Louisa didn’t attempt to hide her relief. “Well, thank God for that, anyway.” She hesitated, then looked over at me. “We have so many members of our clan gathered here, and I can’t help but think there’s some strength in numbers. Should we encourage those who’ve come from out of town to stay, rather than go back home?”
The question made me uncomfortable, mostly because I wasn’t sure how I should react to the Castillos’ new prima asking me for advice. Then again, I’d had more experience with Simon than anyone else. I hated being the expert when it came to such a miserable excuse for a human being, but it seemed I was, for better or worse.
“I don’t know for sure,” I confessed. “But Simon was still able to strike at your mother, even when surrounded by so many other Castillo witches and warlocks. If everyone’s spread out, gone back to their own homes, they’ll make for a more diffuse target.” I pulled in a breath and crossed my arms, wishing that Louisa hadn’t put me on the spot. What if I gave the wrong advice? What if my suggestions led to more deaths? I didn’t know whether I’d be able to handle the guilt.
Rafe put a hand on my shoulder, rubbing it gently. I could practically feel his concern flowing toward me, and it did help me feel a bit better. “I think Miranda might have a point,” he said. “I mean, if Simon wanted to get rid of a whole bunch of Castillos at once, we’d only be helping him out by all staying in one place. I think it’s better if we have everyone go home. But anyone who’s capable of casting spells of protection needs to do that for the people in their towns back home.”
“I can do it for the people here in Santa Fe,” I said. “I’ve already cast one around this house.” If only I’d been here to do it earlier. But then, I’d had no idea that Simon would reach out to attack Rafe’s family. I’d thought he would come after me and Rafe, which was why I’d done what I could to protect us as soon as we got to Rafe’s house.
“There are a great many of us here,” Eduardo pointed out. His tone was gentle, but he shook his head and gave me a somewhat indulgent smile. “Far more than you could protect on your own, Miranda. There are those in the clan who know defensive magic, and they will lend their skills to this fight.”
“I can do it,” Malena said. “Mother taught me. Louisa’s talent is knowing when magic has been used, and what kind, but I’ve always been able to block magic, in addition to my talent with growing things.”
“Then you’ll come home with me and cast the spells of protection on my house,” Louisa told her. “And then you and Miranda and anyone else with that gift can work together to make sure we’re all protected.” Her voice was firm; I could tell she felt better now that we had a plan of action, even if it was still a somewhat nebulous one. Of course, it was important to make sure that no more Castillos lost their lives because of Simon Escobar, but I also knew that at some point we’d need to take the fight to him. We couldn’t live forever under siege.
“And I will contact the bishop,” Eduardo said, gaze straying to Genoveva where she lay on the bed. “And José can take her to the funeral home. I think it is better if she does not remain here.”
A shiver went through me. I’d never been around anyone who’d died before, but of course I knew that the body would need to be taken away to be prepared for burial or cremation. At the same time, I wondered whether Genoveva would be safe at the funeral home. Maybe it wasn’t enough that Simon had murdered her. Maybe he also had designs on the body, wanted it for some horrible ritual that would bring him even more power.
I told myself not to be ridiculous, that Simon had already done his worst, but I didn’t know that for certain. I’d seen the fevered glitter in his eyes as he pushed me down onto the couch at the house in Tesuque, told me that he needed me to be his completely. That had been the look of a man who was willing to do whatever it took to get what he desired. He didn’t think about right or wrong. The evidence of dark magic I’d found in the shed on the back forty of the estate was all the evidence I needed as to his desperate state of mind. Someone who would go to those lengths, who would allow himself to delve into that kind of depravity, was capable of crimes I couldn’t begin to comprehend.
More than anything, I wished I could talk to my parents. My father especially, because I would have begged him to tell me what he knew of his own brother’s experiments with dark magic, even if that was a subject he’d avoided for as long as I’d been alive. We couldn’t avoid the topic any longer, though, not if we wanted to prevail against Simon Escobar.
Unfortunately, Simon had been several steps ahead of me, just as he had been for the past week. He seemed to know what I’d try before I even thought of it myself.
Rafe nodded, that calm yet grim expression back on his face. Would he ever truly acknowledge the hurt of losing his mother? I couldn’t begin to guess, not when I knew they’d been at each other’s throats for more than twenty years. “Just remember…a quiet service. Not at the cathedral. Choose some other church. And I really think you should have someone other than the bishop officiate.”
This suggestion didn’t sit well with Eduardo, judging by the way his lips pressed together and his eyes narrowed slightly. I could tell it pained him that his wife — his consort — wouldn’t be given the respectful send-off she deserved. But at least he didn’t argue, only nodded. “I’ll see to it.”
Louisa fiddled with the silver cross she wore around her neck. Would she now inherit the large coral piece that her mother had worn every time I’d seen her? I thought so; it seemed to be a family heirloom, and should go to the eldest daughter. “Well, I suppose that’s all we can do for now,” she said. “I’ll send everyone home, and then make sure we get started with casting the spells of protection.”
