Paradox

by Jeanne C. Stein

  For a second, I flash back to the vain, self-centered hellion I met not two weeks ago. The cynic in me wonders if this new improved Janet is an act. Then I think about the bond she and Adelita have formed. The love I see between them is real.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  After making a call, we drop Adelita off at the home of a school friend whose parents were delighted to have her visit.

  She is not happy. She doesn’t know what is happening at Beso, but she doesn’t want to leave Culebra and Janet to face it alone. It takes persuading to assure her. I remind her that Culebra and I saved her from far worse than one disgruntled vampire when we rescued her before and now when there is so much more at stake, we’d do it again. In order to do that, we had to make sure she’s safe.

  “But I helped before,” she says. “You may need me to help again.”

  Culebra takes her hand. “You did help before. You were very brave but the situation was different. If we’d had a way to keep you out of that fight, we would have. What you can do now to help is go to your friend’s house. It will give Janet and Anna and I the peace of mind to face Chael and not worry that he may hurt you.”

  Janet puts an arm around Adelita’s shoulders. “We’ll be back before you know it,” she says.

  Adelita turns to me. “You’ll take care of them.”

  I nod.

  Her mood hasn’t lightened, but she manages a smile. We watch her go inside.

  On the way to Beso, I borrow Culebra’s phone and call Frey. He has news but I start first. I weigh my words carefully. If I tell him I plan to kill Chael, he will insist on joining. Instead, I make up a story about how Janet and Adelita got lost in the desert, but we now had them back home, and I am staying over for a day or two to visit.

  In other words, I lie, again.

  He tells me his news.

  “John-John’s grandmother is out of the hospital,” he says. “I’m flying out tonight to bring him home. We should be back in San Diego on Wednesday.”

  I smack my forehead. Two days. I lied to him for nothing. “Perfect,” I say, wishing I’d let him speak first. I shake off my guilt and ask, “Do you want me to call the pilot and arrange the flight?”

  “No.” In my imagination, I can see him shaking his head. “No bother. I already made commercial reservations, so we’re all set.” He chuckles. “I see you’re calling from Culebra’s phone. Forgot yours, huh?”

  The again hangs in the air.

  “I know. I’m hopeless.”

  My chest tightens, thinking that this may be the last time I speak with him. “I love you, Frey,” I whisper.

  There’s a pause. “Is everything all right?”

  I make myself laugh. “Of course. Can’t a wife tell her husband she loves him?”

  Another heartbeat passes. “I love you, too, Anna. I always have and I always will.”

  Something catches in my throat. “Enough of the mush. I can’t wait to see you and John-John. At least we still have most of the summer ahead of us to enjoy.”

  “We do, indeed.”

  “Tell David I’m taking a couple of days off, will you? I think Tracey will be back the end of the week, too.”

  He agrees. “Give Culebra my best,” he says. “Hurry home, okay?”

  “I will.” My fingers cross tightly behind my back.

  We ring off.

  Culebra sends everyone away from Beso and closes the mystical doorway. Anyone coming here will now be stopped and urged to turn around by a force neither physical nor mental, but as impossible to ignore as an iron curtain.

  Only the doctor is left. Culebra urges him to stay back in the dark cave corridors and wait until he’s called for. Culebra has him take the three young vamps back with him.

  Now it’s only Culebra, Janet and me.

  Janet takes me out back and shows the cabin framework that will be home for her and Adelita. The roof is up, the walls are insulated and painted, and the floor is laid. She takes me from a living room with a fireplace, to a large bedroom with a bath, to a smaller second bedroom with bath.

  I’m amazed. “How did you get this done so fast?”

  She laughs. “Offer enough money and be amazed how quickly you get things done. Even here.” She waves a hand toward the bar. “That’s a perfect example.”

  I turn and look, shaking my head. There’s new paint, a new roof, and a wrap-around porch with a bar-b-cue at the end. “It’s wonderful.”

  “I’m so glad Culebra let us spruce up the place.”

