Page 44 of Reaper

“It’s okay, Lark. Take your time.”

My grip on my purse strap tightens. Even though he tells me to take my time, a look of annoyance crosses his features before he masks it.

Fuck. I should just talk to him and then get out of here. Just because I’m here now doesn’t mean I have to see him again.

Exhaling, I grip my water bottle and my phone in my hand as I sit on the couch opposite him.

He gives me an encouraging smile and I give him a small, tight one in return. Once again, a look of disappointment flashes in his eyes before he masks it.

“Dr. Remington tells me that you’ve been seeing her to help get over the trauma of being caught in the fire at your house. I’ve read your file, Lark, but I’d like to hear it from your perspective. Can you walk me through what happened before you noticed the fire?”

Fuck. Closing my eyes, I exhale deeply again. I was hoping we’d be able to skip this part. Uncapping my water, I take a sip and then fix my gaze on the coffee table between us.

“Well, I was reading in my room and my cat, Void, was cuddled up with me.” I wet my lips as the memories wash over me and I turn my phone over and over in my hands to helpdistract myself as I tell him the details. When I get to the part of the firefighter carrying me out of my room, I pause and take another drink of water.

“As he was carrying me down the stairs, the creaking was getting worse. We were about halfway down the stairs when they gave way under us and we fell through into the basement.”

I pause again as the memories of laying on our basement floor wash over me.

The debris falling around us.

The heat.

The pain.

Struggling to get out from underneath the firefighter when he went limp over me.

“Now, I want you to stay in that moment for me, Lark,” Dr. Ashcroft tells me, and I can’t stop the whimper that slips past my lips.

Dr. Ashcroft makes a sound and I look over at him only to curl in on myself at the gleam in his eyes before he looks down at his pad of paper and makes a note.

“What did you feel in that moment, Lark?”

I lick my dry lips as my breathing picks up. “I don’t want to be remembering this. I’ve already told Dr. Remington about this. Why do I have to repeat myself?”

His eyes harden. “I need to know how you reacted to what happened in the fire so that I can help you.”

I guess that makes sense, but I still don’t like it.

“Now, how did you feel in that moment, Lark? I need you to be honest with me.”

Memories wash over me and I whimper again as I curl in on myself more, putting my feet up on the couch in front of me and holding my arms close to my chest as I grip my phone tightly.

“Scared. Hot. In pain. But mainly scared. The firefighter had me pinned under him and I couldn’t get out from underneath him.”

A shiver runs through me as that gleam in Dr. Ashcroft’s eyes brightens.

“Good.”

How is that good?

“Now, I want you to stay there for a moment.”

I whimper again and drop my gaze to my phone. I can’t continue to look at him when he’s got that weird gleam in his eyes. It’s almost like he’s enjoying my pain.

“Is there anyone that you can think of that may have wanted you to experience that kind of pain?”

I start to shake my head no, but then I bite my lip. “Maybe.”