JJ is silent. Cass doesn’t know what kind of internal battle JJ is fighting to stay alive right now, doesn’t even know how much strength JJ has left to fight that battle. The soul bond is still open and gaping between them, JJ’s energy flowing unchecked into Cass’s soul, and Cass can’t close that connection, but maybe?—
Maybe he can reverse it?
All at once, the pieces click into place. “Oh, of course,” he says, and he takes a deep breath, pushes into the bond between their souls, and kisses JJ again.
JJ jerks awake with a gasp, his head spinning as he rockets up to sitting.“What—?”he croaks, and then he collapses back onto the mattress with a groan, the world blurring around him. “What just?—?”
“JJ?JJ!”Little hands wrap around JJ’s arm, shaking him insistently. “JJ, are you okay?”
Just as quickly, a familiar hand drapes itself over JJ’s, slotting their fingers together. “JJ?”
Heart leaping, JJ cracks his eyes open. Cass is still lying on the bed next to him, and even though his face is pale and tired and injured, his eyes are a hundred times more alive than when JJ last saw them. “Cass,” he whispers, relief flooding through him. “You’re all right.”
Cass smiles weakly back. “Thanks to you.”
“Um,” Ez says, and JJ turns his head to squint at her. She and Obie are staring down at JJ and Cass, looking torn between bewildered and horrified. “What the hell just happened?”
“Desi came into the bond to help us,” Cass says, slowly pushing himself upright. JJ isn’t quite sure he can sit up without vomiting yet, but he just resolves to keep his hand in Cass’s and hope for the best. “And she did a great job, too. Changed us to a better memory and everything.”
For a fleeting moment, JJ tastes strawberries on his lips. “Good job, Desi,” he whispers, reaching up to pat Desi’s shoulder.
Desi gives him a toothy grin. “You’re welcome!” she says, and she throws herself down on the bed between JJ and Cass, hugging JJ’s arm. “I love you.”
JJ tilts his head to one side, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I love you, too, honey.”
“While this is all very sweet,” Obie says, an edge creeping into his voice, “something else happened in there. Your souls just look…wrongnow.”
JJ’s stomach lurches. “Wrong? Wronghow?”
“The connection reversed,” Ez says. Her eyes are flickering between JJ and Cass like she’s trying to puzzle them out. “The soul bond was working normally, but then the flow of energyreversed,so I broke the connection, but?—”
“You cast the spell perfectly,” Cass says, and he squeezes JJ’s hand. “But JJ was fading, so I reversed it. I think I gave him just enough of my own energy to keep both of us alive.”
Ez looks thunderstruck. “You didwhat?”
“You can’t justdothat, Cass!” Obie’s face is as livid as JJ has ever seen it. “You can’t just tamper with varsity-level spells. There are consequencesfor things like that!”
“Well, maybe you should’ve thought of that before involving your historically reckless friend in a varsity-level spell,” Cass fires back, and he rounds on Ez. “Andyoushould’ve thought of that beforecastingthe spell, andyou—”He narrows his eyes at JJ.“Youshould’ve thought of that before agreeing to it. We’re going to have alotof words about your self-sacrificing streak later, Jackson.”
Desi raises her hand. “What about me?”
“Oh, you’re perfect, sweetie,” Cass assures her. “No notes.”
Desi beams. “Thanks!”
A tendril of relief curls through JJ’s chest, and for what feels like the first time in years, he lets his shoulders start to relax. Regardless of whatever words he and Cass are going to have later—and regardless of whatever is going on with their souls—everyone survived the past few hours. They’re all here, and they’re all safe, and?—
“Wait,” Ez says, frowning at JJ. “Why does your heartbeat sound so much slower now? And why haven’t you breathed for the past sixty seconds?”
JJ’s heart stutters. Cass whirls around to face him, eyes wide. “JJ?”
“I—” JJ obediently takes a deep breath, but he shakes his head at the same time. “No, I was breathing. I feel fine. Tired, but fine.”
Cass’s eyebrows furrow. “Maybe you’re just breathing shallowly, then,” he says, and he slips an arm under JJ’s shoulders. “Come on. Let’s see if sitting up helps.”
JJ squeezes his eyes shut as Cass carefully guides him upright, Desi hugging JJ’s arm all the while. “I’m okay,” he says, opening his eyes and squinting against the light. “I think. Everything feels brighter and louder than usual, but—but my body probably just speedran into sleep deprivation. I should be fine after a nap. I should be?—”
Unexpectedly, Obie snaps his fingers. Winter gloves—the same gloves he was wearing earlier—appear on his hands, and with another flick of his wrist, he opens up a purple-gold rift to a pocket dimension. For a few seconds, he rifles around inside of it.
