And it had already been an hour.
“Ellie?” Arianna tried again, scooting closer to her sister. Zylah had demanded Arianna sit in a chair rather than kneel at her sister’s side. She was glad for the half-breed’s intervention, if only to spare her aching back.
Ellie’s eyes were glazed over, as if she were frozen in another world they couldn’t see. She was so still. So quiet. Nothing more than a ghost of her former self.
Talon sat at the edge of her bed and whispered her name. He told her that she was safe and that everything would be okay. They’d all agreed not to mention Levea, even if her sister asked about it. She’d been through enough.
Saoirse tried next. The two females weren’t particularly close, but they’d gotten to know one another in Ruadhán. Ellie was their father’s successor after all, and Saoirse was the ambassador for the High Lord of Brónach.
Even Gavin tried coaxing a reaction from Ellie, his words whispered and pleading.
Nothing.
Tension filled the room, changing altogether as they went from fearing the future High Lady of Móirín to fearingforher.
Arianna shuddered as she thought of Eimear and what Niall’s torment had done to the female. She knew others had suffered the same fate, and they were just as bad off.
But Ellie hadn’t been subjected to Niall. She’d faced Vairik himself. The male had manipulated her mind and turned her into someone Arianna hadn’t recognized. Her words and actions had been so warped.
Arianna thought about those who’d been discarded in Ashling’s lower dungeons. Some hadn’t even reacted to their presence, just like Ellie was doing now.
Was it—her heart faltered—was it possible to break someone beyond repair? What if the sister she’d known since childhood no longer existed? What if he’d taken away all the best memories, overwriting them to fit his narrative? Her gaze drifted toward The Demon. What if Vairik had done the same to her?
Eventually, Tierney and her partner excused themselves. Soon after, Raevina and Saoirse followed. The clock in the hallway ticked down the seconds until Talon did the same. They needed to leave soon. Arianna knew the others would need to discuss how they might travel with Ellie in this condition. Her heart ached. Could they take her? Would she die if they left her behind?
“Evelyn?” Gavin slowly moved until he was sitting at the foot of her bed. He rested a light hand on Ellie’s ankle. The way he said her name—Arianna knew her sister hated the male, but now that Kirian was gone—her jaw clenched. Would Ellie hate him even more? Would she blame him for Kirian’s death?
Gavin was just as much a victim as the rest of them. If he hadn’t made the decision to leave Ashling, then they might not have found Ellie at all. Maybe. So many things had led them to Ashling, almost as if it had been divine intervention. She wished the gods would intervene now. Heal her sister’s fractured mind. Her heart.
Zylah drew another rune over Ellie’s chest.
Arianna held her breath, but her sister didn’t react. Zylah sighed and stood. She turned to Gavin. “Call for me if anything changes.” The male nodded, then Zylah disappeared from the room as well.
Ellie needed to eat, but would she refuse? Continue to simply sit in silence? Could she even hear them?
Arianna gripped her sister’s hand just a little tighter. Her chest clenched as she ran her fingertips over the bones in Ellie’s wrists and across the marks now permanently marring her beautiful skin.
The seconds ticked by, then The Demon shifted on his feet behind her. She was keenly aware of his presence. Too aware. She wished he’d go downstairs with the others. Ellie wasn’t a threat. There was no reason for his presence.
The hair on the back of her arms rose when he stepped forward. She quickly glanced toward Gavin, but the male didn’t appear to care that this creature was approaching his mate. But she did. Arianna could already feel her magic crawling beneath her skin, ready to strike out if he so much as reached for her sister.
Arianna finally looked up, ready to tell him to back off, but the words died in her throat when she saw the agony written all over his face. Her stomach clenched in response. She hated it. Hated him. Hated the way her body betrayed her and the way her chest felt as though someone had run her through with a knife every time she saw him in pain.
“Ellie?” he whispered, his deep voice raw and broken. Oh so broken.
Her little sister’s hand twitched and Arianna’s heart jolted. She waited for more to happen, for Ellie to look up and recognize someone in the room, for the tears to spill over as she realized what she’d done.
Zylah returned with a tray that held a bowl, spoon, and a chunk of bread. Arianna positioned herself beside Ellie and took the bowl before Zylah could protest. She glanced at her sister, then, with shaking hands, filled the wooden spoon with a bit of broth and offered it to Ellie. Her mouth didn’t part. Ariannatried gently pushing the spoon against her sister’s lips. She didn’t respond.
“Eat for me,” Arianna begged, her voice cracking.
Nothing.
Tears brimmed in Arianna’s eyes as her sister sat motionless, staring at the white wall beyond. Arianna let the spoon fall back into the bowl. Her entire body trembled. They needed Sive. The Weavers had helped others in Ellie’s condition. But how long would it take to find her and, more importantly, was she even alive? Arianna’s eyes traced across Ellie’s protruding collarbones. She was already too thin.
“Ellie,” she tried again, straining to keep the hysteria from rising in her voice. “Ellie, can you hear me?”
“Ellie.” The Demon’s voice again. Frost coated Arianna’s fingertips and rage rolled through her body. That damned—her sister’s head lifted slightly. Arianna’s breath hitched. The creature gave her sister a single command. “Eat.”
