Joshua Parker returned a few minutes later, completely broken and devoid of his former arrogance.
With trembling hands, he surrendered the two intricate iron devices to Aleksander.
Aleksander looked down at the heavy metal contraptions.
He knew exactly what they were.
One was the 1903 Ascendant, the key to the prison world built for Lillian Salvatore and her Heretics—Siphoners who had been exiled by the Gemini and turned into vampire-hybrids.
The other was the 1994 Ascendant, the cage built to trap Kai after his mind had finally shattered under the weight of his family’s cruelty.
Satisfied, Aleksander tucked the devices away.
With a subtle nod to Lexi and Lucy, he turned to walk out of the grand hall, leaving the devastated, powerless coven behind.
“Wait. Please, wait!”
Aleksander paused, glancing over his shoulder.
Jo, Luke, and Liv were hurrying across the stone floor to catch up with them.
Jo looked nervous, wringing her hands together, but she pushed past her fear to speak.
“Are you…” Jo swallowed hard, glancing at where Aleksander had stowed the devices.
“Are you going to release Kai?”
Aleksander turned to fully face her.
“I am.”
Jo’s breath hitched.
“He’s… he’s incredibly dangerous, Aleksander. If he comes back with all that anger—”
“Don’t worry,” Aleksander interrupted, his tone calm but absolute.
“I won’t let him go crazy. He lost his mind because he was surrounded by people who treated him like an illness. I plan to take him in as my own brother. I will give him the family and the guidance he was always denied.”
The three siblings stared at him in utter shock.
The idea of the Avatar of Nature personally taking in the Gemini Coven’s greatest mistake as a brother was unfathomable to them, but seeing the genuine resolve in Aleksander’s eyes, Jo felt a massive wave of relief—and an even heavier wave of guilt—wash over her.
“If you release him,” Jo pleaded softly, her blue eyes filling with fresh tears, “can you call me? I… I have to apologize to him. For everything.”
Aleksander offered a noncommittal shrug.
“I will try. But I won’t force him to see you. Whether or not he wants to hear your apology will depend entirely on him.”
Jo nodded quickly, wiping a tear from her cheek.
“I understand. Thank you.”
Aleksander then shifted his gaze to the younger twins.
Luke and Liv stood close together, the protective bond between them obvious.
“The traditional Merge is a disgusting, barbaric ritual,” Aleksander said, his voice softening slightly as he looked at them.
“But you are still Gemini witches, and I can tell that you actually care deeply for one another. You shouldn’t have to die for your coven’s politics.”
He raised his hand and gave the empty air a casual flick.
A burst of golden sparks materialized, instantly coalescing into a rolled, ancient-looking parchment.
Aleksander tossed it to Luke, who caught it with wide eyes.
“That is a perfected version of the Merge ritual,” Aleksander explained, watching the twins stare at the scroll in disbelief.
“It binds your magic without destroying a soul. The twin who loses will not die. They will simply lose their ability to use magic for a period of time. You get to keep your sister, Lucas.”
Luke and Liv looked up from the parchment, their eyes shining with overwhelming hope and gratitude.
For the first time in their lives, the looming death sentence hanging over their heads was gone.
“Thank you,” Liv whispered, her voice cracking with genuine emotion.
Luke just nodded fiercely, clutching the scroll to his chest like a lifeline.
Leaving the siblings to their relief, Aleksander, Lexi, and Lucy walked out of the founding building and stepped out into the cool Portland night.
Aleksander turned to Lucy, pulling his cousin into a warm, tight hug.
“Take care of yourself, Aleks,” Lucy smiled, hugging him back fiercely.
She pulled away, her almond eyes shining with deep pride for her little brother figure.
She then shot Lexi a knowing grin.
“Keep him out of too much trouble, Lexi.”
“I make no promises,” Lexi winked, stepping up to Aleksander’s side.
After saying their final goodbyes, Aleksander wrapped his arm securely around Lexi’s waist.
He didn’t even need to warn her this time; she immediately leaned into him, bracing herself for the pull.
Aleksander focused on their destination, and the space around them warped violently.
The rushing hurricane sound filled their ears, followed by a deafening crack and a blinding flash of bluish-white light.
In the blink of an eye, the Portland air was empty, and the two of them were instantly transported across the country, arriving safely in the living room of Lexi’s apartment in New York.
Aleksander turned back toward the room just in time to catch the beginning of her performance.
Lexi was standing directly beneath the warm, amber glow of the bedroom lamp, taking her time.
Her leather jacket was already gone, and as their eyes locked, she reached down to pop the button of her distressed jeans.
She slid the denim down slowly, rolling her hips with a deliberate, teasing sway that emphasized the lush, smooth curve of her waist and thighs.
When the jeans hit the floor, she stepped out of them, turning just enough to give him a full, unhurried view.
The deep violet lingerie was sheer satin and delicate lace, cut high on the hips to cling tightly to her frame.
The lace thong vanished between the full, rounded swell of her ass cheeks, accentuating the firm, athletic lift of her backside without hiding an inch of her smooth, pale skin.
Looking back over her shoulder with a wicked smirk, Lexi caught the hem of her black tank top with both hands and pulled it over her head, letting it flutter carelessly to the floor.
Her matching purple bra pushed up against the full, heavy swell of her breasts, the delicate scalloped lace barely containing the soft, rounded cleavage that rose and fell with each slow breath.
Her golden hair tumbled over her bare shoulders, contrasting against the dark silk and pale skin.
Turning back to face him, she walked backward with slow, predatory confidence toward the low wooden table near the window.
Every step sent a subtle, tantalizing shift through her hips.
