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“Gate 14 of the once great Orange Bowl Stadium is where my family was assigned a tent to sleep. Where we huddled together while my parents figured out where to go when they didn’t know a soul and didn’t speak a word of English.” She paused, letting the enormity of an experience like that settle over the room. “And J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla was the first thing anyone gave me in this strange new land so far from my grandparents and aunts and cousins and friends.”
The silence in the room made the hairline crack in Dr. Reyes’ voice ring in Natalia’s chest.
“I said I fell in love at twelve because that’s how long it took me to read a hundred-year-old book. Do you know how many episodes of Schoolhouse Rock! it takes to decipher words like postilions and benediction? I don’t know who dropped that book in the church rummage sale, but I’m sure they never expected it to end up in my hot little hands.” She smiled so easily, so freely — effortlessly eliciting emotions from the crowd like a virtuoso plucking a string. “And then my terrified little queer heart realized that this incredible creature was a lesbian.”
When Dr. Reyes clutched her chest after looking up at the rounded ceiling as if thanking the universe, the audience released a collective breath. “But it wasn’t the Victorian-era take on sapphic desires that stuck with me all these years, it was the end. Spoiler alert for a story that’s been out since 1872,” she leaned over the lectern as if letting them in on a secret, “it never ends well for the gay gal.”
Dr. Reyes dropped her bright energy like she’d been wearing it as a disguise. Striding to the front of the platform, the woman beamed with passion like it was igniting from her pores. She was even more striking this way. More magnetic.
“Even at twelve, I was sure that I was being sold some kind of cautionary tale about how monstrous powerful women are, but I just couldn’t buy it. It did, however, spark a life-long fascination that led me to the Daughters of Lilith.”
Dr. Reyes turned on one loafer-covered foot just as a projector descended behind her. She moved like she owned every inch of the stage. If Natalia was the kind of person who felt pity, she might almost feel it now. Dr. Reyes was used to impressing rooms full of undergrads and sycophants, but Natalia had cut her teeth on controlling rooms full of powerful people who underestimated her. The good professor didn’t stand a chance.
“Most people are unfamiliar with the mythology surrounding Lilith and her daughters, probably because there’s no dude in it.” She smiled as a rendering of a gorgeous woman appeared behind her. “Lilith, who in some traditions is known as Adam’s first wife — because what historical female figure isn’t defined by her relationship to a man — has been depicted as a demon, a seductress, and a mother of monsters. In the mythology we’re discussing today, she is the first vampire who gives birth to seven powerful daughters: Hera, Jezebel, Medusa, Cleopatra, Hecate, Ishtar, and Circe. Recognize those villainous names?” She grinned. “Each daughter represents a different facet of feminine power, from leadership to magic to passion. All big no-no’s for the fairer sex, right?”
Natalia wished she’d sat closer to the front. Wished that Dr. Reyes spoke slowly as the images flew by on the projector screen. Brought to life like this... the subject was fascinating.
“The Daughters of Lilith are powerful matriarchs, no doubt about that. However, this power comes with a twist: their ability to procreate, a process traditionally associated with life, is instead associated with death. Associated with spreading this horrible sickness that turns people into creatures.” She paused. “The horror of not needing men, even for that part.”
Natalia found the corner of her lip twitching into a conspiratorial grin to match Dr. Reyes’ irreverent expression. She stopped it before it could get away from her. It was almost a shame that she was going to take what she wanted tonight.
“At first glance, this may seem empowering — holding the ability to create life or un-life, in their hands. They are not passive vessels for reproduction, but active participants, strong beings who can form their own societies with their own rules. But the patriarchy dictates that women with complete agency must be — for lack of a better word — evil. And that becomes clear when we learn about the Daughters of Lilith who dared to wage war against humanity — Cleopatra, Hecate, Ishtar, and Circe — are punished for their ambition and hubris. Their downfall serves as a cautionary tale, a warning to other vampires — and by extension, all women — about the dangers of challenging the established order.”
