[  SMUT WARNING. don't want it? don't read it babes.

also wattpad is being weird with formatting and won't let me center things without centering the whole chapter and I need them to fix it bc I'm too particular abt that stuff  ]

☆︎

I AM NOT THE DESCENDANT OF THE BLACK HERETIC. I AM THE BLACK HERETIC.

Ithaca walked purposefully alongside Kirigan to the dungeons where the assassin was being held. Zoya and Ivan and already been with him for an hour, but it was time to get actual answers — and there was nothing that Ithaca excelled at better than torture.

"Has he talked?" Kirigan asked Zoya as she met them at the bottom of the stairs.

"A lot of lies. Ivan's with him," she explained, leading him through the room.

There, tied to a chair, was a man who looked ragged. And blood covered his shirt — Marie's blood. Ithaca saw red but held off on attacking him, knowing that he was Aleksander's prisoner, not hers. Besides, he'd promised she'd get a turn at him.

"I've been swindled. Hoodwinked," the prisoner insisted, beginning to tremble at the sight of the Darkling.

"My guards tell me that they caught you fleeing the scene of the crime," Kirigan said simply.

"Yes, I followed them."

"Followed whom?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They come from the other side of the Fold. From the start, they seemed, just, a bit off to me, so when they left our stage, at the Fete, I followed them to see what they were up to, and at the time that I walked into that room, they were gone and — Saints, it was... unspeakable. So I ran. I..."

Kirigan looked to Ivan, who was standing behind the man. "How much of that is true?"

"He did cross the Fold with the others," he explained. "The rest were lies."

"What? That's... No—"

His stuttering was cut off by Ivan. "Your heart gives you away."

"Do you know we keep records of everyone who crosses the Fold?" Kirigan asked him. "For the Winter Fete, we had ambassadors from Kerch, Novyi Zem, the Wandering Isle, but you didn't cross with them, did you? No, you and your crew, you have another way."

"I don't know what you mean. I - I—"

"He does," Ivan claimed.

"I'm an entertainer," the prisoner insisted. "Oskar, Oskar Krepkov."

Growing tired of his lies, Kirigan moved to his side and forcefully grabbed his arm. Ithaca didn't feel very sympathetic when she heard his bones cracking — she'd have cut his hand off if it were her. Kirigan turned his arm over to reveal countless scars, all signifying a successful trip across the Fold and back.

"Well, that is certainly entertaining," Kirigan said, eying his skin, his tone growing darker. "You are the Conductor, Arken Visser, are you not?"

"You smuggle Grisha out of my palace!" he shouted, moving back to Ithaca's side. "You help them abandon the war effort."

"No," he denied. "I deal in legal indentures. I don't mess with Grisha."

"Lie," Ivan revealed.

"I don't need him to tell me. I had a spy. Nina Zenik," he revealed. "Ring any bells?"

Visser's face darkened, realizing he'd been tricked. "Nina?"

"Last report we had from her was that she'd be crossing the Fold with the Conductor and three rogues from Ketterdam. What their mission was, she didn't know. She was waiting to meet you all. Now, poor Nina... has not been heard from since. Might that have something to do with you, Mr. Visser?"

"No. I don't," he insisted. And when Ivan shrugged, they knew he was telling the truth. "See? I don't know what happened."

"My guess, you struck a deal with these three thieves to kidnap Alina Starkov. But you have a stronger relationship with a certain West Ravkan general who has notions of ruling his own country," Aleksander said while walking around his chair threateningly. He also motioned for Ivan to leave his side, going to stand by Zoya. "So long as the Fold separates him from us. So, you made another deal. You put on a disguise. And you played at being assassin."

Visser glared at him. "That's right. The prize to bring her back to Ketterdam was a million split four ways. But Zlatan offered me the same number... to kill her. So, give me half that, I'll get revenge for you. I can get close to Zlatan."

Rather than answer right away, Kirigan nodded to the two other summoners in the room to leave, which they did.

"No," he said simply now that they were alone. "I think I'll handle that myself."

"But I can help!" he insisted. "Tell me how I can help."

