Page 94 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

Their plan was in motion, and nothing—neither vampire nor guardian—would stand in their way.

The Bellagio

Marcello’s team of scientists and paranormal experts couldn’t explain the sudden disappearance of Tristan and the Guardian, nor the power outage that had surged through the impenetrable vaults beneath the Bellagio. Domencio’s rage simmered just beneath the surface, barely contained by his cold exterior. The devastation of their war and Lucio’s uncertain fate had shaken him to his core. What should have been a victory felt hollow, the weight of grief and anguish pressing down on him. Not because he possessed a heart or soul—he was far beyond such things—but because Lucio was his twin, born of the same sac. Lucio’s demise would be his own, a severing of something vital within him. And only now had he realized this dark truth. Marcello had preached it for years. They should never turn on each other. They were united and had to be. He never believed it. Hell, the prophecy selected only one of them. What if that selection could only be made possible if there was betrayal between the four?

Domencio continued to stare at his hands. They felt numb, tingling as if they were disappearing. He felt empty, as though a part of him were dying. And for the first time in centuries, the little boy he carried inside of him had pushed past his Draca to remind him of the fear. The reasons to be afraid.

“Where is Shakespeare? Why can’t I feel him? Have you seen him?” Domencio demanded. His eyes narrowed as his attention turned to Phoenix. “And Sophie... I don’t feel her either...”

Raven opened his mouth to respond, but Phoenix silenced him with a sharp gaze, one that spoke volumes. Raven, cowed, held his tongue and Phoenix addressed Domencio.

“Shakespeare and Sophie are preparing everything per Marcello’s orders,” Phoenix replied smoothly. “They’re both headed to Rome.”

Domencio paced, frustration mounted. “Where the fuck is Tristan? Is he with the Guardian?”

“Possibly stuck between floors, trying to get here. Security has sealed off many entrances,” Phoenix said with calculated calm.

“We were able to get here,” Raven interjected. “They should be here by now. I think he’s taken her.”

“What?” Domencio’s voice was a low growl, suspicion flared in his nostrils.

Phoenix sighed, a sound of exasperation that bordered on contempt. Raven’s concern was valid, but Phoenix had no patience for such distractions. The truth was malleable in his hands, and he wielded it with care. Lying to the brothers was a dangerous game, for their senses were honed to detect deceit. Yet Domencio, in his grief and disarray, seemed oblivious. With Lucio in distress, Domencio’s powers were weakening.

Phoenix’s eyes locked with Raven’s until the younger vampire lowered his gaze, his doubts buried deep, his voice silenced.

“I’ll pursue them,” Phoenix offered, his tone deceptively respectful. “Raven and I will locate the Guardian.”

“Lucio is fine,” Domencio mumbled, almost to himself, as he scratched his brow. “He’ll be fine.”

Neither consiglieri dared speak. Before them, they saw Domencio being uncertain and distressed. One minute he was in the conversation with them, the next he was out of his mind and lost in emotion.

Domencio stopped pacing, a frantic edge in his voice. “We must find Dolly and Darlene. Now!”

“May I be heard? Truly heard?” Phoenix asked.

“You want to tell me what to do? I’m not a child anymore, Phoenix. I don’t answer to you. Know your place—I gave you an order,” Domencio said.

Phoenix bowed his head with a show of deference, though his eyes gleamed with something darker. “I’m not overstepping, Domencio. But as you know, I’m the only one among us who has faced the Guardians and lived. I know their power and their weaknesses.”

Domencio leaned against the wall. The facts silenced him. Phoenix had tutored them all and had shaped them from the start. He was made by their father, once a magistrate in the Roman Senate, a figure of equal power to Domencio and his brothers. In their youth, Phoenix had been their surrogate father, their guide. Now, even Domencio found it difficult to dismiss his words.

“Speak,” Domencio commanded.

“You must go to Sicilia,” Phoenix said, his tone confident, almost persuasive.

Domencio’s brow furrowed. “Father?”

“He’s in danger. Everything I know about these Guardians and the twins, who may indeed be the Chosen, points to him as the target. If Tristan and the Guardian are missing, it’s because they’re being used as leverage. These Guardians are irresistible to us—consiglieri, magistrate, and Fratelli alike. The hour is past dark for us all.”

Raven nodded in agreement, his earlier doubts about Phoenix swept away. “I felt her power. Even when she was trapped in the trunk, she whispered to me, called to me. I was tempted to let her go many times. To mate with her.”

Domencio sighed. The weight of Phoenix’s words settled within. “Father... I’ve been avoiding seeing him. I don’t want to see him like this.”

“Go. Protect him. Guard him,” Phoenix urged, his voice smooth as silk. “Leave the consiglieri to hunt the women down—we will find them. I know how to defeat the guardians, and I will chase the twins to you. And you must be there when the twins arrive.”

Domencio reluctantly agreed with a nod of resignation. “Fine. Then I have to warn Marcello.”

But as he tried to reach out to his brothers telepathically, he found himself cut off. His connection to them was erratic, one moment clear, and the next veiled in fog. It was as if something was interfering, a strange energy pulsing through him. He looked at his hands. Unease crept into his mind. “What is happening to me, Phoenix?”

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