Page 72 of Death Dance

The priestess worked to control her breathing, although I’d caught her hyperventilating a time or two.

Ben stared with a neutral expression.

Diego worked to learn the story of the girl’s turning, and according to his expression, which turned mournful with every passing moment, I missed a great deal.

Finally, once the two men, Erandi and Ohtli, finished their tale, the force’s commander heaved a pained sigh. “She was infected with Chagas as an infant, and she had complications. When Breckenan was last here, Erandi, her father, begged for assistance. He meant access to medical care. Instead, Breckenan had her turned into a vampire. He wished to test a theory, apparently. Nayeli’s mother died during labor. Breckenan deceived, as he does, and promised he would return the girl in better health. In some ways, he spoke truth. Vampirism eradicates diseases like Chagas, so she did come back to her father better off than when she left. But they understand the truth: she was turned as a bargaining chip to force their cooperation. Also, the American sleeps in the basement; he has no ability to resist the sun. We will handle his return to the United States.”

My father must have warned them we were looking for a missing pair of Americans. I nodded to acknowledge Diego before promising, “We will make sure she is able to grow to become a vibrant woman.”

Thanks to my parents, I could make that promise.

However, I dreaded the reality of the situation, that Breckenan had learned about Edgar and had sought to master the art of turning women and children for his nefarious plans. I found some comfort in the understanding those plans had died with him.

“I will tell them. She is the only child turned, and we will make certain they understand the culture among vampires and the appropriate age to turn women.”

“A good start,” I complimented. “Are there any other pressing needs?”

“Outside of the expected confusion regarding their diets, they are managing and adapting well enough. Everyone working and living here has been turned into vampires, but Breckenan appeared to take great care making certain he lost nobody. I fear the women were taken to the fortress and are being used as bargaining chips.”

“Can Mexico help with their recovery?”

After a few moments, Diego nodded. “These families are of cultural importance to our country.”

“I suspect the men are going to be riled at this point.” One of the overgrown cats with a temper problem roared outside, and I sighed. “I apologize for them. I believe they have reached their limit for today. Just don’t give them any alcohol. The last thing we need is a bunch of drunk cats today and hungover vampires tomorrow.”

Diego snickered, and he spoke to the men for a while before saying, “After the blood is delivered, we will continue our journey. Knowing who is there matters.”

The less harm we inflicted on Breckenan’s victims, the better everyone would be. “Try to convince them things will get better. I will go outside and work on calming everyone. Ben? Please work with Diego to make certain they understand their nutritional needs. I’ll keep an eye on Nayeli until we can convince her to let go.”

“You can’t take the little girl home with you,” Ben warned me.

I scowled. “But we can visit and make play dates at reasonable intervals.”

He chuckled. “That we can do. Just try not to cry when we have to go and she needs to stay here with her father.”

“If I cry, you’re going to have to deal with Emerick, and I wish you the best of luck with that. You will need it. I’ll cut you a deal: I won’t cry, and in exchange, you’ll buy a pretty bottle for me and arrange for shipping it home.”

“Deal. Good luck with that lot. They won’t be easy to calm.”

I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture. “I have no desire nor need to calm them. I’m just going to point them in the direction of the rescue operation and allow the problems to be solved with minimal effort on my part. Once they find out who is there, they’ll be itching to tear through the rainforest. I will just hope there is a happily ever after at the end of this road.”

“That’s the most we can do at this stage,” Ben conceded. “And as always, we will do our best.”