With effortless grace, Lexi hopped up to sit on the edge of the table.
She leaned back onto her palms, arching her spine just enough to thrust her chest forward, letting the lamplight trace the curve of her collarbones and the deep shadow between her breasts.
Parting her smooth thighs slightly, she tilted her chin up, her hazel eyes heavy with intent.
“You spent the whole day playing god,” Lexi murmured, her voice dropping into a low, smoky purr as she crooked a single finger, daring him forward.
“Come here and remind me you’re still a man.”
Aleksander’s gaze darkened, his eyes trailing from the tempting curve of her chest down to the smooth expanse of her stomach and the lush line of her thighs.
The heavy politics of the Gemini Coven vanished from his mind completely, replaced by an immediate, searing heat.
With a low, quiet chuckle, he stepped forward, closing the distance until he was standing right between her parted knees.
Aleksander didn’t give her another second to tease him.
He closed the remaining distance in a heartbeat, his large hands planting firmly on the edge of the table on either side of her thighs, trapping her completely within his space.
Before Lexi could even laugh, he leaned in and captured her mouth in a bruising, hungry kiss.
Lexi let out a muffled gasp that was swallowed instantly against his lips.
Her arms snapped around his neck, pulling him closer as she met his intensity head-on.
There was nothing gentle about it; it was raw, ravenous, and electric.
Aleksander parted her lips with a demanding pressure, his tongue sliding deep into her mouth to claim hers.
Lexi didn’t submit easily.
With the fierce, competitive fire of a centuries-old vampire, she met him stroke for stroke, her tongue tangling and swirling against his in an intoxicating battle for dominance.
Every brush of their mouths was slick, desperate, and filled with heat.
Aleksander’s hand left the table, his fingers tangling into the thick blonde waves at the back of her head, angling her face to deepen the kiss until the line between who was giving and who was taking blurred completely.
Small, breathless moans escaped into the narrow space between their lips as their mouths moved together, neither willing to yield an inch in the searing, breathless clash of tongues and teeth.
Aleksander’s hunger was for every inch of Lexi’s trembling body got the best of him as he broke the kiss.
He pinned her against the table, his hands roaming greedily over her curves.
He ripped away the last of her lingerie, exposing her dripping pussy and pert nipples to the cool air.
He didn’t waste a second, diving down to bury his face in her cleavage, his tongue swirling around her areolas before he clamped his mouth over one nipple, sucking it hard and biting down.
“Ahhh! Yes, bite me, fuck, bite me harder!” Lexi screamed, her back arching as she pulled him deeper into her breasts, her fingers clawing at his hair.
Aleksander groaned, the sound vibrating against her skin.
He moved with predatory speed, hoisting her hips up and slamming her back against the edge of the table.
He stripped his clothes off in a blur of motion, his thick, throbbing cock springing free, fully erect and leaking pre-cum.
He didn’t use a drop of lubricant; he didn’t need to.
Lexi was already soaking wet, her juices coating her folds.
He grabbed her thighs, throwing her legs over his shoulders so she was completely open, her pussy gaping and inviting.
With one powerful, guttural grunt, Aleksander slammed his cock deep inside her.
“FUCK!” Lexi shrieked, her eyes rolling back as he bottomed out, hitting her cervix with a wet thwack.
“You big son of bitch… you’re stretching me open! Oh god, fuck me!”
Aleksander didn’t hold back.
He began to hammer into her, his thrusts fast and violent.
The sound of their pelvic bones colliding filled the room—a rhythmic, sloppy slap-slap-slap of wet skin hitting skin.
He angled his cock upward, grinding his head directly against her anterior wall, hitting her G-spot with every single plunge.
“You like that, don’t you? You like this huge cock splitting you apart!” Aleksander growled, his voice a dark, sexy rasp.
“Yes! Yes! Fuck my pussy! Fill me up!” she wailed, her moans turning into high-pitched screams of pleasure.
Suddenly, the air shifted.
The lust triggered their primal instincts.
As her eyes snapped open, the sclera turning a vivid, blood-red.
Dark, pulsing veins spiderwebbed under their eyes, and with a sharp click, their fangs extended.
Lexi lunged forward, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist and pulling him back inside her with a wet schlop.
As he hammered into her again, she sank her fangs deep into his neck.
Aleksander let out a loud, guttural roar of ecstasy as she tore into his flesh.
He could feel his blood rushing into her mouth, and the sensation only made his cock harder.
Lexi moaned around the wound, tasting his blood—it was sweet, addictive, and sent a surge of supernatural strength through her veins.
She began to suck his blood greedily, her throat gulping in rhythm with the frantic thrusts of his cock.
“Drink it… take it all, you thirsty bitch!” Aleksander yelled, his pace becoming manic.
He was fucking her with everything he had, his cock sliding in and out of her drenched pussy with a loud, squelching sound.
Lexi’s screams became muffled as she continued to feast on his neck, her pussy clamping down on him in tight, rhythmic spasms.
She was coming, her internal muscles squeezing his shaft like a vice.
“I’m coming! I’m coming! FUCK ME HARDER!” she screamed, releasing his neck just in time to shriek as her orgasm hit.
Aleksander felt the walls of her pussy ripple and tighten.
With one final, deepest thrust that buried him to the hilt, he let out a primal scream and erupted.
He blasted thick, hot ropes of cum deep into her womb, filling her to overflowing.
Lexi screamed in unison, her body shaking violently as she felt the heat of his seed flooding her inside, while she took one last, deep swallow of his blood.
They collapsed together, drenched in sweat, saliva, and blood, the sound of their heavy breathing the only thing left in the room.