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Alarms sounded in her brain. Without stopping to think, she bolted to her feet.

Kahn instantly sobered. “Randa, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything…”

“It’s fine. I just need to go to the ladies’ room.” She edged backwards.

“Hang on, I’m supposed to ask the girl for her phone number before she rushes off.”

“I already gave you the first three digits. That’s plenty.”

“How about just the next two numbers? That can’t hurt.” He smiled coaxingly, and the impact of it magnet-wiped her brain.

Holy shit!

“Seven three.” Randa blurted out.

Then, she all but sprinted for the restroom at the back of the bar. This was terrible. A disaster. She could not feel lust for Kahn. In her whole life, she’d never felt lust. She refused to believe it was happening now and with him.

Randa burst into the ladies’ room, her sensible heels sliding on the tile floor. She was dressed in one of the practical dowdy dresses she wore to work, and it felt stifling. Like she could barely breathe in it.

Mumbai, India.

São Paulo, Brazil.

A human was standing by the long vanity mirror. She looked over in concern, as Randa slammed the door and then leaned against it, trying to calm her racing thoughts.

“Good Grief, Randa. Are you alright?” Dr. Ashley asked in that familiar calm voice that had been guiding Randa for months.

Randa heaved out a relieved breath. Perfect timing. Her therapist was here.

Chapter Ten

A woman's love is always, at first, a pure element of the soul,

and has no care nor thought for the body.

Henry C. Wright

“I’m lusting after a very annoying man.” Randa blurted out to Dr. Ashley, still leaning against the door. “What should I do?”

Ashley blinked. She was in her early forties, with blonde hair and a “You can do it!” attitude towards everyone. Not only was she Mayport Beach’s only therapist, she was also an AA sponsor. After getting clean from her own drug addiction, she now devoted herself to helping other people fight their demons.

Randa had two therapy sessions a week with Ashley. Since Ashley was a human, Randa hadn’t told her everything, of course. She couldn’t explain about the Fall or the Elemental realm. But she was able to share her feelings. She’d been skeptical when Ty, of the Water House had first suggested therapy, but she found that talking did indeed help her sort through her emotions about her capricious parents, and Hekktor’s death, and her time with Parald.

Dealing with it all made Randa feel stronger.

Ashley returned to fixing her lipstick in the mirror, even as she obligingly launched into the rhythm of one of their usual sessions. “Being attracted to someone is a new feeling for you, but it can be a very natural step on your journey. We talked about your tendency to close yourself off to people.”

Randa was too anxious to listen to that. “But what should I do?” She repeated frantically.

“What do you want to do?”

“Ignore my lust for Kahn.” Randa pronounced without even stopping to think about it. “Ignore everything about him. It will be much easier. When he smiles, it gets me all confused.”

Ashley nodded in understanding. “Physical attraction can be confusing, at times.”

“Exactly! So you think I should just ignore it, right?”

“What do you think?”