Fratelli: The Awakening (The Vampire Cartel #1)

54. Fury （Lucio’s Deal）

Chapter 54

Fury (Lucio’s Deal)

B ellagio Casino, Las Vegas - Nevada

April 16, 2018

(5 Days Before Death)

As the dust settled from the fierce clash between Lucio and Domencio, Marcello’s telepathic command lingered in the air as he guided the energy between the two to negotiate a truce. His hurt and desperation to hold his brothers together had to have been the catalyst for the extension of his Draca’s powers. Out of the four brothers, it was Marcello who clung to the tenets of famiglia.

Lucio and Domencio stood, frozen in their anger, chests heaving, eyes locked on each other. The room, now a scene of utter devastation, it reflected the intensity of their tumultuous relationship.

Marcello’s image on the screen flickered slightly, his face a mask of composed authority. He set down his goblet. He leaned forward and addressed his brothers.

“No matter what the crime, we are four. Say it.”

Domencio, Lucio, and Sebastiano repeated the order.

“No matter what the sin, our brotherhood never ends,” said Marcello. “Say it!”

The three brothers repeated his words.

“We are not mere beasts driven by basic instincts of the Draca. We are the rulers, former kings, warriors. Our lineage goes beyond any Anglo-Saxon bullshit in textbooks. Know who you are. And always act as such. This infighting is beneath you both,” said Marcello with disgust.

Sebastiano nodded in agreement, while Domencio, who still bristled with anger, begrudgingly looked away from Lucio. Lucio himself wiped the remnants of Domencio’s blood from his lip. His eyes left his brother and focused on Marcello.

“Lucio,” Marcello continued, “you owe the brothers an explanation. This woman you have, her presence, her declarant of being your mate has reached the ears of our enemies and allies alike. We must understand who she is.”

Lucio stepped away from the standoff with his brother. He smoothed down his tie as the last of his battle wounds majestically healed. He sat at the table to face the order. Domencio was slow to do the same. He did, however, join them. Sebastiano chuckled under his breath and when Marcello's gaze cut to him, his smile dimmed. Now seated, Lucio centered himself with the Draca and prepared to explain his version of the truth. “Dolly Young is her name. Baton Rouge is where she was born. She is… unique. She possesses powers I have yet to fully understand. I intended to unify her with the other.”

“Other?” Sebastiano asked.

“Her name is Darlene, and I believe Darlene is who father spoke of. Who Julia Brown prophesied.” Lucio's gaze slid to Domencio. “Darlene is who you met at the Bellagio.”

Domencio frowned. “I only saw one woman.”

“They are two women, in one. Divided, metaphysically, each of them is individually special, neither of them willing to accept that the other is the other half. Twins, but not in a physical sense like us. The ladies do not know their conception or their ties to us. I have been trying to harness their combined strength before bringing them before you and Father. But I acted prematurely, and for that, I take full responsibility. There has been no deceit on my part. I only discovered this woman three days ago.”

Domencio scoffed but held his tongue. Marcello’s gaze remained fixed on Lucio. Marcello’s silence meant the explanation was not sufficient.

“The truth is,” Lucio pressed on, “…if our father learns of her existence now, he will demand her immediate subjugation. We are not yet ready for that. We must first understand her abilities. What I have seen… she’s dangerous to our kind, to supernatural’s period. A weapon. And she ignites when threatened. She nearly killed me twice.”

The brothers all exchanged a look of interest.

Lucio hurried the conversation forward. “The curse is about choice. Right? She must make one too. Become the bringer of death to vampires or give us a new power that we have never imagined. We should work to cure father without causing her undue harm or revealing our vulnerabilities.”

Marcello’s eyes narrowed slightly, contemplating Lucio’s words. “And what do you propose?”

“Are you listening to him?” Domencio cut in. “Marcello? Sebastiano? I saw her. The bitch has him under her spell. Father predicted that one of us would slip, betray the family, and fall to their knees. You haven’t smelled her. She… she is delightful,” Domencio gave Lucio a wicked grin. “She is ours for the taking. And I say we drink tonight and take turns tasting what Lucio has already sampled.”

“I wouldn’t mind having a taste of her,” said Sebastiano with a shrug.

Marcello sipped the blood in his goblet and mulled over the brothers’ request. Lucio had to restrain himself. Tristan had warned him of his emotions. If he displayed even the slightest sign of weakness over a threat to her, his brothers would see through him and his addictions.”

“I want Lucio to finish,” Marcello finally spoke.

Lucio gave Marcello a respectful nod.

“I propose a truce,” Lucio said firmly. “Give me a week. I will take her to Sicily myself and present her to father. During this time, Marcello, you send in your team to study her powers, determine how best she can aid him, and serve us, ensuring that she is no threat to our family.”

Sebastiano arched an eyebrow in interest. “You expect us to keep this a secret from Father for a week? You know how dangerous that is for us all.”

Lucio nodded. “I understand the risk. But revealing her now, without preparation, is far more dangerous. You saw how he reacted to the mention of science. He is disrespectful to Marcello’s advancements in a plausible cure. Marcello, I am presenting an opportunity to take your work further. To unlock the key to our curse and our gift from the Draca. We need to ensure that her integration into our plans is seamless and controlled without Father’s paranoia. If we present her to father prematurely, we risk ourselves as well as everything in the Fratelli.”

