Page 65 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos (The Rossi Legacies #7)

Sienna

“ W hat was that?” Brock shouts.

“End your life,” Enrique’s command ripples through the desert, pulsating with power and danger. The blast was from Enrique, but I’m not sure what’s going on. I know he was trying to get the witches to stand down, but it hadn’t worked.

Everything around us is chaos. Enrique’s feet touch the sand as he lands metres from Velasara. But his command is not obeyed. The three witches, while they are still standing tense, do not obey.

“You do not answer to him,” a new voice whispers sinisterly from all around us. “Now attack!” Power that almost mirrors Enrique’s rises from the earth.

Enrique turns sharply, and I spot a woman standing in the sands far ahead.

“And who the fuck are you?” Enrique’s irritation is clear in his voice.

The woman – a witch, smirks as she comes into view; she has a muscular build, dark skin that glows beneath the blazing sun, and her brown curls fall over her forehead.

Several scars cover what I can see of her body, and her eyes are glowing green.

And where Enrique’s aura is flames, and rises like a phoenix around him, the woman’s swirls like a multi-headed… . Snake?

My eyes widen as I stare at her aura. That shape… a many-headed beast, I know that one… It’s a hydra, like from the myths.

“Hecate’s favoured,” she chuckles.

My heart thumps, and no one can hide their shock. My mind is reeling. How is that possible? Enrique is the El Rey Carmesí! He is the blood of Hecate! How can someone be his equal?

Enrique narrows his eyes. Is Hecate playing both sides? No! That’s… That’s… I don’t know what to think.

Kataleya is tense, Enrique is frowning deeply, and Dante and the Masked Man are still going at it.

“Calindra,” the woman introduces herself. “Enrique, no? In a way, we are kin. I do find siblings to be… an interesting bond.” She laughs.

“If this is supposed to be your dramatic entrée, then hate to break it to you, missy, but it isn’t.

I’m getting bored and I need to piss, so shall we get back to kicking all your sorry asses?

” Theo remarks. My eyes fly open at his comment at such a time, and even Calindra seems taken aback for a second, and Enrique takes advantage of it.

The battlefield suddenly begins shaking with immense power. Enrique raises his hand as ancient sigils glow around us, scorching the ground, slicing light through the sand and up endlessly into the sky, creating a barrier between the enemy and us. A portal tears open in front of us.

“In!” Enrique yells, his voice hoarse with command as both he and Kataleya turn, and I do the same as we all target the Masked Mustard Man, giving Dante the precious moments he needs to get to us.

Artemis is barely conscious as Brock carries her through the portal. Allie and Heaven run through next. Theo is coming closer as Calindra throws her power against the shield. I don’t miss her shock.

So, she may be strong… but her power doesn’t work against Enrique?

“Get in!” Kataleya shouts as she holds her hand out to me and pulls me through.

Velasara, Calindra and the Masked Mustard Man are at the shield, trying to break it down.

The Masked Mustard Man isn’t in perfect condition either.

His clothes are torn, and I see blood. Guess Dante gave him a tough time, too.

The ground lurches, and we’re pulled away from the portal.

“Quick!” Enrique shouts as Kataleya’s grip on me tightens, and we rush towards the entrance. I feel the barrier shattering behind us as Enrique tries to keep it up. He’s sweating, blood trickling from his nose as he tries his best.

Dante is racing towards us, grabbing both Kataleya and me by the waist and throwing us through the portal. Theo catches Kataleya, and Allie catches me, pulling us through.

“Leave me!” Dante shouts as the barrier comes down.

“Dante, hurry!” Enrique shouts, his voice strained.

“GO!” Dante snarls as the Masked Mustard Man almost reaches him.

“You ain’t staying, man. You’re the Queen in this game! Don’t forget your tiara on the way out!” Theo calls as he shifts. My eyes widen as I watch him race out towards Dante, and then it happens all too fast. All I see is Dante coming barrelling through the portal.

“THEO!” he shouts.

Theo is running towards the portal, but… he won’t make it. I’m stricken, watching him fall to the sand beyond the collapsing light.

My heart is screaming in panic as I see Velasara throw him aside just as Enrique is forced to shut the portal, seconds before Calindra almost reaches us.

“NO!” Dante’s roar echoes all around us as we are plunged into darkness.

Kataleya cries out, lunging forward, “Open it!”

Enrique grabs her, pulling her close. “I can’t. I’m sorry, Mi Amor.”

I can’t move. I’m frozen, eyes locked as Heaven gasps, hugging me, and Allie stands there stunned, before I reach out and take her hand, squeezing it gently. My own trembling from the shock and adrenaline.

“Fuck,” Artemis whispers before breaking into tears.

