Chapter 2

Three days later,Natalia wore her most unassuming charcoal sheath dress — and slightly less unassuming lime green pumps — and slipped into a packed lecture hall at the University of Miami. Memories of having been in similar spaces when she was a UM undergrad attempted to return, but Natalia batted them away.

The auditorium space large enough to fit two hundred was filling steadily, something Natalia hadn’t expected. Did this many people care about some fringe legend? Until Zoe called, she’d never heard of it. From her research, it didn’t seem like any other academics were even interested in her mythical creatures.

In the row in front of her, a group of young people sat down noisily. From their discussion of Dr. Reyes and extra-credit, it was obvious that they were her students.

It was also obvious that only one of them was focused on the task when she opened her laptop and prepared to take notes. The girl next to her couldn’t be bothered to look up from her phone where she was shopping for shoes.

Natalia’s gaze sharpened. The girl absorbed in her phone exuded a carefree attitude, typical of someone not burdened with financial responsibilities. Natalia couldn’t help but think that the real world would soon catch up with her, much like it did with those trust fund babies in her college days. They, too, had sat nonchalantly in lecture halls, only to fade into obscurity after graduation.

When a presence appeared on the stage, Natalia returned to her purpose. She had very little choice in the matter. The woman striding toward the lectern had the easy way of someone used to commanding a room. Short platinum hair was tossed to the side while the rest was buzzed to the darker roots. Her cream-colored suit had been tailored to flatter her tall, lithe form while maintaining an alluring masculine cut.

Dr. Reyes reached the microphone, shifted her large, brown glasses, and smiled broad and bright. “I’m only giving extra credit to my students. What are the rest of you doing here?”

A packed hall laughed at Dr. Reyes’ dad humor. Even the ones not there for credit.

Jaw strong and angular, dark eyes keen even behind the glasses, Dr. Reyes scanned the room. “You casually throw out that you fell in love with a vampire when you were twelve and everyone comes out to see, huh?”

More laughter while Dr. Reyes slipped one hand into her trouser pocket and paused.

“You might be surprised to learn that I wasn’t misquoted.” She reached for a glass of water hidden in her podium. “Although they did leave out some details. As my students already know, the first words I learned in English were Gate 14,” she said without a trace of an accent.

Natalia leaned forward, curious about what that meant.

“My family was one of the hundreds of thousands who threw themselves to the sea on anything that could float — and many things that didn’t — when Castro lifted travel restrictions one fine day in 1980. After surviving a sinking ship and then fighting our way onto a rusty fishing boat, we arrived in Miami on my seventh birthday. Now I know what you’re thinking: Thank you for sharing your childhood trauma, Sam, but what the hell does that have to do with a lost vampire myth?”

The room warmed, hundreds of people seeming to give Dr. Reyes the permission to take as long as she wanted to make a point. Even the shopper had put her phone down and was listening to the velvety voice of the woman on stage. The woman with the kind of voice that would make the phonebook sound riveting.

“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.