and ran forward.
Catriz turned sharply and grabbed the front of Yadriel’s shirt in his fist, breaking off the incantation. The jaguar slipped back into the pool, but the surface continued to bubble.
“Don’t do this, Tío, please,” Yadriel begged. His eyes stung and watered, blurring his vision as his erratic heartbeat throbbed in his temples.
Catriz held him in place and laughed. “You aren’t strong enough to stop me, Yadriel.” His smile bent into a sneer. He tightened his grip. The jaguar-head amulet burned bright around Catriz’s neck.
Yadriel did the only thing he could think of. His hand shot out, snatching at the amulet.
Catriz jerked back, trying to get out of his reach, but Yadriel’s fingers caught around the leather cord.
He tugged hard.
The cord snapped.
Catriz sucked in a breath, his eyes wide. His grip buckled, and he released Yadriel. “No!” he snarled. Catriz swung wildly to face the pool.
The flames began to shrink. Without the amulet, he wasn’t able to keep it burning.
He spun back to face Yadriel, fury burning in his eyes as he shouted, reaching to grab the amulet back.
Yadriel planted his feet and twisted away from him, shoving his shoulder hard into Catriz’s chest. The next thing Yadriel saw was Catriz stumbling and pitching backward into the cenote. Bloody water flooded over the edges.
For a moment, the blood and blue flames licked over his tío’s body. Catriz locked eyes with Yadriel for a split second, anger and shock written across his face.
“¡Tío!” Yadriel shouted, scrambling to grab for his hand.
But before Yadriel could reach him, the jaguar reared up through the surface behind Catriz.
It sank its teeth into Catriz’s shoulder, molten eyes blazing.
A scream ripped through Catriz, the whites of his eyes surrounding his dark pupils. With a lurch, the jaguar dragged him down. Catriz’s howls turned to wet gurgles as he was pulled below the surface.
Dark blood and water spilled across the floor in a wave. Yadriel scrambled back as it seeped toward him. The flames sizzled out. Slowly, the pool of water began to clear.
Panting, Yadriel stared at the empty cenote. His foggy brain trying to catch up with what had just happened. The amulet pulsed in his fist.
“Yads!” Maritza’s panicked shout broke him out of his stupor. She was crouched next to Julian.
“JULES!” Yadriel rushed to the spirit’s side.
Julian flickered in and out. Yadriel could barely see him anymore. His eyes were closed, his dark lashes barely visible against his cheeks. He was a wash of pale gray except for the streaks of crimson over his chest. Yadriel cursed, panic rising.
“What do we do?” Maritza asked, her hand held out uselessly above Julian’s form.
“I don’t know. I don’t know.” Yadriel shook his head roughly, trying to think.
In his pocket, something vibrated. At first, he thought it was his cell phone going off, but, no—
Yadriel plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out Julian’s necklace. It shone with bright golden light. Dangling in the air, the medal shook and jolted, trembling with energy, sending off sparks of light.
“Shit,” Yadriel hissed.
He’d stopped the summoning ritual for Bahlam, but what about the one draining Julian of his life? Yadriel looked at the amulet.
How was he supposed to release Julian’s spirit if it was trapped inside?
Yadriel scrambled to his feet and ran to the slab where Julian’s body lay. His skin was gray, his lips turning blue.
The wisps continued to float through the air and into the amulet, although they were much thinner and less vibrant.
Yadriel ripped the jaguar-claw dagger out of Julian’s chest and threw it to the ground. Blood trickled weakly from the wound.
He placed the amulet on the slab and wrestled with clumsy fingers to undo the clasp of the St. Jude necklace and get it back around Julian’s neck. His skin felt cold to the touch as Yadriel redid the clasp.
“Yadriel!”
He turned at Maritza’s shout. She stared at the ground. Julian’s spirit had vanished.
But then, on the stone slab, Julian’s eyes flew open. He sucked in a wet, gurgling breath, and Yadriel nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Julian!” Yadriel reached for him, cupping Julian’s face in his hand. He was real, he was awake. Yadriel could feel the hard line of his jaw, the scratch of his buzzed hair against his fingers. He could feel Julian’s heartbeat, rapid and weak, in his neck.
Julian’s eyes rolled, unseeing, trying to find Yadriel. They weren’t just black, but a deep, rich brown, the color of summer soil after it rains. Through heaving breaths, Julian’s lips tried to form