Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines (The Vampire Cartel #2)

28. To Protect and Serve

Chapter 28

To Protect and Serve

B ellagio - Las Vegas, Nevada

April 17, 2018

(4 Days Before Death)

The last day of Comic-Con sent a surge of fans into the Bellagio. The crowd overwhelmed the ladies the moment they stepped off the elevator. Darlene charged ahead.

“Wait!” yelped Charmaine.

The costumed faces and laughing gamblers that walked ahead, besides, and behind her almost made Charmaine lose sight of Darlene. Triggered, Charmaine went into defensive mode. Mentally charged, she pushed aside those in her way without physical contact. It caused a few to stumble. Arguments erupted then, but Charmaine did not look back.

As a Guardian, Charmaine believed and trusted in her knowledge. Liora was not only the energy and guiding source for her knowledge but impart the guiding principle. She scanned the slot machines and gaming rooms. Players, both mortal and immortal, occupied every table. There would be no easy maneuver or escape.

“We can’t stay here,” Charmaine sent a warning telepathically to Darlene.

“I don’t understand. Why are so many people here? It wasn’t like this before,” Darlene replied in kind. Fear of the unknown was in her voice. Charmaine sensed Darlene’s overstimulation and anxiety, a volatile mix. Charmaine moved to Darlene’s left side. She took her hand, their united touch transformed Darlene instantly.

“Char?” came a soft reply.

Charmaine glanced at her friend. Dolly’s eyes were stretched in disbelief and confusion. The kind wonder on her expression was clearly inherent to her sweet nature. Charmaine would know her best friend’s disposition anywhere. She was so happy she almost hugged her.

“Dolly?” Charmaine said with relief and squeezed her hand.

“Yes, it’s me. Why are we down here?” Dolly looked around, confused. “Where is Russ? We should be upstairs, in the suite.”

“Darlene,” Charmaine explained.

“What has happened to you?” Dolly asked telepathically, her eyes full of questions. “You feel different… and… are you a vampire?”

“No. Never. I’m Charmaine, your best friend. And yes, something more. We’ll talk later. Let’s get out of this casino. Use your mind, not your hands, to move people out of your way. Touch gives the wrong people access. Understand?” Charmaine warned.

“Yes,” Dolly replied.

I see you.

Tristan’s voice echoed in Charmaine’s mind, compelling and beautiful. He hadn’t been as direct before. In that instant, she froze. Dolly kept going and pulled her forward. Charmaine fell in step but scanned the crowd. It took longer than a minute before she spotted him at the far end of the casino, standing amidst the chaos, repelling those who would crowd him.

I am Tristan. Who are you, Charmaine? Charmaine Who? Name? I want to know your name from the realm.

Tristan’s eyes, a calming blue, locked onto hers. His face was regal with sharp features and a beyond handsome youthfulness, with golden hair cropped short to a crown of locs.

Aaah, I see. You are Liora. Should I bow before you, Liora, worship you, honor you, be your servant, or will you be mine?

“Why is he talking to you like that? Who is Liora?” Dolly asked.

“You can hear him?” Charmaine asked with relief. She fought to get him out of her mind. The pull it had on her was so intoxicatingly strong she felt lightheaded.

“Yes! I hear him. What is happening here?? Where is he?” Dolly asked. “He doesn’t talk like that. It’s creepy.”

“I don’t know,” Charmaine lied. “If she acknowledged him, it would distract Dolly, and she needed to get them out of the casino with discretion.

“He’s enchanted. You must be doing it to him,” Dolly said. “Point him out to me. I can’t see him. Where is he, Char? I’ll help.”

His intention was clear: she read his thoughts. Tristan lured them into a trap. He wouldn’t harm Dolly but intended to take Charmaine. The three other consiglieri had Sonya. Her dear sister was in the trunk of a speeding Dodge Hellcat being tossed around as it raced dangerously to the Bellagio. Grief washed over Charmaine as she thought of her sister, Sonya and Kaida suffering.

“What is it?” Dolly asked. She sensed Charmaine’s distress. “Sonya? Who is Kaida?”

“We must escape. We have to leave before they get here,” Charmaine said, as she scanned the crowd.

“What? No. We need Sonya. Lucio said to keep you both near me. It will help to have you both with me and Darlene. There is still so much we don’t know about our powers . I’ll deal with Tristan. Trust me. He won’t hurt you.”

“We have only a few minutes. I can’t get us out of here alone. You are in contact with Lucio?” she asked.

“I was. Not anymore,” Dolly said.

“Okay. It’s okay. I’m too new to my powers. The dark energy is too strong in here. If we can’t leave without Sonya then we need a different plan,” said Charmaine.

“What should we do?” Dolly asked.

“First you need to understand that the Tristan you knew is not what we face. He is enchanted. And his Draca has control. He’s hunting me. If he or the consiglieri take me, Dolly, it will be the end of me and the same for Sonya. The consiglieri will mate us to one of them if we don’t kill him first.”

“Then kill him…” Dolly started.

“It will be hard, very hard for me to do so. We will have to fight to the death. If he wins he will tear me apart, then make me a vamp and slave. We won’t be able to help you save Lucio. This is the moment you choose yourself first.”

