Page 14 of Alpha Exile

It'll be easy to burn through her vampiric horde and stab her in the heart after my wildfire has scorched them all to ashes.

"You did it!" Kerry leaps towards me, grinning, and squeezes my shoulder with her hand. She winces and lets go a moment later, exclaiming, "And you're still hot to the touch."

"It's exciting." I shoot a grin at her, feeling the warmth of the fire flowers inside me, a presence just behind my heart's beating warmth. A moment later, my grin falters as I observe aloud, "But it won't bring my mates back to me."

I wish that I could feel them, that I had some sign they're okay and out there. I want to tell them that I'm coming for them, that I'll have them back, maybe even before the sun sets, but the lines between us have been thoroughly cut. As I turn towards the distant trees, searching for my mates within my heart, a timid voice gets my attention.

"Lilah?" It's Cat. She's approaching me slowly, her hands clasped together in front of her, tears streaking down her face. Based on the black and grey stains of her mascara, she's been crying for a while. "Oh, my sweet Lilah. I'm so, so sorry."

"Cat! Where were you?" I grab onto her hands, pulling her into a hug. "You were there, and then you were just... gone. I was worried I needed to start a second search party just for you."

"I couldn't face you," she says, her voice muffled in the crook of my shoulder. "After what I did... Ihelpedher."

I feel her shudder in my arms, and my heart constricts. "Delphine put some kind of spell on you and the guys. I think by using blood." Pulling back, I take her shoulders in my hands and squeeze them gently. "I would never blame you for something like that."

"It was like I couldn't stop myself. I tried, but..."

"It isn't your fault," I reassure her, looking to Kerry, who's watching us with worried eyes. "There has to be some way to figure out exactly how Delphine used your blood to control you, and undo it. We'll need to do the same to the guys once I've caught up to them. Kerry, what do you know?"

The witch licks her lips, taking a long moment to answer. "I know that... I'm sorry, Lilah. There's nothing I can do."

I freeze, staring at her in alarm, wondering if I've been taking all her knowledge and talents for granted all this time. "What do you mean? There has to be something."

"I'm a weaver witch, not a severing witch. I would fix it if I could, but I'm sorry, Cat." She approaches my foster mother and puts a gentle hand on the base of her back. "I can see that there's a connection between you and the stolen vial of your blood. But I have no idea how to sever that connection. My breadth of knowledge ends where weaver turns to severing."

I catch my breath, letting go of Cat and turning my face away for a moment so I can hide my overwhelming emotions. What Kerry is saying—that she can see the threads but can't change them—strikes so much fear in me that I don't know if I'll ever move forward again. Because if the control Delphine has over Cat can't be severed, then neither can her bond with my mates.

Who deserve so much more than a lifetime in servitude to that vile, murderous bitch.

"But I wonder if you might be able to do it, Delilah," Kerry continues, snagging my attention again. "You're a hybrid, after all, and you've already shown yourself to be adept at manipulating mating threads. Maybe that severing and weaving you did to help that Hazel girl will also help here."

"These aren't mating threads," I point out, fear crawling up my throat.

I'm afraid that if I try, I'll fail, and if I fail it's all over—but I cut that thinking out, reminding myself that I've done this before, like Kerry says. If I let fear and anxiety rule me, I'll never take a step forward.

I might as well try.

If I fail, I can conquer that problem when I get to it, too.

"I'll do what I can." Licking my lips, I look to Aunt Kerry. "How do I see this thread? What does severing even look like, and how do I do it?"

"You should be able to see the thread by focusing on Cat. Look at her inner wrist, if that helps." Kerry guides Cat to open her arms, and turns her forearm over, exposing the pale skin and thrumming pulse. "It isn't the same as seeing her blood, exactly, but seeing the shadow of it through the skin will help. The thread is obvious to me, probably the way mating threads are to you, but if you filter your vision a bit I'm sure you'll be able to see it."

I try to do exactly what Kerry tells me, recalling her lessons on the visual part of a witch's abilities. Not all witches can see spells, and even among those who do, each has strengths and weaknesses. Kerry can see weaving and threads, like the weft she put around Delphine's cage to keep her from breaking out. I can see the mating threads, and I just saw the fire flower threads. Maybe I'll be able to see the thread that connects Cat to her vial of blood, and gives Delphine control over her body.

A long moment stretches as I squint at Cat's wrist, focusing and unfocusing my vision, just like Kerry taught me. I pace around to each side of her, peer at her from above, and look at her from below, concentrating on the places where blood flows close to the skin.

"It's okay," Cat says softly, tears pricking her eyes as I tilt my head and frown at her wrist. "So you can't do it. I'm sure if you tie me up and put me away like you did Bastian, I won't pose any—"

"There!" My eyes widen as I spot the threads suddenly. They wind around Cat's throat, constricting it further with each word she speaks, and pool around her feet, skimming across the ground. "I can see them close to her neck, where that pulse is. Hundreds of them. They're red and a little shimmery, like they're wet. Aren't they?"

I start to second guess myself, but Kerry nods sharply, pride and relief turning up the corners of her mouth. "Exactly that. For me, I see them mostly stretching from her wrists to the vial of blood. You see so many more of them than I do—that means you'll be able to do more for her... assuming you're able to sever the threads."

My heart skips a little in excitement, and I picture how it'll feel when I track down the guys, break Delphine's hold over them, then stab her through the heart.

Something to look forward to.

"As far as severing the threads go—I'm a little murky here. Let me check back in my research..."

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