CHAPTER 23
Lalo
Lalo stood before a sprawlinggraveyard. Mossy headstones carved from granite and marble spoke of age. The moon had finally sifted through the clouds, illuminating the dark forest to their north and the valley to their south. Orilla del Río had been situated due east of the river that flowed from the woods and through Del Oro. In the daylight, Lalo imagined the small falls to be quite beautiful. And centuries ago, the cemetery was probably a lovely resting place.
The alarms still rang in the distance. Was Maricela out there? Was she hunting for him now, or another one of her children? He was still unsure how they had found him.
He and Carolina had stolen a small basin of blood from the butcher, most likely kept cool underground to make sausages. Lalo drank and drank, but he couldn’t quite satiate the thirst. His body didn’t feel nearly as wretched, though.
He chanced a glance at Carolina and jolted. She was glaring hard in his direction.
“This must be a jest,” she said, a shovel gripped like a weapon in her hands. “We can’t desecrate my great-great-great-grandfather’s grave.”
“It is the only way to prove if Alma asked Tecuani to bring him back from the Land of the Dead.”
Carolina’s fingers dug into the wooden handle. “You made me bring you all this way so you can tarnish my family’s good name?”
“No. I brought you out here to help confirm that Vidal is the original sediento. Contrary to what you might believe, not everything is about you or your family.”
“We’re literally standing beforemyfamily’s burial ground.”
She had a point, but this wasn’t some personal vendetta against the Fuenteses.
“The Fuenteses have protected the people of Del Oro for centuries. So, yes, this is about us because you are trying to say the very people who swore to protect this valley are the ones to cause this curse in the first place.”
Carolina’s horse whinnied. They both quieted, waiting for someone to bound out of the shadows. But then the stallion began to munch on the shrubs with ease.
“Whatever the case,” Lalo said. “We must find the original sediento. Destroying him is the only way to fix everything.”
“Yes, you keep saying that.”
He turned to her. Though her face was lit by the moon, he didn’t need it to see how stunning she was. How her lips always curved in a smirk. How her skin looked soft. How her eyes glistened with ferocity. He was so damn drawn to her. Despite howfrustratingly stubborn she was, he found himself aching to move closer. He stepped nearer, just to see how his body might react.
Her pulse quickened.
Did she feel that pull too?
Of course not,he reminded himself. She was a vampiro hunter. He was, unfortunately, very much a vampiro. And even if he weren’t, she was Carolina Victoria Fuentes—strong, witty, and as beautiful as a sunrise. She was surrounded by an enormous, boisterous family that cared for her; there’d be no room for him. He was just a bookish boy with only his sister who loved him—more like tolerated him—on most days.
He cleared his throat and took a step back.
“I have read articles, journals, books, and scriptures about monsters like this from across the world.” He nodded toward the headstone. The granite was worn smooth from wind and age, but Vidal’s name was still there. “If Vidal’s body is not inside this grave, Alma came out here in her great sorrow and made a deal with the god of death.”
Carolina’s brow furrowed as she looked upon the grass. “I don’t know if I should pray Vidal is in there or not.”
Surprise bloomed within him. She didn’t argue. She didn’t say he was mistaken and disregard him. Carolina would see his ideas through with him. Raw emotion clogged his throat. Besides Fernanda, he hadn’t had an ally in so long.
“For my sake,” Lalo said. “Let’s hope he is not.”
“And if it is him?”
Lalo let out a sigh. “Then I’ll find the tool Alma used to call upon Tecuani, locate Vidal, and strike him down before I am lost to the thirst.” Before Maricela found him would be good as well.
Carolina huffed a laugh, her breath fogging the air around her. “Is that all?”
“Should there be more?”
“I’m teasing, Lalo.” She shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips, and dug her shovel into the soft earth.