"Oh, you will help," Ithaca said, stepping forward. "You'll be giving me the names of these kidnappers."

As the Starlight Summoner came closer, he stuttered out their names quickly. "A Suli girl. Inej. Jesper something. And Kaz Brekker. He was their leader. Mr. Brekker."

"Well, you have been very useful," she said, slamming her hands down on his wrists, making him flinch. Then she began to call on the starlight, it so cold that it felt like his hands were burning, making him scream.

"Please! I've done everything—"

"Yes, you have," she cut him off, fury in her eyes. She dug her nails into his skin until she drew blood, making him whimper. "You tried to kill my best friend. But you failed. And now, you'll die the same way that poor decoy did — choking on your blood."

Visser nervously looked at Kirigan as if he'd help him out — in that moment, the Sun Summoner's best friend was far more terrifying than the Darkling. He just smirked and leaned against the wall, drinking in the sight of Ithaca's violent side.

Suddenly, it felt like fire had entered the prisoner's veins. Pure starlight swept through the cuts in his wrists, beginning to burn him from inside out. His screams were deafening as Ithaca released him and backed up, her hands focused on moving the starlight through his body.

His body shook violently while shimmering from the inside out like some beautiful show of power. As she moved the power toward his head, blood began to pool from his mouth and drip from his eyes. The screams grew garbled before cutting off altogether, and even when he went still, she continued until his body was unrecognizable, finally sending the starlight away.

☆︎

Ithaca had been with Genya, watching her get fitted for her red kefta. In the midst of Alina's disappearance, the King had fallen terribly ill. She wasn't naive — Ithaca knew that Kirigan had supplied the Tailor with the means to poison him, and it drove her crazy knowing that he was letting her kill him — the good kind of crazy. It was what she deserved, though Ithaca thought it would've been more satisfactory to let Genya drive a dagger through his heart.

But now that Genya was finally with a color that she deserved, it was time to focus back on finding Alina. When the sun set, she'd be joining a group going out to search for Alina and the thieves that took her. So, Ithaca made her way back to Aleksander's room.

Only to overhear Zoya, who felt she had a right to follow him from the war room to his bedroom.

"Maybe she wasn't abducted," Zoya told the General. "Maybe she was rescued. Maybe she ran with them."

Clearly, Kirigan wasn't pleased with the presumption. "The Sun Summoner... ran off? Without Ithaca?"

"She didn't get on with others here like Ithaca did," Zoya reasoned. Ithaca rolled her eyes. Alina got on perfectly well with Genya, Marie, and Nadia. "The kefta never fit her quite right. And the pressure of saving so many lives—"

"I know exactly how she felt," he cut her off. "The King's soldiers treated me the same way. Because they knew. They knew that I was more important than any of them."

Ithaca smirked down at her feet as Kirigan stood up for himself. But then he seemed to walk back on his words.

"I'm not myself today," he mumbled.

Then Zoya lowered her voice, and Ithaca saw red. "You used to call on me... on times like this."

"Did I?" Aleksander asked, sounding wholly uninterested.

"When your table was messy and your bed was neat. I'd help you make it the other way around. You'd let yourself relax."

Before Ithaca could storm into the bedroom and give Zoya a piece of her mind — or rather a fist to the face — Kirigan was stopping her advances.

"I shall relax when I have Alina," he told her calmly. "And after that, Ithaca is the only think I'll ever need to relax. Goodbye, Zoya."

His goodbye was a command for her to leave him alone, and as she speedily left the bedroom, she came across an unimpressed Ithaca. She backed Zoya into the wall, a dark look in her eyes.

"He's mine, Zoya," she said firmly. "I don't take too kindly to others going after what's mine."

Zoya opened her mouth to reply with something snarky only to remember their fight at combat training — she wasn't looking for a rematch. So, she huffed and shoved past Ithaca, practically stomping from the room. Ithaca watched her go with narrowed eyes.

Because of that, she didn't see Aleksander coming up behind her, but she felt it when he put his hands on her shoulders. She relaxed at his touch, leaning back against him.

He leaned down, his lips brushing her ear. "Someone's possessive," he said almost teasingly.

