most of my life was heavy and hard / so many days, so many scars / but it was all of those years that made me what i am / i broke through, and here i stand
new blood - zayde wolf
Parker Manor - November 21st, 1979
Portland, Oregon
It was raining—it always rained in Portland.
Kai hated it, but not as much as he hated his father, so he stood outside in the pouring rain anyways, letting the droplets soak him through. If he was lucky, he might manage to catch pneumonia and die, he mused—a dark thought for a seven-year-old, but not a rare one for him.
Kai looked down at his gloved hands—they were always gloved these days, at his father's decree. He slowly peeled back the black material, revealing the red, blistering skin underneath—a result of the cuffs he was put in whenever Athena Vossen came to visit. They were never pleasant visits, consisting of the magical lobotomies she performed on him—the ones she took pleasure in performing on him—and her and his father had learned early on to bind him with dampening handcuffs, otherwise he would just siphon whatever magic she sent in his direction. As a result of the painful procedure and metal cuffs, Kai's wrist had what would probably become a permanent dent in his wrists where the iron had bit into his skin as he squirmed to get away from his torturer.
"Kai?" someone called from his right, and he immediately stiffened. "What are you doing out here in the rain?"
Kai relaxed as he recognized the voice. "I could ask you the same thing, Az."
Azriel shrugged, stepping out of the shadows. "I'm ten—things are different for me."
Kai rolled his eyes, but let his friend have the last word as he took in his appearance. His normally curly black hair was flat from the rain, and Kai noticed that the slightly older boy looked saddened—a stark contrast to his normally easy-going, teasing demeanor.
"Take those ridiculous things off." Azriel ordered after a moment, looking at the gloves on Kai's hands distastefully.
"Dad says I need them." he said quietly.
Azriel snorted, holding out his hand, waiting for Kai to hand them to him. "You don't need them—especially not around me."
Kai silently slipped them off and handed them to Azriel, who made it a point to touch his bare hands as he took them from him—he was the only person who ever touched his ungloved hands anymore.
"So, what are you doing here?" he asked finally, rubbing his hands together to combat the brisk evening chill—to no avail, as they were drenched in less than thirty seconds. "You know our parents don't like you being near me—they think I'll corrupt you."
"I had to talk to you." Azriel said, his burning gaze on Kai's wrists as he glared at the two raw, puffy circles created by the cuffs.
"What's happening?" he asked warily, not liking his friend's somber tone.
"My parents are moving us up to Salem for a while." Azriel told him quietly, and he let silence settle, the rain hitting the ground the only noise that could be heard. Kai felt like someone had just sucker-punched him in the gut—taken away all of his oxygen.
"How long?"
Azriel hesitated.
"Az, how long?"
"I don't know." he said, sighing as he ran a hand through his floppy hair.
"I can't survive this without you." he whispered, devastation sweeping through him with all the gentleness of a tidal wave.
"Yes, you can Kai. You're the strongest person I know."
Kai choked back a sob.
"I'll be back as soon as I can get out of my family's chokehold." he promised.
"Ditto." Kai muttered.
Azriel gripped the back of his head, steadying him. "Give them hell—they deserve it."
He nodded, and as his friend hugged him, Kai knew that the water running down his face wasn't just rain anymore.
Gemini Coven Council Chamber - June 10th, 2014
Portland, Oregon
The only time Kai had ever felt this nervous was when he had asked Bonnie for a second chance—and even that didn't hold a flame to this.
He was standing in the ruling office—now his office—waiting for the council meeting to start so that he could make his formal entrance, and he was sure that he was only one wrong move away from throwing up. It was his swearing-in ceremony—all the Elders were gathered to watch their worst nightmares become a reality as a siphoner took control of their Coven for good—he would be lucky to make it out with his life.
Kai was repeatedly smoothing down his black suit, a nervous habit he had picked up—probably from Luke—and fixing his hair as he tried to regulate his breathing and pounding heart.
"Relax, big brother." a voice from behind him said. "You look fine."
"Livey." he breathed, whirling around to face her. "You came."
Liv shrugged. "I decided it was time."
"Time for what?" he asked. She had been dodging everyone's calls since she had arrived in Portland, and he truly had expected her to hold to her word and not attend his swearing-in.
"To get off my ass and rejoin my family—well, at least what's left of it." she said, a small, bitter smile on her face. "Jo thinks you're capable of change, and if she thinks there's hope, then I'm inclined to believe her."
"Liv-" he started, hoping to apologize for their last argument, but she held up her hand and he immediately fell silent.
"I will never forgive you for killing Luke." she told him quietly. "But now you are him, or at least part of him, and I know that you are no longer the same as you once were—as you were once abused into being. But, Kai—I swear to God—you better prove to me, every damn minute of every damn day, that you deserve to be the Ruler of this Coven and that you deserve for me to call you brother again."
Kai swallowed thickly, nodding. "I will not let you down."
Liv smiled again, but this time it was far more genuine, and something in him warmed at the sight of it.
"I will support you at this meeting as your lieutenant as I will support you for the rest of your rule—so long as you are worthy of keeping it. I'm sure you realize it won't be an easy job, especially not with you being…what you are." Kai stiffened, and she sent him an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry—but these people," she gestured to the door, outside of which could be heard the sounds of light conversation as the rest of the council got settled into their seats. "Won't be. You can show no weakness; you must be as strong in appearance as you are in reality. I may be a Ruler born and bred by decree of our father, but now you must walk out there and prove to them that you too, are a Parker."
He shied away at the name, looking in another direction, and she stepped forward, harshly jerking his chin so that he had to meet her eyes.
"And Kai, you are not just any Parker—you are the eldest." Liv told him sharply. "Never let them forget it."
Kai blinked, trying to clear the mistiness forming in his eyes—God, he hated emotions and the unfamiliar physical reactions they brought forth.
"Why are you doing this?" he whispered. "What have I done to deserve your kindness?"
"You saved Bonnie, even as I tried to kill you." she said evenly. "I'd say that proves you are worth saving."
Everyone decided that I wasn't worth it.
