I bow my head. Drained, frustrated, and in desperate need of respite, I yield. There’s nothing more I can do currently, and our people depend on our harmony. I have to think about more than myself. I can sense the tension growing among the court. Vampires on edge are a precarious situation. It’s like having hungry wolves all in one den?they snap at one another at the slightest provocation. “I can’t argue that.”
“Good, because you’ll lose. I’m not the only one who thought you needed a moment away to gather yourself. If you’re a good girl, you’ll get to pick out next excursion.”
“Anything I want?” My mind fills with pedestrian things to drag him along to.
“I’m already regretting this. Yes, Louella, anything.”
“Okay.” A vivid image of Cristobal camping forms in my mind. After being plunged into a perpetual state of adjustment, it’d be nice to turn the tables on him for once.
“The court needs to settle. Call Luz here.”
Like a spider’s web made up of single strands, we’re all connected. I can follow the path to each individual. And read them. I tug on the strand that leads to Luz. “Meet us in our room, please.” I sense her in the hall seconds before she appears in the doorway.
“You rang, mother?” She scans the room. “Are the parental units going on a trip?”
Her words warm me. Cute. “As a matter of fact, le chat, we are.”
“I’m putting you in charge of wrangling this restless bunch.” Cristobal zips the luggage shut.
She barks a laugh. “No difficult requests, huh? It’d be easier to wrangle greased pigs.”
“We’re all feeling the pressure of living in a glass house right now. We can’t afford to prove anyone right, or fall into any traps laid out,” Cristobal says.
“We’re not saying stay in the house, just mind yourselves while away, please.” I lengthen the second syllable.
“I will not be pleased if this trip is interrupted for foolish reasons.” Cristobal’s voice is stern and fatherly. It makes me want to giggle.
Luz nods. “I understand. I’ll keep everyone in line. Percival, Gil, and Lark can help. They’re good at having a calming effect.”
“Buena.” Cristobal pats her face affectionately, and I’m awed by the relationship they’ve built. The parental bond inside of me flairs to life. Much like witches, the court has invisible cords connecting us all in different ways.
“When we get back, we’ll all do something,” I promise.
Luz walks over, and I embrace her, cherishing the closeness. It’s been slow but steady progress to get us back to this point. When I ran from the soul bond Cristobal established without asking, it hurt her deeply. My rejection and years of denial felt personal, despite the way I reached out to her. She couldn’t separate my intense anger and feelings of betrayal toward Cristobal with my desire to remain in her life.
When the love of your life activates an unbreakable connection without explanation or asking permission, it’s like someone ripping your heart out. It broke every bit of trust I once held. Young, overwhelmed, and terrified,
I did the one thing that would counteract the effects of the bond … I put as much distance between us as possible as fast as I could.
I don’t regret my decision. I needed the time to grow up and become the woman I needed to be to deal with Cristobal and everything that came with him. I do wish I had handled the way I left better. I damaged many bridges. Some I’m still trying to mend. No one expects his or her first love to be eternal. Given the fact that I was twenty-one when I met Cristobal, I think I was fully entitled to my freak out.
Luz pulls away and graces me with a smile that could make an angel weep.
“Thank you for keeping an eye on things while we’re gone,” I say.
“It’s my job.” Second, in command, she wields a lot of power. “Besides, you need this.”
I sigh. “That obvious, huh?”
She shakes her head. “Only to those of us who know you. It’s been a non-stop roller coaster since you arrived home.”
“My price to pay for jumping ship. I let fear rule me. It was a valuable lesson.”
“You’re here now, that’s all that matters.”
The words are a gift. I hold them close to my heart.
“I love you, mija, but if you don’t stop delaying our departure, I’m going to be irritated,” Cristobal teases.