Page 107 of Unveil

He exhales a grudging sigh. “After talking to her, I think I know that now.”

Pride swells in my chest, until he adds, “Which is why you need to do something for me.”

“Okayyy,” I hedge. “Only if it helps Luna.”

“It will,” he rushes out and continues reluctantly. “But she might not like it. Not if it’s too late.”

My jaw clenches. I glance toward the cabin, where she’s still curled over Benoit, and take another casual step farther down the path.

“Ialready don’t like this. What do you mean?”

The phone exchanges hands with a shuffle before Scarlett takes over.

“She needs her medicine. Especially after everything.”

Something in her voice makes my mouth dry.

“What medicine?” I rasp.

“Benoit should have it. All the shadows Sol sent out carried some. We wanted to get them to her as soon as possible. According to her pill organizer, she already missed two days even before Bon Temps Night.”

“What are they for?” I rake a hand through my hair, pacing, the slim pill bottle burning in my jeans pocket. “Is she okay?”

“I hope so. She needs them soon, though. Abrupt withdrawal can trigger symptoms. But how or to what degree isn’t predictable. It’s a tricky diagnosis.”

My pulse quickens. “Mrs. Bordeaux?—”

“Scarlett’s fine.”

“Scarlett, I’m trying not to freak out here.”

She swallows audibly. “My daughter… She has what I have. Bipolar disorder. Type two. It’s a little different than mine but can still be just as difficult.”

My breath catches. The Bordeauxs keep certain things tightly under wraps, with their medical privacy at the top of the list. As fucked up as it was to stalk Luna for so long, I didn’t feel right asking Dash to hack into those systems. I figured out Mrs. Bordeaux’s bipolar disorder type one diagnosis from word of mouth and rumors about episodes a long time ago. But nothing,nothingeven hinted that Luna has it.

Or did I miss it?

Emotion is thick in my throat. “Okay. How can I help her?”

She exhales what I’m pretty sure is relief, like I passed a test.

“It’s really encouraging that’s your first question.”

I frown. “What other question is there?”

She huffs dryly. “You’d be surprised what people say.”

My brows raise, but she continues, “Let me give you a quick rundown. First thing you need to know is stress and poor sleep are major triggers for our Luna. Emotional overload’s one too. What would make someone else crack might shatter her. Any combination of those could trigger a depressive or hypomanic episode, and the other will almost always follow. Or, like I said, she could be completely fine.”

My gaze drags back to Luna, still mourning her dead friend… in an abandoned shack… one I’ve basically held her hostage in… and kept her up with my nightmares… after kidnapping her.

Well shit.

“Alright.” I shut my eyes, grimacing. “Hit me with it.”

She walks me through the symptoms Luna experiences during episodes, starting with depression, none of which I’ve clocked.

But when Scarlett moves on to hypomania, certain hallmark signs have my chest tightening to the point of pain. I have to fight the sensation that I’m drowning, trapped deep underwater.