I had told those who’d volunteered to go and wait by the Port. Now I was on my way to see Mona and Kiev, and then our werewolf residents. I continued rushing through the forest and stopped beneath the couple’s tree. When I reached the top of the elevator, the lights in their penthouse were all off.
I knocked on the door. Mona answered a minute later. Her hair was scrunched up above her head in a messy bun and she was wearing a bathrobe.
“Derek?”
“We’re gathering an army to storm The Oasis.”
Kiev appeared behind Mona in the shadowy doorway, his hair ruffled. Wearing a dark green robe, he also looked like he had just gotten out of bed.
“When?” he asked.
I was surprised by Kiev’s question. I’d expected him to first ask “why”. But I couldn’t help but feel grateful to the vampire for being so willing to stand by our side in times of need. As much as I’d loathed having to admit or even believe it at first, Kiev truly was part of our family.
“As soon as I’ve finished gathering our army together,” I replied. “But if you want to come, I’d like you to go and wait by the Port now.”
Kiev looked down at his wife. “Will you come?”
She shrugged, glancing at me. “You know I’m still working on building up my powers again, and I’m not nearly as powerful as the other witches on this island anymore. But if Kiev’s going… yeah, I’ll come too. We’ll get dressed and head to the Port.”
“Thank you,” I said.
They closed the door and I made my way back down the elevator to move toward my next stop. The residences of the werewolves. Many had decided to remain living in the houses we had designated for them along one of the beaches, while others had moved into mountain cabins.
When I arrived at the beach, the first door I knocked on was Saira’s. Since the sun hadn’t risen yet, she was still in her wolf form as she answered. I explained to her the purpose of my visit, and she was more than willing to accompany us. She also agreed to rally as many other werewolves as she could and bring them to the jetty as soon as possible. She would also speak to the wolves who lived in the mountain cabins, which left me free to set all my attention on my last stop—the dragons’ quarters within the Black Heights.
As I made my way toward the mountains, the thought of coming face to face with Jeramiah—a nephew we hadn’t even known existed just days ago—played on my mind. I wondered how much he would resemble my brother. Ben hadn’t been able to quite put a finger on his personality. While the vampire’s demeanor seemed calm and amenable, there was clearly a lot more to him than met the eye.
I regretted never being able to have a normal relationship with my brother. A relationship that involved anything other than hatred. And I couldn’t deny that the last thing I wanted to do was harm my dead brother’s son. Jeramiah was my own blood. After I’d gathered the army, I would make it clear to everyone that we weren’t going to The Oasis to kill or harm anyone, just to get the answers we needed about Ben, and retrieve River’s family—if indeed they had been taken there.
The truth was, if I saw any way to make peace with my nephew, I would take it. I would do everything I could to avoid violence and come to some kind of understanding. I didn’t know how much he knew of his past. Since no one from The Shade had ever heard of or been aware of him, he truly must’ve lived a life away from the rest of the vampire world. Ben had said that his mother had died when he was just a child, and much of his life he had spent alone, or as a captive of the Elders in their Himalayan coven. I hadn’t even been aware that a coven existed in India. It just showed the reach of the Elders when they’d been at the peak of their hold on this realm.
Ben also didn’t seem to think that Jeramiah had recognized him. Since I resembled Lucas quite closely, and Benjamin resembled me, I was surprised that Jeramiah hadn’t noticed similarities between Ben and himself. Or at least Ben and Lucas. But then, I doubted that Jeramiah had even seen a photograph of his father, since I was sure that Lucas and Jeramiah’s mother hadn’t had a relationship other than a few stolen meetings in the mill near our farm.
Whatever the case, and however much he might know about us, I was determined to keep my cool with the young man as long as possible.
Arriving at the foothills of the Black Heights, I pushed aside thoughts of my newfound nephew and walked through the entrance leading to the dragons’ quarters.
I passed through the stately entrance hall, dimly lit with candles, and made my way along the winding corridors. The place was so quiet at this early hour, the most I could hear was my own breathing.
Considering how much time the dragons had been on this island, I hadn’t had much interaction with them. Not that it bothered me. As long as they behaved themselves—did right by the human girls they were courting and obeyed the rules of the island—I didn’t mind. Their reclusiveness meant less for me to deal with.
I stopped outside Jeriad’s door. I wasn’t sure if he would be awake yet, but I knocked all the same.
A faint moan came from within the apartment, that of a female. There were soft footsteps, and then the door opened. An intoxicating scent of burning incense wafted out and I found myself staring down at Sylvia, one of my daughter’s classmates. And the girl that Jeriad had chosen for himself.
Sylvia looked flustered. She wore a satin-gray nightgown that had clearly been put on in a hurry. Her cheeks were bright pink, and her lips swollen and red. Her blonde hair was disheveled, but even as she looked at me, she could barely keep a grin off her face.