"Frankly, Kai, I haven't given a damn about you my whole life. You were cruel, cunning, and manipulative—that is the legacy you left when you were sent to the prison world. But Jo used to tell me stories when I was younger, when she missed you, of who you used to be. She told me she hadn't been a very good sister to you—that we hadn't been very good for you. I always thought it the ramblings of a damaged soul who felt she held part of the blame for your fate. Now I know that you were someone she could love, and that you could be that person again. You deserve a second chance, Kai—and I'm sorry that Bonnie was the one who had to give it to you instead of me or Jo."
"This is certainly a change of heart from the last time we spoke." he commented cautiously.
"I had some time to think about it and came to the conclusion that there is hope for you yet. After all, if we do not have hope, then we have nothing at all." Liv said easily. "And truthfully, I have nothing better to do with my time right now."
"You could be normal." he told her quietly.
She shrugged. "Normal is for boring people—and I'm not boring." she informed him, and Kai laughed.
"No, you most certainly are not." he agreed.
Liv let out an exaggerated breath of relief. "Thank God."
"You look beautiful." Kai offered, motioning to the knee-length navy blue dress she was wearing.
She smiled wickedly, brushing aside one of her stray curls. "Well one of us had to."
He gasped dramatically, clutching his heart, but laughter bubbled beneath the surface. How was it possible to have missed something he never had? Siblings, family—all foreign ground for him, yet deceptively easy to fall into. He suspected this had more to do with Luke than him, but it was a nice feeling nonetheless—affection.
"Stop bruising the poor man's ego." a voice interrupted. "He'll need it in front of those vultures."
"Oh, come now Jo, we all know that the truth hurts." Liv said.
Jo rolled her eyes, stepping up to Kai and fixing his tie. "You look very handsome, Kai—don't let Liv tell you otherwise."
He smiled amusedly as Liv stuck out her tongue. "So childish." he chidded.
"You're one to talk." she fired back.
"I'm allowed to talk, lieutenant, since I'm the Coven Ruler—that's like the whole point. You, on the other hand…"
Her eyes narrowed. "I'll have to disabuse you of the notion that you can get me to shut up."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm aware." Kai said, smirking faintly even as his heart pounded in his rib cage, his nervousness not completely assuaged.
"Good." she said primly, fixing her hair. The wild, curly quality of it was struggling to remain in a high bun as rogue strands escaped to frame her face. He hadn't been lying—she was truly beautiful, and as far as he was concerned, Tyler Lockwood didn't know what he was missing. Well, he was pretty sure they were no longer together—like ninety percent sure. Okay, zero percent sure—it hadn't exactly come up in conversation yet, and he had no desire to push his luck.
"And you know what you're going to say?" Jo asked him, brushing something off his left shoulder. She too was dressed for the occasion, in a dark grey blazer with matching slacks and an emerald blouse underneath. Her baby bump was barely showing, but she was already glowing and Kai thought his twin sister looked radiant.
He nodded. "Pretty sure."
"Reassuring." she commented dryly, sending him an unamused look.
"I'm sure." he told her, smiling slightly.
"Much better." Jo said brightly. "Everyone's here, you know—I even managed to drag Alaric out, he wishes you good luck."
"Pretty sure that's not all he wishes for me." he murmured under his breath sardonically.
Liv snorted. "Man would've happily murdered you two months ago—I'd say any positive thought of you is an improvement."
"I'll take what I can get." Kai agreed.
"You two don't make much sense." Jo informed them, furrowing her brows.
"You don't make much sense." Liv retorted creatively.
"Hey, you married a vampire hunter," he said, pointing at his twin. "You don't get to tell us we don't make sense."
Jo shrugged. "Fine—none of us make sense."
That odd feeling of affection he had felt earlier—the one that was now blooming in his chest so rapidly he thought it might explode—it terrified him. He felt like pulling back—pulling away from what could bring him more pain, more emotions—but he knew he had to keep trying. Jo was trying, Liv was trying, and he sure as hell wasn't going to be the first to back down. He owed it to them, to himself, and, ironically enough, to Bonnie. Of course, to her he had promised to step up for his Coven, but unlike his father, who had so lovingly repeated his favorite 'Coven before family' mantra throughout the entirety of their childhood—Kai remembered that Coven was family. There was no distinction between them for him, and so the mantra had just become 'Coven first'—as he thought it should be.
"Alright, time to get going." Jo announced, clapping her hands together. "Liv and I need to go find our observation seats, and you," she turned her gaze to Kai. "Need to take a second for yourself before you go face the hostile room you're about to walk into."
He snorted. "Thanks for the reminder."
Liv punched him in the shoulder, smirking. "Don't trip over your own two feet on the way down the stairs, loser."
"And thanks for the vote of confidence." he continued, sending his youngest sister a pointed look.
"Anytime." she called back over her shoulder, smiling cheekily as she walked away. Jo moved to follow her, but Kai grabbed her arm before she could take a step.
"Jo," he said, taking a deep breath. "Thank you—for everything."
She smiled. "You just needed someone to believe in you, that's all."
Kai nodded, feeling the truth in her words sink in. If no one had believed him—if no one had given him a second chance—things could have gone very differently, in the worst way possible.
"Thank you." he repeated. She had saved him from more than she realized.
She leaned forward and fixed his tie again. "Knock em' dead, tiger."
Kai groaned. "And…you ruined it." she started laughing and he spread his arms out in mock exasperation. "Why are you like this? You always ruin it." he tried to deadpan, but her laughter was infectious and he started laughing as well.
"I've missed you." she told him quietly after their amusement had died down.
He pursed his lips. "Me too." he said, running a hand through his hair.
"Thanks for coming back to me."
He hesitated. "I don't know how much is me and how much is Luke."
"Does it matter?" she asked softly.
"It should." Kai said, suddenly tired. "It does—it matters to me."
"I don't think you're Luke," his sister told him thoughtfully. "Because you're still you—scheming and pessimistic attitude included. But I do think that Luke brought out the good in you—the good that had been hidden for so long—and he brought it to the forefront."
