Page 93 of Malice

“Oh. So he’s okay?”

“I don’t know, Aster.” Crash’s voice is unusually soft. “I can’t go there. I could be dragged back to the Below. I’m sorry I can’t help more.”

“You helped a lot. Thank you.”

He nods. “Before you go, maybe set up your banishment circle. If you’re able to grab the Horror, you want somewhere to bring it.”

“Right. All I need is salt and a sigil, right?”

“Right.”

“Handbook.”

I call up the page on sigils, locating the banishment symbol. It’s pretty simple—two intersecting lines with one extending downward on one end. I hurry down two flights of stairs and into the kitchen, frantically opening cupboards and the pantry until I find the salt and get busy creating the circle, even as my hands shake and my mind conjures images of Hudson being hurt.

“Done.”

“I’ll keep Otto clear of it,” Crash says.

“Thanks.” I blow out a breath and then tip the vial over my mouth, catching a few drops of bitter liquid on my tongue. I just hope I’m not too late.

Chapter 31

Hudson

Iscramble back in shock. He looks alive. Fully formed and human. The only giveaway that he’s not is the eerie gray light glowing around his body.

“I’m flattered you came all this way to see me again,” he says. “I knew you’d eventually realize we belong together.”

“The fuck are you talking about? I didn’t come here for some kind of reconciliation. Have you forgotten that you’re dead?”

“No. That’s the beauty of this place. You can be dead too, just as I intended, and we’ll spend eternity together.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” I get to my feet, puffing my chest. “I hate you.”

“The line between hate and love is a thin one.”

He steps toward me and that’s when I notice the bloody hole in his temple and the massive, gaping wound on the back of his head. Fucking hell.

“It’s not thin for me. It’s as wide as the Pacific Ocean. In fact, I’d swim from here to California before I’d even consider letting you touch me again.”

Chester narrows his eyes, blinking awkwardly, as if it takes effort to do it. His irises are jet black and too large, another clue that this is not the man I dated.

“I did come here for a reason, but not the one you think. I want to know a few things. Namely, why are you so obsessed with me? What is it about me that you can’t let go of, even in death?”

Chester bares his teeth in what I think is supposed to be a smile, but it’s crooked and off, like he doesn’t remember how to do it anymore.

“Because you’re perfect,” he says. “You’re smart and talented and incredibly attractive.”

I pull my head back. “Those are hardly unique qualities.”

“You didn’t let me finish.”

He’s on me in a flash, gripping my chin and filling my nose with foul breath that smells like a rotting animal corpse. I extend my arms to put space between us, but it doesn’t help much.

“You’re naive,” he continues. “And weak. You’re so easy to manipulate. How could I let go of such a prize?”

I narrow my eyes. “You’re wrong. I’m not weak or naive. Maybe you were able to trick me for a few months, but if you recall, I dumped you. I saw what a piece of shit you were, and that you weren’t even close to being good enough for me. Just like everyone you date. They all eventually see what a monster you are.”

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