Rather than reply, she turned and pushed him into the wall, surprising him. Then she stood on her toes and grabbed his cheeks, pulling him into a deep kiss. All she could picture was Zoya's hands running over his perfect body, and it fucking pissed her off. She wanted her touch to be the only one he ever thought about.

"Like I said," she muttered against his lips. "You're mine."

"Yours," he said before lifting her effortlessly. He moved from her lips to her neck, sucking harshly on her skin. Her head lolled to the side, giving him better access as he walked them back to his bedroom.

She let out a breathy whine as his teeth scraped against her collarbone, likely leaving marks all along her neck. She tugged harshly on his hair, making him moan against her, loving the feeling as she pulled at his tresses.

Aleksander dropped her onto his bed rather unceremoniously, wasting no time in crawling up her body, hands expertly unbuttoning her kefta as he did so. Ithaca couldn't get the garment off fast enough, leaving her in a pair of leggings and a bra.

He groaned at the sight of her chest spilling from the material. Too impatient to remove it fully, he pushed the fabric down, freeing her breasts. His lips sought out her chest, placing hot, open-mouthed kisses on her nipple until it was a perky bud, perfect for sucking on. He playfully nipped at it before swirling his tongue around it soothingly, making her sigh contently.

And all the while, she writhed restlessly beneath him. So it came as quite a relief when he began working her leggings down her thighs, taking her underwear along with it. Even still, he sought out her lust-filled eyes.

"You're sure?" he asked warily, not wanting to do anything she wasn't comfortable with.

Ithaca cupped his cheek and nodded, rubbing her thumb over his lips. "Your mouth says the most infuriating things sometimes. I'd like to see if it's capable of anything remotely enjoyable."

He grinned and leaned in to kiss her once more. "I'll try my best, Little Star," he said before beginning to kiss down her body. He moved at a torturously slow pace, likely as payback for her infuriating comment.

His tongue teasingly slid down from her bellybutton to her hips. Then his nose nudged her clit, and she lifted her hips off the mattress only for him to push them back down.

"Stay still for me," he ordered, drinking in the sight of her.

He used his fingers to part her folds and then delved in, kissing her clit slowly. He swiped his tongue along it leisurely, loving the sharp intake of breath she took in. It was so hard to get reactions from her and yet something so simple and slow had her clutching the sheets.

Then Aleksander really got to work, latching onto the bundle of nerves, sucking on it until she was a panting mess, her legs shaking and toes curling.

"Aleks," she moaned, tangling her fingers in his hair to keep him close — not that he'd ever dream of stopping.

As he continued to swirl his tongue around her clit, he slowly brushed his fingertips against her opening, toying with her with each light caress. It drove her mad and she lifted her hips again only for them to be forced down by dark swirls of shadows.

Finally, after ages — at least, it felt like ages — he slid two fingers inside of her, beginning to stretch her out. She choked on a moan, her head falling back on the pillow. Her grip on his hair tightened, and he moaned against her core, the vibrations making her head a bit fuzzy.

"Don't stop," she begged, feeling her release coming. "Please, please — ah!"

Aleksander had pulled away from her so suddenly, having felt her walls tighten around his digits. He had a smug smirk on his handsome face, staring down at her appalled expression.

"What the fuck?" she asked, her anger growing.

"I figured that since my mouth was so infuriating, you wouldn't want anything to do with it," he said while licking his lips clean. Then he brought his drenched fingers to his mouth, but before he could suck them clean, Ithaca was flipping him over, taking him by surprise.

It was certainly a sight, her straddling him while completely naked, him still fully clothed below her. And she took his two fingers into her mouth, taking them until his fingertips hit the back of her throat. He groaned as she expertly ran her tongue around his fingers, a show of her skills that he was waiting to test somewhere else. Once they were clean, she pulled back and stared down at him with darkened eyes.

"You, my General, are wearing far too much clothing for my liking," she said while grinding against the growing bulge in his trousers. He groaned and gripped her hips, letting her move against him a few more times before letting her unbutton his kefta.

