Page 105 of Malice

Farnsworth furrows his brow. “No. The living cannot know about our world.”

“What if she already does?”

His expression softens. “She has gifts?”

“Yeah. Hudson’s sister. She helped with the Horror and even convinced Hudson to contact me in the beginning.”

He looks uncomfortable with the thought, tapping his wing tipped shoes on the tile floors. “It’s unusual, but if you’re certain she can handle it, I’ll allow it.”

“Thank you.”

He bows his head.

“How do we prepare for it?”

“Assemble your witnesses and choose your location—I recommend outdoors—and when you’re ready, call me back.”

“Okay.”

“Do you understand, fully understand, what you’re committing to? And more importantly, does your mortal?”

“Yes. We’ve discussed it at length, and he’s prepared to accept the risks.”

“The risks, while worthy of concern, are infrequent. What’s most likely to happen is that you will live for eternity, and that is an amount of time your mind cannot yet comprehend. You are committing to this person until time ends. That is a very, very long time. The pain of a bad union is worse than anything the Below could deliver. You must be sure, Aster.”

His words bounce around my head, and as I wait for something to scare me off or tell me not to do it, I get nothing but a sense of peace and absolute certainty. Apparently, judging from his soft smile, Farnsworth senses my determination.

“Very well,” he says. “I’ll return when you’re ready.”

“Thank you.”

He nods and then he’s gone.

“Ooh this is so exciting,” Crash says.

“It is.”

I walk out to the living room where Hudson is sitting on the couch. He’s hunched over the coffee table, where he’s been since we returned from lunch, typing furiously on his laptop. He doesn’t even notice when I enter the room.

“Hud?”

He looks up and a bright smile spreads across his face. “Hi.”

“Hey. You’re busy.”

“Just excited. I have so many ideas brimming now. It’s like the dam broke on my creativity and I can barely keep up with my own thoughts.”

“That is exciting. I don’t want to interrupt but… um…”

Hudson sits back. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” I shake my head, finishing my approach and sitting next to him. “Nothing’s wrong. I spoke to Farnsworth about the bond.”

“Oh.” He grips my hand. “And?”

“He’s ready whenever we are. I got permission for Jocelyn to come if you want.”

He blinks rapidly. “Really?”

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