Page 49 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

“No. We agreed that was not the way we would handle this. Nzinga said to be discreet until we get the information we need and then gain access in secret to rescue Dolly?—.”

None of that matters now. The Brothers are reuniting at the Bellagio. Supernatural’s are plotting against the vampires and may strike as well. You will need to act. Fight. Tonight. Defend yourself but allowShakespeare to take you in. Liora cannot serve the sisters without my help. She is doing her very best to keep them safe. But they have picked up her scent. It is a matter of time before they seize her. And we must be with her when they do. We must join them. Now.

“But why? What has changed so fast?”

Vittorio hasn’t picked up on the twins’ existence. But there is another player here we did not consider. A force as strong as his, hurting you. We are not sure why he hasn’t acted yet.

“Charmaine said there was someone watching us when we arrived at the Circus Circus hotel. She said she could feel his hatred. It spooked her,” Sonya said.

There is so much I must teach you, but we have no time. Whoever it is, my instinct says he will come tonight for you as well. So, you perform as planned. Change into the clothes you packed the moment you leave the stage. Take the back door exit. One of Nzinga’s people will leave it open for you. Escape through the alley to the street. Shakespeare will pursue. And I will protect you. We will defend each other. Do you understand?

“What about Sophie? She will pick up on my scent as well. What if she comes after us?” Sonya asked.

We cross that bridge when we come to it. If we cannot use Shakespeare, then it ends for him tonight. If Sophie gets in the way, it ends for her tonight. I don’t wish that for Sophie. Her suffering is the greatest thing I’ve felt since I entered this world. But I have no time to save her. The Bellagio is your mission. The only mission.

The house manager’s voice crackled over the intercom. “Creole Seraphina, report to the office.”

Sonya looked up at the speaker in the bathroom. “I’ve got to go. They probably want me to sign the contracts.”

I am with you. Trust your instincts. And do your best not to absorb the pain of others.

“But how? I didn’t do it unintentionally….”

It is through your touch. When you entered the bathroom and knelt where others had knelt and touched the walls, you picked up on their aura and absorbed their stories. Don’t touch others. Especially Shakespeare. He carries too much pain for you to understand. It could harm and weaken us both.

“Can I ask you a question? Why are you constantly inflicting pain on me? The headaches, the vomiting… why?”

I am in defense of the pain that comes for you. You are the one inflicting the pain on yourself when you disbelieve in the light. Trust yourself and forgive yourself. You will find the transition more agreeable if you do.

She was gone.

The door opened, and Greta walked in.

“You come! Now!” Greta demanded.

Sonya nodded and followed. They stopped to get her license and then continued. She did as she was told. When they entered the dark corridor, the unearthly shrill shrieking of a captive girl greeted Sonya. She froze. Every muscle in her body tightened. Two men carried in a screaming, feral young black woman who fought for release. Every fiber of Sonya’s being wanted to intervene, but thanks to her guardian’s lesson, she held back the impulse. She did possess a power. The young woman was from New Orleans. Her name was Rachel. And she was now a vampire.

It is too late for the young one. Only twenty-two years old and now cursed with the Draca like Sophie. I sense Lucio is responsible for this terrible act.

“Why would Lucio do that to her?” Sonya asked.

He has a habit of acting impulsively, and those around him that he senses are pure often suffer because of it. The Draca corrupts him and turns his pain and longing to be normal and good into some of the most terrible acts. If he were ever free of it, he’d be a better man and worthy of the twins. But that is not his destiny. The darkness, no matter how much Dolly and Darlene try to prevent it, will consume him. He was born for it.

“Are you sure? I am healing from my darkness. I am becoming a better person,” Sonya thought.

I don’t have all the answers, only history and my experience in the realm. I have never seen a Draca calmed by the love of the Chosen. That is why the consiglieri, and guardians suffer because they can mate, but it never ends well when they do. Dolly and Darlene are different. Perhaps there is a way through Julia Brown’s curse. But we may not have the time to discover it.

“Come! Now!” Greta ordered.

Sonya nodded and followed, the girl weeping and begging for her Master to feed her echoed in her ears. Screams of thirst filled the air, and Sonya fought to block out the sounds of her suffering.

Chapter 21

The Challenge

The Pink Pussy - Las Vegas, Nevada

April 17, 2018

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