37. Truth Miss-Told
Chapter 37
Truth Miss-Told
M ojave Desert (FP Camp) - Nevada
April 19, 2018
(2 Days Before Death)
At some point, the caravan stopped. Greenlee honored Charmaine’s wishes and allowed her to ride in the back of the truck with Dolly. Then they continued toward the camp. The cool desert air whipped up turbulence inside and all around her. Dolly had been immobile since her explosive outburst, while Darlene hadn’t materialized separately from her sister. The man in the back of the truck, a stranger to Charmaine, kept a watchful eye on Dolly.
“You didn’t have to join us, guardian. I won’t harm her,” the professor said.
“I’m not protecting her, I’m protecting you. She wakes and finds you with her you won’t be able to even open your mouth before she unleashes.” Charmaine warned.
“Why would you protect me?” the professor smirked.
“Because we are here for answers. After the Chosen gets what she needs from you people I’ll gladly let you die.” Charmaine said.
He nodded his understanding but showed no signs of fear. He looked at Dolly again. “What happened to her?” he asked.
“She’s done this before. But she got herself out of it.” Charmaine’s eyes narrowed on him instead of the woman she was born to protect. “Who are you?”
“My name isn’t important, but most call me the Professor.”
“Professor?” Charmaine echoed his response, her suspicion clear in her tone. She attempted to tap into his mind but met a gentle resistance. He blocked her supernatural intrusion with practiced skill and adeptness.
“Move away from her,” Charmaine demanded. Her eyes glowed faintly, a sign of the power that stirred within her. “You’re too close.”
The Professor raised his hands, a gesture of peace. “I am not here to hurt her. My life, for hers, gladly. We are family.”
“Dolly only has Russ and me. There is no other family,” Charmaine replied, her tone ice cold.
“You must trust me. No? Fine. My real name is Eric Brown, the only male descendant of Julia Brown living. We are blood. Not even the vampire Lucio, who I have worked for, for years knows this identity. And I’m here to help her and Darlene transition so she and Dolly can prevent the apocalypse.”
Charmaine’s eyes narrowed further. She tried once more to breach his mental defenses, but again, she was blocked. “Men never reach the role of power in the realm that I feel on you, unless they are servants of a deity. If not vampire, what are you? Really?”
“It will all make sense soon, Guardian. Once we arrive.” The professor nodded toward the desert. In the distance, the faint glow of the camp flickered through the darkness. At that moment, Dolly groaned, drawing Charmaine’s immediate attention back to her.
“Dolly? Darlene?” Charmaine called softly.
Dolly’s head turned slowly. Her face contorted with anguish, and she reached for Charmaine. “He’s dead.”
“I’m so sorry, sweetie,” Charmaine whispered, and held her tightly.
“Why would his brothers do it? Why! Why would they do it!” Dolly wailed; her voice broke between deep sobs.
“She must keep calm. She could blow us all up if she?—”
Dolly’s head snapped around, her eyes wild. She seemed to just realize her surroundings: the truck, the caravan, and the man seated with them. Without hesitation, she lunged at the professor. Despite the truck’s movement, she was incredibly fast. Her hand closed around his throat, and her nails cut into his flesh.
“Wait!” Charmaine cried. “Wait! Dolly!”
“I’m not fucking Dolly, bitch!” Darlene snarled. “And I remember you, professor!”
It was evident that their supernatural powers were spent from the events earlier, but the sisters still possessed immortal strength. Charmaine’s frown deepened, but she would not stop her guardian. If the professor was sentenced to death by either twin, she had to obey and let it happen. The professor gagged, his face shook and darkened as his tongue and eyes bulged. Charmaine knew the professor would be dead in minutes, but he still seem to have some fight left in him. With a desperate move, Eric Brown pressed a medallion against Darlene’s chest. A pulse of energy erupted, repelling her, but not with much force, just enough discomfort. Charmaine felt it, too. A barrier of hot, electric energy separated them.
“What is he using?” Darlene demanded, her voice sharp.
“You know him?” Charmaine asked, bewildered.
Darlene’s gaze flickered between Charmaine and the desert. She wiped her tears and tried to piece together the fragmented memories. “Where… what happened?”
“Something happened. You felt Lucio was in trouble. You blew out the car windows, we crashed, and then you and Dolly... exploded. This man came with this cult that called themselves the First People. They said they could help. They said Lucio wasn’t dead.”
“And you believed them?” Darlene asked.
