A shiver runs down Ronan's spine when Noah says those words. He can't count how many times Gansey's told him the story, uttered those same words, remembered in his brush with death. His brush with Noah.

So what the fuck does it mean?

Blue's the first to speak and Ronan's gaze drags to her, notes the way Adam leans back into the billow of her shirt. His jaw clenches and his skin prickles, but not out of jealousy. Part of him isn't sure he wants Noah to answer the question, but then Adam asks his own.

He's looking from Noah to Ronan and back and Ronan shoulders hunch as he steps back to lean against the counter, looking from Adam and then to Blue with a shrug. "Always," he says, something like guilt twisting inside him. "I mean-- I recognized it that first time. It just took a lot longer to believe it."