I hear footsteps, but I’m too numb to turn. I sense Jayce’s gaze on me, and then his arm has snaked around my waist, kissing the right side of my neck from behind as Heaven leans on my left shoulder. His heart is pounding against my back, and I sink into him.

“Theo,” I whisper, turning my head to look at him.

“Is everyone here?” It takes me a second to process Uncle Liam’s voice as he enters the room from an adjoining one. Jayce steps back, turning.

“Theo isn’t,” Heaven whispers, pointing to where the portal was moments ago. Uncle Liam pales as he looks at Dante and Enrique.

“Open it,” Jayce commands as he steps away from me. “I SAID OPEN IT!”

“I can’t, it’s not safe. And that witch, Calindra, said she’s Hecate’s favoured. She may not be at my level, but she has extreme power. ” Enrique punches the wall in frustration, and I realise we’re in some kind of sitting room and another two doors lead off it.

“I don’t think her being Hecate’s favoured could make them defy your power. I’m certain they were simply blocking everything out. If they can’t hear the command… then it won’t work,” Dante says quietly.

“Ahren.” Jayce turns to Ahren, who stands beside a pale-looking Carter.

Ahren nods. “He’s alive?” he asks Uncle Liam, who nods. If he died, he’d have felt the link snap.

“He is, but I’ll go, no one else, the mission-”

“The mission is a fucking success. Now we have a rescue mission,” Jayce snarls. “I am not leaving my brother out there.”

“He’s right,” Dante says. “We go back. He fucking saved me when he shouldn’t have.”

“I vote we go back,” Allie says, raising her hand.

I nod, and so do Heaven and Artemis.

“I’m ready,” Brock says as the guardsmen materialise beside us. They’re all in pretty bad shape, too.

“No, I’ll go with Jayce. It’ll be fast. Snatch and grab. I’ll teleport us somewhere else in case someone manages to hold on, and then we’ll come here,” Ahren says.

“I’ll cast a masking spell. It should hold for a short while before they notice you.” Enrique reaches out as the magic rolls over both Ahren and Jayce.

“Take care, both of you,” I say softly. Both the men I love look at me, nodding before they turn to each other. Ahren places a hand on Jayce’s shoulder, and Jayce glances at me for a fleeting second before they both disappear with a small puff.

“I’m fucking useless,” Dante mutters, his fists clenched. “Fucking useless!”

I’ve never seen him lose his shit like this. He’s hurt. There are wounds along his torso, but it’s the anguish in his voice that makes my heart hurt for him.

Kataleya drops to her knees, head bowed, shoulders shaking. “He’s got to be ok.”

No one speaks.

I stare at the place where Theo should be – but isn’t. All I can see is his moment of bravery as he made sure Dante got through the portal instead of him.

“We left him…” I whisper guiltily.

No one corrects me.

Because we did.

Jayce

We appear in the desert again to see the masked bastard standing at the steps that lead to the temple.

“You can’t stay in there forever,” he snarls.

“Oh, please, trust me, I can. Now come on, huff and puff, Mr Wolf and blow down my sanctuary.” Theo’s voice is like fucking grace right now.

Ahren looks at me, signalling.

We have three seconds to teleport to the steps. I’ll grab Theo, then kick the bastard away so we can teleport without him getting caught up in it. My relics materialise, and I flex my gauntleted hands.

Theo, we’re not far. Be ready to give me your hand when we get to you, I mind-link him.

Aw damn, rescue mission already? I was enjoying getting a tan on the steps to the temple. I don’t think anyone has sunbathed on temple steps.

The thought of losing him has a vice hold on my heart, and my mind flits to earlier…

“YOU LEFT HER!”

The words rip through my burning throat, but I barely feel it. Rage, panic and fear are all bleeding together inside of me.

Ahren flinches. “This is a war, Jayce. I didn’t want to! But your safety-”

“I don’t care!” I thunder.

“I know what it means to lose someone I love. Don’t make this harder for me. She’s going to come back.”

No. No, you don’t get to say that.

I don’t want to hear any of it. I can’t. My ears are ringing, panic pressing against my skull like it’s going to burst.

I should be out there! With all of them, I’m supposed to be the goddamn Deimos King! Not a coward hiding!

Carter’s trying to talk to me. His voice is a dull buzz under the sound of my own heartbeat, trying to claw out of my chest.

We left them. I left Sienna. What if something happens to her?

I turn to Ahren, squashing that thought as fury bubbles through me like a simmering pot about to overflow.

“Take me back.” My voice is a deadly, menacing snarl.

He meets my eyes, and for a second, I see the pain in them. He’s seen far more pain than I have…

“I can’t,” he says softly.

