Page 8 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos (The Rossi Legacies #7)

Sienna

A few hours have passed, but I don’t really know exactly how long it’s been since I’ve been here.

I refuse to leave the library, and no one comes to find me, which is a relief.

I’ll get in trouble for skipping classes, but I’ll deal with that later or tomorrow.

No one spots me sitting on the floor in the corner of the huge library, and I’m happy with that.

Some students come in through the morning, but it’s a blur. I’m consumed by my thoughts, and they are too busy with their own work and gossip.

The whispers and remarks about what happened during the training session this morning follow them.

If everyone’s talking about it, then that means it must have reached the first years, and that adds a new worry to my mind.

Allie and Heaven know me better than anyone.

What if they start to question exactly what is going on?

I mean, I didn’t even get a kick in. If either of them witnesses something like that, they will realise something is off, and there’s not a chance of them not noticing.

They will, because over the years, we have sparred together often enough.

And when they question me, I won’t have an answer for them. It’s a matter of when, not if.

When I train with Jaddati or Ahren, I don’t feel like this. I’m able to be calm because they aren’t determined to outdo me – to win. They have no intention of belittling or demeaning me. Their emotions don’t consume me because there is no negativity in their intentions.

Just the thought of my best friends questioning me scares me. I place my forehead against my knees and close my eyes. I need to do something, anything, to help me squash that evil voice, the dark thoughts, the chaos.

Maybe there’s something Mama and Aunty Ri overlooked back then…

More than a year ago

“Are you sure about this?” Aunty Ri asks me, tucking a strand of her glossy hair behind her ear.

I look down at the large pentacle that is drawn on the ground with ash.

Crystals and candles sit at every corner, the candles casting waving shadows on the crystals.

There are runes etched along every line of the star, which had taken Mama and Aunty Ri hours to draw out.

It’s powerful magic. I can feel it, hear the whispers of witches at the place between life and death, the power drawing them here.

This is a powerful binding spell. One to bind the uncontrollable power within me.

They don’t know about the thoughts that accompany it, they don’t need to know those. This just needs to work.

“I’m sure!” I answer quickly. I want this power gone.

“It will weaken you physically, too. This kind of magic isn’t easy to undo. Are you sure?” Mama asks, cupping my cheeks as she searches my eyes, as if looking for even a speck of doubt in them. Her gorgeous, bright blue eyes are full of concern and love, and I wish I didn’t make her worry so much.

I nod. They don’t know what it wants from me, the hell it wants to unleash.

They exchange looks, and Aunty Ri takes a deep breath, shaking her head and squaring her shoulders. “Alright then, let’s do this.”

I smile. Despite the heightened emotions in the room, I am more excited than anything else. Even as Aunty Ri and Mama prepare to perform the strongest binding spell, all I can think of is having these thoughts gone for good.

They use it on Dante at times to suppress his powers. He’s a demigod, so they can’t suppress his powers by much, but it allows him to be in the presence of others without making it feel like everyone will drown under the sheer weight of his aura alone.

“Thank you, and good luck!” I shout over the growing whispers as I look at the strongest witch duo I know. Mama’s magic relies more on her demon side; necromancy is her forte, but she avoids it, and Aunty Ri is incredible, her witch blood is strong.

They begin chanting, their power swirling around them, their eyes glowing, and I see Mama shifting into her demon form.

Terrifyingly beautiful, yet somehow not entirely human.

Gravity defies their hair as I feel the power wrap around me, and I don’t fight it, wanting it to take away this hurricane inside of me.

Finally, I can be free from the terrifying thoughts.

I close my eyes, calming myself as the power intensifies, their chanting becoming louder and more aggressive, and it starts to hammer at my head. I try to remain motionless, taking deep, steady breaths, but it’s hurting… I don’t like it…. The power within me doesn’t like it.

It doesn’t want to be stopped; it wants to stop them.

My eyes snap open as if by a will of their own, falling on the two women.

I want to kill them. I want to end them for daring to try to suppress me!

My stomach twists, my heart thudding at the horrid thought.

I will never wish harm on them! Go away!

I see the glowing chains of magic, each link engraved with runes as they begin to wrap around me.

Calm down!

I tell myself, trying to steady my emotions as Aunty and Mama’s voices get louder. The spell is almost complete, but how come I don’t feel different?

The whispers in my head are hammering against my skull, and I grab my hair.

It’s too much, it hurts. I can’t think- I can’t think! Stop!

STOP!

A surge of energy lashes out from me in every direction, hammering against the chains until they shatter, throwing Aunty Ri and Mama back against the wall behind them.

They raise a shield, but barely as I try to force my power back inside of me, but it unravels, and all the magic comes to an abrupt stop, and I drop to my knees.

“Why didn’t it work?!” Mama cries, rushing to my side.

“Maybe she’s more demon, like Ahren…” Aunty Ri murmurs as she stands and dusts herself off, her eyes burning into me.

“Her hair used to be a dark brown, but now it’s so much redder; she’s looking more and more like you do in your demon form.

We don’t know how genetics work in demons… it could be that.”

I look up, understanding of the situation sinking in, and it makes my heart sink.

It didn’t work… There may not be a solution.

“What can we do then?!” I ask desperately, my voice shaky.

“Maybe your mama can try to use the same binding spell that she has used on Ahren a few times?” Aunty suggests, but she doesn’t sound confident. She glances over at Mama, who frowns as she ponders over her suggestion.

“That’s temporary, and if she’s a stronger demon than I am, it won’t work anyway,” Mama says after a moment.

“Try it! I need you to try it, Mama,” I plead, misery filling me.

