Page 57 of Malice

“That does make me feel oddly better. You’re so gorgeous and confident, I figured you had a guy on your arm all the time.”

“Nah. I’ve turned into a total homebody actually.” He rubs his fingers under my chin. “How about we get dressed and go get that coffee?”

“Okay.”

“If you need what happened last night to be a one-time thing, that’s okay with me.” He leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “But let me be clear. It’s an open invitation. If you want me, I’m here, and I definitely want you too.”

He backs away, leaving me speechless as I watch his glorious, muscled ass retreat from my bedroom. I fall back, torn between chasing him and throwing myself at his feet and walling myself up behind the emotional fortress I’ve built brick by brick since Chester entered my life.

One option is exciting and brave, but the other is safe. Ugh.

Thirty minutes later, after a quick shower and change of clothes, I pad down the stairs to find Aster standing in my living room talking to the air while cuddling his dog. I focus on the space in front of him, catching the faint outline of Crash. I wonder why I can’t see him as clearly as I could before.

Otto launches himself out of Aster’s arms and jumps up at my legs. I bend down to scoop him up, laughing as he covers my face in dog smooches, but Aster’s heated expression when he turns toward me makes my stomach flutter.

“Ready to go?” he asks.

“Yep.”

Aster strides to the front door and opens it, ready to step out, but he smacks into some unseen barrier. “What the fuck?”

He tries again, but it’s like there’s an invisible wall. I try next but encounter the same weird sensation.

“Any clue what’s going on here, Crash?” Aster asks.

“Huh.” Crash appears fully, startling me, and tries to step through the front door, but he’s met with the same obstacle. “Be right back.”

He blinks out of sight. Otto yips but returns to his licking assault of my face.

“What’s happening?”

Aster shakes his head. “No clue.”

Before any more conversation occurs, Crash is back, his face screwed up.

“Teeny tiny problem, boys.”

Aster blows out a breath. “What now?”

“It seems this potion is stronger than you knew and it’s keeping everything, human and otherwise, inside the house.”

“Shoot.”

“I wonder if it was the powder the guy at the store gave us,” I muse.

“Maybe.” Aster nods. “I’ll just clear the threshold then.”

“No, no I wouldn’t do that,” Crash continues. “The house spirits told me the Horror is using all its energy to target you, which means getting you out of the house. If you break the barrier, it’s likely you’ll get tossed out again and blocked from coming back.”

“We’re trapped in here?” I ask.

Crash nods, a sympathetic look on his face. “’Fraid so. It’s a gnarly sitch, for sure.”

“A what now?”

Aster rubs his forehead. “So we’re stuck in here until I can get the Horror back in the Below?”

“Unless you can modify the spell.” Crash shrugs. “But magic is tricky. I’d be real careful about messing with it. It can backfire if you aren’t super specific. Case in point.”

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