My magic poked at her aura. There, sunk beneath her skin, was a powerful Roberts spell, one only I could break. My lips twisted to the side. “Why can’t I sense your elemental magic?”
“Because I’m not an elemental.”
I tilted my head. “You aren’t a vampire or shifter either.”
“I’m human. One very much on the inside of the community with a few quirks and perks of the supernatural variety, but still human. It means I have no affiliations, making trust a little easier to find.”
Clever. “I bet you are in high demand.”
“I can’t complain.”
A stretch of silence followed her words. I’d never been inclined to fill a quiet space. In fact, I valued those moments above all else, but something about the doctor made my mouth open, and I began to talk. I left out my lineage, since that wasn’t the biggest thing making my heart ache, but I described the torture and the subsequent invasion of my privacy to alter my memories. Elara listened intently, making notes and nodding in encouragement. If I got it all out now, then she wouldn’t need to come back, and she could report to my family that I was sane and in no need of further psychological help.
“The removal of your memories appears to be a bigger pain than the one your grandmother inflicted,” she said.
My chest became heavy, and a dull ache started in my temples. “It wasn’t totally unexpected coming from her. From them, it was.”
“Do you understand why they did it?”
I nodded. “Sure, but that doesn’t negate the betrayal. So before you start preaching to me about them saving me, I’m not interested. I’ve heard it all before.”
“Don’t try to guess my thoughts, Cora. I was going to say you have every right to feel betrayed. They chose wrong.”
I blinked as I felt the small validation penetrate my soul. “Okay.”
“They took a path that made you feel weak and incapable. It wasn’t their place to rip away your memories. They should have found someplace in the universe safe enough to allow you to break, to work through the trauma.”
“They thought I was a threat to myself and everyone around me.”
Her lips quirked. “You’re telling me with two archangels on your emergency contact list, they couldn’t have carved out a piece of the world to control the damage?”
“There were other options,” I breathed.
She nodded. “There are always other options, and that brings us back to yours and the choice you’re going to have to make.”
“Which is?”
“Are you ready to break apart? Are you prepared for the possibility of losing yourself? And could you forgive yourself if you hurt someone you love in the process?”
I opened my mouth, but she held her hand up, rose, and collected her muffin. I debated warning her but decided she was capable of making her own cuisine decisions. “Our time’s up.”
My eyes darted to the clock. How had it been an hour already? “You’re leaving?”
“For now.”
Before I could answer, a crash echoed from upstairs. Harry shouted something about pineapples while Maggie squealed and Bella yowled. I heaved a heavy sigh and hauled myself to my feet.
“Same time next week, if your house is still standing.”
“It rarely is,” I said.
Elara smiled before stepping through the office wall and vanishing.
Harry poked his head through the ceiling a moment later, eyes wide. “She just ghosted you.”
“Perfect.” I sighed, sinking back into my chair. “Even my therapist can walk through walls.” Wait, I had a therapist? I tipped my head back and squeezed my eyes closed. The painful memories waited for me with bated breath, ready to consume, to dominate, to destroy me.
Yep, I had a therapist.
