Page 15 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

Dolly closed her eyes and conserved her energy. She felt compelled to take on Domencio this way, but she didn’t know why. The ruth was before her. An inner child, trapped withinhim needed their help. What did that mean? How did the beast and child stop Domencio from attacking Lucio?

“The kid wants our help,” said Dolly.

“How do you know that?” Darlene asked.

“I told you I dunno. How do you know the things you know? You just do. Right?” Dolly asked.

“Right,” Darlene mumbled.

The Draca hadn’t made peace with Domencio; it had devoured him. What remained of the man was a frightened child, lost and alone. Dolly hesitated. She wanted to retreat but was drawn in deeper despite herself. She couldn’t resist the pull—so she pressed forward. With her light and vision, she reached through the shadows. There, in the depths of the darkness, was the boy, no older than six. He wore ragged overalls, his feet and hands caked with mud. His wide eyes silently begged for help, though he made no sound. His small body was marred with bite marks, some still raw and oozing. Bruises and scabs covered his skin, evidence of a torment that wouldn’t end. The creature was feeding on him.

“This is horrible,” Dolly whispered.

“That thing is torturing him!” Darlene said. “We need to kill it!”

The beast roared.

“We can’t just kill a Draca. Not like this,” Dolly yelled.

“And how the hell would you know?” Darlene shouted. She struggled to be heard over the beast’s deafening roar. They both clutched their ears, the sound nearly unbearable.

“I don’t know!” Dolly yelled back. “But I know this isn’t right. I’ve got a bad feeling about this!”

“I knew you didn’t have the guts to follow through! I’m a vampire hunter. You just stay here and cry while I deal with it. I’ll kill the damn thing and save the boy. Then Lucio andDomencio can be brothers again,” Darlene spat, fury burned in her eyes.

“Darlene, no! I don’t think that’s what’s happening here! We don’t understand what we’re seeing!” Dolly shouted.

The boy, his face etched in terror, reminded Dolly too much of Darlene at that age—cast aside, abandoned. Guilt tightened her chest. Before she could stop her, Darlene charged toward the Draca, flames ignited in her hands.

“What are you doing? Are you out of your mind? No! Fire won’t kill it, Darlene! Stop!” Dolly cried, panic surged through her.

“I’m going to save the kid. It’s my destiny,” Darlene said with fierce conviction. Her voice was cold, triumphant. “I have powers, remember? Better than yours!”

“You don’t understand what we’ve done! You don’t even know what this is or what it means!” Dolly shouted, her words drowned out as Darlene sprinted closer to the monster. The Draca reared back, an eerie grin spread across its maw, as though it relished her reckless display of power.

“I’m not afraid,” Darlene said, her voice suddenly childlike. In that moment, she transformed—shrinking back into the little girl Dolly had banished long ago. She lifted into the air, soaring through the smoke-laden atmosphere, and looked down at her hands and body with wonder. She’d received the greatest gift: the power to fly. She beamed with unrestrained joy.

“See? I’m the chosen one! I can save him! This is what I was born to do!” Darlene yelled.

“We shouldn’t be here. We shouldn’t be here. We need to leave!” Dolly closed her eyes and did her best to pull her sister back. “We need to leave. We need to leave…”

“Fuck you Draca,” Darlene said to the beast and sent a blast of fire into it. The Draca, with fangs scarier than anything a vampire could display, reared back, its jaws detaching, and fireboiling up from its throat, could be seen. The creature was ready to incinerate Darlene, and Dolly felt the danger mount. The boy cowered and covered his head.

“Darlene, please, no!” Dolly begged.

The Draca unleashed a torrent of boiling lava fire upon Darlene. At first, her sister managed to fend it off, creating a weak shield of resistance. But the searing flames proved too strong, breaking through her defenses and scorching everything in their path. The heat overwhelmed Darlene, consuming her as she struggled to hold back the inferno.

In the depths of the darkness, Domencio became aware—not in the flesh, but through the eyes of the child trapped beneath the Draca’s grasp. The boy stood and grew. He transformed into the man Domencio was. In an instant, he swept upward, and into the blaze to rescue Darlene as her body began to melt under the intense heat.

Dolly screamed; the agony of her sister's suffering ripped through her. She could feel Darlene’s flesh boil away as if it were her own. Domencio heard the cry and turned his gaze downward, his eyes locked onto Dolly’s. Without hesitation, he flew toward her, dodging the flames spewing from the Draca. Fear surged through Dolly, and she turned to run, her heart pounding in terror. Domencio cradled Darlene’s blistered, broken body in his arms, his movements swift as he narrowly escaped the Draca’s snapping jaws and thrashing claws.

As Dolly fled, she stole a glance over her shoulder. Her eyes met Domencio’s in that fleeting moment. It wasn’t just Domencio anymore—it was as if Lucio himself had come to their rescue, transformed into the hero they desperately needed.

The dragon pursued them. Domencio swept down into the darkness and swiftly picked up Dolly, saving her from the beast. Dolly squeezed her eyes shut and did her very best to retreat as Domencio flew them into the heart of his soul, his darkness.

The snapback was so sharp Lucio sensed it.

“What have you done?” Lucio yelled at Dolly. She collapsed into him with such force they both went down hard. He caught her. Lucio swept her up in his arms. He held her protectively to him. Domencio was knocked to the floor from the release. He lay flat to his back for a moment then opened his eyes and looked up, dazed and confused.

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