Page 52 of Malice

“Real and living.” He offers a quirky smile. “When you meet the criteria you’re given the chance to come back as if nothing happened, but you become what I am now. A Soul Chaser.”

“A Soul Chaser.”

Aster nods. “Remember the mansion I told you about and how Chester’s soul escaped from the worst room?”

“Yeah. You call them Horrors.”

“Correct. I was assigned to this Horror. It’s my job to get him back where he belongs.”

“What happens if you don’t?”

“Not an option.”

I tilt my head. “No one ever fails?”

I notice the brief flash of concern across his features before he neutralizes his expression.

“Come on, Aster. You’ve told me this much. Tell me the rest. I can handle it. It is my life after all.”

After a pause, Aster leans back and fixes his gaze on me. The simple gesture makes my stomach flip, reminding me how long it’s been since I’ve been even remotely attracted to someone, and my attraction to Aster isn’t remote at all.

“Failure happens,” he says softly, his words slow and measured. “The spirit world is tricky, and obviously, the Horror doesn’t plan to go willingly.”

“And what happens to you if you fail?”

“I lose my second chance.”

“Your second—” I pull my head back as the meaning of his words hits me square in the chest. “Aster. You would die?”

He nods, forcing a distant smile to his face that doesn’t come close to reaching his eyes. “That’s why I won’t fail. I don’t want to die, and honestly, now that I know what you’re dealing with, I’ll do everything I can to fix it.”

“Why? Besides the obvious benefit to you?”

“I care, Hudson. Maybe that’s another part of the criteria they didn’t overtly mention. It’s compassion. You didn’t deserve this. Any of it. I have the power to make it go away and I will. I would even if my own life didn’t depend on it.”

I twist my lips to fight back the swell of emotion building in me. It’s weird, but I believe him, and there’s not a single warning bell going off in my head telling me that I shouldn’t. Am I so desperate for comfort that I’ll believe anyone or is he legit?

“What’s wrong?”

I shake my head. “Nothing. I appreciate you.”

He tilts his head. “You’re holding back. I was open with you. You should be open with me.”

I scratch the stubble on my cheeks. “You’re right. Obviously, I’m a hot mess when it comes to dealing with people. Chester really fucked me up, especially—” I stop myself, worried about how he might interpret my words.

“Especially?”

Of course he’s not gonna let it go. I want to tell him how I feel. I really want to open up to someone I’m not paying and who isn’t my worried sister, but trusting someone new feels about as good as ripping a barely formed scab off a new wound.

“If you’re worried about trusting me, I get that.”

I look up at him.

“You’ve been traumatized by a person you hoped you could trust. I can’t imagine how hard it is to believe in someone again, but what’s the alternative? Do you sequester yourself in this big, beautiful house and feed your soul through fictional worlds? If that’s enough for you, then do that.”

He rises from his seat and moves to the couch, sitting beside me.

“But I believe you want connection, because we all do. We can pretend we don’t need other people, but humans aren’t designed that way. It feels easier to build a wall and stand safely behind it, but there’s no joy there. It’s hard and it’s scary to try again, I know. I’m not pretending to understand what you’ve been through, but I can relate to shutting people out. I think I’d rather take the hits than sit alone on a shelf unscathed though. It’s part of life and a part I won’t take for granted again.”

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