  “Spruce up? It’s a brand new bar. Are you sure you’re not a witch?”

  Culebra comes up behind her and puts his arm across her shoulders. “I wouldn’t care,” he says. “Let’s get inside. I fixed a little dinner.” He casts a sideways glance my way. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything to offer you.”

  Since I fed from Frey a few days ago, I tell Culebra I’m fine. The young vamps with the doctor back in the cave drained hosts a day ago and should be all right. When the ordeal with Chael is over, their education can begin.

  Culebra sets three places at the bar. His and Janet’s plates are piled with salad alongside bowls of chili. My mouth waters at the smell of beef and beans, but the only pleasure I take is drinking from an ice cold Corona he sets before me.

  Outside, the sun is setting, casting red and gold across the bar. Spears of light dance atop liquor bottles and crystal decanters. Once Culebra offered only beer, now liquors of all colors and types line the walls.

  Culebra and Janet finish their dinner, and I finish my beer. I’m suddenly overcome with fatigue. I only slept a few hours before Frey woke me with Culebra’s summons. I yawn widely and stand.

  “Where can I sleep for the night?” I ask.

  Culebra points to the back, the feeding rooms. “Take your pick. The sheets are clean, and the beds are made. Janet and I will stay up here tonight. We won’t let Chael sneak up on us.”

  I leave them and make my way to the back. I take a room at the front, close to the door. I can let the human Anna get some rest while the vampire stays on high alert.

  I wish now I had a change of clothes; it’s been two days and I’m feeling funky. I manage a sponge bath in one of the bathrooms and finger-brush my teeth. By the time I stretch out, I’m too tired to care. The last I hear, Culebra and Janet make their way into a bedroom. I’m on that half-asleep, half-awake plateau between dream and reality, and I hear the gentle rustle of love making.

  Good for you, Culebra.

  Vampire alerts me.

  I sit straight up in bed.

  The bedside clock reads 5:30.

  I strain to hear.

  The car is a good distance away.

  I swing my legs out of bed.

  Culebra meets me in the bar.

  “Janet?” I whisper.

  “Still asleep.”

  I nod.

  We tiptoe to the door and step onto the porch. Headlights zig-zag a path towards town. I point to the far corner just beyond the bar-b-cue.

  Culebra understands and moves away.

  I hunker down and watch the car approach. I don’t know if Chael will be alone or if he’s bringing reinforcements. Amazingly, I don’t care. Vampire is here with me, eagerness sending a shiver down my spine. By the whisper of motion from Culebra’s hiding place, he’s shape-shifting. Culebra means snake, his second identity.

  The car stops at the edge of town. Chael sends out thought waves to determine if I’m here. My thoughts are shut tightly down. I see through the murky darkness of twilight that he’s alone in the car.

  Either an act of bravery or stupid vanity.

  He opens the door and steps out, calling my name.

  I stand.

  He is half concealed by the car door. I don’t see what he’s hiding until a wooden arrow whistles toward me.

  Vampire laughs and snatches it out of the air.

  Chael fits another arrow into the bow, but I’m at the car before he can send it flying.

  I
wrench it out of his hand.

  He’s startled, but not off guard.

  This has been coming for a long time, Anna.

  Vampire growls in response.

  You think you can take me?

  He radiates arrogance. I smile and take a step closer.

  “Culebra? Where are you?”

  Janet’s voice from the porch makes me pause.

  Chael whips past me and seizes Janet before I can order her inside.

  He bends her backward, exposing her neck to his teeth. His eyes find mine and sparkle with pleasure as his jaws tighten.

  I’m faster. I wrench her away and push Chael to the floor. Janet stumbles back.

  “Get inside.” My voice is neither human nor animal, and the guttural roar sends her back through the door.

  I pick up Chael and hurl him into the street. He lands in the path of a giant rattle snake inching towards him. Culebra coils and prepares to strike, his tongue flicking like a pointed dagger toward Chael’s head.

