Aster watched her sister. The bombshell she was about to drop was already written all over her face. Cin’s dark hair used to be a riot of color, all blues, purples, and greens, but after she became a full fury, she dyed it back to her natural dark brown.

It almost made her a little sad. She loved the rebel side of her sister, the side that had given the middle finger to art school and become an amazing tattoo artist instead, the side that didn’t care what others thought of her body, so she wore whatever the hell she wanted. She hoped that side wasn’t gone.

“So, here’s the thing. I’ve been keeping a secret from you for a while now, and with everything that’s happening, I would feel like an asshole if I didn’t tell you now.” She took a deep breath and paused.

Aster wanted to shake her and tell her to just get on with it, but there was no rushing Hyacinth, never had been.

“The thing is”—Cin couldn’t meet Aster’s eyes—“we’re both adopted.” She paused again before the words came out in a rush. “Mom is actually the goddess Juventas, and we are descended from gods, or in my case, mythical beings, who couldn’t or wouldn’t raise us for whatever reason. It’s kind of what she’s taken on as her job since she was kicked off Mount Olympus. It doesn’t mean she loves us any less, just that the biology isn’t there to back us up as a family.”

Aster’s mouth had dropped open. She stared at her sister for a long moment before she said, “You do realize that sounds completely batshit crazy, right?”

“I know, but honestly, Mom wasn’t even going to tell me. I overheard her and Thad talking about it; it’s how I finally got him to tell me that he was a siren. I have no reason to lie to you, Sunshine. Sorry, I mean Aster.”

Guilt twisted through her stomach. “Listen, I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you. I know you don’t mean anything when you call me Sunshine. I’m just feeling a little like the brothers think I’m a kid, and I’m only a few years younger than you, for crying out loud! I just want to be treated as an adult, not your baby sister. It’s not your fault, though, so I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

“It’s okay. I get it. Besides, if you can’t take your frustrations out on family, who can you take them out on?” She grinned.

A dark thought swept through Aster’s mind. She knew exactly who she could take her frustrations out on, and he was currently chained up in a cage. Not that she could tell Cin any of that. Instead, she just smiled at her sister.

“Listen, go and talk to Mom when you feel up to it. See what she has to say. She might even know who your birth parents are. She had no clue with mine, but that wasn’t her fault. It might be something that helps with whatever is going on inside that noggin of yours.”

“I will, just as soon as these nightmares leave me alone for more than an hour.”

Cin got up to leave. “Just so you know, you’re still my sister and you always will be. I don’t care what any dumb DNA says. We are family.”

Aster could see the tears still shimmering in her sister’s hazel eyes, but she knew if she drew attention to it, then Cin would be uncomfortable, so she just nodded and said, “Always.”

They smiled at each other, and then she was alone in Dem’s bedroom. The thought startled her.

She was in Dem’s bedroom.

She flopped back down onto the pillows, and the scent of him wafted up around her, making her toes curl. Exotic spices and salty air. It was like the ocean was in their blood, and they carried the scent of it with them wherever they went.

Her eyes, or she supposed her eye, darted around the room, trying to take as much in as possible before he came in and kicked her out. Two of the walls were windows that looked out onto forest, the other was one long closet, and the third held a TV and the door. The TV was mounted high on the wall so he could watch it from lying in bed—that much was obvious. The single nightstand held some change in a dish and a book.

It was like he wanted to torment her with the lack of personal details around.

“How are you feelin’?” His deep voice rumbled from the doorway.

She sat back up. “Confused, mainly, and a little sore.”

“Sore?”

“I think I must have been pretty tense while I was having the nightmare. My muscles in my back ache.” She reached behind her and pressed both of her hands into the arch of her back.

Dem’s eyes dropped.

Aster had never really had a large chest, but right now, it was getting her the attention she wanted. Growing up, she’d always envied Cin’s curves, but once she discovered her love for dancing, she was glad she had a small frame. It was easier to throw herself around that way.

“Why don’t I run you a bath? It’s got jets and everything, so it will help with the soreness,” he said, wrenching his eyes away from her tits.

“That’d be nice.” She smiled at him.

He nodded and walked out.

She could have sworn she didn’t fall asleep, but suddenly Dem was there, gently rubbing her shoulder.

“Hey there, sleepy. Still want your bath?”

She nodded, rubbing her eyes. He had been careful to stay out of her blind spot ever since she woke up the first time. It was a small gesture, but one she appreciated.

“Here, allow me.” The corner of his mouth quirked up as his hands slid under her legs and around her back.

