Page 11 of Dark Stars
"How did you know that?"
"Jones told me. He said your family has beenaround since the twelve hundreds or so."
"Yeah, the first recorded Mendoza was bornin about 1193. We don't have records further back than that; theywere probably destroyed—by natural disaster or colonizers, orsomething else entirely. Anyway, my mother comes from a long lineof bruja. Neither her family nor my dad's were happy they fell inlove and got married. Worse, they had four sons, one daughter, andit's the youngest son who got all the arcana. But I'm neither vodunnor brujo, so nobody knows what to do with me. My abuela says I wasborn on a night of dark stars, but nobody can tell me what thatmeans, not even her."
Bobby jolted as though punched.
"You look like someone just walked over yourgrave."
"Dark stars. That's a… strange thing for arandom bruja in New Mexico or California or wherever to say."
"California, just outside of San Diego. Whatdoes 'dark stars' mean? Because it clearly holds significance foryou. Please, youhaveto tell me. Nobody has ever known.I've been trying to figure it out mywhole life."
"Dark stars are just stars, but they existin places humans cannot ordinarily go. To be a child of dark starsis to be someone destined to go where humans usually don't." It wasfar more complicated than that, but enough for now. Bobby reachedinto his jacket and took out the talisman that was always on hisperson. He'd sensed that the third and final recipient of hismother's gifts would come soon.
He just hadn't expected a near-child fromCalifornia to be it. "Put this on, child of dark stars. You willneed it."
Alejandro frowned as he slowly picked up theamulet. "This looks a lot like what that dude in the corner iswearing. Same material. Different shape. What the hell is goingon?"
"Something far worse than hell," Bobbymurmured. "I should have driven you away."
"I'm not your responsibility. I can takecare of myself." His fingers twitched, like an aborted movement,and Bobby would bet every book he owned Alejandro had been about totouch the back of his neck.
Question after question swirled throughBobby's mind, but he shelved them for the moment. "Do not ever takethat talisman off. Not for any reason, not even if your Mamá asksit of you. Understand me?"
"What is it?" Alejandro asked. A morecynical hunter—a more cynical person, period—would have asked thatand a whole lot of other questions before even touching thetalisman, but Alejandro had it in place before he'd finishedspeaking.
"Protection more powerful than you canpossibly fathom."
"Protection from what?"
"Me." Bobby tossed money on the table andstood. "Let's get going. Lots to do, and never enough time to doit, at least when the rules are obeyed."
"You're so fucking weird," Alejandroreplied, but obeyed as readily as ever. Did he taste as sweetly ashe obeyed?
Not a question Bobby should be asking, evenif only in his own head. "You're the hunter in a place you don'tbelong doing whatever a fucking weirdo tells you, so what does thatmake you?"
Alejandro sighed, long and tired, like theweight of the world was on his shoulders and soon it would breakhim. He had insisted he was no child, and for the first time Bobbybelieved him. "Stupid. Even after everything that got me senthere."
Bobby abruptly stopped and turned, causingAlejandro to crash into him. He reached out to keep Alejandrosteady, surprised by the muscle in such a relatively slight frame.His brown skin, russet hair, and bright amber eyes made for analmost ethereal effect. An angel, or a djinn perhaps. Loosing onehand, Bobby tugged at his own collar and said, "I vow you no harm,Alejandro Mendoza. You wear my amulet, you have my greatestprotection, made and gifted by my mother. None will hurt you, noteven me."
Alejandro swallowed, wide-eyed and so veryyoung. "What are you?"
"Something born beneath dark stars," Bobbymurmured, and let him go, stepping back and shoving his hands intothe pockets of his jacket. "Now then, which of the missing personsshould we start with?"
"Alejo," Alejandro blurted out. "I mean,that's what everyone calls me. Alejo. You can too. If you wanted.Um. We should start with, uh, the priest." His brow furrowed. "Orthe teacher. Of all the missing persons, they seemed the strangestones to go missing."
Bobby grinned. "All right then, Alejo. Let'sget to work."
Chapter Five
The church was a rather mundane lookingthing. If not for theWillow Grove Evangelicalacross thefront in the world's most boring font, with italics for moregodliness, he would have thought it was just another dentist'soffice or something.
"I don't think Jesus comes around heremuch," Alejo said.
Bobby laughed.
Alejo grinned, cheeks flushing slightly,before he ducked his head and led the way into the church.
