Page 57 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos (The Rossi Legacies #7)

Sienna

“ I hate to be the one to do this, but you weren’t the only ones not sleeping. I, for one, am traumatised for life after having to hear you guys banging for that long. Now wake up, we have training in a few!”

Renji?

My eyes fly open. Wait! Heard us banging?

I jolt upright, and Jayce mutters something, his arm snaking around my waist, the arm that was under my head wrapping around my breasts as he tugs me back down, squeezing my breasts in the process.

“Jayce!” I whisper, my cheeks burning as I turn to look at him over my shoulder.

“Mm…” he mutters.

“Get up!” I hiss.

“Guys, are you awake?” Renji groans again.

“Yes!” I say, my voice sounding hoarse.

“Great.” He walks off, and I smile, enjoying Jayce’s strong arms around me. Last night was incredible… but… I feel I had a lot more energy than Jayce.

There was a hunger in me that I kept wanting to satiate. I raise my hand and look at my nails. Still long and red… I’m going to need to use an illusion on myself. He lifts his arm from around my waist, closing his hand over mine and raising it to his lips.

“We’ll figure it out, you ok going to training?” he asks, his morning voice making my core clench, so rough and deep. His lips brush my hand in a tender caress that sends riveting pleasure through me.

I nod, leaning into him, enjoying the way his cock is pressing through the sheets against me.

“I’ll cast a glamour spell on myself for now. It’s not a long-term solution, but I’ll talk to Mama and see what she says.” I sigh softly.

“Sounds like a plan,” he murmurs, and I really don’t want to get up. Jayce kisses my shoulder softly, and I bite my lip, my eyes fluttering shut.

“We have to get up,” I moan softly, wanting to do anything but that.

“Hmm, yeah…” Jayce whispers, kissing the back of my neck. “You’re an addiction.”

“Well, I’m not going anywhere. You can enjoy me later,” I whisper, turning and kissing his lips softly.

He smiles down at me, but for a fleeting moment, his brow furrows, and then he cups the side of my face, kissing me hard.

The walk of shame is real. All eyes were on us as Jayce and I stepped out after getting ready. I had managed to sneak into the shower without anyone seeing me, but I’m going to have to face everyone now.

“Congratulations,” Brock says, grinning as he raises his glass to Jayce.

Renji is chuckling, and Shahira is smiling, but she doesn’t say anything.

The rest of the boys are smirking as they drop comments, teasing playfully.

Allison isn’t here, but Himari is, and she’s the only one who looks livid.

When I look her in the eyes, she looks away.

“Why have you cast a glamour spell on yourself?” Maralai asks, her eyes observing me keenly.

“Maybe Jayce left a lot of marks,” Ian chimes in snidely.

“No, actually. I shifted, and I’m stuck in demon form.” I’m surprised I even told them, but they deserve to know, seeing as I am in their division.

“Oh, are you ok?” Artemis asks, concerned.

I nod. “Yes, thanks.”

“Must be ugly if you have to disguise yourself,” Himari says. Jayce is about to say something when I touch his hand with mine.

“It doesn’t matter what you think,” I reply. “Shall we head to class?”

“Yes, let’s.” Shahira is the first to speak as she turns and leads the way to the door, holding it open for everyone as they all stand.

“Thanks,” Lucius says, flashing her a smile as he leaves the room. Himari purses her lips, but she doesn’t say anything further.

We’re barely out of our dorm when there’s an announcement over the intercom. “All students to report to the main hall.”

I look at Jayce, raising an eyebrow. He shakes his head. “I have no idea,” he answers my unspoken question.

We reach the hall shortly, where students are teeming inside, all dressed in their uniforms. Several of the professors are here, and Headmaster Aaron is on the low dais at the far end.

It’s crazy how vividly I can see every detail on his face, the stubble that is already breaking through his skin, where usually I’d only see a smooth-shaven man, the way his lashes aren’t too long but not too short either.

I spot Allison not too far away as Himari rushes to her side, but she doesn’t look my way, and I’m glad she doesn’t. I don’t need her ruining my morning.

I step closer to Jayce, his body heat welcoming, and I rest my head against his upper arm as I look towards Headmaster Aaron, who clears his throat the moment people stop entering through the double doors.

“Today, I have some news. It’s bittersweet, yet I know it will be for the best for this Academy and its students. ”

“Is he leaving soon? Does that mean we have a new head?” Maralai murmurs from nearby.

“No idea,” Ian mutters back.

“Today, I have with me the person who will replace me, the person to lead you all in your training, someone far better at this than I ever could have been.” A murmur fills the room, and he smiles.

“I may be an alpha, but I can admit when someone is better than me. I will be honest. This position is one where the leader must be the best. You are the leaders of the next generation, the leaders who will lead the armies into the final battle. You are the commanders who will bring us victory.”

He stops and looks down. I glance up at Jayce, wondering what Alpha Aaron’s feeling.

He wipes at his eyes before smiling wistfully.

“I wish I could have had the strength to continue this position, and although I wanted to simply say I am not cut out for it, I have tried to show you all that we must never give up. It might look like I am, but my health is deteriorating, and there are things that no magic or power can fix. Sometimes life must go on.”

My heart squeezes. He was a good Headmaster…

“But in my stead, I leave someone who has defied all, someone who I know can see this to the end.” A whisper spreads through the room.

“She has survived the loss of her mate and her sons, yet she remains strong. I present to you the new Head Commander of Midnight War Academy! Give it up for Luna Maria Rossi!”

