Chapter VI

Intertwined

F rom the day he first learned to properly control his mastering, never had there been a day where Jeremiah struggled to maintain it when he was consumed by it.

Those words…

Luca's outburst was getting to him like nothing else had before. He was embarrassed. He was angry. He was downright furious actually. The entire bar had to have gotten an earful of that statement, and whether or not anyone decided to take it as truth, everyone who knew what the word ‘impotent' implied spelled it out for themselves.

Trying to shut out the flame of his ire, Jeremiah centered the fluctuation of his thoughts and heart and finally the world began to open up again.

His feet touched the solid floor of the entryway of his home and he turned to storm away to the stairs.

"Should I wait here?" came Min-jae's voice then.

That's right…

Jeremiah swore in his mind and turned as if remembering the Korean dhampir was there in the first place. "Sorry," he gestured for Min-jae to follow and they journeyed up to the second level of the castle. "And I'm sorry you had to see all that. You probably want to go home now, huh?"

"And sit in silence?" Min-jae shook his head. "I'll take whatever that was again before I'd ever choose silence. Besides, I've no idea what that person was talking about. Was that your…boyfriend?"

"Far from it," Jeremiah huffed, that wave of embarrassment creeping over him again. "Anyways, it was a stupid idea to go there, but at the same time, you got to have your first real taste of blood. How'd you like it?"

They stopped once they reached the second level where the railing of the balcony looked down over the grand foyer, and the manner in which Min-jae leaned with his arms crossed against it and gave a genuine smile made Jeremiah laugh.

"That life-changing, eh?" Jeremiah was able to smile and was glad this…whatever this was…was enough to bring his mind away from the shame that'd crowded him a second ago. "I'm glad it wasn't as off-putting as you were maybe considering. It means we're one step closer to getting you to your full potential. We'll just try to relax for the rest of the night here before returning to Seoul to meet again at the Choi Coven."

Before Min-jae could respond, he and Jeremiah turned their gaze down to the large entry doors of the castle as they came open. The familiarity of the aura alone told Jeremiah who they were before all three visitors came into view, and he laid eyes on his blood brother Dominick von Kraige and the young vaewolf twins Lucius and Cedric Albane Ramus.

It was about that time when Dominick typically arrived to tend to the tutoring of the younger dhampir brothers, and since Lucius and Cedric were grouped into those sessions, they always traveled alongside their uncle to take part in lessons with everyone else.

Aged to seventeen just as Sebastian, though they had him beat by a couple months, Lucius and Cedric were identical from head to toe and appeared like near replicas of their father. Tall and fair-skinned, their dark ash blond hair was cut short, the top raked out of their faces as it grew to the napes of their necks. With black dash-like birthmarks lined down the center of their faces to the tips of their noses and along the underneath of their sharp eyes, the boys were as stoic as the day they were born. There was still a bit of chiseled and comely, boyish charm they managed to lug with them everywhere they went, even if they did often look dead in their hazel-gray eyes with a flatline on their lips.

They were a strange pair.

Respectful and very much well-mannered, but still quite a strange pair.

Jeremiah nodded in welcome to Dominick who carried a loaded briefcase in one hand and a thick book in the other, Lucius helping with a few more books while Cedric carted a bag over his shoulder.

When Jeremiah opened his mouth to inquire what lessons Dominick would be leading tonight, he held his tongue when Avery hastily and happily rushed from the upper stairwell. Still adorning his pink sleepwear, the dainty-faced dhampir beamed brightly at the arriving trio.

"Hi, Dom!" Avery greeted. "Lucius," he nodded courteously, but it was the coyness in the fifteen-year-old when addressing Cedric that caused Jeremiah to raise a brow. "Hi, Cedric," Avery said in a singsong tone.

"Hello, Avery," Cedric responded, his voice absent any decipherable mood. He definitely didn't seem to pick up on the evident interest put his way whether it was blatantly ignored or not.

Bypassing the teenagers, Dominick halted beside Jeremiah as Lucius, Cedric, and Avery carried on and disappeared.

"What was that?" Jeremiah questioned. "Are they…?"

"Don't ask me," Dominick huffed. "I've vowed to stay out of love affairs, but from what I've seen between them, Cedric is a bit clueless." The blood child switched his eyes toward the Korean dhampir then and nodded. "Who's this? Making new friends?"

"Something like that," Jeremiah clapped a hand at Min-jae's shoulder. "This is Song Min-jae. He's a dhampir that Father has essentially assigned me to for the time being."

