Page 57 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

Let her go. We don’t need her.

“What?” Lamont frowned.

We have bigger problems. Cut her loose.

“But why? She’s the one who brought in Char?—.”

Cut her loose.

Lamont sighed and rubbed his brow. He tried to make sense of everything. “Did you know the Triad left? I was looking for them and—they’re gone.”

You will head to Reno now. They will serve you there. Our allies are in motion. They will all be ready for your return. But listen to me. Do not fall in temptation. Your humanity is what matters here. Not wolf, not vampire, but being human. Do what you can to protect that always.

“Serve me? My humanity? What the fuck—? I work for you,” Lamont said.

Alaric, the alpha, is expecting you. He wont make things easy, no matter the deal. Reno is wolf territory so be aware.

“Wolfclaw?” Lamont’s chest tightened with dread. He didn’t like that hound-looking motherfucker.

His name is Stoneclaw.Tristan sighed.Never insult the man by renaming him when he has already introduced himself to you formally. Wolves are hypersensitive and you are only human.

“Sorry. Fuck. Do I have to meet with him?” Lamont said.

The training wheels are off, fledgling. Reno is yours. It will make sense when you see it. The Triad works for you, and they find you worthy of the position. They will protect you with their lives. The entire operation is yours to run while Lucio is occupied. But you will be expected to adhere to the coven.

“But what the fuck is the operation?” Lamont asked.

You’ll know when you need to know. Be careful of the wolves. You think we’re bad? They will use you as a chew toy if you show weakness. You have a strong heart and mind. Use it. There are things worse than mortal death, curses from which you cannot rise. Stay out of sight during the full moon. Don’t fuck their women, or they will fuck you—literally. Learn, adapt, be ready for our return. Do you understand?

“No. No, bro, I don’t. Shit. This is moving too fast. I’m not ready. I… fuck me, I’m going to hate myself for saying this… I need you,” Lamont said.

No one is ever ready for life in the darkness. Let go of Deshawn’s memory. Let go of the fear. You may not be supernatural, but you walk between worlds. You have something we don’t, something we wish for. Your humanity. When you are with the wolves, when you are in the den, be Lamont. I promise you; it’ll be enough.

“Whatever. Why is Carmen free? She’s responsible for Charmaine getting inside. And what happened to me? Why can’t I remember?” Lamont asked.

She works for a woman named Greenlee. I need her free. Cut her loose, so we can track her movements. Oh! Shit, I forgot. You got a passenger. Name is Rachel. New vamp under Sophie. I’m sending her to Phoenix.

“Green who? Did you say Rachel?” Lamont asked.

I’ll check in when I can.

The connection was severed. Lamont was grateful. He hated all the conversations he was forced to have with these creatures in his head. However, Tristan was more than just a vamp. He saw through that. He liked the guy. Hell, he kind of worshipped his gangster. A vampire that secretly wore a cross beneath his shirt was a badass motherfucker in his opinion. If Tristan said he could handle himself, then he would.

Don Vittorio

Syracuse, Sicily

One hun’red years from ta’dey, one hun’red years from ta’night. Dere would be one, only one, and he be de worst ofyou, and de bringer of death. You made it so. I made sure you see and you know!

Don Vittorio’s eyes snapped open. Each iris glowed with rage in the darkness. He snarled, his voice low and guttural. It echoed inside the cramped coffin he had dragged into his bedchamber like a final resting place. Enraged, he shoved the heavy lid aside, the wood creaked in protest. The savory scent of the Guardians had pierced his slumber, and yanked him from the deep, unnatural sleep that had become his only refuge during the day.

Since the madness had gripped him, the night was all he could bear. The sunlight—the living world—was too much, too bright, too loud. To rest, he had sought comfort in the graveyard, pulling a coffin from the earth, still littered with the dusted bones of some long-dead mortal. He filled it with dirt from the grave and used it as his mattress. The cold embrace of decay had become the only thing that seemed to soothe his fractured mind.

But now, as he pushed himself up, his legs trembled beneath him, weak and unsteady from centuries of wear. He muttered two words through clenched teeth, words that made little sense in his swirling thoughts: “Sex... Candy?”

What did it mean?

Only a day ago, he had felt himself sink further into the blackness of his own madness, lost and adrift in the labyrinth of his mind. And yet, amid the confusion, he hadsensedsomething.Her.His Draca was still out there. It hunted her. But whowasshe? How many were there? Something deep within him whispered that there was more than one. More than just the Guardian.

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