“Kells?” I whisper, walking over and touching her shoulder gently as I sit on the edge of her bed. She blinks her eyes open. She looks exhausted, even as she wakes up, with bags under her eyes, pale skin and messy hair. It’s like she has just given up, and I’m not having that. I’m not losing my best friend.

“You’re back sooner than I thought. I saw it, but it was unlikely,” she tells me, more muttering to herself as she sits up on the bed. “There is a towel just under the bed where you have sat.” I smile, reaching under the bed and grabbing the blue woven towel, wrapping it around my shoulders. My wet hair still drips down my back, but at least I’m not cold anymore.

“Thanks,” I mutter, watching her closely as she looks down at her hands and starts rolling the silver ring on her thumb around in circles. I’ve seen the ring before, but never on her. It was Ryan’s. My parents gave it to Ryan as a present when he finished The Marked Academy. I almost break down in tears at seeing her wearing it, because I know he must have given it to her before he died. They were going to be together. They loved each other, and now there is only a message from the dead left between them.

“Tell me...” she finally says, but she doesn’t look at me as she speaks.

“You know I spoke to Ryan?” I ask her, needing to make sure we are talking about the same thing.

“I saw you talking with him. I felt your emotion and pain in the vision. I just couldn’t hear what you spoke about,” she admits and finally looks up at me with emotion filled eyes and tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Ry...” my voice cracks, and I have to clear my throat as I grab her hand. I expect her to pull away from me, but she doesn’t. “Ry, he told me to tell you that he died for you. I knew he did from the moment he volunteered, but I don’t think you knew because you were so out of it. He knew you would die if he didn’t step in. It was you or him, and he chose you.” I can’t help but pull Kelly into my arms as she sobs, great heaving sobs that feel like they could crush me.

“I miss him so, so, damn much, Kenz. I don’t know how to keep fighting without him, without the promise of a future with him at my side,” she admits, and I pull back, holding her shoulders with my hands and making her look at me.

“You fight because he would want that. He would want you to live, to be happy, and to fall in love again. You fight so that he didn’t die for nothing,” I tell her, and she nods, wiping her face with her other hand.

“I won’t love again, it will always be Ry for me,” she says sadly as I rub a finger over the ring, getting her attention. “He gave me this and told me we would be forever. He wanted to marry me and have kids. All the normal stuff. We even joked that Auntie Kenzie would be getting our kids into trouble all the time.”

“I’m so sorry,” I say honestly, I can’t even imagine losing one of my guys. I imagine all of us having a future together, and to lose it is impossible to fathom unless it’s happened to you.

“So, when I say he was everything to me, I mean it. He was my only future on Earth,” she says firmly.

“You don’t know everything, oh great seer,” I tease her, and she laughs.

“I kinda do,” she admits, tapping a finger against her head, and now it’s my turn to laugh.

“Now, do you have any spare clothes, and maybe some way to wash our faces? We are both ugly criers, and we have to leave this room at some point,”

“Speak for yourself,” she jokes, as I get up off the bed, and she follows me. “I’ve got clothes for you and all your guys in the bathroom. I told you I see everything,” she says, showing me into the hidden door almost behind the bed, that opens up into a bathroom of sorts. It’s all pretty basic, with stone counters and water held in a cut-out sink. There are six piles of clothes on the floor by the door, and Kelly picks one up.

“Yours,” she says as she hands them to me.

"Thanks, Kells. I meant what I said. He really would want you to find love again, when you're ready. Please don't count yourself out just yet," I say, and immediately feel a little bad when I see the tears well in her eyes again. Did I push her too far?

"Oh no, I know that look, Kenzie Crowe," Kelly says firmly. "You are not to feel bad for my tears. Alaric caused my pain, not you. Now clean yourself up, I have to speak to King Elnam before we leave. He's under the impression he will be sending some guards to escort us, but they're really not necessary," she adds, heading for the door.

"Wait, is it the dragon shifting guys he wants to send with us? Taelon?" I ask curiously, and Kelly turns sharply, giving me weird look.

"Why would you ask that!?" she demands.

"Just curious. Gods, Kells, relax. They seem okay, for Ariziadian marked anyway," I respond with a shrug.

"I don't think they should come is all," Kelly says firmly, her mind clearly made up.

"Okay then, whatever you say, oh great seer," I say jokingly, rolling my eyes as I make a beeline for the hot water to clean up. I hear her footsteps as she all but runs out the door. I wonder what that was about?

"Is it okay to come in?" Logan shouts from outside Kelly's room.

"Sure!" I call back, before splashing some water over my face.

"Any reason you're using a sink to clean up when there's a bathing pool over there?" Logan asks, as he steps into the room. I turn in his direction and follow the his outstretched hand to the pool dug into the floor of the room that I'd completely missed. I didn't think to look at the floor in the corner of the room, I guess. He doesn't waste any time whatsoever, stripping off his clothes and jumping in. I shrug, deciding I might as well join him, there's plenty of room. I shimmy out of my torn and dirty clothing, leaving them discarded on the floor, as I cross to Logan, dropping into the pool of hot water beside him. I sigh, as I feel the heat relaxing all the tension across my body.

I barely notice one of the others sliding into the pool, followed by another, until they're all squished in here with me. None of them seem the slightest bothered by the others, just content to be here with me, and I smile. Gods, I love my guys.

"We love you too, Kenz," East's voice says, and I turn to look at him accusingly. He smiles sheepishly, before showing me is telepathy mark.

"Try and keep out my mind, Easton Black. Or I'll start delving into yours," I threaten, winking at him.

"You can fucking read minds now?" Locke exclaims, giving East a perturbed look.

"Yes, and can I just say, I have never met anyone else who thinks about burgers so much," East says, giving him a knowing look. I look between the two of them in confusion, just as Locke bursts out laughing

"Shut it, mate," he finally says, once he stops himself from laughing. I just roll my eyes, happy to leave them to whatever joke they have between themselves. I lean back against the huge bath’s edge and rest my head.

I feel a hand grip mine, and open one eye to peek at who it is. Enzo is looking at me, clearly worried about everything going on, but content to enjoy this short moment of peace together. I savour it, worried that it may be our last.

If this is our last peaceful moment, all six of us together, then I would damn well enjoy it while I can.