  No.

  The snake pauses, head swiveling toward me.

  Protect Janet.

  The coils loosen and fall away. A naked Culebra rushes past me up the steps.

  Chael and I are alone.

  His vampire is older, but I idly wonder how many battles he’s fought. He always had minions to do his bidding. He’s looks up at me and doesn’t seem to grasp that he’s alone, that I’m no longer an ally. He looks like a bemused father the first time his child challenges him.

  He sits up and pulls at his jacket. “What happens now?”

  His human side comes to the fore. Mine doesn’t.

  You’ve gone too far. I can’t let this pass.

  You aren’t serious, he snaps. After all we’ve been through together, you challenge me over a human and a shape-shifter?

  I challenge you over family. You’ve been vampire too long to understand.

  You haven’t been vampire long enough to understand, he whips back. He waves a hand. None of this is important. None of this is real. Humans are a food source nothing more. They are here to serve us, to be our nourishment. You made them pets, infused with a sense of dangerous entitlement. One day, we will take our rightful place at the top of the food chain, and those you have infected with this foolish self-worth will rise against us. How can you not see that?

  He gets to his feet. He brushes dust from his coat and pants as he talks.

  He inches toward me, and his hand moves to an inside coat pocket. He launches toward me, a wooden stake aimed at my heart.

  Instinct takes over. I side-step, pirouetting like a bull fighter. One snap of my jaws dispatches the hand with the stake and it falls to the road in a spray of blood.

  His eyes grow wide.

  He holds up his arm in defense.

  I wrap both my arms around him and grind his body into mine. I don’t know what I’ll be exposed to when I sink my teeth into his neck until it snaps and the blood is released. Once I start to feed, I can’t stop. I’m only aware of the sensations that flood me as I drink. I see his life in flashes, like slides from a projector. His becoming, his blood lust, his victims he tortured and his victims he loved. They all become the same—fodder to feed the hunger. It never changes. Not for years. Not for centuries. His victims are too numerous to count. I’m awash with agony for them, but I can’t stop. I feel no pity for him. He lived the life he chose and he dies the death he deserves.

  Blood turns to water. I let his body drop to the ground. It’s a husk that slowly returns to a natural state— the remains of a man centuries old, desiccated, skin long gone, and bones so brittle that crumble beneath my touch.

  I sink beside the remains. Human Anna is overwhelmed, fatigued beyond feeling. A hand touches my shoulder, and I jump.

  Culebra looks down at me. He pulls me to my feet. He’s dressed again in the same jeans and t-shirt he wore when we were on the porch.

  Janet is behind him. She takes my arm and leads me like a weary child into the bar.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Day Twelve

  I sleep for twenty-four hours.

  When I awaken, I find clean clothes, a hair brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, and towels neatly piled on the end of my bed. I don’t know where Janet got the clothes. She seems able to work miracles, and I accept them gratefully. After a hot shower, I feel human again—well, as human as I can.

  Janet and Culebra are both at the bar when I join. The three young vamps are there, too. They converse in halting English, but it’s obvious they are eager to please the couple who saved them.

  And to please the vampire that freed them.

  They immediately stand when I enter the room.

  They bow their heads and touch their hands to their hearts.

  It makes me uncomfortable.

  Culebra smiles. They pay tribute to the Chosen One, he says. You shouldn’t be embarrassed.

  I wave them back into their seats and accept the cup of coffee Culebra offers me before sitting at the table beside Janet.

  She looks me over approvingly. “I got your sizes right.”

  I glance down at the blue silk blouse and dark slacks. “This is nicer than my usual garb,” I say. “Jeans and a tee shirt are also fine.”

  Culebra rests an arm over Janet’s shoulders. “How are you feeling, Anna?”

  “Like I wrestled an alligator,” I say. “Much better this morning than last.”

  “You’re welcome to stay another night,” Janet says. “I understand Frey won’t be back until tomorrow, and we’re reopening the bar. We’ll pick up Adelita and have a real celebratory party.”

