Emily felt someone squeeze her hand and jumbled gibberish changed to voices that formed sentences in her brain. Struggling past the fuzz in her mind, she opened her eyes. Brandt, Mandy, and Caleb surrounded her bed. Her mate held her hand but Mandy's head gently came down to rest on Emily's shoulder and her tears quickly soaked the light sheet covering Emily's body.

"It's okay," she slurred past her dry, cracked lips. Her vision and comprehension slowly increased and she saw ...