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“I don’t care!” Julian protested, squeezing my hand. “Why do you want to suppress her abilities?”

“That’s confidential,” she replied smoothly, not moved by his cold glare. “Now sit there quietly and let me talk to her.”

Julian froze, the fury rolling off him in waves.

She completely ignored him. “Has your chest been hurting since you’ve been off your medication?”

I bit my lip as I felt Julian’s gaze on me.

“N—” My hands shook as I grit my teeth. “How do you know that?”

“Finn told me,” she replied, jotting down something else in her notes .

Finn! How could he do such a thing? And just when I believed he could be on the verge of absolution!

“I—” I began, breathing through the urge to pummel him. “I never said anything.”

“You didn’t have to,” she replied evenly. “He notices everything.”

Yes, I was going to have to kill him.

“The bruise on your arm,” she began again, and I lifted my hand and held my wrist against my chest. “Has it been healing okay?”

“What bruise?” Julian interjected before I could reply, and his hands pulled at mine until he was holding my arm out between us. His touch was gentle as he turned my wrist “How did you get this?” he asked. “When?”

“When—” I flushed and looked at my knees. “When we snuck away to help James.”

“This is what you didn’t want me to see?” He looked at me, and I could see the disappointment in his eyes. “Why?”

My shoulders tensed as I looked away.

“Because it’s from Finn,” Dr. Reed replied. I stared at her. How did she know that?

But then I remembered that Finn told her everything, and I hated him even more.

“Moving on,” she continued. “How have you been handling seeing spirits?”

Julian peered down at me, our eyes meeting, and I shrugged.

“It’s… fine?” I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to say—I wasn’t even sure why this was a question.

“I’m not bothered unless the ghost is actively trying to kill me,” I said, glaring.

Since she and Finn were friends, and apparently discussing me on a regular basis, I hoped she might relay this message back to him.

Julian fidgeted. “What are you talking—” he began .

Dr. Reed put her hand up, cutting off Julian’s questions. “Are you ready to talk about your early experiences, Bianca?”

My musings halted, and a sense of numbness began to crawl out over my skin. “What?”

“When you first started seeing spirits,” she repeated, holding my gaze. She was looking for something. “Your first ghost. Can you tell me what happened?”

I grabbed at my hair as my ability to speak was suddenly lost.

Sound was muted, and time faded from my awareness.

All that existed was the cold, dark night and the drowning rain.

Kieran’s face swam in my vision, his expression darker than usual.

Worry and fear flashed across his silver eyes as he realized what I had done.

I could hear his deep voice. I’d replayed that conversation so many times.

I’d messed up. There was no way to make things right.

Gradually, color bled through the darkness. A familiar voice spoke into my ear as safe arms held me. I opened my eyes and was looking up into Julian’s panicked face.

“Bianca,” he said, touching my cheek. He sounded a second away from crying. “Bianca, are you all right?”

Dr. Reed, who had been hovering in the background, slowly returned to her seat. “That’s worse than before,” she remarked.

Julian turned to her. “This has happened before?”

Dr. Reed, instead of answering, was watching me. “You can’t talk about the past, but you’re not afraid of ghosts anymore?”

I blinked at her and Julian’s hand fell away.

What was she saying? “I have never been afraid of ghosts,” I told her.

Her hand jerked. “But—” she began as she flipped through the pile of papers in her lap. “But—”

“Will you please explain what’s going on?” Julian’s posture stiffened as his patience reached an end. “You suppressed her abilities because you thought she was afraid?”

“Not entirely.” Dr. Reed pressed her lips together as she scanned her notes. “But it was one of the reasons.”

Julian narrowed his eyes. “And what else?”

“I need to look something up,” she said, closing the folder as she stood. “But based on this, I don’t think we need to put you back on a full dosage. However, it all comes down to what your parents believe to be best.”

I hugged myself. It wasn’t fair!

“You can’t let them medicate her against her will!” Julian wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “And what do you need to look up?”

Dr. Reed paused, studying him. For a moment, I thought she wouldn’t answer.

“I might need you later, Julian. But first, I need to follow up on a few things.” Her gaze moved between us. “Just take care of her,” she told him.

And with that, she left the room, leaving Julian and me alone.

Julian held me to him, his expression severe. Slowly, dread began to fill the emptiness.

My parents had full control over my medical decisions. It didn’t matter that I was eighteen. It didn’t matter what I wanted.

And there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Dr. Reed seemed to be sympathetic. She’d found a way for me not to be alone, at least. But what if she couldn’t stop them? Could my parents ignore her suggestions? I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t even known that my parents had that much control over me.

My entire life was spiraling, and I had no say in the matter.

Julian rested his cheek against my head. “Are you all right, dearest? ”

I wondered about the answer to his question myself. The truth was, I didn’t know.

Everything was different. Not long ago, I knew nothing other than what Finn and my parents told me. And now, a whole new world existed.

A world that, from what I was beginning to suspect, didn’t want me in it.

Why else would this be happening to me? Damen said that the Council wouldn’t accept me. But why?

I had killed people, so I was dangerous. But the others had too, and they were allowed to live in peace.

What made me any different?