I offered her a bottle of water, which she accepted. She was going to need it if she consumed the muffin. I was undecided if I was going to warn her yet.
“So what do you want to discuss? The way my mate can turn off his light, roll over in bed, and start snoring thirty seconds later?”
“If you like.”
“He’s also a pillow hog.”
Her lips twitched. “Ditch him now.”
“I gave up my side of the bed for him.”
“Was it the one closest to the door?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“He wants to put himself between you and any threats that come stalking into the bedroom.”
“I can handle myself.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
My lips twisted to the side, and I folded my arms. Well, that conversation didn’t help one bit. Glad to be proven right. Now I just needed to survive the next fifty-seven minutes.
“You’re handling it well,” Elara said.
“What?”
“The murders. Your grandmother.”
She was very much in the know. I tilted my head, trying to get a read on her. She wasn’t a shifter or a vampire. Was she an elemental?
“Mass murder on a Wednesday? No better way to wake up.”
She smiled faintly as I took a sip of my water. “Humor as deflection. Noted.”
“It’s that or scream therapy. It’s survival.”
“Survival isn’t the same as living.”
I leaned back, studying her. “Do you talk like this with all your clients, or just the ones with evil relatives?”
“I adapt to whatever people need.” Her gaze was steady, kind but unyielding. “You carry guilt for things you couldn’t stop.”
“Story of my life,” I muttered.
“What if you reframed it? You didn’t cause the chaos; you endured it. That’s strength, not failure.”
I chuckled under my breath. “You sound like a motivational poster.”
“Maybe. But you don’t trust peace, do you? You think it’s a trap.”
“Peace doesn’t last. It’s just the intermission before the next battle.”
“Then maybe,” she said, retrieving a notebook and pen from her designer purse, “your work is learning to let the world hold still long enough for you to believe otherwise.”
I folded my arms and leaned back. “I’m sorry, I’m not about to spill my secrets to a woman I just met.”
She blinked. “I’m under a gag spell, Cora. Check for yourself. Your aunt made sure of it, but I offer it to all my clients.”
