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“You’re right, princess. You can do it. I believe in you.” I smile and shoot her a flirtatious wink.
Doing this isn’t easy, so I don’t expect Lyr to get it on her first try. However, she continues to amaze me and prove me wrong every day. I don’t doubt what she’s capable of.
She approaches Jake, stopping just a few feet away. Closing her eyes, she stands with her hands clasped together, as if in prayer. She mutters something under her breath, triggering a shift in the air. The room is cold enough now that Jake can see his breath. He looks frightened and bewildered as he waves a hand in front of his face, confirming the puffs that look like smoke are indeed coming from him.
The room is partially dark because the curtains are still closed. God forbid he let some sun up in here. Actually, thank God he keeps them shut, or my Strawberry Girl’s juices would be cooking like a cracked egg on the floor right now. When Lyric’s spirit flashes like a strobe light, Jake’s eyes bulge from his head and his mouth quivers.
“No. No, no, no, no, no, no.”
He crawls backward, pushing his back against the wall. “This can’t be happening. You’re dead! You fucking died, bitch!”
Lyric’s eyes shoot open, and she stares at Jake, contempt written all over her face. Her emotions are all over the place.
“You got this, Lyr.”
I’m so proud of her. My girl is more powerful than she thinks, and I’ll be the first to hype her up. In no situation will I not be her personal cheerleader… or her anything, for that matter. I’m a sucker for her and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
She smiles at me and looks back at Jake, her face morphing into something sinister. Lyric approaches him, and he goes to stand up, wobbling like a baby deer, the fear making him weak in the knees.
He holds his hands out in front of him. “Stay away from me, you dumb whore. Go to Hell!”
The audacity baffles me. As a human, I can’t imagine talking to other people that way, let alone a vengeful spirit. Not to mention what’s mine.
I flash directly in front of him so that we’re nose to nose. He can see all of me—we’ve officially exposed ourselves.
“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” I yell furiously.
Jake hollers loudly and drops to the carpet like a stunned goat.
CHAPTER 27
LYRIC
“ATTIE!” My voice goes up an octave, “What the hell? You ruined my moment. Look at him.”
I point at Jake in a heap on the ground. I’m not sure how well I was revealing myself, but I was obviously doing well enough that Jake knew it was me. Even though Attie was just trying to help, I’m annoyed with how that went down.
“Fuck. You’re right.” Attie steps back from Jake and turns to give me his full attention. “I’m not gonna lie and say that I didn’t mean to scare him, because I did, and mission accomplished. But I didn’t know he was gonna faint like that.”
The guy is a pussy. Makes sense, though, as to why he was beating on me and not other men.
“Fair. I didn’t know he was gonna do that either. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen him react that way with anything. He’s always overcompensating.”
Attie walks over to me and places his hands on my cheeks, rubbing his thumbs down my jaw.
“You did great. I know neither of us were prepared for that, but it actually works out perfectly when you think about it.”
An aha moment hits me. “We can prep while he’s out,” I exclaim.
Atticus nods in approval. I have an idea, and I leave Attie standing where he’s at as I rush to the bathroom. Crouching, I remember a can of hairspray in here, and I dig through the drawers closest to the door like a frantic trash panda.
My hand comes into contact with the aerosol can, and I yank it out of the drawer, almost whacking myself in the face. I remind myself that it’s fine; I never would’ve felt it, anyway. I raise the toilet seat and pop the top off the can; it flings somewhere nearby, and I dismiss it as I focus on spraying the inside of the toilet.
Attie comes to the door and peers in. “Whatcha doing?” he asks cheerfully.
He’s too happy; I note it and continue.
“Prep. You should really go to work on your own thing.”
