Page 193 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

The Will pushes against me again, its power flooding through every part of my being, ancient and vast and so impossibly old that for a moment I understand why so many would simply surrender to it. It would be easier. Easier to let go. Easier to allow myself to disappear into the endless sea of connections stretching around me, to become another voice amongst thousands and let the Will decide everything for me.

The pressure intensifies, pushing harder against my mind, against my soul, against every barrier I have left.

Then suddenly warmth spreads through the darkness. Something that instantly makes my chest tighten.

The endless darkness surrounding me brightens, and I turn towards it, shielding my eyes against the intensity of the dazzling light. For a moment, I can barely look at it; the intensity is almost painful, until the figure within it begins to take shape.

My breath catches.

Jayce.

He’s standing several feet away from me, dressed exactly as he was in the Realm of the Gods, his armour gleaming with golden light, his helmet tucked beneath one arm. Lightning dances magnificently across his skin, and the power radiating from him is immense, so immense that it feels as though an entire storm has been compressed into a single person.

For a moment, I simply stare. Not because he looks like a god, but because despite everything surrounding us, despite the Will and the power and the endless connections stretching through the darkness, seeing him somehow makes all of it feel manageable.

His eyes meet mine, and the tension that’s been building inside me finally eases.

“I’m right here, Darling.”

The words are simple, but this time I hear them – not from within my mind; it’s as if he’s here.

They ground me more effectively than anything else could. I don’t even realise I’ve moved until his arms wrap around me.

The moment they do, the pressure surrounding me seems to lessen. Not disappear, but become bearable. His warmth seeps into me, steady and reassuring, and I close my eyes briefly, allowing myself to simply exist within his embrace as reality and my sanity return with full force.

Gods.

I needed this.

For all my confidence, for all my determination, a small part of me had been terrified.

Terrified that I would lose myself.

Terrified that touching the Will had been a mistake.

Terrified that I wasn’t strong enough.

Jayce pulls back slightly, one hand coming up to cup my cheek as he studies me.

“You know what to do.”

Not a question.

Not an order.

Trust.

Pure and absolute trust.

The kind that makes my throat tighten.

I look past him towards the endless currents of power flowing through the darkness, feeling the Will watching us, waiting.

“What if I lose control?” I ask quietly.

His thumb brushes across my cheek.

“You won’t.”