast to Azriel's questioning his with Mor. One of these is not like the other...

Funny that he should ask himself if Elain is worth it after thinking she is his mate but not with Jesminda of which he had no confirmation. The wonderful @offtorivendell has a theory Jesminda was Lucien's mate you can read at length here!

“Lucien said he didn’t care that she wasn’t one of the High Fae, that he was certain the mating bond would snap into place soon and that he was going to marry her and leave his father’s court to his scheming brothers.”

“Wouldn’t the mating bond have snapped into place for them if it exists?” Rhys’s eyes shuttered. “I think that is a question Azriel has been asking himself every day since he met Mor.”

The parallels between the Cauldron scene are also noteworthy to me.

“Cassian stirred again, his shredded wings twitching and spraying blood, his muscles quivering. At Nesta’s shouts, her raging, his eyes fluttered open, glazed and unseeing, an answer to some call in his blood, a promise he’d made her. But pain knocked him under again.”

“Put the prettier one in first,” the king said, Mor already forgotten. I twisted—only to have the king’s guards grab me from behind. Rhys was instantly there, but Azriel shouted, back arching as the king’s poison worked its way in.”

“The hellcat now, if you’ll be so kind,” the King of Hybern said. I whipped my head to Nesta as she went silent. The Cauldron righted itself. Cassian again stirred, slumping on the floor—but his hand twitched. Toward Nesta.”

I think the biggest question is, was it Hybern? The Cauldron? The Mother? I don't think we should discount King Hybern's role and potential meddling.

“Do you know what he wants to do with that Cauldron?”

“Oh, I’m going to do many, many things with it,” the king said. And the Cauldron appeared again between us. “Starting now.”

“The Book of Breathings. In it, written between the carved words, are the spells to negate the Cauldron’s power—or control it wholly. ”

I do think that the use of "you'll get" is highly intentional, what odd phrasing. If we are to believe they are mates since birth/whatnot then why would the queens "get" one, surely it is already fated. Unless the Cauldron were to be crafting a bond, forging one.

“The King of Hybern murmured, “Interesting. So very interesting.” He turned to the queens. “See? I showed you not once, but twice that it is safe. Who should like to be Made first? Perhaps you’ll get a handsome Fae lord as your mate, too.”

We now Hybern is capable of big spells, we know he very possibly could have manipulated the situation.

“The prick held on to that fleeting spell until he really needed it.”

“Fleeting spell?”

“A spell of mighty power, able to be wielded only once—to great effect. One capable of cleaving wards … He must have been biding his time.”

So it isn't in relation to the spell itself but rather Hybern's patience and willingness to play the long game.

There are so many potentials for who or what could be behind it, but regardless of those factors I think there is something very fishy and wrong about the bond Elain & Lucien have displayed to date. I truly feel there is a good chance we will see this unravel as implied above.

Feel free to come talk to me about your thoughts/opinions about this or anything alike anytime! As always, thank you if you managed to get so far, I know this is rather long. Hopefully you enjoyed reading it and it inspired some thinky-thoughts.

I was also like 90% through this post when I got sent @icedflames amazing post regarding this, so I apologise that I hadn't seen it when I started this, a lot off points are repetitive even though I never saw the post prior to researching this idea myself. Full credit goes to her and her original post for noticing first. The only reason I am not scraping this whole thing is because I had a few other thoughts on-top so just think of this as like an additive to her post!

[oristianvalkyrie]

Nesta x Clare as the “right person not enough time” trope

[dustjacketmusings]

Seriously @vidalinav you're a menace

Nesta x cassian (fanon)

Nesta x emerie

Nesta x eris (fanon)

Nesta x gwyn

Nesta x azriel

Nesta x cresseida

Nesta x lucien

Nesta x tarquin

Nesta x Clare

-things start getting dicey-

Nesta x mor

Nesta x Rhys (hate relationships only)

------the line-----------

Nesta x amren

Nesta x lanthys

Nesta x tamlin

[rey-in-red]

Something about Queens

Relationship: Elain Archeron x Azriel

Warnings: Language

Wordcount: 3k

Description: The company Elain works at merges with another company. When she meets the owner at a work dinner, she can’t figure out why he looks familiar, then he shows up the next day at her sister’s house. 

----------------

CHAPTER 1

She pressed the button on the phone down with a manicured finger, connecting her to the assistant’s phone outside her office. “Any last messages before I leave for the day?”

“Clare just called.” Lucien’s voice came through the speaker. “She wants to see you in her office before you leave.”

She pressed the button on the phone down again “Thank you, Lucien”. She pushed back the white leather chair, one of the wheels on the chair squeaking slightly. Got to remember to get that fixed, she thought to herself.

