The morning sun streamed through the kitchen window, casting a warm glow over the room.
Aleksander sat at the small table, nursing a steaming mug of coffee.
Across from him, Lexi leaned against the counter, looking effortlessly stunning in a pair of tight black yoga shorts and an oversized white button-down shirt.
The quiet, peaceful morning was suddenly interrupted by a soft fluttering sound.
Lexi paused, her coffee cup halfway to her lips, as a small origami bird made of crisp white paper flew straight through the open kitchen window.
It hovered in the air for a second before gently swooping down to land perfectly in the center of Aleksander’s outstretched palm.
The moment its paper feet touched his skin, it magically unfolded itself, flattening out into a neat, handwritten letter.
Lexi lowered her mug, staring at the paper with wide eyes.
“What was that? Did a paper bird just fly in here?”
Aleksander chuckled, picking up the sheet of paper.
“It’s a magical messaging spell I created a few years ago. Much faster than the mail, and completely untraceable. This one is from my cousin, Lucy.” His voice softened slightly as he read the name.
“She’s like an older sister to me. She was the one who mostly took care of me when I was younger.”
Lexi walked over, leaning against the table.
“What does it say?”
Aleksander quickly scanned the elegant handwriting.
As he read, his relaxed expression hardened into a faint, serious frown.
“It seems someone in the Gemini Coven has officially asked for me to intervene in their family business.”
”The Gemini Coven?” Lexi repeated, the name completely unfamiliar to her.
”They are a very old, very powerful coven based out of the Pacific Northwest.
“They are incredibly secretive. They are famous for their unmatched cloaking spells, but they are most notorious for their unique way of choosing a leader. It always involves a set of twins.”
Lexi raised an eyebrow.
“Twins?”
”Their entire tradition is rooted in a brutal ritual called The Merge,” Aleksander said, his tone turning dark.
“When a pair of twins are born into the coven’s ruling bloodline, they are raised to compete against one another. Once they turn twenty-two, they are forced to undergo the Merge ceremony. It’s a magical battle of wills. The stronger of the two claims their twin’s power, merging their magic together so they emerge with double the strength.”
Lexi’s vampire senses picked up the grim finality in his voice.
“And the weaker twin?”
”They die,” Aleksander said bluntly.
“Their soul and magic are completely absorbed, leaving the survivor to become the absolute leader of the coven. And the rest of the coven has no choice but to support it. Every single member of the Gemini Coven binds their life force and their magic to the leader. If the leader dies before a new set of twins can complete a Merge and take their place, the entire coven dies with them.”
Lexi stared at him, her face twisting in pure disgust.
For all the terrible things vampires did to survive, forcing family members to slaughter each other just to lead a coven seemed exceptionally cruel.
“That is absolutely horrifying.”
”It is barbaric,” Aleksander agreed, leaning back in his chair.
“But that isn’t even the most interesting thing about their bloodline. Because of the intense, unnatural magic required to maintain The Merge, the Gemini are the only coven in the world that occasionally produces Siphoners.”
”What is a Siphoner?” Lexi asked.
”A witch born without any magic of their own,” Aleksander explained.
“They can’t generate power from the earth or themselves like normal witches. Instead, they have to physically absorb—or siphon—magic from other sources. Magical objects, spells, or even supernatural creatures.” He looked up at her, meeting her hazel eyes.
“If a Siphoner touches a vampire, they can drain the magic that keeps you alive, using it to cast their own spells. The Gemini Coven considers them abominations and usually casts them out or isolates them.”
Aleksander picked up the letter again, his dark eyes narrowing at the ink.
“And from what Lucy is telling me, the Gemini Coven’s current situation has gotten incredibly messy.”
Aleksander finished the last of his coffee and set the mug down in the sink.
The letter from Lucy had completely shifted his demeanor from relaxed to focused.
He walked into the bedroom and started pulling a fresh change of clothes from his duffel bag, his mind already calculating the politics of dealing with the notoriously stubborn Gemini Coven. Read this novel at novelping . com for the best experience.
When he turned around, he noticed Lexi was still leaning casually against the doorframe, sipping her coffee.
She hadn’t made a single move to change out of her yoga shorts and oversized white shirt.
Aleksander paused, tossing a dark shirt onto the bed.
“Aren’t you coming?”
Lexi frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Aleksander, this is official, high-level witch business. You’re dealing with one of the oldest, most traditional covens in the country. Walking in there with a vampire on your arm is going to send a terrible impression. They’ll consider it an insult to their traditions.”
Aleksander let out a short, dismissive scoff.
He walked over to her, closing the distance between them, and reached out to gently tuck a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
”You are my girl,” Aleksander said, his voice dropping into a smooth, completely unyielding tone.
“I don’t care in the slightest what the Gemini Coven thinks about me, or who I choose to keep company with.”
He leaned in, his dark eyes locking onto hers with the absolute, unshakable authority of his bloodline.
“Nature chose me. Not them. If they have a problem with you standing beside me, they can take it up with the earth itself.”
Lexi stared at him, a warm, electric thrill blooming in her chest.
The sheer, unapologetic confidence he had in her—in them—was intoxicating.
For centuries, she had been forced to hide in the shadows, apologize for her existence, or run whenever a powerful coven was nearby.
Now, the Prince of Witches was casually demanding she stand right by his side on official business.
A slow, brilliant smile spread across Lexi’s face, her hazel eyes lighting up with excitement.
She uncrossed her arms and pushed off the doorframe.
”Give me five minutes,” she smirked, turning and heading straight for her bag to find her leather pants and boots.