Kai didn't answer, and she smiled sadly before slipping her arm from his grasp and walking away, leaving him alone in the cold office. His father was out there, Athena Vossen was out there, and Joey was out there.
Kai wasn't sure he could do this, but he really didn't have much of a choice left.
You wanted this bad enough to kill for it, his brain reminded him. Don't back out now.
He took a deep breath. "Here goes everything." he muttered sardonically to himself.
Kai flicked his hand and the doors of his office opened before him with a controlled bang, silencing the previously noisy crowd as they peered into the doorway. He strode forward as confidently as he could, taking great care to make sure he didn't trip down the stairs that connected his office to the council chambers, as Liv had predicted.
There were at least a hundred gazes resting on him, and as much as part of him wanted to shrink back and disappear, another part reveled in it—in the sheer power that came with being seen. He was the most powerful man in this room and they knew it—and oh, how they hated it. His importance as a siphoner had been null, but now—now he could order them all to fall on their swords and they would have to obey. He could end all of their lives with a slit to his throat, or even by his own hands with his newfound power—but he wouldn't. Not now, and not ever. They had always hated him, and he had always hated them, but now he was their Ruler and he would lay down his life before seeing them harmed.
Except Athena Vossen—that old crone could die.
Speaking of the devil, she looked extremely displeased from where was seated with the rest of the council members that held their families' inherited seats. The enormous chamber was round, and the front half of it was on a raised dais with a curved table atop it. The five family seats were on the right of the ornate Ruler's chair, with the elected ones on the left, both separated from the Ruler by the two appointed advisor seats on either side—which were currently empty.
Kai moved to take his place, and while making eye contact with Athena Vossen had been unpleasant, meeting Joey's frigid blue eyes was a million times worse, and he felt his heart sink into his stomach like a stone.
His younger brother had grown up nicely, and he looked extremely well-put together in his navy suit and white button up. His close-cropped sandy-blonde hair was much like Kai remembered it, if not a little shorter, and even sitting he looked tall enough to match Kai in a fight—a purely physical one, of course; no one in this Coven stood a chance against him magically anymore. Nor would they ever again, he thought sourly, but he couldn't help but feel a little pride at the fact.
Despite his outwardly calm demeanor, Joey's eyes were a whirlwind of emotions, but Kai could make out one in particular that was stronger than the rest—accusation. And a deep hatred.
He winced internally. This was not going to go well.
Do things ever?
"Thank you all for coming today." he intoned, his hands resting on the back of the ornate chair in front of him—no, not chair; throne. His throne. "My name is Malachai Parker, and I present myself to the council to be sworn in by the laws, tradition, and grace of our Coven's history."
"Occurret prodire quam ut." they chanted the customary words in unison. Come forward as you may.
He moved to sit down and everyone in the room stood up—a customary show of respect for the Gemini Ruler, and one they would no doubt rather slit their own throats than do for him, of all people. But they did it nonetheless, and once he was seated, they all joined him. The only one who seemed glad—positively jolly, in fact—to follow the customs of the swearing-in ceremony was Azriel, who had a wide grin on his face, even winking at Kai when he caught his eye. His childhood friend was all in black with a matching dark tie, looking for all the world like a mourner at a funeral, despite his obviously delighted demeanor. He never really had been good at maintaining even a semblance of decorum.
Athena Vossen, who was the speaker of the inherited seats, sat in the closest seat to Kai's right, separated from him by one of the empty advisor chairs, while Gerard Blackwood, the speaker of the elected seats, was on his left, also separated by an advisor chair. They both looked like they would prefer to sit in a pit of snakes then at his side—although the council chamber wasn't far off from that analogy.
The two speakers rose, each with an identical black book in their hands—the Gemini Coven's statute ledger—and approached him warily. Kai pointedly maintained eye contact with Vossen as he placed his right hand on top of her offered ledger and even held it as he placed his left on Blackwood's ledger.
"Do you swear to uphold, preserve, and defend the Gemini Coven's statutes?" she asked, her voice so painstakingly neutral it could have passed as computer-generated.
"I do." Kai answered, loudly and clearly.
"Do you swear to protect your Coven from harm both internally and externally from any threats that may arise, up to and including yourself?" Blackwood continued.
"Et vita mea." he intoned.
With my life.
"I pronounce you Malachai Parker, thirty-first Ruler of the Gemini Coven." Vossen declared, withdrawing her ledger from his grasp. "Long may you reign."
"Long may you reign." the rest of the chamber repeated, and Kai could hear the bitterness in their voices.
Good, he thought. I hope you choke on it.
Salvatore Mansion
Mystic Falls, Virginia
"No." Stefan told her for the third time in as many minutes.
"You're not getting it." Damon elaborated flatly.
"But-" Lily started.
Her oldest son groaned. "Why would we help you free your psychotic adopted children from their prison world?"
"Because it's the honorable thing to do." she sniffed.
"Right." he said sardonically. "Don't hold your breath."
She turned her attention back to Stefan. "Please."
"I'm sorry, but we can't. It's too dangerous for everybody involved."
"This is getting ridiculous." Caroline muttered from behind her glass of bourbon, even as Lily continued pleading her case to her sons.
Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline were seated together on the couch in the living room, and Caroline didn't even need to use her vampire hearing to listen in on and report back about the Salvatores' heated discussion—it was so loud that Bonnie and Elena could hear just fine.
It wasn't the first time, either. Everyday, Lily Salvatore asked for the Ascendant, and everyday, Damon and Stefan said no.
The funniest part was that Damon and Stefan didn't even have the Ascendant—Bonnie did. It was lying in a locked box in the basement of her house, protected by heavy cloaking spells and magical border hexes that Liv had helped her put down. Technically, the Ascendant should be in Gemini hands, (as Liv had offhandedly reminded her while they put up the protection spells), but Kai hadn't come to collect yet, and Bonnie wasn't about to fly to Portland to return it. It was just an extra piece of insurance that she wasn't sure she was ready to part with.
