A strange calmness washes through Obie with the words. “Yeah, puppy,” he says, kissing Chester’s forehead again. “Our love language.”
“And I—” Chester’s voice breaks. “I want to come home with you this time. Can I come home with you this time?”
“Of course you can,” Obie murmurs, and he looks up at JJ. “You got Cass out last time. Think you can get Chester out this time?”
JJ is nodding before Obie even finishes the question. “Of course,” he says, striding around to Obie’s side of the table. Together, they help Chester to his feet, and Obie reluctantly steps away as JJ pulls Chester against his side, wrapping one of Chester’s arms around his shoulders to support his weight.
Cass flashes Obie a grateful smile—grateful that Obie effortlessly put JJ on defense instead of on the frontlines. “Thank you,” he says, and he squares his shoulders, gesturing ahead of them. “Lead the way, Obie.”
And, with a feral smile, Obie does.
41
Chester is pretty sure he’s dying.
“Just keep breathing,” JJ mumbles, holding Chester upright as he stumbles unsteadily down the hallway. “That’s it, Chester—just a little longer, and…”
Chester’s vision keeps fading in and out, lightening to piercing white and darkening to almost black in a chaotic dance. Distantly, he can hear the sounds of a battle raging around him, the roar of Cass’s true form and a deeper, more guttural, moreancientsound that Chester knows has to be Obie?—
Both of them keeping the hunters at bay to protect Chester and JJ. “I saw Cass propose,” Chester says hoarsely. “It was—it was sweet. I’m glad you said yes.”
JJ huffs out a startled laugh, pulling Chester closer against his side. “That’s right. You were Kyle. You were—” His voice catches. “I always wondered why I got along with Kyle so well. Why I trusted him almost immediately, even with Desi. I missed you so much, man.I wanted to come back and get you out, I swear I did, but—but I didn’t think you’d believe me. I’m so sorry, Chester, I?—”
JJis sorry? Chester wheezes out a laugh. “You’re right. I wouldn’t have believed you. It took Obie weeks to convince me.” His vision blurs over, and somehow, he doesn’t think it’s from blood loss this time. “Should’ve been obvious. They—they tried to separate us from the start.”
JJ’s arm tightens around Chester. “Yeah, well, that ends now. The only person who’s going to get to hang out with you more than me is Obie. In fact, I might just move into Obie’s house to keep an eye on you. Someone clearly needs to be around at all times to keep you out of trouble.”
Chester’s heart squeezes. Even after all this time, even after everything Chester put JJ through, JJ is still as steadfast and loyal as ever. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I never should’ve taken those assignments. I never should’ve hurt you, not even for my final exam. You’re my best friend, you’re mybrother,and?—”
“You did what you had to do to survive.” JJ’s voice is soft. “We both did. And—and we have to do it again now, too. Just keep moving, Chester. Keep breathing. Survival now, apologies later.”
Chester’s lungs scream in protest as he obeys, trying to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Down the main hall ahead of them, Obie tears his way through a trio of armed interrogators without missing a beat, only giving the briefest of glances behind him before lunging for the next one unlucky enough to cross his path.
Only checking that Chester is okay before jumping back into the fight.
“My boyfriend is so hot,” Chester mumbles drowsily.
JJ snorts. “Yeah, I think the three of us won the lottery.”
Right on cue, Roma’s voice sounds off from behind them. “Jayj! Locke! We got them!”
Relief floods through Chester. “Are they okay?” he croaks, trying to look over his shoulder. “Are they?—?”
“Yeah, Locke, we’re good,” another voice says, and?—
Chester’s jaw drops.“Bryant?”
Bryant Nehemiah, looking absolutely no worse for wear since Chester last saw her, looks him up and down with raised eyebrows. “Why do you look more like crap than I do?”
“But you—” JJ sounds bewildered. “Chester said they were going to experiment on you and Maggie. Force a soul bond between you. How?—?”
“They did,” a curt voice says, and Maggie strides up next to them, her jaw tense. “Ez healed the physical damage, but the soul bond—the soulexchange—is still there.”
The words strike a dissonant chord in Chester’s head. How are they so clearly okay while Chester feels like he’s dying? He heard them screaming from the adjacent hallway. Heheardthem screaming, and?—
A bloodred dire wolf with nightmarish proportions races up beside them with a snarl, and in a flash of black smoke, Ez turns back into a human. “Long story that’s probably going to have dire consequences for all involved,” she says, “but we’re dealing with those later.Move.”
JJ immediately starts pulling Chester forward again. Fighting back a whimper, Chester turns his head to find Bryant. “Bryant,” he rasps. “I’m so sorry. You weren’t supposed to get hurt—you weren’t?—”
