Page 27 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos (The Rossi Legacies #7)
Sienna
M y heart skips a beat seeing my family. Ahren! Aunty! I almost move, but force myself to stay in my spot as I smile at Ahren. It’s good to see him.
He winks at me, giving me the hint of a mischievous smile before we turn our attention back to the King.
But I can’t even focus. I am a mess. What happened with Jayce is replaying in my mind on repeat.
My cheeks heat up; the way he touched me, the way he held me close, intimately.
Even the most delusional person would not be able to write that off.
It was so obvious there was something there.
The way his hands felt, the way he looked at me…
He wanted me, and just knowing that made my head feel all light and giddy.
I know we have a huge problem at hand, something to worry about, including the fact that Jayce’s book is gone, but all I can keep thinking of is the way he lifted me and held me against him with ease. The way he protected me, the way he refused to let me walk.
The way his lips brushed the side of my head, the way his gaze trailed over me… the worry, the-
Suddenly, I sense his burning gaze on me, igniting the flames that heat my skin, sending my heart ricocheting once more, and I dare a glance at him. He simply looks away, the cold demeanour back, but I know there’s more to him than the front he puts on.
I take a steadying breath as I watch Uncle Leo step further into the hall, glancing over at Alpha Aaron - our Headmaster.
Alpha Aaron was the previous alpha of a pack not far from Cardiff, where his son is now Alpha.
Alpha Aaron, as if understanding what the glance means, takes a deep breath, looking across the room at all of us.
“As you all know, tonight we had a break-in, a breach in our security,” Alpha Aaron begins.
With a wave of her wrist and a single word spoken from Aunty Ri, his voice projects around the room.
I frown as I spot some of the older boys checking her out, but they’re smart enough to be discreet about it.
I turn my attention back to our Headmaster as he carries on.
“This was a failure on behalf of myself and my team for not noticing anything out of the norm, and I admit we cannot afford any failures.”
He looks down, and I feel guilt rip at me. No, this was my fault, not his.
“Mistakes happen.” This time, it is Uncle Leo who speaks.
His piercing eyes flick across the room.
I feel as if they linger a moment longer on mine, as if trying to see the inside of my soul.
“But we all need to do better. One of the things I’m noticing while looking around at the lot of you is that there are barely a dozen people in here who are in their armour.
Those suits are not just for training; you’re meant to live and breathe in them.
They give a basic level of protection, which the majority of you are currently lacking. ”
Allie, Heaven and me all glance at one another. The only one of us who had kitted up is Heaven, although the gown she’s wearing on top is proof she had most likely snapped her belt on as she rushed to leave her room.
“This is a War Training Academy. Treat it as such. I don’t give a fuck what you wear out of hours, but this belt should be an accessory with every single outfit, so you are ready when needed,” Uncle Leo continues.
“We don’t know when the next attack will happen or when they’ll come here with a target in mind.
So always be prepared. This time, it was an item.
Next time, it might be a person. There will be some changes implemented going forward.
No matter how strong we build our defences, the chance they can get through is always there.
We need to be prepared. Every student will be given weapons to keep by their side at all times. ”
A few murmurs flit across the room, and I see Allison frowning as she says something to Himari. But for once, she’s serious, not smirking about something or other.
“It is confirmed that an old student who has walked these halls before was the one who assisted in opening the portal. But that is something that can happen again, with or without her. As the one overseeing the protection of the Academy, this is not on Alpha Aaron but on me. We’ll continue to aim to do better. ”
I feel a sliver of guilt at the end of his speech. This was my doing, not his!
I step forward, opening my mouth, “Actually, it-”
“Sienna Rossi and Jayce Westwood, a word.” He jerks his head towards the door behind him and, turning, he leaves. The moment he does, hushed whispers break out.
“Why Jayce?” Theo asks loudly from nearby. “I mean the fierce witch, yeah. She fought head-to-head with one of them, but Jaycey? All he did was watch.”
Ares smirks, but before he can reply, Carter frowns at both of them. “He killed a couple of them, remember?” Carter’s cutting remark comes. “Grow up.”
“You ok, Si?” Allie asks, frowning as she looks between Jayce, Tatum and me. I nod.
“Yeah, and I do need to talk to them. And you guys…” I say, giving them an ‘I’ll explain later’ look.
