Page 34

CHAPTER 34

Carolina

Church bells rang in the far-off distance. Carolina ran to the windows, pulling loose the shutters. Dawn was breaking over the forest, and she hadn’t heard word of Lalo yet.

She chewed on her lip and started to pace. Something must have happened to him. She should go, saddle her stallion, and track down her family. What would they do to him if they learned what he really was? Her father would be irate. Probably angrier that he had been made a fool by having un vampiro in his own home.

Carolina stopped dead in her tracks.

Had that been why the evidence of what Alma did was kept hidden? To save face? She was a Fuentes. They ruled the valley. If word got out that one of their own had done this, what would el pueblo do? Would their neighbors turn on them? Exile them?

Horse hooves pounded through the gates. Someone calling for help echoed through the courtyard. Carolina picked up her skirts and bolted out of her abuelo’s room. Her thighs flexed as she moved as quickly as she could down the hallway and steps.

The front door burst open just as she entered the foyer. Lalo jogged in, appearing as disheveled as she’d ever seen him before. His shirt was open wide, stained blood clung to his chest. His hands were caked with soot. He seemed haunted. Frightened.

Anguish twisted his features when his eyes met hers.

Carolina rushed to him. She grabbed his arms. “Is it my papá?”

“No.” He shook his head. “He’s fine. Your family is whole.”

“Thank the stars.” She couldn’t help herself; the relief of seeing him, of knowing they’d come home safely, overwhelmed her. She knew she shouldn’t, but she found her arms wrapping around his torso. Her cheek pressing against his bare chest even though it looked like it had been through a battle. She could see remnants of wounds healing.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again,” she whispered.

Slowly, he enfolded her and pulled their bodies tight to one another. “I didn’t know if I’d see you again either.”

His chest rose and fell for a moment. Then everything began to quiver and shake.

She pulled away, only enough to view his face. Tears of blood slithered down his dirt-covered cheeks. Carolina gasped. She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward his room before anyone noticed.

When the door was shut behind them, she asked, “What the hell happened out there?”

The notch in his throat bobbed as he gulped. “My maker found me. She is here. She knows of you.”

“Of me?”

He nodded. “She…She smelled you on me.”

Heat rose up Carolina’s throat.

“Where is your maker now?”

“Rafael staked her, but she got away.” Lalo slumped. “I believe she might have overheard what he and I spoke of before she disappeared. Maricela knows what we plan to do.”

Carolina jolted. “Maricela?”

His eyes shot up. “Do you know her?”

“She was here. At the barn last night.” Carolina balked. “She was watching us. That fiend watched you and I dance under the stars. I nearly ran into her when Amá beckoned me.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve put you and your family in grave danger,” he whispered.

“You’re wrong,” she said.

Lalo blinked with confusion.

“ My family is the reason sedientos even exist. If it wasn’t for my ancestors, you would have never endured such heartbreak. The fact that my family ruined such an amazing man’s life makes me want to scream.”

“You think I’m amazing?”

“Now isn’t the time to jest, Lalo.”

A grin pulled at his lips. “I believe that is my line.”

Carolina rolled her eyes. “This isn’t funny.”

“No,” he said in earnest. “None of this is funny, like none of this is your fault. Sometimes we carry the weight of our ancestors’ actions on our shoulders, and there is nothing to be done about it. But you and me, we can ease that burden. We can fix this. There isn’t any more time though. We must find the blade that created Vidal. If Rafael wakes up…”

“If he what?”

“Rafael saved me, but he also saw what I am.”

Carolina’s eyes widened. “What did you do to him?”

“Nothing. Another sediento threw him into a tree, and he hit his head. I’m sure he’ll be all right, but…”

“He knows everything,” she said, finishing his sentence.

“Yes.”

“He will kill you.” She knew it in her marrow. Rafa had been waiting for some reason to get rid of Lalo. There it was, gifted to him on a sediento-shaped platter.

“I have no doubt,” he said. “We should go to your father. Explain to him what we know and—”

“My father will strike you down the second we tell him what you are. He will execute you and ask questions later.”

Lalo jolted. “But he knows me. He’s spoken to me.”