“Starting with your house,” Malena said, her tone not allowing any argument.
“Starting with my house…although I guess it won’t be my house for much longer.”
No, I figured that Louisa would have to bring her family to live in the mansion that was the prima’s residence. That seemed to be a tradition with the Castillos, just as it was with my own McAllister clan. This house, though, was much older than the Victorian mansion that had gone to my mother when her Great-Aunt Ruby died. How old the Castillo home was, I wasn’t completely certain, because, as with a lot of the old buildings in Santa Fe, it had been added to and remodeled as the years passed, and probably bore little resemblance to the original structure it had once been.
“We can worry about that later,” Rafe said, shooting a quick glance at his father, who looked unnerved by Louisa’s comment. Would he have to move out when his daughter’s family came here to live, or would he stay, maybe out in the casita that had been my temporary residence when I first came to town? That didn’t seem very fair, but I honestly didn’t know how all this was supposed to work.
And then there was Cat. She still lived at home, mostly because her mother had been intractable on the topic, and didn’t want her daughter moving out before she was married. I supposed she would get displaced, too. Or maybe not; the house was huge, and I still didn’t quite know how many bedrooms it had, or how many square feet it encompassed.
But those were all worries for the future. I doubted anyone was going to be moving anywhere until we’d worked out our problem with Simon Escobar.
“Right,” said Louisa, who tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and suddenly looked distressed, as if she’d just realized what a can of worms she was opening by discussing her eventual move here. “Of course. I just went on autopilot there for a minute.”
“It’s all right,” Malena said. She laid a reassuring hand on her sister’s shoulder. “We all know what we need to do, so we should go ahead with our plans.” A glance over at me, and she added, “We should probably divide up the city, just so we can concentrate on our own areas as we work on making sure everyone’s home is protected.”
“We’ll take the south side,” Rafe said promptly. As Malena looked at him in some surprise, he went on, “Well, it makes the most
sense, just because that’s where all the shopping is. Both Miranda and I need phones — ”
“And so do I,” Cat broke in.
Not letting this interruption put him off balance, Rafe nodded. “Right. And all of Miranda’s belongings got left behind at that estate where Simon is holed up, so she’s going to need to get a few essentials, too. Not like we’re going on a shopping spree,” he added, as Louisa sent him a warning glance, as though she was concerned that our shopping trip might take up too much valuable time, “but we can take care of the basics and take care of our people down in that part of town at the same time.”
“Of which there aren’t as many, thank God,” Louisa said, in tones that seemed to infer she knew that was part of the reason why Rafe had chosen that section to cover. “We should be able to get everyone here in Santa Fe taken care of today.” Her gaze moved to a small antique clock on the mantel, and she shook her head. “I can’t believe it’s not even two o’clock yet.”
Neither could I. It felt as though roughly a century had passed since I woke up that morning. Even Rafe’s rescue of me — or maybe my rescue of him, since I was the one who’d teleported us out of the estate in Tesuque after he attacked Simon — seemed to have happened in another lifetime. And if it felt that way to me, I could only imagine how this horrible chain of events must seem to Rafe and his sisters.
After that, there were awkward hugs all around. I could tell the Castillos weren’t a very demonstrative family, but they seemed to understand that they needed to embrace one another now. Louisa went downstairs first, while Eduardo got on the phone with the bishop. As Rafe, Cat, Malena, and I headed to the ground floor of the house, it seemed that word had spread fairly rapidly, because a large part of the crowd who’d assembled there had already begun to disperse. I saw Louisa pause to murmur something to a tall, thin man who looked around Eduardo’s age, and he gave a sad nod and went toward the staircase, even as he pulled a phone from his jacket pocket. José, the owner of the funeral home? I supposed I’d have to ask Rafe later on.
Malena quietly excused herself to go over to the person I guessed was her husband, an attractive, athletic man in his early thirties. He was with a little girl, really just a toddler, probably no more than two at the most. She murmured something to her husband, who gave a grim nod.
Rafe appeared to be looking around for someone, and frowned. Cat sent him an inquiring glance, and he said, “I wanted to see if Daniel was still here.”
“Daniel?” I asked.
“Our cousin,” Cat supplied. “He’s a private detective. He was the one who first dug up the dirt on Simon.”
“Barely in time,” Rafe said. “But it helped. A lot.” His brows pulled together. “I don’t see him, though.”
“Well, you can talk later.”
The doorbell rang, and the two of them exchanged a mystified look. I supposed it wasn’t that strange for them to be puzzled; after all, everyone was leaving, not coming.
Rafe went to the door and opened it. Standing outside was a guy around my age, maybe a little older, in a long-sleeved chambray shirt with his name embroidered on the left breast. Adam.
“Is this the Castillo residence?” he asked.
“Yes,” Rafe replied, sounding guarded. I couldn’t really blame him, after everything that had happened today. For all any of us knew, it could be Simon in disguise. I knew firsthand how good he was at illusions, how he was able to block his magical nature so that no others of witch-kind could even recognize him for what he was. I tensed, and wondered if I would have to confront him much sooner than I’d anticipated.