Charmaine spoke to Darlene telepathically. I can reach Sonya now. She is on her way with the consiglieri, Tristan. That’s why I joined you in the truck, instead of back there in the van with Nzinga. Tristan helped her escape from the other consiglieri and the brothers. She doesn’t believe Lucio is dead. Tristan said he wasn’t. We can let them take us wherever. They will meet us, and then we will get the answers we need.
Darlene nodded in a slow fashion. She understood. The professor still held his medallion, his breath ragged, his throat scared and bleeding. Darlene moved to the back of the truck, curling into herself, her knees drawn to her chest as she wept quietly. Her grief echoed up from the truck and into the night, a haunting melody of loss and abandonment.
Both Charmaine and the man who called himself the professor watched her, a bit confused, equally concerned to see Darlene the pillar of strength reduced to an infantile state. Neither had understood nor even expected the depth of love shared between the vampire Lucio and the twins.
He’s not dead. The voice in Charmaine’s mind wasn’t Sonya’s this time. It was Tristan’s.
I don’t want to talk to you. Just bring my sister, Charmaine replied.
Anything for you, Liora, Tristan’s voice whispered back. That switch in the cadence of his voice stirred something deep within her.
I am Charmaine! Charmaine! She insisted. She pushed hard on his reach and forced him from her thoughts.
“Leave my sister alone. I can feel her distress,” Sonya warned.
Tristan drove through the night in silence, his gloved hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. Sonya could sense his thoughts, the connection between the vampire and Charmaine’s soul which was now Liora was so strong that words were no longer necessary. His mind broadcasted his creation, suffering, conviction, and his unwavering devotion to Lucio.
“Find what you are looking for?” Tristan said aloud and broke through the silence in the car.
“It’s you who chose to share your pathetic story with me, vampire,” Sonya replied.
“I am not the threat you think I am. If I were, you would not be headed to your sister and your savior right now,” said Tristan.
“Prove it,” Sonya said.
“Lucio isn’t dead. Tell your sister, make sure the twins know. He’s not dead,” Tristan said.
“How do you know?” Sonya clenched her fists, then released them, feeling the lingering ache from Phoenix’s magical cuffs that were locked on her wrists for far too long.
Tristan’s eyes switched to the rearview mirror. Sonya turned in her seat. Her keen eyesight could see through the distance in the dark. Someone on a black motorcycle in a black helmet, with no lights, was on their tail. They had a pursuer. “Who?”
Tristan smirked, a hint of amusement gleamed in his eyes, when he looked over at Sonya.
“Why are you letting him follow us?” Sonya demanded.
“There is no ‘us,’ remember?” Tristan replied. “I am a vampire. He is my brother. Whatever waits for the Fratelli in the desert, he and I will face it together.”
“Bullshit!” Sonya snapped. She slumped back into her seat. She turned her hand over, conjuring a dark flame that danced above her palm. “I’ve been patient and tolerant with the consiglieri. The closer I get to my sister, the stronger my powers are. Neither of you can go against me and I…”
“I know what you are, Guardian, and I know what you can do. That’s why I’m letting him follow us. That and for another reason,” said Tristan.
“What reason?” she asked.
“The proof you seek. Information that is needed for Lucio to defend himself against the coven. Soon, Phoenix will learn that I betrayed his orders and freed you. He will come for us in this desert. I will defend Liora with my life. She is mine now and that cannot be changed by you or her. Maybe Shakespeare will put his Draca on the line for you,” Tristan slipped her a sly look.
Sonya narrowed her eyes at him.
Tristan continued: “What Liora has done to me, for me, has changed me. You could make the same choice and add more power to your defenses.”
“Are you saying I mate with one of you? Never?” Sonya gagged.
“Never say never,” Tristan shrugged. “If Phoenix and the Raven, with the Di Salvo brothers join us in the desert, we are all dead.”
“Finally, the truth.” Sonya said.
“You want more truth?” Tristan asked.
“A vampire priest giving me his confession? Sure.” She watched the dark flame cast a deep purplish glow inside the Bugatti that now had the convertible top up.
“Liora chose me,” he declared.
Sonya’s gaze returned to him.
“You and I both know it. She invited me in when we fought. I could never have gotten that close if she didn’t want me too. And after my first taste, I gained even more light. You know what connects us.”
“I know what divides us,” Sonya retorted.