"Song Min-jae," Dominick accepted with an outstretched hand.

"You can just call me Min-jae over here," the Korean dhampir stated. "I know it's not so common to refer to someone by their full name over here. Min-jae will do just fine."

Taking his hand back, Dominick continued for the stairs further into the castle, shadowed as he climbed and they drew nearer to the lively commotion that thrived within the Titus household on a nightly basis. "What's the assignment?" Dominick asked.

"Min-jae here," Jeremiah said, "was apparently raised like a human. His parents hid the fact of his half-vampire nature from him until recently. Now his father is missing and an investigation is taking place in his homeland. My job is to make sure he understands what he is."

"Really, now?" Dominick hummed in curiosity. "A dhampir raised as a mortal. As bizarre as that sounds, I could imagine it was relatively easy to shield something like that; I just don't understand the need to. Why would anyone want their child to take on the world without the full understanding of their potential as strong as a dhampir's?"

That was something Min-jae wanted to understand, too, but as the answers remained shrouded from him for the time being, he kept his tongue quiet and followed in Jeremiah's wake.

He couldn't help marveling at the beauty of the castle as they entered further, taking in the breathtaking architecture, expensive décor and stylish touch that canvased every room they passed. While he couldn't imagine every square inch of the spectacular home could be utilized by an average sized family, there was clearly a loving touch brought to each room and corridor. Without a speck of dust anywhere to be found, the shadowy hallways that led to unoccupied rooms held fast to their grandeur.

When Dominick broke off toward a sizable study, Gabriel, Lysander, and Sebastian were already inside with Avery and the twins and Jeremiah carried on. He didn't much want to be cooped up in his bedroom with Min-jae, so he led them further until reaching an entertainment room.

There were three large, arched windows on the opposite wall overlooking the garden at the rear of the castle, the crescent moon could be seen high in the sky, and the vastness of the forest bordering the territory appeared like a mass of black trying to swallow the castle whole.

Jeremiah went for a television remote as Min-jae moseyed toward the window, flipping through channels until an old zombie film caught his attention. Letting the movie play, he glanced in Min-jae's direction who'd sat down at the window seat. It was half occupied by a pile of books someone hadn't bothered taking back to the library, and when Jeremiah neared, he spied what it was that drew Min-jae's attention.

"That's your parents, right?"

Following Min-jae's gaze, Jeremiah smiled to himself as he leaned lazily beside the window. The pair below were seated on a stone barrier with sprouted pansies in various shades, the tall lanterns illuminating their position. A bright smile passed from Hamilton to Demiesius whose full attention was on his husband. Whatever was being said, Min-jae thought, must have been incredibly endearing, as he couldn't ignore how enraptured the dark-haired man was by what appeared to be his polar opposite. They looked so much more than in love, like they were infatuated with each other on a level that surpassed captivation, and it was unmistakable.

"Yeah," Jeremiah clarified. "You met my father and the other is my dad."

A bit caught off guard, Min-jae peered at Jeremiah from the corner of his eye. "Your father and your dad?"

"Yes," Jeremiah nodded. "It's not as complicated as it sounds but I don't feel like going into detail. Just know that my parents are both biologically male. "

Keeping his comments to himself, Min-jae merely nodded, and he said, "So, what now? We won't be going back to Korea until night falls over there, right?"

"Correct," Jeremiah ventured to a camelback sofa and dropped down, arms folded and he let his head rest with his eyes closed to the ceiling. "Just try to relax for now and hopefully more answers will come to light."

Not expecting Min-jae to take a seat so closely beside him, Jeremiah was startled when the other dhampir sank into the sofa to his left, their shoulder's pressing together and he watched Min-jae curiously.

"I've got my fingers crossed for as many answers as possible," Min-jae said. "Then I can get out of you and your family's hair."

Adjusting himself, Jeremiah unconsciously draped an arm over the backrest, crossing a leg over his knee with a dip in his brow. "You say that like you're bothering me," he said. "My life isn't very interesting, nor am I missing out on anything with you being here."

"If it wasn't for me," Min-jae suggested, keeping his eyes on the television, "You'd have been able to engage with that guy from the bar. He seemed to look forward to you being there."

