Marked By Pain (The Marked #2)(47)

“Use me instead of Kelly. Clearly Kenzie’s powers aren’t activating for Kelly being hurt. Use me instead,” he pleads, his eyes looking down at Kelly sadly. “She can’t take anymore. If you use the pain mark on her again or cut her with that knife, she’ll die. I can take this, but not watching her die,” he says. My whole body shakes with quiet sobs as I realise Ryan is trying to protect Kelly, even if it means him being tortured instead of her.

“That could work,” he says, and then a loud bang comes from down below in the school. “But unfortunately, we are out of time. We’re switching to plan b.”

“Plan b?” Ryan echoes in a confused tone.

“There isn’t enough time for torture,” he answers plainly, and then he shoves the knife into Ryan’s stomach. He rips it back out and then plunges it straight back in, and I scream as Ryan falls to the floor next to Kelly. I feel something in me snap, something uncontrollable taking over me. The ground beneath me shakes, and my neck burns so much that I can’t help but scream. Bright, blue light shines from behind me, and I turn to face it. I gape at the plane of light shimmering into existence. All the marks on my body burn hot as I stare, watching as the light becomes deeper and more corporal. It’s just off the edge of the cliff, and it stretches out, getting bigger and bigger, both across and up and down. Pieces of rock fall off the cliff, floating into the air and then the cliff shakes, making us all sway as we stare. I fall to the floor, landing on my hands and knees, as I feel the power flow not just from me, but through me. It’s like I’m not the creator of the power, I’m not in control, I’m just the conductor for the current. And it’s painful, so much pain.

Turning my head, I see the rebels rushing forward, and Kelly is dragged with them. I feel drowsy, but shouldn’t I be dead? I thought using the twelfth mark kills you, and the portal is right there, I should be dead… Dead…Ryan! I have to help him!

I pull myself into a standing position, and push through the marked that are staring at the portal with wide eyes. Once I reach my brother, I fall to my knees next to him, throwing my hands over the wound in his stomach trying to stop the blood. It slips through my fingers and runs down onto my dress. The rain pours down even heavier than before, and I can feel my wet hair sticking to the sides of my face and the back of my neck, but I don’t care.

“Please be okay, please,” I whisper, tears streaming down my face.

“Forgive me,” he whispers, and I realise I’ve seen this all before. Kelly’s vision. Gods, please no.

“There's nothing to forgive, just don't die, okay? I love you, so you can’t die,” I reply. My hands glow as I call on my healing, putting all my strength into it. My healing mark burns on my skin, so fucking hot I scream. I can hear shouts, familiar voices, but I fall back as all the marks on my body begin to burn. I stare down at the marks on my wrists, gaping in disbelief as they begin to fade, leaving my skin bare. I’m no longer marked.

The cliff shakes once more, a massive quake, and I stare down at Ryan as his head falls to the side.

“NO!” I scream, shaking him and begging for my healing mark to come back, for anyone to help. But no one comes. Everything in me just breaks as I fall backwards collapsing, my eyes closing but the image of my brother dying never leaves my mind.



“She’s coming around,” I hear Kelly sob, “I won’t lose her too, I’d die first,” she says. I sit up with a gasp, feeling every part of me hurting a little but it’s not too bad. Kelly is sitting next to me, tears pouring down her face as she sobs into her hands. I look in front of me to see my mum holding Ryan close to her and I can’t seem to look away as she turns to me but is silent.

“Who?” I ask, standing up shaky with Kelly’s help and the sight in front of me is madness.

“He died to save me, didn’t he?” Kelly whispers, and I give her a shaky nod, not trusting my words.

“Go, I have your brother and will keep him safe. Help them destroy Alaric,” my mum finally says, holding him close, and I know it’s pointless to point out she can’t keep him safe now. He is dead but one look at my mum, just makes me realise that she is right. Ryan can’t die for nothing.

“Oh god Ry,” she says, covering her face with her hands as she cries. I hold her to me, trying not to cry myself as I look around. Rebels and marked are fighting each other, the portal is open, showing a land full of massive trees and what looks like a rain forest. The cliff is falling apart, slowly bits of it are flying into the portal from the pressure. I slam us both to the floor as a giant wave of fire shoots through the sky above our heads. Kelly rolls next to me, looking around like I am.

“It’s madness, I can’t see a thing,” I tell her.

“Them,” Kelly points to my left, where right on the edge of the cliff is Mr Daniels, East, and the twins fighting my father and ten other rebels. They are being pushed back with every attack against them, and not landing any hits on my father at all by the looks of it. I run towards them, only to get hit by a wave of air that sends me flying. I bounce across the floor, trying to call my marks as I roll to stop and remember I don’t have them anymore.

“Kenzie!” I hear shouted through the fighting, and I pull myself up, and then duck as a large rock floats above my head and towards the portal. I turn around in a circle, not seeing anyone I know and then I spot my guys again, this time Kelly is with them, leaning on the floor and healing someone I can’t see. Someone has put a ward up around them all, and the rebels are throwing fire and water at it constantly, making it impossible to really see them. I watch as my father leans down on the ground, placing his hands in the ground and the ground cracks. I run towards them, but I’m too late as my father uses his earth mark to throw the ground, that Kelly and the guys are on, straight into the portal. I hear them shout, Kelly scream, and then there’s an eerie silence.