Mama nods, hugging me tightly. She then stands up, and this time, without even saying a word, cuts her hand, letting the blood fall before she swirls her hand in the air, and the blood frizzles up.

Her red eyes glow as power wraps around me.

This time, it barely touches me, and then I feel my own powers surge forward and shatter it like it is made of the thinnest, most fragile glass ever.

Gone, before it could even get any closer.

Mama stumbles back, but this time Aunty Ri is prepared and deflects it, catching Mama by the shoulders before she lets go of her and crosses her arms.

“And that thwarts that plan…” Aunty Ri murmurs. “So, you’re definitely a hybrid, and if you get a wolf, you might just be the first-ever tribrid?”

Mama smiles, although her eyes are full of concern.

“Is that even a word?” she asks before coming over to me.

“Anything is,” Aunty replies dismissively.

“What else can we try?” I ask. I don’t care if I’m a hybrid, tribrid or whatever! I just want these powers gone!

“There’s… nothing more. Demons are not really of this world. Their magic-”

“Is like all the other monsters we see…”

“Well, demons aren’t really monsters, more a-” I cut Aunty off.

“So, it won’t work?” I ask.

“Hey, I know having a lot of power is a curse as much as it is a blessing, but with some training, you’ll manage it.” Mama tries to console me, her confidence only making me feel worse. “You can do this.”

“No, I don’t want it! Can’t Ahren do anything? He’s a demon hybrid! He is definitely stronger than me!” I cry out in desperation.

Mama looks at Aunty Ri, who nods. “I’ve told him to come. She’s right, he might be able to do something.”

Mama nods, then looks at me. “Si, there’s a chance it won’t work. Sometimes when magic mixes and manifests in a different way, it changes everything,” Mama tries to explain, but I don’t want to hear it. I just want this gone!

Ahren enters and looks between us before his eyes rest on me as Mama explains to him what happened. “We tried what we could, but if I show you the binding ritual, perhaps you can try.”

“That won’t hold unless we perform it daily, and that’s unrealistic. Besides, even if I wanted to, I can’t. I’m a blood demon. She is a different type; I will end up poisoning her.”

“Wait, what?” Aunty Ri asks sharply. “What do you mean, type of demon? Del just tried it, and she’s not in any pain.”

Ahren looks at me, his eyes unreadable. I wonder where he learns these things…

“There are different types of demons. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. Mom is a Soul Demon – necromancy. I’ve tapped into awakening a deeper side of my demon abilities.

So, where Mom couldn’t poison you as her power is imbued with her witch heritage, my power will.

Besides, we don’t know what kind of demon you are yet and how much you can handle. ”

So, I have to live with this… My stomach sinks.

“How many kinds of demons are there?” I ask, trying to distract myself from breaking into tears.

Ahren is silent for a moment before he looks me in the eye. “Six.”

“And will you tell us what they are, or keep it a secret?” Mama asks, curious and also a little displeased. Probably because he never shared this knowledge.

He gives her a mischievous smile. “You never asked before. There’s Soul, Void, Shadow, Fire, Blood and Chaos.”

Chaos.

“I think I’m Chaos, my power is wild,” I murmur before sighing heavily. I don’t want this power!

“If you are, then I definitely will poison you. But it’s not black and white, and many demons will be something in between.

We’re also not pure demons, so our powers will have mutations of their own.

But one thing is that demons take on their own forms, so just because we’re family, we aren’t going to end up being the same. ”

Mama is quiet. “Then… what was my mama?”

My anger and frustration fade as Mama looks off into the distance, her eyes glittering. “She wasn’t able to talk, she was small…”

I wrap my arms around her as Ahren glances at Aunty Ri.

“A Void Demon. They are the purest and most innocent she-demons you will find. They are drawn to empty places to fill them with life… The easiest to drag into this world if someone wants because they are too na?ve. They are the most innocent, opposite to fire demons, like the djinns, who are the worst,” he explains.

Mama once told me about how she met her mama, and it hurt so much. What the witches did to her was cruel and beyond evil.

“She was…” Mama whispers, discreetly brushing her tears away.

I force my emotions down and smile at them. “I guess I’ll try to control it then. I’ll learn.”

Ahren observes me. His sharp eyes feel like they can see right through me. “You will.”

I sigh. Maybe there’s another spell or something that can bring me calmness or control.

This library holds so many books and grimoires, including some that are locked away for security purposes since the Coven only deemed certain spells teachable. But they cannot remove the deadly spells from there either. Some of them even belonged to Endora.

I close my eyes, and the slight scent of cedarwood, dark spice and leather flits into my nose, and I inhale deeply. It’s so seductive… so- Jayce?

I sit up straight, my heart thudding as I glance around.

“Took you long enough to realise.”

I freeze, my heart thundering as I look around. Is he talking to me?

Frantically, I scan my surroundings, trying to figure out where he is, then I look at the shelf behind me. Through the small gap at the top of the shelf level to my eyes, I can see dark pants. He’s on the other side…

I open my mouth, then close it. Somehow, not being directly under his intense glare helps. “What…”

“Is it so hard to string two words together, Rossi?” he scoffs, contempt clear in his voice.

“You’ve been here a while, and we all know you are the weakest in this school.

You’ll be put into a division in under two weeks, and no one will want you in theirs.

” His words sting, and I feel my throat tighten.

I know that…

“So stop wasting your time wallowing in self-pity. You are not the only person on this planet who has lost someone they love. So get your shit together and prove you fit in here, and that you aren’t just here simply because of your namesake.

Cause I assure you, with your track record, even your name won’t get you far. ”

I hear a book snap shut, and then he’s walking away, leaving me feeling ten times worse than I did moments ago.

It hurts, but he’s saying only what I already know. It still feels like a slap in the face…