Her heart skipped.“Uh.Sure.Yeah.”But what was he going to do?He pressed her finger against his parted lips.His tongue brushed against it.Warm.It sent a flood of heat down her arm.But soon a familiar cool sensation chased away the warmth.The pleasant, relieving sort of cool.The kind that vanquished her stinging skin.
“Alivio Frío?”she whispered.Abuelita always insisted on cooking for fiestas.Always complained that the servants’ cooking didn’t have the same magic to it.And she was adamant that Mayté learn her recipes so she could pass them on to her children, and so on.She learned how to make delicious chicken and rice, fresh tortillas, and many other dishes, but a memory of the time they made tamales filled her head.Abuelita warned Mayté to wash her hands after touching the serrano peppers, but Mayté didn’t listen and accidentally rubbed her eyes.All these years later, she could still remember the fiery pain.Her eyes instantly began to burn, and she screamed her head off.Abuelita quickly came to the rescue with an icy blue Alivio Frío potion.Just a drop in each eye and she felt instant relief.
The croupier quickly looked away as he lowered her hand.Was he blushing?
Mayté swore she could feel the heat of embarrassment radiating off him.She studied her finger.The blister had already shrunk, and the redness had dulled into a faint pink.“How did you …?”Why would he consume such a potion?
His eyebrows furrowed.
“What is it?”she whispered.
Clunk!
The two whirled around, but no one was there.A book with an azure casing lay on the floor not even a foot away.It must have fallen off the shelf.
“I really can’t stay much longer.”He stood.
“Wait.Can I at least know your name?”
He bowed.“Alejandro.”
“And you already know mine.”
He nodded, eyes dancing.
“Howdid you know?”Maybe it was risky to ask, but she couldn’t help it.
Alejandro picked up the book.“You could say I’ve read up a bit on the contestants.We croupiers don’t have that much to entertain ourselves with.”
It was a simple enough answer, but her stomach clenched as if telling her that there was more to it than just that.The way he looked at her, it was as if he knew something she didn’t.Wanted something from her too, but the most frightening part of it was that she found it all oddly … thrilling.“Wait!”She reached back and grabbed his arm.She couldn’t let him slip away without getting any information.“I—I’m a bit nervous about tomorrow.”She chewed her lower lip and chose her next words carefully.“Is there anything I should bring with me?Which of Los Santos should I pray to tonight?”
Alejandro looked over his shoulder, then leaned in close.It was so sudden.Every part of Mayté froze except her heart.Was he going to kiss her?What would she do?Whatshouldshe do?But he wasn’t going for her lips.Instead, he whispered in her ear: “Just bring your wits, and remember: the house has a way of leading people to what they desire.Focus on what you wantmost, but be careful.The magic comes at a price, and those with wicked intentions pay a steeper one.”
“W-w-wha—?”
He pulled away before she could ask more.“I’ll come see you again, but I really have to go.”With that, he left the library.
Now alone, Mayté rubbed her finger, which had stayed cool to the point of numbness.A smoky haze filled the air as the fireplace’s glow dulled.The room had changed from pleasant to ghostly once again.She got out of there as quickly as she could, but once she returned to the hallway, her unease morphed into excitement.If Alejandro was right, if she could keep calm and focus on what she wanted, maybe she could win the next game.
As if to prove that theory true, she found her way back to the suite with no problem.She threw the door open and grinned at the sight of Lo back in bed.“You’ll never guess what I found out.”
But Lo didn’t respond, or even stir.She was sound asleep.
Mayté couldn’t help but wonder if Lo had actually left the room earlier.
Or if it had been just an illusion.
TENLo
For as long as Lo could remember, there was always someone there to wake her up in the mornings.Whether it was one of the maids gently calling her name, or Sera roughly shaking her and babbling on about being late for breakfast.Sometimes it was Sofía pouncing on her like a kitten.In the distant dreamy past, it was Mamá climbing into the bed and endlessly kissing her cheeks and forehead until she gave in and woke up.
But this time, she wasn’t in her familiar bed in her bedroom.Instead, she woke in the grand suite of Fortune’s Kiss.Sunlight streamed in through the balcony, illuminating Mayté, who sat on her own bed.She would have looked like an angel if it weren’t for the shadows rimmed under her puffy eyes.
“You look—”
“I know.”With a groan, Mayté rubbed the goo from her eyes.“I did not sleep well at all.I had a horrible nightmare about … the game.”She looked toward the balcony.Outside, the sky was a blanket of gray with threads of blue and sunlight poking out here and there.Not quite foreboding, but not happy and cheerful either.Lo squinted.Fortune’s Kiss should have been nestled around the buildings of Milagro.A brightly colored centerpiece among the dull and drab stucco.Yet there were no other buildings in sight.It was as if they were no longer in Milagro, butsome other world.A horrible deadly one hidden behind gold and jewels.She gripped the blankets as memories of yesterday and the reality of the situation sank in once again.
“So, you … you didn’t wake up at all last night?”Mayté asked.
