^“Yes . . . I kissed her,” East says as I walk into our room. I pull my coat off and leave my phone on the side. I give him a questioning look as he listens to someone else on the phone. I can hear them shouting from here, and East is slightly holding the phone away from his ear.

“No. Look, calm down and call me back when you’re being more reasonable,” East says and stops the call. I know that voice, it’s Ryan.

“Kenzie?” I ask, holding in the jealously I feel when he nods. I saw the way she looked at him, and the way she looks at me, sometimes. Females are rarer than males in our kind and it can be difficult for a female marked to have children, so more than one husband is recommended. My mum has three husbands, they all brought me up, and I call them all dad. It may not be a lifestyle for humans, but it works for us. I could share Kenzie with East. If she likes me, that is.

“How was it?” I ask, and he smirks at me.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself? I know that look, dickhead,” he says, and I laugh and jump on my bed, quickly stretching out.

“What happened in pain?” I ask him, having heard about what happened in the halls just then, and hearing that East stormed off carrying Kenzie, telling the teacher to go fuck himself and speak to Mr. Daniels if he had a problem. I bet that shut him up quick.

“She lost it and nearly killed Stella. I didn’t want to freak her out, so I didn’t tell her everything that happened when I got there.”

“What happened? I heard rumours about some kind of black glow?” I ask. It sounded like bullshit to me.

“Kenz was glowing with like a black haze around her, and there was a force pushing everyone away from her. Mr. Tower used air to throw her across the room, and I just about managed to catch her,” he says. Fucking hell. When Mr. Daniels asked us to watch her, he warned that it might be dangerous as we have no clue what her twelfth mark is. I’ve never heard of anyone glowing black before or being able to create a force that pushes people away, other than just using air, but this wasn’t anything like an air mark. There was no gust of wind, just an intense pressure that forced people back. I wonder what the hell that last power is?

I know it’s something powerful because I asked one of my dads who works at the Marked History Museum. Apparently, there is a book about the twelfth mark, and all the book talks about is destroying those that have the mark. I don’t see how Kenzie could be a threat, and that’s only one crazy, dead person’s opinion, but this won’t help her case.

“Did she pass out?” I ask.

“Yeah, she did,” he replies, picking his phone up as it starts ringing. “Calmed down yet, dickhead?” East mutters as he answers the phone. His eyes widen. “Shit, sorry, mum, thought it was someone else calling.” He shoots me a grin and rolls his eyes. I can hear his mum’s scolding down the phone from the other side of the room.

My own phone starts to buzz, and I look down. Fuck.

“Hey, Ryan,” I answer loudly, so that East can hear. He shoots me a worried look. He’s clearly much more concerned by whatever Ryan has to say than his mother’s yelling.

“Put East on the phone,” Ryan grunts.

“Can’t, he’s on the phone to his mum,” I reply.

“Fuck his mum!” Ryan shouts.

“Calm down Ry, he can’t go fucking his mum just because he’s screwing your sister,” I joke.

“I’m not screwing anyone,” East yells across the room, clearly hoping Ryan will hear him. “Sorry, mum, again,” he says down the phone, a pained expression crossing his face.

“You know what I meant. Tell East he’s not dating my fucking sister, okay?” he snaps.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll pass on the message, but what about me?” I slip in.

“You have got to be kidding me,” he mutters.

“No, I’m not kidding, Ry,” I reply.

“She’s my little sister,” he growls.

“She’s really not that little anymore. It’s not really your decision either way. East asking you was a courtesy, but I know that I am still going to pursue her either way, and so will he,” I say calmly.

“I’m not happy about this,” he mutters. “Kennie needs to be concentrating right now.”

“Who are you now, her dad?” I jibe.

“Depends which one,” he answers with a harsh laugh. “She’s got twelve powers, she needs to concentrate. I don’t want her being one of those people who lose control,” he says softly.

“We won’t distract her. We’re helping her in her classes, anyway, dude. We care about Kenzie. We won’t do anything that puts her in danger.”

“I guess. Better the devil you know, right?” he comments, sighing in defeat. “Look, I’m not happy, but I guess I can’t stop you. Just know I won’t hesitate to kill any of you if you hurt her,” he mutters.

“We got it, dude,” I reply. I shoot a thumbs up to East, who grins back at me like a maniac.

“Tell East I still want to talk to him. There’s things I want to make clear to him, especially considering his track record,” Ryan mutters.

“Sure, I’ll tell him.”

“Thanks, mate. I’ve got to go,” he says.

“Okay, bye, then.”

“Bye,” he says, and then the call disconnects.

“So,” East says, dragging out the word.

“I thought you were on the phone to your mum?” I ask, narrowing my eyes on him.

“The call disconnected about a minute ago, bad reception where she is I guess,” he says shrugging.

“You were still talking,” I accuse him.

He smiles slyly. “Yeah, I really didn’t fancy talking to Ryan. Thanks for sorting that out for me,” he replies.

“Ryan still wants to talk to you about it,” I say, watching the smile fade from his face.

“Damn,” he says softly.

“Not off the hook that easy,” I reply with a chuckle.

“I have a feeling nothing about Kenzie is going to be easy,” he replies, a smile taking over his face in contradiction to his words. “But, when was easy ever fun?” he adds, standing up.

“Where are you going?” I ask, watching him saunter off to the door.

“Where do you think?” he replies as he exits the room, slamming the door behind him.