Turning to face the floor-to-ceiling windows behind her glass desk, she took a moment to look at the view. Many people might have preferred to have an office overlooking the Manhattan skyline, but she had always loved looking out over Queens. Looking at home.

Because that was what Queens was to Elain Archeron. Home. 

It didn’t matter that her sisters had both moved away. Or that both of her sisters didn't talk with the thick Queens accent anymore, like Elain proudly did. Although Nesta-from-Long-Island quickly turned back into Nesta-from-Queens when she got mad. 

Her younger sister, Feyre, had moved out the moment she turned 18 and in with her then boyfriend, Tamlin, in his big apartment overlooking Central Park. The relationship ended when it turned out he was the one screwing some blond chick on the side. Luckily she had met Rhysand not long after, and he had swept her off her feet. They had eloped six months after meeting each other, claiming that it was true love. 

Elain didn’t believe in all that sappy romance stuff anymore. Not after Grayson. But she had seen the way Rhys looked at Feyre and the way Feyre looked at Rhys, and there was no doubt in Elain’s mind that Feyre and Rhysand were made for each other. Now the happy couple lived in their river estate in Westchester with their son, and their second child on the way. 

Her older sister, Nesta, had moved into her own place on Long Island after college. She was now alternating between working on her next big article, and teaching self defense classes to women at the gym near her apartment. 

Nesta was also trying, and failing, to hide the fact that she had been fooling around with Rhys’ adoptive brother, Cassian, for some time now. He just happened to live a couple of blocks away from Nesta, although Elain doubted he spent many nights at his own apartment. Everyone in their little inner circle was fully aware of their relationship, if you could call it that, but nobody commented on it. They all simply let them be.

Shaking her head clear of her thoughts, Elain grabbed the sketches on her desk, walked over to the glass door and out to Lucien’s desk. He instantly stopped whatever he was doing, to look up at her with a smile on his face, those russet eyes shining up at her. She tried to hide the small twitching of her lips, God he’s like a damn puppy.

She placed the sketches on his desk, not moving her hand from them. He glanced down at her hand laying almost flat against the desk.“These are the final sketches for the Henderson house”, she looked straight into his eyes making sure she had his undivided attention. Not that that had been a problem, in the 6 months he had been her assistant. “These need to be scanned and sent out today before 5. One copy for Clare, one for me and one for the Hendersons. Then I want you to make another one for me and send it in a separate mail, just in case. Then I want you to put the original sketches into the file cabinet. You with me?” He only nodded “Now normally Clare doesn't need a copy, but the Hendersons are old friends of hers. So make sure she also has a copy. Okay?” Lucien nodded again. “Now how many copies are you going to make and to who?”

“4. One for Clare. One for the Hendersons. Two for you, but send in two separate mails. Then the original sketches need to be placed in the file cabinet.” He repeated back to her.

“Good” She said with a smile and straightened back up. “When I get back from my talk with Clare, have my usual ready for me to go.” She turned around and made to walk to Clare’s office, when Lucien spoke again.

“You look beautiful today, Elain.”

She turned her head to look back at Lucien, over her shoulder. Her high ponytail sliding over the opposite shoulder. “That’s ‘Miss Archeron’ to you, Lucien.”

“Sorry, Miss Archeron.”

“I’ll see you later, Lucien.” She said, turning back to walk to Clare’s office. The ponytail once again slid over her shoulder. 

Though the top floor was full, it was quiet. The silence was quickly interrupted by the sound of her heels, once she stepped off the carpet lying under Lucien’s desk. She hadn’t made it far from his desk, when heard Lucien mutter “It doesn't make it any less true.”

She smiled to herself and said loud enough for only him to hear “Thank you”.

It wasn’t a far walk to Clare’s office from her own. Just further down the hall, past more floor-to-ceiling windows and five desks with more employees working. 

She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the windows. Lucien’s right she thought I do look great today. Whether it was the hair, the white shoes or the dress, she didn’t know. Maybe it was the whole combination. The dress was one of her newer additions to her closet. 

She had seen the pale green dress in the store about a week ago and determined right there, she just had to have it. It was modest enough to wear to work, even though it showed more of her cleavage than some of her other dresses. The fabric made her lightly tanned skin stand out more than usual.  With the long sleeves and the dress ending just below her knees, she decided that it was semi-work appropriate.

A few years back, she would never have worn anything like this. But Clare, along with Nesta and her friend Mor, had helped her work up her confidence and slowly she had started to wear more daring clothes. She still had some doubts when she had to wear swimwear in public, but she had come a long way and for that she was grateful nonetheless.