I gasp as Jayce lets out a small hmph, a small smile on his face, as everyone claps. I watch as Jaddati walks onto the dais, she’s wearing a high-neck and long-sleeve black top, a wide belt and black wide-leg pants. Around her head, she has her hijab wrapped in a turban style.

My Jaddati…

I can’t help but cry as I clap loudly. My Jaddati is damn brave. She’s perfect for this position. Jayce places an arm around me as the crowd silences.

“Thank you, Alpha Aaron,” Jaddati says with a small smile as she looks across at the students.

“You are welcome. It’s all yours.” Headmaster Aaron motions to the dais, and I smile, watching her proudly as she steps forward.

“Change is always hard, but rest assured, I will do my best to continue the legacy of this Academy. I will make sure each of my students – no, warriors, becomes the best version of themselves,” Jaddati begins. “Let’s do our best and prove to the enemy that we are the winners.”

A ripple of approval flits through the room.

“I will be around the school, and anyone who wishes to talk to me is welcome. My office will also be open to anyone who has any concerns. I don’t want to keep you from your classes for long, but does anyone have any questions they’d like to ask that can’t wait?”

A few hands shoot up, and Jaddati motions to one of the students.

“Your mate died. They say it’s hard to survive without one. Are you sure you’ll be able to handle this?”

Annoyance flits through me, but Jaddati is calm, simply giving a small smile.

“You will learn that the strength of the Rossi women knows no end. Our husbands were martyrs. They died in battle, fighting for what’s right.

We couldn’t be prouder. Their deaths are not our weakness, but our strength.

For them, we hold our heads high and keep going until the day comes when we meet again. ”

The silence after her words steals my breath, and then the boy who had spoken is the first to clap, and everyone follows.

I smile up at Jaddati, pride swelling my chest.

She is a warrior queen, and I want to be just like her.

The air is thick with the smell of scorched sand. It clings to my nostrils, tickling it. Heat simmers across the dunes, warping the horizon in waves that make my vision distort. The weight of the sun presses down; it’s so low.

I’m in that dream again…

The silence is loud, broken only by the wisps of hot air that sift through the top layer of sand. I look down. I’m in a cloak, but I’m barefoot, and the heat from the sand scalds me.

I sense footsteps behind me, and I turn to see the cloaked man approaching me.

“Today is the day you became a woman, daughter of three gods.”

“Daughter of three gods?” I echo in confusion.

He tilts his head slightly, his hood casting his face in deep shadow. “Yes. Are you not a tribrid?”

“I am,” I murmur, my pulse quickening. “Wolf, demon… and witch.”

He nods, a slow curl of satisfaction pulling at the corners of his mouth, his face still half-hidden by his cloak.

“Exactly, and each one pulls you towards a different fate. Selene, who wishes to preserve the world for her children and those yet to come. Hecate, who will change as quickly as the illusions she commands, and Kek, the God of Demons, who watches from the shadows, seeking to tear down the barrier between worlds.”

“Kek…” I look at him.

“I knew him as Erebus, but like us all, we have more than one name, and he prefers Kek,” the man says.

He just confirmed we were right; our theory was that the God of Demons would be either Erebus or Kek, and Leo assumed that just like other gods, it could be the same deity. He is right.

“I see…”

“What path do you desire to follow?” he whispers, now stepping closer.

“I desire what Selene desires,” I whisper, without hesitation.

His lips curl, and I feel it in my bones, the immense power radiating from him like heat from the sun.

“Then we are aligned. You have come of age. And so, I offer you a gift.”

He lifts a hand and, with a flick of his wrist, shadows bleed into the desert, swallowing the golden horizon until I’m staring into a rift of living darkness. A portal or vision of some kind.

A man stands unmoving in the centre, his back to us, his head hanging. My heart stammers then slams hard in my chest. I’d recognise him anywhere.

“Dad?” I whisper, my legs giving way and I drop to the ground. I reach out but it’s gone in the blink of an eye, and I am once again surrounded by the burning desert. “Is he alive?!” I exclaim, my heart pounding.

“Yes and no,” the cloaked man replies calmly. “He is bound to a demon. Death cannot claim him, but life will not hold him, either. He is trapped, suspended between two worlds.”

“How do I save him?” I ask, voice trembling. The thought of him out there, waiting, suffering all alone… I’d give anything. “I’ll do anything. What must I do?”

He crouches, his hand lifting to cup my chin.

The moment he makes contact, I can’t breathe, finding myself staring into golden eyes.

The air thickens around me, heavy with ancient power.

A deep chuckle rumbles through his chest, sending a shiver down my spine.

I’m unable to look away or move; I’m completely at his mercy.

“It’s a simple price,” he says, eyes like voids boring into mine. “For the happiness of your entire family,” he pauses, letting the weight of his words sink in, “But you must tell no one of this. If you do… it will all be lost.”

He begins to fade, dissolving like smoke in the wind. “No! Wait! Please, tell me!” I cry, scrambling forward.

“I will tell you soon.” His voice echoes faintly, already distant. “But first… are you willing to pay the price?”

What kind of question is that? “Yes,” I say without hesitation. “I’ll pay anything, as long as I can have my father back!”

“Who are you?!” I cry out in frustration.

He laughs raucously, the sound ringing in my ears as everything begins to fade to black.

“I’d have thought you would have figured it out by now. Some call me Ra, and some, some call me Helios.”