Page 14 of Fated Exile

"Don't. Stop." Bastian shakes his head, frustration rumbling to a low growl in his chest. "I don't want you to risk yourself to save me. This is a battle I have to fight on my own."

"But you may not be able to. And I promised you—"

"Stop, Delilah!" His lips peel back from his teeth, amber eyes flashing towards a warm red. My hair stands on end, every nerve sensing danger. "I gave you the chance to fix me, but now we both know I'm past redemption. The only solution is to cast me out, like I deserve."

I inhale, and taste the edge of his wolf in the air. My wolf rises to the growing threat, lashing her tail, and it takes all my self-control to keep her from bursting towards my skin, fangs and claws at the ready.

Rippling out my awareness, I let my mind skim across Bastian's, wary of encountering the shadow a second time. But whatever it was, it's retreated inside him, leaving only his shallow surface thoughts to read. Bastian is frustrated, yes, but also full of despair—because he yearns for a pack more than anything, even though he fears that if he becomes a part of one, he'll wind up killing those he cares about, again.

So I take a step towards him, sending calming thoughts through the air. Once I'm close, I carefully place a hand on the crown of his head. His eyes flutter closed, his nostrils flaring as he inhales my scent. A moment later he opens his eyes, and the irises are pure amber again, the dangerous red gone completely.

"I'm not going to push you, I promise," I tell him. "But I'm not going to give up easily, either. I know that I can fix whatever's going on inside your mind and remove that voice entirely. But I need to rest first, and figure out my powers better. Do you think you could give me some time to figure it out?"

Bastian looks up at me, and there's a softness in his gaze. "I can't say no to you, Delilah. Even though it would be better for you if I did."

"Good." I let my hand travel down the side of his cheek, and lightly press my fingertips against his jaw. He tilts his face up towards me, those plump lips of his dampened as he nervously licks them. "Give me a week or two, please. It's barely any time at all. By the end, if I haven't gotten closer to some kind of cure, then we can discuss next steps."

"And in the meantime?" He holds up his bound hands, at least as far as he can manage them. "I can't exactly live like this for two weeks. And before you say anything, no, I'm not going to let you untie me. We both know now that it's too dangerous, especially if the vampires come back."

"Then we'll just figure something else out." Wracking my brain, I can't come up with anything, but I know there's a solution. "I'll talk to Niall and the others. There has to be a place to keep you that's safe. Just give me some time, okay?"

"Okay." His mouth crooks up in a wicked, slanted smile. "Anything for you, Lilah."

My heart skips a beat at the sound of my nickname from his mouth. Our eyes meet for a long, silent moment. The desires and memories I saw in his mind flit through my head. I wasn't the only one who couldn't stop thinking about our little erotic moment for days afterwards—it's there in Bastian's mind as well, bright and red with lust.

Feeling bold, I bend down towards him. His eyes flit across my body, then up my neck, and finally to my lips. Parting my mouth, I stare at him for a moment, and feel lust and growing arousal pulse from his center.

So I dare to cross the distance between us and press a kiss against his lips.

At first it's chaste, shallow, lips only. Bastian's hands are bound, so he doesn't grab me and pull me to him, though I do hold on to his shoulders for support as I bend down towards him. Even sitting, he's shockingly tall, his broad frame holding me up, his silky long hair slipping between my fingers.

Then a growl rumbles from his chest, and I feel his wolf rise within him, hungry and lustful. The scent of werewolf maleness fills the air. My own wolf responds with a lusty wag of her tail, and soon enough we're kissing deeply. Our teeth nip and our tongues flick out of our mouths. He draws my lower lip between his and sends shockwaves through me.

Bringing my right leg up, I lean my weight against the daybed beneath him and press my thigh against the side of his body. The deep, rumbling growl I get from him in response shudders through our shared connection. It occurs to me for a brief, shining moment that there are ways to make things interesting even with bindings involved—but I drop that thought a moment later, Bastian's dark memories flitting through my head. I want to take it slow with him, to make sure that this is what hereallywants.

Though if the pulsing arousal I sense with my awareness is any indication, he wantsthisand so much more.

Hearing footsteps come up the stairs, I reluctantly pull away. My lips are scorched and thoroughly kissed as I do so. Staring down into Bastian's eyes, I shiver as he licks his own lips, his heavy-lidded expression full of lust. The bright amber of his irises is thin around two dark, blown-wide pupils. I could get lost in his gaze and his lips, if it weren't for the outside world distracting me, and the exhaustion dragging me down.

"Some other time," I promise him, pulling away. "When your mind is clear. And Iwillfind a way to fix this, just like I'll lift the curse."

Bastian's voice is a grave rumble as he murmurs, "I have no doubt in my mind that you'll succeed in anything you set your mind to, Delilah."

I've barely disentangled myself from him when the office door is thrown open. Niall is standing on the other side, looking as worn out and weary as I feel. The long, stressful day is dogging at us, now turned into an even longer, stressful night.

Still, he manages to sound authoritative as he strides into the room and says, "We have to talk about what happened in those caves, and form a plan to strike back against our enemies. Delilah, have you sorted out Bastian yet?"

Chewing my lower lip, I admit, "There's something inside him, a presence of some sort, but I can't quite face it yet. I know I'll be able to, I just need some time."

"Meanwhile, he can't exactly be left tied up here, or let loose to wreak havoc." Niall's eyes roam across the tied-up werewolf, who dips his head and doesn't lift his eyes from the floor. "Is there somewhere you can go? Anywhere but here, a place to hold you?"

Frowning, I open my mouth to answer for him, but Bastian jerks his head up and responds before I can. "No sir. Just me and my family, and they're all dead now. I can go search for their cabin, though, see if maybe I can make it on my own—"

"That won't be happening." I cut my eyes in Niall's direction, and he raises his thin grey brows. "For all we know that cabin is gone by now, since it's been several years since you lived there. And the vampires might very well find you if you leave Glass Pack Territory, which means they'd be able to cause even more chaos. No, we'll be keeping you here, as soon as we figure out a safe way to keep you contained, for everyone's safety."

Tilting his head to one side, Niall proposes, "We could set up the moon sickness compound again, out near the retirement community at the edge of town. It hasn't been used in years—since you were born, Delilah—but the reinforced glass and concrete should do the job."

Blinking at him, I admit, "I half thought moon sickness was some old wives' tale they used to keep us from causing chaos at school."

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