Ever since that fateful day that Bonnie had decided she wouldn't leave Kai in the 1903 prison world like she had planned, she had kept looking over her shoulder as she waited for him to come and stab her in the back, but it had been almost two months now and she hadn't even seen him, not even at Jo's wedding. She had finally started to relax into her life again, especially after both Jo and Liv had assured her that their brother wasn't going to go on sociopathic murder rampage in Mystic Falls any time soon—he was well and truly tied up with the politics in Portland. In fact, Liv had texted her this morning, asking her opinion for which dress to wear to Kai's swearing-in ceremony.
Whichever one makes you less likely to rip your brother's throat out, Bonnie had answered.
Better stay away from red then, Liv decided. Blue it is.
I thought you weren't going?
I wasn't, but Jo talked me into it. She said that even if I didn't trust him, I should act like I do because it helps him, and I quote, 'see the good in himself.'
And do you?
Do I what?
Trust him.
Of course not. But Jo's the head of the newly created Kai regulation committee, so when it comes to him, what she says, I do.
That had made Bonnie laugh. And who's in this committee?
Me, Jo, and grudgingly, Alaric.
Sounds like you're all overflowing with enthusiasm.
More like self-preservation.
"You would think she would give it up already," Elena commented. "It's obvious that Damon and Stefan aren't going to give her the Ascendant."
"She's delusional." Bonnie grumbled. As far as she was concerned, Lily Salvatore could trip over the edge of the nearest cliff and drown in the lake below. "Pretty sure that the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results—why does she think they're suddenly going to turn around and change their mind?"
"Like you said," Caroline said primely. "Delusional."
"You girls know I can hear you, right?" Lily Salvatore asked loudly.
Elena giggled quietly, and Caroline rolled her eyes.
"Good!" the blonde called back. "You should know we think you're crazy!"
"They're pretty, I'll grant you that, but no less rude." Lily's voice drifted back.
Damon growled low in his throat—a warning—and Stefan sighed heavily.
"Mom, just let it go, please." the younger Salvatore told her. "This conversation is getting us nowhere."
"Fine." she said, and the door to the living room slammed open as Lily walked out without so much as a glance towards them.
"Yikes." Caroline commented wryly once she had disappeared out the front door.
Damon and Stefan joined them in the living room minutes later, Damon looking annoyed, and Stefan frustrated.
"I swear to God, I'm going to kill her if I hear the word Ascendant come out of her mouth one more time." Damon grumbled.
Stefan shot him a harsh look. "No, you won't."
"I mostly definitely want to." he snapped.
"And he will never act on it." Elena interceded smoothly.
Damon gave a noncommittal shrug but stayed silent nonetheless, and Bonnie knew he wouldn't risk his girlfriend's wrath on this particular subject.
"Trust me, love." a new, amused voice said. "I wouldn't bet on what Damon won't do."
"Enzo, good to see you, as always." Damon drawled.
The British-Italian vampire smiled disarmingly as he walked over to join them in the middle of the living room, sitting down unceremoniously on the couch across from Bonnie. "Never were good at being genuine, were you?" he asked his friend in his lifting accent.
"And I never did claim to be." Damon answered cheerfully, earning himself a reproachful look for Elena.
"Not that anyone ever asks my opinion," Enzo continued casually, grabbing Stefan's abandoned glass of bourbon from where it rested on the coffee table beside him. "But I think we should give Lily the Ascendant—might stop her whining."
Bonnie smiled sweetly. "And that is why no one ever asks your opinion, Enzo. Thank you for proving my point to me."
He rolled his eyes, taking a sip of bourbon. "Dear, sweet Bonnie, please do me the favor of sparing me your patronizing tone and righteous indignation."
"No, Bonnie's right." Caroline frowned. "Besides, you're just saying that because you're in love with the old bat."
"I am no such thing." he denied in a bored voice, but Bonnie didn't buy his act for a second.
"Of course not." she agreed innocently.
His eyes narrowed, but he didn't rise up to the bait like she'd hoped. "And how's Jeremy doing?" he asked instead.
"He's in art school." Bonnie answered evenly, doing her best to sound as neutral as possible. It wasn't hard—her and Jeremy were old news. That ship had well and truly sailed. And sunk—thoroughly. "I'm sure he likes it very much."
Enxo made a skeptical sound, but didn't comment.
"What do you want, Enzo?" Elena asked, sighing.
"Now that, is the million dollar question, isn't it love? What does anyone want out of life, really? Love? Money? Happiness? Money, certainly. But when you analyze the American Dream and how it's adapted to the modern era, I think you'll find the ideals quite different than expected for such a-"
"Enzo." Bonnie interrupted sternly. "Spit it out."
"Okay, yes, alright." he said, looking all too amused with himself. "I need Bonnie's help with a certain ancient, possibly dangerous, artifact."
"Exactly why do you think I would help you?" she asked, tilting her head. It was possible he had finally lost his mind.
Enzo shrugged. "Because you're a good person?"
"There's a difference between being a good person and doing charity work." she informed him. "You're the latter."
"Charming, as always." he said, smiling crookedly. "No, Bonnie. You'll help me because I'm assuming that whatever Lily wants to find, you want to get to first. "
"I'm listening."
He leaned forward. "The Phoenix Stone—what do you know of it?"
Bonnie frowned. "It's a relic of an old age—Liv mentioned it once. What could Lily want with it?"
"Another million dollar question." he smirked. "She asked me to find it, but unfortunately for her, I don't make a very good lapdog."
Damon's eyes widened in mock surprise. "You don't say?"
"And why Bonnie?" Elena asked.
Enzo raised an eyebrow. "Well love, are you secretly a witch?" he inquired sardonically, and was immediately rewarded with a withering look from Caroline.
"What she means is why Bonnie specifically? You must know at least a dozen other witches."
"Besides the fact that Bonnie's Bennett blood makes her powerful," he explained, leisurely taking another sip of bourbon. "She has friends in the Gemini Coven—who are notorious for being the keepers of old artifacts such as the Phoenix Stone. If anyone knows where it is, it would be the Gemini. Conveniently enough, they hate vampires and would not help me otherwise, but if Bonnie asks…" he trailed off.
"They might be more willing to divulge their secrets." Bonnie finished.
