13. Hudson
Chapter 13
Hudson
A ster seems to flinch, then mutters under his breath.
“Who are you talking to?”
His eyes snap to mine. “Sorry. I get a lot of messages in my head. I’m still learning how to deal with them all.”
“My sister asked if you’re a medium.”
“That’s the best way to describe it.”
Aster nods absently, as if he can hear something I can’t, then he smiles.
“We could stay at my house until this is resolved. I can come back when you’re not here. It might be safer for you.”
I scoff. “I don’t know you. I’m not staying at your house. Besides, no one is chasing me from my own home.”
Aster nods, exhaling slowly. “Right. It’s just that?—”
His dog, a cute little ball of white fluff, growls at the ceiling, his tail stiff and alert. The air turns frosty again, and I’d swear the lights just flickered. Instinctively, I move closer to Aster.
“What’s happening?”
Aster’s eyes trace across the ceiling. “It’s attempting to move outside the kitchen. This Horror is very motivated. It’s learning quickly.”
“Is it… is it really Chester?”
Aster shifts his gaze to me as he frowns. “Yes. He escaped the underworld.”
“To get to me?”
Aster nods. “If you’re not comfortable staying with me, I think I should probably stay here, at least for a while. Until…” His brow creases as his words trail off.
“Until what? It kills me?”
“No.” His tone is urgent. “I won’t let that happen.”
“Do you have the ability to stop it?”
“Yes, but it’s not easy. You’ve seen what it can do and it’s not at full strength yet. You can’t even see it completely, but I can.”
“You can… see Chester?”
“I assume. Do you have a picture of him?”
“It’s in the article about what happened.”
Aster pulls his phone out of his pocket and types on the screen, pausing when he finds the article. I can see the headline out of the corner of my eye. “Local writer severely wounded in attempted murder/suicide case.” The constant knot of anxiety in my gut throbs as nausea washes over me again.
Aster’s face goes pale right in front of me. “That’s definitely him.” He shoves his phone back into his pocket. “Fuck.”
“Are you scared of him?”
Aster’s expression shifts to determination. “No, and you don’t need to be either. I’m here to help.”
I have a million questions, like how did he find me, what is he actually, and does he really know how to fix this, but I’m too overcome by a strange sensation to ask anything. Aster tilts his head, and I see his lips moving, but can’t hear a single word. What the fuck. Am I having a stroke? A psychotic break?
Heat flashes through my body, and as I break out in a sweat, my breathing becomes shallow, and to my shock, my cock thickens. Oh god. What is this?
“Hudson? Are you okay?”
Aster’s voice is muffled, but the closer I get, the clearer it is.
“You’re so hot,” he says. “I’ve waited forever for a man like you.”
How is this happening?
“That’s right, Hudson. Give yourself to me. I want you more than anyone ever has. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll keep you forever.”
I close my eyes as our lips meet and Aster’s hot tongue tangles with mine. His body is hard and strong as he wraps his arms around me, holding me up, keeping me safe.
When he slides his hands into my jeans, there’s no warning ping telling me to stop or slow this down. I want him. I want him to want me. I want to be loved. Is that why Aster came?
“Hudson? Are you feeling okay?”
I blink, finding Aster in front of me, concern all over his face as he grips my upper arm.
“Do you need to sit down?”
“I…” I glance around the room. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. You sort of checked out.”
“So you didn’t… We didn’t…”
“Didn’t what?”
I scoff a laugh. “Nothing. I must have imagined it.”
“It?”
It felt so real. My physical reaction, his mouth on mine… But it didn’t happen. Maybe I really am losing my mind.
“Can a poltergeist affect your mind? Can it give you visions?”
“Not that I’m aware of, but I’ll check into it.”
“Yeah, okay.” That was super weird. “What now?”
“If you’re not opposed to me staying overnight, I can run back to my place and pack a bag and food for Otto.”
“You’re gonna leave me here alone?”
“You can come with me.” His smile is soft, comforting. “I’d rather that anyway.”
I can’t believe I’m going to let a stranger stay here, but it seems like the smarter choice than being alone with Chester’s ghost.
“You promised Jocelyn you wouldn’t hurt me. She meant what she said. She’ll come after you if you do.”
He puts his hand on my forearm, and I’m instantly soothed. “I know she meant it, and I meant what I said too. I’m sure it’s hard, but you can trust me. I want to get rid of this thing too.”
I nod, choosing to believe him. “Okay then. Let’s go get your things.”
Aster’s apartment is simple and sparsely decorated. I guess I was expecting it to be filled with metaphysical things like tarot cards and crystal balls, or maybe skulls and other oddities sitting on shelves. Maybe it’s my writer brain creating imaginary worlds. I don’t even know what he is exactly, but he’s not an average guy.
I lean on his kitchen island as he packs canned food and kibble into a bag for his dog.
“How old are you, Aster?”
