Page 31 of Malice

“Well, shit.”

“What?” Jocelyn asks, as Hudson just looks around the empty room.

“Apparently, you’re annoying the Horror.”

Jocelyn’s brow crinkles. “The Horror?”

“Um, sorry. That’s what I call a poltergeist. Something about you is making him more violent and harder to deal with.”

She blows out a breath. “That’s happened once before. They don’t like me because I’m not easily scared or manipulated.”

“It’s possible he doesn’t want you here to protect Hudson.”

She levels me with a hard look. “Can you protect him? Because if this is who I think it is, he’s relentless. He almost killed him.”

“I know. That’s why I’m here.”

Hudson watches the interaction between us but stays quiet.

“He doesn’t have to deal with this alone,” I add. “It’s important to me too.”

“Why?” Jocelyn asks. “You don’t know us.”

Jocelyn is not a need-to-know person, so I take a second to think about how to word this. “I have a stake in getting rid of poltergeists too. I can’t tell you why, but I can tell you that I’m not going anywhere until it’s resolved.”

Jocelyn extends her hand. “Give me your hand.”

I do, watching her as she stares at my palm. When her eyes shift up, they soften with awe. “How…?”

“What’s going on?” Hudson asks. “Can you feel something, Joss?”

She clears her throat and releases my hand. “Okay.” When she turns to face Hudson, she smiles. “You can believe him. Trust him too. He’s not lying.”

Can she tell what I am? I look down at my own palm, but it looks normal to me.

“Okay,” Hudson says slowly, holding my gaze.

“Your life line is infinite,” Jocelyn whispers. “I’d love to know how that happened.”

All I do is chuckle nervously.

“I’m gonna leave,” she says to Hudson. “It’s safer for you. But I’m not far away, and I’ll come whenever I’m needed. Okay, Hud? You’re not alone.”

He nods, even as his eyes well with tears. “Okay.”

Jocelyn turns her protective gaze to me as she gets to her feet. “Don’t break your promise. If you hurt him or let him be hurt again…” She pauses, exhaling slowly. “That thing in the kitchen will be the least of your problems.”

“I understand.” I take a step closer so only she can hear me. “If it helps, it’s life or death for me too.”

She nods once. “I’m trusting you. I don’t know exactly what you are, but I believe you.”

“I’ll protect him.” I have no fucking idea how, but I have to.

Hudson and I watch his sister leave, then as he closes the front door, he gazes at me and I feel his fear.

“Tell me the truth. What are you?”

Chapter 13

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