Watching Dr. Reyes, Natalia understood Zoe’s obsession. Her ideas weren’t just unique and ripe for a screen adaptation, the energy she infused into the topic was addictive. Before Natalia walked into the lecture hall that evening, she didn’t see how a dusty legend that had barely survived the test of time could be worth so much trouble to acquire. But now she saw it as feminine rebellion encapsulated.
An hour flew by while Dr. Reyes described the mythical figures — and two historical ones — that had been labeled life-stealing, immoral aberrations.
“But let’s challenge this narrative,” Dr. Reyes continued as she strolled from one side of the stage to the other. “Let’s imagine a world where Lilith and her daughters are not monstrous or evil, but brave and revolutionary. A world where their ability to procreate is not a curse, but a powerful gift. A world where they are not punished for their ambition, but celebrated for it. In reimagining these stories, we can begin to test the narratives that have shaped our understanding of power and agency. And in doing so, we can begin to rewrite the script, creating a world where female-identified power is not feared, but embraced.”
Half the hall rose in a thunderous standing ovation. Natalia didn’t stand, but she acknowledged the electric buzz singing over her skin. The contagious excitement swirling around the room.
After most of the place emptied, Natalia walked to the front of the room, where Dr. Reyes was patiently chatting with a dozen attendees. Exhilarated by the thrill of closing the deal, Natalia buzzed from the high of winning.
As soon as the group left, Dr. Reyes turned her brilliant mahogany eyes on Natalia. She had no idea how outmatched she was about to be, making it all the sweeter.
“Dr. Reyes.” Natalia extended her hand in greeting. “I’m Natalia Flores. That was quite the energetic lecture. People obviously crave stories that subvert the status quo. We need to meet that demand.” She shook her hand, warm and firm. “You’ve uncovered something special that merits mainstream attention. You’re going to change the conversation when you sell Zoe the movie rights to your interpretation of this myth. She is going to take this and change the narrative worldwide.”
Dr. Reyes’ smile started in her eyes before it dripped over her full, unpainted lips and tugged at just one corner. “Does that usually work for you, Ms. Flores? Telling people what they’re going to do in the first breath you share?”
Natalia resisted the urge to step back. “I value my time and yours. There’s no sense in wasting words.”
Taller than Natalia despite her high heels, Dr. Reyes leaned in, the scent of her cologne like smoke and leather and filthy fantasies. “Some cultures consider pleasantries critical to all interactions. Especially business offers. But if linguistic economy is important to you, Ms. Flores, I can certainly be brief.” She moistened her lips while holding Natalia’s gaze. “No.”
The single syllable echoed in Natalia’s mind, foreign and caustic. Few people told her no, and absolutely no one dismissed her out of hand.
Dr. Reyes didn’t turn away despite the apparent end of the conversation. She looked at her, eyes so alive with mischief that Natalia could hear them screaming: your turn.
CHAPTER 3
The woman standing across from Sam wore simmering irritation the way some people wore fine garments. It was an elegant perfume. A rouge on her high cheekbones. An inferno in her exquisitely bright brown eyes.
Filled with the rush of meeting someone completely new, Sam ran her fingers through her hair, channeling every cool guy in every movie for the last fifty years, and waited for Natalia’s response. She didn’t have any intention of changing her mind about selling the book, but she wasn’t in a hurry to walk away from the electric exchange.
“Dr. Reyes?—”
“Sam,” she corrected. “Please.”
Natalia fixed her in her shrewd gaze, full, glossy lips parted but unsmiling. “Dr. Reyes,” she repeated in a voice so authoritarian it made the fine hairs on Sam’s neck stand on end. Like she was about to get called to the principal’s office and rewarded with punishment. “I’m sure you’re a prudent person in other areas of your life,” she said, without masking her opinion that Sam was being rash about the rights. “If you’d be willing to discuss this opportunity, perhaps in a setting more conducive to conversation?—”
