by Cece Rose
The whole damn building shakes with my power, and Alaric stumbles a little but somehow remains upright. His face looks twisted as he lifts his hands up in my direction. Before he can strike again, I quickly call on one of my new marks, allowing my instincts to guide me.
The sound of thunder rolls through the skies, and a crash of lightning strikes down, bouncing off my outstretched fingers, and heading towards him. The lightning hits him at full force, sending Alaric flying. He crashes to the floor, withering in pain from my blow.
I walk over to him slowly, victory seeming so easily within my grasp. I don't know why I was so worried; the Honzel was just testing my worthiness. What it showed me wasn't real, it never was. It couldn't be.
I stand over my biological father where he lies on the ground, and press my spear down over his chest. I look at his face, his eyes, and the dark hair that looks so much like my own, and I feel nothing for this man but hate. I push down, letting the spear sink deep into his heart.
The sound of laughter rings in my ears again, and I feel my heart drop to my stomach. Pulling the spear from the imitation's chest, I quickly turn on my heel. I twist just in time to have a hand smack me across my face so hard it knocks me to the ground. He kicks his foot into my stomach, winding me easily as I curl instinctively from the pain.
“So foolish. Such a dumb, difficult runt,” he mutters. “I'd wish you weren't mine, but I suppose you did serve the only purpose I needed from you, Mackenzie. Now that you've done that, however, I don't need you anymore,” he tells me. I feel my spear ripped from my hands and thrust into my own chest. I scream so hard it burns my throat, and the sound becomes a strangled husk. I vaguely notice him pulling the spear back out and throwing it to the ground. It rolls across, clanging across the hard floor.
With my eyes starting to blur, disorientation settles in, and a chill separates me from the pain. I see a figure step up behind Alaric. The person picks up the dropped spear from the ground, and runs it right through him from behind. He falls to his knees, looking up at the woman standing tall behind him. She watches as he falls to the ground, but then instantly turns to me, leaving him to struggle and die alone.
She rushes to my side, and I can see her putting her hands on me, but I can't feel the sensation of it. Numbness has overtaken my body. Unintelligible words and screams meet my ears, but I can't make sense of any of them as everything seems to fade in and out. I desperately try to hold on to everything around me. I try to hold on to the smell of my mother's favourite perfume, and sounds I can't quite make out what they are, but I cling to them anyway. I won't just give up. I can't.
I feel others stepping closer, and warmth surrounds me as I hear more noise coming from them all.
I see a flicker of blonde hair hovering over me, and I look past Kelly's shoulder, to see Ryan standing there with a sorrowful expression on his face. I try to stand and go to him, but he shakes his head. I his lips moving, and just about make out what he's mouthing to me, 'Not yet.'
Bright white light erupts over me, flowing from Kelly's hands. I'm filled with warmth, and then the pain comes back, making me cry out in agony. I feel hands grab mine, as another hand strokes my hair gently.
“Hold on, Crowe. Don't you dare leave us yet,” I hear a voice whisper from by my head. Enzo. He's here.
Through the misery, I turn my head to look down, seeing the twins on one side of me, and East and Daniels on the other. Logan holds one of my hands, and East the other. Their worried expressions all imitate each other.
“Work faster. Don't you dare let us fucking lose her,” a pained voice growls at Kelly.
“Don't you shout at her, Daniels. She needs to concentrate,” East's voice snaps back at him. I notice that I'm hearing more clearly, and my vision is much more in focus.
“Stop... fighting...” I just about mumble. I hear my mum's gasp of breath. She’s suddenly shoving the guys out of the way and crushing me to her chest in a hug. I choke a little. “Ease up a little, I almost died you know,” I grumble, feeling dizzy from being pulled up into a sitting position so quickly. She kisses my head and gives me one last squeeze.
“That's why I'm holding so tight, sweetie,” she says through tears. I watch as she lets go of me and grabs Kelly, holding her tight. “Thank you, thank you so much,” she sobs, her body racking with the emotion.