  I smile. “It sounds wonderful, but I want to get the house ready. I’ve been away for weeks.” And I may still need to clean up after Duke’s escapade. I was so tired after being released by the police, I didn’t notice.

  Culebra and Janet exchange a smile—a smile that has a secret.

  “Okay,” I say. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  Janet grins. “We’ll let you out of this party, but there’s one coming up that we expect you, Frey, and John-John to play an important part.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  Before Janet gets the words out, Culebra regales me with a triumphant, We’re getting married.

  Two Weeks Later

  John-John dances with impatience. “Come on,” he exclaims. “We’re going to be late and we can’t be late. Adelita said.”

  Frey gives his son a patient look. “We won’t be late, John-John. I promise. Anna is almost ready and—”

  “Anna is ready,” I say, stepping into the room.

  John-John does a double take. “You’re in a dress.”

  I want to run back into the bedroom and change, but Frey’s look chases that idea out of my head.

  “Wow.”

  I glance down self-consciously. The dress arrived via post with a note from Janet. It was so long since I wore designer clothes, I forgot how sumptuous silk felt against the skin. She chose a Badgley Mischka sheath, nipped in at the waist and falling just below my knees. The matching heels are higher than I ever wore before, but I know nothing else would set off the dress—and my legs—the way these do.

  Remarkable, since the moment we met at her estate, Janet presented herself as casual bordering on frumpy. I can hardly wait to see what she chose as her wedding dress.

  John-John pulls me toward the door. Laughing, I let him take the lead. Frey snatches up his suit jacket and my purse, and soon we’re all in the car heading for a wedding at Beso de la Muerte.

  The day is perfect. Blue sky with enough puffy clouds. We pull up to the bar, stunned by the transformation. Bunting hangs from the porch railings, around the doorway, and from tree branches. Rose bushes, ablaze with brilliant red blooms, were planted in white containers. More roses climb an arch that was set up at the bottom of the steps.

  One of the Middle Eastern vamps, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, acts as valet. He takes the keys from Frey with a s
light bow and acknowledges me with the hand-on-heart again.

  I nod and sigh self-consciously.

  We join the crowd on the porch. Vampires, shapeshifters, and humans mingle in joyful anticipation. For a moment, my heart gives into darkness, thinking of Chael. I have no regrets over killing him, just the regret from not understanding why anyone chooses hate over love.

  Adelita comes from inside. She’s radiant in a white, off-the-shoulder Mexican peasant blouse with beautiful embroidered flowers and a matching embroidered skirt. She makes a beeline to us and grabs John-John’s hand.

  “Just in time,” she says, pulling him away. She turns and giggles. “Hi! See you in a few minutes.”

  Frey and I laugh. He hooks an arm through mine and pulls me close. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you how beautiful you look,” he whispers. “You look happy.”

  For a startled moment, I realize I am. I stand on tip-toe, pull his head toward me and kiss, shutting out everything around us.

  Sweet guitar music swirls the air. I release Frey and we turn to the door.

  John-John is there, a basket of rose petals in his hands. He grins and walks slowly down the steps, scattering the petals.

  Frey leans toward me. “Did you know about this?”

  I shake my head. “He and Adelita must have cooked this up.”

  “Explains why he was so anxious to get here, doesn’t it?”

  Adelita is at the doorway, carrying a single red rosebud, a garland of greenery in her hair. She joins John-John and they beam at each other.

  Frey squeezes my hand.

  Culebra walks out next. He’s dressed in all black, a traditional Charro suit with embroidery on the jacket and pants. He reaches out and brushes my hand as he walks by.

  My heart swells and my breath catches. Since my becoming, Culebra is one of the constants in my life. He’s a friend, a mentor, and a voice of reason when I need it most. He never lost faith in me when I stupidly held his past against him. Through all we’ve gone through, the highs and the lows, the losses and the gains, he’s stood beside me.