The 52nd (The 52nd Saga Book 1) (32 page)

Dad reached for his salt-and-pepper hair. “I don’t have
that
much gray hair, do
I?”

“Get in the car, Mitch,” Mom said as she stepped
inside.

I glanced at my car. Lucas held a hand out to the open door. “After
you.”

The first thing I noticed was the bucket seat I slid into. Lucas was already getting in on the other side as I slid back and got comfortable. Then I noticed the oversized sunroof, open to reveal the stars. And then the space, and how my legs could stretch all the way out with room to spare. And the stark white color of the leather, the rugs, and the doors. I wondered then, since it was so spotless, whether they had just bought these cars as well. Lucas, who had been watching me all the while, chuckled
softly.

“These are on loan to us from our dear friends in Germany,” he said, answering my train of thought as the car
moved.

“How do you read my
mind?”

“I don’t; I’ve just gotten really good at predicting what people are thinking, especially
you.”

“I see. Well then, what am I going to say
next?”

He laced his fingers together and laid them on his flat stomach.

“You are going to ask how we pay for all of this,” he
said.

He confounded me, but then the window open to the driver’s compartment caught my
eye.

“No, wait, now you’re going to ask why I speak so freely in the driver’s presence,” he
added.

I blushed as the driver looked at us in the rearview
mirror.

“Raul is a dear family
friend.”

Immediately the wrong questions flooded my mind.
Who is Raul? How does he know the Castillo family? Does he know about their secret? Does he know why we’re here?
I shrank into the seat, scared that I knew so little about this new world, completely in over my
head.

“Raul is an Alux,” he said. I vaguely remembered hearing the word once before, in the garage at Fallen Leaf. He spoke before I could ask my obvious question. “You will learn more about them in
time.”

It’s been time,
I thought angrily, but I was also very tired and very
hungry.

“So, where does all your money come from?” I settled for asking as I watched the black streets
pass.

He threw a pressed smile at Raul and sighed. “Our Aluxes,” he said. Then he chuckled lightly and glanced at Raul. “And so my answer comes to you once again,” he said. Raul smiled but said nothing.

“What does that mean? Are they not human?” I whispered.

“Aluxes are Mayan, but not human. The Celestials assigned them to serve and protect us after the transformation. They remain invisible until it is time to serve. Niya and Malik have their beef with them every now and then. They both tend to get a bit protective of us.” He
winked.

“I wouldn’t know the feeling,” I joked
back.

Lucas laughed.

“Do they have any powers?” I asked as we passed dim streetlights.

“They will use their powers to protect us only when my family and I are in imminent danger, and only against those who mean us
harm.”

“What can they
do?”

“What the Mayans were good at: fighting. They probably seem short to you, but size is deceiving. They. Can. Fight. Some of the best fights I’ve ever had. After the transformation, well, I guess you can say we all had a big throwdown to see what everyone’s strengths
were.”

“Do they launder money too?” I
asked.

Lucas and Raul laughed together. I felt young and
dumb.

“No,
muñeca
,” Lucas said, recovering. “They take work all around the world. Their income goes into a pool. We have a few offshore bank accounts, which is what we use to pay for everything. It would be easier to compel people and just take from them, but we like to think we still have humanity left in us after all. So we pay for our material things just as any normal person
would.”

“Oh.”

He remained patiently silent, expecting more questions.

“Where are Tita, Niya, and Malik?” Dim lights turned to small outdoor restaurants with flashy signs in all colors, and taco kiosks on every street corner. I was surprised at the number of customers they had at this late
hour.

“They’re coming tomorrow.”

“How do Niya and Malik travel? Were they on the plane in a crate, with the dogs and
cats?”

Lucas let out a loud laugh. “No, babe, we have a private plane, so Niya and Malik can roam freely. Tita volunteered to stay behind so that they didn’t have to fly alone. They will arrive tomorrow
night.”

“Oh.” I shut up then, trying to control the jittery nerves in my gut, and realized he had just called me
babe
.

“How are you doing with everything?” he asked a minute later as I rested my head against the
window.

“I try not to think about
it.”

