Page 177 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

“I did.” The admission surprises me. “I thought the answers were hidden in your family’s history.” His gaze slides past me again, and my hands curl into fists. “When the greatest treasure was standing beside you the entire time.”

Lightning crackles around me. “Careful.”

His eyes flick back to mine. “How one gets so riled up when their loved ones are threatened.”

“What do you want with her?”

For the first time, his amusement fades. “The same thing I’ve always wanted.”

“Which is?”

He looks in the direction of the dome. “Control.”

Unease settles in my stomach.

He means the dome, Sienna murmurs.

“The Will chooses its master,” Vincenzo continues.

My jaw tightens.

“And?”

His eyes return to mine. “And if I had known then what I know now...” The smile disappears from his face. “I would have taken her the first day we met.”

Rage surges through me as my wolf takes control; he exudes power as lightning cracks through the sky, the snow beneath my feet blasting in all directions.

His eyes narrow before they glint dangerously.

Two years ago, that look would’ve filled me with dread. It would’ve reminded me of standing broken on that road, watching him walk through everything we threw at him as if neither of us mattered, as if our strongest attacks amounted to nothing more than a mild inconvenience. I can still remember the helplessness. The rage. The overwhelming realisation that no matter how hard I fought, no matter how desperately I pushed myself, I wasn’t strong enough to protect her.

But I am not that fucking boy anymore.

Lightning crackles around me, and I launch forward, the frozen earth exploding beneath me. The distance between us disappears almost instantly, and I drive my fist straight towards his jaw, thunder cracking overhead as immense power surges through my veins. The impact echoes across the blizzard.

Vincenzo’s feet drag deep in the snow as he tries to brace himself, creating trenches through the snow before he finally regains his footing. And when his head slowly turns back towards me, there is no amusement in his eyes.

Good.

I don’t give him a chance to recover.

I drive forward again, twisting into another strike before following it with a kick aimed at his ribs. He blocks the kick with his forearm, but the force still pushes him sideways. I follow immediately, refusing to allow him space, my fist colliding with his shoulder before I drive my elbow towards his jaw.

Tearing through his coat and into flesh, a vicious satisfaction burns through me.

Two years ago, I couldn’t even touch him. Now he’s forced to block.

Adrenaline surges through me as lightning wraps around my arms and shoulders, illuminating the storm around us in violent flashes of white and blue. Every heartbeat seems to pull more power from the heavens, every strike carrying enough force to crack the ground deep beneath the snow.

Vincenzo absorbs the assault for several seconds before his hand suddenly shoots forward at incredible speed, but I catch his wrist before he can grab my throat.

The collision sends another shockwave tearing across the battlefield.

For a moment, we remain locked together, neither giving ground as snow whirls violently around us. Darkness begins spilling from his body, black tendrils twisting through the air like living smoke whilst lightning crackles around my armour.

His eyes study mine. Not with curiosity or amusement. This time, he’s assessing me; the way I can tell he’s frowning beneath his dark hair is proof that he wasn’t expecting me to be able to hold my ground.

You got this, Sienna murmurs softly. So far, I can’t sense anyone close. Want me to join?