Page 23 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos (The Rossi Legacies #7)

Sienna

I don’t know why I didn’t run away the moment I felt his burning eyes rake over me. He checked me out. Whether he hates me or not, I saw the way he looked at me, and it made me feel…

Powerful.

Knowing that I have that over him, that he can’t deny he likes what he sees. Because I’ve seen that look before, just not from him and, for some insane reason, I love it.

Is it my demon form that entices him? That wouldn’t be surprising. It’s always that… or are Allie and Heaven right? I doubt he likes me, but maybe he does find me appealing.

Or am I just being delusional?

My heart beats wildly as I watch him. I don’t know why I feel like this. Maybe it’s as Mama said, that there will be times when my demon side will be stronger, and with my birthday coming up, I feel it’s happening much more frequently.

But I also noticed when it happens, I feel… horny. Like right now, there are several ways I could answer that remark of his, and something tells me I’d be able to seduce him if I wanted.

There it is again, the way his eyes flicker to my thighs before he looks away. Isn’t it funny how he noticed me now, when I’m barely wearing anything, and usually he can only look at me with disgust?

My mind clears a little, and I look away, taking a deep breath. “Let’s see the text.”

I walk over to him. The scratch I made across his angled cheek hasn’t healed yet, and I stare at the blood. He hasn’t even wiped it away…

The temptation to taste his blood makes me lick my lips, and his eyes flash blue, flicking to my lips.

Whoa, easy there, Si…

I quickly force myself to look away from his cheek and walk over to the sofa as he picks up the papers he had on it and moves over, making space for me. My heart is racing way too fast. I should go get a gown…

But walking away now might just be worse.

Gods, he’s way too close.

I take a seat, leaving as much space as possible between us, but it’s a mere hand span. I’m not the skinniest girl around, either.

I try not to look at his long, muscular legs and focus on his laptop screen.

“It looks like Old Arabic, but it’s not exactly it.” I reach forward, lifting the laptop off the table and placing it on my thighs.

“Can you translate it?” he asks, leaning over to look at the screen. He places his arm on the sofa behind me, his chest brushing against my shoulder, making my heart skip a beat. I can smell him, and it’s distracting.

“I could try, but it’s not one I recognise. Have you not seen it before in history lessons?” Surely, as a year ahead, he’d have seen more than my year, although I have seen a lot out of school, too. We have lessons that teach us about ancient languages and what history we know of our past.

He shakes his head. “No, but…” He turns and reaches for an extremely battered, worn-out tome of some kind. “Alpha Matherson passed me this book as I have been looking for this symbol.”

He flips the book open, showing me a drawing.

It’s a wheel of some kind with what looks like the symbols of the zodiac.

Above it is a crescent moon and a double circle with a line going through it.

The frame around the wheel is intricate, from what I can tell, and it has diagonal lines within the circle.

“I’ve seen this before…” I whisper, my heart thudding as I reach for the page. Flashes of my dream return to me as I hurry through the streets, the heat beating down upon me.

It’s the symbol on the temple!

“Where?” Jayce asks, his voice filled with more emotion than I have ever heard before, holding a note of urgency.

I drag my eyes from the book and look into his eyes.

“In my dreams.” He narrows his eyes, and I shake my head.

“I have this recurring dream as of late where I’m running after someone.

It’s very hot, there’s sand, a lot of sand, it’s dry…

and this symbol – although the zodiac symbols are a little different, it’s the same.

I’ve seen it carved into the walls of the temple that I’m always running past when I chase after this man… ”

“Do you always have dreams of chasing men?” he remarks.

I narrow my eyes, remembering why I’m mad at him.

“From everything I just said, all you caught onto was me following a man? It’s important that I follow him; my dreams are often more than just dreams. I dreamt of the crawlers before they came.

Remember that.” I frown slightly. He simply looks unimpressed.

“So… this dream could possibly be something that is to come? Is the man good or bad?”

