Cass tries not to think about how cold it was in that prison. “Tropics it is, then,” he says, and he tugs JJ twenty feet away before peeling open their next rift to an island in the Bahamas. “Eventually, we’re going to head back to the safe house where you always picked up Desi. Right now, it’s been compromised the least, so it’s our safest option.”
JJ nods slowly. “And Desi is already there?”
“She is,” Cass confirms. “She’s going to be really happy to see you. Ez and Obie are watching her—I think they’ll be glad you’re alive, too.” He hesitates, debating how much to reveal right now. “And we had some unexpected help. Your friend Roma tracked us down to join the jailbreak.”
JJ’s eyes widen.“Roma?”
“Yep,” Cass says, guiding JJ through their next rift into an especially desolate stretch of the Sahara Desert. “Got us into the prison, pointed me straight to your cell, and deactivated the anti-rifting spell work. And she got out of the Sanctum in one piece—I made sure of that before we left.”
“But…” The shaking in JJ’s hand gets more pronounced. “Are you sure we can trust her? She’s a mixed hunter, and she’s always been loyal to the Council, and?—”
“JJ,” Cass says, and he lightly squeezes JJ’s palm as they walk. “Please just letmeworry about that today. You can start worrying about it tomorrow, once you’ve had a good night’s sleep and a hot meal. Okay? I’ll handle all the little details for now.”
For a long moment, JJ stares at Cass, taken aback.
And then, slowly, he nods. “Okay. Thanks, Cass.”
Has anyone ever really taken care of JJ before? Cass’s heart hurts at the thought. “Of course. No problem.”
“Also, why—?” Belatedly, JJ’s eyes flicker downward. “Why are you naked?”
Cass fights back a grin. He was starting to doubt JJ was even going to notice. “It’s surprisingly difficult to use magic to get clothes on properly. Ez and Obie can manage it, but it’s a weak point in my spellcasting—the last time I tried, I ended up with my head stuck in a pair of sweatpants. For now, I’m saving my magic for the rift-hopping, and I don’t want to waste time fumbling around with jeans when we’re, you know, actively on the run from sociopathic hunters.”
“You could always make a toga out of a bedsheet,” JJ suggests. “Quick and easy. I used to do it all the time when I was a kid.” Almost instantly, he snaps his mouth shut, looking mortified. “Sorry. Stupid idea. I?—”
With a pang, Cass realizes that JJ’s brain-to-mouth filter is probably nonexistent right now. Perks of sleep deprivation and adrenaline. “Actually, that’s agreatidea,” he says adamantly, and he waves open one of his pocket dimensions, digging around for a bedsheet. “And I can even put it on while I walk. Good call, Jackson.”
JJ looks torn between embarrassed and pleased. Cass feels vindicated. “You know what you’re doing, Chin?”
“Of course. The Roman Empire might’ve been before my time, but I’ve crashed a frat party or two in my day.” Cass tucks one corner of the sheet between his chin and shoulder, wraps the fabric twice around his waist, and pulls the opposite corner up to meet the first. He hesitates on the knot, reluctantly slowing to a stop. “Help me tie it?”
JJ steps forward at once, pulling the edges taut and looping them around each other. Even sleep-deprived and shaky, he still works with his usual quick efficiency, securing the knot, checking that it’s tight enough?—
His fingers brush against Cass’s neck. Cass fights back a shiver.
Instantly, JJ snatches his hands away. “I’m sorry!” he blurts out, eyes wide with horror. “I’m so sorry, Cass, I didn’t mean to touch you, I?—!”
Alarm jolts through Cass. “JJ—Julian!”he says, grabbing JJ’s hand in both of his own. JJ freezes, his fingers twitching in Cass’s. “It’s okay. I’m okay, yeah? And so are you. I promise.”
JJ’s wild eyes are still locked on their joined hands, incredulous and disbelieving.
And then, abruptly, his shoulders slump. “Right,” he says weakly, and he takes a shuddering breath. “Right, they—they took away my powers. No more corrosion spell. It just happened a few hours ago, so—so I forgot. And you—” He laughs unsurely. “You’ve been holding my hand thisentire time. I don’t know why I, um. Didn’t notice until now.”
Cass’s chest aches. Roma told him that the Sanctum was going to strip JJ’s powers away this morning, so Cass wasn’t necessarily worried about grabbing JJ’s hand, but he was still relieved when he was met by warm, smooth skin and not excruciating burns.
And, realistically, nothing was going to stop him from touching his hunter at this point. Even if it did burn him, he would’ve done it anyway.
He needed to convince himself that JJ was really safe. “The immediate danger might be over,” Cass says quietly, tugging JJ forward again, “but you’re still in crisis mode. Your brain isn’t processing extraneous details because you’re focused on survival.” He squeezes JJ’s hand again, and JJ relaxes the slightest bit more. “So no more Sanctum enchantments. But that’s good, right? They won’t be able to track you, and you won’t have to worry about hurting Desi anymore.”
Or hurting Cass. He hasn’tquitegone down the rabbit hole of all the things he can potentially do now that he can touch JJ freely, but he’s sure it’ll keep him up for the next few nights.
JJ gives him a small smile. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s definitely good. And this—” Unexpectedly, he squeezes Cass’s hand. “This is nice, too.”
Cass’s heart leaps, twirls, and promptly tries to beat its way out of his chest. Even if the words are mainly a product of JJ’s current sleep deprivation, the fact that he said them at all means that he’s thought about touching Cass, and that means?—
Yep.Definitelygoing to keep him up for the next few nights. “It is nice,” Cass says faintly, and he clears his throat, swiping open their next rift. “Come on. Another ten minutes, and then we’ll be back in Redwater.”
Ten minutes later, JJ’s feet find solid ground in an unexpected place—a clearing in the middle of a forest. He stumbles the slightest bit with surprise, and Cass’s fingers tighten around his elbow, steadying him. “You okay?”
