Vampires Need Not...Apply

Chapter Treinta y Uno

Antonio stopped by Penelope and Kinich’s room to advise them of the change of plans—he would open the portal immediately. Of course, he heard nothing but loud animal-like grunting and howls so he’d opted for advising one of the Uchben soldiers. The plan was simple. They’d open the portal inside a holding cell at the prison and pull Ixtab out. If the demon was freed in the process, the cell—which Kinich said could contain any being—would prevent the demon from going anywhere.

Except your body. Yet that was a chance Antonio was willing to take; this had to end and Ixtab would be freed. And if doing so meant he needed to sacrifice his life, then so be it. Even better if it resulted in that demon’s eternal incarceration. He only hoped he might be given a few precious moments to simply hold Ixtab again and tell her how he felt. However, if the cards were not in his favor…

He slipped outside and looked up at the starry sky. So many nights he’d stared up at the stars, wondering where his fate might lead him, wondering the purpose to all his struggles and suffering. None of it seemed to make any sense then, but now it did: everything led him to her.

“Ixtab, if you’re listening, I want you to know I am sorry for not seeing who you really were. I was blind when we met, blinded by my fear—fear of losing my brother, of failing him. I believed that saving Margaret was my only way out. What you don’t know is that it was your face I saw. It was your eyes I dreamed of and saw every time I closed my eyes. It was you, Ixtab. Always you. So if I do not get a chance to say this in person, I want you to know that I love you—you were meant to be mine. And whatever happens, I’m grateful for finding you.”

He paused, a small piece of him hoping he might hear a reply or any sign that his message had been delivered. There was nothing but silence.

“And Father, if you’re listening. I don’t care how many lifetimes it takes, I will send you back to hell. You’ll not win, not against me.”

The wind howled, sounding as if it contained voices—shrieks and wails. “Yeah. Fuck you, too.”

Alone in the prison cell, Antonio laid the tablet on the cold cement floor and stared at the thing. This was it. Time to set everything right and make sure the demon never harmed another being again.

His plan was simple. Open the portal and pull Ixtab out. Once she was freed, the guards were standing by to extract her from the cell. He only hoped he could do so before the demon emerged. Because once it was freed, this cell would never be opened again. Yes, the demon would stay here until the end of time or until the gods could find another way to deal with him.

“What now?” he asked Margaret through the glass. Behind her stood Kinich; Penelope; the woman he’d met the prior day, Emma; and a dozen soldiers dressed in black.

Margaret shrugged. “Do you have something to sacrifice in the name of true love?” Her voice echoed through the speakers and bounced off the sterile walls.

He nodded. “Yes.”

“Well?” she asked.

He couldn’t reveal his plan. Not when Ixtab might be listening in; she’d never allow him to sacrifice himself to save her. “I can’t tell you, but I’m ready to make the sacrifice,” he said.

“Try thinking of your offering,” Margaret suggested.

He did that and once again nothing happened.

Kinich and Penelope exchanged worried glances.

“It’s a Maaskab relic,” Maggie said. “Everyone knows the Maaskab use dark magic, which is highly unpredictable. Keep trying.”

He did. He thought about the portal opening and the demon taking his body. He thought about seeing Ixtab’s face again. Nothing happened. Mierda. “Fuck this. I need to get my equipment up and running.”

Margaret pressed her palms against the glass. “I already told you, that won’t work. Dammit! Try harder. Chaam is almost out of time!”

“What do you mean?” Kinich asked her.

She looked up at him with teary brown eyes. “I mean that if you don’t let Chaam out of that prison soon, we won’t be able to cure him. He’s poisoned with evil, and it’s been eating away at his soul. There’s almost nothing left of it—he’ll end up just like my father.”

She looked at Antonio through the glass. “Keep trying.”

“Something isn’t working,” he explained. “It’s useless.”

Then Margaret’s pale face lit up. “No. It’s not useless. You can save Chaam. You can gobble up the darkness inside him. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that before.”

She wanted him to drain the dark energy from Chaam as he’d done to those Maaskab? Antonio mulled it over. Chaam was immortal, so there was no risk of killing him. “But that doesn’t get Ixtab back,” he stated coldly.

A cackle erupted from somewhere in the complex. It sounded like Cimil. “Peekaboo! I can’t see you!” she screamed. Of course, she couldn’t see them because they were in a separate cell toward the back of the prison. “Peekaboo… can’t see you!” Cimil hollered again.

Batshit loca.

Maggie’s head whipped toward the sound and then back in Antonio’s direction. “I have a solution.”

He waited.

“You’ll have to trust me, Antonio, but I figured out how to get Ixtab back without risking the demon being set free.”

He hoped Cimil hadn’t been her inspiration because that would be bad. Very, very bad given Cimil’s legendary panache for lying, cheating, and causing death and mayhem. Add that Maggie had already proven she’d do almost anything to free Chaam…

“No,” he said. “Your trust ran out the moment Ixtab became your sacrificial lamb,” he told her.

“Antonio,” she said, “why would I double-cross you? You’re the only one who can save the man I love.”

She had a point, however…

“You’re asking me to go to Mexico, have the gods free this evil deity Chaam, attempt to cure him, and then simply trust you’ll be able to open the portal and free Ixtab while dealing with the demon?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Y la puente apestosa?” he said.

“Huh?” She quirked a brow.

“And the stinky bridge?”

“Okay. Thanks for translating. Once again, huh?” she said.

“You are trying to sell me a bridge made of bullshit. No?” he said.

Maggie’s nostrils flared. “Haven’t you learned anything? I. Am. The only one here you can trust.” She glanced at Kinich and Penelope. “No offense, but saving Chaam isn’t on the top of your list.”

“The loss of my brother in our lives has troubled me deeply,” Kinich said. “We are not of the same blood and bone as human siblings, but the deities are connected by something much greater: the Universe.” He looked down. “I have felt the loss of Chaam’s presence. Deeply. As have we all. And there’s nothing I would not give to have my family whole again.”

Well, that was one hell of a guilt trip. Now Antonio had to save this…Chaam. He couldn’t deprive a family of the chance to save their brother. Not after everything he’d gone through to save his.

He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer that Ixtab would come back to him. “I will help Chaam.”

Kinich gave him a look that needed no words. Gratitude. “I’ll let the Uchben down in Mexico know we’re coming. Let’s get you on a plane.”

“I will—” He saw Maggie making a beeline for the door. “Where are you going?”

“I’ll see you on top of the temple! With Ixtab! Don’t worry!” She disappeared out the door.

Christ almighty. He couldn’t believe he was actually putting his fate, his destiny, in the hands of this strange woman who’d popped out of the portal.

Antonio couldn’t help but feel like a rat running through the maze, every turn, every twist just part of some bigger plan.

“You okay?” Kinich asked. “You look pale all of a sudden.”

“I’m not sure, but I have the distinct feeling that none of this is happening by chance.”

“Welcome to my world,” Kinich replied.