Dante (Blood Brothers Book 5) (27 page)

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“
There’s no point in running, brother
. Remember when we were children and we’d race? You could never catch up to me.” Adonis sent another beam of light in Giovanni’s direction, which he
barely managed to dodge
.

Giovanni’s plan to wear Adonis down seemed to be working. Adonis was using his power more than he had probably ever needed to. His eyes had
gone from blue to red several times before
staying red. Unfortunately, some of the sparks his brother sent out
had
connected
. “We’re no longer children, Adonis.” He ducked and flew across the room, catching his brother in his chest. Each time he managed to land a punch or kick
,
it felt as if he were hurting himself.

Giovanni had never wanted things to come to this, hadn’t wanted to pick sides, but Adonis was no longer the brother he once knew. His mind was gone and had been replaced by that of a crazed, power-hungry rogue.
He
was doing the right thing by going against Adonis, but it still didn’t make
his decision
any easier.

Claws outstretched, Adonis charged forward and grasped Giovanni by the shoulders, applying enough pressure to make it hurt. Badly.

Giovanni made the mistake of grunting in protest. Adonis laughed. “Don’t you see? You’re no match for me. You never were.”

Giovanni grabbed Adonis’s shoulders, demonstrating his strength. “You shouldn’t underestimate me.
One would think
you would have learned that lesson a while ago. If it weren’t for me,
you would have realized all your plans by now
.”

“And for that, I should make your death slow and painful, but because we share a bloodline, I will spare you that fate. Give up and I promise to kill you quickly.”

Sadness filled Giovanni’s heart as his gaze roamed Adonis’s face, desperately searching for something within him that was redeemable. Those sneering lips and blood-colored eyes were a mockery of the
jovial
youth he once was.

Giovanni brought his knee up and rammed it into Adonis’s midsection. “Never!”

Adonis snarled and let go long enough to slam his fist into Giovanni’s chest. He stumbled backward but managed to right himself so he wouldn’t fall to the floor. They were evenly matched where strength was concerned and this would be a battle of endurance
,
if ever there was one.

Adonis threw himself at Giovanni and they both crashed to the ground. As his rogue brother threw punches, Giovanni blocked, but suddenly
Adonis gripped the side of his
head and sent a heat bomb coursing through his body.

Giovanni convulsed and writhed in agony. Twitching uncontrollably, his muscles began to shut down one at a time. He’d seen Adonis use this attack on another vampire before. It seemed that he’d been the one to underestimate. Adonis still had plenty of magic left within him.

“Your death will be the only one I regret today.” Adonis raised his fist and Giovanni prepared himself for the deathblow, but a brilliant light filled the entire hall and flew at Adonis in a fiery yellow ball. Its impact was powerful enough to knock Adonis off Giovanni.

A soft hand touched his brow. Giovanni sighed in relief. He was so sure he’d seen the end. “
Lili
, thank you.” His muscles still contracted
adding to his other aches
.

“I’ll heal you.” She kneeled
at his side
and placed her hands over his chest. “My strength is yours.”

It took a moment for her words to set in. But by the time they did, it was too late. She sent something akin to an electromagnetic pulse through his body and it was like a soothing balm to his ache. Once again, he could move and within seconds, he felt as good as new. Better than new.
Liliana
had transferred some of her power to him.

Giovanni rose slowly. “Why did you do that? By giving up a piece of you, you’ve made yourself vulnerable.”

“I’ve kept enough for myself, but you need my powers more than I do ri
ght now. You’
ll never have a normal life while your mother and brother are still around to terrorize others.”

He was truly touched by her selflessness. She’d always been a good ally
and there was no way he could possibly repay her for all she’d done for him
.
“You’re a good friend to me, Lilli
. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Neither one of them had noticed that Adonis had gotten back to his feet until
Liliana
was plucked into the air by an invisible force that sent her sailing across the room to hit the wall with a sickening crunch.

“Lili
!” Giovanni raced across the room but was halted in his tracks when a blunt object hit the back of his head. Stumbling, he stuck out his arms to brace himself against the fall. He was up on his feet in an instant with descended fangs. The regret Giovanni had been battling earlier vanished in the face of Adonis’s cold smirk. There would be no holding back from this point on.

Chapter Twenty

Isis pounced at the witch, catching her on the arm.
Beatrice
attempted to shake her off, but Isis held on, sinking her teeth deeper into her adversary’s skin until she heard the crunch of bone. She’d hang on for dear life if it meant saving Dante. Her love for him gave her the courage to forge on with this fight against a creature she wasn’t certain she could beat.

Dante’s family
seemed to be
holding their own against the rogue threat downstairs in the great hall. In fact, the numbers of their enemies had dwindled to the point where
both sides were now evenly matched
. Just as she had gone on her search for Dante, she saw Giovanni and Adonis squaring off. She was sure the others would aid him
,
if the need arose. But her main focus
had been on finding her lover as quickly as possible.