"Engage…?" Jeremiah wanted to curl in on himself and disappear in realizing Min-jae must have understood his connection to Luca…even if it wasn't much of a connection to begin with. They weren't quite friends, but the benefits were surely there. At least, they were for the other party. "Luca…" Jeremiah sighed and closed his eyes again. "Luca and I weren't anything special. I don't consider myself someone actively looking for anything serious. Besides, he only enjoyed our time together for one thing, as did I. "

There was no substance…

"Anyways," Jeremiah tried to relax so as not to focus too much on Luca. "You're not a burden. Morning will be here in no time."

Min-jae nodded and tried not to be so restless, but here he was in someone else's home while…while his mother was sulking thousands of kilometers away, and his dad was who-knows-where. Guilt attempted to riddle him, but Min-jae merely breathed and tried to keep his mind here for now.

When Min-jae's gaze passed over the coffee table before them, he spotted an old book and sat forward. Flipping it open to the first page, he couldn't suppress a smile as he looked over the photographs inside. Beneath the protective layer of plastic were pictures of a boy that looked a lot like Jeremiah with much shorter hair, and he appeared to be playing an old video game.

"What year is this?" Min-jae asked, grabbing the other dhampir's attention.

"What is that doing out here…?" Jeremiah complained, and although he wanted to snatch it, he downed his embarrassment, and said, "That's me in 1986. I'd just turned thirteen and my brother bought that for me from Japan. It wasn't out officially in the UK yet."

Min-jae flipped through a bit more. Considering how long ago these photos were taken, he couldn't help how interesting it was; what with Jeremiah's age now — and to still look the way he did. "1986," Min-jae said, stopping on a page of a boy from long ago listening to a cassette player and smiling in embarrassment at the camera. "And you were born in…?"

"1973," Jeremiah answered.

"What's it like being so old?"

"Whatever," Jeremiah laughed and looked on as well.

Sometimes it was hard to look back on his youth, but not always, and the majority of shots that filled the many photo albums were taken by Dominick and usually showed the best times anyways. While a number of the memories that surrounded the good times were sour, there was still a lot of good, and having these to remember that was…nice.

Stopping on the last picture of young Jeremiah standing beside a man Min-jae recognized as Jeremiah's father, Min-jae could see clear as day how tense the two looked beside one another despite Jeremiah's attempt to smile, like a particular type of unspoken sadness lived between them. It was when Min-jae recalled not once coming across a picture with any source of the sun that he wondered how nurturing a bond between father and son could be if it could only exist in the dark.

Where's his dad? Min-jae wanted to ask, but upon noticing the sudden distance in Jeremiah stare, he merely closed the album and set it down.

***

Dreams filled with laughter were a rarity, and while they weren't as common as the drifts filled with reminders of distance and darkness, loneliness…there was still something enriching in the reflections Jeremiah had once cherished so greatly.

In no way could he say he hadn't known happiness, hadn't known love or what it was like to be loved by others, but dreams were reminders of what it was like to experience his first loss of something he would have never considered letting go of. It wasn't death that caused the separation, wasn't the true absence or inability of that love, and sometimes he wondered how immediately he would accept its return if there were ever a night that came and those faces…their presence was allowed to seek him out.

Would they even seek him out?

"Jeremiah…"

He could hear them so clearly, the smile in their voices. It was so easy to recount their first intimate moments together, the first time he'd come to understand there was more to them than simple friendship. He'd grown so used to their nearness, their aura, the whispered praise that had often touched his ear when they were alone.

"Don't be so na?ve."

Jeremiah's brow twitched at the change of mood in their tone, this one now standoffish, and the golden hue that always accompanied their identical faces dulled. They had looked hurt, betrayed, and yet still so attached, as if they hadn't wished to unhand what had been theirs for an entire decade.

"GO AWAY!!!"

Sitting up abruptly from the sofa, Jeremiah sucked in a full chest of air, eyes wide from his start as his heart pounded against his ribcage. Before him were the blue spheres of Hamilton's worried eyes, Demiesius just over his husband's shoulder as Hamilton had been trying to gently awaken their son.

"Jer…" Hamilton said, concern in his voice as he reached forward. When he swiped gently beneath his son's dark colored eye, a wetness came off on his thumb and a panic ensued the moment Jeremiah realized he'd been crying in his sleep.

A whirl of humiliation and anxiousness rushed through him and he stood, turning hastily to clear his face as he cursed internally. He couldn't tell how much time had gone by, but the iron guards of the windows were down, so the sun had to have risen at least.

