Page 50 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos (The Rossi Legacies #7)

Delsanra

T he sun shines through the window as we sit in the small lounge that we are using for Sienna’s birthday lunch at the Academy.

Sienna is sitting between Mama Mari and me, with Kaden on her lap.

Across from us, Heaven is sitting between Raihana and Allie.

Tatum is in the armchair to my right. The table is laden with a delicious lunch that Mama Mari put together, along with a cake and some desserts.

“I’m so proud of you, Si. I’ve heard from more than one source about how well you’re doing,” I say, hugging her. “You’ve grown so much, my Little Chocolate Chip Cookie.”

Sienna smiles at me, blushing. “Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit.

Jayce has helped,” she says with a little nod before hugging me tightly.

I hold her, combing my fingers through her hair.

I’m truly so proud of her. To see her regain her spark gives me life, too.

She has to live, not only for herself but for all of us.

“That’s good,” Tatum says. “I’m glad to see you coming out of your shell. Jayce can be harsh, but he knows what he’s doing.”

I nod as Allie takes a sandwich before biting it, careful not to get her fingers dirty.

Sienna passes Kaden a pizza slice, wiping his face.

“I like Senna.” He hugs her, making Sienna hug him back tightly.

“I love you, Kaden.”

“No, I love you,” he answers, making Raihana and Mama Mari laugh. I brush my fingers through his curls, smiling fondly.

“Speaking of Jayce, I need to perform the spell to replay what happened the other night. Leo said he’ll be here soon,” Raihana says, ruffling her hair with her hand as she crosses her legs and glances at the time.

I raise my eyebrows. “He’s coming now?”

“We were going to wait until after Sienna’s birthday, but since I was already here, Leo thought it would be best to do it now,” Raihana says.

“You should have told him to eat with us,” Mama Mari says.

“He’s coming from somewhere. I don’t think he wanted us to wait for him; he only texted me a short while ago.”

“I want to try that spell,” Heaven says.

“I’m sure in two years’ time you will be taught it. The control of your magic over such a spell requires a lot of training,” Raihana tells her.

“Yeah, I know, but my control is excellent.”

She’s not wrong, but I also understand Raihana’s worry.

Heaven and Raihana both don’t say anything more, and I know they don’t want to get into an argument right now.

I did advise Raihana about trying to understand Heaven, too, but she’s still her baby girl after all, and it’s scary to let them go, but like Rayhan said: we have to remember how much we did at their age.

I glance over at Mama Mari, who is talking to Kaden and Sienna as they laugh over whatever expression Kaden is making.

Last night we had a long talk, just me and Mama Mari, regarding Leo’s offer.

She wasn’t sure, not wanting to leave us alone, but I think she really is the best option for this job.

I can tell the idea was beginning to appeal to her, but because of us, she was hesitating.

However, after our talk, I hope she’s making the decision that I know she wants to.

I want that for her, and I told her that.

Her grey eyes meet mine, she smiles, and I smile back. Even if Papa Raf isn’t here or my Yum Yum – it hurts, God it hurts so much – but even then, we’ll stay strong until the day we meet them again.

“There’s actually a slightly different spell in our grimoire; it seems similar, but it does require a lot of magic,” Heaven remarks thoughtfully.

She means the book that Ahren had gotten for them from somewhere.

Their grimoire is called The Hallowed Blood Trinity: The Book of Flame, Crown and Veil . It is a grimoire that only the three of them can hold, view, and read. They never told us how they came about it, asking us to trust them and respect that they couldn’t tell us.

It still sends chills down my spine, remembering the sensation I felt when I first looked upon it.

The book itself has a power that no one can deny.

We all knew it was rightfully theirs, and all we could do was advise them to tread carefully.

Although Alessandra has not shown any signs of witchcraft, she, too, can read this grimoire.

“You can show me sometime; if you really want to try it, I can help you during the holidays?” Raihana offers, smiling at Heaven. The younger girl smiles back with appreciation.

“Thank you, Mama, I’d like that.”

Sometimes that’s all a daughter needs, some trust and faith from her mother.