It was the closest she’d seen to a smile on his face since she came to the island. Too stunned to protest, she allowed him to carry her to the bathroom. As they entered, she saw that the same theme of wood and glass continued in the luxurious bathroom. The tub was sized for Dem, which had to mean it was specially made, since he was so tall, he wouldn’t fit into a normal tub. There was steam rising from the water and a small layer of bubbles on top.

Craning her neck, Aster took in the rest of the room. The windows that made up the outside wall were frosted until the very top, and there was a skylight right over the tub. The rear wall contained a shower and a toilet, while the opposite wall had the mirror and sink and a strange wooden box.

“What’s that?” She gestured to the wooden box with her head.

“Sauna. Good after a fight or a tough workout.”

“Wow. I bet you thought my place was pretty crap, huh?”

The dinky studio apartment she had was all she could afford, but she preferred living without roommates. Trying to explain her passing out was challenging enough as it was that she didn’t want to have to worry about it at home as well. The one thing she loved about her place was the exposed brick wall. Maybe someday she could afford a place like this. She almost laughed at herself. That wasn’t likely to happen.

Holding down a job was hard when she would have visions at work, or right before she went in, making her late or miss her shift altogether. It was why she worked the jobs she did. They were the jobs most people didn’t want.

Her most recent job was a collections agent. She spent her days hounding people for money. Not exactly the kind of job that gave her the warm and fuzzies, but she was decent at it and a valuable employee, so her boss let her medical condition slide. When she’d called to quit, it upset her more than she’d thought it would, but she didn’t want to paint targets on her coworkers’ backs and have the Order of Talos come after any of them.

“Your place was very you. A small package, full of life, and sexy as hell.” He startled her out of her spiral of downward thoughts.

“How is my place sexy?” She snorted.

“Cause if I think about it, I remember what we did while we were there.”

Aster didn’t know what to say to that. He’d made it clear that the weekend was in the past, and yet he’d brought it up. He was the one reaching out to touch her. Every time his fingers connected with her skin, it was like her body remembered exactly what he had done to her. She’d never experienced the sheer amount of pleasure before and was sure she never would again. The images that cascaded through her mind heated her skin. They had been like teenagers, barely coming up for air, and when they did, it was just to refuel and rehydrate.

Dem carefully set her down, making sure she was steady on her feet before he let go. “I’ll leave you to it. There is a towel and a robe just here. I’ll be in the living room, so just shout if you need anything.”

She nodded. What she wanted to do was tell him that he was what she needed. His hands, his lips, his everything. He made her feel safe. He helped keep the nightmares at bay. But if she said any of that, then he’d spook like a horse seeing a snake.

The door snicked quietly shut behind her, and she breathed for the first time since he’d set her down. The scent of lavender filled her nose, and as she leaned forward, she realized it was coming from the tub. Lavender bubble bath? Dem was a man of many secrets.

Stripping off her clothes, she dipped her toes into the water. The warmth spread up her leg as she submerged it further. Getting in fully, the water splashed up over her hips and abdomen as she settled, waves lapping at her breasts until she sunk even lower. The only part of her left exposed was her head and the top of her collarbone.

The water comforted her in a way she hadn’t expected. Her muscles relaxed, and the tightness in her back eased. The stars overhead twinkled as Aster looked out of the skylight, and she could see the moonlight bathing the tops of the nearby trees. It was magical.

She sighed and dipped her head underwater, her hair spreading out around her in waves as she moved. Growing up, after she discovered dance, she had always wanted to try synchronized swimming. It was like dance, but in the water. Something about that seemed amazing. But if she had a vision while she was swimming, then it would be lights out. In fact, she rarely ever even took baths, just to be on the safe side.

Panic flooded her system. It would be just her luck to have a vision while she was taking a bath. Fate had a sick sense of humor sometimes. Popping up out of the water, she took a deep breath and reminded herself that she hadn’t had a vision in a long time, and that the likelihood of her having one at that moment was minuscule.

Time seemed to slip away from her as she lay in the bubbles, the warmth seeping into her bones. When she finally went to get out, it was with regret, but the water was starting to cool and her fingers and toes were all pruney. She pulled the plug and stood, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around herself, trying to retain some of the warmth.

Wandering over to the mirror, she wiped a section of it clear from the fog that had steamed it up. Her breath caught in her throat before turning into a shriek. Black lines spread out from her now defunct eye.

Dem appeared a blink later. “What happened?” He swiveled around on high alert, looking for the danger.

