Page 16 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos (The Rossi Legacies #7)

Sienna

“ I ’ve arrived.”

I raise my eyebrow as Jayce’s voice comes through the van. We’re still about ten minutes away.

“ Be careful,” Allison’s voice comes.

“ I can’t tell what it is yet. There are three bodies… I’m not sure if there are any survivors. We have some tracks. Lucius and Renji, I want you to follow those. Sending coordinates now,” Jayce answers, completely ignoring Allison.

They exchange a few words, and I remain silent, paying attention but not contributing. Trying to figure out what it is.

“Can you ask the age and sex of the bodies?” I ask Lucius softly.

He looks down at me, a faint smile on his face. “Sure thing, but you can also do that.”

“If you could?” I whisper.

I glance up, catching a couple of the others looking at me.

“Jayce, what are the ages and sexes of the victims?” Lucius asks,

“Women, in their 20s, why?”

Lucius looks at me. “Why, Sienna?”

I feel my cheeks heat at that. “It’s possibly a manananggal,” I say.

“And you would know that, how? They aren’t in England .” Allison’s annoying voice comes.

“Exactly,” Himari adds from opposite me.

“They are,” I say with such conviction that they all glance at me.

“Is that something you saw, or you heard?” Jayce asks, his tone somewhat calmer than usual. “Manananggals were not on the list of possible threats.”

“I heard two of the professors talk about it in the library. They said they have been sighted in England,” I explain, trying to calm my nerves.

Am I really having a conversation with Jayce?

“ Then we keep that open as a possibility. Change of plan, we split into groups, especially as it puts the females at higher risk of being attacked, even if they are known to go for children or pregnant women.”

“Understood!”

We reach our stop soon enough, and we all get out. A few of them take guns from the rack and some bullets. I’m fine with the dagger Jayce had passed me. The silence at the edge of the woods is ominous, and the darkness from within the trees is even more chilling.

Why would people even go camping in such a place?

Those in the car have already arrived and are looking around. I spot Jayce’s bike a few yards away, but can’t see him anywhere.

“Stay close,” Brock says to me as we all walk towards the tree line and into the woods.

We keep walking, and I press a button on my Schattensicht and see the faint line appear in front of my vision, spreading in three directions, leading me towards Jayce, Renji and Lucius.

The Schattensicht uses neuro links, and the connection to the mind and vision is incredible.

The King might be scary and cold, but he’s also a genius. I’ve seen these in the simulation rooms, but have never worn one. We keep walking and reach Jayce soon enough. He’s crouched down looking at what looks like a- gods…

I look away from the torn limb as he stands tall and looks over at us.

“It’s come this way. I’m not sure if there’s more than one, but we’ll keep following this path.

Stay alert.” He leads the way, and we’re all silent.

Listening for anything or sniffing in some of their cases.

“Renji, Lucius, see if you can locate the survivors. If there’s a threat, don’t move in, wait for us. ”

I suddenly stop when I feel it, the carnal lust for blood and flesh. It’s so strong.

I take a deep breath as I spin around. “They’re coming,” I breathe.

“Oh, whatever-” Allison is cut off when the sinister hiss I’ve heard in my dreams many times reaches my ears.

I hear Jayce give an order, his voice sharp, but I can’t comprehend the words. All I feel is the desire to kill. My head is pounding, and the chaos is growing.

Another snarl from the manananggal, and I try to remember what Jayce told me: stay back, because I’m just in the middle of all this when I shouldn’t be. I clutch my head, the agony of trying to keep a hold of my own emotions that are rising up inside of me, hitting me hard.

“There are two,” I say just as Jayce speaks.

“I can hear two.”

He looks at me, and I look away from his sharp expression.

“You’re good. You sure you don’t belong in Noctaris?” Artemis whispers as she motions for me to follow her and step back. Just then, I hear the ragged breathing of the manananggal nearby.

It bursts from the shadows, arms spread wide, eyes burning with hunger. Its fanged mouth gapes open, shrieking, as it lunges forward, the disgusting smell of rotting flesh burning my nose.

The second one is right behind it, climbing down from the branches like some creepy half-bodied spider. Its claws digging into the bark before it drops onto the ground with incredible agility.

Valerian, Jayce, and Brock move at the same time.

Jayce is the fastest. He surges forward, spinning on his heel as he kicks the first manananggal’s chest, and we hear a sickening crunch, sending it skidding back as it hits a tree behind it. It shrieks, head whipping as it claws onto its feet again.

The rage they are emitting is dizzying me, and I place a hand on my head.

Brock doesn’t hesitate. He rolls forward, unsheathing his dagger, crouching low before thrusting his blade up, aiming for the second manananggal. It dodges at the last second, its torso twisting unnaturally, but Brock is already moving again, forcing it back with a flurry of strikes.

Valerian steps in next, his twin daggers flashing under the moonlight.

He aims for the first creature’s throat, but it screeches and twists away, its claws raking across his forearm.

Blood trickles down his arm, but Valerian doesn’t even flinch.

Instead, he keeps throwing attack after attack.

Bruce, Ian, Himari and Allison help him as I try to focus on my breathing.

I see Artemis level her crossbow. Although she isn’t attacking, she’s ready. Shahira is whispering a spell, and I can see Valerian’s injury healing already, the glittering strings of her magic wrapping around him.

Jayce and Brock focus on the second one, slicing into its middle where you can already see the exposed, stretched muscle and flesh.

Jayce jumps forward using the tree beside him for leverage and twists in the air with impressive force and agility as his claws come out and he kicks the monster before slashing through his neck.

I’m trying to breathe, but it’s all too much. The emotions flooding the air, from anger, adrenaline and dark evil thoughts, which make me sick. The emotions hit me like a physical force as I struggle to rein in my own powers that want to rip everyone to shreds and be the ultimate killer here.