Domencio leaned forward, forcing the brothers’ attention to shift toward him. “And if we refuse? Are you going to declare war on us again? Like you did when we hurt your priest?”

“I suggest you not test me, Domencio,” Lucio replied. “Or else I’ll put my boot back on your throat.

Domencio gave a dark snarl then a snide chuckle, “What guarantee do we have that you won’t lose control over your feelings for your new mate, and try to use her to destroy the Fratelli behind our backs?”

Lucio’s gaze was steady. “You have my word. Marcello? Sebastiano? You are of reason. I have brought every Julia Brown descendant before you. Even Wanda, and we all know how I felt about her. I have never worked against the family. Unlike Domencio who still secretly meets with the wolves.”

Sebastiano's brows lowered, and his eyes narrowed on Domencio. “He has a point about loyalty on your end, Domencio.”

Domencio shrugged, but did not respond for a moment of reflection. “I’m not fucking the enemy. He is. Didn’t we all smell pussy when he came to the meeting? He’s gaming us, stalling, because he wants Papa to die and then he thinks he’ll rise to power over us all with that Voodoo God at his side.”

“I am being truthful. It is my responsibility to ensure that she is ready, that we are ready. I am asking for your trust, just this once,” said Lucio.

Marcello leaned back, his expression thoughtful. “We have little choice but to trust you, Lucio. And understand this: she is not your mate; she is never to be anything to any of us but food. If you cannot control the situation, we will know. And then we will take matters into our own hands, and you will join us in that act as you have in all others—because we are four, not three. Know what that means, brother.”

Lucio nodded solemnly. “I understand.”

Marcello glanced at Sebastiano and Domencio, who both gave reluctant nods of agreement. “Very well,” Marcello said. “You have one week. Secure the Bellagio, my team will arrive in a day. Do not disappoint us.”

The meeting was adjourned. The Zoom feed with Marcello ended, and Phoenix left the suite to return to his duties. Raven pulled out Sebastiano’s chair. Sebastiano shook his head at them both. “You two are so interesting. I have to say, this was a helluva visit. If I’m needed, I’ll be in LA.”

Sebastiano left with his Raven following. Domencio stood. He looked as if he wanted to continue what Marcello stopped. But to do so would go against the tenants of the family. So, he glared at Lucio. “I saw her,” he said. “I saw you with her. You may fool them, but you don’t fool me. I will stay in Vegas to observe.” Domencio buttoned his suit and turned and left. Shakespeare followed.

Lucio felt the weight of their expectations press down on him, and a renewed sense of purpose. He had one week to secure Dolly’s place within their family and to ensure their father’s salvation and her own protection by harnessing her powers. It was a daunting task, but he was determined to succeed.

Later, when Lucio returned to the suite, he found it silent and dark. Tristan remained in the casino with a weary but obedient Lamont as his protégé. The night was never a time for sleep, for their kind to rest. Tristan and Shakespeare had a truce and were now working together to seal the Bellagio from any threat to Dolly. Domencio had moved into the hotel. Lucio could not object, but he would not tell Dolly about the new threat. Domencio’s presence was part of the compromise.

Exhausted, he stood in the silent darkness of the ensuite and stared up at the top window where the moon was barely visible over the nightlife. His hands slipped into his pockets. His eyes slowly closed, and he became the shadows. He slid beneath the door of the bedroom that she shared with her brother. In the darkness, he could see her without disturbance. She was even more beautiful when she slept. Inside, Lucio smiled. Their fight had cut him to his core, but even that pain felt delicious compared to the emptiness he lived with for so long. He longed to envelop her beautiful body with his darkness and seep into her skin. He ached to feel her or Darlene just once more reach for him, cling to him in the night. He had one week to save her life and his own. Because at that moment, he realized if they took her from him, he’d let the Draca end him as well. The Draca growled inside of him, signaling that he would and could fulfill that request.

“I love you,” he said as the darkness he emitted moved her like smoke and she stirred from a whisper of his touch.

For fear of being caught, he immediately vanished and left her space. It was too late. She came to the door minutes later. She threw it open and confronted him. At first, he thought she saw him. She stared directly at him, but he soon realized she did not. She wore her brothers’ conference t-shirt and boxers. It was sexier on her than any lingerie he could have bought. Her hair was in two braids, now longer and thicker. She was right. Their union had significantly transformed her natural beauty—she was changing.

Dolly closed her eyes and reached out to him. He thought it cute that she was trying to use her powers. He let her enter his mind. But he remained the darkness, so she could not see him.

She communicated her apology through telepathy. Her attempt to tap into his mind was so gentle and well-intentioned that it made him smile. He knew better than to respond because mixed in with her effort to apologize remained her fear of him.

“Lucio?” she said out loud when he didn’t answer. She rubbed the chill from her arms.

He observed.

She turned and closed the door behind her.

She was gone.

Lucio materialized into his human form. He walked into his room and closed the door without the aid of his hands. He went to the window and stared down at the Vegas strip. The cars and people were bustling about as if it weren’t near dawn—life, no matter the trouble, always seemed to go on. Lucio took a seat in the chair next to his bed. There he sat for the rest of the night, thinking of nothing but her.