“You’re choosing not to!” I sound more animal than human now, my heart thumping loudly. “You left her! If something happens to her, I’ll never fucking-”

“Jayce, he’s following orders,” Dad says from behind me, his voice quiet. “Steady yourself.”

How? When there’s no ground beneath my feet, when she’s not beside me?

I turn away from Ahren. I can’t look at him. If I look at him, I’ll break.

“If they aren’t here soon,” Dad says, still calm, still composed, despite the worry etched on his face. “Then Ahren will take you back.”

“That’s also not part of the plan,” Ahren says. His voice is lower now, worn thin, like a rope fraying at both ends. “Don’t forget, she’s my family, too.”

He looks at me, and there’s something in his face I’ve seen in his eyes far more times than I want to admit. The pain of losing a loved one.

“I’m trying to do what I need to,” he says, in barely more than a whisper. “Don’t make it harder for me.”

I can’t breathe.

I press my hands to my face, trying to push the thoughts out, but they only come faster. What if she’s already dead? What if she thinks I abandoned her?

I bite down on my tongue so hard it tastes like metal.

“Nothing better happen to her,” I whisper hoarsely, hating that I’m not doing anything.

He might be slightly younger than me, but he’s far more mature. He’s experienced battle, loss and pain which I haven’t, and I’ve seen it… the loss of a loved one, and it destroyed me inside… How many times has Ahren felt this?

I know the answer to that; far too many times.

Ahren places a hand on my shoulder, and then with a small puff, we are right beside the temple steps.

I don’t waste any time, punching the man who had given me this scar straight in the neck.

I hear something snap, lightning flashing through the sky and spreading from my gauntlet as he’s thrown across the desert sand, power surging from all around.

With my left hand, I reach out to Theo, who takes it quickly, and then with a puff, we teleport, appearing somewhere in the desert, but it’s far from where the clash went down. It’s only for a second to make sure it’s just us, and then we teleport back to the safe place.

“Theo!” Kataleya says, and she’s the first to launch herself onto him, hugging him as she begins crying. Dad exhales, and I’ve never seen him look so… tired.

“Thank you,” I say to Ahren.

“No need to thank me. He’s my friend, too.” He pats my shoulder when I shake my head.

“No, I owe you an apology… I’m sorry for earlier. Sometimes we have to do the right thing even if it’s hard… I’m sorry for what I said.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t. We’re friends. And at least I got to see how much you care for her.”

“What am I missing?” Dad says as he hugs Theo.

“Oh…” Theo now grins as Allie rushes over to him and punches his arm.

“Don’t die, ok?” she says.

Theo grins before he wiggles his eyebrows at her. “I’ll try not to, so… Shall I tell him, or do you want to do the honours?” Theo says to Allie.

I frown. “Neither of you. Dad, let’s go home first.”

Dad massages his temples and nods.

One thing about Dad is that he’s book smart, but he’s not the best at reading situations, especially emotional ones. Call him dense, but unless it’s spelt out for him, chances are Dad won’t get it.

I glance at Sienna, who is blushing as she looks at me, and I give her a faint smirk.

I think it’s time we told our parents.

“Let’s go,” Carter says, sighing, for once smiling as he looks at Theo. “Glad you’re back, wanker.”

“Oh, so am I. I’m ready to tell everyone about my heroics. By the way, I took a leak on the temple steps. It didn’t spit me out, so I think we’re all good. But I think those assholes were jealous of my dick because they just stood there watching-”

“Eww! Don’t touch me!” Alessandra snarls in horror.

“Theo, I love you, but stop!” Artemis shudders weakly. Brock grins as I smile, shaking my head.

He’s playing it off, but what he did… was fucking brave.

“I’m ready to return,” Enrique says as Dad picks up the two bags of tomes and Enrique opens a portal.

Theo snickers, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “Damn. So can I still tell him?”

“No,” I say.

“So, about what you said, I don’t think I’m the queen in a game of chess,” Dante remarks.

Theo grins. “Well, you’re the most powerful. Do you see yourself as the king, cus I’m definitely a knight.”

Dante smiles faintly. “I’m just a pawn.” With those words, he steps through the portal.

Theo shrugs, but I frown. Dante covers up his emotions well, but I can sense the underlying sadness that burdens his shoulders.

Heaven and Sienna approach us, and Sienna smiles at Theo. “That was really brave of you,” she says as she stands on my other side, and I place my hand on her waist, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“That I am,” Theo replies smugly.

“I’m impressed,” Heaven says, tossing her hair over her shoulder, casting an approving gaze at Theo before she walks through the portal.

I take a deep breath before I look through the portal, smiling at the familiar woods of the Blood Moon Pack.

Home.