"Jer, are you alright?" Hamilton asked. The off and on sleeping was something he'd begun to notice from his eldest son, but the tears were surely something new. In recent years, there hadn't been anything for anyone to particularly worry about in terms of outside conflict or fears of danger, but it wasn't hard in the slightest to see there was always something on his son's mind. "I'm sorry if I startled you," Hamilton apologized. "You looked—."

"I'm fine," Jeremiah wanted to assure but he was sure the worry would continue regardless. Between Hamilton and Demiesius, if there was anyone who tried their darndest to keep up with matters pertaining to their children, more so their comfortability here in the castle, Hamilton always did his best to keep the peace, to be that shoulder for anyone if needed.

And it was needed, but still Jeremiah kept the door to his inner wallowing shut. It never felt important enough to open, and he didn't necessarily want to let anyone in anyways.

"What is it?" he asked, at last facing his parents again. The redness in his eyes was still mildly present and there was a shadow of exhaustion.

"Night has arrived over in South Korea," Demiesius informed. "Will you be returning to Seoul? Or should I handle this instead? If you require sleep, son, I will take over from here."

"No, I can handle it," Jeremiah answered and his eyes moved about the entertainment room, recalling how he must have dozed off, but Min-jae was nowhere in sight. "Where'd he go?"

"After you fell asleep, Min-jae introduced himself to us. He's out in the garden," Hamilton said. "I just wanted to see you off before you left for the day."

"Right," Jeremiah nodded. "I don't know exactly when I'll be back, but there are already plans to further investigate the disappearance of Min-jae's father. Ha-yoon said she's already arranged for the closest coven leaders to the area to take a look. Based on their findings, I'm sure that's when things will pick up."

Embracing his eldest, Hamilton gave a squeeze and placed a small kiss upon Jeremiah's cheek. His embrace was warm despite his lack of human life, but a gracious light seemed to emit from him regardless of his state of existence. "Take care of yourself over there," he said, and it sounded like a plea and command wrapped in one. "Your father tells me South Korea is one of the safest places in terms of immortals, but you know I worry for you no matter where you go."

"I know," Jeremiah tried to laugh as he was unhanded. "I'll be fine."

"And, Jeremiah," Demiesius interjected. "Despite where you are going, this is still a rather odd occurrence. Keep on your toes."

After giving a nod of understanding, Jeremiah traveled to the rear gardens of the castle, and where he and Min-jae had spied Hamilton and Demiesius during the night, now Min-jae appeared to closely inspect a bed of nasturtiums; a small wiry flower with dark orange, warm yellows, and bushels of green leaves tangled at their base.

There was no need for him to announce himself, as Min-jae peered over his shoulder as if detecting the approaching aura on his own. Being more aware of his surroundings was something he felt like he hadn't much control over. As Min-jae had quietly sat up in the entertainment room with Jeremiah, the conflicting presence of the other household occupants remained persistent. Briefly introduced to those who'd meandered by the doorway, Min-jae felt like he'd become too aware of them. With permission to step outside several minutes ago, the silence of the near afternoon sky dulled his senses.

Daytime was calm and with it came the sun; the sun and its warmth that he would be leaving behind again as he and Jeremiah ventured to Seoul…where night had fallen. He was beginning to think he'd have to get used to seeing the world in darkness more often than not.

"Sorry about that," Jeremiah said, coming up beside the Korean dhampir. "I don't typically fall asleep out of nowhere."

"No worries," Min-jae kept his eyes on the bed of orange flowers. "I came out here for the quiet, and your snoring was so obnoxious I could hardly think."

"I snore…?"

"No," Min-jae laughed to lighten the mood for them both. "I have to say I am impressed by this garden though. In my village, a lot of the older residents are strict on what they ingest, natural products, herbs, and such, and we have a few fields dedicated to certain types of flowers to use for medicinal purposes. These nasturtiums are good for fighting off fungi and viruses. With autumn in full swing, the calendulas and violets look really nice at home." Feeling as though he'd been rambling, Min-jae tried to laugh and rubbed an awkward hand behind his head. "Anyways, I'm ready when you are."

With only a nod, Jeremiah held a hand out and Min-jae seemed to look over his palm, indecision holding him off from allowing this journey to take place. The hours away from Seoul hadn't been entirely relaxing, but it'd still taken his mind away from what worry he'd been drowning in. Returning now would promise the continued search for his father, but it also brought with it the uncertainty of how successful this ordeal would be. He wanted to think anything and everything would be done to ensure the return of his family, but Min-jae also didn't want to get his hopes too high.

