Page 108 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

“I can’t reach Domenico,” Shakespeare agreed, his tone grim. “It’s like our connection is severed to our masters. All I can think about… is her.”

“This is the curse, don’t you see?” Tristan said bitterly. “Lucio enslaved us. Just like the power of the guardians ensnared us.”

Shakespeare’s gaze cut sideways. “Do you feel like a slave?”

Tristan stared at the tanker. He sighed and put the car in reverse, then drove away with the tanker following. “We took an oath. Phoenix taught us?—”

“Fuck Phoenix,” Shakespeare snapped. “And fuck the coven. We were men once. You, with God. Me with Camille. And we lost it all. What do you feel now? Like a slave? Or free?”

Tristan glanced up to the rearview mirror at the tanker trailed him. It wasn’t lost on him that if the tanker wanted, it could crush them under its monster wheels. “Do you think those guardians will care what we feel when this is over?”

“Do you?” Shakespeare pressed.

Tristan sighed deeply. “No. I don’t give a fuck. Whatever this is, we need to get to Lucio and Domencio. Something is wrong. And we can’t save them or ourselves unless we join the fight.”

A dark chuckle escaped Shakespeare, but it quickly faded. “Lucio’s fucked. And if he’s fucked, we’re all fucked. What do you think he’ll do when he’s fully turned? Will he be worse than Vittorio with the Draquria inside of him?”

Tristan’s knuckles whitened on the wheel. “Lucio had a plan. All I can say is this wasn’t part of it.”

Shakespeare’s eyes narrowed. “What were you and Lucio working on in Reno? Tell me.”

Tristan’s jaw tightened. “Let’s hope we can prevent him from destroying us all.”

Inside the tanker,Sonya stared at the Dolly’s—two distinct beings, yet still connected. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

“We’re not two Dolly’s,” Darlene corrected with a smirk. Her dark essence radiated such beauty and calming energy Sonya felt humbled by her even speaking to her.

Sonya bowed her head. “Forgive me.”

Dolly’s face was somber, her eyes shimmered with repressed tears. “Lucio is undead.”

“He’s a vampire,” Charmaine reminded her.

“No,” Dolly corrected. “He’s a vessel now. Marcello’s taken him to the Vatican, but they can’t cure him. He’s in the darkness, Darlene. Like where we found Domencio and his dragon, but worse. He can’t escape it.”

“Why can’t I see him?” Darlene whispered, troubled.

“I don’t know.” Dolly’s tears finally spilled. “But I can. I see him... nothing they do is working.”

Darlene wrapped an arm around her sister.

“Maybe he’s reaching out to you because of the darkness. You are his light. He needs light,” Charmaine suggested gentleness.

“What’s the plan?” Sonya asked, her voice unsteady.

Darlene looked up. “We’re going to Rome.”

“You won’t get near him,” Sonya warned. “Those brothers won’t allow it.”

“They don’t have to,” Darlene replied. “Dolly and I can heal Lucio. We’ve done it to ourselves before. Remember, sister. Howwe escaped the darkness. Remember when Lucio came to us? We are connected. He is ours. And once we have him back we’ll help him kill his father—and the Draquria.”

Charmaine and Sonya exchanged a glance. They both knew the twins were overconfident. Julia Brown’s curse reached further than anyone understood, and with Greenlee and the Professor dead, they had lost the knowledge of the Hoodoo equation to the madness. But one thing was clear: they were out of time.

“We’ll defend you,” Sonya promised. “With our lives.”

Macy Lynn weptas her family gathered what remained of Greenlee. Around her, the cult was disbanding, packing their things, and leaving the wreckage of their beliefs behind. She had nothing left to offer the women—no words of comfort, no plan to save what had been lost.

Come to me.

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