-Oh, that's not a story to tell over text.
Kai grimaced as he recalled the sequence of events that led to his secret being blown. He had been outside with Luke and a few of the younger Gemini members fiddling around with the fireworks display. Something had gone wrong and instead of waiting to figure out what it was, Kai took the reins and lit up the sky himself. The sparks of the fireworks combined with the sparks of his magic had made it truly a sight to behold.
The surprise on everyone's face was nothing compared to the surprise and fury on his father's face. His face had gone a shade of red that Kai didn't even know existed in nature. The following day Joshua wasted no time and called an emergency council meeting for Kai to demonstrate and explain what happened.
"You are lying. There is no way the Bennetts would ever give you anything. Even though you are an abomination, you're still a Gemini." He turned to face the rest of the council. "He must have stolen it from Sheila's granddaughter who's been left all alone in that god forsaken town."
Kai narrowed his eyes as he regarded his father, he didn't think anyone even knew Bonnie existed. Logically he knew it was only natural that the coven kept tabs on their allies (even former ones like the Bennetts) but something about Joshua Parker ever interacting with Bonnie set Kai on edge.
"Actually it was a thank you from the Bennetts, Sheila in particular." Jo already knew what the deal was, so he addressed the rest of the council. He quickly gave a shortened version of how he came to be involved and how he was rewarded for bringing back the last Bennett.
"Malachai, while I'm sure the Bennetts were very grateful for your help, how can we be certain that there was no coercion on your part?" The question was asked by an older woman sitting to Jo's right. Cecelia Whickam had been a Gemini ally for decades at this point. She had already been on the council when Joshua took over for his father, and was one of the few people who was never shy about speaking her mind.
Kai frowned, "You think I somehow managed to blackmail them into giving me magic?" He asked incredulously.
"No, of course not." The person sitting next to her, a bald black man who Kai was sure had a different suit for every color of the rainbow, rushed to answer. "We would just feel better about this….unexpected revelation if we could speak with Ms. Bennett herself. This is rather unprecedented, especially considering the history of Sheila with our former leader."
"No way, Leon." Kai responded immediately, "You are not dragging Bonnie into this, she's just a kid." As soon as he saw his father's eyebrows shoot up, he knew he had made a mistake using Bonnie's given name instead of Ms. Bennett.
"A child she may be, but that still doesn't change the fact that all we have to go on right now is your word." Leon pressed, smoothing down the front of his immaculate suit, "what's the harm in asking a simple question?"
"She doesn't know coven protocol, that's not the way Sheila raised her." Kai knew that Bonnie having to stand in front of a table full of strangers would do more harm than good. "You want to freak her out? You want to keep the Bennetts in the 'former allies' camp? This is how you do it."
"Why are you working so hard to keep her hidden, do you have something to hide?" Joshua was apparently hell-bent on pissing Kai off today it seemed.
"It's called being protective, not that you'd know anything about that, dad." Kai sneered, "She's barely stepped into the magic world, and she's been in over her head the whole time. We should be offering to help her, not looking for ways to discredit her."
There were murmurs of agreement amongst the council, but Kai knew that even though he was a former leader, his father still held a lot of sway with the older members. Fortunately Jo was working to actively counter all that and bring in a new point of view.
"The chair has heard enough, there doesn't seem to be a crime here." She started.
Before Jo could go any further, Joshua stood up in disbelief, "Are you not going to investigate this?"
"The chair is speaking." Jo raised her voice to be heard over the prior leader, "You will sit down and remain so until she is finished." Kai could feel the power she wielded flow through the air to wrap menacingly around Joshua.
"As previously stated, there doesn't seem to be a crime committed here" Kai could feel the corner of his mouth lift in a smirk, "However, I do believe it would be in the best interest of all involved if we received word from Ms. Bennett herself that the magic was given freely and without coercion. So I am tasking Councilman Elias Trammell to travel to Mystic Falls." She nodded to the silent gray haired man sitting on the other end of the table.
Kai felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. Elias Trammell worked in what he considered was the justice department of the Gemini. No one really knew how old he was, Kai swore he looked the same now as he did when he was a kid. He was gentle and kind, able to pick apart someone's brain without them even realizing that he was doing it. He'd be fair with Bonnie and not make it seem like an inquisition. He would owe Jo big time for this, he knew.
The meeting was almost adjourned when Joshua spoke up once more, "If I may," He asked, half standing from his chair, "I would like to request that his magic be stored elsewhere until we have discovered whether or not this story is true." Kai clenched his fists, they would have to kill him to take what was rightfully his.
"Denied." Jo said flatly.
"Then respectfully may I request that it be bound?" Joshua tried again.
"Denied." Jo placed both hands on the table and squared off with her father, "I will not get into habit of administering hasty punishments, I have seen far too many in the past. Much like the courts of the mundanes, we will wait until we have all of the evidence in hand. That is my final say on this matter." Her voice brooked no argument and not for the first time, Kai was glad that his sister had won the merge instead of him. He doubted he would have kept his cool in the same situation.
Jo paused on her way out the door and looked back at her father who had sat back down in his chair, "Besides you're forgetting something crucial. I'm the leader of the Gemini Coven, I control Gemini magic, what he has flowing through him is not of this coven. I doubt I'd be able to either take it away or bind it at all. The Bennetts always believed in looking out for their own first and foremost."