Page 30

CHAPTER 30

Carolina

Something Lalo had said to her earlier nibbled at her thoughts as she swept the dusty barn clean in preparation for the party that evening.

He’d asked about Devil’s Spine.

Her cousin Lorenzo had always been obsessed with the mountain peak. He wanted to be a healer when he grew up and had thought there might be some flowers and herbs within the woods there that might have beneficial properties. When she saw Lorenzo again the night Abuelo was killed, he had appeared emaciated. His legs and feet were shredded, as if he’d walked through brambles and harsh terrain. Could it have been he was trying to get home after being turned somewhere far off?

Carolina studied her mamá, who was sitting on a cushioned chair outside the barn doors, giving orders to anyone who didn’t already have a task to complete. With so much commotion, surely Mamá wouldn’t notice if Carolina slipped away for a moment or two. She swept the broom back and forth, taking slow steps toward the opposite end of the barn. And when Mamá turned her head to yell at the twins, Carolina made her escape.

Tía Sofia was Lorenzo’s mother and Abuelo’s youngest sister. She and her husband, Javier, lived in one of the casitas within the hacienda. Before Lorenzo disappeared, the home was always full of laughter and storytelling. Carolina hadn’t had the heart to visit her aunt, not since she and her abuelo had been the ones to cut him down. But now she had no choice.

If Lorenzo had in fact headed toward Devil’s Spine, it could mean he’d been turned in that area. Which could mean Vidal’s lair was there. That idea was a long shot, but so was a desperate sediento traveling far north searching for a way to reverse an ancient curse and coming upon a horde of vampiro slayers.

Carolina froze when she spotted Tía Sofia sitting on a small bench near a bubbling fountain. Her aunt seemed so much smaller now. As if the sorrow of loss had drained away her very essence. She had a blanket around her shoulders even though the temperature was especially warm for autumn.

Gulping, Carolina forced herself forward.

“Tía Sofia,” she said softly.

Her aunt’s gray eyes met hers. Carolina’s body tensed. Was her tía going to scream at her? Was she going to tell her Abuelo’s death was her fault? Was she going to somehow blame her for Lorenzo’s death too?

“Carolina,” Tía Sofia whispered. She offered a sad smile and patted the bench beside her.

Gingerly, Carolina took a seat. She frowned. When had Tía’s thick black hair gone silver?

“I am sorry I have not come to speak with you since that terrible night, mija,” her tía said.

Carolina’s brows raised in surprise. “You lost your brother and your son. It is I who should be sorry for not coming to you sooner.”

“I suppose the sorrow was too raw for the both of us. I will never again judge a person for how they mourn their loved ones.”

“Nor shall I,” Carolina agreed. And that was true. Whatever one did to survive unbearable loss, at least during the first initial blow, was exactly what they needed to do.

“Up until my Lorenzo showed up to the hacienda as un vampiro, I held on to hope.” Her tía wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “Hope is a strange thing, don’t you think? It can pull you out of your darkest thoughts, but also leave you destroyed if that hope turns into nothing greater.”

Carolina’s eyes pricked with tears.

“That’s when we must lean on the people who care for us the most,” Tía Sofia said. “They hold us steady and do the hoping for us when we no longer can.” She squeezed Carolina’s hand.

They could also try to make certain no one felt this way again, Carolina thought. And she was more determined than ever to find Vidal. To end this wretched curse.

“Can you tell me about Lorenzo’s last days? Do you know where he was going when he went missing?” she asked.

Tía Sofia rubbed at the frayed edge of her blanket. “This was Lorenzo’s. He slept with this very cobija every night. My son, he was the sweetest boy, you know that.”

“I do.”

“He heard me complain about my aching bones. Javier and I had him so late in life, and I know he worried for us. He told me there are healing herbs that grow up the craggy rocks just before Devil’s Spine.”

Carolina’s hold on her aunt’s hand tightened. So her primo was going to Devil’s Spine. Holy hell. Might he have come in contact with Vidal himself? She relaxed her grasp and controlled her features before Tía Sofia took notice.

Her aunt’s chin quivered. “He went there for me.”

“You must know his death wasn’t your fault, Tía.”

“I do. My son risked everything to ease my burdens, and that is what I will remember.” Her aunt sighed. “Do not let a moment go by where you aren’t loving the people you care for with all your might. Love ferociously, mija.”

Tears slid down Carolina’s cheeks. “I will, Tía.”

Her aunt patted her knee. “Now, go on. Get ready for the evening. Dance with the boy who stole your heart.”

Carolina chewed on the inside of her cheek as she thought of the conversation with her tía. Their meeting had left her feeling vulnerable and heartbroken all over again, but it had also given Carolina a new clue. Lorenzo had ventured to Devil’s Spine.

