TWENTY

Aloysius, Fiore, open the door. I thought as I entered the elevator with a limp Mateo in my arms. As the elevator climbed, I looked at his face. His face took on wrinkles around the eyes reminding me of spider legs, his hair grey at his temples. As we suspected, the aging process was speeded. If he didn’t exchange blood soon, who knew how long he would last?

The elevator doors opened and I rushed down the hall. Margarita stood from her seat at the door of the apartment and rushed to meet me. “What happened?”

“He needs blood. Hurry, open the door,” was all I could say. I didn’t know if Margarita knew Mateo was half vampire but it was not important, not to her anyway.

“Here, give him to me, Lily,” Aloysius said as he took Mateo from my arms and rushed toward the stairs. “I will put him in your room. Lucia and the children are asleep but no need to scare them.”

Fiore rushed ahead of us and threw the bedroom door open. She ran to the bed and pulled the blankets down.

“Mariana has not made an appearance, I take it?” Aloysius asked as he set Mateo down, placing his head on Christian’s pillow.

“No. What do we do now?” I stood at the foot of the bed looking at the awkward scene in front of me. Fiore pulled the blankets up over Mateo, who occupied the spot on the bed that belonged to my husband. My stomach knotted painfully.

“The only thing we can do,” Aloysius answered.

“No,” I gasped. “He isn’t ours to claim.”

“We have to do something or he’ll die,” Fiore moved Mateo’s head from side to side with her fingers, examining his face. “He’s aging already, and very fast.”

“Mariana did this to him. He’s her responsibility,” I argued.

“So we watch him die?” Aloysius came to my side and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Can you live with that, Lily?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and thought about Christian. What would he want to do?

“Lily, dear,” Aloysius took my face in his hands and turned it toward him, his eyes intent yet comforting. “Christian is gone right now. He can’t decide for you. You have to decide whether you can allow Mateo to die or save him.”

“You can’t possibly be asking me to turn him,” Tears streaked down my cheeks before I could bite down and stop them. “He would be attached to me then. I can’t do that, not to Christian.”

Fiore came to stand beside him. “Maybe there’s another way.”

“What do you mean?” Aloysius looked at her, his hands stopping the tears from reaching my chin.

“What if there’s just an exchange? That would get him back to normal for a while, I think, and then he can decide what he wants.” She looked at Aloysius. His face brightened.

“You may be right. Maybe that would work and we don’t have to do the extreme. I can do it if you want, Lily.”

“No. He’s Mariana’s responsibility but I was with him when this happened. I’m the one he knows best. He’s been trying to help us all along and it’s the least I can do to repay him,” I said. Aloysius dropped his hands from my face.

“Are you sure you feel up to it?” Fiore asked as she stroked my back.

I nodded. “But, will he have an attachment to me from that?”

“I think he will but it should be temporary. The attachment will be broken when he is turned completely or when Mariana exchanges blood with him again, whichever comes first,” Aloysius explained.

“Just be careful not to take too much from him. He’s weakened already,” Fiore warned as she led Aloysius out of the room by the hand. “We’ll be right outside if you need us.”

Instead of sitting on Christian’s side of the bed, I walked to my side and climbed up next to Mateo. He looked lifeless laying there, the covers tucked under his chin as Fiore left them. His heart beat weakly, barely audible, his eyes till tightly shut.

How could I do this to Christian? How could I allow another man to become attached to me, even if it was for the sole purpose of saving his life? Did Mateo even want to live without Mariana? It didn’t matter. I had to do it, if not for him, then for me. He was the only connection I had to my past, a past where the sun rose and set around my loving parents. A past where my only care was what my next story would be about and what Elizabeth would think of it. A past Ian took from me when he brought me into his life of hell and somehow, in some crazy way, Ian keeps taking away my future too.

Christian, I’m sorry but I have to do this. I can’t let Mateo die like this. The thought of Christian brought the lump back to my throat and I wanted more than anything to run out of the room and into the ocean. I wanted to drown out the nightmare my existence had become. Mateo stirred and brought me back to reality. His eyes still shut, he pushed the covers down a little and then his hands fell back down as if they were too heavy for him. I had no choice.

Cradling the top of his head in my hand, I turned his head just enough to bare his neck. Sweat beaded on his jawline but his skin felt cold under my fingers. I leaned down and inhaled his aroma, my eyes closed, my fangs lengthening on their own. I sank my teeth into his tender flesh and he moaned. I stopped just long enough to look at him but he eyes remained closed. His sweet blood filled my mouth completely before I swallowed, heat coating my throat. Images of his past floated past my eyes, a dog running and jumping to catch a Frisbee, Elizabeth grinning at him from across the room, batting her eye lashes when he turned as he felt her stare. I walked down the street, my arms full of old musty books, turning into the corner drugstore. Mariana screaming at him, tears in his eyes, contempt in hers. When the drum of his heart slowed in my ears, I pulled away and wiped my mouth with my sleeve. His eyes were still closed, his breathing more shallow.

With my fangs still protruding, I brought my wrist to my lips and punctured it. I cradled the back of his head so he wouldn’t be lying flat and brought my bloody wrist to his mouth.

