Marco was the first of my characters to come to me in a dream. Tall with bed-head hair and pale grey eyes, he was a young girl’s heart-throb on the set of a vampire film. I thought he was so beautiful he had to be the love interest. But he quickly showed me a darker, much more sinister side and became superseded by his older brother, Dante.

All the Dubonnetti sons where brought up by their strict father, Christian, following the death of their mother at a young age. He taught them Atlantean history and prophecy to the point of obsession, and all of them followed tradition in searching for a siren and believed anyone of them could be king. But it was only when the Fates  favoured his older brother, and he reneged on his plan to marry each of them to a siren, that his own ambition to oust him and steal the crown for himself came together.

First he didn’t tell his brother, Dante that his best friend, Jay was in a relationship with Tia Storm when he discovered her. He had to bring her into the Dubonnetti family at all costs. Then, when his father later disowns Dante and he assumes the position of eldest son, after Tia Storm refuses to pledge to him, he hands her over to the Americans in a plot to get another more pliant siren (Isla Snow) who is being held by them.

Betrayed again, he spends his time gathering together the disaffected and the disgruntled Atlantean royals who do not benefit from Dante’s rule. A relationship with Ruby Santalini in book 2 (Blood Sister) proves extremely useful.  He and his family teams up with Malleven, but find themselves outwitted and used by a much cleverer villain.

What now for Marco? At the end of book 3 (Shield Maiden) it seems all his plans have come to nothing. Even his own father appears to love Jay Gardiner more than his own sons. This is bound to cause trouble. With his brother Antonio in love and in league with Malleven, his future does not look optimistic. So will he disappear into the background? I doubt it.

At the beginning of book 4 (Tiger Lily) he has dispensed with Ruby and shrugged off the need to be a loyal Atlantean tied to the traditions of the Orb and Atlas.  His plans haven’t changed but where his loyalty lies has …