Page 14 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

“You are insane.” Dolly sighed. “We aren’t children anymore. We’ve changed. I accept you exist. I accept a lot of things now.”

Do you really?Darlene mocked her voice.

“Lucio is the best of them. He is the only one we can trust to defend us. He is the key for you to get to supreme vampire and kill it. Vittorio. Remember?” Dolly asked.

Darlene remained silent.

“He cares about you, Darlene,” Dolly repeated.

He loves me! You just said it,Darlene said.And when I fuck his brother, he will go insane with jealousy. He’ll beg me to take him back. You hear me? And then you’ll see. He loves me!

Dolly cringed inside.

“Is that what this is? You want to taunt Lucio with Domencio? Hurt him that way?” Dolly asked.

Why not? He taunts me with you,Darlene said.Made me watch him fuck you. He should watch me let Domencio fuck me in the ass.

“You’re nuts,” Dolly mumbled.

Your mama is nuts,Darlene tossed back.

“Oh God, please Darlene. If you don’t help me, I’m not sure I can protect Lucio. He gets jealous and irrational when he drinks too much of our blood. You know this. If you love him, let’s get rid of Domencio. Together. We have to damnit,” Dolly begged.

Darlene fell silent for a moment, before she made her counteroffer.Stop whining. You just won’t shut up. Lucio loves the weak and pathetic you, but if you want to be my sister you will have to toughen up! I can’t take you seriously!Darlene fell silent again. Dolly held her tongue.I want to see what’s inside of Domencio. You stand down. He’s… different. Like me. I’ll handle it.

“Do we have a deal? No tricks. Or it’s war,” Dolly said.

Deal,Darlene mumbled.But I’ll kick your ass in war. Just so you know.

The entire conversation was in the metaphysical realm of Dolly’s mind. It happened within milliseconds. Time stood still between the brothers on the brink of an actual war until the sisters united. Neither recognized what they had done, or even how they had done it. But their actions would change everything for them, going forward.

“Take my hand,” Dolly said.

“No idiot. I don’t have hands,” Darlene snipped.

“Yes, you do. Reach for me, in my mind, become you. I’m letting you free. See what they means without taking over. See if Lucio is right and we can be one,” Dolly said.

Darlene did what Dolly requested and in a strange way they were bonded. Neither had more control over the other. They were one. Hand in hand. Side by side.

Dolly closed her eyes. Darlene closed her eyes.

The girls knew Lucio wouldn’t like what they did next, but each felt compelled to act for their own self preservation. Dolly did her best to be discreet as Lucio approached Domencio andDomencio approached Lucio. Dolly telepathically reached past Lucio’s shield, hand in hand with Darlene. Together, they gently stepped out of Dolly’s physical form and into Domencio’s. They reached Domencio’s cold black heart first. Darlene was right; there was nothing but pure darkness and hate smoldering there. All they absorbed in return was the emptiness. The girls looked at each other, confused. Lucio was nowhere near as malevolent as Domencio. It had to mean that the balance between them had been severed.

And then they heard it. The growl and low snarl came for them. The dark smoke cleared. The dragon was taller than the Empire State building, its tail as long as eighteen buses lined up. It swirled and slapped at the darkness with iridescent blood-red scales and an arrowed tip. And its ruby-red eyes, like the tips of Domencio’s fangs, were a deadly addition to its strange beauty.

“Look,” Dolly said and pointed. The beast breathed fire through its nostrils above the girl’s head. They ducked to avoid the flames. At its clawed feet was a young boy. He cowered and held on to the scales of the Draca while he stared at them curiously.

“Who is that?” Darlene asked.

“I think that’s… him. Domencio?”

“Why is he a kid?” Darlene looked around. Where are we? In his mind?”

“In his soul,” Dolly said and shriveled. Or what used to be his soul. “It’s cold in here.”

“You big baby, it’s fine,” mumbled Darlene. “You feel the fire. It’s hot in here.”

“I’m cold,” mumbled Dolly.

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