Fratelli: The Awakening (The Vampire Cartel #1)

46. The Professor

Chapter 46

The Professor

H enderson, Nevada

April 15, 2018

(6 Days Before Death)

“Hello, Darlene.”

Darlene pushed her sunglasses up to the top of her forehead. She squinted at the man who lorded over her. She had moved from the pool to a cooler area but still allowed herself to darken under the desert sun.

“How are you today?” the man asked.

He appeared to be in his late sixties, with a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard. His caramel skin complemented his prim attire—an olive-green linen shirt and linen pants.

“Who are you?” Darlene asked, her voice sharp. She had purposely isolated herself from Lucio and his vampire associates. Only the kitchen staff tended to her needs, and this man was neither vampire nor kitchen help.

“I’m Dr. Marvin Louvre. I teach African American studies at Arizona State,” he said.

“Good for you,” she replied in a curt manner.

“Do you mind if we chat?” he asked.

“Yes, I do. Look at me. Do I look like I’m interested in college?” she asked.

He chuckled. “I think you might find some of what I know about you interesting. Lucio asked me to come and meet you.”

“Well, you can fuck off. I don’t want to see or talk to him or you,” she pulled her glasses back down her face.

“He knows. He’s told me a bit about you—your hatred of vampires, your mission to destroy them. But do you even know why you are this way? Do you understand where you come from? What your powers mean for the good of humanity?”

Darlene frowned.

“Can I show you something? It’s inside,” he gestured to the mansion.

Darlene looked past him to the house, and then back at him. “Why are you really here?”

“To prove myself wrong. I believe our people are lost, disconnected from our true history. But if what Lucio says about you is true, then I’m wrong. We may be the orchestrators of a new future that will change everything we know of our history,” said the professor.

Darlene scoffed. “That sounds stupid.”

The professor smiled. “Care to learn more?”

She considered his request. Darlene glanced up to the balcony where Lucio watched them. She was still angry and hurt by his treatment, yet she yearned for a resolution. Part of her needed his acceptance. Lucio’s voice entered her mind.

Give him a chance, tesoro. Listen to what he has to say, then come to me. We’ll talk.

“You hate me,” she replied telepathically. “You want her, not me.”

I can never hate you; we belong to each othe r, Lucio responded before turning away. Darlene rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses.

“Bullshit,” she mumbled.

What choice did she have? She picked up her sarong. The professor stepped back as she tied it around her shapely hips and slipped into her sandals. She could feel his eyes on her. She smirked. Men were dogs, human or vampire, she thought. Darlene swept her hair up and pinned it into a clip to keep it from her neck.

“Well, show me. And this better be good,” she muttered.

“This way,” the professor smiled, and he led her inside. There were no guards present. A testament to her growing power. She enjoyed the power of pushing everyone away.

The professor pulled out a chair, and Darlene sat in it. He took a seat across from her and placed an intricate carved wooden box on the table. As he opened it, turning various knobs, it expanded into a wooden flat board with a strange map with four angled creatures. One corner was of a dragon that she assumed was Lucio’s Draca. In the other corner was a wolf. An emblem resembling a dragonfly had been carved in the top corner, and in the last corner, there was an emblem of a fish. At the center was a woman with a beautifully carved crown. All over the board were writings that looked like hieroglyphs. He set pieces on the board like a chess game.

“This represents the beginning of our history, a time before you and a time that will exist after you. We call it a lyrical board. It speaks with a harmony that can only be heard within your soul. Darkness and light once occupied the same sphere, before religion, before good and evil—it was just the universe and our portion of it. Scientists puzzle over dark matter and dark energy. What I am about share explains their creation and power,” Dr. Louvre explained. “You have questions and answers within you. This board can help you find them, and I’ll help you decipher what you learn. Pick a totem and place it on the board.”

Darlene removed her glasses, choosing a woman-shaped totem. As she placed it on the board nearest the dragon, she felt energy surge through her fingertips. A sly smile crossed her lips.

“Now close your eyes and concentrate,” the professor instructed.

She obeyed, and it was the professor's turn to smile.

“Good girl… let’s begin,” he said.

Lucio was growing impatient. Four hours had passed since the professor began his session with Darlene, but all Lucio could think about was Dolly and her suffering, trapped in the bathroom mirror. He’d had the staff clean it up and replaced the mirrors and shower doors, but he couldn’t bring himself to step back into that room.

