The artwork above is not mine.

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Seren glanced up from her book, hearing three soft knocks at her door. Elain. That was her knock. Seren marked her place and stood. She opened the door and Elain smiled.

"I hoped you would answer today. Feyre told me that you met with her and Rhys yesterday afternoon," Elain said.

"I did. Rhysand had some additional questions for me and I thought I had been on my own for long enough."

"Do you want some company? I thought I could show you around the estate so you don't have to sit in your room all the time."

"All right." Seren stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her.

"Let's start on the first floor." Elain linked their arms together. They made their way down the stairs, eventually reaching the grand hall and main entrance.

"Did Feyre paint all of these?" Seren asked. She pulled away from Elain and examined the paintings closely. There was the painting of Nesta. She spotted Elain in another, standing with a man.

"She did. Most of them have been gifted to us by her, but we choose to have them displayed here." Elain lifted her fingers to the painting depicting her and the man. "This was our father. He died during the war with Hybern."

"I'm sorry."

Elain glanced at her. "You said Beron killed your father?"

"He did. Don't feel sorry for me, though. I've tried to cry for my father and I can't."

"Why not?" Elain pursed her lips. "Was he...abusive?"

"Yes." Seren turned away. A door was open just down the hall. "What's in there?" She asked, eager for a change of subject.

"That's the formal dining room." Elain took the lead once more.

The dining room was larger than she had expected. The table stretched across the length of the room. Faelight chandeliers hung from the ceiling and candelabras stood in the corners of the room. All of the chairs had low, notched backs to accommodate Illyrian wings.

"Is there more than one dining room?" Seren asked.

"Yes, we only use this one if trusted ambassadors or special guests are coming. Usually, we hold important meetings at the House of Wind, where Cassian and Nesta live. The regular dining room is in here." Elain pushed open another door and they entered the adjoining room. This dining room was smaller and more homey. Elain let Seren look about for a moment before they headed off to another room. "In here is a sitting room."

"How many sitting rooms are in this house?" Seren giggled.

"More than I've bothered to count," Elain replied. "We spend a lot of time in this one."

"I can see why."

The entire room was bright and comforting. A massive fireplace sat on one end of the room with sofas and chairs before it. Bookshelves lined the walls. Tables and candles stood beside them. The entire floor was covered in thick carpet, save for a patch of wood around the hearth of the fireplace.

"I have a lot of memories in this room," Elain said with a contented sigh. "Come on. Let's move on to the second floor."

"We haven't even seen half of the rooms down here?" Seren arched a brow and followed Elain back into the hallway.

"Most of these are sitting rooms and offices. There's the one we first received you in." Elain pointed it out as they walked past. "The kitchen is towards the back of the house right beside the dining rooms. There are a few bedrooms down here as well for the servants who stay overnight."

"Who are the two females who have been coming into my room?" Seren asked as they walked up the stairs once more. "Can they winnow? I've kept my door locked but they still manage to get in."

"No one can winnow within the house," Elain replied. "Rhys has the entire place warded and there are individual wards cast over each room. Those females are Nuala and Cerridwen. They're half shadow wraith. They can move through walls as though they're ghosts."

"How do they get into my room if it's warded?"

"Rhys lets them."

Seren narrowed her eyes. "They spy on me, then?"

Elain hesitated before answering. "They keep an eye on you. They were the only ones who could, seeing as you kept your door locked."

"I'm sure Rhysand could have taken the wards off my room and winnowed in whenever he felt like it."

"He could have. So could Feyre, but we try to respect our guests. We want you to feel welcome and safe. Barging into your room whenever we felt like it wasn't a good way to accomplish that."

"That's understandable." Seren sighed and twirled a curl around her finger. "It feels strange to be watched. I understand why I need to be, of course." Her thoughts dug into her festering guilt like wolves.

"It's only temporary," Elain promised. "This is Feyre's art studio."

They had reached the second floor and stood outside of a closed door. Elain knocked softly. A muffled admittance came from within the room. She pushed the door open, revealing Feyre sitting before an easel.

Feyre waved them in without turning away from her painting. "Did you need something?"

"I'm showing Seren around. Where is Nyx?"

"With Rhys. He offered to put Nyx down for a nap while I worked on this painting." Feyre squinted and splashed some blue paint across the canvas. "It's not working out quite right."

"What are you trying to paint?" Seren asked.

"Azriel's siphons."

The gems on his leathers, Seren realized. That must be what those are called. Elain crossed the room and watched as Feyre painted. "What are siphons for?" Seren asked.

"They channel an Illyrian's raw power into manageable magic. Most Illyrians only need one or two," Feyre explained.

"Azriel and Cassian use seven," Elain added with a hint of pride.

