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“Last chance,” I said. “I’m offering whatever help you need.”
“The pack can protect itself. We don’t need you. We never did.” With those words, he turned and walked away.
Unbelievable. I wished I could dump his ass in the lake to be a late-night snack for the three-headed demon. Sort of.
I returned to the foyer and closed the door behind me, resisting the impulse to slam it. I felt something wet on my cheek and realized I was crying. I wiped away the tears with a trembling hand. The confrontation with West upset me more than I expected.
Ray materialized in front of me. “Problem?”
“West is a dick. That’s the problem.”
“It’s the rejection,” Ray said softly. “It’ll sting for a bit, but it won’t last.”
“How much did you hear?”
“Not everything because I follow the rules, but enough to feel disappointed in him.”
I couldn’t resist a smile. “Since when do you follow the rules?”
“He’s wrong, Lorelei. You know that, right?”
“Doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong when the outcome is the same.” I retreated into the house and shut the door. I wasn’t surprised to see that Ray followed me inside.
“Right now you’re feeling every rejection you’ve ever felt from childhood. That’s why you’re crying.”
I entered the kitchen and tore off half a paper towel to blow my nose. “It isn’t because of West?”
“West is the trigger, but the strong reaction, that’s the past combining with the present.”
I cast a sidelong glance at the ghost. “More psychology books?”
“Not entirely. I told you about that rough patch I went through with my wife.”
I nodded, remembering Ray and his daughter Renee’s recollection of his near affair.
“I went to see a therapist after that, to figure out what was going on with me.”
“That was very open-minded of you.” I didn’t know many adult men who’d voluntarily put themselves in the hot seat. Then again, I didn’t know many adult men until I moved to Fairhaven. “Did it help?”
“Sure did. I learned enough about myself and the reasons for my behavior that I was able to do better going forward.” He paused. “Not just do better, be better.”
“And you think being rejected in childhood because of my abilities is the reason I feel so upset about West’s reaction?”
“Makes sense, doesn’t it? Every time you showed a sign of power, your grandfather hauled you off to another school.”
“He did that to keep me safe.”
“Oh, I know his intentions were honorable, but he reinforced the negative associations with your identity. The other people around you reacted negatively, and your grandfather compounded the issue by spiriting you away to another school where nobody knew about your abilities. Must’ve made it feel shameful just to be yourself.”
I stared at Ray, completely unnerved by his observation. “Wow, Ray. That’s incredibly insightful.”
“The psychology books helped, too. I like reading them in my spare time.”
I smiled. “All your time is spare.”
“And I like to make good use of it. The human brain is fascinating, but I guess you know that already. People’s nightmares must reveal a lot about them.”
“They do.”