"Don't sound so accusatory, sweetheart—I'm helping you keep tabs on Lily. Do you want in or not?"
"And what's stopping me from dumping you on the side of the road and doing this myself?" she challenged.
"Well, that would just be rude, for starters, but I do have her trust, which would make it all the easier to mislead her."
"I'm not so sure I want this stone found."
He laughed. "You may not have a choice. Lily is relentless—either we find it soon, or she will, eventually."
Bonnie sighed, pulling out her phone. "I'll have to ask Liv what it does." It was already getting to be late in the afternoon—the ceremony must be finished or wrapping up by now.
"Sounds like a wise idea." Enzo concurred.
"Fantastic, thanks for the input." she muttered, dialing Liv's number. It rang for a few seconds before Liv picked up, but the second she did, Bonnie knew something was very wrong.
It was loud—screaming and shouting could be heard in the background, as well as ear-splitting blasts that sounded suspiciously like some form of artillery.
"Liv?" Bonnie called, instantly worried.
"Bonnie!"
"What's going on? Where are you?!"
"Attack- try-" she cut out. "Kai!"
"Kai's attacking you?" Bonnie demanded sharply.
"What? No! Bonnie- and the-"
"You're cutting out!" she said desperately.
"Someone's trying to kill Kai!" Liv yelled so loudly that Bonnie almost dropped her phone.
"What?! Why?"
"I don't know- didn't really- stop and tell me- while we- having tea- together!"
"Are you okay?"
"Jury's still out on that one!"
"Liv-"
"Need a little help there?" Bonnie heard her ask somebody on the other side of the phone. "Bonnie, I'll call you back when I'm not in a WAR ZONE!"
"Wait no, Liv! Are you sure you're-"
She hung up.
"Shit." Bonnie breathed, turning back to her confused friends.
"What's happening?" Elena asked.
"The Gemini Coven's being attacked."
Gemini Coven Council Chamber
Portland, Oregon
Liv hated council meetings—tedious, boring things that she would rather skip altogether. Tragically, she had the misfortune of being born a Parker, one who had been groomed to take the throne no less, and most of her life had consisted of the stupid things. Luke had been much better at the politics than her—she simply didn't have the patience for it—it would've worked out well for him to win the merge.
Thankfully for the new Gemini Ruler, he seemed to have absorbed Luke's more politically intuitive traits, and combined with Kai's pre-existing intelligence, it was meshing together rather well. In fact, he was scarily good at it.
The Gemini respected nothing if not power—power and strength. And Kai was both. With the power of two witches within him and his siphoning abilities, he was unquestionably the deadliest and most magically potent person in the room—if that didn't deter the Gemini from their grumbling, Liv didn't know what would. Although, she didn't think that they would ever stop grumbling, even if the world was laid at their feet—complaining and dissatisfaction were practically hereditary traits in their Coven by now.
And what better day than today to honor that long-held tradition of complaining?
"I am simply proposing a parley with the werewolves," Tristian Mallor, one of the representatives holding an elected seat, said calmly as he defended his motion yet again—he'd been trying to get it passed since he had been voted onto the Council almost half a year ago. "We don't know what good could come out of diplomacy yet, and I say it's worth a shot."
Naturally, this sparked bursts of outrage immediately.
"Ridiculous!"
"I'm telling you, this new blood thinks they're all so clever and-"
"Knew that Mallor was gonna be trouble."
"Didn't even vote for him-"
"Preposterous!"
"Thoroughly baseless and a waste of time, if you ask me. I don't understand-"
"The werewolves negotiating? Ha, don't make me laugh."
"To even suggest such a thing is beyond-"
"Who does he think he is?"
"You've been on the Council all of five months, sit down!"
"That's five months more than you've ever served, Coulson." Tristian retorted cooly, addressing someone in the observation seats.
Strictly speaking, those observing the Council meeting weren't allowed to talk, but it wasn't an enforced rule—and hadn't been in a very long time.
"Quiet." Kai ordered, but his command was eaten up by the noise of the debate. He scowled, banging his fist down on the table in front of him loudly, and they quieted. "Can we maintain even a semblance of civility—the barest hints of decorum, please?" Kai demanded. "We are the Gemini Coven, not a band of squabbling preschoolers." No one dared speak up, and he leaned back in his chair, apparently satisfied by the chastising he had just dealt them. "Good. Now, Representative Mallor," he turned to the Council member in question. "I think your motion has merit, I second it and ask that it be presented with a finished and reviewed proposal at the next Council meeting, where we will examine and then vote on it."
Tristian bowed his head slightly. "Yes, Praetor."
Ah, yes—that was another thing Liv just loved having to remember. In the Council chambers' legal setting, the Gemini Ruler was known as the Praetor, another one of those stupid protocols and traditions their Coven was so fond of. The list of said protocols seemed to be growing increasingly and alarmingly long with every passing day, and not for the first time since the Council meeting had started, Liv was glad she was sitting comfortably in an observation seat instead of on the chamber floor with the representatives.
Jo and Alaric were seated beside her, and Liv had found the permanently confused look on Alaric's face highly amusing, until Jo had noticed and started explaining the going-ons to her husband out of pity. Liv wasn't such a nice person, so she just snickered whenever Alaric asked a question with a fairly obvious answer.
Tristian returned to his seat, obviously pleased, and Joey stood up next, straightening his navy suit. It was quiet—even in the observation wing—as he walked to the center of the floor, and the silence continued as they all watched two brothers stare each other down.
Kai was the first one to break the impasse. "Representative Parker, your motion?"
"I would like to contest the legality of the inauguration of the thirty-first Ruler of the Gemini Coven, Praetor." Joey told him evenly, maintaining their electrifying eye contact, and the tension in the room became palpable—Kai was the thirty-first Ruler of the Gemini Coven.
Liv sent Jo a worried glance, but her sister was riveted on the scene before them, her hands white-knuckling her seat as she watched.
Kai remained as still and quiet as a statue for a few moments before regaining his bearings. "I see." he said finally. "And what do you propose the legality issue is?"