“My eye! The skin is black!” She tried not to sound as terrified as she was, but it looked like some emo spider-obsessed teenager had attacked her with eyeliner. Except it was permanent. It was under her skin. The thought made her shudder.

“Oh, sorry. That happened after your last . . . episode.”

“And no one thought to tell me?” She gestured at him in frustration and almost lost her towel.

“I think we were all just so glad you were okay that it slipped our minds,” Dem said, carefully averting his eyes so if the towel did fall, he wouldn’t be looking.

He didn’t think he was being obvious, but he was, which just frustrated her all the more. No one told her about her eye, and now he wouldn’t even look at her for fear of seeing her naked. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen it all before.

Aster turned back to the mirror and poked at the delicate skin around her eye. It didn’t feel any different. The only thing she could do was hope that she didn’t have another episode, and that it didn’t spread any further. She would have a hard time going out in public as it was, and she needed to talk to her mom.

A wicked thought crossed her mind.

What would Dem do if she dropped the towel? She knew she shouldn’t, and that she was just torturing both of them if she did, but at the same time, she wanted to push his buttons so badly, she could taste it. He could get an eyeful of what he turned down.

“How am I supposed to go talk to my mom with this?”

Aster gestured to her eye at the same time she relaxed her hold on the towel. As Dem turned to respond, his eyes laser-focused on her naked form, heat boiling in their depths.

Without skipping a beat, he reached behind him and grabbed the robe off the hook, handing it to her without ever taking his eyes off her. She could feel his gaze like a touch. Sometimes it was a light brush over her skin. Other times it was a searing caress that made her body ache for him as it did at that moment.

She took the robe from him without protest and slipped it around her shoulders, tying it loosely so the neckline gaped, showing off the inner curves of her breasts.

Finally, Dem was able to say, “You’re going to talk to your mom?”

“If you wouldn’t mind dropping me off? I need to talk to her about what Cin told me.”

“That’s a good idea. It will give us a good starting place to figure out what’s causing this.” He nodded, looking thoughtful.

Something pricked at her about what he just said. “Wait, you knew?”

Guilt briefly flashed over his face before he schooled it into his carefully neutral mask. “Cin told me right before she told you. I’m sure she would have told you first had you been awake.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault!” Anger whipped through her just as fast as her desire had a moment ago.

“That’s not what I meant.” He pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand while the other rested over his hip. “You really are infuriating sometimes, you know that?”

“That’s lovely. Thanks for that. Is there anything else I should know about myself that you care to share?”

“Aster, please—” Dem’s eyes creased in concern as she pushed past him.

“It’s fine. I’m going to go to bed. Do you have a T-shirt or something I could borrow?”

Nothing took the wind out of her sails faster than having to turn around and ask for help. Even she had whiplash from her moods. They had been all over the place recently, but she hadn’t exactly been living a normal life the last couple months.

Stress did funny things to people. One of her college friends had lost all of her hair. Another one hadn’t been able to eat anything except toast when midterms and finals rolled around. Apparently Aster got moody.

“You can grab something from the closet. And you can take the bed. Unless you want me to jump you to the big house?”

She felt foolish for assuming she would be staying there. “I would prefer to stay here, if that’s okay? If I have another episode, I don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course it’s okay. I just wish you’d give me a chance to catch up to you sometimes.” He sighed and leaned back against the sink, resting his hands on the counter. The muscles in his arms were clearly defined as his T-shirt clung to his wide shoulders before it wrinkled and bunched over his waist. Her motor was running again, and he looked good enough to eat.

Forcefully exhaling, she decided that sleep and breakfast would be the cure to whatever madness had taken over her.

“I’m sorry, I’m just tired. Thanks for letting me have the bed.” She turned and walked out, resisting the impulse to go back to him and climb him like a tree.

Once she was in his bedroom, she slid a closet door open and wasn’t surprised to find everything completely orderly. All the T-shirts were together on some open shelves, while pants and suits hung on the other side, and another set of shelves held boxers and socks, among other things like belts and shoe polish.

She shook her head, grabbing a T-shirt and a pair of boxers. She stepped into the blue boxers, almost giggling at the fish that swam on them, before pulling the T-shirt over her head. Briefly she glanced at herself in the mirror, only to snort in amusement at the way the T-shirt swallowed her whole. She shimmied out of the boxers and placed them in the laundry, not needing shorts when the T-shirt functioned as a dress on her petite frame. As she collapsed onto the bed, she realized she was well and truly exhausted.