Fight With Me

Chapter 33

Hope's POV

It started with the headache.

Not sharp. Not painful. Just pressure, like something pressing from the inside of her skull, testing the edges. Hope didn't react. She'd learned a long time ago not to react to things like that.

She just adjusted her grip on Josie instead.

Josie hummed quietly, distracted, leaning into Hope's chest while Rebekah complained loudly about ants and Freya pretended not to listen. Everything looked normal. Felt normal.

Except every time Josie breathed in, Hope felt it too.

Not metaphorically.

Physically.

Her lungs expanded a fraction of a second after Josie's did, like they were syncing without asking permission. Hope frowned, eyes drifting shut for a brief second as she focused inward.

Okay. Weird.

Josie shifted slightly, uncomfortable.

Hope's stomach twisted—mirroring it instantly.

"You okay?" Hope asked, a little too fast.

Josie blinked up at her. "Yeah. Just... dizzy. For like a second."

Hope's jaw tightened.

That wasn't supposed to happen.

She pressed her forehead to Josie's. The pressure eased immediately, like whatever invisible tension had been pulling at her snapped loose the moment they touched fully.

There it is, her instincts whispered.

Hope didn't tell anyone. She just stayed still and let the calm settle back in.

⸻

Josie's POV

Josie didn't want to say it out loud, because saying things out loud made them real.

But she felt... watched.

Not by anyone there. By something closer. Something internal.

She sat up slightly, trying to breathe through the odd flutter in her chest, and froze when Hope sucked in a sharp breath at the exact same moment.

Josie stared at her.

Hope stared back.

They didn't say anything. They didn't have to.

"I didn't—" Josie started.

"I know," Hope said quietly.

Josie swallowed. Her fingers slid up Hope's arm, gripping tighter than necessary. "That thing I said when I shifted. The word."

Hope's throat bobbed. "Mine."

Josie nodded. "It keeps... echoing. Like it didn't stop just because I changed back."

Hope cupped her face, thumbs brushing under her eyes like she was checking she was still real. "You don't have to explain it."

"I didn't mean it like—"

Hope leaned in, voice low, intense. "Josie. I don't care why you said it."

That should have scared her.

Instead, warmth flooded her chest, too much, too fast. Josie's vision blurred for half a second, not from tears but from something brighter, buzzing under her skin.

She pressed her forehead into Hope's collarbone, overwhelmed. "I feel weird when you're not touching me."

Hope exhaled slowly. "Me too."

Behind them, Rebekah made a gagging noise. "You're both alive. Relax."

Neither of them moved.

⸻

Freya's POV

Freya dropped her pen.

She didn't miss the way Hope and Josie stiffened at the exact same moment the pen hit the table.

Keelin noticed too.

"Okay," Keelin muttered. "That's not subtle anymore."

Freya's pulse picked up. She closed her eyes briefly, extending her senses, not aggressively, just enough to listen.

The bond thrummed back.

Not violent. Not hostile.

Hungry.

It felt less like magic and more like gravity.

She watched Hope brush her thumb over Josie's wrist, slow and grounding, and felt the magic ease slightly, as if soothed by the contact.

"That's not how soulmate bonds usually stabilize," Freya said quietly.

Keelin frowned. "They usually don't need constant physical contact."

"No," Freya agreed. "They don't."

Josie laughed suddenly—too loud, too bright—and Hope flinched, her smile faltering for just a second before she masked it.

Freya's chest tightened.

They're regulating each other, she realized. Actively. Unconsciously.

That was dangerous.

⸻

Rebekah's POV

Rebekah watched Hope stand, pulling Josie up with her like it was instinct, not intention.

"Bathroom," Hope said, already moving.

Josie nodded, not even questioning it.

Rebekah arched a brow. "See?" she muttered. "Told you."

But her joking tone didn't quite land.

When they disappeared inside, the air felt... thinner. Like something essential had stepped out with them.

Rebekah shifted uncomfortably. "Is it just me, or did the vibe get worse?"

Keelin rubbed her arms. "Not just you."

Freya didn't answer. She was staring at the open door, face drawn.

Inside the house, a soft thud echoed—someone stumbling.

Hope's voice followed immediately, sharp with panic. "Josie?"

"I'm fine," Josie called back. "Just—hold on."

Freya was on her feet instantly.

⸻

Hope's POV

Josie sagged against the bathroom counter, breathing hard.

Hope was right there, hands on her arms, grounding her. "Talk to me."

"I couldn't—" Josie swallowed. "I couldn't tell where I ended and you started for a second."

Hope's blood went cold.

Josie looked up at her, eyes glassy but lucid. "It felt like I was falling into you."

Hope pulled her close without thinking, wrapping her up completely, shielding her from the world like that might fix it.

Her own heartbeat slowed as Josie's did.

The relief was immediate. Addictive.

Hope rested her forehead against Josie's. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Josie clutched her shirt. "Promise?"

Hope didn't hesitate. "Always."

Somewhere deep in the bond, something tightened—like it liked that answer a little too much.