I'm pulled into Enzo's arms next, as he crushes his lips to mine, before pulling away to look at me, his dark eyes meeting mine. “Don't you ever scare me like that again, Crowe.”
I nod mutely. I definitely don't intend to nearly die again, that's for sure. That shit hurts. He didn't need to argue that point with me.
I'm dragged into a twin hug sandwich next, with neither of them seeming willing to let the other one go first. Logan kisses my head, while Locke kisses my cheek. Locke and Logan are yanked off me by an exhausted looked Mr Daniels, and I'm quickly enveloped by his arms as he clutches me close to his chest.
“You had me so fucking worried,” he mutters into my hair, and I slide my arms around his waist.
“You won't have to worry again. It's finally over,” I whisper back. He draws back to look down at me. Holding my face tenderly, he kisses me as his thumbs caress my cheeks. He reluctantly releases me, and I turn up my head to face East. I'm sure he will be furious at me, but instead, he just looks relieved. I struggle trying to stand. I’m so dizzy I almost pass out, but I hold on, feeling one of the guys support me up from behind as I stumble towards East. He opens his arms for me, and I fall into them.
“I thought you'd be angry with me,” I mumble, shame evident in my tone.
“Oh, I'm furious,” he says back in a gentle voice that says differently.
“You don't sound it.” I run my hands up his chest and around his neck as I look up into his eyes.
“I'm furious. I am more mad than I've ever been with someone in my entire life. But I'm also so damn relieved. I’m more grateful, and I’m even more fucking in love with you than I've ever been,” he replies sincerely, and I kiss him before he can kiss me, my lips crashing against his. I am sorry for leaving him behind, but I know it was the right thing to do.
“How did you get here?” I ask, as I pull back from him.
“Linda found me chained up. She used her healing powers to help me regain consciousness and let me out. I caught up with the others, and then we came to find you. Everyone else who came with us are still finishing off the rest of Alaric's followers, but a lot of them fled when you showed up,” he explains, brushing some strands of my tangled hair away from my face. I look up and notice Taelon standing over by the edge of the room, leaning against the wall.
“What's he doing here?” I ask quietly, and East gives me a bemused smile.
“He wouldn't let Kelly out of his sight. He's sticking to her like glue. If Kelly wasn't still so clearly broken up about Ryan, I'd think something was going on.” He gives a furtive glance between the two of them, and playfully smack his chest.
“Don't be so damn obvious,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. I wonder what we're going to do now. The academy seems to be in ruins, and so many people have died or been badly injured. Our entire race is scared and in chaos, thanks to Alaric. I look up at East again for reassurance, but he just leans down to kiss me once more. I close my eyes and melt into him.
Nothing else matters right now, other than the fact that we're all okay, and it's finally over. I have my mum, my dads, Kelly, and my guys all still by my side. I know that together we can work anything out, whatever life decides to throw at us next.
Epilogue
Mackenzie
Nine Months Later
With everyone I love seated around one large table, I somehow feel both elated and empty. We all know that something is wrong here, that someone important is missing from this almost perfect scene. It’s his birthday we’re here to celebrate after all, but he’s not here to see it.
My eyes run over my mum and dads, and then at Kelly sitting at the end of the tabl
e. Her eyes are constantly wandering over to the door. It’s as if she’s still hoping he’ll come through the door at any moment. I’d be lying if I tried to say I don’t feel that way too. My heart feels shattered, and I don’t know if I’ll ever fully heal, but I know he’d want me to try. He’d want for all of us to be happy. I look at my best friend again. Her especially, he’d be so hurt to see Kelly still suffering like this.
I feel someone squeeze my hand, and I turn to face East. I knowing he’s feeling this loss just as much as I am, he was Ryan’s best friend after all. The one I’ve been in love with since we were kids, I know East understands my pain of losing Ryan more than the others do, and I know that’s why he tried so hard to protect me. He leans over, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead.