"I see." Seren crossed her arms. They watched Feyre for several minutes. Beneath Feyre's brush, the siphons took form.

Elain placed a hand on Seren's shoulder and steered her towards the door. "I'll show you the library next." She closed the door behind them. "Feyre had it built for Amren, mostly, but we all use it."

Seren couldn't help but shudder, recalling the dark haired female. "Who is Amren, exactly?"

"I don't know how to answer that," Elain replied. "She's just Amren."

Seren furrowed her brows, thinking. From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of red hair. She glanced back, but there was no one in sight. Elain threw open the library doors and Seren's jaw dropped.

The library was massive. Every inch of it was filled with books, faelights, and candles. Ladders rested against the tall bookcases. A variety of trinkets were scattered across the room. Chairs and sofas sat before yet another fireplace.

"This is amazing!" Seren exclaimed.

"You like to read?" She nodded in reply. "Amren and Nesta can give you recommendations, if you need them. Although," Elain tapped a finger to her chin, "I'll warn you. Nesta's choice in books can be rather graphic."

"You mean gory?"

"Smutty."

"Oh." Heat flooded Seren's cheeks. A thought rose in her mind, pushing aside her embarrassment. "Does everyone live here? You, Nesta, Amren, Morrigan..."

"We all have rooms here but we don't all live here," Elain replied. They left the library and began climbing the stairs up to the third floor. "Cassian and Nesta live in the House of Wind. It's here in Velaris, carved into the side of a mountain. Amren has her own apartment within the city. Mor has some land of her own and she's a courtier so she spends a lot of time traveling. Lucien only comes here occasionally."

"So you, Azriel, Rhysand, Feyre, and their son are the only constant inhabitants of this house?"

"For the most part. Azriel used to live in the House of Wind but when Rhys gave it to Cassian and Nesta as a mating gift, Az chose to move out. I don't blame him either," Elain laughed.

"I don't understand that aspect of the mating bond," Seren admitted. "Of course, I don't have a mate so that could be why."

Elain's smile faded. "I do and I don't understand it either."

"You have a mate?"

Elain sighed and subtly jerked her head backwards. Seren recalled the red headed shadow she'd glimpsed earlier. "Lucien? He's your mate?" Now that she thought about it, they did carry the scent of the Mating Bond, however faintly.

"Yes. I hate when he visits. He follows me around like a lost child."

"Has he been following us today?" Elain nodded in reply. "You're mates but you don't like him?"

They reached the third floor before Elain replied. "Lucien realized we were mates right after I was Made. I had just lost everything, my body, my mind, my sense of security...And he helped Tamlin take Feyre. They aided Hybern. In that moment, I think I hated him. He is my mate, but I don't love him. He has tried to be kind to me and win me over, but I..."

"You won't let him?"

"I had a human fiancé when I was Made. I didn't want Lucien. I still don't."

"Is there someone else you're interested in?"

"Azriel." Elain's gaze became conflicted. "But I don't think he feels the same. Not anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"During the Winter Solstice, he gave me a gift. We almost kissed, but then he pulled away and said he'd made a mistake. Now, he barely speaks to me." Elain sighed once more. "Sometimes I wonder if the Cauldron made a mistake. Maybe I was supposed to be Azriel's mate instead of Lucien's. It would make sense, seeing as Feyre and Rhys are mates and so are Cassian and Nesta."

"I've always thought that the Mother chose mates, rather than the Cauldron. Why should an object meddle with the affairs of the heart?"

"Maybe you're right. Maybe when I was Made, the Cauldron interfered where it should not have. All the same, Lucien and I are mates and no amount of denial can change that." Elain lifted her chin and pointed down a hallway. "There is Nesta's room, then mine, then Mor's. Amren's is on the other side of the hall." Seren's thoughts spun as Elain continued on to another set of rooms. "That one is Lucien's. There's Cassian's, Azriel's, and yours."

Of course my room is near theirs. At least Cassian doesn't live here and Lucien doesn't stay long so if I look around at night, I only have to worry about not waking Azriel, Seren thought.

"Rhysand and Feyre's room is over here. That room next to it is Nyx's nursery." Seren rejoined Elain, realizing she'd fallen behind. "I suppose that concludes our tour."

"Thank you for showing me around." Seren smiled and Elain returned it. She started towards her room, but Seren caught her by the arm. "It might not be my place to say this, but I'm still going to. I don't know any of you that well, but I do understand the Mating Bond. You might not want it but maybe you should give Lucien a chance. Tell him that you don't want him romantically, but let him be your friend?"

"They told me that if I reject him, it could drive him into madness. That's why I haven't yet." Elain bit her lip, then nodded. "I'll consider it." Seren released her and she disappeared into her room.