"The thirty-first Ruler is a convicted murderer, Praetor." he intoned hollowly. "I think that makes my point for me, does it not?"
"Watch your tone, Representative." Kai reprimanded icily.
Joey inclined his head partially. "Of course."
Azriel stood up. "If I may, Praetor?"
"The floor is yours, Representative Killian." he said, motioning to the center of the chamber.
"The Praetor went through the Merge ceremony and completed the ritual." he started, walking away from his seat.
"Incorrectly." Joey muttered, backing up to make space for Azriel, so that they each had one half of the floor.
"Unconventionally." Azriel corrected. "But it was completed."
"But should it have been?" he countered.
Azriel fixed him with an unimpressed stare. "I don't deal in hypotheticals, Representative."
"The question still stands."
"What question?" he demanded, borderline sardonically. "The Merge was completed, the life-link is in place, and the Praetor was just sworn-in. It's a little late to be questioning anything, don't you think?"
"Tone." Kai reminded, looking bored of the proceedings, but Liv knew better than to buy into his charade. He was probably at the halfway point between terrified and annoyed—if he could even recognize that those were the emotions he was feeling.
"Sorry, Praetor." Azriel said, not sounding sorry at all.
"Representative Parker, your point?" Kai asked impatiently.
"I motion that the Praetor be impeached." Joey stated, and Liv started at the shocking weight behind his words.
Murmurs broke out among the observation wing, and even on the Council floor as representatives leaned over to converse with each other. Kai, for his part, didn't move a muscle—in fact, he looked completely unsurprised.
"There's no precedent for that." Azriel protested.
"Maybe doing the right thing should outweigh the precedent." Joey told him. "We all took oaths to protect this Coven."
"It might do more harm than good—who would even take power if the Praetor was impeached?" Azriel challenged. "Luke is dead—there are no more Parker twins to undergo the Merge."
Liv felt a chill go down her spine as she watched Joey slowly turn his head to fix Jo with a stare, and the terribleness of what he was about to suggest hit her.
"Josette is pregnant—with twins, I've been told. I'm sure my father would have no problem stepping in as Regent until they are of age to complete the ritual."
Jo gasped, and Alaric stood up briskly, looking about ready to march down there and punch their brother directly in the jaw. "You have no right." he said fiercely.
"I have the only right, sine forisae." Joey intoned, his eyes glassy and impassive as he stared him down.
Magicless. Outsider.
Well, at least that cleared up any confusion on how Joey felt about the newlyweds. No wonder he hadn't deigned to attend the wedding.
"Joey!" her sister bristled angrily at the insult—it applied to her as well, now.
"Enough." Kai ordered, obviously somewhat off-put by his Joey's insensate, tactless argument. "Since this matter concerns me for obvious reasons, I cannot deem whether it is appropriate to be put forward as a motion or not. Therefore, it goes to an automatic vote."
It seemed as though everyone gasped at the same time, shock filling the room, and Liv felt her breath catch in her throat.
"Kai, what are you doing?" Jo whispered from beside her.
Joey was smiling triumphantly, and Azriel was staring at Kai as if he'd lost his damn mind. Liv sympathized with the sentiment. Kai could've easily shot the motion down, but instead he was letting it play out—why?
Athena Vossen and Gerard Blackwood, speakers of the inherited and elected seats respectively, stood up and took Joey and Azriel's places in the middle of the chamber.
"Motion put forward to a vote to impeach the Praetor, without precedent set, whatever it may look like, as the Council sees fit." Blackwood said, the uncertainty in his voice clear.
Good, Liv thought with great relief. Even if he was in Vossen's pocket, at least he still had half a brain to realize the insanity of a half-formed plan to impeach a sitting Ruler with no real contingency for the power vacuum that was sure to follow.
"Family seats vote first." Vossen stated. "Speaker votes aye on motion. "Argent?"
"Aye."
Unsurprising—the Argents were one of the most conservative families in the Coven, and they hated siphoners with a passion. Liv had had no doubt that Ginevra would jump to get rid of Kai as soon as possible, regardless of the consequences.
"Killian?"
"Nay."
"Parker?"
"Aye."
"Talbot?"
Liv held her breath. Morgaine Talbot was more neutral, if not liberal, than her father had been, that much was clear—but to know if she would actually side with Kai like this was another thing entirely.
"Nay."
Liv felt one of the knots in her gut start to uncurl, but it was far from over—the elected seats had yet to go, and they were down a vote.
"Elected seats vote second." Blackwood said. "Speaker votes aye on motion. Jackson?"
"Aye."
No surprise there—Denise Jackson was as much in Athena Vossen's pocket as Blackwood was.
"Mallor?"
"Nay."
No surprise there, either—Tristian Mallor's family was notoriously liberal, not to mention that Kai had just supported his latest motion.
"Lovelace?"
This was where it got complicated. Lovelace, Talbot, and Wright were the most neutral votes on the Council this term, and while most of them leaned liberally, anything was possible, especially surrounding prejudice against siphoners.
"Nay." Ivanka Lovelace said softly, and Liv felt like she might collapse to the floor.
"Wright?"
"Nay." he stated.
"Tie-breaking vote goes to the Praetor." Athena Vossen declared flatly, and oh, how Liv would've loved to memorialize the look on her face.
Kai maintained his carefully schooled facade. "Praetor votes nay."
"Motion defeated." Blackwood announced, and the reaction was instantaneous as people started debating amongst themselves loudly. Liv couldn't really tell what the general sentiment was, but it seemed to be a pretty mixed bag of relief and anger—the latter of which she felt flow through her as effectively as serotonin.
Jo put her head in her hands. "Oh, thank God."
"I don't know which of your brothers' teeth I want to knock out more." Alaric muttered.
"Welcome to my life." Liv grumbled.
"I'm going to kill him." Jo mumbled, her voice muffled by her palms. "I'm going to kill him. I am going to kill him."
"Get in line." Liv and Alaric chorused darkly.