“I love you, Kenzie. It will get better. You just have to give it time,” he whispers. I can feel the teardrops rolling down my face, and I taste them when they cross over my lips, the salty tang sticking to my tongue. I know he’s right, but I’m just not ready yet. It’s not time for me to feel better, especially not today. The wound is still too fresh, and it burns me deeply, cutting me straight to my core.
“I love you too, East,” I whisper back. I’m so relieved to have him and the other here today to support me. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost any of them. They have kept me going through all the pain and destruction that my twelfth mark caused.
“I know you do,” he says with a small smile. He runs a hand through his hair, looking every bit the picture of perfection. A warm hand rests on my shoulder, and I turn around to face him, knowing exactly which of my guys it belongs to.
“Hey, you,” I say softly, looking up at Enzo.
“Take a walk with me a minute?” he asks, already stealing my hand from East and pulling me up from my seat.
“Sure,” I answer, somewhat belatedly, as we leave the room with the oak door closing softly behind us. We walk through Daniels’ actual house, which is located not too far on the outskirts of London. It comes in handy, considering we’re all working there now. Working for the council isn’t exactly my dream job, but we’ve had to step in and help lead our people out from the chaos.
Enzo leads me into the gardens, which my mother has been slowly decorating with dozens of flowers, trees, and garden benches. Daniels didn’t exactly have a choice when my mother asked to sort out his garden, which was once just grass and a few pots. Now it looks like you could find a secret world hidden inside of it.
“I helped your mum put a pond in, want to see?” Enzo asks and I grin, nodding.
“A pond? I think she has gone a little bit over board,” I laugh.
“Maybe,” he agrees, with a slight chuckle. We walk down the gravel path towards the back of the garden. There we, in fact, do find a pond, with plants and stones littered around it. There is a bench right in front of it and we sit down, Enzo draping his arm around my shoulders.
“How is Stacey?” I ask, remembering that he went to see her today. Stacey has moved into a house down the street with her new boyfriend, Tony, and we have started to become good friends. The Academy won’t be opening back up till next month, so she’s been around a lot.
“Good. Tony asked for my permission to ask her to marry him,” he says and laughs. “I felt so old as I said yes and threatened to beat his ass if he hurt my sister.”
“Don’t worry, you’re still hot, old man,” I joke, and he pulls me onto his lap and sliding his hands into my hair.
“I can show you exactly how young I am, right here if you’d like,” he teases, leaning closer and sucking my bottom lip into his mouth, making me gasp.
“Mackenzie! Can you come here please?” my mother shouts, and Enzo groans, leaning back.
“How long until your family goes home again?” he teases as I climb off his lap, giggling.
“A week. I’m sure we can find a way to sneak out later and finish what we just started,” I wink at him, and he shakes his head.
“Go ahead, I need to calm down,” he states, pointing at his trousers. I sigh, wishing I could help him with that problem, but I know my mum will just come looking for us if I don’t go to her. I kiss his cheek and run through the garden, seeing my mum standing near the back door. She smiles widely as I get to her.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“The twins are about to go and get their parents from the airport for the family meal tonight. They want to say goodbye,” she says with a smile. It’s good to see my mum smiling. She didn’t for a while, not after everything that happened.
“Okay, thanks mum,” I say, hugging her closely. When I pull away, I see tears in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I’m just so proud of you, that’s all,” she rubs my arms and steps back, wiping her eyes. “Go, go. I’m just being silly.” I hug her once more before walking in the house and searching the rooms until I find the twins in the second lounge. Locke is swinging keys around in his hand, and Logan is playing on his phone, looking up as I walk in.
“Hey gorgeous,” Logan says, standing up and walking over. He kisses me firmly and cops a feel of my ass in the process.
“Where’s my hello?” Locke jokingly whines from my right. He wraps his arms around us both, kissing the side of my head as I laugh, and Logan tries to escape.
“Let me go, you asshole,” Logan wriggles away, as I try to smother my laughter, and Locke winks at him.
“You clearly just want another hug,” Locke lets go of me to chase his brother out the room, waving goodbye.
