Page 86 of Espíritu

Yadriel’s phone buzzed, pulling them back into reality. A message from his dad:

Be outside in five minutes.

“Gotta go,” Yadriel announced, pushing off the couch as Angel stood to follow. Julian glanced up, surprised.

“You both heading out?” he asked, grabbing his hoodie from the arm of the couch.

“Yeah,” Angel replied, stuffing their hands into their pockets and shifting their weight like they were trying to look casual. “I’ve got some business to deal with tonight.” They avoided Julian’s gaze, though the tension in their shoulders told him they were anything but relaxed.

Julian frowned slightly but let it slide. “I’ll walk you guys,” he offered.

The air outside was crisp as the three of them made their way down the steps to the mechanic shop. The sky was painted in an orange haze, the last dregs of twilight fading into night.

Yadriel glanced at the road, searching for his dad’s car, while Angel lingered nearby.

“So,” Julian said to Yadriel, rocking back on his heels. “The Chosen One gets a chauffeur tonight, huh? Big-time perks.” He shot his boyfriend a teasing grin, trying to chase away the strange energy lingering around Angel.

Yadriel groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re never gonna let that go, are you?”

“Nope!” Julian said smugly, relishing the way Yadriel’s lip twitched with the beginnings of a smile. “I mean, come on. You’re Lady Death’s Chosen. Pretty sure that makes you, like, the brujx MVP.”

It was a joke—one of many—but Julian still remembered the way it had felt. That terrifying blur of death before Yadriel pulled him back. Sometimes, he couldn’t believe it had really happened. Sometimes, he thought, maybe he wasn’t supposed to come back.

Angel exhaled a laugh, but it was weak. The kind you did when you laughed along but didn’t really get the joke.

Yadriel shook his head, though the corner of his mouth twitched into a smile. “You’re such a pain.”

“You literally brought me back to life,” Julian shot back, spreading his arms wide. “I’m walking, talking proof of your chosen-ness—”

A sharp inhale cut through the air. Julian spun toward Angel.

Her expression had gone still—too still. Shock rippled across her face, disbelief hollowing her eyes. The gold in them caught the light, startled, like she’d been struck.

“Wait—What?”

Julian blinked, startled. “What?” he repeated blankly, unable to figure out where he’d misstepped.

“What did you just say?” she demanded, stepping closer. “You died?”

Julian’s stomach dropped. Too late to take it back.

“Uh.” He looked to Yadriel for help but his attention was locked onto Angel, tense with a pucker between his brows.

Angel turned to face him as well. “And you—you brought him back?”

Yadriel stiffened. “It’s … complicated,” he said cautiously, his attention darting from Angel to Julian as if he were bracing for impact.

“He brought you back to life and you didn’t think to mention it?” Angel’s voice rose, cracking on the edges. Her face twisted in angry disbelief, brows furrowed so tight it carved deep lines across her forehead. Her golden eyes shimmered with something more fragile just beneath it—betrayal.

Julian’s throat burned, and his hand reflexively went to the medal around his neck.

Angel spun to Yadriel again. “You did the impossible,” she said, stepping forward now, her fists clenched and jaw locked, “and just—kept it to yourself?!”

Julian stepped forward, pulse thudding in his ears. Something in Angel had shifted—gone sharp and wild. The warmth she’d carried earlier was gone, replaced by something that bristled and burned.

Heat flared in Julian’s chest. Not just fear but also protectiveness. The way she was talking to Yadriel, demanding like he owed her something—it made Julian’s spine straighten. He wasn’t about to let anyone come at Yadriel like that.

“Angel, you don’t get it—” he said, voice firmer now.