A Fork of Paths Read online

  I drifted to the nearby islet, the same one Jeramiah had brought my parents and grandfather to, and slumped down on a rock. I gazed out at the horizon. Dawn was breaking. A brilliant, breathtaking dawn. For a moment, I let its beauty overtake me as I listened to the sloshing of the waves against the rocks. In the distance, The Shade’s birds awakened in their nests, and the redwood trees whispered. Engulfed in the calm and stillness of the morning, thoughts about my life and my fate ebbed away for a while.

  My mind trailed back to the hunters. I felt shaken by everything I’d witnessed in their lair, and I still didn’t know their goals or the purpose of their strange activities and operations. They were rumored to be backed by the government now, but I could only guess what their game plan was. Whatever it might be, I couldn’t help but feel that nothing good would come of it.

  Though of course, I couldn’t exactly blame them. With more and more supernaturals filtering down from the supernatural dimension into the human realm, Earth’s future was uncertain. Who knew what the future held? Who knew how much longer it would be until there wasn’t a single human of sound mind left in the world who could deny the existence of supernaturals? Thanks to my misadventure in Chile, the code of secrecy had been broken and since then, there had been a number of other televised incidents. And no doubt those would only continue to increase. I foresaw a time when humans could no longer brush the events off as hoaxes. A time when this realm became so rife with paranormal creatures that encounters would become an everyday occurrence for regular citizens. Something they’d either have to live with, or fight against.

  My mind reeled as I wondered what would really become of Earth if the balance tipped. Would the different species figure out a way to cohabitate? I guessed these matters were what the hunters were considering at present. Their actions, however strange and mysterious they appeared to be now, would in time become clear.

  It was a chilling thought that whatever fate lay ahead for the world, I might have no choice but to be a passive spectator.

  I stilled my mind again before I could sink back into despondency, my attention refocusing on the glowing horizon. As the minutes passed, the radiant ball of fire lifted higher and higher until it rose up fully from behind the waves. And it brought with it… an unexpected sense of comfort. As hopeless as my situation seemed, each day was a new beginning. Who knew exactly what the future held for me? Maybe it wouldn’t be as hopeless as I feared. Maybe I wouldn’t end up like Ernest, six hundred years from now sitting in some dingy guesthouse, wedded to the fantasies of strangers. Maybe the universe had something else in store for me. I didn’t know what now, but hadn’t I at least made some progress? I’d discovered that I could inhabit animals. I wasn’t wholly locked out of the physical world… though I didn’t believe I could ever be wholly in it. Barely even partially in it.

  What kind of life can one live through an animal?

  I wasn’t sure where I belonged now. My soul still felt bound to my home, The Shade, as though I were tied to it by some invisible tether. But I needed to leave, at least for a while. I needed to try to discover more about this strange half-life.

  I felt another pang as I thought of River. Of the last interaction I’d had with her. She’d planted a gentle kiss on the griffin’s face, and I’d been able to feel it. Then she’d hurried away, but glanced over her shoulder before turning the corner, allowing me to take in her beautiful face, her deep turquoise gaze, one last time.

  At least I wasn’t concerned about her and my family’s safety any more. Jeramiah and his witch were out of The Shade now, and I doubted the island would have any more intruders ever again after the extreme measures they were putting into place. With the already strong presence of the dragons, they were making the island a fortress. They didn’t need me hanging around to play security guard—and a rather useless one at that.

  I leaned my head back and gazed up at the heavens.

  My spirit isn’t made for this world, this human dimension… and maybe not even the supernatural realm either. I’m here by artificial means alone. The thought chilled me, and I instinctively wanted to repel it, but… I couldn’t help but wonder what Arron had really meant that night he’d handed me the vial of blue liquid that would keep me in this world.

  “There is a place beyond death for all of us, whether we be humans, or supernaturals… But most aren’t willing to find out,” the Hawk had told me.

  What is that place where spirits naturally go after death? Those who don’t stay behind?

  I didn’t have the first clue. Arron had been so cryptic that evening, and I hadn’t been brought up in any particular faith or religion, so I had no pre-formed beliefs of my own.

  There was only thing that I could assume:

  It was somewhere far, far away.

  Derek

  Thoughts of my nephew still weighed heavily on my mind, even as I went about organizing a complete overhaul of the island’s security. My disappointment in him was fast turning to anger. But the strange thing was, as livid as I was with him for what he’d done to Kailyn, I felt almost madder for a different reason.

  Why did he have to turn out like a carbon copy of my brother?

  Why couldn’t he be even a little bit original?

  I just couldn’t let the thought go that we could have come to an understanding with Jeramiah. Even if we didn’t become close, we could have parted on agreeable terms. It would have been symbolic of a reconciliation I’d never gotten with my brother and father, whose unceremonious departures from this world still hit a nerve in me even after all these years.

  Still, I was accustomed to having a lot on my mind while still being forced to go about the runnings of the island. Within a matter of days, I had not only rid The Shade of the mermaid infestation, but also instituted a whole new set of rigid security procedures—procedures that, with hindsight, we should have introduced years ago, but which we’d always ended up putting off due to not only members of my Council, but also a high proportion of our citizens, protesting over what a severe inconvenience it would be to all of us. Jeramiah’s antics, however, had been the final straw. I didn’t even bother to consult the Council. I had a brief discussion with Sofia before relaying my orders.

