Page 104 of Cemetery Boys

“You won’t! I wouldn’t let that happen!” Yadriel insisted, even though it was wishful thinking at best. He had no control over when Julian might turn maligno.

Julian shook his head. “All I do is cause people trouble, including you—”

“No, you don’t!” Yadriel flinched as soon as the words shot angrily from his mouth. He cut a nervous glance to the door. If he kept yelling, someone would hear him from downstairs, but he had to get Julian to change his mind. “You heard what my dad said, don’t you want to stay for my aquelarre?”

Julian exhaled. “You need to release me.”

Yadriel couldn’t stand how calm and level-headed Julian was being. He wanted Julian to fight. He wanted him to argue, for him to get mad or something. This Julian was too sure, too quiet.

Julian’s smile was sad and reserved. “I want to go before something bad happens, before I do something to someone I care about,” he told Yadriel. He bit his bottom lip, like he was holding something back, but then he shook his head. “It’s better this way. Everyone will be better off—”

“God, I am so sick of hearing you say that!” Yadriel snapped, taking a step forward. Julian looked up, surprised. “And if you think for one second that anyone in your life is better off without you, then you’re dumber than you look, Julian Diaz.”

Julian scowled, nostrils flaring, but Yadriel didn’t care. At least it got that terrible, defeated look off his face.

“You would do anything for your friends, right? And they’d do anything for you, too. You take people in and you protect them, that’s who you are! And your brother, too! You’re both fiercely protective, which is probably why you guys fight all the time—”

“Yadriel—”

“Just a pair of idiots who don’t know how to talk about your feelings so you argue instead!” he growled, throwing his hands up.

“Clean break,” Julian said. “You promised—”

“I didn’t promise a damn thing!” Yadriel snapped, feeling petulant.

Julian sighed and scrubbed his hand over his shaved head. “You wanted to get rid of me on day one, remember?”

Yadriel crossed his arms and glared at him. Yes, he remembered, but that didn’t count anymore.

“The whole deal was you’d help make sure my friends were okay,” Julian listed off on his fingers, “and I’d let you release my spirit so you could show everyone you’re a brujo, right?” His hands fell to his lap. “I’m doing what you want, I will willingly let you release me, Yadriel. I won’t put up a fight.”

But Yadriel wanted him to put up a fight. Couldn’t he see that?

“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” Julian nudged.

“Yeah,” he said reluctantly. His pulse throbbed in his veins.

Irritation finally started to edge Julian’s voice. “So what’s different now?”

“Everything!”

A long, drawn-out silence stretched between them.

Julian stared at Yadriel, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, like Yadriel was a puzzle he was trying to solve.

He must’ve really rubbed off on Yadriel, because all he wanted to do was fight back and yell until Julian realized he was being stupid.

The problem was that he wasn’t being stupid. He’d made his point of view clear. His argument was even, dare Yadriel think it, logical. Warring emotions swelled in Yadriel, demanding to be felt, blinding him from any rational thought.

It was too fast. Yadriel wasn’t ready. He needed more time. Desperation clawed through him as he tried to come up with another option.

But the truth was, there wasn’t one.

Yadriel’s throat was tight. His palms were slick with sweat. “One more day,” he said, voice wavering.

Julian groaned. “We’re just buying time, Yads, what’s the point?”

“One more day,” he insisted, firmer this time. “Tomorrow at midnight, Día de Muertos will start, and—”