“Oh, hell no!” Gio shouted. “What the fuck do you mean son of Marceli Pasteli. I have eight brothers and not one of them is named Kace.”
Kace stopped walking, looking confused for a moment, then the stone look he had moments ago returned. “You and I are meant to keep order and help Marceli.”
“Help Marceli? I wouldn’t piss on that man if he was on fire. I refuse to even call the fucker father and I damn sure ain’t going to help the bastard do anything. Those days are over.” Gio argued.
“Father?” Kace asked in confusion.
Gil snorted, “What, the fuckwad didn’t tell you, Kace? Yes, the man you call Marceli Pasteli is my sperm donor, and as far as I’m concerned that’s all he is. Now go back to your dear old dad and tell him I said to fuck off!”
Kace’s features hardened once more. Raising his hands into the air, the man calmly said, “I have orders.”
“What orders?” Gio asked, feeling his gut knot, knowing he wasn’t going to like what he was about to hear.
Kace twirled his hands, causing large black clouds to rush towards them, the flashes of lightning coming closer, and the sound of the booming thunder growing louder, with the clouds swirling from below,
Gio shouted once more, “What orders?”
“D.O.A. must die, and Giovani must return to Marceli.” Kace called out over the sound of the thunder and flashes of lightning.
The rain started to fall and the air began to cool. Gio realized the bastard was forming a funnel cloud, and if not stopped, not only would his mate and all his friends be killed, half the fucking town would as well.
Lifting his own arms, Gio created a warm air of his own as he pushed the moisture from the air back into the clouds, shouting, “You can’t do this, Kace. You’ll kill hundreds of innocent people.”
“It is not my intent, but I must fulfill my orders.” Kace stated, using his strength to draw the rain down once more and cooling the air Gio had been warming.
The funnel began to form, and Gio felt sweat trickling from his hairline and running down his face, neck and back. He couldn’t allow Kace to win this one. Too much was at stake.
“Taj! You have to get everyone out of here. I can’t hold him off for long.” Gio shouted, as he drew in more of his energy to draw the rain up into the clouds once more, and warm the air around them.
Gio knew Taj would struggle with leaving Gio behind, but it was the only way. “Taj, Kace won’t stop until he has completed his mission. He can’t. If he does he faces Marceli’s wrath, and trust me, what that man does makes you wish for death. I can hold Kace off, but I can’t do it for long I’m still not completely healed. You all need to go, or more than just you will die, so will hundreds of innocent people on this boulevard!”
“Sparky, Rylee, Cobra, get in the SUV.” Taj snapped.
“I’m not leaving my sentience. You guys go. Gio and I will follow.” Cobra stated firmly.
Gio gasped, “No! Cobra you need to go. Take Taco and just go. Please.”
Cobra snapped, “There is no way in fuck I’m leaving you behind. So, either you get into the fucking car and go with us, or we fight this son of a bitch together. There is no other option!”
Gio knew his mate wasn’t going to leave him behind, but he also knew he could never live with himself if something was to happen to the people in this town.
Kace drew in even more energy and Gio found himself in a power for power fight against the man. It was a fight that Gio knew he couldn’t win, and if he lost, Cobra would be lost to him.
Taco lifted from Gio, saying, “Allow me to help.”
“Help how?” Gio asked, his exhaustion sounding clear even to him.
“You are our sentience. I freely give to you my power, my energy, my life if you must.” Taco rasped.
Gio felt a surge of energy fill his body and mind…hell, even his soul. Gio gasped, “No! Taco no!”
Something within Gio knew that all the power Taco was giving him could very well kill the dragon. There was no way in hell he was going to let that happen. Needing to distract Kace while Gio attempted to pull from the electrical currents within the air, Gio said, “I know what our father has done to you, Kace. Which is his favorite torture tool for you? Is it the whip? Maybe the knives? Father used to love tying me to the bed and whipping me until I bled, and when that still didn’t work, he would fillet my skin slowly and painfully, and when that didn’t work he would take our brother, Teagan, and play Russian roulette with him until I would agree to do his dirty work. Is that what he did to you, Kace? Did he use someone you cared about, or was it the torture he used to brainwash you to doing his bidding?”
Gio had to ignore his mate’s gasp with each word he had spoken. Gio needed to concentrate, or he could lose control of the electricity he had been gathering.
Taking a chance, Gio looked at Kace and noticed the man still had his hands in the air, but wasn’t really increasing his energy. Maybe his words were sinking in. So Gio continued to talk. “Did you even know I’m your brother, or that you have eight other brothers and three sisters?”
“I have no one!” Kace shouted in agitation.