“So had I. And perhaps, if I had been a better hunter, I might have struck you down that first night.”

His eyes widened.

She touched his arm. “But I’m glad I didn’t. I am forever grateful that I got to know you, Lalo. Because you have shown me something I would have never seen on my own.”

“What is that?”

“The truth. My family swept all knowledge of what Alma did under the rug probably because they were afraid her actions would tarnish their name. They likely didn’t try to figure out how to end the monsters, how to find Vidal, how to save their own bloodline, because they were too prideful.”

Pride had stirred her forward in life. Arrogance. The need to be the best in all things. It was why she pushed Abuelo to train her, why she went against everything her parents wanted so she could prove her point. She didn’t regret her time with Abuelo, but she did regret the way she had gone about things. The way she never compromised. She simply barreled through life until she got what she wanted. Her pride had been a shield in many ways, but it had also held her back from letting others in. She didn’t want to do things on her own anymore; she didn’t want to be as all the Fuenteses thought they should be.

“I found the blade Alma used,” she confessed. “I am not afraid to face Vidal, but I need your help tracking him down.”

“You found Alma’s blade?” Lalo rushed to his trunk. Pulling out a leather-bound book, he stepped to her side. He placed it on the desk and opened the ledger to the end.

“This is in my father’s hand,” she said.

“Yes. And I’m certain every person who logged entries inside are the patriarchs of your family. This book gives detailed accounts of the attacks in or around Del Oro. The dates go back hundreds of years.” He pointed to the most recent victims’ names and their locations of death. “There are no patterns within the slayings. Mostly, the bodies of the victims are left to rot. Occasionally, the victims disappear altogether. But one detail caught my eye—several witnesses stated that some of the victims were either dragged toward, or heard murmuring upon their deaths, Devil’s Spine.”

“Lorenzo was believed to have gone missing after venturing to the mountains.”

“Then that is where Vidal must be. All the vampiros who come to Del Oro and take your people do so for their maker. To feed the beast.”

Lalo grabbed another book, splayed it open, and pointed at a sketch of Basilio’s Point. The mountain range as a whole was nondescript. It looked like any other formation, with the exception of five jagged spikes jutting from the ground around Devil’s Spine. The sight always made Carolina shiver. Not with fright but with a curiosity that felt deliciously dangerous.

“That is where we need to go,” Lalo said. “Preferably before Maricela finds Vidal herself and alerts him of our plans. If he is her maker, she will do anything to stop us.” He ran a hand through his tangled hair. “We should also go before Rafael wakes up and tries to murder me.”

“With the surprise of attack, we would have the upper hand,” Carolina said. She eyed the perilous topography detailed on the sketch. “This will not be simple. Devil’s Spine is at least two days’ hard ride from here. Through the woods, mind you. And the lands there are devious in their own right. There is boiling quicksand, poisonous brambles, and the like. Not to mention the sun has already risen. How can we possibly get you out of the hacienda without anyone noticing?”

“Can you steal a coach?” he asked.

“Los cocheros might find that suspicious, but I’ll figure something out.” She started for the door. Halted. “Stay here, clean yourself up, and write a letter to Fernanda.”

His eyes widened. “Why?”

“You should say goodbye. We may never come back.”

The light inside him dimmed.

He dropped his chin to his chest.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and meant it with her entire soul. Someone so gentle and kind and smart shouldn’t have to endure such wretched things. Why should he have to pay for her ancestors’ sins? “If it makes you feel any better, I know my family will take her under their wing. But you are her brother, and she will need closure. If you want her to live a long, full life with no unanswered questions, this is how.”

A single inky tear fell down his cheek.

When her own eyes started to burn, she cleared her throat. “I will go and get supplies before writing my own notes. Are you prepared for this? It won’t be easy.”

“I’m ready as any man walking toward his own grave.”

“That’s the spirit, fiancé.” She put on her best smile. “I’ll meet you here in twenty minutes.”

Carolina pushed the door open, checked left and right to ensure no one was around, then slid out. There were things she needed for this journey if they were going to even survive the ride there. Weapons, food, blood, the daggers. The woods had always held monsters, but the closer they got to the mountain, the more hardships they would encounter. That is, if they even got that far.