Page 28

CHAPTER 28

Carolina

Carolina and Lalo found their way into the empty coach house. Papá’s men had used the entire fleet to search for the missing sedientos. This was the perfect place to train.

“Abuelito used to teach me in this very room on days when the rain wouldn’t let up.” Carolina’s heart pinched at the thought. She hadn’t had the stomach to enter the coach house since Abuelo’s passing.

“See that?” She pointed to a dent in the wall. No one would notice it was there, but she knew. “Abuelito and I were practicing hand-to-hand combat. I dodged an oncoming blow, and he smacked his knuckles right into the wood.”

Lalo stared at the small crack. “Was he aiming to hurt you?”

She smiled wistfully. “Of course.”

She released Lalo’s hand and ran for a board lying on the floor. The cocheros would lie on it while they worked on cracked axles. With a grunt, she lifted the wood and leaned it opposite-end-up against a beam.

A thousand slices marked the thick board. She ran her finger along one.

“I can’t tell you how many times my abuelo made me practice throwing my blades into this thing.” Her eyes pricked with tears. She sniffed. “He tormented me.”

“And now you get to torment me,” Lalo said.

A bark of a laugh burst from her lips. Her cheeks grew hot. She hated how easily he made her giggle. How easily he made her smile.

Controlling her features, Carolina walked toward the large toolbox her abuelo hid their throwing knives in. She opened the largest of the drawers and pulled out the false floor. Gleaming blades winked at her. Her heart swelled. She felt her abuelo there at that very moment, watching with a proud grin as he always did.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispered as she reached in and took the daggers.

When she turned around, she caught Lalo staring.

“Shall we begin?” she asked, throwing the blade in the air and catching it with ease.

He shucked off his coat, took off his gloves, and rolled up his sleeves. Her stomach dipped when she flashed back to the night he’d been shot in the duel. She, Nena, and Fernanda had undressed him to get rid of the evidence. Carolina had tried her best not to ogle him then. She had tried not to appreciate the muscles underneath his slender build, but there was no helping it. And she couldn’t help but wish to see them again now.

She took in a deep breath and let it out.

“First things first,” she said. “We must ensure the area is clear of people. We wouldn’t want to accidently stab anyone.”

“There’s no one around,” Lalo said simply.

“How do you know for certain?”

He pointed to himself. “Vampiro, remember?”

“How silly of me to forget.” She stepped beside him. “Now that we know we are in the clear, let’s focus on your stance. Do you write with your left or right?”

“Right.”

“Okay. You’ll lead with your left leg.”

Lalo moved his foot forward. But his body was too stiff. His hands too tense.

“Relax,” she said.

“This is me relaxed.”

Carolina smiled. She placed her hands on his shoulders. Lalo’s eyes widened. Before he could say anything, she shook him hard.

“What in the…”

She laughed. “I’m trying to loosen you up.” She grasped his waist and twisted his hips. “You’re as stiff as the target board.” She wiggled him around until Lalo was smiling too. And, stars, what a smile it was.

“I think I am quite loose now,” he said.

Feeling a bit smug, Carolina plopped the first dagger into his palm. These blades were forged from steel not obsidian, so he could handle them with ease. “Throw this at the center of the board.”

Lalo sighed. “I am not a man built for fighting but a man built for love.”

Carolina scoffed. “That is the very worst line Pío Parra ever wrote.”

His brows raised. “You think so?”

“I know so. To love is to fight. You must fight for love every day. Don’t you agree?”

He pursed his lips. “I suppose you are right.”

She cupped her ear. “Say that again.”

Lalo huffed. “I don’t think your ego needs the encouragement.”

He raised the blade and chucked it at the board. The dagger thumped on the wood and bounced into the dirt.

“I can already see the problem.” She placed another dagger into his hand. When he gripped it, she wrapped her fingers around his wrist and pressed her body against his. “When you get to about here…” She moved his arm parallel to his eye level. “You release the blade. Do not flick your wrist. Just open your hand and let the dagger do the rest.”

“That seems easy enough.”

“It isn’t. But if you practice a million more times, you might actually hit your target.”

He chuckled. “I’m not so sure we have that kind of time.”

“Perhaps not. But you have the speed and strength of a god thrumming through you. Surely that gives you a bit of an advantage. Focus in on how your body feels. Use those unnatural instincts.” Carolina released her hold on him and backed away. “Give it a try.”

Lalo did as he was told, he let himself tune into the power that he tried to hold at bay. He released the dagger. It sank into the very top of the board. It wasn’t a bullseye, but at least it held.

She clapped. “Well done. Now do it again.”

“Carolina!” one of the twins yelled from a distance.

“Carolina, you need to come help with decorations!” the other added.

She puffed. “I have to go.” She patted Lalo’s arm. “Keep practicing. I will tell my mamá to excuse you from lunch on account of your feeling unwell. I’ll return as soon as I can. There’s much to discuss before the fiesta tonight.”

He nodded numbly, then balked. “The what?”