Sheila led them into the cozy living room, gesturing for them to sit.
Aleksander sank comfortably into the couch, and Lexi sat down right beside him, keeping a respectful distance from the older witch.
Sheila took a seat in the armchair opposite them.
She gave her nephew a knowing look.
“I guess the second they finally gave you your freedom, you ran straight off to enjoy it.”
Aleksander just shrugged, looking completely unapologetic.
“Who wouldn’t? I’ve been cooped up in that mansion for twenty-five years. It was time to get out.”
Sheila let out a soft huff of amusement, but then her gaze shifted to Lexi.
The older witch’s eyes narrowed slightly, a silent question passing between her and Aleksander.
Does she know?
Aleksander caught the look immediately.
“Don’t worry,” he said casually.
“I’m going to tell her everything soon anyway.”
Sheila stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly.
“It’s your choice,” she muttered, folding her hands in her lap.
Lexi looked back and forth between the two of them.
Her vampire hearing had caught every subtle shift in their heartbeats.
“Okay, I’ll bite,” Lexi said, leaning forward slightly.
“What exactly is so special about him? I already know he’s not a normal witch.”
Sheila sighed.
She was clearly reluctant to share their deepest sacred secrets with a vampire, but Aleksander gave her a small, encouraging nod.
With a heavy breath, Sheila looked Lexi dead in the eye.
“When Aleksander was born, every single witch in the world felt it,” Sheila explained, her voice dropping into a reverent tone.
“We all got a signal—a vision straight from the Earth. He isn’t just a witch. He is considered the Avatar of Nature itself. A Guardian.”
Lexi went completely still, hanging onto every word.
“He restricts his own power just so he doesn’t overwhelm the world around him,” Sheila continued, glancing at Aleksander with a mix of pride and awe.
“To a normal person, he just feels like a guy. But to a witch? Just standing in the same room as him feels like standing next to the sun. That is how special he is. The day he was born, every coven in the world uniformly agreed on one thing. He is the Prince of Witches.”
The room fell completely silent.
Lexi slowly turned her head to look at Aleksander.
Her mind raced, thinking about the effortless magic he had used in New York—the impossible resurrection, the car, the sheer, crushing strength he had over her in the alley.
Suddenly, it all made terrifying sense.
She was in absolute awe.
Aleksander noticed her staring.
He just gave her that same lazy, charming smile and offered a simple shrug.
Sheila cleared her throat, breaking the heavy silence.
“I called Bonnie. She should be on her way over now. It’s about time you two finally met.”
Aleksander nodded.
He knew of his younger cousin but hadn’t actually crossed paths with her yet.
Sheila pointed down the hallway. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
“You two can rest in the guest room.
And please,” she added, giving Aleksander a sharp, warning glare, “don’t do anything nasty under my roof.”
Aleksander pressed a hand to his chest, putting on a look of pure, mock offense.
“Me? Never.”
Sheila just let out a long, tired sigh and walked away, not believing him for a second.
Once they were safely inside the guest room and the door clicked shut, Lexi didn’t waste any time.
She kicked off her boots, tossed her leather jacket onto a nearby chair, and collapsed face-first onto the soft mattress.
The long drive had finally caught up with her.
Aleksander smiled, but he didn’t join her just yet.
Instead, he walked over to the small wooden dresser in the corner of the room.
He held out his hand.
With a casual pulse of magic, a smooth silver bowl materialized directly on the wood, instantly filling to the brim with clear water.
If they were going to be in Mystic Falls, he needed to know exactly what kind of mess the Salvatore brothers had left behind.
He wanted to see their past.
Aleksander hovered his hand over the still water.
The surface immediately began to ripple.
His eyes darkened slightly as he started the scrying spell, his voice dropping into a low, ancient chant.
“Diegol cnytte, gewitte me yst, aliese hine, to Mystic falls he cymþ.”
The water in the bowl turned cloudy, spinning rapidly like a miniature storm.
“Diegol cnytte, gewitte me yst, þa tacnian me yst þonne ieceþ sicle. Diegol cnytte, gewitte me yst, þa tacnian me yst þonne ieceþ sicle. Swilte ar ond calan, drædan morðor, to Mystic Falls he cymþ.”