  It had actually been with the dragons’ help, rather than our witches’, that we had finally freed our shores of the merfolk threat. The thought had occurred to me to ask if the fire-breathers enjoyed the taste of mer-flesh. Jeriad, whose eye had recovered thanks to Ibrahim’s expertise, had informed me that many of them had never tasted it before, but all of them were willing to give it a go. And so, a horde of about fifty dragons shifted into their beastly forms and dipped into the ocean. As creatures of fire, I hadn’t known if they liked water, but it didn’t seem to bother them—“Water is fine. It’s ice that we despise,” Jeriad had informed me.

  The dragons swam through the waves, their long, scaly backs and tails reminding me of crocodiles as they floated near the water’s surface. Within the space of a day, the dragons had circled the island dozens of times and by the time night fell, they confirmed that every single merfolk had either been eaten or fled for fear of their lives. Each of the dragons even thanked me personally for suggesting such a delicacy as they emerged from the ocean and returned to their mountain chambers. Now we could raise the temporary boundary that had lined our beaches and prevented entrance to the water, though of course, the main boundary that enclosed the island along with its immediate surrounding waters would remain, stronger than ever.

  Once these most urgent matters had been seen to, my mind returned, predictably, to my nephew.

  Jeramiah, Jeramiah, Jeramiah.

  I was growing sick of his name flitting through my head, and yet still I couldn’t drop the subject. Perhaps it was due to the pent-up frustration I felt over my own son, being able to do nothing to help him in his plight—wherever Ben was now. Sofia and I had interfered before in an attempt to help him, but all signs indicated that we’d only made his situation
worse. And so, Jeramiah continued to haunt my mind.

  At first I’d feared that my nephew had kidnapped River, rather than the hunters, and that her capture would be yet another strike against his character. But then Corrine came hurrying to Sofia and me to inform us that River had returned safely and that it had indeed been the hunters who’d managed to swipe her. I was anxious to hear her story, but there would be time for that later, once she was rested.

  As I brooded over my nephew, I left the spare room in Vivienne’s penthouse, where Sofia and I were staying until we rebuilt a new penthouse of our own. It was as I walked along the forest path, deep in thought, that an odd idea struck me.

  I should talk to Claudia.

  * * *

  As I rapped on the door of Yuri and Claudia’s penthouse, it was a strange feeling to be visiting the blonde vixen for advice. Throughout all the centuries we’d known each other, this was a first.

  But she’d known my brother better than anyone. Hers was always the bed he’d fallen into whenever he wanted an escape, and I suspected that it was with her he’d shared the most about himself. Likely far more than he’d ever revealed even to our father.

  Jeramiah’s accusation of me, that I’d never taken the trouble to get to know Lucas, did hold a thread of truth. We had never been close, and I had never really understood him. But I had never been the one to instigate fights. I had always tried to resolve conflicts like gentlemen. It had been him who’d closed himself off from me, even as I’d tried to get through to him. I had given up on him in the end because he’d worn me down.

  I was shaken from my thoughts as Yuri opened the door. His eyes widened. “Derek? What’s going on? Come in, come in.”

  I followed him through the door and into the hallway.

  Claudia—and her protruding belly—emerged from the kitchen carrying a bowl of roasted peanuts, her cheeks bulging with the snack.

  I still hadn’t gotten used to seeing Claudia as a human. It was hard to believe that the pregnant woman standing before me now—a soon-to-be mother—was the same bloodthirsty creature who had tortured Benjamin Hudson and countless other male slaves senseless.

  “What’s up, King Derek?” she asked.

  I took a seat on the couch and coughed my throat clear. “I’m here to see you actually, Claudia. I want to ask you for… uh, some advice.”

  Claudia’s eyes immediately brightened. I was certain that if she were to write a list of three things she loved most in the world, it would consist of Yuri, her baby, and the sound of her own voice. “What about?” she asked, slinking onto the sofa next to me.

  “About my brother. Lucas.”

  Claudia frowned. “A bit late for advice about ol’ Lucas, don’t you think?”

  “Well, actually it’s more about his son, Jeramiah…” I breathed out in frustration before proceeding to recap the whole conversation I’d had with him on the rock, as well as the desire I held for reconciliation.

  When I’d finished, Claudia looked lost in thought as she munched on her peanuts.

  “Hmm,” she murmured. “So you don’t want Jeramiah to become another wayward satellite like your brother was.”

  “I guess that sums it up,” I muttered, slumping against the backrest and folding my arms over my chest. “I’m honestly not sure what I hope to achieve by telling you this. I just thought, since you knew Lucas better than any of us…” My voice trailed off as I glanced at Claudia.

  “I hear you, Derek. I hear you. You did the right thing in coming to me for advice…” She paused to put her now-empty bowl down on the coffee table before dusting her hands off and crossing her legs. She turned to face me fully. “You really wanna know what I think?” she asked, pouting and quirking a brow.

  “What?”

  “That boy just needs some good lovin’.”

  I could hardly have expected a different answer from Claudia. I caught Yuri rolling his eyes… and so did she.

  “What?” Claudia admonished her husband.

  Yuri chuckled. “Continue, Doctor. Didn’t mean to interrupt your flow.”

  She stood up, hands on her hips. “Well don’t you think he needs loving?” she shot at him. “He’s an orphan, you know.”

  Yuri shrugged. “I guess it’s kind of hard to feel a lot of sympathy for a cold-blooded murderer.”

  Now it was Claudia’s turn to roll her eyes. “And what was I, when you professed your undying love for me? What was I, when you proposed?”

  That silenced Yuri. Claudia had been one of the vampires who’d indulged in her dark side the most. I’d no idea how many innocent humans she’d tortured to death. I was sure even she’d lost count.

  Claudia turned on me. “That was the problem with Lucas. He never got any good loving.”

  I heaved a sigh, half wondering why I was even asking, “And what exactly do you classify as ‘good loving’?”

  “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.