Page 109 of Aftertaste

“I almost didn’t make it back,” she whispered. “I heard you banging on the door as I was coming to. I held on to your voice.”

“Fuck,” he breathed, fighting the sting in his eyes. “And just now?”

“That was like the Met. I just… slipped through.” She shook her head. “It’s getting harder to stay alive. The Hunger—it wants to bethere. As much as I don’t. And it keeps winning.” She bit her lip, remembering. “Things are bad in the Hall. Spirits starving. The restaurants falling apart. There’s this gash, right in the central square. Spirits shoving one another out of the way to get through.”

“The tear in the veil?”

“Had to be.”

“I met your sister, by the way. She’s nice. Could use a bath.”

Maura smiled. “Plus some eternal rest.”

“She, um”—Kostya traced Maura’s face, steeled himself for what came next—“she told me what to do. To move them On.”

“Yeah.” Maura frowned. “She told me, too. But that can’t be the only way. I can go again. Maybe Frankie could—”

“No,” he said gently. “Everleigh’s crew already tried tearing the veil. You tried luring them back with Frankie. It didn’t work; itwon’twork. Because they’re tethered tome. It has to be me, Maur. The spirits I trapped, and the ones that are here now because of the veil—only I can help them.” He took a breath. “It was my choice to bring back the Dead. It’s on me now, to let them go.”

She searched his eyes for any hesitation. A doubt she could cling to. But he’d decided. Was sure.

“Okay,” she agreed. “But while you’re cooking up closure, someone’s gotta seal the veil. Otherwise they’ll just keep coming.”

“Frankie can do it.”

“I’lldo it.” She took his hand. Squeezed. “I made this bed, too. I need to help fix it. Something Ev said gave me an idea, and—”

“No. No way. I won’t let you make a one-way trip. You just said your Hunger—”

“I can’t let it control me anymore. I need to shake it off. Put it back where it came from.” She cupped his face, her hands so cold. “I can do it now. I can let Ev go. As long as she moves On, my Hunger will, too.”

“But what if—”

“I have no intention of staying Dead, Stan. I want to live when this is over. You and me.” She stared hard into his eyes. “I trust you to get those spirits where they need to go. Can you trust me to help you?”

Kostya looked back at her. Finally, he nodded.

“I trust you.” He let out a breath. “But I go first. Anything goes wrong, you abandon ship.”

“Deal.”

“And while we’re on the topic—” He took her hands in his, tried to make them warm. “What’s the least painful way to die?”

“In your sleep, probably.” She smiled. “But we don’t have todiedie. We just have toneardie.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“Remember those conventions I went to? The near-deathers? Well, this guy told me a way once. Near painless, he said. I couldn’t get the ingredients, but I bet you could.”

“What do we need?”

KOSTYA MADE TWOcalls. Both started the same way.

“Hey, it’s Konstantin. Long time. I need a favor.”

MICHEL BEAUCHÊNE TOOKa moment to consider the request.

“You just opened a restaurant,” he said at last. “Why would you need my walk-in?”

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