Kai hadn't been sure the vote would even out and allow him to use his tie-break, but he had certainly been hopeful. He had had no guarantee that the unshakably neutral representatives Lovelace, Talbot, and Wright would side with him, but he had taken a chance on common sense prevailing nonetheless. There wasn't much else to do, really. He had to earn the Gemini's respect, and as much as they admired ambition, he wasn't going to gain their trust by becoming a tyrannical dictator. So, he gave them a clean shot to take him out—luckily for him, it had failed. What kind of idiot put forward a motion to impeach without a fully formed contingency plan to back it up? Joey Parker, apparently.
It struck him as odd though. He had always remembered Joey to be much cleverer than that. It surprised him that his little brother had shown his hand so soon—unless, that had been his true goal; to sow division and uncertainty. Or maybe Kai was overthinking it and Joey truly was a complete moron—it was concerningly hard to tell.
"Now comes the matter of the appointed seats." Vossen said, clearing her throat. "Has the Praetor decided on two advisors to nominate?"
"Yes," Kai announced, rising for his seat. "I nominate Joshua Parker and Reyna Killian to be appointed to the roles of consigliere." Consigliere—a fancy Gemini courtroom word for advisor that Kai had learned approximately three days ago.
"Does any representative object to the appointment of Joshua Parker or Reyna Killian?" Vossen asked, and her eyes indicated that she had plenty of objections, just not about the advisors. If any representatives objected to the actual nominations, they would have to come forward and present their evidence for thinking so, and the rest of the Council would vote afterwards.
Blackwood turned to the elected representatives, and one by one they all shook their heads. "No objections from the elected seats." he said.
Vossen did the same for the family seats, and no one brought forward any complaints, not that this was surprising. Joshua Parker was well-loved among the Council members, and the Killians were one of the more reputable old families. Regardless how the representatives felt about Kai, they were solid choices that would've been hard to argue against—especially considering that as far as everyone knew, (including Kai), Joshua still hated his son as much as the rest of them did. They probably thought he was an idiot for offering his father such a powerful place on the Council—hell, Kai wasn't so sure of it himself.
"Let the consigliere come forward to be sworn-in to their new positions." Vossen intoned, and Joshua and Reyna rose from their respective seats on either side of the room to stand in the middle of the chamber.
Reyna was in a dark blue dress, layered on top of a white turtleneck which contrasted her straight dark hair, and Kai didn't know how else to put it than the simple statement that she had grown up nice. Good looks continued to run in the Killian family, it appeared.
His father was in a sharp grey suit, looking impeccably put together, as always, and he looked so relaxed in the tense environment that Kai's chest ached. It was taking all of his self-restraint to stop himself from snapping, and here was Joshua Parker—the man who could've taught him to do all of this correctly from the get go—impossibly comfortable; born for this in a way Kai never was.
My father—the great Coven Ruler—treated me like crap for twenty-two years and then locked me in the prison world, his conversation with Damon in Mystic Falls a few short months ago echoed through his head like a bongo drum.
God, Kai wanted to rip his fucking throat out. But instead, he was offering him the figurative keys to the kingdom. Funny how that worked out, wasn't it?
Joshua and Reyna were sworn in on the Gemini statute ledger, their oaths fairly similar to his own, and then took their places on either side of him, Joshua next to Vossen on the side of the family seats, and Reyna next to Blackwood on the side of the elected seats.
Kai had approximately all of thirty seconds to marvel at how smoothly his nominations had gone over before everything went to hell.
"Get down!" Joshua bellowed, and Kai felt himself get brutally tackled to the ground just as a loud blast erupted in the chamber, accompanied by a bright flash. Much to his astonishment, his father, of all people, had potentially just saved his life, and was now scrambling off of him as he dragged them both to the shelter of the upturned tables.
"What is happening?" Kai demanded wildly.
"Does it look like I know?" his father snapped, peering out from the side of the table to try to catch a glimpse of the rest of the room.
Another blast went off, and the whole room shook.
"Werewolves." Joshua growled, turning back to face him.
"This doesn't feel like a werewolf attack!" Kai yelled over the noise—the screaming of his people. "In fact, it feels suspiciously magical. You know, like witches!"
His father frowned. "Why would witches attack their own?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because they hate me?"
"I hate you, but you don't see me attacking you." he grumbled, and Kai shot him a dirty look.
"Well, you're just a downright saint, aren't you?"
Another loud blast, and a wave of purple light followed it.
"Still think it's a werewolf attack?" Kai demanded.
"Honestly, right now I don't care."
"Let's go."
"No, Malachai!" Joshua called, grabbing his arm. "Your life is linked to all of us—the best thing you can do for this Coven is stay out of sight."
Kai yanked his arm out of his father's grip. "Lots of good it'll do them if half of them are dead."
"Half is better than all."
"I am the most powerful person in this room." he hissed. "I am not staying hidden behind a desk like a cowering child."
"For someone who doesn't want to be compared to a child, you are acting remarkably like one."
"Shut. Up." Kai ordered. "Save your breath for spells."
He stood up, muttering 'invisque' under his breath as he moved away to analyze the situation. He heard Joshua grumble something—probably about disobedient, moronic first sons—but then his father uttered the cloaking spell as well.
Kai had been right—they were being attacked by witches. Their faces were all obscured by eerie silver masks, and they were standing in a semi-circle on the top chamber's balcony, holding hands as they chanted in unison, producing different colored blasts of destructive light at such an effective rate that he took a second to marvel at how organized they were.
He uncloaked himself from behind the safety of a column, then darted out and threw his right arm up. "Vodus!" he yelled, and the railing in front of the offending witches exploded, throwing off their chanting. It didn't last long. Three of them broke off from their linking chain, running for the stairs that led down to where Kai and the rest of the Coven was, while the other witches resumed their chanting without more than a few seconds pause. This time it was different though, he felt their magic shift, focusing in on him.
"Fuck." he muttured, sending the group of witches a wary glance while also watching the three individual witches close in on him. He was powerful, but even he had limits, and he couldn't defeat three opponents while also worrying about the chanting ones above.
"Phasmatos superous em animi. Phasmatos superous em animi. Phasmatos superous em animi." he chanted, closing his eyes as he threw out a net, casting his spell wide enough to cover all three of the witches.