Her eyes swept over the barn filling with people. Papá towered over a group of guests, speaking animatedly about a prized bull. The group surrounding him wore the thick, fur-lined tunics of the Greater North. They came twice a year to the western coast of Abundancia, and only once a year to Del Oro, to trade with the rancheros. When they did, Papá cleared out their largest barn and hosted an extravagant fiesta with a baile after. The dance usually lasted well into dawn.

She turned and started for the main house in search of her vampiro but halted just before she bumped into a woman in a plum-colored gown.

Carolina clutched at her chest and breathlessly apologized. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t notice you there.”

The woman brushed her long red hair over her shoulder. She wore a wide-brimmed hat that covered most of her face, but Carolina could see her beautiful smile. “No worries, love. I’m told I’m rather light on my feet.” The woman’s voice was soft and warm. Sultry might be a better term.

Something about her made the hairs on the back of Carolina’s neck stand on end. But if she was one of the wives or sisters of the traders, she couldn’t be rude.

“I am Carolina Fuentes.” She gave a small bow of her head. “Welcome to our home.”

“Why thank you, Carolina.” The woman held out a single gloved hand. “I am Maricela.”

Carolina wrapped her fingers around the black lace and shook Maricela’s hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Believe me when I say the pleasure is mine.” A slow grin curved her lips upward.

There was something about Maricela, something in the set of her jaw that seemed so familiar.

“Have we met before?” Carolina asked.

“No. Not face to face, at least. But I am certain you and I are going to become well acquainted soon enough.”

“Oh?”

A small group of young ladies ran past. Fabiola, always the loudest of the bunch, was giggling about a handsome boy. Carolina’s eyes followed them toward the entrance. The crowd parted, and at the center stood a tall young man wearing a wine-colored charro.

Her mouth fell open. She’d seen Lalo in his dark suits that were the fashion of the ciudad, but she’d never seen him in anything so perfectly fit to his build. He looked…He was…She gulped. Lalo was beyond attractive.

She remembered her manners and brought her attention back to Maricela, but the woman was gone.

“What an odd person.”

Lalo was being swarmed by the young women from el pueblo. One of them brushed their hand over the delicate stitching in Lalo’s coat. His throat bobbed up and down. His spine stiffened straight as a rod. There were so many scents surrounding him, he was probably dying inside.

Before she could sweep in and save him, Fernanda and Nena pulled him from the crowd. He chuckled at something Nena, always the flirt, was saying. She was probably telling Lalo an embarrassing tale about Carolina’s childhood. Carolina could only imagine what. She’d done plenty of humiliating things. Like the time she tried to ride Rey, their old and grumpy billy goat, through the orchards. He bucked her off, and she tumbled face-first into the muck. There was the time she tried to climb over the barrier wall and got her dress snagged on some iron stakes. She had to run home with nothing but her bloomers on. It was a mystery how she’d avoided scandal.

Lalo laughed, and Carolina’s stomach dipped in response. Surprise flooded her when she realized she was…jealous. She wanted to be the one to make him laugh.

Carolina’s feet were moving before she even realized them to be. She walked so swiftly, her eyes zeroed in on trying to read Nena’s lips, that she didn’t see Rafa step before her. Carolina’s nose bumped hard into his chest.

“Whoa there,” Rafa said. “You almost took me out.”

Carolina rubbed her face. “I doubt that very much.” She remembered her manners and offered a curtsy. “How are you, Rafael?”

“Better now.” His smile was big and wide. “Would you like to know something?”

She huffed. “Not particularly.”

“You will find this news quite fascinating.”

Rolling her eyes, she tried to move around the young man. “I don’t think whatever you have to say will interest me in the slightest.”

“It is about that boy you insist on marrying.”

Carolina took a calming breath, but her body buzzed with tension from her head to her toes.

“Lalo isn’t who you think,” Rafa said, smug.

Carolina faced Rafa directly. “I know everything I need to about him.”

“No one has even heard the name Eduardo Montéz in Puerto Blanco. Not a single soul. Which made me wonder, whyever not?”

“Could it be the type of people you speak to don’t run in the same social circles as him?”

He sneered. “Unlikely. Then I spoke to a business partner in the capital. He said an affluent brother and sister with the same given names as your new friends but with the surname of Villalobos had suddenly fled the ciudad, leaving their father’s successful business behind.”

“Stop this, Rafa.”

“The news is all anyone can talk about. The siblings said they were heading east, but they could have easily come here instead. Those two are running from something. I can feel it in my bones.”

“Enough. You lost the duel. I know you aren’t used to losing, but you must move on. You do not need to fabricate ridiculous rumors just because you didn’t get what you wanted.”

“Don’t be played for a fool, Carolina.”

Bristling, she said, “Lalo has bested you in every way. He is smarter than you, kinder than you, and far more handsome. So back off.”

Carolina spun on her heel and stilled.

There, standing before her, was Lalo. Carolina’s cheeks burned. Judging by the ferocity within his gaze, he’d listened in on the entire conversation.

“Is this man bothering you?” Lalo asked. “Has he not yet accepted that your heart lies with me?”