“Bye then,” I shake my head and turn around, heading for the kitchen to see if anyone needs any help washing up. I walk into the room, and see East wiping a plate at the sink, a massive pile of dirty dishes next to him. His wavy brown hair with blonde tips is messy today. He looks like he has run his fingers through it a few times, but it only makes me want to run my own hands through it.
“Hey there, sexy East,” I say, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind and resting my head on his back. I squeal when he quickly turns around, picking me up with his yellow washing up gloves on, and puts me on the side.
“You’re all wet,” I complain, giggling as he kisses me and slides his hands around my waist and under my shirt.
“I was kind of hoping it would be the other way around,” he whispers against my lips, his fingers grazing my ribs just beneath my bra.
“Sorry, but the yellow gloves don’t do it for me,” I tease, and he tickles me, making me screech until I’m practically crying with laughter.
“Stop, stop! I cave! The gloves are sexy!” I manage to get out, and he finally stops, kissing my forehead.
“Good, because I plan on bringing them to bed tonight,” he tells me.
“I doubt any of us will be doing anything tonight. All of our parents are staying over for a few days. Remember?” I remind him, and he groans.
“My mum is going to clean this entire house and then take you out shopping,” he laughs at my pulled face.
“I’m sure I can cope. Maybe,” I say, and he kisses my forehead as he lets me drop from the counter.
“Now, I’ve got to finish this before your mum gets back in here. Unless you’re going to help…” he drawls off as I start backing out of the room.
“Nope. I did it last night, and you didn’t me help then,” I say, grinning at his annoyed face. I turn, skipping out of the room as I hear him chuckle.
“Damn, when did this dress get so tight?” I breathe out as I pull the black dress up over my hips and barely manage to pull the zipper up. Kelly snickers from behind me.
“Maybe one of the guys shrunk it in the wash. I swear they have no idea how to use the washing machine. They turned my favourite green top brown the other day,” she tells me, and she may have a point. We take the washing in turns because there are so many of us in the house. That means the guys do a lot of the washing, and my men are not good at washing clothes. Or cleaning for that matter. Thank gods Daniels has a cleaner that comes twice a week.
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“I might get them to watch some YouTube videos on washing clothes, just in case,” I say, pulling my black hair over my shoulder. I look down, frowning at the glowing purple mark on my right shoulder. It hasn’t done glowed like that before.
“Hey Kells, what does this mark do again? Did we ever find out? Because it’s kind of glowing,” I say, trying not to panic. Kelly runs over, staring at the mark.
“I don’t know. I haven’t studied all the marks, but Daniels would know. He was the one that wrote that new book on the marks of Ariziadia. You know, the one that is a bestseller and every wants a copy of,” she says.
“Yeah, you’re right. If anyone knows marks, it’s Daniels. It’s just weird. All of my other marks I can just instinctively feel what they do, but this one I never figured out. It’s been too mad around here with all the stuff with the council, our families, and well, everything after,” I taper off, seeing Kelly’s pained face.
“I get it,” she says. “Go and ask him He should be setting the table with the other guys. I’m going to finish getting ready.”
“Are you okay?” I ask her as she walks to the bed and sits down, staring out of the window.
“I just miss him, that’s all. Ryan should be here,” she says.
“He is here. Ryan will never truly leave us,” I tell her, and she smiles sadly.
“Go, I’m okay. Love you, Kenz,” she says, plastering a fake smile on her lips.
“Love you too, Kells,” I say, trying not to worry about her. I turn around, walking out the room, and run down the stairs. I can hear everyone in the house getting ready for the massive family meal we are having tonight. Thank the gods that Daniels has a massive, old-fashioned table that can seat twenty in a dining room he never uses. I follow the sounds of banging to the dining room. Walking in, I see Logan and East laughing as they use their air marks to set the cutlery, but most of it is falling all over the place. At some point Enzo and Locke must have been doing it too, but now they are sword fighting with forks in the air, using their air marks.