Page 35 of Malice

Aster startles and blows out a breath before forcing a smile to his face. He nods as his eyes shift to the left. “I’ll tell you on the way to your house. If you really want to go back.”

“I have to get him out of there. I saved for years and watched that neighborhood like a hawk just to be able to live there. I’m not letting him take that from me.”

“I understand. Ready then?”

“Sure.”

I’m still cuddling Otto when he wiggles and wags his tail wildly at what appears to be nothing.

“Um, is there a spirit here?”

Aster turns to me and nods. “Yeah. Harmless. He’s my… guide, I guess you could say.”

“And Otto can see him?”

“Animals can see the spirit world. Kids too. We can’t as adults because we have too many defenses. Too many rational ways to explain it.”

“But you can see them.”

Aster nods. “Yes, but it’s new.”

“Why can’t Jocelyn see them? She’s into this stuff.”

“I don’t know. Maybe she has a block she’s unaware of. I don’t really recommend it. It’s jarring.”

“Maybe, but at least you can see the enemy you’re fighting. I’m helpless.”

“Not anymore, Hudson. I’ll be your eyes.”

As I search his face, I’m reminded of the strange daydream I had earlier, of drawing close and tasting his full lips, of running my fingers through his unruly curls, of how his lean muscles would feel under my touch.

It felt so real.

I shake my head and chuckle. The last thing I need is to develop an attraction to this guy. I don’t know anything about him and I’m not willing to put myself out there again for someone else to stomp all over me. It’s just my long-dormant libido perking up. I haven’t even gotten myself off in ages. Aster is attractive, so sue me for fantasizing a little.

Even if I was interested, I’m hardly boyfriend material. It’s gonna take a lot of work to climb out from under this pile of trauma weighing me down. I’ll get started just as soon as I rid myself of Chester once and for all.

“Ready to go back?” Aster asks.

I nod, exhaling slowly. “Ready.”

Chapter 14

Aster

In the car, I glance at Hudson, mentally stuck on a few issues. How the fuck am I going to deal with Chester? How will I keep Hudson safe in the meantime? And the big one—how do I ignore the strange pull I’ve felt towards him for the last few hours?

It seemingly came out of nowhere. Yes, I found him attractive at first sight, but I’ve seriously got bigger issues to deal with than that. It’s just that ever since he had that episode at his house where he checked out for a bit, I’m more aware of him, more drawn to him. So weird.

“You told me you’d explain how you found me on the drive back,” Hudson says, turning to face me. “So tell me.”

Crash appears in my rearview mirror, leaning on the headrest of Hudson’s seat. He’s grinning and wiggling his eyebrows.

“The big reveal. Dun dun dun.”

I shake my head. “I’ll tell you, but you have to do your best to believe it. It’s pretty wild.”

“Okay.”

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