EMBER’S POV

Rayana goes down at nine-twenty in the morning.

The first warning is a small, wet cough that shakes her whole body.

Before I can ask if she’s okay, her head falls back against the chair and keeps tipping until her neck bends at an angle that looks wrong.

One arm slips from the armrest and hangs loose at her side.

“Rayana.”

The blanket slides off her lap onto the floor.

“Rayana! Rayana!”

I’m on my knees before I even realise I’ve moved.

I put both hands on her face, trying to make her look at me, but her skin is cool under my palms, and her half-open eyes...