Page 109 of Fated Exile

"Maybe some of Kerry's cooking will do," I joke, needing to lighten the mood. Normally Finn would do that, but right now it's up to me. "That penne she made the other day was so overcooked it was flatte."

As soon as I say it, I cringe. "Sorry. I have no idea what to do when the moment calls for humor. I'm scared out of my mind too."

"It's okay. Your bad jokes are so bad that they're almost funny." Roarke drops a sweet kiss on my mouth, his shoulders rounded as he bends down to meet my eyes. "I think we need to make another attempt to find out how to kill Delphine. Do you think you might be able to wake Vivia now? That dark presence you said attacked her is gone, now. The gemstones are buried underground."

"Maybe." I don't like thinking about the gemstones, but doing so does give me an idea. "There actually may be a good way to wake her up."

* * *

Roarke doesn't like my idea, which is why I insist on him waiting for me outside the Mating Circle.

"If it goes wrong, you can run in to play hero," I soothe him, his summer blue eyes piercing into me as his frown grows. "It's going to be okay. I fought this monster before, and I don't think I'm going to have to fight it again. Besides, what's the worst that can happen?"

"Those gemstones made you sleepwalk across Juniper, grab them from inside your house, and walk them outside," he points out. "We literally had to get a special spell from your aunt to put them underground so they wouldn't pose a threat any more. And you just dug them up like it was nothing."

Well, it wasn'tnothing.There was a sealing spell on the earth, after all, and Kerry was very unhappy to be woken from sleep so we could unseal it. But even my skeptical aunt thought my idea might have some legs.

Besides, at this point, we have very little going for us. Either we find out from Elder Vivia how to kill Delphine, or we just sit around waiting for her to decide to kill us. At least this way I'm doing something, ill-planned or not.

"They've never actually hurt me or anyone I care about on purpose," I point out, holding the gemstones up to him in one hand. Their soothing yellow light paints the edges of his frown into a glower. "The vampires used them to do bad shit. But as far as Kerry and I could figure out, they're just stored spirits, full of powerful energy. Capable of taking over a mind, yes, but also capable of guiding others, just like our elders. And they may be the only thing that can wake them up."

"I've heard the plan already," he mutters, "and that doesn't change how I feel about it. But I'm not going to stop you, either. I just want you to be careful. You matter to me."

"So I've heard."

I drop a kiss on his lips, enjoying the way he swoops down to grab my waist and crush me against him. We had a heated, passionate time last night, alone in the privacy of my house after doing alpha business, but no matter how much I have of him I'll always want more. It feels like every kiss is making up for the ones we missed out on when we were young, before I knew to look at the best friend of the boy I was with, and realized he was meant for me just as much.

It hurts a little to pull out of his arms, kissing his frown smooth, and walk into the Mating Circle. Roarke watches me go, his eyes searching the darkness for unseen enemies. Outside the circle, patrols go on, each wolf sacrificing a few nights of their week to keep the pack safe. Inside, the elder statues stretch above my head, silent and quiet, their eyes no longer glowing.

I go to Vivia, who's in a relaxed position, younger than she was when I woke her first, her hair loose and flowing around her shoulders. This time, instead of spilling my blood on the stones before her—that didn't work the last time I tried it—I pull out the gemstones, pace forward, and press them against her silent stones.

I can feel the gems pulse and warm beneath my touch.

They're reaching out, the energy inside them growing and flowing upwards. In their own way they're alive, each glowing bright gem part of a long-dead spirit that's hungry for a home. I make a silent promise to them that I'll find out who they were, build a statue for them, and turn them back into the quiet, watchful spirit they should be. For now, though, I let them try to contact Vivia.

As I look up towards her dead eyes, I think I catch a spark of glow, and for a moment my heart soars.

But it's just a reflection of the gemstones in my own palm. They poke and prod at her, trying to wake the sleeping spirit, but there's no response. Even the woods behind her still statue are silent and dark, no spirit hovering nearby to guide me.

My heart twists, and I wish more than anything that I had some answers or guidance. I've been given so much that it feels greedy to want more. But I can't help that my bruised, lonely heart aches for a teacher to help me.

The gemstones fold in on themselves and cease glowing, spurned by the sleeping elder statue. Sighing, I murmur my thanks to them, and I swear they warm up at my voice, as if responding with ayou’re welcome.

It feels heavy that we failed. Roarke, at least, will be relieved that the gems didn't leap from my hand and try to strangle me. I swear sometimes I think he's overprotective. I suppose he can't help it—we all know that Delphine is a biggest threat to me, out of all of us. He just wants to make sure I don't inadvertently give her an advantage that will let her take me again.

The mere thought of being stolen a second time, and kept from my mates, is almost too much to bear. So as I turn around and head back towards Roarke, I look up at each of the elders for guidance: Sorcha, Callum, Rae, Peony, Katrina, and Gregor, the Elder of Strength, whose eyes grew bright when Lance and I mated.

They seem to glow tonight as well, reflecting the blue quiet of the night sky overhead. It must be a trick of the eye, some reflection of the moon—or at least, that's what I think until I get close enough to realize that Elder Gregor is looking down at me.

The gemstones leap in my hands, bursting with golden yellow light that reaches up to meet the blue glow of the Elder. Gasping, I press my palm against his statue and close my eyes, desperate to get some guidance.

I expect to see his spirit, bright and alive as Vivia's was. But maybe the hybrid is the only one who can appear in people's heads, or maybe she only appeared in mine because of how similar we are. Instead of seeing him, all I get is his voice, with a single straightforward message.

Only the knife can kill your enemy.

Clearly he means Delphine. I ask him aloud, "What knife? Where is it?"

No response comes. When I open my eyes, the glow is gone. Both his gaze and the gems in my palm are quiet and dark, their energy sleeping.

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