Page 98 of Fated Exile

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Kerry was uncertain about keeping the gemstones around, but she conceded that they could be buried under a sacred patch of ground by the light of the moon, stowed inside a blessed box made of black oak wood. Which is how I find myself sliding out of bed with Bastian, my legs wobbling and my thighs trembling after what we just did.

At least I burned the calories off that I ate in the pizza parlor. Toni's hasn't gotten any better at making the sauce, but her nephew made her get a real pizza oven, and the delightfully singed crust almost made up for the cheap cheese. All of it was wonderful, though, just because I was with Bastian.

He ate two large pizzas.

I think even the waiter, used to werewolf appetites, was impressed.

He's snoring softly behind me as I ease the black oak box off my bookshelf and grab the white silk bag I stored the gemstones inside. I told him about the plan during our date, and he seemed to approve of it. Kerry claimed that nothing magical can escape a black oak box, and the sacred ground will keep the gemstones safely buried for a full turning of the moon, unless we dig them up.

Maybe we will. Maybe we'll need them. For what, I don't know, but I get the sense more and more these days that I know nothing. No matter how much I plan, how much I search and train, I'm not sure that I'm prepared for whatever's coming next.

I slide my feet into a pair of well-worn slippers and pull my pajama shorts on, thankful that my werewolf healing has already soothed most of the aches from the wild sex I just had. Then I take the oak box and the gemstones out through the back door, my eyes adjusting easily to the darkness. I spot Kerry near the back garden, her hair rimmed in moonlight, her phone's flashlight illuminating the ground.

"You sure you want to do this?" She eyes me cautiously. "From the additional research I did, I'm pretty sure those are Spirit Eyes. They hold the soul, memories, and intentions of a dead witch or werewolf. Or a vampire, if those have souls. We don't know what we're dealing with."

"They could've belonged to an Elder," I point out, passing her the oak box. "Or someone else who could help us with Delphine, if we figure out how to give them a proper home that isn't a tree. Maybe they're not all bad."

"Maybe there's a reason why they don't have a statue inside the Mating Circle," Kerry points out, but she opens up the oak box and holds it out to me. "Slide them in carefully. They may resist sitting inside the black oak, because it'll dampen their powers. I'll shut the lid quickly, before they can try to influence one of us again."

I nod, cautiously opening the silk bag and turning it upside down, but we shouldn't have worried. The gemstones tumble out and graciously accept their new home. It takes a few turns of the shovel—my task—to create a hole big enough for them, which the box slides into easily.

"And you're sure this will keep them buried?" I ask Kerry, eyeing her skeptically as she has me stand opposite her over the hole, our arms reaching out straight in front of us, hands interlocked. "Just like this?"

"Just like this, and it'll take both of us to move the earth a second time. I blessed it this evening while you were getting your brains screwed out of your head," she says, jerking her chin towards the downstairs windows and scoffing. "I don't know who's louder, you or Cat, but I'm very grateful for noise-canceling spells."

I don't question her again, white-hot heat scalding me from my ears to my clavicles.

It's not my fault Bastian needed to go so many rounds. He's just sonewto sex. Apparently that means he has the stamina of a teenage boy.

A teenage boy who's almost never touched himself, and is making up for lost time.

"Repeat after me:terra signati."

"Terra signati."

The earth at our feet trembles, shivers, and falls into the hole, sealing the box within. Dirt flattens out and smooths over, leaving no sign there's anything here at all, except for a fluttering sensation in my palms.

"There, all done." Kerry hides a yawn behind her hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some sleep. Unless you plan on going for another round outside my bedroom door?"

"No—though I can't guarantee anything about Cat," I tell her, hiding a smile as we both spot Niall's truck pull up to the curb, and Cat slides out of the passenger seat. "In fact, do you mind sharing that noise canceling spell?"

* * *

Sleeping in complete silence, wrapped in the warmth of a broad, handsome man, is more than a little intoxicating. Because of Kerry's noise canceling spell, I somehow sleep through both my alarms—and Bastian does too, snuggling up tight against me.

The thing that eventually wakes me is, well, hissnuggling up tight against me.

I freeze, then wriggle a little, trying to get out from under his strong arms. This makes him grab me tighter and pull me close, a groan of shameless desire leaving his mouth. He's fully hard against my ass, his hips moving back and forth as he rubs himself against me.

And unlike me, he didn't wear any pajamas to bed.

"Bastian." I squirm around, flipping in his arms to face him. His eyes slide open slowly, the irises glowing with wolfish light. "We should get up soon. We're going to be late for morning patrol. Not to mention breakfast."

"Oh." He pulls back from me, a sheepish expression crossing his handsome face as he looks down at his erection beneath the sheets. Then he gazes up at me, his face wide-open and almost innocent as he asks, "Could you lick it and suck it again? I like that. It feels good."

My cheeks redden, and I murmur, "Sure, of course. Just... try to keep it down. We don't want to bug Kerry."

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