“Firm love. Unconditional love. Unrelenting love. Even… forced love.”

I raised a brow. “Would you care to clarify?”

“I’m the best example. I spent centuries trying to escape from this guy”—she jabbed a finger at Yuri—“but he wouldn’t leave me alone. He loved me even when I shoved him away. Even when I deliberately set out to hurt him. His love wasn’t conditioned by how I responded to him. He loved me without bounds… and eventually, he cracked me.” Claudia paused, her cheeks flushed with passion as she gazed at Yuri.

Yuri’s cheeks had flushed a little, too, as he gazed adoringly back at her. Despite their banter and bickering, their love for one another ran deeper than most couples could ever hope for.

“Well,” I said, breaking the span of silence after Claudia’s speech, “I doubt there’s a female counterpart of Yuri hanging around and waiting for Jeramiah.”

“Augh,” Claudia groaned, throwing her hands in the air. Drama queen. “You’re missing the point, Derek! Good loving doesn’t only take place between lovers. Unconditional love can be given to anyone, whoever you are. Between brother and sister. Father and son. Uncle and nephew. Geez, do you get the hint already?”

There was a pause as I gazed at Claudia with a slight frown on my face.

What she was saying made sense, and yet I still couldn’t see how her advice could apply in Jeramiah’s case. Yes, unconditional love could take place between anybody. But I didn’t love Jeramiah as an uncle would, nor as a father would. He was more like… unfinished business that I needed to cross off my bucket list.

Yuri ended up voicing my doubt for me, apparently following the same train of thought: “But you can’t manufacture love, Claudia. I loved you because… dammit, I just couldn’t help it. But why would Derek love Jeramiah? He barely even knows the bastard, and the little Derek does know of him is enough to make Derek hate him forever.”

“Firstly,” Claudia said, holding up a finger, “don’t call Jeramiah a bastard. It’s just this kind of labeling that played on Lucas’ psyche. Yes, Lucas was an asshole, but the more people called him that and labeled him that way, the more entrenched in his behavior he became.” She paused for a breath. Her eyes returned to me. “Secondly, Derek, that’s where forced love comes in. If you really want to get through to Jeramiah, don’t consider your own feelings. Just act unconditionally, and do what’s best for him. You could also think of it as… tough love.”

Tough love.

That sounded more interesting to me.

Much more interesting…

The first threads of a plan slowly formed in my mind. I stood up and gazed down in almost wonderment at Claudia. I couldn’t have expected the encounter to be so enlightening.

Claudia’s countenance brightened, and she grinned at me. “Well? What are you thinking?”

A faint smile spread across my lips. “I’m thinking that you ought to start charging for this.”

Claudia’s grin broadened. “I doubt you could afford me.” She winked.

“Five kilos of peanuts an hour?” I offered, my heart feeling unusually light as I made my way to the front door.

“Oh, she eats way more than that,” Yuri scoffed.

“Uh! Why don’t you try lugging a watermelon around in your stomach?” I guessed Claudia would have shoved Yuri in the shoulder, but I didn’t even turn around to see any more of their banter. After calling, “Thank you,” over my shoulder, I hurried down the elevator and away from their treehouse.

As I raced through the trees, back toward Sofia’s and my room in my sister’s penthouse, more pieces of my plan fell into place until I had figured out what my first step had to be.

The time had finally come for me to turn back into the real Derek Novak. Back into the man who was feared for centuries by even his closest companions.

Back into a vampire.

Jeramiah wants a father. I can be a father to him…

The father of his nightmares.

Julie

I didn’t even know where to guide the dolphins. I just knew that Braithe and I had to get away. Far away.

Whatever had happened to Aisha, I was certain that she would make it her life’s mission to hunt me down and give me the end she was so desperate to mete out. I doubted she would rest again until she’d watched me die a slow, painful death.

I felt paranoid now that we floated so exposed on the waves, out in the open for anyone to see. The boat had a small shelter, but it wasn’t the same kind of protection I’d had from her while swimming deep underwater. If she was scouring the waves, she would spot us.

I urged the dolphins on, frustrated that this particular breed didn’t possess the same speed as the sharks bound to my and the Mansons’ ship.

Come on. Come on!

We’d traveled for hours when I caught sight of a huge landmass in the distance. I slowed the boat. I recognized this island. We were nearing the shores of the ogres’ kingdom.

I despised these waters. Not only were they frequented by violent ogres, but they were filled with frightening creatures, just like those lethal crabs.

I began veering the dolphins in the opposite direction of the shoreline when a thought struck me.

Where can I actually go to hide with Braithe?

I couldn’t keep sailing the seas—we were far too vulnerable in this boat. I had to get us to land… but which land? The list of places that I could think of where I could escape alone was short enough, but with Braithe? The list became nonexistent. Who would want him on their island?