Chapter 19
NINETEEN
Mayté
Mayté and Alejandro didn’t stop running until they reached the library. Once inside, they worked together to push the plush chairs in front of the door.
Alejandro paced in front of the makeshift barricade like a caged animal. Every little crackle from the fireplace made him jump until he suddenly whirled around and grabbed her shoulders. “You need to return to your room.”
“No!” Mayté squirmed away. “He was going to kill you, Alejandro. And I … I can’t live another second in here!” She blinked back angry tears. “I can’t let this place take any more people I care about. This is all wrong!”
“Mayté.” Alejandro’s voice hardened into a warning, yet his eyes spilled over with pain.
“I know,” she choked out. He didn’t have to tell her.
There wasn’t enough time to search the entire library.
If they were going to find a way, they needed it now.
She gripped the edges of the bookshelf. “Please,” she whispered.
“Please. I’m desperate. I’ll do anything.
” A hot tear slipped down her cheek. “Show me the information I need to get out of this.” She grabbed a book and flipped it open.
A list of names. A record. Slowly she sank into the nearest chair.
“What is it?” Alejandro whispered.
Mayté couldn’t stop to answer. Her eyes scanned the page, trying to make sense of the names. “Winners,” she whispered to herself. Listed was every winner followed by the final card they had used.
El Beso de la Fortuna.
El Beso de la Fortuna.
El Beso de la Fortuna.
She already knew that. How was this supposed to help her?
Still, something in her gut told her not to push this aside just yet.
She flipped through a couple more pages and found another set of entries.
Endless wealth. A lifetime of treasure. Wait.
These were the wishes of those who had won. Mayté read faster.
Ruler of her family.
King of his nation.
Owner of all the properties in the city.
Every winner received a single wish. It was another fact she already knew. Free everyone. That didn’t feel like enough. Lo, Carlos, Dominic, and Mayté herself had reasons for coming here. Desperate dreams that only magic could solve. They would just be returning to Milagro, problems and all.
There had to be more to it. There was a reason the house had led her to choose this book. Then she saw it. A different kind of wish printed in glimmering gold letters.
Mayté gasped.
“What? What?” Alejandro asked.
“I know how we’re going to get everyone out!” She jumped from her seat and paced. “Even you!”
Alejandro looked baffled, but there was the slightest glimmer of hope in his hazel eyes.
Mayté could already imagine a future where everyone was free from this place. Lo, Carlos, Dominic … and Alejandro.
“I still don’t understand,” Alejandro said. “What did you read—”
The door burst open, toppling over the chairs blocking it.
Mayté yelped, and Alejandro moved in front of her.
Time was up.
But it wasn’t a furious Misterioso that had come into the room. No. Dominic had stumbled inside. Maybe the house had led him to her. It was actually the only explanation.
Mayté felt herself relax, but only for a moment.
Dominic’s face was pale and his hair drenched in sweat. “Mayté.” He wheezed air. “I had to get to you. Something’s wrong with Lorena.”
“Where is she?” She rushed for the door, but Dominic grabbed her arms. “What happened?” Mayté demanded.
Dominic stared at her, eyes wide and full of terror.
If Lo got hurt, she would never forgive herself. She shouldn’t have stopped looking for her. Damn it. Damn it all.
“TELL ME!”
Dominic took a rasping breath. “I got lost and wandered onto an elevator. When the door opened, I saw Lorena and she … was on top of someone.” He choked, as if unsure if he wanted to cry or wretch.
Mayté’s stomach twisted.
“She was hurting them. M-maybe even killing them.”
No. She shook out of his grip and backed away.
Dominic talked faster and faster. “There was blood. So much blood. That’s all I saw. I pressed the button as fast as I could. I had to get out of there.”
It had to be a mistake. Maybe another illusion. Maybe it was still punishing Dominic for giving the potion to Carlos. That was the only explanation. Because Lo would never—
“Attention, contestants.” Misterioso’s voice chimed through the room, an agitated growl evident in his words.
Mayté and Alejandro exchanged fearful glances.
“We are moving up the penultimate round. Please be in the gaming den within the next half hour. The wager for this round will be your souls.”