Instinct
told her he was in trouble. There was no reason why
she was so certain of it, she just was
.
Seeing
him chase after
Beatrice
,
had
sent a chill coursing through her body
. It wasn’t her lack of confidence in him as a fighter; far from it. If anyone could beat
Beatrice
and that creature she’d been able to conjure earlier, it would be Dante. But as long as she was around
,
he wouldn’t have to do it alone.

Beatrice
pounded her fist into Isis’s head, her strength surprising for a mortal. But the blows only served to anger Isis. With a low growl, she chomped down even harder and managed to sever the lower part of the witch’s arm. Isis landed on the ground and spat out the offensive limb.

The witch screamed in agony as blood shot from her amputated
stump
in a rush of crimson death. “Noooooo!
This shouldn’t be possible
!”

Good. Suffer, bitch
. Isis didn’t get a chance to relish her minor victory because something strange happened. The rest of
Beatrice
’s arm fell off at the shoulder, to be replaced with a long, slimy, log
-
like protrusion with spindly fingers and sharp, thick nails. It oozed a green sulfur-scented substance that sickened her. Holy shit. The arm belonged to that thing she’d seen earlier.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dante attempting to stand though he seemed shaky on his feet. That last hit he’d taken had probably been more powerful than anything he’d ever come up against, and Isis
figured
it would only get worse once
Beatrice
transformed completely. She had to get them the hell out of her
e before that happened, and fast
. Isis ran to his side and nudged him with her snout. “
Let’s go or else
something really bad is about to happen.
”

Dante shook his head as though to clear his mind. “I told you to stay away from me.”

There was no point arguing with him about
whose
side she was on. What was important was getting them away from that monster.
“
And I told you to
let’s go
. Whatever your feelings toward me, you need to get over them, because this situation is about to get really ugly very fast
.”

Dante opened his mouth as if to argue, but when he looked over Isis’s shoulder, he closed it. Balling his hands into fists at his sides, he bared his fangs. “I’m not scared of this bitch.” His eyes narrowed to a fierce glare at the subject of their discussion, who swayed back and forth on her feet as though she were about to go out for the count.

“
I don’t give a goddamn if you’re not scared of her, Dante Grimaldi! We’re going to need help to defeat her. Look at her, she changing into some kind of monster. I’ve seen it and it’s frightening. Now isn’t the time to play the tough guy
.”

Ignoring Isis, Dante ran in the direction of the half demon, half human, but the seemingly disoriented
Beatrice
was ready for him. Throwing out her arms, one normal and the other grotesque, she sent out a visible wave of energy like an electrical current. The force of her magic hit them like a nuclear bomb. Isis howled in agony as her fur was singed and fell off in clumps. She and Dante were knocked to the other end of the hallway, their fall broken by the stone wall.

Isis landed on her side, letting out a whimper instead of the howl she’d intended.
Using her residual strength, she put herself in between Beatrice and Dante, shielding him from further harm.
Shutting her eyes tightly, she braced herself for the next attack. After several seconds when it didn’t come, she opened one eye and then the other to see
Beatrice
wobbling from side to side, moving in a circle as if she’d been the one who’d been hit with that tsunami-powered assault. Stranger still, the witch appeared to be having a conversation with herself.

“You promised I’d have my revenge.
This is my time!” she raged, her arms flailing wildly in the air. “You can’t do this to me!”

“Oh, but I can,” an inhuman-sounding voice answered from out of nowhere,
vibrating throug
h
out
the entire castle.

Isis didn’t know what the hell was going on, but she didn’t want to stick around to find out. She’d experienced the power of the monster that dwelled within the witch, and this scene only confirmed they’d need reinforcements. Dante
might still be angry with
her, but she’d make him listen to her
,
if it killed her. Ignoring the ache, which had set in once again, she rose to her feet before nudging him in the side.

Breathing raggedly, he made it to his knees with his head bowed. “Go away.”

“
We need help. Stop being
so stubborn
and run. We’ll get her when we can regroup
.”

Dante
placed
one hand against the wall to lever himself to a standing position and held his side with his free arm. “I never asked for your help. And there’s no we as in you and me. It’s me and my team.”

“
Get over yourself, Dante. I said I was going to help and that’s exactly what I intend to do. I know you don’t trust me, but you’re going to have to put aside your hatred long enough to see what you’re facing. You’re only harming your family if you think to stay here and spite me
.”

“If you think you mean that much to me, then you’re the one who needs to get over
yourself
.”

Isis ignored the pain his comment inflicted.
It hurt far more than any blast from Beatrice’s demon.
“
Say whatever you want to me but think about your family. You’re no use to them if you’re dead. Now
,
let’s get help before she stops talking to herself
.”

Dante looked down at her, his expression unreadable save the slight tightening of his lips. Finally, he nodded and flashed down the hallway with Isis on his heels.

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“Give
up, Gio. You know you can’t defeat me. I’m not completely heartless. It’s not too late for me to grant you that quick deat
h. All you have to do is surrender
.” Using his magic, Adonis sent a chair flying in Giovanni’s direction.