When she reached Clare’s office, the door was open but Elain still took the courtesy of knocking first anyway. Clare was standing over desk and looking through scattered papers, but hearing the knock turned to look up at her.

“Queens!” She greeted Elain. It was a nickname going back to her first days at Beddor Designs, when she was still Clare's assistant. Even though it had been 3 and half years and despite the fact that Clare was also from Queens, Elain still couldn’t help but smile at the name

“Hey Clare” Elain greeted her back, with a slightly awkward wave.”You wanted see me?”

“Yes, Come in.” Clare gestured to the light gray leather couch, standing along the left wall of her office. “Have a seat.” 

Elain walked around the small coffee table and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. Clare came around her work desk and sat in a chair, made of the same material as the couch, across from Elain.

“Okay, so I have some big news about the firm.” Clare paused to look at Elain. “Soon there are gonna be some changes around here. Big changes.” 

“Oh dear god, I’m getting fired!” Elain exclaimed, eyes going wide. Panic started to rise up. “That’s the big change. You’re getting rid of me! That’s why you called me into-”

“No! No! No! Hey, Queens! Calm down!" Clare cut her off, holding up her hands trying to calm Elain. "You’re not getting fired!” 

Clare rose from her seat to move to the couch and sat down next to her. “Queens, I’m merging the company with Rosehall Construction, the details were finalized this morning. And I called you into my office because” Clare paused and took Elain’s hand in her own. “I’m making you Executive Project Manager.”

“What?” Elain said dumbfounded, eyes still wide. “Executive Project Manager?”

“Executive Project Manager.”

“Executive Project Manager?” Elain repeated once again in disbelief.

“No matter how many times you say it, Queens, it’s still true.” Clare brought her hands up on Elain’s shoulders. “Executive Project Manager”

“Executive Project Manager!” Elain exclaimed loudly, face breaking into a grin. 

“Executive Project Manager, Queens!” Clare exclaimed just as loud, bringing Elain into a tight hug. Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes and she heard Clare sniffling. “God only knows you’ve earned it.” Clare pulled back to look at Elain, “And I want you to be there at the dinner in two days with the owner of Rosehall Construction. You are going to love Garcia. He is a man of few words and he’s easy on the eyes.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Elain after saying that last part.

After going over the details of her promotion, Elain practically floated back to her office. As told, Lucien waited for her with her usual drink from the Starbucks on the bottom floor of the building. When she reached the desk, she noticed he was smiling wider at her than he should. He couldn’t really love doing that much.

She stopped next to him, to take the cup from his uplifted hand and tilted her head slightly, "You knew, didn't you?" 

"Assistants talk, Miss Archeron" was all he said. He didn’t even look up at her, just handed her the cup. Elain chuckled to herself as she entered the office, closing the glass door behind her. Fishing out her phone from her bag, she dialed Feyre’s number and put it on speaker, so she could back up her things.

Feyre didn’t pick up the first two times she called. She tried again and this time Feyre answered on the seventh ring. “Hello?” She panted on the other side of the phone.

“Feyre?” 

“Oh. Hi Elain.” 

“Are you okay? You sound out of breath” Elain asked. “Did you just-”

She was interrupted by Feyre letting out something that sounded a lot like a stifled moan. Followed by someone else snickering. Guess Rhys got back from that business trip.

Elain smiled and took the phone off speaker phone and brought it to her ear. Just in case Lucien could somehow hear her sister enjoying her husband’s return combined with what was probably a fresh batch of pregnancy hormones.

“Feyre, what are you doing?”

“Nothing really, I’m just- I’m just working out.”

“Mhm, working out.”

“Yes,” Feyre panted, “just working out.”

“Then maybe I have a bad connection or something, because on my end it sounds a lot like you’re having sex with husband.” 

“Elain-”

Elain barreled on, “But you decided to answer the phone anyway, not knowing that the person calling you has their phone on speaker phone.”

“Oh my god, I’m on speaker phone?” Her sister shrieked through the phone, Elain could hear Rhys laughing loudly in the background. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”

“Hey, I’m not the one answering phone calls during sex.” Elain fired back. “I just wanted to say I can’t make it to dinner on Friday.”

“Hold on, Elain.” Feyre paused, followed by the sound of silverware clattering on a table and more heavy breathing, before continuing, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is okay. I just have an important work thing Friday that I can't miss and can’t make it up to Westchester.”

“You can just drive up Saturday instead, I’m sure the others won’t mind.” Feyre replied. There was some quiet muttering between Feyre and Rhys that Elain couldn’t make out. “Actually Elain, that works out great. The others had planned to spend the whole weekend here anyway, and Rhys’ brother have a meeting on Friday, so he was planning on driving up on Saturday anyway.”

