Page 29 of Fated Exile

"I'd rather Finn stay," I tell the two of them, motioning for Lance to make himself scarce. He frowns at me, but I just stare back at him steadily. "You need to go work off some steam. I promise that when I'm done here, no matter which way it goes, I'll let you decide for yourself if you're comfortable with the next steps. Okay?"

He sighs, but nods his assent. Glancing over at Finn, he mutters, "Keep her safe, okay?"

"Count on it."

Then he reluctantly heads down the hallway to join the others, who sound like they're either rebuilding part of the compound or tearing more of it apart. As soon as he's gone, a great deal of tension leaves the room, and Bastian relaxes noticeably.

"You didn't have to do that," he tells me, even though I did. "Lance was right to mistrust me. I'm a traitor."

"You're not—at least, not by your own free will." I squeeze his hands and unmute the call. "Kerry? Have something for me?"

"I think I do," she says cheerily. "There's a way to anchor your body and soul to the world while entering someone's mind—just took me a bit to remember the spell. Thankfully I have a hardy mind palace spell I use to weft information in my mind, since most of it isn't written down."

That's a trick I want to learn, one that would've helped immensely when I was in school. "What do I have to do?"

"To bound your body and soul to the earth, remove your shoes. Prick a finger and drop some blood onto the ground, then focus your energy down—do you know how to anchor yourself?"

"Yes."

"Good. This is basically that, but stronger. Then once you're inside the subject's mind, you'll have to use a shield spellandan attack spell at the same time. Repeat after me..."

Kerry makes me repeat back a spell to her five times before she accepts that I know it well enough. Then she sticks on the line so she can be around in case I need help, though once I'm inside Bastian's mind, I won't be able to do much to speak to her.

Glancing over at Finn, I gain encouragement from his soft eyes and lopsided smirk. Heat suffuses me at the sight of him. Quickly followed by a splash of lustful anticipation when I remember what we'll be up to tonight.

Assuming I manage to pull this off.

Breathing deep, I slip my shoes off and grab my utility tool from my purse. Bastian watches me prick my finger with a frown on his face, so I tell him in a soothing voice, "Just a single drop is all I need. To help anchor me so I don't get lost while going inside your mind."

"It's too dangerous," he murmurs, his eyes following me as I square off in front of him and tip my pricked finger over to bleed gently onto the ground. "You'll lose yourself in there, and it'll be all my fault."

"I'm not going to get lost," I reassure him. Reaching down, I place my hands on his shoulders and stare into his face until he lifts his eyes to me. "I need you to believe me when I tell you that I'm going to be able to do this. Iwillhelp you do it."

"I'm not worth it. You'd be better off forgetting about me."

"No." I shake my head, eyes pricking with tears at the despair in Bastian's face.

Ihaveto make him believe that this is possible, so he'll let his guard down fully and allow me entry into the deepest recesses of his mind. "I need you, just like you need me. I hadn’t wanted to tell you this earlier, Bastian, but we're fated mates." I swallow as his eyes widen in shock. "Last night I spoke to Elder Vivia, who founded the Glass Pack. And I talked to my Aunt Kerry about the threat we're facing, the hybrid Delphine. The only way for the pack to survive—for all ofusto survive, including me and you—is if I'm bonded with my mates. That includes you."

His voice is pitched low as he asks, "But how could we possibly be fated?"

"I don't know," I confess. "I guess the world has a funny way of arranging things. All I know is that there has to be a reason why we met, and why I felt like I couldn't leave you back there in that arena. I know that everything that went down yesterday is eating you up inside—I get that. But I'm going to need you to have a little faith and let me in, okay?"

Bastian takes a long moment before answering. "Okay."

"Thank you." I give him a small smile. "You're worth the effort. I promise."

Then I close my eyes, anchor my spirit down into the ground, and let my awareness ripple out until I brush against his mind.

There's a moment of resistance.

Then he lets me in.

Thirteen

Delilah

Like before, Bastian's mind is full of self-hate, recrimination, and grief for his late sister. I push through it, brushing up against moments of pain.

---