Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines (The Vampire Cartel #2)

11. The Plan

Chapter 11

The Plan

C ircus Circus - Las Vegas, Nevada

April 17, 2018

(4 Days Before Death)

“You almost killed us?” Charmaine asked.

“I swear, it was never our intent,” Nzinga said.

“But you knew it could happen? You knew our death could provoke the Guardians to return?” Sonya asked.

“We suspected that your physical state would be a required sacrifice for the metaphysical birth, but we weren’t sure,” said Nzinga. “We didn’t know if the Guardians would care enough to return and serve this realm. And I don’t think they came to save you.”

“Then why did they save us?” Charmaine asked.

“They came for Dolly and Darlene. They are here for them. And you are the vessel for that mission,” Nzinga said.

“Vessel? Vessel! Who did you put in us?” Charmaine asked.

“Charmaine, your guardian’s name is Liora. She became The Protector of the Light before the construction of the first pyramids. We consider her a healer—light and balance are what she represents. She is a descendent and servant of the Chosen, who we believe is Dolly. They come from the same source of energy. If Greenlee had performed the ritual correctly with Wanda Brown, Liora would have been the first-born child of Dolly. And she would have served her mother and this universe.”

“And Sonya? Who is she?” Charmaine asked.

“Sonya’s guardian is named Kaida, and she was crowned the Defender of the Pain. She is Liora’s sister in every definition of the word. Before the great war between darkness and light, the Chosen were the first to enter the battle. Their Guardians are their children. The battle had divided the supernatural’s. They didn’t unite their powers until the Draca seized control of the darkness. They had to join forces.

“Slow down, you’re making my head hurt worse,” mumbled Sonya.

“I understand. What I’m sharing is too much information at once. It’s why I said we would need to talk in the room.”

“Let her finish Sonya,” said Charmaine.

Nzinga nodded. “Like I said, the Chosen bartered a truce. And their children entered the battle with them. Kaida and Liora are sisters. You’d think they’d be cousins, but in their world, they are sisters, and they are protective of each other. Just like the way you two are. The moment the guardians returned, and we greeted them, they took hold of Greenlee. They had remembered what she had done against the Order of Nature to Wanda Brown. And they were unforgiving. Out of the one hundred and thirty women gathered for the ceremony, only three, Greenlee, me, and another woman named Macy-Lynn, were direct descendants of the First People. Strong enough to survive the Guardians’ wrath.”

Nzinga didn’t know if Greenlee and Macy were alive. She woke up with Sonya and Charmaine torturing her and then forcing her to take them to Vegas. She only saw the dead bodies of her sisters, friends, and confidants on her way out of the forest. A massacre.

Nzinga wept. She went to her knees as she finished the horrible recounting of the events. The girls still couldn’t speak. In the silence, Nzinga cautiously looked up and told Sonya and Charmaine that no matter what they believed about themselves, they were now part of this battle. And no matter the cost, she would serve them until her dying day.

“You really believe these guardians are in us? Now?” Charmaine asked.

“No,” Sonya said. “It can’t be.”

Nzinga nodded. “They are you and you are them. I can prove it.”

“Bullshit.” Sonya gave a nervous chuckle, scared out of her mind over the possibility of proof. When she cursed, another piercing headache splintered her psyche, and she felt her legs almost give up.

“You’re in pain?” Nzinga asked.

“A headache,” Charmaine answered for Sonya.

Sonya could only nod as she clenched her teeth.

“You’re not respecting your guardian. You’re fighting her control. She is trying to talk to you and you’re rejecting her. She will not allow it,” Nzinga warned.

“Fuck her—” Sonya went to her knees. She groaned in pain. Her hands went up to her head.

Charmaine went down on the floor to support her. “Sonya, hey, take a breath. Take a deep breath.”

“It hurts,” Sonny wept.

“Stop fighting her. Let me prove to you how she has healed you,” Nzinga said.

Sonya managed to look up at Nzinga from the floor. Nzinga looked like she felt. She just wanted the pain to end. She nodded her obedience.

“Someone has hurt you physically before. So much so it’s made you angry. You are always angry, Sonya. Kaida is healing you from that anger. Look at the physical proof,” said Nzinga.

Charmaine helped Sonya stand. The pain in Sonya’s head had eased just a bit, and then eased a little more when she complied.

“Undress. Look there—” Nzinga pointed to the tall mirror that was on the closet door in the hotel room. It took a moment, but Sonya did what she was told.

Charmaine let go of her.

Sonya walked over to the mirror exhausted, eyes heavy. She stood before the mirror and obeyed. In the beginning, she removed her shirt, followed by her pants. She froze. The most noticeable thing about her body was the removal of her tattoos. As she aged, she hated the marks left on her by the life she desperately wanted to evolve out of. Any time a man saw her undress, he knew where she was born and forged from.

Sonya stared at her body in disbelief. She stepped closer to the mirror. She turned sideways and then turned around to look at her back. The nastiest scar she had was on her lower left side. A triangular burn that she had attempted to cover with a tattoo of a pyramid. But the scarred tissue from the burn never allowed the tattoo to cover its ugliness.

Her first real love gifted it to her as punishment. After she refused to sell her body, he pressed a hot iron there and scared her forever. His name was also tattooed on her bikini line above her sex. It too was gone. His gang symbol was tattooed on her right arm with a sleeve of roses, and it, too, was gone. She had a tattoo over her breasts with the date of the first time they had sex, and that was gone. She had other tattoos and stamps on her that were supposed to give her a ghetto sex appeal. They were all gone.

Sonya wept with relief. “Do you see this, Charmaine? Do you see?”

Charmaine nodded and tears welled up in her eyes for her friend. She smiled. “Yes, Sonya I see it.”

Charmaine came over and hugged her. They embraced and Sonya cried in relief. So much pain was released in that cry. She felt years of suffering in her own personal shame being lifted from her. Her headache was gone. She felt hope and joy again. Something she had lost after her brother’s death.

“It’s a miracle,” Sonya said. “A miracle.”

Charmaine nodded. “A blessing.”

“How did you know?” Sonya asked Nzinga.

“Greenlee saw your tattoos when you undressed for the ritual. She whispered to me that they would be the first to go. She said they were the mark of the beast, and the Guardian would never let you wear them.”

“She was right,” Sonya wept. “She was right.”

Nzinga gave them a curt nod. “That is only the first gift. The more you accept the Guardian, the stronger you will be. It is why we worship them, why we idolize the world they once ruled, and want it to return. The followers of the First People are women who, like you, Sonya, have suffered in their lives. Society shouldn’t place illusions upon women, making them prey, objects, breeding mares, or causing them to suffer or disappear. They are to walk beside their mates—never in their shadows. Women are the balance of the scale. And this world doesn’t have balance anymore.”

“What’s next? What do we do?” Sonya asked.

“Plenty. Let’s go downstairs and eat. I’ll give you everything you need,” Nzinga said.

Sonya got dressed, but she couldn’t help but look at her body in awe and amazement. She couldn’t stop grinning with happiness.