Sienna rests her head on my shoulder, holding my hand. I kiss the top of her head as Kaden suddenly turns, realising he’s missing out on the hug. And pouting, he jumps up trying to hug us both, making Sienna gasp as Mama Mari takes her glass from her, preventing it from spilling.

“This kid is so jealous all the time,” Tatum smirks as he reaches over and tugs Kaden’s cheek.

“Tato, go!” Kaden says with a frown as he points at the door, making everyone laugh.

“Kaden, go,” Tatum responds.

“I’m glad we did this,” I say softly.

“Me too,” Sienna agrees as she kisses Kaden and smiles at me. Her expression changes as if she wants to say something, but then she simply smiles softly and shakes her head when I raise my eyebrows questioningly.

Whatever she wants to tell me, I’m sure she’ll do so in her own time.

Lunch is over, and Leo has arrived.

“Happy Birthday,” Leo says to Sienna as he holds out a gift bag to her. “There’s a little something from me in there, and this one’s from Azura. She said don’t open it in front of anyone,” he adds, holding out a much larger, flashier bag.

Sienna blushes. “Thank you, Uncle. You both really didn’t need to get separate gifts.” She accepts the bags, her heart racing quite fast.

I raise an eyebrow but don’t question it as Raihana chuckles. “Zu is my kinda girl.”

“Bad influence?” Leo says, making Allie snicker.

“Totally,” she agrees, peeking into the bag. “Zu’s wrapped everything…”

I have an idea what might be in that bag, but Sienna’s never been shy, even if it is lingerie or something.

“Sienna, feed him some cake before you girls get back to class,” Mama Mari says as she holds out a plate with a slice of cake. Sienna nods as she takes the fork, breaking a piece and offering it to Leo.

He lowers his head, taking the spoonful. “Thank you,” he says, giving her a small smile as he accepts the rest of the plate.

He’s filled Alejandro’s shoes very well. I’m proud of him. He was brave, strong and smart ever since he was a child. He’s an excellent king.

“Well, thank you, everyone, for the gifts, for the food, for being here. I really enjoyed myself,” Sienna says as she hugs everyone, slipping a folded paper into my hand. I’m curious, but I slip it into my pocket. I’ll read it when I’m alone. If she wanted me to know now, she would have said it.

She smiles up at me before she turns to Tatum. “Could you please take my bags to my room?”

“Sure. I have a free period. I’ll take Kaden so you guys can carry on.”

He never says no to the girls.

“Thank you,” I say as he bends down and lifts Kaden in his arms.

I watch them all fondly, just as there’s a knock on the door and Jayce steps inside.

“Afternoon,” he says with a nod as he looks over at us. Tatum gives him a nod as he leaves the room first.

“Good afternoon, dear. Sienna, feed Jayce some cake before you go,” Mama Mari says. Jayce’s eyes widen slightly, but then he’s back to his usual emotionless self.

Sienna, on the other hand, is far more nervous than normal as Leo folds his arms after finishing his cake. Jayce arches an eyebrow at him before shoving his hands into his pockets as Mama Mari passes Sienna another plate; the other two wait by the door for her.

Sienna walks over to Jayce, taking a spoonful of cake and holding it up to him slowly. He gingerly touches her wrist, taking it. “Thanks,” he says, looking away.

“You’re welcome,” Sienna whispers, holding out the plate, which he now takes, and then she hurries to the door, her hair bouncing behind her. I hear the other two girls laughing before the door snaps shut.

“So, we’re doing the spell here?” Jayce asks, looking at Leo.

“Yeah, if you’re done with the cake.”

“Leo,” Mama Mari says, appalled.

Raihana and I both exchange looks. What is that about?

“Be nice,” I say in a big sister’s voice.

Leo snorts as Jayce smirks, ever so slightly.

Jayce doesn’t take too long to finish his cake as Raihana steps forward, readying herself to perform the spell.

“Just think of the moment everything started, and I’ll do the rest,” Raihana explains.

“Want me to sit down?” Jayce asks, Raihana narrows her eyes.

“I’m not short. You’re fine,” she answers haughtily.