Ithaca's mouth watered at the sight of his firm chest as she pushed the kefta off his shoulders along with the shirt underneath, neither caring as she ripped a few buttons. She thought the man had been sculpted by the Saints themselves, eyes drinking in his defined torso, gaze fixed on the dark hair beneath his belly button, trailing down toward his pants and disappearing along with the prominent lines forming a V, a promise of what was to come.

Her hands worked easily at his belt before loosening his trousers and pushing them down his muscular thighs. She moaned at the sight of a long, throbbing cock that was at attention, ready for her touch.

"Saints, you're perfect," she couldn't help but admit breathlessly, staring at the pink tip. And she meant it, as she was never one to compliment people out loud.

"Says the Saint sitting upon me," he murmured before groaning when she wrapped her hand around his length, giving a few light strokes, feeling him grow even more in her grip.

Then Ithaca raised herself, lining him up with her entrance. She sank down on him slowly, groaning as he stretched her out — it'd been ages since she slept with someone.

"Saints," she swore, hands falling flat on his stomach. He had to resist pulling her down on his cock, knowing she'd need time to adjust. "You're so big, Aleksander."

He couldn't help but moan when she finally reached his base, resting for a moment as she got used to his full size. Then she leaned down to kiss him while moving her hips, begging to ride him. His tongue sought out her own in seconds, deepening the kiss. He met each shift with a thrust of his own, feeling his head swim as she practically swallowed his cock.

"Feel so good wrapped around my cock," he groaned, fingers digging into her thighs, intending to leave bruises. "'S like you were made for me."

"I was," she moaned, speeding up. Saints, he was hitting something so deep inside of her. It made it hard to think much less be concerned about her dignity over the sounds she was letting out. "Just for you."

With one hand still on his stomach, Ithaca reached for her chest, closing her eyes as she squeezed her breast, pinching and rolling her nipple. Aleksander groaned at the sight, before taking her hand in his. She let him slide it down her body and toward their joined cores. Then he made her touch herself there, rubbing circles together against her clit.

She whimpered from the added stimulation, clenching around him so tightly that he swore under his breath. And he could tell she was close by how sloppy her movements grew. He flipped them over quickly, thrusting into her deeply from a new angle. It only took a few strokes before he felt his release coming.

Dark shadows began creeping up along the walls as he lost control of himself. Ithaca hardly noticed it, the shadows feeling just as comforting as his touch.

"Didn't — fuck — cover up," he grunted, biting down on her shoulder. She whimpered, feeling him break skin. "Where?"

"Stomach," she mumbled, hiding her head in his neck. "'M almost there."

He felt it as soon as she came, walls tightening around him like she didn't want to let go. It was an internal struggle to fully pull out of her, but as soon as he did, her smaller hands wrapped around his cock, stroking his aching length until his own orgasm crashed into him like a tidal wave.

White hot cum spilled out from her cunt, paired with his release dripping from her stomach onto the sheets, making a mess of things.

Still catching his breath, Aleksander leaned down, licking up the cum off her sensitive cunt, making her cry out. Then he kissed up her body, taking his own release into his mouth before kissing her, making her taste it. She moaned and sucked on his tongue, tangling her fingers in his hair.

Though he was spent, his eyes were shining with some unreadable emotion while staring down at her. He'd been alive a long time — a very long time — and never had being intimate with someone felt so... intimate.

Beneath him, Ithaca was glowing. Finally, he tore his eyes away from her, noticing how stars were shining around them, her own powers mixing with his, starlight and shadows dancing around them.

"That was..."

"Yeah," she said, running her fingers through his hair. Neither needed to express it in words, both knowing how the other felt. "It was."

☆

︎

He traced light lines back and forth along her spine, both relaxing in the comforting silence that had fallen over them. Ithaca was content with her head against his bare chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

"We'll have to be leaving soon," Ithaca murmured, not daring to move an inch. His arms were far too comforting. He felt more like home than the orphanage ever had.

"We can afford to wait a little while longer," he said, feeling the exact same as she did.

