“The men of this family have a duty to uphold. And that starts by ensuring the women we are bound to remain safe. How will you keep my Carolina protected if you are wedded?”
Lalo was not prepared for such a question, and he laughed at this absurdity. He tried to cover it with a cough when Señor Fuentes glared at him with fatherly indignation.
“Something humorous to you?”
“No, Señor Fuentes. It is only, from what I know of yourdaughter, she would be boiling mad if she heard you say such a thing. She is more than capable of keeping herself safe, no? She killed the vampiros in el pueblo last night.”
“She did what?!”
Shit.Perhaps this subject should be avoided at all costs. “One of the many reasons why I fell for Carolina is because she is a fierce champion for the people she loves. She would do anything to see her family protected.”
“You think you understand my daughter better than I?” Señor Fuentes leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“Of course not. But I believe in her more than you.”
Señor Fuentes shot to his feet, his fists clenched at his sides. Lalo would not let this man, or anyone, intimidate him anymore.
“I see how strong and resilient and brave your daughter is.” She had confronted him in the woods when she thought him only a devil, and she had not hesitated to try to take him down. She’d faced him again and again, and those vampiros in el pueblo as well. “Carolina is not afraid to fight, señor. And she is damn good at it, too.”
“Yes, but she is brash and stubborn. She does not listen.”
“I wonder if your father ever said the same thing about you.”
Señor Fuentes glared at Lalo, but then his features softened. He huffed. “He said that often, actually.”
“You are a good father, Señor Fuentes. I know you are frightened for her because this world is terrifying, but don’t push her away. Don’t hold her back from living out her dreams because ofyourown worries.” Lalo knew he should be heeding his own advice. He’d been isolating himself his entire life.
Señor Fuentes’s face grew somber. He gripped Lalo hard on the shoulder. “I can see why she likes you so much, mijo.”
Mijo.My son.The word stung inside Lalo’s chest. He hadn’t heard that endearment spoken in his direction since his father died.
Fernanda rushed into the library in her night coat, her face noticeably pale at the sight of Señor Fuentes.
“Might someone tell me why the lock on our door is broken?” she asked, breathless.
“It appears some beasts have been on the prowl nearby,” Lalo said. “Señor Fuentes came to see if we were safe.”
She raised her brow. “What sort of beasts?”
“The very worst, I’m afraid,” Señor Fuentes said. “My men found tracks littered about your property. We believe they belong to sedientos.”
Fernanda’s eyes flicked to Lalo’s. He saw her fear. Her concern. He could hear her pulse quicken and the blood rushing through her veins. And she should be afraid. Maricela had found them.
“I would not venture outside of your home at night,” Señor Fuentes said. “In fact, I wouldn’t suggest you open the doors or windows once the sun begins to set. I’d like to leave some of my people here as a precaution.”
“No.” That single word came from Lalo in a whisper, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. Lalo stepped close to elseñor. “Those monsters already took out some of your men. What is to stop them from doing that again? And we are so far from town. Don’t you think it would be safer if we…”What was he doing? Why was he speaking?Lalo knew why. To keep Fernanda protected. To be closer to Carolina. If they were under the same roof, they could have more time to plan their next move, to try to find Vidal and end this nightmare. “May we stay with you, Señor Fuentes?” He forced out the question.
El señor’s thick brows quirked.
“Perhaps this is unconventional,” Lalo said. Perhaps it was also cowardly. But if Maricela and her goons found him, he couldn’t defend Fernanda and himself. “When the sun sets, who truly knows what those monsters might do?”
Sedientos couldn’t enter his home, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t smoke him out. He and Fernanda would be sitting ducks. Better to be behind the adobe walls of the Fuentes hacienda. If Maricela had the chance to sink her fangs into him, she would see Lalo’s memories. She would understand what he and Carolina were planning to do, and Carolina would be good as dead, too. He couldn’t take that chance. She was a tyrant of a girl, but she was so smart and full of life and—
“What are you thinking?” Fernanda whispered, cutting into his thoughts.
The irony that Lalo would seek refuge in a home filled with people who would happily kill him was not lost on him. This idea was more than insane. He’d have to somehow keep himself from being exposed to the elements. And then there was the matter of getting blood.
Señor Fuentes toyed with his mustache. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to either of you. Youarepractically familynow.”