“Drink, please, Mateo,” I coaxed. I had no idea if he heard me or if the blood itself awakened something in him but he clenched his mouth around the punctures. He brought one hand up to hold my wrist in place as his mouth eagerly slurped what I offered. I closed my eyes and pictured Christian, hoping his image would lessen the guilt I felt, if I could imagine it was him instead. The drum of his heart, stronger and faster with every sip, told me he’d had enough.

“That’s enough now, Mateo.”

His hand clamped tighter around my arm, keeping his mouth in place, his tongue working to get every possible drop.

“That is enough, Mateo,” He did not stop. “Enough!”

He grabbed my arm with two strong hands, forcing me to pry them off. I jumped off the bed as his eyes opened.

“Mariana?” he whispered. “I knew you’d come back.”

“It’s not Mariana,” I answered, keeping my distance. “It’s Lily.”

He sat up so fast his movement was a blur. Looking around the room, he tried to focus his eyes. Though his hair was cut close to his scalp, it still managed to stick up.

“How are you feeling?” I moved a few steps closer to the bed, not sure if he was going to attack or pass out.

“Ok, I think. What happened?” He looked around the room again. His eyes settled on the wedding picture on the dresser. “Why am I in your room?”

“You passed out on me when we were talking. I carried you back here.” I let that sink in a moment. He turned back to me.

“I wouldn’t have survived it, would I?” he ran his fingers through his hair. “No, don’t answer that. I already know. She didn’t come back.”

“I’m sorry but no. I didn’t know what else to do so I…”

“Please, come sit down. I won’t bite, I promise.” He patted the mattress.

I did as he asked, my feet still on the floor. “I gave you my blood.”

“I know. I can feel it. I can feel you…in here.” He brought a hand to his chest.

“It’s only temporary, until she comes back. Then you will be hers again. I mean…” I froze.

“I know what you mean. You are not cheating on Christian, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he moved closer to me. “You did it to save my life, though I wish you hadn’t.”

“What?” I jumped up as he was trying to push the blankets off his legs. “What the hell are you saying? That I did this for nothing?”

“In a way, I guess,” He stood and came toward me. “Even though I don’t feel her in here right now,” He pounded his fist to his chest. “I love her. I don’t want to be without her.”

“You just may have to be. Get used to that idea.”

“Really? Like you and Christian? He chose to renounce you or did you forget?” he tried to take my hands but I spun and walked away.

“How dare you compare Christian with Mariana? Christian is my husband. Christian—“

“Lily, please. That’s not what I’m trying to do at all. I just want you to start thinking about the fact that Christian does not want to be found and he may never be coming back,” he said almost in a whisper.

“I can’t do that, Mateo. I refuse. His disappearance makes no sense. We fought so hard to be together, to stay together. Why would he walk away when we finally are together? Why would he leave Jose Luis and Leilani?” I backed toward the door.

He shook his head and his eyes softened. “I don’t know, Lily.”

“He told me he’d love me forever, spend eternity with me.” My voice cracked.

“I don’t know but Mariana said the same things to me. She made the same promises and she didn’t keep them either,” he reached for my arm to keep me in the room. I batted his hand away, making him stagger a few steps.

“You know what, Mateo?” I barked through gritted teeth.

“What Lily?” the crack in his voice betrayed his amused look.

“I should have let you die!” I spun and walked out the door, slamming it behind me.

“Lily, what’s wrong?” Fiore asked as I reached the bottom of the stairs. She and Aloysius walked toward me. I threw my hand up when I reached the front door.

“Please, don’t,” I warned, trying not to look at them, afraid I’d change my mind. “Let me go. I need to be alone for a couple days. Mateo is ok. Please tell Lucia and the children I’m sorry and I’ll see them soon.”

“What happened, Lily? Can’t we talk about it?” Aloysius pleaded but respected my space. He kept his distance.

“What about looking for Christian and Jose Luis?” Fiore asked before I could answer Aloysius’s question.

“The police are in charge, or Mateo, or who ever. Christian is not coming back,” I turned the knob and pulled the door open, still keeping my back to them. “I have my cell if you need me, but only in case of an emergency. I don’t want to be bothered otherwise.” I closed the door behind me, half expecting it to open again and for them to try to stop me. They did not. Margarita only nodded a greeting as I passed.

Once on the street, I turned left, heading toward the busier part of town. At this late hour, and on a week night, there weren’t as many people around but a few still walked the brightly lit sidewalks. Every time someone came my way, he or she crossed the street rather than share the sidewalk with me. I must look as angry as I feel. It was just as well. Blood did not appeal to me at the moment. All I wanted was to be alone.

The lobby of the hotel, the first one I came across, was brightly lit with crystal chandeliers. Plush chairs in dark colors scattered about the open space gave it an old feeling. Not surprisingly, an old gentleman in horn rimmed glasses and wearing a bow tie greeted me when I stepped up to the desk.

“May I help you, señorita?” he asked as he looked me over above his glasses.

“Yes, please. I would like a room.”

“Ah, an American. What brings you to our lovely country?” he picked at the computer keyboard with one finger while he waited for my answer.

“Um, I… Do you have a room or not?” I regretted my tone as soon as the words came out of my mouth. It was none of his business though.

“I am sorry, Miss. I just get a little bored this late at night. It is hard for a man my age to stay awake these hours, you know. We have two rooms left,” he eyed the monitor over his glasses again. Why did he even wear them? “A matrimonial and the penthouse.”

“That’s great,” I said pulling out my wallet. “I will take the penthouse.”