I flinch, clutching my head, my power rising like a roaring tide.

Everything is spinning. I hear a voice; someone is shouting a command, but I can’t focus.

The world dims around me, the sounds warping, twisting into static.

I don’t move. Am I meant to?

Unleash it all, destroy it all!

“Ah…” I groan, pulling at my hair.

Suddenly, the hiss seems louder, and through the darkening vision around me, I see one of the manananggals charging straight towards me.

I can kill it! All I need to do is let go of the reins on this storm within me, but I’m scared I’ll harm those around me.

Scared that I’ll hurt him .

I turn, seeing a black blur, and then a huge black wolf that moves faster than I can process, shoves me out of the way just as claws swipe through the air where I had been standing. A sharp, wet sound follows, and then the sound of flesh tearing and bones crunching.

Jayce lets out a harsh grunt, staggering back, and he’s forced to shift back.

Blood darkens his shirt, seeping through his shirt.

But even injured, he doesn’t stop. Taking out the two daggers, he braces his heels into the ground, aiming at the manananggal’s chest, twisting the blade viciously before tearing through it.

The creature screeches as it falls backwards and then crashes to the ground, dead.

But Jayce sways.

He’s hurt.

“Jayce,” I choke out, guilt rushing through me. I finally move, reaching for him, but when those green eyes meet mine, they are colder than ice.

“Move,” he growls, his voice rough.

I step back, this time obeying, and stumble on something as Artemis rushes to his side, pulling off his jacket as he goes down on one knee, a hand pressed to his side.

“He was telling you to move!” Allison shouts at me as Shahira rushes forward, taking out her herbs and crystals, ready to perform a healing spell.

My mind spins as I look at the two dead monsters on the floor and the blood – Jayce’s blood.

I’m the reason this happened.

Fuck.

“The survivors are secured.” Renji’s voice comes. “ We’re taking them to safety and dealing with a cover-up for those dead .”

“Both of you finish off, and then head back,” Jayce says, sweat beading his brow.

“I can take your bike, you take-” Ian begins.

“I’m fine,” Jayce cuts in.

“You’re not,” Artemis says.

“You need advanced medical care, you’ve lost a lot-” Shahira begins, only for Jayce to shut her up with one look.

“I said I’m fine. Let’s go.”

He won’t make it. I step forward; I know healing magic. “I can try-”

Jayce cocks an eyebrow. “I’d prefer it if you really didn’t try anything. You’ve done enough.”

My heart squeezes as the guilt crushes me, and I look down. Ashamed.

I failed.

The journey back was silent. Jayce still returned on his bike, even though Renji tried to talk him out of it, but he didn’t listen. I stay quiet as I sit in my corner. Even when Himari keeps making jabs, I don’t respond.

The moment we get back to the Academy and the van door is slid open, I get out, only for Himari to push me aside as she shoves past me.

“This wouldn’t have happened if you just moved when Jayce told you to move! Are you even a Rossi, or did your mom have an affair?” Himari scoffs as she glares at me.

My eyes flash, my entire body prickling with anger as I look at her as she tosses her hair over her shoulder, about to walk off, when I grab her arm.

“I will tolerate you insulting me, but you will NOT insult my mom! I am my father’s daughter!” I shout, my eyes blazing as I feel rage flaring inside of me.

She yanks free, glaring back at me, but there’s shock in her eyes. She didn’t expect me to speak up. “You actually have the audacity to shout at me?! You’re the one who messed up this entire thing! You’re the reason Jayce is wounded! Stop projecting your crap on me!” she snarls.

“Both of you stop it,” Valerian growls.

“Ouch!” Himari gasps as she clutches her arm, where I had held her moments earlier. Tiny cuts are spreading across her skin, the blood dripping to the floor. Her eyes widen with horror. “Freak! What did you do?!”

“Next time you dare to question my heritage, let that be a reminder to you!” I snarl. My mother has never betrayed my father!

I spin around and storm off.

“What a bitch.” I hear Allison say, seems they witnessed my outburst, too.

I can’t blame them for getting angry at me. I am weak; I know I am, and I am the reason Jayce got hurt…

I keep walking, refusing to look back, even as I debate if I should check on him, but he’ll only get angry. My eyes prick as the guilt rushes through me.

Why am I so-

“Whoa… Whoa! Si!”

I gasp as Allie grabs my shoulders, staring at me, a frown on her face.

Where did she come from? I wipe my tears quickly to see Heaven two steps behind her.

“What happened?” Heaven asks.

I shake my head. “I failed. I failed again,” I say, breaking into tears as I wrap my arms around Allie’s shoulders, unable to stop myself from sobbing into her shoulder.

“Si…” she holds me as Heaven rubs my back.

“I’m sorry, I just- Jayce got injured because I spaced again! I couldn’t, I’m just so…” I sob, trailing off as Allie sighs.

“I think we need to continue with that talk. We stopped midway earlier.”

I move back slowly and look between them both as Heaven passes me a tissue. “I think that’s exactly what we need to do,” she says haughtily, her voice as crisp as Jaddati’s when she’s displeased.

I look between them and realise the time really has come for me to tell them.

“Promise me you won’t hate me?” I whisper pleadingly.

“You can kill children, and I won’t hate you,” Allie replies without missing a heartbeat as Heaven blinks, and I can’t help but smile.

“We’re your soul sisters, Si. We will never judge you.”

I take a deep breath. “Ok, then, and after I’ve told you, I’ll need your help with something unrelated to it.”

“Oh?” Heaven asks curiously.

I nod, glancing over my shoulder.

Jayce…

“I need ideas for an apology…”