Carolina snuck out of herhouse and rode like hell on horseback to Lalo’s casa.Hedid this.Hekilled the guards. Could that be why he hadn’t gone home? Had he lost his composure and given in to his unholy ways?
She flicked the reins, and her stallion galloped faster.
“I should have killed him.”
This was her fault. Everything was her fault.
If she hadn’t been so careless and allowed herself to be ambushed by the feral sediento that night, her abuelo would still be alive. If she had listened to her papá and not tried to be a hunter, if she agreed to marry Rafa, she would have never made that deal with the devil. But she had because she was stubborn and foolish. And now people were dead.
Her father and his men raced for Boca de la Muerte, butCarolina knew exactly where her vampiro was. Or at least where she could find him when he returned, and riding directly through town was the fastest way to his home.
A lone figure stumbled out of the cantina.
Carolina recognized that thin silhouette instantly. Fury overtook her.
“You are dead!” she bellowed.
Lalo had hardly a moment to act before she flung herself off her stallion and slammed into him. They tumbled in a tangle of limbs and curses into the mud. Carolina punched out, landing a hard blow to his cheek.
They bumped into a horse trough. But she wasted no time. She clambered on top of him and raised the stake in her hand. “I should have done this the second I met you.”
“All this because I was late for tea?!” he screeched.
His nonchalance infuriated her. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up so they would be face to face when she pierced his heart.
“You killed our men.”
His jaw dropped. “I did not!”
“Liar!”
The tip of the stake dug into his skin.
Lalo hissed. “Please. Whatever you think I did, I can assure you it isn’t true.”
She searched his eyes; they did not glow blood-red like the sedientos she’d seen before. His skin was ashen. His lips were tinged blue around the corners. He was weak in her arms. Had he recently fed, he would have been stronger, healthier in complexion.
“Where were you?” She twisted her fingers deeper into his shirt. “Where have you been?”
“In la cantina,” he said. “Ask Roberto. He’ll tell you!”
Carolina narrowed her eyes.
“Honest! I was in the cellar underneath the cantina, researching. You said there was a trove of old books, did you not? So, truly, you are to blame for my absence.”
Her nostrils flared.
“I found something,” he said. “A clue. If you release me and apologize for pummeling me into the mud, I might share what I’ve learned.”
“We have more pressing matters at the moment.”
She pushed off him and stood. Lalo raised his hand as if he expected her to help him up. She swatted his palm away and stepped back.
Lalo flattened his lips as he staggered up.
A scream tore through the air. Carolina whirled in the direction from which it came and shuddered. Two monsters in fine-looking suits raced toward them.
“These must be the leeches who killed our guards.”