“Tristan would not do that—” Dolly mumbled.

“He can’t help himself now—I’m affecting him,” Charmaine said, her voice low and urgent. “I’m enticing his Draca, and that’s what’s controlling Tristan. Just like I’m drawn to him, helpless against the pull.” She looked deeply at Dolly, pleading. “You have to believe in me now more than ever. I’m not just Charmaine anymore. You feel the change, don’t you?”

Dolly’s gaze dropped to their clasped hands, absorbing the heat of their combined energy pulsing between them, a tangible force binding them. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet Charmaine’s.

“He’s coming,” Charmaine whispered, her breath labored, eyes fluttering as visions of Tristan’s desires filled her mind—dark, sensual and sexual promises that were strong. The Draca was in control, twisting him, but she could feel his struggle to be his own man, to pursue and resist. This wasn’t a trap; Tristan had truly intended to help them escape. His voice, faint but determined, surfaced through the link. Create chaos, he urged. Before I lose control completely. She could sense his light, a glimmer inside the Draca, fighting back, and it almost broke her to feel his desperation.

“Where?” Dolly asked. She gripped Charmaine’s hand.

Charmaine closed her eyes, focusing until the image of Tristan surfaced in Dolly’s mind.

“I see him now,” Dolly said. “We got this. Together.”

“I should be stronger,” Charmaine murmured, her voice tight with frustration. “There’s so much darkness around us.”

“You are strong. This is just new. We’re quick learners,” Dolly affirmed.

“We should be careful. We can’t hurt these innocent people,” Charmaine said.

The energy between them surged, building rapidly as they concentrated. Charmaine focused on summoning light to protect the mortals around them, and Dolly mirrored her, their powers weaving together. Time slowed. Gravity froze. The crowd around them stilled. When the girls opened their eyes, they could clearly see the mortals separated from the immortals—those unfazed, by their power glared with feral intensity and approached them from all sides of the casino lobby.

“Oh, sweet merciful God,” Charmaine breathed, eyes widening. “There are so many of them.”

Wolves, hulking and rough in biker leathers, leaped over tables, shoving aside frozen patrons as they closed in. Dolly and Charmaine spun to run, but Tristan appeared at the entrance, blocking their escape. They loyal consigliere gone. His eyes blazing the color of fire.

“What the hell is he doing?” Dolly shouted.

“Creating chaos,” Charmaine replied, her voice filled with alarm.

Dolly turned to face six wolves who lunged at her at once, their teeth bared, feral eyes fixed on her. Charmaine would have to deal with Tristan—while she’d hold off the wolves.

Summoning her energy, Dolly unleashed luminous chains, lassoing all six wolves at once, and slung them back and forth, knocking of frozen people like bowling pins. She bonded them and drained them of their strength in radiant light. More supernatural’s, their forms shifting, emerged from the shadows and surged toward them. But Dolly braced herself, ready to face whatever came.

Charmaine turned as Tristan closed in, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished from her spot, reappearing behind him to launch a counterattack. Though she had the element of surprise, this was her first real fight with the powers of Liora. Tristan struck, his blow landed hard and brutal. The impact to her chest nearly stopped her heart. It sent her hurtling backward into the crowd of frozen patrons. She crashed down, toppling them like dominoes, bodies breaking her fall.

Dazed and gasping for breath, Charmaine scrambled to get up, she crawled over the enchanted bystanders as Tristan closed in. He reached for her, and on instinct, she spun around and retaliated—a blast of pure light that ignited him in flames. Tristan staggered back. He extinguished the fire with ease. She hadn’t aimed to kill him, and he knew it. His lips curled into a dark smile, and his fangs dropped as he advanced again.

Meanwhile, Dolly unleashed a psychic surge that swept across the casino floor, frying every electronic device. The gaming tables powered down, cameras blinked out, and cell phones went dead. No alarms would sound, no calls for help would be answered. The exits sealed around them.

Good girl.

The voice in her head was evidently Lucio. She smiled. “You proud of me?”

Always, I’m with you. Always. He said.

“I love you Lucio,” she sighed. “So much it hurts.

I’ll make it up to you. I promise.

“Dolly! Dolly!” Charmaine shouted. The psychic link between Dolly and Lucio ceased. “Go, Dolly! He’s after me—find Sonya! I’ll get Russell out!” Charmaine called.

“No!” Dolly turned in the darkness. “We fight together!”

As Tristan approached, Charmaine fought to her feet, her gaze fixed on the darkness consuming him—but she could still feel a flicker of his light, buried within. Maybe, just maybe, she could reach him. She couldn’t explain why she wanted to save him, but the impulse drove her. Beside her, Dolly summoned a shimmering barrier, its radiant energy burning any supernatural who dared touch it. The sight sparked an idea in Charmaine’s mind.

Once Tristan was close enough, she raised her own barrier—a dome of energy that enclosed them and cut off any interference from Dolly.

“What are you doing? That’s not Tristan. It’s his Draca. He’s dangerous! Something’s wrong—don’t!” Dolly shouted, as she struggled to hold back the advancing supernatural’s, no matter the cost.

But Charmaine’s focus stayed on Tristan, her determination grew as the dome trapped them together. If his light was still there, she would find it, even if it meant risking everything.