“I’m with Ortiz Towing,” Adam said. “A Catalina Castillo had her vehicle towed from 342 Griego Hill Road to this address.”
“Oh, right,” Cat said, sounding relieved. “I’d completely forgotten because…well.” She stopped there, tears glittering in her dark eyes. She swallowed, then told the puzzled-looking tow truck driver, “I’m Cat Castillo.”
“Can I get some I.D.?”
“Sure, just a minute. I left my purse in the other room.” She hurried off to get it, then came back a minute later and handed over the card.
He scanned it into the tablet he held. “There wasn’t a key fob — ”
“It’s okay,” Rafe said hastily, producing the item in question from his jeans pocket. “I had it. Stupid mix-up.”
“All right,” said the tow truck driver, looking more confused than ever. I couldn’t really blame him, considering the situation. “You all have a nice day.”
He nodded at us, then turned and headed down the walk.
“Nice day,” Cat repeated. “There’s a joke.” She pulled in a breath before adding, “Well, at least I have my car back. Do you mind if I change before we head out? I want to get out of this dress.”
“No, go ahead,” I told her, since Rafe had been temporarily distracted by an older woman who paused to give him a fierce hug on her way out the door. Cat shot me a grateful smile and fled upstairs, presumably to her bedroom.
“My Aunt Rosa,” Rafe murmured as the woman squeezed his hand before heading down the front steps. “My father’s oldest sister.”
I nodded. The Castillos were such a big and complicated family, I hoped that one day I’d be able to keep most of them straight.
Of course, now they were one fewer.
We stood in the entryway, arms around each other’s waists, and said goodbye as the last of the group who’d come to the house for Marco’s wake went out to their cars. Finally, Malena and Louisa came up with their husbands and children, and once again awkwardly hugged Rafe and me.
“Be careful out there,” Louisa said, her tone fierce.
“We will,” Rafe replied. “You, too.”
“We’re going to Louisa’s first,” Malena told him. “Then we’ll circle back and start working on the north and east parts of town.”
About all I could do was nod, since I had no idea where Louisa lived. Or Malena, for that matter. I knew where Rafe’s house was located, because of course I’d been there, and I knew Cat lived at home, and that was about all I knew of Rafe’s sisters. He and I had had so little time to talk, really talk, even get to know one another. Simon’s criminal meddling had ensured our separation, but there was no way I would ever let him get between us again. On that front at least, he’d lost. I knew I loved Rafe, couldn’t deny the fire that had flared between us, whereas I’d be perfectly happy if a pit opened in the ground somewhere and swallowed Simon whole.
Unfortunately, I didn’t think we’d be that lucky.
“As soon as I have a replacement phone and get it activated, I’ll call you and let you know,” Rafe said.
Louisa nodded. “Good. With everything that’s going on, we can’t afford not to be in contact with each other.”
And then she waved, making her farewell, and she and Malena and the rest of the group went outside, leaving Rafe and me alone in the foyer.
We looked at each other. “Rafe, I — ” I began, but he shook his head.
“We can talk later,” he said. “I’m…I don’t know if I’m okay, exactly, but I’m holding it together. I need to, because of them, and because of Cat.”
“What because of me?” she asked, reappearing at just that moment, looking a bit more at ease in some jeans and a black sweater and boots.
“Nothing,” Rafe replied. “I’m just glad you have your car back. It would’ve sucked to have to take a Ryde everywhere. You okay to drive?”
I could see the way she swallowed, but then she nodded. “I’m fine. It’ll be good to get out of here, actually.”
There was an understatement. I’d always found this house oppressive, something about its atmosphere like an actual weight, but now, knowing that Genoveva had died within these walls — well, I’d be happy if I never had to come back here.
“I know the feeling,” Rafe said. “Then let’s go. We have work to do.”
3
Protection
Rafe Castillo
My mother is dead.
Those words kept clanging around inside his head, reverberating like some sort of ghastly, tolling bell. He still didn’t know how he was supposed to deal with that. Genoveva should have been around for at least another twenty-five or thirty years. God knows there were times when such a prospect would have only depressed him, considering the way they fought all the time, but now he could only think of how he’d do anything to have her back. Despite the way she’d treated him, she sure as hell hadn’t deserved what Escobar had done to her. About the only comfort Rafe could take from the entire horrible situation was that at least Genoveva had passed away while surrounded by her family, hadn’t seemed to have suffered at all. Cold comfort, sure, but better that than nothing.
He glanced in the rearview mirror, saw Miranda sitting quietly in the back seat. Her hands were folded in her lap, as though she didn’t know quite what to do with them. Well, he couldn’t blame her for that. She’d gotten away from Simon Escobar, only to be dropped into another ungodly mess. Her face was pale but composed, and he couldn’t quite tell what she was thinking. Then again, why would he? Despite the kisses they’d shared, despite the way they’d acknowledged their feelings for one another back at his house, they still barely knew each other.
Mysterious Ways Page 3