After another thirty minutes of waiting, he gave up and headed for the door, just as it opened. The professor stepped into the office, escorted by one of Lucio’s men.

“Well?” Lucio demanded.

“This is the last time I’m doing this for you,” the professor replied.

Lucio’s brow furrowed in concern.

“The last time—because she is the one. You do not know what you’ve unlocked with this young woman. She’s not just Julia Brown’s descendant; she carries the ancient knowledge of the Chosen who protected the first people in her veins, in her spirit, and in her mind. What scholars debate, she knows instinctively. What powers you have, hers are double that and dormant. The universe created her. Make no mistake—they made her.”

Lucio scoffed. “And you learned all this from your little board game? She’s told me more than once that she knows who she is and how to use her power.”

“No,” the professor replied. “Darlene knows what she is and what her power is for, but those are two different things. She thinks she’s here to kill vampires, but she doesn’t understand—you’re just one spoke on the wheel. She was created to restore the balance between darkness and light. The mother gods of the old universe intervened in Julia Brown’s plan and sent down a chosen one, but not like the others. From the realm comes the true healer of pain and defender of the light. That’s what the totem revealed.”

Lucio’s eyes narrowed. “And did you do as I asked? Did you re-educate her? Get rid of this ‘vampires need to be destroyed’ nonsense?”

“You mean did I lie to her? Tell her you share the same cause and purpose. That she shouldn’t fear the darkness but embrace it? That the light killed her mother and sisters?” the professor’s tone dripped with bitterness. “I told her your false truth.”

“And?” Lucio pressed. Eager to hear that the professor succeeded where he had failed.

“She believed it. Darlene thinks you are her destiny. She’s still unpredictable and uncontrollable, but you can trust her feelings,” the doctor replied. “But there’s something else—the First People aren’t gone. They know about her—and you. They will come for her. Be prepared.”

“I’m not worried about that. I need to help my father. She can help him now, right?” Lucio asked.

“If she’s willing. I think she believed me, but she’s not who you think she is. She’s not like the others. My tricks led them into your traps for you; she solved the puzzles and answered the questions within the first hour.”

“Then why did it take so long to end things?” Lucio asked, eyes narrowed on him with suspicion.

“She wouldn’t let me leave. She kept me there for three hours and forced me to answer her questions. A strange fascination with other supernatural’s.”

“Oh? What other supernaturals?” Lucio asked.

“Shapeshifters. She went on and on about their abilities. Lucky for you, I know my history. But remember—she’s different,” he said. “She educated me on some things I didn’t know.”

“Thank you, professor.”

“Don’t thank me. Release me. I’ve caused more harm to myself and my people than I can ever atone for. This is the last time I work with you. You have your oracle now. Let me and the people I love go.”

Lucio smirked. “Don’t play holier-than-thou with me. You gladly take my money and enjoy the benefits of this partnership. My truth isn’t much different from hers. I’m trying to protect her—and my family—from her.”

The professor chuckled darkly. “Good luck with that. You have my condolences.”

Lucio watched him leave; his mind drifted to the past. Before Wanda, there had been others—Lisa, Michelle, Linda, Trisha, and Carmen. Each of them had tried to evade him, wise enough to sense his true nature beneath the fame and privilege he offered as a lure to his traps. The professor had softened them up for the taking. None had been as powerful as Darlene or Dolly. All had believed the lie and lost their lives for it.

But this time, Lucio swore it would be different. His cause was noble. Vittorio had plans for her he had to intercept. He’d never let his father or Draquria destroy her. He wanted to protect and love Darlene, even if he had to use her in the process for the greater good.

Darlene watched the professor leave, escorted by two hired guns. Hidden in the shadows, she observed silently, then turned back to the board of totems. His truth for her truth—yet she saw through his deceit. Lucio was desperate to manipulate her, but the madness within her reveled in it. He truly believed he could convince her that vampires were on her side.

Well, she agreed with him on one point: they were in a battle for survival and they both had to pick sides. She would use the darkness inside him to destroy Dolly and claim him as her prize—not to save humanity, because he belonged to her. It felt good to have something, someone, who was hers.

A smile tugged at her lips as a new idea took shape—one she couldn’t wait to bring to life.