The Dead House - Dawn Kurtagich Page 0,94

could you even think of using dirty conjurings like that?”

“That woman, Naida’s grandmother’s pupil—she had broader interests than Mala rituals. It’s the reason she left the island. She was the one who opened the door to Grúndi to me. I learned what she knew, and then it was time to move, yet again, and this time we moved to London. Grúndi central, if you know where to look.”

“How could you not tell me?”

“Would you have understood?”

I couldn’t reply. I was so confused.

“But… why take away Carly?”

“She was a parasite, Kait. She was a leech. She was draining you. Stealing half your life, making you miserable. We could barely be together. You were always hiding, always in shadow, always so sad and trapped and—you were a hostage. I tried… I tried to switch you first. Make her the night half for a change. I tried to keep things simple, knowing it would hurt you to lose her entirely. But you can’t do things halfway. It didn’t work. I had to go deeper. Do more.” He paused, his eyes intense. “Free you.”

Could someone love me like this? Could someone do so much for me because he really, truly does love me? Me for me, and not me for Carly?

“Ari,” I begged. “Stop it. Please stop it.”

He smiled sadly, stepped closer, touched my arms. When my dad told me we were moving to Somerset, I chose Elmbridge. I thought it was for Naida, and then I met you… You turned the world around. I knew in that moment, I would love you. Then: Carly is gone. “Carly is gone. You’re free.”

He didn’t know. He didn’t know that I had already found the door to that place beyond and walked through it and come back. Somehow this seemed important.

“I don’t understand,” I said. “Why me? Why Carly? What do you want her for? And the others? Explain it to me.”

He smiled patiently, and I wanted to hurt him even as I felt my love for him stubbornly refusing to die. “The others are expendable, for you. Everyone is, for you. I was trying to reach you. To give you what’s yours.”

I shook my head, struck dumb.

“You’re ready, Kait. You’re ready. Everything that was in your way is gone. You’re free, just like you always wanted. We can have a life together. We can be together. Do everything you want. Go to London, go to university. Have a life!”

I wanted to vomit, wanted to scream. He was so excited. I wanted it.

“And Carly?”

“She’s not what you thought, Kaitie. She’s weak, but she’s also selfish.” He broke off, sighing. “I don’t want to hurt you, but you have to know what she did.”

“Tell me the truth.” I couldn’t believe him.

“Last year Naida taught a few minor things to Carly—Mala things.”

I knew this was true. Naida herself had told me. I nodded.

“She entered into a pact that she thought would bring you both freedom. I could see it the second I met you. You had a debt on you. I could see it, almost like a curse. It’s hard to explain. I didn’t know anything about you, but I was intrigued. It was clear, the more I got to know you, that you didn’t believe in anything like that. But Carly… I spoke to her too. I got to know her. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I knew you wouldn’t understand. Not yet. But when I asked her questions… asked about Mala and about Grúndi… she talked about freedom—for both of you. She talked about wanting a life, about worrying for you. She was an open book until I asked her what she had done. She got uncomfortable. Stopped talking to me. Avoided me. I knew she had tampered with something outside of her control. But you don’t make deals with It. You simply pay up.”

“Carly wouldn’t… couldn’t. She wouldn’t know how. I don’t know how.”

“Oh, come on, Kait! Google will tell you how to do just about any kind of black magic you can think of. She was desperate. She was hurting you.”

Who was I speaking to? This wasn’t the Ari I knew. This wasn’t the Ari I fell so hard for. I was looking at a stranger.

“Naida opened the door to Mala, and she abused it.”

I didn’t understand. “When did this happen? Last year? During the summer? At the beginning of the year?”

“I don’t know that, Kaitie. Before I came along. Before the chapel, for sure. You were already cursed when I met