Page 126 of Cemetery Boys

“Yads!” Maritza called to him. She tried to get to her feet, but her legs buckled under her.

Julian was sprawled on the ground next to her, barely even visible anymore.

Catriz sucked in a deep breath.

Julian cried out, his body seizing.

The golden tendrils of smoke flowed from the dagger as Catriz breathed them in. The amulet burned bright around his neck. He splayed his hands out over the cenote. The flames licked at his fingers as he continued to chant.

No longer clear blue, the cenote rippled thick and dark. A paw, bigger than Yadriel’s chest, reached out, followed by a second. Claws, thicker and longer than human fingers, hooked over the edge of the pool, clicking against the stone.

From the dark pool, the jaguar’s head emerged. Blood dripped from its fur and fangs. Its eyes were bright, smoldering orange and bulged in its skull. The jaguar’s jaw hung wide open as it breathed a low, rattling growl.

Catriz’s face split into a wicked, cruel smile. He let out a wailing laugh, the likes of which Yadriel had never heard. It made the hairs on his arms stand on end.

The smell of decay and rot made Yadriel’s eyes burn. His heartbeat thrashed in his ears as he tried to back away. His legs felt weak. A primal voice in his head told him to run, but he refused.

Even though his body seared and throbbed with pain, he forced himself onto his feet again.

Catriz rolled his hands through the air, muttering incantations as he backed up, coaxing the jaguar to drag itself out of the cenote. One paw landed with a wet thud on the ground. Its angular shoulders emerged as it slunk forward.

Yadriel clenched his jaw 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.