Page 140 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

Darlene glanced at Domencio one last time, then lifted from the ground. She reached for Dolly. The truth struck her with terrifying clarity—she and Dolly were stronger together. It was the only way they had ever won against the darkness. The battles of their lonely childhood and neighborhood bullies, the battles with an abusive boyfriend. They defeated the monsters of their past together. They were destined to never be apart. The strength they had always drawn from each other surged backward and pushed through the darkness.

Grabbing her sister’s hand, Darlene squeezed tightly. “I’m sorry, Dolly. I’m back now. We are some badass bitches, remember? You and me. We are one.”

At that moment, their souls merged. Darlene left her physical state. The shapeshifter, whose physical form she inhabited, dropped free from the trio. Startled, the indigenous womanlooked up at the Master vampire and his brides. Lucio glared down at her. The shapeshifter turned into a raven and flew off into the night before he attacked.

The light from within Dolly exploded, Darlene’s energy fused with hers. As one, they turned toward Lucio. The Supreme Draquria’s smirk faded as Darlene and Dolly, pressed the gem to Lucio’s chest. Its radiant light speared through the shadows. Dollys and Darlene’s combined power ignited a blinding force, that filled the now destroyed courtyard with an overwhelming brilliance.

Lucio—no,the Draca—roared in fury, his eyes stretched wide with shock. His dark smoke twisted and recoiled, but it was too late. The sisters, fused in purpose and power, held him firm.

“We love you, Lucio,” Dolly and Darlene whispered as one. Their voice vibrated with emotion as they pressed on the gem harder. The gem sank into his skin.

The Draquria’s face contorted, switched between Lucio’s familiar features and the monstrous beast he had always. been. His hands tightened around Dolly, fangs bared, ready to strike again. But Darlene’s dark energy blended in with the light that surged through him, and forced him to bend. His grip weakened.

“You’re stronger than this!” Dolly decreed. Her voice echoed through the courtyard, as much for Lucio as for herself. “You belong with us!”

Lucio’s eyes flared—one moment, they were filled with rage and madness, and the next, something flickered deep inside that resembled the love they shared. For a brief heartbeat, his eyes softened, recognition surfaced up in his gaze. But the Draquria, the ancient evil that had taken hold, fought back with everything it had.

“I won’t... be controlled!” Lucio—no,the Draquria—screamed, his voice cracking as dark tendrils of smoke eruptedfrom his body. His shadowy form writhed in agony as the light from the gem pulsed deeper, burning through his dark essence.

The Draca’s rage twisted into panic. “I... am... eternal!”

Dolly’s grip on him tightened, tears streamed down her face. “We’re bringing you home, Lucio.”

The gem flared brighter, its power intensifying as Darlene’s spirit pushed deeper into the core of the Draca’s form. The sisters worked as one. Their combined will cut through the ancient evil that had ensnared Lucio for far to long.

Lucio roared again, a deafening, heart-wrenching cry that shattered the air around them and then three of them exploded into a brilliant light of stars.

They were gone.

Chapter 56

The End of the Beginning

Aventino

Roma, Italy

April 22, 2018

Outside Vatican City,an exclusive commercial district thrived. I catered to the wealthy, the elite. Aventino was known for its high-end shopping, fine dining, and the residents who demanded that their affluence be reflected in everything around them. Eclectic yet refined, they appreciated architecture, and history, but only when it served as a backdrop to their wealth. Sebastiano was the perfect fit for such a place. He and Raven had chosen a cliffside residence, where beneath the polished exterior, they built hidden caverns and dark chambers. Here, their forbidden appetites were concealed from the judgment of society.

Sebastiano sat in stillness, his home empty despite guests. The loss of Raven and those he loved had hollowed him out, leaving him in a despair so deep that not even his exotic pets—creatures that roamed the shadowed halls—could provide comfort. He stared into his goblet of blood, lost in hisown torment. His thoughts circled back to Raven with every heartbeat. Nothing could reach him. Not even the others, who had retreated to his home after Lucio and the Chosen twins vanished.

Allies might have surrounded Sebastiano, but he was utterly alone.

On the far end of the room, Domencio stood before a towering 200-foot screen, fixated on a news broadcast. The headlines called it an earthquake—the largest Roma had ever experienced. Aid was arriving from Turkey and Greece to help locate the victims. But Domencio knew the truth. The battle in Vatican City had unleashed more destruction than they had noticed. While church bells had tolled warnings to evacuate, the vampires and guardians had been too absorbed in their fight to consider the mortal lives lost in the chaos.

Marcello remained at the Vatican, locked in conversation with the Pope. Domencio and Sebastiano had sent the consiglieri and their companions to annex in Sebastiano estate, instructing them to hide out and wait.

“How did he die?” Sebastiano’s voice broke the silence.

Domencio glanced over his shoulder at his brother, who sat stroking his pet lizard, ignoring the blood offering freshly poured for him.

“You need to feed. When Marcello returns, we’ll need to find Lucio... and the women.”

Sebastiano’s bloodshot eyes lifted, rimmed with unshed tears. “How did he die? You said you left him in Vegas!”

“Are you insane? You saw Phoenix. Youheardhim. He killed Raven. He’s gone. Your lover is dead.”

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