I’m struggling to get Harlan into the water. Harlan is unconscious in my arms, Declan has placed Dara into the pool and together they swim under the wall. He appears a minute later swimming towards me to help with Harlan.

I don’t know where Blair is with Jolie, so I send him a quick mental message to see if he’s okay.

We’re fine, waiting for you guys on the other side.

Thank goodness for that, I think to myself. That’s one less worry.

Together, we carry Harlan between us, his arms slung over each of our shoulders. He’s out cold, but once he wakes up, it’d all be worth it. Dara had the Topaz stone. I couldn't believe it; we finally got it. Two down. One to go.

I couldn't dare think of how James would react once he heard the news. I just hope Kayla and Alaric are out of there already. Knowing James, everyone would pay for us slipping under his radar.

Stumbling, we let go of Harlan at the water's edge. I slap his face to try and wake him. He needs to be conscious to hold his breath under the water. When he doesn't stir, Declan reaches down over the edge, grabbing a handful of water and throwing it in Harlan's face.

Harlan stirs, his eyes opening a tad.

"Come on, man. Just wake up for a minute. That's all we need," I plead.

Harlan grunts, opening his eyes fully. That's all we need to see. We manage to push him into the water, jumping in straight after him to hold him afloat. Although his legs jerk slowly, I can tell by the frown on his face that he’s trying with everything he’s got left to keep kicking. I hold Harlan's arm up balancing it over my shoulders while Declan has his other. Trying to keep myself up is challenging enough, but me and half of Harlan? Fuck. It's difficult to say the least.

Finally, we make it to the cave wall. On three, we all breathe in deeply, and dive down, taking Harlan with us. In seconds, we appear on the other side. Harlan coughs, choking on the water. He probably swallowed the whole darn lake. Swimming to the edge, we pull Harlan out and lay him on his back. Blair rushes over, helping to roll Harlan over onto his side, where he throws up water. When he stops, we return him to his back.

Standing up, I look around to find Dara and Jolie laying side by side, unconscious. I go to check on them, but Blair stops me.

"They’re fine; they just need rest."

Trusting his word, I help the guys get Harlan up. Declan and I carry him over to where the girls lie. With a sigh, Blair wraps one arm around Jolie's waist and the other around Dara's, trying to pick them both up.

I chuckle. "You honestly think you can carry them both?"

Blair ignores me and keeps trying. I place Harlan in Declan's arms and step in front of my stubborn-arse brother, nudging him a little. "Just ask for the help, bro. You can't do it all."

He shrugs, turning towards Dara and lifts her with ease.

"See how much easier that is?" I tell him.

He walks off without a word. Ignoring him, I slide my arms under Jolie's legs and back and hoist her up, carrying her like a baby. There’s a subtle shift in the air, and I look up to see the sky has turned dark. Gone is the sun that was just shining down; it’s been replaced by large black and grey clouds. Thunder booms above, giving me the shove I need to get out of here. Something is definitely happening.

Turning back, I expect to see Declan still there, but he’s gone too. I follow the path back to the house, carrying Jolie. I can't believe our luck; three of our warriors are out cold. What are the chances? I didn't feel too crash hot either, but I keep walking - pushing through the throbbing pain in my legs and arms.

No matter the amount of pain we’re all in, it’s totally worth it. We have the second stone and once it was in Dara's possession, no one could take it from her. It's now a part of her, in her tattoo, making her more powerful than ever. We’re one step closer to defeating James. I couldn't help the wide grin that formed at the thought of our success.

The wind picks up, the leaves start rustling against it. Stepping into the village, the neighbours aren't in sight - most of them probably all hiding away in their houses. With the weird change in weather, I don’t blame them.

Opening the front door, I step inside to find Mum rushing in from the kitchen. She checks Jolie's body for injuries.

"It's okay, Mum,” I reassure her, walking towards the stairs. “Just let me lay her down in her room."

Jolie’s bedroom door is ajar, so I kick it with my foot, opening it fully. I gently place her on the mattress then collapse into the chair beside her bed. I really need to check on the others, but my body isn't having a bar of it. The muscles ache from my arms, all the way down to my toes. I’m knackered.

How are the others? I say to Declan.

Good. Dara is in a deep sleep. Harlan’s in the same state.

Knowing that everyone is safe and going to be okay, I dose off.

The smell of pumpkin and basil invades my senses, and I awake to find mum sitting beside Jolie, feeding her soup. I see Jolie is awake and back to her cheery self. Thank god for that. Rubbing my mother's shoulder, I lean down and peck her on the cheek.

"How's the patient?" I ask, looking Jolie over.

"Meh, I’ll live. Are the others okay? What happened? Did we get Topaz?" The questions rush out all in one breath.

"Jolie, chill. Everything’s okay. Dara, Harlan and you are resting. And, yes, Dara retrieved Topaz." The last part has Jolie smiling wide; she’s happy all our hard work has paid off.

"Thanks to you," I add. “I’d better go and check on Dara.” I get up, my body stiff, and leave the room.

Entering her room, I expect her to be awake like Jolie is but, unfortunately, she’s still out. Blair is sprawled beside her, snoring. Shaking my head at him, I quietly walk over to the other side of the bed, and stretch out beside Dara. Resting my hand over her chest, I close my eyes, feeling her heartbeat.

The bed dips, rubbing my eyes squinting, I see Dara sitting up beside me awake.

"Well, it’s about time you woke up," she teases, running her hand through my hair.

Chuckling, I sit up and yawn. I didn't even mean to dose off again, but I must have. Beside her, I see the bed is empty. Blair must have gotten up already.

"How long you been up?" I ask, checking her over from head to toe. Her colour is back and she looks a million bucks again. Thank Silvia for that.

"Not that long, but I feel fucking fantastic now. That beauty sleep did wonders," she gloats, tying her hair up into a high bun thing that shows off her beautiful neck. I’m about to kiss her there when someone walks into the room.

Looking up, I find Jolie grinning at Dara. "You did it. We now have two fucking stones. How awesome!" Jolie screams, jumping onto the bed and Dara.

Well, someone sure is back to normal. Jolie sitting on top of Dara makes a growl escape my mouth.

"Oh, get off it, Oliver. It's girl time for once. You can have your fun later," Jolie says, rolling her eyes at me. Dara smirks.

"Message received loud and clear, sis," I say, rolling off the bed and leaving the girls alone.

I needed to check on Harlan anyways. Looking back, I catch Dara's eye and she winks at me, making a million dirty thoughts enter my mind, of her naked body laid out in front of me, her licking her lips, hungry for more. I feel myself harden and I walk out of there before I stop and push Jolie off her.