Dem didn’t know what to do. Aster had been writhing on the couch for over an hour now. Hal had come and gone, once again coming to the conclusion that this wasn’t something physical that he could correct, but rather something metaphysical or magical that would have to run its course.

That just wasn’t acceptable to him.

There had to be something he could do, some way to help. Aster had been talking to someone in the beginning, and when she woke up, he was going to find out exactly who it was, but until then, he was going to make her as comfortable as possible. Scooping her small shaking frame up, he walked her into his bedroom and, pulling back the quilt, set her down among the mass of pillows he had accumulated over the years. She looked so small on his bed.

It was the one area he allowed himself to have whatever he wanted. Custom-built bed that was bigger than any he had ever found? Check. Stupidly expensive sheets? Check. A comforter or quilt for each season? Check. More pillows than he knew what to do with? Double check.

Covering Aster with the quilt, he pulled out his phone and messaged Thad and Cin. She was his last hope of anyone being able to shed light on what was going on. The only reason he hadn’t contacted her first was because he knew the sisters weren’t in a good place after they butted heads earlier. Plus, Cin was still learning what being a fury meant, and he suspected Aster hadn’t really worked through what had happened to her.

He prayed to the gods that something like this had happened before, but if it hadn’t, he wouldn’t stop looking for whatever the cause was. He might be denying everything he felt toward Aster, but he wouldn’t abandon her just because his desire for her pounded through his veins like a stampede. The need to protect her drowned the rest out, for now, at least.

“Dem?” Thad’s voice called out.

Instead of just messaging back, Thad and Cin had jumped over.

“Here,” he called as he walked out of the bedroom.

“What’s going on?” Cin’s voice was thick with worry. He could almost see her fury side rising within her.

“Let’s go sit. Coffee? Water? Vodka?” He looked between his brother and new little sister, still getting used to Thad’s blue eyes and Cin’s presence by his brother’s side.

“No. Just tell me what’s going on with my sister.”

They sat by the pool. He found it slightly ironic that he had sat in these same seats with Aster a month or so ago, telling her that they could be friends even though he couldn’t get the weekend they’d spent together out of his head. And he told her about Isa, something he hadn’t planned on, but it was good that she knew. The pain and disappointment in her gold eyes had been a punch in the gut.

He reined in his thoughts and focused on the present, explaining everything he could to Cin.

“So she’s unconscious in your bed right now?”

He nodded.

“Brother, what she told you about the first vision, I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

“I figured. I just wanted to cover all the plausible bases before expanding my thinking.”

Cin looked at her soulmate, her mouth bracketed with concerned lines as a little v formed between her brows. When Thad nodded, Dem knew that he’d made the right call. Cin knew something about Aster that she didn’t know about herself.

“Aster doesn’t know this, but she and I were both . . . adopted, in a fashion. Julie, our mom, is actually the goddess Juventas. Apparently, she takes in the kids of gods and mythical creatures who can’t or won’t care for them. The thing is, she had no clue who my parents were, which is why my fury side was such a surprise, but she has an idea of who Aster’s parents might be. I don’t know that she’d ever pursue them or give you that knowledge, but she might give it to Aster.”

Dem felt rocked to his core. Had he known of Aster’s connection to a goddess, he never would have even talked to her. The gods were poison to him. Everything they touched seemed to become diseased or decay, not to mention they had collectively thrown him off Mount Olympus when he’d confronted Zeus. They had all been so scared of the thunder god that they let him get away with whatever he wanted. Anger boiled through Dem’s blood at the memory.

“Do you mind if I go see Aster?” Cin’s voice cracked a little at the end as the emotion she was trying so hard to hold in escaped.

“Of course not. She’s just around the corner to the left.” Dem pointed in the direction of his bedroom.

Thad stayed behind as Cin made her way out. “Are you okay, Brother?”

“Why would I not be okay?”

Thad quirked an eyebrow at him. “Really? Are we hiding things from one another now?”

Dem sighed. He should have known. Not only was Thad his best friend, the brother he was closest to, but he also had visions similar to Aster, a trait passed down by their grandmother, who was the most powerful Oracle of Delphi.