Giovanni ducked, but was knocked off his feet when another chair slammed into his back.
Dio
, it seemed as if his brother had an unlimited amount of magic at his disposal, but the glowing, reddish tint to Adonis’s eyes, which
hadn’t gone
away, was telling. Giovanni’s plan was working, though this fight was taking more out of him than he imagined it would.

Every ounce of magic he’d stored for himself had been used up and he could now only rely on his natural vampiric skills. The loss of power was like a hunger within, clouding his mind, but he couldn’t quit, refusing to give in to the insanity beckoning him into its embrace. “It’s not me who needs to give up, but you. Look around you, Adonis. You’re holding onto the past. Why would you come back to it when it only brought you misery?”

Adonis raised the utensils on the dining room table and directed them at Giovanni. “Miserable for you because you were unwanted. This was my birthright!”

Though Giovanni ducked, he couldn’t avoid all the eating instruments; a fork
penetrated
his neck and another in his arm. He cried out, not from the pain, but from sadness. Despite his resolve to harden his heart against the one who’d caused so
m
uch
despair
, he couldn’t bring himself to hate his brother. Adonis had clearly lost his grip on reality. How could one feel anything but pity for him?
Even still, he planned to take Adonis down.

Hoping to dredge up one last bit of magic, he whispered a chant under his breath and shot an energy ball at Adonis, hitting him directly in the chest.

The other vampire’s eyes widened in apparent surprise that Giovanni still had such
power in his arsenal. Adonis soared through the air and crashed onto the dining room table. Giovanni was over him in a flash, grabbing him by the collar and
rained several blows into his face
.

Adonis clawed the side of Giovanni’s face to free himself, furrowing his nails into the skin as if it were butter. Still holding onto his brother by a handful of shirt, he rammed his fist into Adonis’s torso. Adonis placed his hands on Giovanni’s chest and gave him a mighty shove.

Giovanni’s grip loosened but he lost his balance in the process. Taking a
few
steps backward before righting himself, he was met by the hard force of Adonis’s fist to the chin, but this time he stayed on his feet. Returning the favor, Giovanni threw a quick uppercut.

It went back and forth, each vampire evenly matched in strength going blow for blow. Their fight was a brutal dance, a battle of good versus evil that neither intended to lose.

As th
ey fought on, Adonis’s eyes turned to
the deep shade of his minions’. His magic was waning.
This had become
a battle of endurance, neither vampire giving an inch. To Giovanni’s surprise, Adonis was plucked backward by a pair of muscled hands.

Clasping his hands together to create one big fist, Romeo swung at Adonis, knocking him to the ground. Niccolo appeared in an instant and dealt Adonis a kick to the ribs before he could stand. Giovanni took that moment to catch his breath, but he knew Adonis wouldn’t be down for much longer.

Proving his supposition correct, Adonis dissipated in a puff of smoke and reappeared behind them, dealing Romeo and Niccolo vicious blows to the backs of their heads.

Adonis looked as though he was ready to deal out another assault when he was swept off his feet, lifted into the air until he hit the ceiling, and then slammed into the floor as if he’d been picked up by a large, invisible hand.

Giovanni looked over his shoulder.
Liliana
had gotten back to her feet and
had shot
out everything she had. Her face had lost all color, as if her life force was draining away.

Adonis, however, vanished yet again and appeared directly behind her. Wrapping a thick lock of hair around his fist, he yanked back so hard the sickening sound of cracking bones
could be heard
. “No!” He raced forward to save his friend, silently praying that she wouldn’t die on his behalf.

Adonis chuckled. “Didn’t I tell you
,
there was no use?”

Giovanni hit what felt like an invisible wall standing between him and Adonis. Romeo and Nic
c
o
lo
flashed forward and they, too, were stopped by the invisible barrier.

“Let her go, Adonis. Your fight is with me, not
Liliana
.”

“Oh, but you’re wrong, little brother. She has been a thorn in my side as much as you have over the years. I think it’s only fitting you watch her die as well.”

Liliana
didn’t struggle, scream, or cry out. Instead, a single tear slid down her ashen cheek. “I’m sorry I let you down, Giovanni.”

Giovanni pounded against the invisible shield, desperate to save
Liliana
, whose friendship had been a comfort to him over the past several decades. He couldn’t let her die like this.

Adonis cackled again, his voice filled with a maniacal glee that chilled Giovanni to the core. “As touching as this tender scene is, I’m unfortunately going to have to end it.”

To Giovanni’s horror, a fist exploded through the witch’s chest. Her eyes briefly widened in surprise before a serene look of peace entered them and she slumped in Adonis’s arms.

“
Figlio di puttana! Bastardo
!” Giovanni beat against the obstruction until his fists bled. Never before had he been this filled with rage.

Adonis taunted him with a warped laugh. “You share the same bloodline as me, so what does that make you?”

Giovanni kicked and hit at the invisible force. He was so focused on getting his hands on Adonis, he didn’t notice Romeo, Niccolo, and a few others
attempted to break the wall as well
. Adonis’s powers would
eventually
fail him, and when they did, he’d be here waiting.