Page 52 of Jacob Michaels is Not Here

“Will this hurt?” He asked softly, barely audible over the sounds of the gentle waves of the lake lapping towards shore.

“Just stings a bit.” I smiled.

Lucas smiled back.

“Look at me,” I said.

Lucas squared his shoulders and planted his feet, his eyes locking onto mine as I stared back up into his. I’d never performed magic like this before, but I somehow just knew what to do. Lucas’ jaw seemed to clench as I raised my hand to lay it against the side of his head. His eyes bore into mine as I smiled up at him, hoping that he felt at ease, not scared. I didn’t want Lucas to be afraid of what was to come, because I knew that it would be okay. At least, I was pretty sure that Lucas would not be sorry for the choice he made.

“Ready?” I asked gently.

His nodded as I held my hand against his head, caressing his hair under my fingers. I nodded back and took a deep breath. Below us, I could feel the water insulating us from the world, ready to sweep away anything that we might do, to hide our acts from anyone who might use it against us. Setting a werewolf on fire doesn’t draw a lot of attention. Reversing a magical act would set off beacons all over the place. And there was one particular person I wanted to make sure wouldn’t notice it.

With a small force of will, I concentrated on wanting Lucas’ memories, where they were trapped in my brain, to be returned to him. I wanted every decision he made moving forward to be informed, not based on something he just knew. Just knowing things is okay, if that’s how you’re wired, but memories and experience help to make informed decisions. Lucas could love me all he wanted, but it couldn’t be the only thing he based his decisions on.

The jolt of magic that shot from my head, down my neck, around my shoulder, and up my arm, into Lucas’ skull was quick and powerful. But it was completely invisible, imperceptible—unless you were one of us. I winced at the pinching sensation that traveled like a bolt of lightning, only to find Lucas’ eyes rolling back in his head. Quickly, I moved my hands to his shoulders to steady Lucas so that he would not crash into the river, thoroughly soaking and chilling himself. Lucas swayed on his feet as his eyes flicked to the back of his head, the whites of his eyes appearing to shimmy in his head as I kept him on his feet. Suddenly, he was looking at me again.

“Lucas?” I whispered.

For a split second, Lucas looked confused, as though he had no idea who he was or where he was. Then he gasped, and tears started to well in his eyes.

“Rob.”

“It’s me,” I replied, simply.

“Oh, my God.” He croaked. “I missed you so much.”

I felt my eyes begin to well with tears as I reached out to pull his body into mine. But then we were both falling into the river, water gushing up around us in waves.