Page 78 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos (The Rossi Legacies #7)

I try to pull myself together and sit up. I owe them that much.

I glance at Leo and give him a small nod that I can do this, and I quietly tell them, regarding her dreams, telling Leo what I figured out, how my intuition was somehow blocked, her being distant and how I ended up here tonight.

Leo inputs a little as he paces. I heard him send some guards to check the area that I explained about, where the veil was, but I knew before they even returned that they wouldn’t find it. I had seen it disappear.

Dad is quiet as he listens, whilst Uncle Alejandro’s temper is only rising.

I finish with how she refused to listen and paralysed me, leaving out how I begged like a fucking dog but was cast aside.

“If she was so adamant that she didn’t want you to be there, it was foolish of you to fall for that trick,” Uncle Alejandro says, his irritation clear in his voice.

“Enough,” Dad cuts in. I don’t think I’ve heard him speak so coldly before. “I know you’re hurt, and so am I. Losing a child, any child… but you have no right to pin this blame on Jayce.”

“Then who should we blame?” Tatum asks as the door slams open, his eyes fuelled with rage. “You were with her, right?”

The room falls silent, and it feels like I’ve just been stabbed in the gut. Even he’s accusing me? Alessandra and Heaven are right behind him, their eyes wide as they look at me.

“And we know Helios chose her only because of her connection to you. Because you are the Deimos King, which is the bottom line,” Uncle Alejandro mutters, his hand twisting in his hair.

It’s as if I’ve been stabbed in the gut.

“All of you stop this,” Maria says, but no one listens. I can sense the pain, the anger, the confusion, the fear, the regret, all swirling around the room.

Alejandro is full of guilt that he wasn’t here to protect her, and blames himself far more than his words towards me.

Leo’s calm facade is anything but; his emotions are in turmoil, and he’s angry.

Dad is hurting, Tatum is angry and scared, and Azura is upset but angry.

The only one who is in pain but is controlling her emotions is Maria.

“We will take our leave. It’s clear staying for longer is only upsetting you more,” Dad says.

“So, you’re running rather than trying to help find a solution?” Uncle Alejandro asks.

“I’m protecting my son!” Dad snarls, his aura swirling around him. “He has been through hell, too! Let’s not forget that. He is still a child!”

“Dad, it’s fine, let’s just go,” I say quietly.

“I’m out, too,” Azura says.

“Azura-” Leo begins, but she shakes her head.

“No, I’m not staying here with him being a dickhead,” she spits, glaring at Uncle Alejandro.

“She has a point,” Leo says, now glaring at Uncle Alejandro.

“So, you’re siding with your woman’s family now?”

“Never knew there was an ‘us and you’,” Azura snaps, but I can tell she’s hurt by those words.

“This isn’t fucking about who this shit is over; it’s about you being a fucking twat. This shit is fucked up for everyone, and without Kiara to keep you on a fucking leash, you’re fucking things up even more!” Leo snarls, his eyes blazing.

“Please,” Maria whispers. I look at her and wish for her sake they’d stop. I can take it, but this is all visibly affecting her.

“Remember who you’re talking to, boy!” Alejandro snarls as he squares up to Leo, glaring back at him, murder in his eyes. “I made you King.”

Leo scoffs, not affected by his words. “Yeah, you did. So sit the fuck down and let me handle shit now, init.”

“Leo-”

“You were right. It was time for you to stand the fuck down, because you clearly let emotions get in the way. So get out of my face.”

Uncle Alejandro clenches his jaw, but I know he just needs an outlet. “Fucker. This is our family. She was our little girl. She was my fucking responsibility.” His eyes glitter as he grabs Leo by his jacket, his anger no longer targeted at me but at Leo.

“Yeah, I know. But hurting others won’t bring her back,” Leo says quietly.

Uncle Alejandro stares at him, as if his words have shaken him, before he steps back and lets go of him.

“This has been a good reminder… that you only see blood as family, Dad,” Alessandra says now, looking at her father. Her chest is heaving rapidly, but apart from that, there is no other sign of emotion. Her voice level and face expressionless.

“Please, for my sake, stop!” Maria pleads again.

Heaven goes to her and hugs her, her body shaking, but no sound comes out.

“We will take our leave. I’m sorry for everything,” Dad says quietly to Maria.

Maria shakes her head as Azura takes hold of my arm, leading me out of the room. Tatum moves aside as he stares at us.

“Wait, is that it? Is nobody going to try to figure this out? Sienna’s-”

“She’s crossed to the Realm of the Gods. There’s no way to get her back.” Ahren’s quiet voice comes; he sounds defeated. He’s standing at the bottom of the grand staircase, his hair unruly. “I tried, but I’m unable to go to that very moment. This is a plan created by a god, and we’re no match.”

“I don’t get why she would do this… for what purpose?” Azura says softly. “Why would she just agree to do his bidding?”

“I’m going to go talk to that Solaris cunt,” Uncle Alejandro growls. “Fucking worshipping Helios!”

He’s almost at the door when Ahren places a hand on his chest. “Wait, I felt a-”

The front door swings open slowly.

I lift my head just enough to look at the silhouette in the doorway: tall, clear and unmistakably real .

No!

No fucking way.

My blood runs cold. My lungs won’t expand. My entire body tenses – not from the pain within me, but from the damning truth before me.

I know that face. We all do.

Someone who should have been dead. Someone who can’t be here.

But now he’s standing there.

Alive.

And now it all makes sense.

Someone behind me gasps, their voice shaking with disbelief as they whisper the words, “Ya Hayati?”