Page 71 of Death Dance

Diego followed, stopped at my side, and began to laugh. “Your father is a man of many surprises. He is speaking Náhuatl, and he is profusely apologizing for his inability to speak Ixacteco, but that he would be honored if they would have the teaching of him in future days. Generally, I do not leave my helicopters like this, but my co-pilot is handling my job for me. Your father is not someone to leave unattended for long. Ah, he has confirmed they have a recently turned American who had been separated from his wife, who was also turned. She is not here, however.”

I breathed a relieved sigh. There was only one married couple missing with their fates unknown: the twins’ parents.

Tragedy had struck the family, but the family would be reunited and life would go on. The girls would have their mother and father back, and while times would be hard moving forward, the challenges could be overcome with enough time, care, and love.

Breckenan had ruined a great deal, but he hadn’t ruined everything.

“He is now insisting we enter the casa so they are not discomforted by the sun, and he promises that he will make certain they are all taught how best to handle their new lives as vampires. He is also identifying you as the new señora de la casa—the lady of the house. You may also hear yourself referred to as la patrona, the authority figure. Señora will be your most common form of address, I’m sure. Your father requested we be particularly informal and use English around you as he hasn’t had a chance to teach you new languages yet.”

I nodded. “Thank you for translating, Diego. I really appreciate.”

“The honor is mine.”

Diego tilted his head while listening to my father and the two vampires converse, and after a few minutes, he sighed. “They are apologizing profusely because they are short on blood and do not know how to be hospitable.”

“I want to see a pretty bottle of the mezcal, Father,” I called. “Make the conversation about the alcohol and agave. If you do not have a blood supplier here, I will make Emerick take care of it.”

My husband strolled up, and he raised a brow my way. “Do you think I can just mystically make blood appear here?”

“With Diego’s help, I’m sure you can figure something out.”

My father chuckled, turned to face us, and grinned. “Can an arrangement be made, Diego? They are quite anxious over their blood supply.”

Diego snickered. “Blood will not be a problem, Charlie.” After snagging his radio, which hung from his waist, Diego issued an order. Within a minute, one of the smaller helicopters took off. “Blood will be here shortly. We will use your regular account for the payments. Do you want me to arrange reliable shipments to the casa?”

“Please do, at least until I can come for a longer period of time, evaluate their needs, and adjust their diet appropriately. It depends on how they were mistreated—and if they have been eating regular food.”

“I’ll make the arrangements.”

My father spoke to the two men, and both lit up. They bobbed their heads and headed towards the building, gesturing for us to follow.

“That got them excited,” I commented, hurrying to catch up.

“I said you would like a pretty bottle of their prized mezcal to admire and appreciate. They have been filling their time making bottles, which they have been painting in honor of their ancestral traditions. I recommend that you arrange for selling these bottles at a ridiculously high price, giving them a percentage of every sale. This will let them build their futures doing work they know and enjoy.”

I understood. The casa and its agave were all they had left of their old lives, and I had no doubt Breckenan had left them without any hope for a future at all.

Change would begin with us, and it would continue through decades and centuries should all go well.

I accepted I would have many problems on my hands upon returning home, but I would accept the work with a smile and without regret. “And your military friends will stay friends?”

“They will. They understand everyone here is a victim, although they will endure questioning. It will be kind enough, although stressful on them, I’m sure.” My father shrugged. “Once they’re officially part of my operations—and yours—they will be treated with care. I suspect Breckenan wanted to use them to get a foothold into Oxacala culturally. Why? That secret likely went to his grave with him, and we will not be attempting to read those secrets from what remains of his head.”

The reformed necromancer nodded his agreement with my father’s statement. “Some secrets are best left in the grave. Thus far, I do not sense any necromantic dealings here. If these vampires were part of his effort to resurrect his family, he had not operated openly yet. There are no focuses here that I can sense.”

“Good. What is your range for detecting his tokens?”

“I can sense the ones in the Amazon from here. When we are close, I fear you will feel them as a crawling beneath your skin and whispers attempting to drive you to madness. Do not hold much in the way of hope for those who are near whatever those tokens are. It is a force that will corrupt you if you let it.”

“Will they weaken with time?” Alheen asked, and he frowned.

“They already do, but it will take a few months.”

“A gradual loss of power is best for our needs,” the priestess announced. “Now, let us go restore the sun to these poor people. They will not be walking out in the day without protections anytime soon, but with a little work, they will not be quite as tormented. That is the least I can do.” She sighed. “It is also the most I can do.”

“Something is always better than nothing,” Emerick reminded the woman. “Even if we do wish we could do more, it truly matters that we tried.”

A little girl with a pair of pearly fangs attached herself to my leg and refused to let go. My entire family, from my father, my uncles, and even Emerick needed to excuse themselves to go outside. Judging from the muted yowls, half of them had transformed into cats to have a fit over the evidence Breckenan had, before his final demise, managed to understand what was truly involved with turning women and children into vampires.