Heaven quirks an eyebrow but nods before she looks over at her mom. Aunty Ri walks towards us, stopping in front of Tatum and hugs him. He doesn’t crack a smile, but he does place a light kiss on her forehead before releasing her. She then comes over to us and pulls Heaven into a tight hug.
“Mama…” Heaven hisses.
“I’m so glad you’re safe.” The worry in Aunty Ri’s eyes is obvious as she brushes her fingers through Heaven’s curls.
Before she hugs me, she runs over my injuries, her eyes glimmering, but she doesn’t say anything and hugs me tightly.
She then turns to Allie and cups her cheek.
“I’m relieved you girls are ok,” she says.
“I’ll catch up with you all in the morning, get to bed and rest. Come on, Sienna. ”
Heaven nods as Allie looks at Tatum. “Who died?” she asks as she walks past him.
Tatum simply cocks a brow but ignores her.
Aunty Ri’s arm remains around me as she leads me out of the hall.
The rest are already halfway down the hall, and I try not to look at Jayce or pay attention to the way his shoulders move, or his ass.
Gods, is he perfect… he walks with confidence and a sexy arrogance, one that draws attention to him.
He now raises his hand and massages the back of his neck, flexing his tatted bicep, which makes my cheeks heat up.
I quickly look away, only to see Aunty Ri watching me with an amused smirk.
My face burns even hotter when Aunty whispers a spell, one I know.
So no one can hear us.
“Did I just see you checking out Jayce Westwood?”
“No!” I deny extremely quickly.
She chuckles. “Well, the Westwoods have always been easy on the eyes,” she teases me.
“Aunty!” I blush.
She wraps her arm around me. “There’s nothing wrong with liking someone. I just never noticed it before. I’m assuming it’s a new crush? I heard he’s your division leader.”
“Aunty, stop!” I hiss, blushing as I nudge her.
She laughs before she tilts her head and brushes a strand of my hair back, tucking it behind my ear. Her eyes flick to my neck, and she frowns. “Tatum said you fought a witch.”
The blood on my neck… that was from Jayce’s hold.
I wrap my cardigan tighter around myself and nod. “Yeah, but I managed ok. She was just draining my power extremely fast, like it was nothing.”
Aunty nods. “Well, let’s get inside. Everyone will want to hear this.”
I look ahead to where Jayce is leaning against the open door, keeping it open for Aunty and me. His head is turned towards the others in the room, showing off the sharp, sexy angle of his perfect jawline. I step inside, avoiding looking at him despite feeling the heat of his body.
“Thank you, Jayce,” Aunty Ri thanks him, and he lets the door swing shut behind us.
We’re in one of the meeting rooms, closer to the Headmaster’s office. Alpha Matherson, Professor Syldora and Professor Bree, who is Head of Stealth and Tracking, are also here. All stand respectfully until Uncle Leo sits down first. He motions at two seats on his left and looks at me and Jayce.
“Both of you sit down,” he commands.
Ahren smiles at me before I take the seat next to him, and Jayce takes the one on my right. It’s closest to Uncle Leo. I’m far too aware of him beside me, but he doesn’t look my way.
“You reported something was taken.” He cuts straight to the point, his eyes on Jayce.
Jayce gives a curt nod. “Yeah, an old tome that Alpha Matherson had given me to read. It contained something I was interested in.”
Wow, he and Tatum didn’t waste time reporting what happened.
“I think you should tell the King what that was,” Alpha Matherson urges him.
“A symbol,” Jayce says curtly, clearly not wanting to tell everyone.
Leo cocks a brow. “Those in this room are trustworthy. What was the symbol?”
I glance up at Jayce. Seeing the way his jaw is clenched before he speaks tells me he isn’t happy to share. “Something I’ve been drawing out of nowhere, and I wanted to know what it meant.”
All eyes now turn to Jayce until Alpha Matherson speaks.
“And when he asked me, I had not seen it before, but when I was looking through some of the tomes passed on to us by one of the covens in the east, well, I thought it might interest Jayce. But I’m afraid it’s in a language that is lost to us all. I checked.”
“The tome you showed me?” Professor Syldora asks sharply. Alpha Matherson nods.
“Yes.”
Professor Syldora nods. “It’s one of the languages we have not been able to translate, and it’s why that book was even given here. Books we’ll never understand, but need to be preserved.”
“But clearly it contained something they needed, and that symbol stands for something as well. It’s not a coincidence,” Uncle Leo states, King-mode-activated as his air of dominance fills the room.
“Agreed. What was the symbol?” Aunty Ri asks.