“And I know what you need…” Tristan glanced over at her. “Maybe you can tell Shakespeare those desires since you went to that club in search of him and killed his mate.”
Sonya closed her hand around the dark flame, extinguishing it. “You think this is a game? You think you’re funny. You study our history, but you’ve learned nothing. You aren’t a master vampire. You’re just a footstool. When I join with Liora, when we stand before Dolly and Darlene, this thing that you think binds us to you, consiglieri, will be the one thing that brings you the true death.”
“That’s not what Phoenix told me about him and your sister Aries,” Tristan said.
Sonya hit him hard with an electric punch, it nearly caused his jaw to detach. The car was on the verge of swerving off the road because of the force she wielded. Tristan recovered, his face a mask of calm despite the blood trickling from his lip.
“Mention her again, and I will rip you to shreds. Do you hear me?” Sonya roared. “Phoenix will be the first to die. I can promise you that.”
“We understand each other,” Tristan replied, licking the dark blood from his lip.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, reaching out to Lucio once more, but received no response. Seeing Shakespeare trail behind them, Tristan felt a twinge of hope. He exaggerated his confidence with Sonya, antagonizing her to keep her focused and angry. His union with Liora, Charmaine, had damned him to a life of worship and heartache for a soulmate his Draca would never let him have. That wasn’t love. It was hell.
Tristan understood fate. He knew what caused Phoenix to go dark and kill his true love. The Draca always wins . But if the women are to survive, then he too would have to make the similar sacrifice that Lucio had chosen. And he’d use Shakespeare to do it.
Lucio had a plan, a contingency, to protect his brothers from the curse of Julia Brown. Dolly and Darlene were unexpected variables, but now their mission was clear. Tristan would lead Phoenix, Raven, and especially Shakespeare to their deaths if it meant honoring Lucio’s wishes. The guardians needed to stay focused on their purpose, not distracted by the consiglieri’s machinations. The Supreme Vampire’s vision would come to pass.
The truck came to a halt. Darlene lifted her head, her eyes red and swollen. Dolly had retreated into her grief, unresponsive no matter how much Darlene tried to reach her and reason with her. She couldn’t escape her physical form without Dolly’s cooperation. She was alone in her body and suffering. Lucio was her vampire; he had vowed to never leave her abandoned again. She had broken up with him in her heart, wanting to make him hurt so he would learn a lesson and treat her better. And he healed her. Loved her the way she needed him too. He was her main boyfriend. Now he was gone.
“Get out of the truck,” the Professor ordered, his voice rough.
Darlene glared at him. She and Charmaine exchanged a silent, deadly look.
“This talisman protects my energy, you’re with the First People now, not in some Cajun swamp,” the Professor said to Charmaine. He then directed his attention to Darlene. “We have many ways to defend ourselves, even from you, my niece.”
Darlene’s brows lowered. She and Charmaine remained still and silent.
A group of women approached the truck. Their leader, a beautiful brunette, had been attacked as well during the wrath of the guardians but spared. Charmaine recognized her instantly. Liora had spared her life instinctively, knowing there was a purpose these cult people served. She needed to convince Dolly and Darlene to explore it.
“We should listen to them. Hear them out,” Charmaine suggested.
“No. He’s a liar. I’m not related to him,” Darlene snapped. “He works for Lucio. He’s with the vampires.”
“He can be a liar, but even in lies, there are kernels of truth. If Lucio is alive, he will need you and Dolly both.”
Darlene looked over at Charmaine, and then back at the Professor. She elevated out of her physical body and transformed into her metaphysical, deeply melanated self. Dolly rejoined them, both conscious and aware. She reached over to grab Charmaine’s hand. Darlene hovered above them, her eyes fixed on the Professor.
“I don’t care what trinkets you have. If you’re lying to us, we’ll destroy you all,” Dolly warned, her voice cold and resolute. Darlene then went into the night to visit the camp before they did.
The Professor nodded he understood the gravity of her threat.
Dolly and Charmaine hopped down from the bed of the truck, their expressions set with determination and distrust.
Lucio is alive? Dolly asked.
Sonya says he is. Tristan is coming. He is going to help us . Charmaine replied.
Are you sure? Really sure? Dolly asked. I can’t lose him. I won’t lose him. Please say, you’re sure.
Dolly, have faith. Said Charmaine.
Dolly agreed. Darlene returned. Her sister gave a nod that the place was less threatening to them. She and Darlene both agreed to go with the First People. For now.