Page 47 of Malice

Hudson chuckles, even though I can tell he’s uneasy. “Why do you think he’s being quiet right now?”

“Crash thinks he’s weakened after every incident, and he probably expended a lot of energy holding the other spirits back. We should take advantage of that because once he’s at full strength, he won’t need as much recharging.”

Hudson’s phone buzzes with a text from his sister. I look over the list of things.

“Is that the stuff we need?” Hudson asks.

“Yep. I guess we should head over to Essex.” It buzzes a second time with a list of stores she recommends. Smiling, I show Hudson the screen. “She gave us places to go.”

“Awesome.”

After handing Hudson his phone, I scoop Otto up and look around just as Crash appears.

“The Horror is in the kitchen again.”

“Okay, thanks. Hopefully he stays there until I can get back with this stuff.”

When I look over at Hudson, he’s staring open-mouthed.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

He points to Crash next to me. “I can see him. Completely.”

Crash waves. “Hey.”

“Whoa.” Hudson moves to stand next to me. “He looks real.”

“I am real,” Crash says.

“I mean… uh…”

Crash cackles. “I know, dude. I’m just teasing you. It’s cool you can see me. Not many of the living can. Must be because of Aster.”

“Don’t be afraid of him.” I rub my hand down Hudson’s back, noticing how he leans into my touch. “He won’t hurt you.”

“I know. I’m not afraid, just…” He turns to look at me. He’s so close his breath warms my lips. “I’m in awe.”

“It’s definitely an experience.”

We stand, simply holding each other’s gaze for a few heavy moments until Crash pops his face between us.

“Guys, there’s a Horror in the kitchen.”

I clear my throat, stepping back. “Right. We’re going out to get supplies. We’ll be back soon.”

“I’ll be here.”

Hudson nods, stepping back as well and heading for the front door with me and Otto right behind him. We need to get these items and set up the spell to at least keep the Horror from messing with the other spirits and Crash. Maybe if I believe hard enough, the spell will add an extra layer of protection between the Horror and Hudson. At this point, I’ll try anything.

It’s a short drive to the part of Essex street where there’s a plethora of shops specializing in witchy items. I never thought I’d be one of the customers looking for these things. I chalked it up long ago as something that just made people feel like they were doing something, but now I’m not so sure. Maybe witchcraft is as real as I am. Jocelyn seems to know things other people don’t, and that’s good enough for me to believe.

We manage to find a parking spot near the main drag of shops and walk down a couple of blocks. Hudson points to a black building with lavender trim. It looks like someone’s house.

“This is the oldest witch shop in Salem,” he says. “It’s changed owners and names over the years, but it’s been open since the seventies, I think.”

“Wow. I guess that’s a good place to start then?”

“Definitely.”

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