Jayce nods, and Leo smirks.

She whispers the spell, a glow surrounding her hands, and then she places two fingers to his forehead. This spell allows us to see what happened from a third person’s point of view. Although the spell uses the memory of the person to recall the event, you don’t view the memory from their eyes.

Our surroundings change, and then there’s Jayce and Sienna on a bike.

My heart is in my throat as I watch the manananggals attack and the crash; Jayce is impressive, his assessment and the way he moves, counter-attacking perfectly. Sienna, I’m proud of her, too. She’s doing better than I’ve ever seen since her father passed away.

But I have to keep telling myself this isn’t real. Seeing them in pain, seeing them get hurt. My heart is hammering when the masked man appears. His power makes me step back; I can feel the sheer power from here.

How did they survive?

Because he let them go.

That makes me shiver. I’m terrified for them, knowing they went through so much.

I watch. It’s painful as Jayce, despite everything he does, is defeated.

His aura is immense, and when he comes into power, it’s hard to keep up.

He is a blur. Sienna is incredible, too, as she does her best. She’s fast, strong and powerful, but nothing either of them does helps.

I’m in awe at how much power Sienna holds, too, but against this enemy, they do nothing.

My heart warms at the way Jayce is clearly worried for her. And for a moment, I wonder if there’s something more there – no, that’s silly of me to think. But watching the two of them, the panic, and the fear in their eyes for each other, the thought niggles at my mind.

I can’t see or hear anyone around me. The chaos surrounding us is deafening.

I gasp as the Masked Mustard Man drags the blade down Jayce’s nose, cold and brutal.

What a dumbass.

“Tell the Adonai… I have arrived… Let it begin.”

Then everything disappears, and I see Jayce pull away from Raihana, cutting the scene, leaving us all silent after witnessing one of the most intense battles I have seen.

I glance at Leo first. His brows are knitted together, and he looks… worried? Then he schools it back to his usual mask. Mama Mari is by Jayce’s side, cupping his face as she asks if he’s ok.

Raihana is frowning as she stands there, shocked, and I feel… terrified knowing my baby girl was out there.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Jayce reassures Mama Mari with a small smile.

She smiles at him, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. She’s worried, and I don’t blame her.

“You didn’t just put up a fight, you were fucking incredible. You’re right, he’s definitely on Dante’s level.” Leo crosses his arms, and Jayce nods.

“Yeah. The trip to Egypt, I know it may be a trap, but we need to go, I need to go,” Jayce says, urgency in his voice.

“I’m working on it. Don’t worry, you’ll be there soon. I just need a bit of time to make sure you’re not followed or tracked,” Leo answers, sighing heavily.

“Leo, what you asked me… I agree.” Mama Mari looks at Leo, and if the mood wasn’t so grim, I would have smiled.

“I’m glad,” Leo answers as Jayce now turns, glancing at his watch.

“I need to get to class, is that all?” he asks.

Leo nods, and Raihana pats his arm. “Take a couple of minutes before you head to class. It’ll help,” she says quietly.

He looks down at her, about to answer, when he suddenly tenses, his brows furrowing.

Then his face pales, and he steps back suddenly, staring at her.

Then he swallows, before he turns and leaves the room abruptly, leaving Raihana looking perplexed.

Mama Mari and I exchange confused looks as Leo raises an eyebrow.

“Probably the aftereffects of reliving the fight.” Raihana sighs, running her fingers through her long hair.

“Maybe,” Leo murmurs, but he’s lost in thought, too.

I don’t know, that was… an odd reaction. I hope he’s ok.

“Shall we have a word?” Leo asks Mama Mari, who nods. They both take a seat, and I decide to take out the paper Sienna had snuck me. Unfolding it, I read the small yet shocking message.

Mama, I’m in love.

A smile spreads across my face as I fold the paper and hold it to my chest. I’m glad she’s found someone. I hope they reciprocate her feelings. Maybe it’s one of the reasons she’s happier again.

Hmm, who is it?

My eyes widen as I stare at the shut door.

Wait, is it Jayce?

Oh my…