She hummed and slid up until her face was by his. Then she kissed him slowly, melting into him when he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He didn't want to let her go, afraid of losing her now that everything was coming to a head. When Ithaca felt his kiss grow more desperate with some kind of realization, she pulled back and studied his troubled face more closely.

"What is it?" she asked, pushing some of his dark hair off his forehead.

Aleksander didn't know when his worst fear had shifted from losing the war to losing Ithaca, but it certainly was all he could think about now. He looked at her with shining eyes, terrified that she'd slip away from him once she knew the truth.

And so he had to tell her the truth.

"There's something I wish to say — something I've never said before. But before I do, I must tell you something else," he said, speaking slowly. "Something that may send you running from the room."

"Well, I hope not or the guards will get quite a show," she joked, pulling the comforter closer to her naked form. Then she cupped his cheek. "You couldn't send me running, General Kirigan."

He leaned into her touch and shut his eyes. "My name, my real one, is Aleksander Morozova," he said, still refusing to look at her. "And I am not the descendant of the Black Heretic. I am the Black Heretic."

His heart broke when she slowly removed her hand from his cheek, and after a moment of agonizing silence, he opened his eyes to gauge her reaction.

There was a guarded look in her green eyes, but she wasn't disgusted or horrified, not as he expected.

"I think I'm going to need more information," she murmured.

And so he told her. Aleksander told her of how he and his mother were centuries old — and that Ithaca and Alina were likely immortal as they were. He never knew his Heartrender father. He'd spent countless years searching for his half-silblings who wanted nothing to do with him. His best friend had tried to kill him for his amplifier abilities when he was thirteen. And in a fit of rage and grief, he'd created the Fold, which he was unable to use and expand because of the Volcra that were drawn to him.

By the end of it, Ithaca was leaning back against the headboard, staring at the wall instead of him. The silence that fell over them was almost as suffocating as the Darkling's shadows.

Truthfully, Ithaca wasn't surprised. Maybe she felt a bit betrayed, but she wasn't surprised. She'd always been drawn to darkness — why should Aleksander be any different?

"You have to tell Alina when we get her back from the thieves," she finally said. "She deserves just as I do to know the truth. And if she doesn't want to weaponize the Fold like we do, then we won't force her. I won't let you."

Aleksander remained silent, making her wonder what he was thinking. Truthfully, he didn't know if he could give up the chance at weaponizing the Fold just because Ithaca wanted to make sure Alina was comfortable with it all. He'd waited centuries for a Sun Summoner and finally had one.

Could he really pass up the opportunity just because Ithaca asked him to?

"What else?" Ithaca then asked.

"What do you mean?" he questioned, not once taking his eyes off her.

Ithaca turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "You told me all that just so you could say something else. I can't imagine anything worse, so what else is there?"

Aleksander felt like his heart was in his throat, it longing to choke him to keep the confession at bay. And he'd never considered himself a coward but let it control him anyway.

"Perhaps another time," he murmured. "You've a lot to process."

"And I've processed it," she said firmly. Ithaca narrowed her eyes. "Don't keep secrets from me. Tell me now, or I'll leave and never come back."

The silence was agonizing, and the words were stuck in Aleksander's mouth, his tongue unable to form the syllables. So, Ithaca huffed impatiently and moved to get out of the bed.

Instantly, shadows wrapped around her wrist, pulling her back to him. She looked at him in annoyance, unable to free herself — the downside of her starlight not able to banish his shadows.

"Aleksander—"

"I'm in love with you," he finally admitted, making her freeze. "I have walked this earth countless years and never has my heart stirred before now. That's... what I wanted to tell you."

For once, Ithaca didn't know what to say. She didn't have a snide remark or a joke because no one had ever been in love with her. Saints, no one had ever wanted more from her than a night between the sheets — but Aleksander already got that from her and still wanted more.

And Ithaca fucking hated that her own heart stirred when he was near. She hated that in just a few weeks, he'd become the center of her world. She hated that she felt the same way.

So, she leaned forward and held the back of his head, running her fingers through his dark hair. "I love you too," she murmured. "And Saints, that scares me. So, please don't fuck it up."

Aleksander smiled, and she thought it was breathtaking. He was so beautiful when he smiled. "I won't fuck it up."