“Great, I’ll see you Saturday then.” Elain chimed back.”Bye!”

“Bye!” Feyre cheered back before she hung up, likely getting back to whatever kinky shit she and Rhys was doing, on what sounded like the dinner table. They better wash that table down with bleach and holy water when they're done. 

Putting her phone in her handbag, Elain grabbed her bag and the Starbucks cup, and walked out of her office towards the elevator. When she walked out of the building and the sun hit her face, Elain was grateful for the late spring sun, and that she hadn’t brought her coat today. The temperature was just right and she let out a long sigh and closed eyes for a moment. 

Elain loved the feeling of the sun on her face. Whether she was sitting on her balcony watching the sun rise with a steaming cup of herbal tea in her hands, tanning in Rhys and Feyre backyard by the pool or just walking down the street of Queens during the day. 

Because when the sun was on Elain Archeron, she felt alive. 

It was also one of the reasons she had floor-to-ceiling windows in her office and she had found an apartment with as many windows as she could, on the highest possible floor in her apartment complex.

She opened her eyes again smiling to herself and made her way to her car.

When Friday night rolled around two days later, Elain had absolutely no idea what to wear. She  let out a frustrated groan and threw herself on her bed. Dress professional but still smoking hot Clare had told with a smile, before she left the office earlier. She had looked through her closet twice but hadn't found the right thing to wear yet. 

I really need to make a good impression on this guy she told herself as she got back and wandered back to the closet. She was about to give up and call for Mor for advice, when she saw the dress. She had completely forgotten about it, but it was perfect for the occasion. 

Standing in front of the mirror an hour later, she took in herself. The dress was made of cobalt blue fabric, with wide straps over shoulders and a square neckline that showed just the right amount of cleavage. It ended just above her knees with a small slit in the back. She had opted for a simple pearl necklace with matching pearl stud earrings and light makeup, deciding to let the dress be the focus point. She had let her hair down and paired the outfit with a pair of black pumps and her long white coat, she grabbed her phone and placed it in her clutch, along with her keys. Clare had arranged for a car to come pick her up at 7, so she wouldn't need to take her own car. 

She looked out the window next to the balcony door, and saw the black car pulling up. The sun had almost gone down now, so Elain decided to put on her coat. After turning off the lights and locking up, she headed for the car. 

The drive to the restaurant wasn't long and Clare was waiting outside when Elain got out of the car. They greeted each other and Clare pulled Elain in for a tight hug. 

"You ready?" Clare asked her. 

"As ready as I’ll be." 

The restaurant itself was quiet and low lit and even though it was Friday, the restaurant wasn’t overly crowded. They made their way to their table following the hostess, where a man and two nearly identical women were already seated. Before they reached their table, Elain slowed Clare’s pace with a hand on her elbow. 

“Easy on the eyes, my ass.” Elain muttered. “That man is gorgeous.” 

“I didn’t want to oversell his hotness.” Was Clare’s only answer before smiling at Elain and picking up her pace again. 

When Elain and Clare reached the table, the 3 people stopped their conversation and got up from their seats. The two women made to greet Clare, and as the man made his way around the table to greet her, Elain took in the man. 

He was tall. Very tall. Elain had to angle her head up to look into his eyes. Damn. Those eyes. Golden brown eyes with flecks of green around the edges. It was the kind of eyes Elain would love to get lost in. But they also seemed kind of familiar.

He wore black dress pants that shifted over his powerful thighs when he walked up to her. The two top buttons of his white shirt were opened and his sleeves were rolled up halfway to his elbow, but moved up slightly when he held out his hand to greet her. The motion gave her a view of black tattoos along his forearm peeking out from beneath his white shirt when she looked down to take his hand. 

When she looked further down his arm, Elain noticed his hands were entirely covered in what looked to be scar tissue. Before Elain could catch her tongue, she muttered under breath, “Beautiful”. 

Realizing her mistake quickly, she snapped her eyes up to the man in front of her, hoping he hadn’t heard her. But he was looking right back at her, a light blush spreading on his golden brown cheeks. Oh, he had definitely heard her. Nice job, Elain! Way to impress your new boss. 

Elain quickly glanced towards Clare and the other women, to her luck it didn’t look like they had heard. And if they had, they at least pretended like they hadn’t. 

Clare and the women made their way towards Elain and the beautiful man. 

“Elain, I would like to introduce you to Ms. Cerridwen Shado and Mrs. Nuala Vanserra.” She gestured to the women. 

“Nuala and Cerridwen, this is Ms. Elain Archeron.” 

Elain reached out to shake their hands. “Nice to meet you both.”

Clare then turned to the tall man. “And this is Mr. Azriel Garcia.”

“Hello, Elain.”