Keeping his voice low as he spoke, Dem said, “Aster and I met once a while back. We spent the weekend together. I didn’t realize she was Cin’s sister until we got her back to the island and she was cleaned up.” He paused, waiting to see if his brother expected more, or if he could get away with just that. When no response came from Thad other than raised eyebrows, Dem knew he wasn’t getting out of this easily. “I care for her. She’s Cin’s little sister, and she’s been through enough. I just want to get through this so she and I can both move on with our separate lives.”

“I see.” Thad’s eyes, the palest sapphire, glittered with unspoken knowledge. “Why do you have to be separate? It’s been obvious, at least to me, that something has been going on between you two for a while now. Why not see where it goes?”

Dem felt like he’d been slapped. He thought that his brother would get it, that he wouldn’t have to explain why this would never work, why he would never be good for Aster. His voice was rough with emotion when he finally spoke. “Have you forgotten what happened to Isa? How can I condemn another woman to that fate? It’s better that I just keep my distance.”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten Isabeau. I’m not trying to be harsh when I say this, but, Brother, she’s been gone a long time, and she wouldn’t want you to withdraw from life just because you were scared. She was fearless and would expect you to be the same.”

Dem couldn’t listen, didn’t want to hear anyone else’s thoughts on his Isa. No one else had seen her in the asylum, had seen what they did to her, except him. He would forever feel the guilt of what he did. Standing, he went and poured himself a drink. The thick clear liquid sloshed in the glass before he tipped it into his mouth. The almost flavorless liquid was biting at first before warming him as he swallowed. He refilled the glass.

Taking a deep breath, Dem knew he had to squash whatever Thad was thinking, or his brother would never leave it alone. “Listen, I know you mean well, but—”

“Something’s happening!” Cin’s voice called frantically from the bedroom.

Thad and Dem both jumped there. Sure, it only saved a second or two, but when someone was sick or hurting, a second or two could make all the difference.

As he looked down at Aster’s waves of blonde hair spread over the pillow he had put her on, he immediately saw what had scared Cin. Black vein-like spider webbing spread around Aster’s damaged eye, making it seem as though her face was cracking. Dem’s hand came out and skimmed over the delicate skin of Aster’s forehead, feeling for any changes, but there was nothing there. He’d expected either a ridge or dip where the lines were, but her skin was as smooth as he remembered. The discoloration was strongest on her eyelids themselves, making it look like she was wearing heavy makeup on a single eye.

Aster gasped, making everyone in the room jump.

Her eyelids fluttered open. A sob escaped her sister, and Dem realized exactly how worried Cin had been, which was almost as worried as he was. As he watched Aster take in the scene around her, something in his chest eased.

A liquid gold eye traced the line of his face, skirting his own gaze, while her icy blue eye just seemed to be along for the ride. It didn’t seem to have the same emotion, the same expressive nature as its gold counterpart, making it almost seem as though two people were looking out at him instead of just one.

“Hey,” she said, looking at her sister.

Tears streamed down Cin’s face as she rushed forward and crushed Aster to her in a way only family could.

“I’m okay,” Aster’s voice croaked as Cin pulled back. “Could I get some water?” She glanced at Dem.

He was in the kitchen with the glass half full and back again before anyone really started processing what was going on. “What happened this time?” Dem’s mouth moved before his mind could catch up.

As this captivating woman relayed the torture that had happened to her in her own mind, Dem struggled to control his anger. When he found whoever was doing this to her, they were going to get the beating of a lifetime.

“Dem, calm down. My fury is angry enough for both of us. You don’t need to feed that fire.”

“Sorry.” He was still getting used to having something even he had considered a mythical creature as a living, breathing person beside him.

Being a fury was a challenge that Cin was handling but wouldn’t talk about with anyone other than Thad. He knew she was sensitive to anger, but he hadn’t realized how much. Clamping down on his emotions, he moved to the back of the room.

“Actually, would you guys mind giving us a minute?” Cin looked at both of them meaningfully, and they scurried out.

Dem could only imagine what Aster’s reaction was going to be after finding out that Cin wasn’t her biological sister and that the woman she thought was her mother was actually a minor goddess. As he walked out of the room, he glanced over his shoulder at Aster and caught her watching him. Something kicked at the door to his heart, and he wanted to kick back. All he knew was that it felt like he was fighting a war he wasn’t going to win. Whether it was for or against Aster, he didn’t know. At least, not yet.