"Trust me…"

Min-jae swallowed at the remembrance of Jeremiah's words when they'd been at the bar. He'd only been getting his first real taste of blood, but there was still a promise in that phrase he wanted to cling to until all this was over. As lost as he was, he needed someone to trust, and Jeremiah didn't come off as such a bad guy.

"I trust you," Min-jae said for himself, taking Jeremiah's hand so their fingers interlocked. There was no anxiousness in the mild grip that followed as he tried to replace it with faith. He wanted to have faith. He wanted to put all of his trust in this process, but he knew it would only settle in completely once his mother's yearning for his father's return was quelled.

In the blink of an eye, the surroundings of the garden were gone, and Min-jae and Jeremiah were faced again with the plain black and polished marble of the Choi Coven.

Although human activity was slowing down outside the entry doors, but not by much, a new day may as well have just begun for the vampires of the city, and some of them were already beginning to head out for hours filled with partying and entertainment. The immediate area surrounding the coven was already known for its exciting nightlife. With clubs of all types two blocks away from this residential strip, Jeremiah could feel the energy in the air rising into the atmosphere.

He could go for a drink right about now. Actually, since he'd given his drink over to Min-jae while they'd been at Nocturnal Heights, Jeremiah was beginning to feel a bit famished. He very much wanted something to fulfill his cravings.

As a couple of the Choi Coven residents made their way into the night, Jeremiah and Min-jae didn't need to ride the elevator up to Ha-yoon's apartment. The doors to the first elevator opened up and out sauntered Ha-yoon dressed and seemingly refreshed for this new night. In sharply pointed, red-bottom heels and a very fitting black pencil dress that hugged against the dips in her hips, her hair was ironed straight to the top of her bare shoulders, and a bright, matte red was painted against her lush lips. She looked more like she was ready to join the night scene, but she wasn't one for dressing down or for comfort when out on the town. If she was going to be setting out of the coven for anything, it seemed she wanted everyone to see her for who she was: a drop dead beauty.

"Hello, boys!" she greeted, her day of sleep having returned the liveliness to her voice. "I have an office not far from here where I prefer to do business. Why don't you two follow me and we can officially start moving things forward?"

Doing as told, the two dhampirs followed behind Ha-yoon as she stepped out, the doors sliding closed behind them, and the touch of November's breeze passed over their skin. For anyone else, this time of year and its nightly 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 Celsius) might be the cause for a coat to bundle up, but there was no discomfort for any of them as they carried on down the pavement.

Convenience stores and small cafes were still open on the residential block, brightly lit signs coaxing potential customers, and the street itself was alive as any other in Seoul at this time of night. Min-jae couldn't help feeling a bit overwhelmed again since he was still getting used to being surrounded by so many people again. He'd traveled to go to university in a lively area, but that was five years ago, and he hadn't been to many other places besides home since then. This area was nice, but he wanted to go home to the countryside again.

Located a bit south from Boseong, the winds that blew up from the East Sea were comforting, the wind like soft, harmonized music as it blew through the surrounding treetops and fields of tea and other vegetation. With a memory so flawless, Min-jae recounted the nights when things were normal and his family was together and he was a child. Some days, even though his mother would tell him to let his father sleep, Min-jae would pester the man anyways, and though he often looked sleep deprived during those moments, still Dae-jung would let it be.

When a pinch of sadness attempted to weave its way through him, Min-jae's hand squeezed and it was at that second when he realized his and Jeremiah's fingers were still interlocked. He wanted to know if Jeremiah thought it was strange that he'd continued to essentially cling to the other dhampir, but with an embarrassment creeping in around him, Min-jae quietly unraveled their hands and tucked his own in his pockets.

Nothing was said and they carried on behind Ha-yoon.

There was no time for distractions, not until his father was found, but there was something in him…in them both…that would appreciate the diversion. Besides, they didn't know each other, and Min-jae couldn't care less about the last time he put his focus on someone. When he was in high school and university, there'd been people here and there that caught his attention, but his mind had always been so occupied with other things, other things that were more important in his eyes.

Sometimes easing your mind with other things was good, right?

No, Min-jae thought to himself. There was no time to think of himself. He had to stay focused on what mattered most right now. After his father was found, then and only then would he give himself the allowance to explore himself. Not that he was lost or confused or afraid of many things.

Taking a deep breath, Min-jae shook his head as if it would do anything to help but nothing was working. His anxiousness was rising and it was becoming harder to think straight. He tried to tell himself to keep as calm as possible.

He wanted to hold Jeremiah's hand again.