The spinning water suddenly went flat, turning as dark as ink.
Slowly, the fog inside the bowl cleared, but it didn’t show where the brothers were right now.
Instead, the water rippled with shadows of the past.
Aleksander watched quietly as centuries of history flashed across the surface.
He saw two brothers in 1864, practically glowing with humanity, before a beautiful woman with dark curls completely tore them apart.
The water flashed red, showing the horrifying, blood-soaked years of Stefan’s Ripper days, leaving piles of bodies in his wake.
Then it shifted to Damon, showing decades of pure chaos, careless murder, and bitter resentment.
Aleksander watched the visions fade back into clear water.
He sighed softly, wiping away the bowl with a wave of his hand.
Lexi had been right—they were definitely a piece of work.
While on the other hand the afternoon sun cast long shadows across the quiet streets of Mystic Falls as three fifteen-year-old girls made their way toward the Bennett house.
Bonnie walked in the middle.
With her heart-shaped face, light brown skin, and striking olive-green eyes, she had a natural, effortless beauty.
Her black hair bounced slightly with her steps.
To her left was Elena, standing at five-foot-six with a slim, athletic build.
Elena had a light olive complexion, long dark brown hair, and soft, almond-shaped brown eyes that easily gave away her emotions.
On Bonnie’s right was Caroline, her medium-length blonde hair catching the sunlight, perfectly framing her pale skin and bright blue-green eyes.
“Grams called me a little while ago,” Bonnie explained as they turned onto her street.
“She said she wants me to meet my cousin. He just got into town.”
Elena and Caroline hadn’t had any other plans for the afternoon, so they had naturally tagged along.
Parked right in front of the modest house was the gleaming silver Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
It looked like a spaceship sitting in the middle of their small town.
Caroline’s blue-green eyes went wide.
She looked from the million-dollar sports car to her friend.
“Uh, Bonnie? Is your cousin rich?”
Bonnie just shrugged, staring at the car with the same confused look.
“I have no idea. I didn’t even know I had a cousin coming to visit until an hour ago.”
Bonnie walked up the steps and opened the front door.
“Grams? We’re here!” she called out, stepping into the hallway.
Elena and Caroline followed closely behind her.
They walked into the living room and froze.
Standing there was a man they had definitely never seen around Mystic Falls before.
He had thick, dark brown-to-black hair, styled in a modern, slicked-back cut with subtle waves that gave it volume.
A perfectly groomed, short beard and mustache framed a dangerously sharp jawline and prominent cheekbones.
When he turned to look at them, his dark, intense eyes locked onto the girls.
All three teenagers went completely silent.
He was, undeniably, incredibly handsome.
Caroline leaned slightly toward Elena, unable to help herself.
“Hot,” she muttered under her breath.
Before anyone else could say anything, Sheila walked out of the kitchen.
She smiled warmly when she saw the three girls standing in the living room.
“Bonnie, Elena, Caroline. Good to see you girls,” Sheila greeted them, wiping her hands on a small towel.
She walked over and gestured gracefully to the tall, striking man standing in the center of the room.
“Bonnie,” Sheila said, her tone carrying a quiet hint of respect.
“This is your cousin, Aleksander.”
Aleksander offered a warm, easy smile.
He took a slow step forward and held out his hand.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Bonnie.”
Bonnie blinked, quickly snapping out of her daze.
She reached out and shook his hand, trying to act normal.
“Oh, um, hi. It’s nice to meet you too.”
Before Bonnie could say anything else, she felt a sharp poke in her side.
Caroline had leaned in close, elbowing her gently in the ribs.
“Introduce us too,” Caroline whispered loudly, keeping a bright, wide smile plastered on her face for Aleksander to see.
Bonnie held back a sigh and gestured to her friends.
“Right. Aleksander, these are my best friends. This is Elena, and that’s Caroline.”
Aleksander turned his attention to the two girls, giving them a polite nod.
“Elena. Caroline. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
Caroline practically beamed at the attention, standing up a little straighter, while Elena just offered a polite, slightly shy smile in return.