I shake my head slowly. “I don’t know…”

We’re silent for a moment until he speaks. “I’ve been drawing this symbol for a while. I haven’t seen it anywhere, but I keep drawing it. No one I’ve asked has been able to tell me what it is. What are the odds that I show you and you’ve seen it too…?”

He’s staring at me, and I slowly look up at him. He’s too close… I shrug, my shoulder brushing against his chest again. “Slim, but there you have it. But I don’t think it’s vital in my dream.”

“But it means something to me, or I wouldn’t be drawing it.”

A notification pops up on his laptop, and I’m unable to stop myself from looking at it.

Sit tight and get ready to glam up and turn heads with our lip kits. Your order is now being packed!

I manage to read it before he swiftly cancels the notification. I look up at him. He has flawless skin, but… “I didn’t realise you wore makeup?” I remark innocently.

He frowns at me. “They’re Katara’s,” he replies shortly. “Focus.”

I stare back at him, wanting to see him embarrassed at least, but he doesn’t seem to care. His eyes are as cold and calculating as they always are. How can something so cold make me burn?

How long will he keep staring if I don’t look away first? Is this a staring competition?

He doesn’t blink either, but then his eyes trail over me once before he looks away, and I’m staring at his cut again. It’s almost healed…

“There are some books in the library that may help translate the text. Maybe if I could ask Shahira or Heaven-”

“I don’t want this getting out. If you can work on it alone, I’d prefer that. I can help with books.”

He flicks the page in the book before flipping back to the symbol.

“Understood.”

Yet you told me…

“I’ll try to find the answers. Is this why you were in the library?” If he wants this to stay hidden, then I will try solving it myself.

“Yeah.”

“Mind if I take photos of the pages?” I ask.

“I already have. Put your number in. I’ll forward them to you.” He holds out his phone, and I take it, my stomach fluttering.

We’re exchanging numbers. I know we can contact each other via the Schattensicht, but mobile numbers? I enter my number and hold it out to him, unsure what he wanted me to save it under.

“I’ve sent you a message. Save my number.”

I nod, finding myself staring at his cheek again.

This time, I itch to heal the scratch that is almost healed, but not entirely.

I reach out, cupping his cheek with newfound bravery.

He stiffens, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.

But I hold on tenderly yet firmly as I whisper a small healing spell.

My eyes glow as I brush my thumb gently across the cut, and it disappears, leaving a smear of blood behind.

“I shouldn’t have cut you,” I say, quickly removing my hand.

“Are you apologising?”

“No,” I reply, standing up and turning towards him so I can discreetly pull my shorts down over my ass.

He nods arrogantly, spreading his arms across the back of the sofa, but he doesn’t say anything. I turn, ready to return to my room, when he calls me.

“Sienna.”

“Hmm?” I ask, looking at him over my shoulder. He stands up, now towering over me, slipping his hands into his pockets.

“You’re doing me a favour, keeping a secret that I don’t want anyone to know… so why not tell me yours?”

I step back, raising my hand to my chest. Is this a trick? “I don’t have a secret,” I lie.

He steps closer, but before I can put further distance between us, his hand closes around my hand that rests against my chest. “Here’s another secret…” He takes a curled strand of my hair, wrapping it around his finger. “Just like my Aunt Kiara, I know when a person’s lying.”

My heart drops, and I stare at him, shocked. “R-really? I didn’t know that… are you making that up?”

“No, I just don’t tell anyone. It’s the kind of ability that can be put to use when one doesn’t know about it. You are the only one aside from my father, grandfather, Alejandro and Leo who know that.”

Then why is he telling me?

“Why tell me?” I ask softly.

“Because I want you to know that it’s ok to have secrets. Share yours, and I promise you, no one will know. Not unless you yourself tell them.”

I look away. Not this again… did he set this entire thing up, pretending he needed help with translations just to get into my head? “I have nothing to tell you.”

“Tell me what holds you back, and I will help you.”

But you’ll judge me… and you know I wouldn’t tell your secret even if you told mine.

“I know there’s more to you. Show me that you aren’t weak, tell me what obstacle is in your way, and I will help you remove it.” His voice is low and softer.

