Page 52 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

The battle. The rage. Shakespeare, fighting a Master vampire and losing, his body beaten, his eye torn from his face. Her heart clenched as she witnessed his agony, but the warmth she felt toward him quickly chilled. His gaze darkened, one eye gleaming like molten silver, the jagged scar slashing across his face a vivid reminder of his torment.

His lips curled back, fangs sharp and glistening as he snarled. In an instant, he lunged at her.

Sonya’s scream ripped through the air like a banshee’s wail, dark and electric. A surge of black lightning shot from her, crackling with raw, untamed power as it slammed into Shakespeare. He was hurled backward through the shadowy corridor, his body crashed into the walls with a sickening force. The echo of the impact lingered, but Sonya didn’t wait.

She was free.

Her feet hit the ground running, heart pounding in her chest like a war drum. As she bolted for the exit, she yanked Nzinga’s staff from her satchel. The sleek weapon snapped to life in her hands, extending like a living thing, ready for the fight. Sonyaburst through the alley door, stumbling into the pale wash of moonlight, her breath ragged, her senses on fire.

Sophie was waiting. The vampire had slipped out of the club ahead of her, standing tall in the alley like a predator who had been tracking her prey for far too long. Sonya’s pulse quickened. She glanced over her shoulder—Shakespeare was rising, his form still smoking from the blast. His eyes gleamed with rage and pain, but she could tell. She wouldn’t be able to summon that kind of power again. It had drained her, left her body humming with exhaustion.

But she wasn’t defenseless.

With a smooth, practiced motion, Sonya spun the staff. The lighted ends flared to life, burning white-hot, extending into sharp beams of laser energy. She cocked her head and gave both of them a smile—dangerous, sweet, and edged with defiance.

“Get away from him, bitch!” Sophie’s voice dripped with venom, her eyes wild and unhinged.

“Sophie, don’t.” Shakespeare’s voice cut through the tension. “Stay away from her. Let me handle this. You don’t know what she’s capable of!”

But Sophie was beyond reason, her fury blinding. “Shecan’thave you! You think you can just throw me away? You think I’ll let you leave me forher?” Her scream was feral, full of rage and heartbreak, the sound of a woman scorned and losing control.

“Sophie! Noooo!” Shakespeare’s shout was drowned out as Sophie launched herself into the air, claws outstretched, her speed blurring with supernatural ferocity.

Sonya’s heart raced, but her grip on Nzinga’s staff was steady. She turned on her heel, eyes locked on Sophie’s oncoming form, every muscle primed for the fight.

Chapter 22

Consiglieri versus Guardian

The Pink Pussy - Las Vegas, Nevada

April 17, 2018

(4 Days Before Death)

The Pink PussyClub’s neon lights cast eerie shadows on the alley walls. The full moon’s glow painted the night in a surreal battleground. Sonya tightened her grip on the baton. Its dual laser-dagger tips hummed with lethal energy and gleamed.

Without warning, Sophie leaped. Her fangs bared and claws poised for attack. With a maddening snarl, she flew with the wind, her red hair changed colors to blonde and fanned out all around her head. Her eyes were like a serpent and her fangs were longer and sharper than even Sonya’s nightmares could imagine.

She came for Sonya.

“Sophie, no!” Shakespeare warned and charged forward.

Sophie was beyond reason. Sonya’s reflexes were honed for the fight. She sidestepped Sophie’s airborne assault with fluid grace. The baton spun in her hands. And the vampire’s claws missed Sonya by inches. As Sonya twirled around and lashedupward with the baton, the laser beam sliced clean through Sophie’s left arm. The limb fell lifeless to the ground.

Sophie shrieked in agony. She clutched her severed stump as black blood sprayed from the wound and soaked her pink dress. Sonya retracted the beam in time to pivot and face Shakespeare’s attack. With a daft maneuver, she struck him in the chest. The hard blow sent him crashing into the brick wall of the club. The impact left a dent in the structure as Shakespeare slid to the ground, dazed but ready to respond.

Fueled by rage and pain, Sophie sprang up and attacked again. Sonya dropped the baton in surprise but recovered her composure with swiftness. She launched expert kicks and rapid punches while she used her elbows to block and counter blows. The fight circled and Sophie, with one arm, returned blow for blow. Sonya defended each succession of blows with karate-like maneuvers against the injured vampire.

Sonya's movements were a blur of precision and power, each strike calculated and devastated. Every fist thrown kept Sophie on the defensive. When Shakespeare attacked, she engaged. Twisting, ducking, and maneuvering between them both.

She blocked Sophie’s wild swipes with her one arm, barely dodging Shakespeare’s attack, surprised at the way the crazy vamp fought hard with a missing limb.

It was sudden but expected. Shakespeare attacked Sonya from behind. Sonya was knocked into a garbage can, near unconscious. She summoned her sheer will. She leaped to her feet and landed on top of the large garbage can. Shakespeare was there in a flash. His attack was more charged than Sophie’s. They exchanged blows, arms, and kicks flying. Sonya punched him in the face several times and almost knocked him off the can. He recovered to deliver the most powerful kick she’d ever felt in her chest. She went into a somersault and landed on her feet on the ground.

She turned into another battle with the one-armed Sophie. The alley echoed with the clash of supernatural strength and martial prowess. Sophie was slapped around but managed to scratch her claws across Sonya’s chest, ripping her corset almost off her body.

Despite the ferocity of Sophie’s attacks, Sonya remained composed. She wove in and out of blows to deliver counterstrikes to Shakespeare, now caught between the two. She executed a cartwheel maneuver and freed herself from their grasp. Shakespeare leaped at her and she ducked, dropped, and slid across the dank alley floor to retrieve her baton. She flipped over from her back to her feet. She swung the baton, the laser light tips sharp and ready.

---