VALERIE'S POV

~Six days before the ancient rites~

I watched Rain closely to pretend it was casual. I just don't know what this is but she's acting differently.

Her words—it wasn’t just what she said, it was how she said it. The quickness. The unnatural urgency in her voice when she insisted Sienna had to go through with the ancient rites. That wasn’t love. That wasn't a concern.

That was desperation.

And I didn’t ...