His attackers immediately fell to their knees, groaning as they gripped their heads, and Kai didn't waste a second before surging forward to siphon them, draining them of their magic and effectively neutralizing them.
"Motus!" someone yelled, and he just had the time to turn before he was being thrown against the column he had taken cover behind moments earlier.
"Immobilus!" he yelled back, waving his left hand in the direction he'd thought the spell had come from. When no answering hex came, he assumed it had found its mark.
Liv appeared in his peripheral vision, offering him her arm. "Need a little help there?" she asked.
"Are you on the phone?" he demanded disbelievingly, taking her outstretched arm and standing up.
"Bonnie, I'll call you back when I'm not in a war zone!" she yelled into her phone, hanging up.
Kai rolled his eyes—of course it would be Bonnie. "Typical."
"It's called multitasking."
"No. This—vados!" he threw his right arm out towards the chanting circle again, and the wall behind them exploded. "Is multitasking."
Liv sent him an unimpressed look. "There are different schools of thought."
"There really aren't." he retorted.
"Vasox!" someone chanted, and Kai reacted in a split second.
"Reboundus!" he called, extending both his arms and sending the blasting spell rebounding towards the caster, who flew backwards into the wall.
"What's your plan?" Liv asked, jerking her head in the direction of the still chanting semi-circle. "Other than just exploding the very expensive Coven heirlooms around them."
"I'm doing my best not to kill them." he said, sending her a dirty look, and she scoffed.
"Since when?"
"Since now!" he snapped.
"Great time for a no violence resolution, Kai."
"Scutum!" he yelled, throwing up a hasty shielding spell to protect them from an exploding charm that had been launched in their direction. "Are you going to stand here complaining all day or are you going to help me?" he demanded.
"What I should do is hex you." Liv grumbled.
"Shove it."
"Oh, trust me—I want to." she retorted, but she took up an offensive stance nonetheless.
"Kai!" someone was yelling repeatedly through the noise. A thick haze of smoke had descended on the room a few moments ago—an effect of all the spell-casting that was happening—but even without his full range of sight and greatly decreased hearing, Kai knew who it was.
"Azriel!" he yelled.
His friend stumbled out of the smoke. "There you are!" he exclaimed, relieved. "We didn't know where you'd gone or what had happened to you."
Kai lifted a questioning eyebrow. "Well, considering you're all alive, I think it was safe to assume that I was still breathing."
"It was still a concern, knowing you."
"Jo?" Kai inquired.
"Her and Alaric are with your dad." Azriel assured.
Kai nodded, and something akin to relief washed over him.
"Kai." Liv reminded him impatiently. "The chanters."
"Leave that to me." he said, starting to jog to where he thought the stairs were—it was hard to tell through the smoke. "Just hold down the fort here."
He could just hear Liv grumble, "What does that even mean?", before she was out of earshot and he was on his own.
"Invisque." he whispered, before starting to make his way up the stairs.
He could see the battle better from his new vantage point—the smoke hadn't risen this high yet—and he now had a clear view of the defense his father and the rest of the Coven had mounted. They too were gathered in a semi-circle, and they were raising a wide shield for everyone to huddle behind. Towards the back of the group were two rows of the Coven's best offensive spell casters, who were launching volley after volley towards the attacking group, but they simply hit the shield that had just been raised in response. They were effectively operating blind.
"Patentibus." Kai muttered, and with a flick of his wrist, the windows of the Council chamber flew open, allowing some of the smoke to start to escape. He continued to make his way up the stairs.
They must've had boundary alert spells set up, because although he was cloaked, they turned with his approach, and four of them broke off to intercept him. He reluctantly ditched his concealment, which had turned out to be utterly ineffective for the first time since he'd learned it, and raised his arms.
"Fluctus inpulsa." he chanted, stomping his foot into the ground. The spell sent a shockwave outward, and with the magic of five witches in him, it knocked his attackers out cold immediately.
Six more advanced, but he sliced his arm through the air wordlessly and they all collapsed like ragdolls. It felt incredible—he was on a magic high, and he couldn't imagine ever coming down. He was immortalized in that moment—unbeatable and powerful beyond reasonable limits—but the feeling didn't last long. The witches he had knocked out rose again, circling him, and the linked witches joined them, trapping him within their circle. They started chanting again, this time louder, and Kai felt a searing pain in the back of his head—so intense he thought it might explode.
"Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum. Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum. Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum."
He grit his teeth.
"Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum. Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum. Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum."
Kai dropped to one knee.
"Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum. Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum. Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum."
He groaned, trying to think through the pain, but nothing except the searing sensation registered.
"Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum. Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum. Phasmatos pyrox porsinus illum."
He heard his Coven calling his name, and he tried in vain to muster enough power to repel the attack. But then their chants changed, and his blood ran cold.
"Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum."
No. Not again—never again.
"Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum."
They were trying to send him back to his prison world, and Kai would rather die right now than spend another minute in that hell. Even the thought of it made him sick, and the sensation—any feeling other than pain—strengthened his resolve. He would not go back.
"Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum."
He roared as his magic ripped free of him, expanding outwards in a deadly blue circle of light, arcing towards his attackers—even those spread out on the lower levels—but miraculously missing his own Coven. They were knocked back by the sheer force of it, not to mention what the magic might actually be loaded with, and a sickening crack could be heard as witches hit the walls and columns—the sound of bones and necks breaking. Kai thought he might throw up.
He stayed kneeling on the floor, not wanting to look up at the destruction he had unleashed, and even as his people started to talk, he didn't move. Not even when Jo ran up to him, repeating his name and shaking his shoulders did he move. Or when Azriel snapped his fingers in front of his face. Or when Liv slapped him.
The magical high he had felt only moments ago had come crashing down around him—and Kai didn't think he would ever move again.
He was destroyed.
And they were dead.
Author's Notes:
→ if you want to know what Kai looks like in this, look up Officer Jake Riley from Containment (another Chris Wood character), and that'll give you a pretty good idea
→ how we feeling about Joey being alive? And how much do we hate Athena Vossen?