Soon the city lights were behind us, and the tropical trees were black silhouettes against the stars. The Milky Way swirled above us, a golden glow bursting with burning stars. Lucas shifted and angled his knees closer to
mine.

“Since I got mad at you for withholding information from me, I feel I can’t be a hypocrite and do the same,” he said dutifully.

“Okay.” My stomach cramped suddenly.

“The Celestials would come after anyone responsible for killing another Celestial. If they come after us, they will find that we have saved a sacrifice as well as killed one of their own. They like their peace, and if anyone meddles with it, the consequences . . . would not be favorable.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I felt the blood rush from my head and the poisonous nausea come back. “Who said anything about killing a Celestial?”

“Xavier may not return to the Underworld when it is time to close the portal. And if that is the case, he must
die.”

“You can’t.” It came out before I realized what I was saying, but I knew I was right by the way my body pounded.

“We don’t have a choice. He’s here to harm
you!”

“What if you’re
wrong?”

Lucas raised his voice through gritted teeth, and his striking features were dark with disbelief. “I am doing this to protect
you.”

“I know, and I am grateful, but it doesn’t make sense. Think about it. It’s too easy. I don’t know how, but since . . . what happened this morning, I feel it in my bones that something very bad would happen if Xavier
died.”

“Of course you do. You’re connected to him,” Lucas sniffed
sourly.

“No, Lucas. That’s not
it.”

Lucas sat at the edge of his seat and drew his heels
in.

“Xavier knows I swore an oath to the Celestials that I would never break this rule. This gives me leverage, Zara. He would never suspect
it.”

“You can’t!”

“Xavier’s plan, Zara, is to kill you on an altar in
this
world. He’s not even going to bring you to the Underworld!” he said, disgust clear in his tone. “You dying here will bring his spirit out of Xibalba and back to life. He wants to kill you soon—any day now. I’m sorry, Zara, but my first priority is keeping you safe. We can worry about the Celestials
later.”

Tears swelled in my eyes. He looked away with grief and sat still. Finally, as the car slowed, he cast a tight smile in my direction. “We’re
here.”

It was pitch black outside when Raul turned onto a sandy road. The car’s headlights revealed a waist-high gate in a wall of high bushes. Raul followed the caravan’s taillights through its open doors. The road was slightly bumpy and dimly lit by flaming torches encased in glass atop modern-looking pillars every ten feet. At the end of the road stood a tall, bright house. Short servants stood waiting at the steps to the front door, between more pillars of
fire.

“Welcome to my home, Zara,” Lucas said as Raul stopped at the
steps.

A dark-haired man in a black collared shirt opened my door. He wore a jade-colored ribbon tied in a bow just under his neck, leaving the ends hanging down his chest. I took his hand nervously and stepped out into the awful wall of humidity.

Then I looked up, and up, and up. The house rose three stories high above a large central terrace. Floodlights beamed up each thick tropical tree lining the perimeter of the house. As the cool, salty breeze blew against my face, I recognized the sound of ocean waves crashing against the
shore.

“Lucas, your home . . .” I
said.

“Lucas, hey Lucas!” Max and Casey called as they ran over to us. Lucas turned toward
them.

“Hey Lucas, I just wanted to let you know—” Max began, but Casey jabbed him in the ribs. “Okay, we
both
wanted to let you know that this is awesome. Maybe we can go get some drinks later and
talk?”

“Talk about our sister, of course,” Casey added, trying to regain control over his excitement.

Lucas chuckled. “Sure. I would like that.” Then he slapped each of their shoulders and slyly pushed them toward the door. “Come inside, I will show you where your rooms
are.”

“Wait, rooms? We have our own rooms?” Casey
asked.

As the twins ascended the stairs in a near run, snorting like pigs, Lucas stepped back and reached for my hand. I jerked away in confusion, asking myself what his gestures
meant.

“It’s only my hand,” he said, but his eyes were different. They were open and free, and I could see the truth in the depths of them.
No more secrets
, I thought.

