I was glad that none of the three reprimanded me for what I’d done. I was feeling weighed down enough as it was.

I guessed that all of this had not really been for him at all. It hadn’t even been born out of revenge, but of my own selfishness, wanting to make myself feel better about regrettable events that had transpired in my past.

Sofia swallowed. “Maybe we should all go and see him.”

I didn’t want to think of anything right now other than my son, but I knew it wasn’t right to keep Jeramiah locked up much longer.

Vivienne nodded in agreement. “Xavier has taken Victoria out for some fresh air, so I’m free to come too.”

And so Sofia, Vivienne, Rose and I left the penthouse and made our way back to the Black Heights. I led them deep into its chambers, far deeper than where the dragons resided, and found myself dreading laying eyes on my nephew again as we arrived outside his door.

I unlocked it and swung it open. He lay in the same position as I’d left him, curled up in a ball, head braced close to his chest. The three women glanced at me, as if telling me to stay put, before moving forward. I realized that this was the first time Rose would be meeting Jeramiah, her cousin, face to face. And Vivienne, too.

Even as the women neared, Jeramiah did not look up. Not until Sofia reached down and planted a gentle hand on his shoulder. He jerked as though electrified and raised his head. His eyes fixed on Sofia, then swept across Vivienne and Rose. I quickly backed out of the door so that he would not see me. He had seen enough of my face already—enough to last several lifetimes. I kept myself hidden, peering into the chamber through the gap in the partially open door.

“What do you want with me?” Jeramiah asked, his voice thick and baritone.

“Nothing,” Sofia replied gently. There was silence as he continued to eye the women. Then Sofia continued, “Jeramiah, you need to understand that none of us have ever meant you harm, not even Derek. As hard as it might be for you to accept it, your uncle wants to help you. He… we… all wanted you to be a part of our family from the moment we learned of your existence from Ben. None of us wanted to see you isolated like your father.” Jeramiah flinched at the mention of my brother. “Derek forced you to view his memories because he wanted you to know the truth. The truth can be the most painful thing but it’s the only thing that will help you move on. Get on with your life. Lucas sure as hell wasn’t the victim you’ve imagined him to be, but what does it even matter what your father was?” Sofia paused to glance in my direction, spotting me through the crack in the door. I nodded to her in encouragement. There was no way to know if her words were getting through to Jeramiah, but at least he was listening, albeit with a vacant face.

Silence descended on the cave again, all four of us waiting expectantly for Jeramiah’s reaction. It came eventually, though his eyes still looked distant. “Then…” he murmured, “if all I saw is true… I don’t know where it leaves me.”

The ghoul seemed to have left him quite bewildered. It was as though he struggled to even form a sentence. But as brief as his statement was, I understood what he meant. Aside from merely surviving, every being, be they vampire, human or something else, needed some deeper purpose to their life. A deeper goal to strive for. Just as for centuries mine had been leading my people to sanctuary, Jeramiah’s had been to fill the void in his life he’d felt ever since he was a boy. And he had latched onto the idea of paying some kind of vengeful homage to his father. It was clear as day why he had clung so hard to the idea that his father had been the victim; the assumption was what his life was based upon. Without that, he had nothing to drive him forward every day. And now he was grasping for something else, something more, a different reason to live.

He seemed close to a nervous breakdown.

Sofia’s expression was traced with concern as she looked down upon the damaged young man. Then Vivienne spoke to her nephew for the first time. She bent down low, as Sofia had done, and dared reach out to touch his hand.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked, drawing his eyes—which he had averted back to the floor—up to meet hers.

Jeramiah nodded slowly. “My aunt,” he managed.

“And do you know who this young lady is?” Viv continued, pointing to Rose, who took the hint and also moved closer.

Jeramiah eyed her. “My cousin,” he muttered.

“And Sofia?”

“Also… my aunt.”

“And I don’t need to ask whether you know who Derek is.”

Even through his daze, Jeramiah managed a scowl. He shook his head stiffly.

“Then don’t you have something to live for?” Vivienne concluded. The way she addressed Jeramiah now reminded me so much of the way she would try to soothe our older brother during one of his bouts of insecurity.

“But I do not know you.” Jeramiah frowned. “Any of you. You are strangers to me.”

“Well,” Rose spoke up, “did you ever meet your father?” My daughter stared hard at her cousin.

“No,” Jeramiah grunted.

“Then you could get to know us. As my mom said, we were ready to welcome you with open arms until you went and set our island on fire. You murdered Kailyn, and you almost murdered me and my husband.” Now Rose was positively glaring at Jeramiah.

He clenched his jaw.

“If you do want to get to know us,” Rose went on, unrelenting in her steely gaze, “an apology would be a good place to start.”