Carolina’s hands fell to her sides, horrible pain pulsed up and down her arms. Blood dripped onto the dirt.Herblood. And lotsof it.
“Lina!” Abuelo roared. Her eyes snapped to just behind the vampiro, to where Abuelo stood, his prized reata wrapped tight around his right hand on one end and the sediento’s throat on the other. Abuelo had saved her and not a moment too soon. He took out his rapier, made solely from obsidian, and pierced the snarling monster deep into its heart. The vampiro’s eyes went wide, glowing a deep crimson, before the monster crumpled into a heap on the dirt.
Moonlight illuminated the sediento’s face.
Carolina sucked in a breath as realization took hold. “Lorenzo?”
Her cousin had been only seventeen when he went missing months ago. His body had never been discovered. Carolina’s great-aunt still held out hope that he would find his way home, but not like this. Not when bloodlust had completely overtaken him.
Abuelo raised his pistol, aiming right at Carolina’s head.
Her eyes widened.
“Duck!” he yelled.
She dropped flat on her belly as a blast rung through the skies. Carolina whirled around in time to see a second sediento stumble. The monster grasped at its chest before toppling onto its back.
“Holy hells,” she panted.
Abuelo knelt beside her. “We’ve got to cover your wounds.The blood will draw more sanguijuelas in.” He tore at the bottom of her nightdress. His fingers shook as he wrapped layers of cloth tightly around her limbs.
His focus shifted to something behind the barn.
“Lina.” Abuelo’s voice had gone stone-cold. He rose slowly. “Get ready.”
Carolina turned her attention to where her grandfather stared. Five more monsters barreled toward them. She shoved herself to her feet as Abuelo fired his weapon. Hitting most of his marks but not all. He took down one. Two. Three.
The terrible click of an empty chamber sounded in her ears.
“You need to reload!” she shouted.
“Here!” he said. He threw his rapier toward her. She caught it by the hilt, gritting her teeth against the fiery pain pulsing in her shoulders.
“Two on the left,” Abuelo said calmly as he pulled wooden bullets from his bandolier. “Four on our right.”
Four?
Carolina spun to see. She wished she hadn’t.
“Remember what I taught you, mija. You must pierce the blessed blade straight through its heart. It’ll sever whatever ties the vampiro’s spirit to the Land of the Living. If that won’t do, cut off the head. But don’t let those fangs touch you. Their bite dulls the senses.”
Carolina nodded and readied her stance.
Abuelo pulled back the hammer and let the wooden bullets fly.
One down. Two. Three.
He missed a shot as the fourth sediento leapt high into the air, dodging his fire.
Voices rang out from the hacienda. Footfalls pounded fromjust beyond. Candlelight filled the windows. There were frantic shouts from men, someone yelling to get her papá, Don Luis. The alarm bells clanged in the tower. Papá would be furious. There hadn’t been any sort of attack this close to their home in ages.
Abuelo pulled back the trigger. The monster that he’d missed let out a piercing screech when a bullet lodged into its chest.
But the other two vampiros had suddenly disappeared.
“Where are they?” she panted.
An icy draft slithered across the back of her neck. Without hesitation, Carolina wheeled around and slashed her rapier through the air. The blade slipped through stony flesh. Just enough to stun the vampiro. She thrust forward, as Abuelo had taught her, and found her mark deep within the monster’s heart.