I smiled and fitted my hand into his slowly. The tingling fire was fierce at first, but then it calmed to a cool touch as he grasped it more firmly. It was a simple tickle when we reached the top of the
stairs.

Another servant waited inside the foyer, a short woman wearing a modern-day Puebla dress with a top of black ruffled lace draping across her chest and off-shoulder sleeves, above a sheath fitted tightly from her bust to her knees. A jade-colored feather extension dangled next to her right ear. She was holding a silver platter of ice-cold beverages.

I was beyond parched, but I recognized none of the offerings. I grabbed the first one that looked refreshing, a Coke-type bottle with a picture of an apple on it. Cold condensation wet my fingertips and dripped on the floor as I lifted
it.

“Thank you,” I
said.

She looked up at me and smiled wordlessly.

“
Gracias
, Marifer,” Lucas said from behind me, choosing a fluted glass filled with clear
liquid.

We passed a spiral staircase and stepped into a museum-sized room open to the balcony walkways of each floor above it. I froze when I saw a tall Christmas tree lit with soft white lights in the middle. Some twinkled on and off beneath elaborate decorations in shades of white, cream, and jade. There were glass balls, seashells, glittering sprays, and snowflakes. Not a single branch remained
bare.

“Do you approve?” Lucas whispered in one
ear.

“How did you know?” I stared at it—it was another of Lucas’s recent gestures, proof he was changing, softening,
weakening
. I turned to him and saw the warm smile on his
face.

“How could I not? I would have to be an idiot not to notice how your face lights up at everything Christmas.”

“This is beautiful, Valentina,” Mom said in
awe.

Andrés spoke from the other side of the tree. “Lucas, would you please show the boys and Zara where their rooms are? Your mother and I will show Mr. and Mrs. Moss their rooms. We will join you in the dining room in fifteen minutes for
dinner.”

I was wondering about the second set of stairs behind him when Mom shot her
Our rules still apply
glance at me. I understood clearly. No messing around, and no boys in my room. It didn’t bother me. I was used to her believing we were a couple. It was an easy story to explain the amount of time we spent with each other, but the stare was still uncomfortable.
What does she think I’m going to
do?

Valentina quickly ushered her up the stairs. Short servants followed them with the luggage.

Lucas took me up the spiral stairs. Thick, fresh evergreen garlands draped over the railing. It smelled like home. One flight up, we reached two rooms side by side that faced the
ocean.

“Max this is your room,” Lucas said, pointing to the left door. Max disappeared inside as Lucas pointed to the right. “Casey, this is
yours.”

Casey shook Lucas’s hand hard, overexcitement making his arm look like spaghetti.

“Thanks so much, man. I’ll see you at dinner.” Casey practically leaped inside and shut the door behind him. I could hear them laughing and talking to each other through the walls.
I’m betting these rooms are a major upgrade over their apartment.

Lucas subtly tugged my hand, and we ascended the spiral stairs to the third floor. The two rooms on this floor were larger, separated by a vaulted great room. When we entered the door on the right, a summery breeze hit my
face.

“This is your room,” Lucas
said.

The ceiling was exceptionally high, but it had to be to fit the four-poster bed at my right. My reflection moved in the mirror of the vanity next to the bed. I looked away quickly, frightened by my hair. French doors across the white marble floor had been left open to the balcony beyond, allowing warm, salty air to sweep through the room. I could hear the waves
below.

I gulped. “Where is your room?” I asked, glancing at the sand-colored linen on the king-sized square of goodness and squelching a sudden, irrational thought that we’d be sharing
it.

Lucas chuckled lightly, walked to the balcony, and pointed left. “Right
there.”

Relief washed over me. I followed him outside and stared across a gap at another long balcony. The distance seemed miniscule. I gulped again, knowing it couldn’t keep him
away.

“Close enough to keep an eye on you. That’s all,” he added with longing eyes, predicting my human thoughts.

“Your home is beautiful.”

Beautiful
didn’t seem like the right word to describe this mansion.
Fit for a king
was more like it. He stiffened uncomfortably and cleared his
throat.

“I’ll let you get comfortable. When you are ready, I’ll be waiting for you outside your
door.”