“Thirty-four. You?”
“Thirty-six. Are you from Salem?”
He glances up at me. “I was raised in Gloucester until I was thirteen. We moved to Salem to be closer to Boston for my dad’s job. You?”
“I was born in Connecticut, but we moved a lot. My parents landed in New York, and I was living in Somerset until I found this house. I always wanted to live in Salem.”
“Yeah?” He glances up, pausing. “Why?”
“I’m a writer and it feels like a place writers live. That probably sounds stupid.”
“It doesn’t. What do you write?”
“Fantasy. Dragons and things.”
“That’s really cool. I used to read when I was younger, but I guess I grew out of it. Are you published?”
“I am. If you used to love to read I bet you just need to find the right book to get into it again.”
He smiles. “Maybe your books. I love dragon stuff. Anything paranormal too. Vampires, witches, haunted houses.” He scrunches his nose. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Is that how you got into this? Helping people with ghosts?”
“No. It’s a long, weird story.” He brushes by me. “I’m almost ready. I just need to grab toiletries.”
“Okay.”
I’m aware of him dodging the question but I assume he has his reasons. Not like I’m a great judge of character, but his presence feels comforting. I can’t let myself trust him completely, but at least I’m not freaked out by him.
While I wait, I walk over to his bookcases, looking through the titles. His dog yips at my feet so I scoop the little fluffball into my arms. Aster has a lot of gay fiction and literature, so at least my weird fantasy wasn’t completely off base. I suppose he could be an ally or these books could belong to someone else, but something tells me he’s gay. That thought makes me wonder what his coming out experience was like since we’re close in age.
“Told you I used to read,” Aster says, coming back into the room with a duffel bag. “For the longest time, all I could do was read about men like me.”
“You’re gay?”
“Yep. I was so scared to tell my friends and my parents.” He laughs. “When I finally got the nerve, it wasn’t so bad. My dad wasn’t thrilled, but he’s…” Aster pauses, swallowing hard. “He’s better now.”
“That’s great. Not my experience but I’m happy for others when it goes well.”
“Do you only date men?”
I nod. “Yeah. Totally gay. Never even questioned it. My parents didn’t take it well. I was raised in a super strict, religious home. I waited until I was twenty-five to tell them because I knew. I only told them because I published my first book and it was very queer. I knew there was a chance they’d find out in the media, so I told them after church one Sunday.”
“What happened?”
I scratch Otto’s head to distract myself from the flood of unpleasant memories rushing back. “It was the last time I talked to them. My dad called me an abomination and said the devil had snatched my soul. My mom cried.”
“God, Hudson. I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks. I still have my sister though. She loves me.”
“That’s clear.” He tosses the bag over his shoulder. “They don’t know what happened to you?”
“No. I made Jocelyn promise not to tell them. I don’t want their forced concern. I’m sure they’d find a way to blame it on me for dating a man anyway.”
He nods, his face filled with concern. He cares more about me, a stranger, than my own parents do.
“How did you find me?” I ask. “How did you know I needed help?”
Aster startles and blows out a breath before forcing a smile to his face. He nods as his eyes shift to the left. “I’ll tell you on the way to your house. If you really want to go back.”
“I have to get him out of there. I saved for years and watched that neighborhood like a hawk just to be able to live there. I’m not letting him take that from me.”
“I understand. Ready then?”
“Sure.”
I’m still cuddling Otto when he wiggles and wags his tail wildly at what appears to be nothing.
“Um, is there a spirit here?”
Aster turns to me and nods. “Yeah. Harmless. He’s my… guide, I guess you could say.”
“And Otto can see him?”
“Animals can see the spirit world. Kids too. We can’t as adults because we have too many defenses. Too many rational ways to explain it.”
“But you can see them.”
Aster nods. “Yes, but it’s new.”
“Why can’t Jocelyn see them? She’s into this stuff.”
“I don’t know. Maybe she has a block she’s unaware of. I don’t really recommend it. It’s jarring.”
“Maybe, but at least you can see the enemy you’re fighting. I’m helpless.”
“Not anymore, Hudson. I’ll be your eyes.”
As I search his face, I’m reminded of the strange daydream I had earlier, of drawing close and tasting his full lips, of running my fingers through his unruly curls, of how his lean muscles would feel under my touch.
It felt so real.
I shake my head and chuckle. The last thing I need is to develop an attraction to this guy. I don’t know anything about him and I’m not willing to put myself out there again for someone else to stomp all over me. It’s just my long-dormant libido perking up. I haven’t even gotten myself off in ages. Aster is attractive, so sue me for fantasizing a little.
Even if I was interested, I’m hardly boyfriend material. It’s gonna take a lot of work to climb out from under this pile of trauma weighing me down. I’ll get started just as soon as I rid myself of Chester once and for all.
“Ready to go back?” Aster asks.
I nod, exhaling slowly. “Ready.”