Page 8 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

Dolly dabbed the cold compress against his scorched skin, her voice quivered with concern. “Why did you do that? I thought my blood healed you. You said the sun wasn’t dangerous anymore! Were you trying to hurt yourself?”

Lucio was gentle. She caught her hands. She stopped her frantic movements. “Dolly, calm down,” he said. “I’m fine. I was only gone a few minutes.”

“A few minutes? In the sun? Why would you do that?” she asked.

“I needed a moment to think, to snap out of it. The morning sun—it does the trick,” he reasoned.

“Snap out of it?” Dolly repeated. She stepped back.

Lucio exhaled; his shoulders slumped. “My love for you... it changes me. It clouds my ability to think clearly sometimes. Tristan has warned me.”

“Against me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Loving me makes you crazy enough to walk into the sun?”

“Please don’t be upset,” Lucio said, his tone measured but weary. “It’s hard to explain what’s happening between us.”

“Try,” she pressed. “Damn it, Lucio. Explain it to me.”

He met her gaze, his crimson rimmed eyes filled with an emotion she couldn’t name. “I have a Draca, Dolly. Draca’s don’t love. They don’t believe in emotional connections. I’m a vampire—love is a tool we use to gain trust, loyalty, submission, and blood. That’s the truth.”

“Doesn’t it hurt?” she asked. Her gaze lingering on the faint smoke rising from his skin.

“Yes. And no. Let’s focus,” he said.

“Okay,” Dolly agreed. “I’m listening.”

Lucio stood. He pulled her into his arms. She hugged him, her hands gripping his back as though to hold him together. Behind him, Darlene moved closer, her ghostly form attempted to wrap her arms around him too. Dolly shot her sister a sharp glare and pushed Lucio away slightly, enough to keep Darlene from touching him.

“Go on, the prophecy. You were telling me,” Dolly said.

“It’s not a curse, not exactly. It’s a prediction—a warning about what’s to come.”

“Oh, great,” Dolly muttered, with a roll of her eyes. She caught Darlene’s movement out of the corner of her eye; her sister was now sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to touch Lucio’s burned leg. Dolly tensed but focused on him.

“Vampires live by many rules,” Lucio began. “My father is the last of his kind. Before him, some mortals worshipped pagan gods. Those chosen by the gods became Supremes, ruling over humans and sacrificing them to feed the darkness within. The Supremes created empires, rewarded their human followers, and wiped-out entire tribes. Over centuries, they found ways to make themselves both invincible and invisible.”

“How?” Dolly asked, her voice quiet but intent.

“They formed truces. They built their power infrastructure by bending humanity to their will.” Lucio paused. “This part I learned from a magistrate.”

“A magistrate?” Dolly asked.

“Phoenix,” Lucio explained. “A magistrate is a teacher. It was once a role within the Senate. Phoenix reared us when my father brought us out of the swamp.”

“So, why is that complicated?” Dolly asked.

Lucio hesitated. “Magistrates are more than servants. They’re our equals in every way. But my father twisted the role to serve his agenda—a prophecy foretelling darkness conquering the realm. My father’s plan has always been to dominate, to crush the balance of light and dark. And to achieve that, he created us—my brothers and me. But we’re not like him. We were created through hoodoo, through Julia Brown’s magic. That’s where it becomes... complicated.”

Dolly’s heart clenched as she listened. “If the prophecy is true, what happens if your father dies?”

Lucio’s gaze fell, his voice low. “I told you. I become the darkness. The firstborn of four will inherit supremacy over the underworld. If that’s me, all supernatural beings will bow to me. My brothers will serve me. And I won’t be Lucio anymore. Whatever I become will destroy everything.”

“Including me?” Dolly asked.

Lucio nodded slowly. “Yes. You... and Darlene. You both have abilities that will make me hunger for power in ways I can’t resist. That’s why Reno must exist—a place where I can’t reach you. A sanctuary, in case the prophecy comes true. I did it to protect the innocence and the light in the world that is almost extinguished because of the Vittorio sons. But now I’m glad I betrayed the family and built the compound. Because now I can protect you.”

“You’d never hurt me,” Dolly said firmly. “You’ve proven that to me already.”

Lucio’s expression softened with sadness. “Darlene is right about me, Dolly. I’m dangerous. My Draca already knows your power, your light. The Draquria will want to consume you.”

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