Page 20 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

“Did you know it would be today?” I ask, distraught.

He shakes his head. “I only see images of what’s to come, and often I cannot make sense of them. I didn’t know… or I would have tried to prevent it.”

Trying to prevent it as it is happening is different, but going back in time or trying to change something that has occurred – that is when things can go wrong, as Dante had warned me. It’s something we can’t do, no matter how unfair that sounds right now.

“Ask Ahren to find out who did it. We can at least do that, right?” I ask, sounding harsh, my heart aching.

“Already did, just like with Ares’ attack, he wasn’t able to see anything. Something was blocking him,” Dante replies, his eyebrows knitted in a deep frown.

I growl lowly, anger bubbling inside of me. “Fuck!”

“We’ll get to the bottom of this. I personally will be on it; whoever did this won’t go unpunished,” he promises, his eyes hardening.

I nod. “Yeah.” But it won’t bring Mom back.

Turning, I walk away, not wanting to spend another minute in anyone’s company. We failed Mom…

Only when I’m completely alone do I allow myself to drop to the ground, raising my knees; I lean back and stare at the waning sun.

“I want to spend time with you; you’re going so far away. And Goddess knows how long it will be before I get to see you again. No, you have to spend some time at home before you leave…”

I close my eyes, my heart heavy with pain; who knew that she would be the one to leave me?

I rest my arms on my knees, hanging my head as tears silently fall to the ground. I don’t sense her, not until her arms are around me from behind.

I stiffen as familiar sparks dance through me.

“Please don’t say anything. When I walk away, I will pretend this never happened… Just let me hold you…” Sienna’s soft voice whispers in my ear.

I don’t say anything; her closeness brings me comfort that I’ll never voice. I grip my right wrist with my left hand, trying to stop my body from shaking. The heat of her body, the warmth of her touch, it does help. And I fucking hate it.

Once again, she’s seen me at my lowest, when I’m feeling the most vulnerable…

Can she sense my pain, or is she feeling it?

Her tears that soak my back – are they her pain or mine?

I try, try to fucking get myself together, but it’s impossible. Only when the mask of night falls over the woods do I reach up for her arms, and for a moment I wonder what would happen if I just let it be.

Life’s short…

But I don’t want to be broken, not again, not when there is so much responsibility on my shoulders. I remove her arms from around my shoulders and stand, refusing to look back at her as I walk away. She doesn’t say anything, and neither do I.

Maybe I should thank her, but although this time she may have stopped me from breaking, she also has the power to destroy me, and I refuse to give that to her again. It’s best for both of us.

“I don’t think this is the kind of weather to stay out in,” Ahren’s voice comes. I glance towards him, but don’t respond. “How are you, Jayce?”

“As you can tell,” I remark.

“I guess when your heart turned to ice, the weather can’t affect it.”

If he’s trying to get a rise out of me, it won’t work.

“Lucky for me then, init,” I reply sharply.

He chuckles. “You’re angry we’re here.”

“No, I’m over the fucking moon,” I reply, sarcasm dripping from my voice.