“And so Matías plotted to get rid of Maya so my mother would become prima, and Zoe would officially be made prima-in-waiting, and then he could swoop in and take her, make sure she wasn’t a virgin and couldn’t bond with her true consort.” Alex’s hands knotted around the steering wheel so tightly that Caitlin was worried he might actually break the plastic. “That fucking bastard.”
“I think so. At least, that’s what my gut is telling me.” In that moment, she hated those instincts of hers, hated the evil they’d made her face. “Matías wants to be Zoe’s consort — he’ll have the power and station he’s always wanted, and he’ll be able to control her any way he likes.”
“And I have a feeling he’d make sure my mother had some kind of ‘accident’ in the near future so he’d be in charge of the entire de la Paz clan.” Alex reached for his phone and stabbed a button.
“Are you calling Zoe?” Caitlin asked, hoping they’d figured out Matías’ plan in time. Maybe, if he was still in Tucson when he cast the spell that killed Maya de la Paz. He’d have to go from there to Fountain Hills to get Zoe. Where the hell was Fountain Hills, anyway? She had a vague idea it was a suburb of Phoenix, but after that she was at a loss. But she knew it wasn’t down in the Tucson area.
Phone against his ear, Alex shook his head. “I don’t have her number. Normally, I’d call my parents, but I have a feeling they’re both sort of busy right now.”
Of course, Caitlin thought. Luz just lost her mother, and now she’s in charge of an entire clan…a clan under attack, even if she doesn’t it realize it yet. And of course her husband will be with her to support her.
“So I’m calling Miguel. He’s got everyone’s contact information.”
That made sense. She waited as Alex sat there, expression growing increasingly dire. When he spoke, she could tell he was leaving a voicemail. “Miguel, we’re pretty sure those warlocks are going after Zoe. Can you get in touch with her, with Uncle Luis or Aunt Andrea, and let them know they need to get her to a safe place? Maybe Jack Sandoval — he’s pretty good with defensive spells. Or even up to my grandmother’s house if there’s no one else. My mother should be able to keep her safe.”
He ended the call but didn’t put away the phone. Driving with one hand, he went back to his contacts list and pushed another button.
“Who’re you calling now?”
“Jack, the guy I just mentioned. I don’t want to wait for Miguel to get that message I left.”
She nodded. It was horrible being this far away, now knowing what Matías was up to, and also knowing there wasn’t anything they could do to stop him, except put the de la Paz clan on alert and hope that someone would be able to intercept the warlock in time.
But apparently this Jack person wasn’t answering the phone, either, and Alex blew out a breath in disgust. “Jesus Christ, it’s Friday afternoon. Where the hell is everyone — at a titty bar or something?” he paused, then added, “Well, actually, knowing my cousin Jack, he could be at a titty bar.”
Normally, Caitlin would have laughed at such a remark, but she couldn’t laugh now. Not with what was at stake. She said, “Maybe you should try your parents after all. They’d want to know, wouldn’t they?”
Alex looked less than thrilled at that suggestion, but then he inclined his head toward her. “Okay.” This time he dialed the number directly, which made sense; that should be a phone number he knew by heart.
A second or two went by, and Caitlin’s pulse accelerated slightly. Maybe they wouldn’t pick up, were so immersed in dealing with the aftermath of Maya’s death that they’d just let the call go to voicemail.
But then Alex said, “Dad?” and Caitlin felt herself — well, not relax exactly, but at least go a little less tense. “Hi — yes, Miguel told me. I was going to come up there, but he said it would be better if I went home for now. That’s not why I’m calling, though. We just found out what Matías is doing. I can’t explain it all now, but he’s going after Zoe. He wants to be her consort.” A short silence, and then Alex replied, obviously in answer to his father’s question, “I know, it won’t be a true consort bond, but it’ll be enough for his purposes. And there won’t be anything we can do about it if he succeeds. So someone needs to get her away, and now. I don’t have her number, but I know one of you must — okay, good, thanks.”