Page 18 of Fated Exile

I shudder, imagining what Kerryisn'tsaying aloud. "I can only imagine. She deserved it, and yet..."

"Yes. And yet. We rarely improve our own circumstances in life by torturing others." Kerry's voice lowers as she finishes off the tale. "For decades, the coven kept guard on Delphine's living tomb in the mountains. Those of us who have weaving skills—including me, and your own late mother—laid weft after weft over her prison to keep others out and the hybrid in. But over the years, our numbers have dwindled. Without new blood coming in, and with so many witches leaving the coven to find better lives, we've lost much of our power."

"Which is how she escaped." Filling in the blanks is easy enough. What I don't know is how she was able to influence the vampires or enter my mind—if that reallywasher. "Are you sure she's been locked up this whole time?"

"Physically, at least." She tilts her head back on the pillow, brow creasing and eyes fluttering closed in exhaustion. "The truth is, I suspect she's been draining power from others all along. I saw evidence of as much shortly before she broke free. There were gaps in the weft, and she seemed to grow more powerful with time, instead of weaker as we'd planned. I tried to get word out to the pack, but the truth is, our coven's bonds with the werewolves are gone. I'd hoped that would change, but..."

Trailing off into a yawn, Kerry gives up on her story for now. I lean forward and place my hand over hers, watching as her attention drifts away. Her eyes move restlessly beneath her eyelids, and her color is pale, but I'm so thankful just to have her here.

It isn't the same as having my birth mother around, or getting answers from my late father.

But I didn't even know how badly my heart was calling out for a connection to my blood family until the moment I saw Kerry's face.

Several long minutes passed, and I'm certain she's asleep, so I lift my hand from hers and shift back. Before I can slip away, she rouses suddenly, eyes darting to my face and hand reaching out to grab mine. Her grip is surprisingly strong, despite her wounds and exhaustion.

"She's going to come for you, Delilah." Kerry shudders, licking her lips as a spasm of exhaustion crosses her face. "That woman... she wanted you from the moment you were conceived. Badly. I don't know why, but your mother—she tried to warn your father to keep you away. To get you away from her."

A chill washes over me. "What do you mean? What did she say to him, exactly?"

"Only that she sensed you would be powerful, and if you were—if you became what Delphine was never able to become—she feared for your future."

"I don't understand." I swallow, thinking back to what my father told Niall, and the fear that motivated him to exile me. "I thought... Are you sure she was afraidforme? And not... something else?"

My father, at least, was more afraidofme than anything. The chip he put in my neck made that clear. That, and the harsh way he exiled me, without ever explaining why.

The thought that my birth mother felt the same way is too much to bear. But Kerry doesn't seem to be able to understand what I'm implying, and I'm too sick to say it aloud.

"Of course she was afraid for you. The truth is, your mother wanted to raise you far from these lands, as far from the mountains as she could get you, so Delphine wouldn't sense you or your powers. It was only after the hybrid slipped her bonds for a moment and attacked her that Celeste realized she wouldn't survive long enough to get you to safety. She was barely able to even cast the messenger spell to send word back to me about what had become of you, along with instructions to close up the hole in the weft keeping Delphine imprisoned."

Kerry takes a deep breath, her last words a murmured sentence that shocks me to my core, "What your mother wanted most in the world was for you to be raised as human as possible. It was her dying wish... the last thing, I suspect, that she got to tell your father."

Nine

Delilah

I'm exhausted by the time I stumble up the front porch steps to the inside of the house. Slipping my keys from my purse, I flick between them and shove one at the doorknob only to find that it doesn't fit inside the lock.

A high-pitched whine leaves my throat, without me even telling it to.

"C'mon." There's a low chuckle behind me, and the scent of pine needles hits my nose a moment before a strong chest connects with my back and a broad hand slips beneath mine. "Let me take care of that for you, Lilah."

I shiver at the low, deep rumble of Lance's voice against my back. His breath skims my ear as he leans forward, peering over my shoulder towards the keys. Sifting through them, he twines his fingers with mine and puts the right key in the lock, turning it and slipping the door open.

The inside of the house is almost completely dark, save for a light at the top of the stairs and another near the baseboards in the hallway. Courtesy of Cat no doubt, who sent me a text about half an hour ago letting me know that she'd be slipping to bed, but I was free to wake her up if I needed to. But Lance was more than willing to give me a ride home—while Roarke, slipping into wolf form, promised to patrol the area near the clinic and check on the border patrols. We have to ensure no wayward vamp slips this way.

Or—and the thought sends shivers down my spine—the escaped hybrid herself. Though I can feel the land all around me, its defenses raised and on high alert, the thought of Delphine making it through our borders scares me. Not for my own safety, but for the safety of the aunt I only just discovered, sleeping peacefully in a recovery suite nearby.

I spent nearly half an hour sitting by her bed, watching her sleep, before I nearly nodded off myself. The nurse on shift nudged me out of her room and gently told me there was nothing else I could do for her. Truthfully, I've been running on fumes for hours, and it wasn't until the adrenaline left my body that I realized how tired I was.

Which is why it's so easy to lean back against Lance's strong chest and let his broad, muscular arms encase me. Turning my head towards his warmth, I murmur against his T-shirt, "I don't know how I'm going to fall asleep."

"I understand." He dips his head, brushing a soft kiss against my forehead. Wrapping an arm around my chest, he draws me against him, and I let his broad form lend me his strength. "We're all going to need our rest to be on our best tomorrow, though."

Groaning, I point out, "The Summit is the last thing I want to think about right now."

"I can't say I feel any differently." Lance's free hand trails up my arm, leaving shivers and goosebumps in its wake, despite the heavy warmth in the air. "Still, it's going to happen one way or another. Better to get at least... four? Maybe five? Hours in before it does."

My jaw cracks in a yawn, which makes it ironic when I tell him, "I'm not going to be able to sleep a wink."

---