I look up at him. Why is he able to get into my head like this? Why is the temptation to tell him there?

I glance down at his larger hand that is wrapped around mine, resting gently above my chest. I look up at him, my heart racing. I will regret it. I know I will, but he has this energy of control that I wish I had.

“You won’t tell anyone, including Leo, Ahren, or your family?”

“You have my word.”

I look around the lounge. “Not here,” I say quietly.

He tilts his head towards our rooms. “My room.” He doesn’t wait for my reply, leading me towards his room, his hand still wrapped over mine as he tugs me towards his room. He opens the door, motioning with his head for me to step inside, and then he follows, shutting the door behind us.

His scent fills the room, and my heart thunders. I’m alone with Jayce in his room.

Gods…

It’s pretty clean, but there are books lying around, some pencils, a guitar, balls, shoes…

The silence is too intense, and I can feel him watching me.

“Umm…” I turn towards him, brushing a strand of my hair back. He doesn’t speak, as if waiting for me to finish. “When my dad died, something inside of me snapped. Like some level of control broke within me and-”

An odd wave of darkness thrums through the room, and I stiffen.

“Sienna?”

“Something’s wrong,” I whisper. But before he can reply, the sound of an alarm rings around us, and both mine and Jayce’s Schattensichts vibrates before they start beeping.

Jayce’s eyes snap blue. “Give me a second.” He opens the bedroom door, and he’s gone. I can hear the commotion as everyone is awoken. I can hear shouting outside. I rush over to the window, open the blinds and scan the darkness outside. What was that feeling?

The Headmaster’s voice, commanding everyone to step outside immediately, rings across the speakers.

What is going on?

The door opens again, and Jayce is back. He drops his laptop and papers onto the bed and grabs a hoodie from the back of his chair. “Put it on. We need to go. Now.”

“What’s going on?” I ask as I pull on his hoodie. It’s not that large, but it covers a little more than my pyjamas did.

“I honestly don’t fucking know, but if they want us out, then maybe it’s something inside,” he says quietly, holding the door open for me. I see Shahira exit the quarters, and Jayce catches the door before it shuts behind them.

“Where were you?” Shahira whispers, panicked.

“Everyone stays together. Renji, get everyone out,” Jayce commands. They look at one another, and I think they’re mind-linking.

Allie and Heaven!

I quickly take my phone out and text the group chat.

SIENNA: Are you both safe?

HEAVEN: Yeah, Allie and I are both outside – one of the professors got us out here. There’s something inside.

SIENNA: Ok, well, I’m on my way out, too.

The tension from the students as we all head outside is intense, and I feel uneasy.

My phone buzzes, and I look at the caller. Tatum.

“Hey,” I answer it.

“Si, where are you?”

“I’m with my group; we’re making our way outside.”

He exhales. “Ok, good. Stay with Renji and Jayce.” The worry in his voice is making me even more nervous.

“I don’t get it. Why are we going out? If there’s something here, weren’t we safe in our dorms?” Allison whispers.

“The professors know better,” Valerian says cuttingly. “Just stay quiet.”

“Renji, where did Jayce go?” I ask quietly, realising he’s not beside me anymore.

Renji gives me a small smile, but I can tell he’s worried. “To make sure everyone is out.”

“Is that a division leader’s job?” I ask quietly.

“It’s Jayce; he always does what he wants,” he tries to say lightly, but his expression is strained.

Something is extremely wrong.

I can sense the magic around us. My heart is pumping wildly, and I look over my shoulder.

Jayce is alone...

We reach the doors, and I falter; there are only about fifteen students in front of our group.

Show me where Jayce is.

My Schattensicht glows, and I turn, ready to run back towards him when Renji grabs my arm. “You can’t go back in there.”

I’m ready to argue when I sense it, a dark aura from within the Academy.

I freeze in my tracks as I turn and look up at the stairs.

This is… witch magic.

I gasp, my eyes darting around the grand entrance. “Witches,” I breathe.

I don’t know how or who they are, but dark witches are here.