Page 30 of Fated Exile

There are a few bright spots of emotion that nearly take my breath away: hot pits of anger when the vampires took him, dark despair after his sister died, buried adolescent lust he felt while in captivity, and stronger, more recent feelings of desire after being freed.

Desire that's all centered on me.

This time, I'm able to get through the layers of his mind more easily. There's a familiarity to it for me now. Each path feels well-trod. More than that, though, Bastian's mind welcomes me easily and without much hesitation.

Until I reach the center, and the dark presence moves over me.

Through my body in the real world, I hear Kerry's voice catch in my ear. "I sense something. I know you can't answer, Delilah, but if you're about to face it—now is the time to shield up, before its first attack. The shield will only last a minute or two, but it'll be worthless once it breaks your defenses."

Taking her advice, I breathe in and cast the shield spell. It's far less instinctual, and more book-based, than the spells I've worked on so far, most of which have been blind fumbling.

Following her instructions, I position my fingers and thumbs in a triangle in front of me and weave them back and forth as I murmur, "Shield me, protect me, inner light. Form a barrier from the fight."

It feels a little silly and dumb, but Kerry insisted that the rhyme is part of what helps the spell "loop" together.

I have to repeat it two more times, both with confidence, linking my fingers and re-forming the triangle with each verse: "Shield me, protect me, inner light. Form a barrier from the fight."

The dark presence opens a broad mouth and roars down at me. A gust of wind whips my maroon hair in every direction.

"Shield me, protect me, inner light. Form a barrier from the fight!"

On the final word, I hold my hands out in front of me as a triangle shape, leaning all my weight up and forward. It feels impossibly dangerous and frightening—which is why Kerry said that it will work. By simply believing in the spell, and putting my vulnerable hands out as if theyarea shield, the magic will follow.

So I hope.

The dark presence forms a hand that ends in dark, dripping claws. It screams louder and louder as it raises the hand up over its shoulder. I swallow thickly, watching it descend towards me in a raking motion—

And warmth flows up my arms at the last possible second. Infusing my joined hands with light and energy, the spell springs from them and forms a dome in front of me that stretches above my head. The dark presence's clawed hand rakes against the shield and bounces off it, rattling my hands but nothing more.

So it worked. I breathe a sigh of relief—then remind myself that the fight is nowhere near over. I still have to attack this thing inside Bastian's mind, and somehow kill or banish it entirely. Otherwise, it may only grow stronger the moment we're mated, and even if we do defeat Delphine, we'll find ourselves with yet another problem to face.

As I reach down into myself to find the strength for the attack spell, I can feel resistance from Bastian's mind. Some part of him doesn't want me to get rid of the dark presence. It's been with him for so long—once it's gone, he'll have to face himself. And face what he's done.

I take in a deep breath to cast the spell anyway. Before I can, a ghost-like figure flits in front of me, breaking my concentration. It's Bastian's sister Emma, who I know only from his memories of her, pale-faced and dark-haired. She's gone as soon as she came, but in her wake the shield spell flickers.

This is the only chance the dark presence needs. Screaming like a banshee, it raises two clawed hands, forms a fist, and swings them down at me. I dodge and roll—but barely make it out of the way in time. Suffocating heaviness hits my right shoulder, followed by sharp pain. I grit my teeth and hold back a whimper, shifting my weight to the left and jumping back to my feet.

Quickly, I hide behind a lone wall to my left, jutting out of the inner recesses of Bastian's mind. It's the only protection I have from another attack.

Now that the shield spell is gone, I'll have to recast it. My arm screams at me as I bring my hands up to reform the triangle. I barely manage to get through the first incantation and draw warmth to my hands before the presence swings its nebulous head around and stares in my direction. I keep my voice low, moving on to the second incantation.

It lumbers towards me, making a strange, guttural sound. Every hair on my body stands on end; I feel like it's got my scent somehow. Those glowing eyes of embers are just as eerie as they were last night, making me fear that Vivia didn't get out of the fight with it intact.

"Stay strong." Kerry's voice is in my ear, lending me strength even as my right shoulder throbs in pain. "I don't know what's going on in there, but I know that you can face it. You're my sister Celeste's daughter—she was stronger than any of us, and I see that same spirit in you."

Her words invigorate me as I finish off with the third incantation and spring out from behind the wall. The shield spreads out between my hands and protects me from a second attack. This time, the presence kicks at me, only to howl in frustration when its efforts get it nowhere.

I have to take it down. But to do so, I need to convince Bastian to let me. Closing my eyes, I search around for the connection we have. It takes a moment, but I feel his response.

I need you to let go,I tell him, inwardly counting down the minute or so I have left before the shield permanently fails me.This darkness has been inside you for a long time, and I know it's frightening to imagine a life without it. But I can promise that you won't be alone in facing the future.

I slide my eyes open and spot a figure standing just behind the dark presence, shaped like Bastian but smaller, more slight, and fading into the background. Red lines undulate between us, swirling around on the floor and stretching up to wrap my calves in their oddly glowing light.

Bastian's voice echoes all around me,I'm scared.

I know you are.

What if the darkness is gone, but there's still something wrong with me?

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