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Her eyes slid shut. “I wish…”

“What?”

She said nothing.

“Talk to me, Roe?”

Her gaze locked on mine. “I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want…this, anymore. I’m worse, Iris, and I’ve…I’ve had enough.”

I didn’t know if something had caused this or if my sister was just tired, too tired to fight her emotions today, to put on the brave face she always presented to us—but seeing her like this destroyed me.

I went to her, pulling her into my arms, and the floodgates opened, the last shreds of her control shattering. Rose cried, her frail body shaking so hard I thought she’d hurt herself.

“It’s not fair,” she choked out. “It’s not fucking fair.”

Grief and despair tore at my heart. Rose never let us see her like this. She bottled it all up for her and us.

And not for the first time, I prayed to the goddess, asking her to spare Rose, to make her well, but in my heart, I knew my plea fell on deaf ears. There was nothing anyone could do for her. We’d tried everything over the years.

We clung to each other, and I cried with her, shaking with rage of my own, that this was happening to her, to us. Rose was right, none of this was fucking fair.

I stayed with her until she cried herself out and collapsed into a deep sleep.

Wiping my eyes, I instructed Nia to stay with her.

I headed downstairs, and Ronan stood in the doorway, a pack of gummy bears in his hand. “Hey, Ronan.”

“I came up,” he said. “But I didn’t want to disturb you both. Why was Rose crying?” he asked instead of his usual greeting.

I shook my head. “She’s just…having a bad day.” I didn’t know how else to explain it to him.

He frowned, then started for the stairs.

“Please, don’t wake her. She wore herself out. She needs rest.”

Ronan turned to me. “I would never wake Rose. I would never do anything to hurt her.”

“Of course. I know you wouldn’t.” The way he said it gutted me, as if I didn’t trust him anymore. As if me seeing him feeding at The Vault had changed my opinion of him.

He inclined his head and headed upstairs and I made my way to the library to search for that book. But after another good look, I was positive it wasn’t there. Several other books were missing as well, which usually meant Willow had been here.

I quickly sent her a text, explaining the book I was looking for.

She replied immediately.

Willow: It’s at the shop. I don’t need it anymore, if you want to pick it up.

I rushed upstairs and faltered at the door when I saw Ronan sitting by Roe’s bed. My sister had rolled to her side while she slept, and her hand was on top of Ronan’s. The male was looking down at it, his lavender gaze locked onto her frail hand, his entire body motionless.

“Ronan?”

He looked up.

“I have to leave for a bit. Are you okay to stay with Rose for a while longer? I don’t want to leave her on her own.”

He nodded and then looked back down at Rose’s hand. I had no idea what was going on in his head, and I didn’t have time to question him. The only thing that mattered was that Roe was safe with him. I rushed back down, snatched up my keys, and headed out.

I spotted Asher behind me in her truck about fifteen minutes later. I thought she’d approach when we reached Willow’s store, but she didn’t. Draven still had her following me, but she must have been instructed to stay back.