Catch Me in Castile (27 page)

“Please, I need help.” I was running out of time. “I’ll do anything you want, just help me out of here. Take me to a hospital.”

“Nu-uh.” She wiggled her finger. “You don’t like hospitals.”

“Today I’ll make an exception. Help me.” I reached my good arm toward her.

She slapped it away. “Don’t touch me.”

“Sorry, please—”

“No. It’s your day of reckoning. Time to pay for your lies and the pain you’ve caused. Today, Erin, you die.”

My ears rang with her pronouncement. Fuzziness filling my head deadened the prickly terror racing through my veins. I knew I was passing out a split second before it happened.

As the cotton smothered my senses, a voice mimicked the Big Bad Wolf of children’s nursery rhymes. “Good. All the better to throw you out the window, my dear.”

The laugh was the last thing I could hear before the lights inside my head were snuffed out.

“Might as well not fight me. It is long over.”

In a tiny voice Serena says, “I loved you like a sister.”

Clara’s face bends over Serena’s. Long strands of golden hair fall forward onto Serena’s cheeks. “I am sorry. Truly I am. But you see, do you not? You cannot live. Even if you went away, Andrés would find you. He has succumbed to your spell, disobeying his mother and even the king for you.”

“I beg you,” she pleads. “Do not do this.”

“There is no other way.”

Clara yanks her toward the window again. She is dangerously close to the gaping hole.

“I told you. My mother sent me here to marry a nobleman with a title. There is no title greater than the Marques de Moya. Andrés’s father was King Fernando’s confidant, as his mother is the queen’s.

“My mother taught me to set my sights high, so I aimed them at Andrés’s heart. I was the little girl who gave him rolls snatched from the kitchen. Cook was furious when she caught me. The only thing that mattered was that Andrés knew I loved him. I cheered for him when the boys had mock-sword fights. I chased after him when he and Prince Juan raced their ponies in the fields. I was there, skipping along behind, begging to be seen.

“I would have snared the nobleman of my dreams if an orphan from the convent had not struck him blind. I ripened into a woman before Andrés’s very eyes, but he could not see me. To him I was still the young girl, the baby sister he never had. You were the woman he desired.

“You destroyed my plans, my everything. Now I shall destroy you.”

Serena waved her arms wildly. Somehow she was sharper, more brilliant in this dream than she’d been before, almost alive. Except for her coloring. Everything about her—clothing, skin, lips, all except the jet-black hair—was a pale shade of blue. The opening and closing of her mouth reminded me of the fish Dad and I used to catch off the Santa Monica Pier. I hated to see the poor things flopping on the deck, their mouths ineffectively sucking in air. I cried until Dad threw them all back in.

What was she trying to say? The wind blew her long hair and ruffled her gown. Suddenly, her beautiful eyes enlarged. The whites were whiter than blue. Pointing at something behind, she mutely screamed.

I still couldn’t hear her.

She took a few steps backward and then ran straight at me. I would have fallen over with the impact if something weren’t pushing me up from behind.

“Wake up!”
Serena screamed so loudly I would have gone deaf if she were actually yelling in my ear and not my brain.

My eyes flickered open just in time to see my worst fear-of-heights nightmare coming true. I was being shoved out the window.

“No!” I pushed back, stopping the forward momentum.

Moving my sluggish body around, I wrestled with the Goddess of Death. I was badly outmatched with my wounded arm and low blood levels, but I fought because my life depended on it. My only chance in hell was to fight dirty.

Wrapping my fingers around a big hunk of Maria’s hair, I yanked as hard as I could. She screamed out in pain, trying to shake me off. I wouldn’t let go.

I worried about the knife until I saw she’d dropped it in her efforts to drag me. I fought with every ounce of strength I could muster. She was hell-bent on pushing me to my death. I smashed my body against her, pulling her hair all the while.

Dear Lord, it was no use. My feet were slipping out from under me. To my horror, I was being shoved closer and closer toward oblivion. Just like my nightmares.

Somewhere in my head I could hear Serena’s excited voice.
“He’s coming,”
she said.
“Do not give up.”

During all the commotion, none of us had heard the motorcycle busting through the closed gates below.

“I do not have goodness—or holiness—in me. The truth is, killing you is my only chance to win Andrés’s love. It is all I have left.”

Picturing Andrés’s handsome face, Serena hears his deep voice whispering eternal love in her ear. Love rushes through her body, and with it she finds grace and dignity. She smiles. She will not die alone, nor end life without love.

Facing Clara, she pulls her shoulders back and lifts her chin. Her soft voice is firm and unwavering when she says, “I shall speak the truth. Andrés loves only me. Our love shall never die.”

Clara’s rage explodes, bellowing across the palace compound. Guests leaving Andres’s engagement ball hear the scream and rush toward the tower.

All agree it sounded like death.

“Help, someone help me!” I yelled.