She shook her head and leaned in to kiss him. Then she mumbled against his lips, "I don't believe you."

☆

︎

The ride in the carriage was fairly silent — only Aleksander, Ithaca, and David were permitted inside while the others rode on horseback. Ithaca kept her eyes glued to the window as if she'd catch a lucky glimpse of Alina walking along the side of the road. She was more anxious than ever to find her friend and get rid of the Ketterdam trash that took her away.

Finally, they seemed to catch up to the thieves, finding the very wagon that was stolen from an ambassador at the Fete.

"The wagon matches the one that was reported stolen from the palace," Ivan reported to Kirigan as they all got out of the carriage.

"They may have continued on horseback, faster, harder to track," Zoya surmised.

One of the guards along with them was going to search the wagon, only for it to explode suddenly. Kirigan grabbed Ithaca and covered her with his body, keeping any burning debris from hitting her before straightening up.

People began clamoring outside, and though most of them didn't know what to look for, an a Inferni named Polina had gotten a good look at the girl responsible for killing her brother. So, when she spotted Inej, she took off, shooting fire her way without a care in the world of who she hit. And Ivan ran after Jesper, who had two guns in hand that he was quite skilled with.

Rather than chase after the lackeys, Ithaca and Kirigan sought out the leader. It didn't take long at all to find him lurking in an alleyway, walking with a limp and keeping his head down. And when Kaz spotted the two most imposing people he'd ever seen, he came to an abrupt stop. He couldn't help but be intimidated by the burning hatred in Ithaca's eyes that were coated in black kohl.

"I know you kidnapped our Sun Summoner," Kirigan told him.

"And now you're going to tell me where you stashed her," Ithaca added. "Then I'll let you die quickly."

"We didn't take her," Kaz insisted. "She fled on her own."

"She wouldn't!" Ithaca said harshly, her hands beginning to glow. Alina wouldn't leave without her.

"Wouldn't she?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kirigan breathed in deeply. "Where is she? I won't ask you again."

"I don't know," he insisted. "It was pretty clear she wasn't interested in being a captive anymore. She's probably halfway to Novyi Zem by now."

Ithaca was shaking with anger and she took a step forward. "You should have stayed in Ketterdam, Kaz."

She moved her hands, copying Aleksander's as he'd shown her in training, prepared to use the Cut. But before she released it, Kaz threw down an explosive. Similarly to her starlight, it blinded them, and by the time they'd opened their eyes, the thief was gone, leaving behind a smoking barrel that was cut in half.

Ithaca screamed in frustration, starlight shooting from her hands and ramming into the stone walls around them, breaking them apart. Then she turned and stormed back to the carriage, not bothering to say a damn word to Aleksander as she left.

She stalked back and forth in front of their carriage, trying to think like Alina would. And Kirigan watched her silently for a few moments before Ivan returned along with Zoya, both unsuccessful in catching the other two.

"We'll search the rest of the town. Speak to everyone all night if you must," Aleksander ordered. "I'll speak with the stable hand. See if any horses have been taken."

It left Ithaca alone, who could only hear the blood drumming away in her ears. Alina had left her alone for whatever reason. Weren't they meant to trust each other with everything? After all, Ithaca had exposed her greatest secret to save the girl. So why did she run? And why didn't she bring Ithaca with her?

She was the last person Alina had now that Mal had forgotten about them.

At the thought of Mal, Ithaca looked at the woods. Above all else, Mal always made sure that the two girls knew how to survive out in the wild, giving them tips and telling them how to leave clues so that he could always find them. Leave behind little personal items in the way you were heading.

What were the odds that it was so ingrained in Alina's mind that she still left clues?

Without telling anyone, not even David, Ithaca took to the woods, pushing past tree branches and bushes, emitting a soft glow from her hand to help her see. And after running for nearly a mile and a half, she came across a bush with something very familiar on it.

The iridium ring that Genya gifted Alina, one she'd seen countless times.

So, rather than turn around, Ithaca gripped the ring and kept going, determined as ever to find her best friend, not caring that she was leaving Aleksander behind because of it.