Carolina’s knees went weak. She hadn’t heard Lalo sound so assertive. She liked it. A lot.

“This is absurd,” Rafa grumbled.

“What is absurd, se?or,” Lalo said, “is that you do not seem to understand when a woman is finished speaking with you. I suggest you turn away before you make a bigger embarrassment of yourself than you already have.”

Carolina’s jaw dropped. Had that stern tone just come from Lalo, the same Lalo who panicked when his pants were dirty?

Rafa’s fists clenched at his sides, but he did as he was told. His shoulder bumped hard into Lalo’s as he passed, though.

Carolina beamed. “That was brilliant.”

Lalo rubbed the back of his neck. “I fear my newfound dagger-throwing skills have made me arrogant.”

A snort of laughter bubbled from Carolina.

But as she searched Lalo’s eyes, she had to remind herself that this, all of this, was just a partnership of convenience. He did not actually care for her.

So why did her heart suddenly feel a thousand times larger? Why did she want to take his hand and dance with him for the rest of the evening like Tía Sofia suggested?

“Carolina?” Lalo said, his voice soft as a summer rain.

Her stomach tightened, her body betraying her once more.

She cleared her throat. “Yes?”

“Dance with me?”

“I…” She gulped. Her armpits began to sweat. Her palms grew clammy. She tingled everywhere. It was the strangest she’d ever felt.

She shook her head. “I think I need air.”

Carolina brushed past Lalo and ran out of the barn, ignoring everyone’s eyes glued to her back. She spotted the woman in the wide-brimmed hat tucked in the shadows. Even from this distance Carolina could see that knowing grin Do?a Maricela seemed to prefer.

Carolina’s arms pumped harder. Bolting with no direction in mind, other than to give herself space from that boy.

When Carolina was far enough away, she stopped and rested her hands on her hips.

“What is wrong with me?” she panted.

“I was going to ask the same thing.”

Carolina jolted. She whirled around, her back hitting an old wooden fence.

“Lalo,” she wheezed.

He’d come after her.

“What happened in there?” he asked. “I thought we were putting on quite the show.”

Her heart pinched. A show. Yes. Of course. That was all this was. There were greater things at play here. She and Lalo were going to end the vampiros. She would keep her loved ones safe and get to stay in Del Oro.

Her feelings for Lalo should not be an issue.

Stupid brain, she chided within her mind. Stupid body.

She pushed herself from the fence. “I’m sorry for running away. I felt ill suddenly. I thought I was going to retch.”

His eyes widened. “Do you need anything?”

He took a step closer.

“No!” She lowered her voice. “I mean…I am fine. A good jog did me well.”

“I see.” He tilted his head back and sighed. “I prefer it out here anyway. All those people crammed together, dancing and sweating, was becoming overwhelming. Truth is, I never cared for gatherings of that nature, even before I was…you know.”

“You?” she half smiled. “I would have never imagined.”

“I know it’s hard to believe I wasn’t the crown jewel of high society, but it’s true. I have never felt comfortable around people. And when I am, my mouth takes on a mind of its own. I cannot tell you how many times I left a party early because I embarrassed myself in conversation. I haven’t…” He stopped. “Never mind…Are you feeling better?”

“You haven’t what, Lalo?”

“Nothing. You will probably just tease me for it.”

A smile pulled at her lips. “Now I must know.”

He turned his head back toward the barn. Even from this distance, the sound of slow music playing could be heard.

Lalo gulped. “I haven’t danced with anyone before.”

She was readying to tease him, but the pure mortification on his face had her schooling her features. “Why not? I’m certain every young person at those parties wished for you to ask them.”

“I guess I was afraid of coming off as silly or getting laughed at. But mostly because…I don’t like people.”

A wholehearted laugh escaped her. “You and I are much more alike than I originally thought.”

He chuckled, and her body softened. She wondered what else she could say to lure that amusement out.

Stop that, she snapped. Their courtship was not real.

Carolina changed the subject. “What were you and Nena speaking about before I made a fool of myself?”

He toed the dirt with his boot. “She was reminding me how special you are. She told me any man would be lucky to have you, even if you are a torment at times.”

“And what did you say?” Her eyes traced over Lalo. With the candlelight of the barn and the torches flickering in the breeze behind him, he looked like he was made from the night itself. She liked watching him in any light, but here, away from the crowd, with only the stars and the moon spectating, Carolina found Lalo to be the most beautiful person in all the world.

“I agreed with her,” he said, slowly shifting his body closer to hers. “You are exceptional.”

Carolina held his gaze. She was good at running from her emotions or things that made her feel vulnerable. But after speaking to Tía Sofía, after feeling raw in her spirit but powerful too, she realized she didn’t want to hide herself from him.

“Lalo, you told me you’ve never asked anyone to dance, right?”

His brows quirked.

“Well, that isn’t true. You have asked someone to dance.” She gestured toward herself. “You asked me.”

“Sí. But I don’t recall receiving an answer.”