She laughed. “Everything’s closed. Shut up, you’re busting my eardrum.”

This only made me yell louder, until she punched me hard in the gut, knocking the wind out of me. I lost my grip on her hair and fell to the ground in a crumpled pile of bloodied uselessness.

I sucked hard to get some air into my lungs and she doubled over, trying to catch her own breath. Her shoulders heaved up and down from the violent struggle. I hoped her craziness had been expended and reason would return, until I remembered Aunt Lulu.

Sweet Lord, don’t let her turn into Aunt Lulu.

I couldn’t lift myself up anymore. How much blood had I lost? I was starting not to care. My eyes closed.

Somewhere far away a ghost of a voice said,
“Erin. You must open your eyes.”

I ignored her. It was too hard.

“Erin!”
the voice said louder.
“You have to fight. It is our only chance.”

When I opened my eyes, I was confused. How could I be bent forward at the waist, seeing the ground a hundred miles below? Clarity slapped so hard, my eyes watered.

“Help me.” I struggled to lift my body off the window ledge. Terror, exhaustion and loss of blood made it difficult to move.

“Erin! Don’t move, I’m coming,” a male voice tried to reassure me. “Maria, let go of her. Now!”

“No!” It was the bellow of a lunatic pushing me even further out the window. “I’ll use the knife.”

My strength gave way. I fell forward, teetering on the edge of life and death.

“Stop!” said the man again, and I knew. Santiago had come to save me.

Dear God, Santiago was fighting the crazy knife-wielding Goddess of Death and there was nothing I could do. All I could see was the dark ground, far, far away and swimming up toward me.

“Hold on,”
Serena said.

Clutching the ledge with slippery, bloody hands, I did the best I could. I knew those jagged rocks were down there, waiting to peel the flesh from my bones.

“Let her go,” Santiago demanded. “It’s over.”

“It is for her,” Maria snarled.

“Listen to me, you’re sick. You don’t know what you’re doing. Move her away from the window.”

“Get back,” she threatened. “She’s going to die.”

“No!” we all yelled at once—Santiago, Serena, and me.

There was a violent struggle behind me. Someone slammed into my back, violently. I lost my grip on the window ledge and rocketed out the gaping hole. By some miracle, I stopped short when my hips banged into the ledge.

Bent like a
V
, my upper body dangled out the window. I kicked behind me, trying to reach the floor with my feet and wiggle back inside the tower. I couldn’t reach. It seemed impossible. I was stuck, upside down, the last few drops of my blood rushing to my head. It was only a matter of minutes. I couldn’t hold on with my legs for long. I was going to fall to my death.

“Help!” My cry was pathetic. Resigned.

Serena shoved herself even deeper into my brain. It was like diving into a pool, the warm water lapping over my skin, the sounds muffled, the colors light blue when Serena took over.

I don’t know how she did it, but Serena was there, moving my body as if it were her own. Gripping the ledge with strong fingers, she hung on, saving my life. And as she did, her memories flooded my brain.

“Do you see?”
Serena said.

And I did. All of it. Visions of Andrés atop his charcoal steed, holding Serena’s hand, dancing at a great ball, kissing her passionately in a beautiful rose garden. I saw it all and experienced the strongest love a woman could ever know. If only I could love like that, I’d die a happy woman.

“You shall not die today if I have any say in the matter.”

A bloodcurdling scream filled my ears. I couldn’t see what happened next. Something heavy bumped into me as it flew over and out the window. The tremendous weight hit me hard. My forehead smacked into the stone wall, knocking me senseless.

As I lost consciousness, my body sailed down…down…down. The bone-crunching impact waited at the bottom.

Instead of dying, I was hoisted up by two strong arms.

Serena sang,
“Holy Madre, Erin. I remember!”

Is he coming? No
, she sighs. Someone else runs toward her.

Hearing Clara’s horrible scream, Beatriz gathers her long skirts up to free her legs and rushes to the tower. The light from her candle splays out across the gruesome scene with long, delicate fingers. She bends over Serena’s body, wincing at the sight. Serena herself cannot look.

Beatriz glances up to the gaping window in the tower and sees the figure moving away from the window. “Your secret is safe with me, Clara. I am grateful.”

Shortly thereafter the guests from the ball surround her. “What happened?” They all want to know.

“Glorious Saints! It is a woman, is it not?” a nobleman asks.

“Oh, marquesa, who is she?” one of the ladies whispers.

Beatriz takes a stuttering breath. “Serena, Prince Miguel’s nursemaid.”

Collectively, all eyes travel up toward the tower. Few can look upon the bloodied body.

“Why?” a nobleman asks with a shudder. “I remember her from Princess Juana’s ball. A beautiful
señorita
. Why would she take her life?”

Beatriz does not bat an eye. “She must have heard the news.”

“News?”

