I returned my gaze to Alba. “So this person he captured—how can she help me?”
“She claims to have seen someone cast a spell very similar to what you described. A tornado or dust storm, several flashes of lightning, and then the caster disappeared. Does this seem familiar?”
My heart stopped and my body grew numb. Slowly, I nodded.
“The caster was her mother,” Alba went on. “They were very close. I’m sure she knows how her mother studied and prepared for the spell. Perhaps this knowledge can help you.”
“But—but if she’s been captured, how am I supposed to talk to her?”
Alba hesitated, her brows creasing as her gaze flicked from me to the center of the table. Leaning forward, she went on. “It will be extremely dangerous, Desi. But I can offer my coven to assist you. We hunt demons everyday, so we are all well-trained. If you can infiltrate El Diablo’s prison and free the prisoners—”
“I’m not a Huntress,” I said weakly. “I-I can’t fight demons. I’ll be killed!”
Alba sat back in her chair and folded her arms. “I’m truly sorry, Desi. I wish I could help you. But this spell is so rare that few people know about it. This is the only solution I can think of.”
The exhaustion, aches, and hunger from the past few hours dragged my body to a dark black hole. Sickness swirled in my stomach, and I hunched over. Panic pounded in my chest, threatening to consume me.
Alba patted my hand, but I barely registered her touch. She looked up at something behind me. “Ramón, get her some food.”
I glanced over my shoulder and flinched. Ramón was standing right behind me. What was he, a bouncer?
Ramón grunted and lumbered to the back, most likely to the kitchen.
Alba leaned forward again. “Breathe, Desi.”
I nodded absently and focused on inhaling. Oxygen rushed through me, bringing clarity with it. But my leg bounced harder, and my arms felt itchy. I need to stretch. I need to move, or dance, or do something.
“I promise to help you in any way I can,” Alba said. “You are not alone.”
Again, I nodded. I didn’t know why I kept doing that. My eyes felt hot again. Say something. Anything to keep yourself from crying, Desi. “Elena told me about a translation charm,” I said, rubbing my elbow to distract myself. “How does it work? I mean, when I watch you speak, your lips are moving as if you’re speaking English to me.” I’d expected it to be like watching a badly dubbed foreign film.
“The translation spell exists in magical blood. It’s part of who we are and allows us to communicate across the world. It affects how we perceive language. So the way we see mouths move and hear speech uttered is altered so we can understand it.”
That’s amazing, I thought. My eyes flitted around at the buzz of voices around me.
“So, what is this place?” I asked.
“A magical hideout,” Alba said with another frown. “Do you not have those in your time?”
I shook my head. “We kind of just live out in the open.”
“What about the demons?”
“Most of them aren’t dumb enough to come out during the day when they’ll be seen. But it’s still pretty bad. Attacks happen all the time. The Council is doing everything they can.”
“Ah, yes.” Alba nodded in understanding. “Well, we do not have the luxury of a Council in Cuba, unfortunately.” She sat back in her seat, a wry smile on her face. “Demon lords will rise to power no matter where or when you are. Sadly, that is something that will never change. But at least in your time, there is a force actively trying to stop it.”
I resisted the urge to snort at her remarks. In my time, the Council was a powerful and neutral association of demons, witches, and warlocks who were unified in their desire to keep the magical world balanced and protected. But from my limited understanding, Levarret had infiltrated so much of the Council through bribes and blackmail that it was hardly neutral anymore.
Ramón set a plate of beans and rice on the table in front of me. I sniffed, and a dozen exquisite spices and seasonings made my stomach growl. I muttered a quick thanks to Ramón before hungrily devouring the food. I’d had black beans and white rice before—it was the blandest meal on the planet—but this was the most flavorful meal I’d ever had.
“That was delicious,” I said with a groan of satisfaction. “Thank you.”
Alba’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “Cuban food is the best food there is.” She watched me, her eyes sparkling with interest. “You never said why you tried to Teleport in the first place.”
I licked my teeth and dropped my gaze to the table. “My boyfriend is from Miami. I was trying to meet him there for . . . a vacation.”
Alba raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound like something that warrants using the Grimoire.”
I offered a tight-lipped smile. “To me, it does.”
Alba watched me expectantly as if waiting for me to elaborate, but I didn’t. I picked at my fingernails and resisted the urge to chew them. I wasn’t about to spill my life’s woes on her, especially if it meant she’d give me another one of those pitying gazes I despised so much.
I shifted in my seat. “So—so what do I do now?”
Alba cocked her head again, her eyes moving up and down my body, no doubt taking in my drooping frame and tired eyes. She smiled. “Why don’t you take the night to think about my suggestion? There are cots in the storage room in the back. Go and rest.”
Thank Lilith. “Is it safe?”
Alba nodded. “The restaurant is cloaked, and even if someone gets through, there’s more than one coven here in this room alone.”
“Thank you.” I rose from the table
