Gracen sits beside me as Daddy Jalon gets to his feet. He reminds me of a king. So regal. He rests his hand on my shoulder as he walks by me.
“It’s going to be okay,” Ellory says. He smiles when he meets my eyes. “I’m sorry you lived with this for so long.”
I try to smile, but Ryan is screaming. He’s so angry, I think he’s going to turn solid and lose his shit. If he’s a ghost, he can’t actually hurt anyone, can he?
Everyone looks at the door as Daddy Jalon returns with a man. His hair is gray. He has a scarf around his neck. He’s colorful, but the colors are dark. They look rich and luxurious. My breath catches as he looks like he’s staring right at Ryan.
My heart races loudly, and for a second, that’s all I hear. The man turns to me right away, looks between Ryan and me, and then at Jalon.
“This is Malin,” Jalon introduces me. “And Gracen, who reached out to you. My sons Imry, Avory, and Ellory. This is Kip Tealy.”
We shake his hand, and I subtly try to take another deep breath of Gracen’s balled-up shirt in my hand while his attention is on the triplets. When he turns back to me, he says, “There’s a very angry man here yelling at you. Isn’t there?”
Ryan is so shocked that he abruptly stops yelling and stares at Kip. My eyes widen. “You see him?” I whisper.
“I see him. I hear him too,” Kip agrees.
Chills race over my body.
“He’s really there,” I whisper, tears stinging my eyes. “I thought… I thought he was in my imagination.”
“He’s most certainly here.”
“What does he want?” Gracen asks.
Ryan looks at Gracen with narrowed eyes.“For you to fucking die for touching my boy.”
“His name begins with an R,” Kip says, frowning. Ryan looks at him again. I can almost feel his anger filling the room. “Randy or Rylan. Ryan, maybe.”
I take a breath. “Ryan,” I agree.
“He was a bad man in life,” Kip says. “He hurt a lot of people. Not always at his hand but at his instruction.” He’s quiet as hestudies Ryan. His eyes turn to me. “You were his favorite to hurt.”
“I didn’t hurt him!” Ryan shouts. “He’s mine. My boy. I love him. I love him, and these men stole him from me.”He points at the triplets.
Kip and I look at the triplets. Avory and Ellory exchange a look.
“What just happened?” Imry asks.
“He says you stole Malin from him.”
“For fuck’s sake. His name is William. Stop calling him that awful name,”Ryan scoffs.
“William?” Kip asks, looking at me again.
Everyone except Daddy Jalon looks surprised. I’m nearly crying because someone else can see him. Someone else hears him. He’s real!
“Okay,” Gracen says quietly. He gently takes my hand with his shirt in it and brings it to my face. I bury my nose in it for a minute and take a deep breath. “You clearly see him. You’ve confirmed he’s here. How do we get rid of him?”
Kip nods. “That’s up to Malin.”
“I want him to leave,” I say.
“Good. Now say that with confidence,” Kip says. “He may have had control over you in life, but he’s no longer among the living. Spirits, especially those evil in life, will push boundaries in death. You’ve allowed him to keep the control over you that he once had, but it’s time to fight back.”
“How?”
“Use your voice. Fill it with the strength from inside you. Take your control back.”