“Yes, my dear friends, I am sad to tell you that Prince Miguel has died.”

There is a collective gasp. The royal heir to the throne is dead?

They do not have time to ponder the implications before the marquesa continues, “The messenger arrived a few moments ago. Serena must have overheard…” She motions to the body. “She loved him deeply. Poor girl. Her grief I understand, but to commit a mortal sin?” She shakes her head. “I would not have wished it upon her.”

Serena glares at the lying woman. “Andrés will never believe you. If it takes an eternity,” she vows, “he shall know the truth about my murder and how you sought to cover it up.”

And with that vow, Serena steps away from the blinding light.

“Erin? Open your eyes,
querida
,” a deeper voice said. “It’s all over.”

I was flat on my back inside a small room with medical supplies all around. My arm hurt like a son-of-a-gun and there was a lump on my head. “Where am I?”

“An ambulance. I’m taking you back to the hospital.”

“Hospital?” My thoughts were jumbled. Why was his face so sad? What happened? Why—oh God, suddenly I remembered. “Maria.”

When he bent over and kissed my cheek, his tears mixed with mine. “Fell…out the window…didn’t make it.”

With my good arm, I pulled him toward me. He sobbed against my neck while I held on tight. The ambulance guy closed the door and left us that way, tangled up together in misery. The cot shook slightly with the rumble of the engine.

We had at least a half an hour in the back the ambulance to piece the story together. When we both stopped crying, I held his cheeks in my hands. “Tell me.”

“I did everything I could to heal her.” His eyes were bloodshot and tormented. “After the problems with Mama, I sensed Maria was heading for a breakdown too, but I couldn’t be sure. She hid her emotions. Buried them deep. It’s something we both learned too well.

“The day Cristina disappeared, I was distraught, angry, confused. Maria looked me in the eye and said, ‘Let the darkness take over. It’s easy. Sometimes the lights just go out and there is nothing left but power and rage. I can kill with my bare hands when the darkness takes over.’

“I was terrified. Had Cristina run off? Or had the darkness taken her and my baby sister with it?

“I sent Maria to UCLA the next day for extensive testing. What was the darkness and could it be destroyed for good? After five years of the best medicines and therapy, Dr. Martin Lawrence, the number one psychiatrist in the world, assured me she was well. But I couldn’t be sure. Some things you feel in here.” He pressed his hand to his stomach.

“She seemed so…normal,” I said. “But then again, I might not be the best judge of normal.”

“Yes. Most of the time she acted fine. But there were flashes… It scared me. I wondered if she was taking her pills. I sent one of her blood samples to Martin to find out.”

“Right, after my heatstroke incident you drew her blood. She thought you were trying to determine if she and I had been exposed to a germ on the plane.”

“It would have broken Maria’s heart, or pushed her over the edge, to know I was checking up on her. I had to know the truth. It was killing me, thinking you might be in danger. I flew to LA to speak to Martin and study the results myself. It was the hardest thing in the world to leave you behind, Erin. I couldn’t sleep or eat.” He tucked the hair behind my ear. “I can’t breathe when I’m away from you.”

I cupped his cheek. “Me too, big guy.”

“I hired a man to follow Maria and keep an eye on you while I was gone.”

“The guy at the airport and parked outside.”

His eyes widened. “You saw him?”

“Yeah, but Maria didn’t believe me when I told her we were being followed.”

He took a stuttering breath. “Her perception of reality wasn’t always accurate.”

“But she worked, had friends, lovers. I had no idea she was sick. It’s a real testament to how strong she was, Santiago. No one knew.”

“I should have known. And saved her.”

“How? Force-fed her the pills? The best doctors in the world couldn’t save her because deep down she liked the darkness. The power thrilled her. She didn’t want to give it up.”

“If I had known, I’d never have put you at risk. I love you, Erin. More than I have ever loved anyone. I would have sent you to Mars to keep you safe.”

I smiled. “Newsflash—I love you too much to leave you. Ever.”

“But you promised you’d go home if things got too dangerous.”

I kissed him on the nose. “I lied. It was the last time, I promise. I am so done with secrets and lies.”

“Not telling you the whole truth almost got you killed. And Maria…” A wave of sorrow surged through him, filling his eyes. “I lost my sister.”

I laced my fingers with his. “Above all else, she wanted you to be happy. I hope you will let me have that job. I will make your life so sweet.”

“After all this, you want to stay with me?”

“Only forever. Now, lie back down here with me and rest. We’ll get through this. Together.” I scooted over a little, trying not to jostle my arm.

“I love you, Erin Carter.” Mindful of my injuries, he curled himself around me.

I sighed. I was tired, beat up, and emotionally whooped, but those five little words had healing power. They were dark chocolate for my soul.

“I love you too, Santiago Botello.”

“
Mi amor, mi corazón, mi vida
…” He kissed me as the ambulance drove on.