Page 212 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

He pulls me into his arms, and I rest my head against his chest, the sound of his heartbeat soothing. I can still hear the sounds of movement from the camp outside, despite the late hour. Every so often, I hear the distant shriek of a drakath, and it still feels surreal knowing they belong to me now.

I’m not sure that belongs is the right word, but regardless, they are my responsibility now, and that’s a lot to take in.

“Come on, you need to sleep,” Jayce murmurs as he pulls back the blanket that’s lying on the ground and sits down, pulling me down beside him. He lies back, tugging me into his arms, and my heart skips a beat the moment he buries his head into my neck, inhaling deeply.

“You were incredible out there,” he murmurs.

“I don’t think I was that incredible; I could have lost myself…”

“Sienna.” He’s lifted his head now, and I tilt my head back until I can see him.

“You faced Velasara, took control of the Will, commanded an army of drakaths, discovered your element, somehow stopped Vincenzo from enslaving you and closed the tear in the veil. I’d say that’s fairly impressive.”

“I love how that narrative omitted how you were part of all of that.” I cock a brow.

“I played a small part, nothing worth mentioning.”

“I never knew you to be so modest,” I tease. “It was a team effort.”

“Alright, if that makes you happy, it was a team effort, although I stand by what I said; my part was small,” he replies.

“A team effort. Full stop,” I say before my smile slowly fades and then add, “How do you think they’ll take it?”

Jayce frowns slightly. Vincenzo? I nod. His expression hardens. Only tomorrow will tell.

The answer isn’t particularly reassuring, because even without a blood test, the truth is pretty clear. Tomorrow, everyone will learn that the leader of the Indomitable isn’t some faceless monster; he’s Grandpa Al’s son…

And that means by default, if anything happens to Grandpa Al, he’d become the leader of the Night Walkers Pack. That is frightening, but somehow, it’s still not the most frightening thing about him. It’s the way he was so delusional.

I think about the certainty in his voice when he spoke about the gods and his ideals. The way he so confidently has people favoured by the gods he ultimately wants to destroy on his side.

A shiver runs through me, and Jayce pulls the blanket up around me.

“Enough thinking. Try to get some rest.”

“Says the man who’s definitely still thinking,” I counter.

He gives me a smile, one that says I’m right. “I’ll sleep once you do,” he murmurs as he leans down and claims my lips in a hot, burning kiss, one that heats me up far more than the small flame. I kiss him back as I feel the stress of the day wash away.

When he moves back, he brushes my hair back and looks down at me. “Now sleep.”

I nod, curling into him. The warmth of the fire fills the tent whilst the wind continues to howl beyond the canvas walls. Tomorrow will bring questions, arguments, and difficult conversations, but tonight, there is nothing more we can do. The survivors are safe, the barrier around us is holding, and for the first time in what feels like forever, it doesn’t feel like something is looming above me.

So, I curl closer against Jayce and allow myself to simply relax into him, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear as sleep slowly begins to drag me under.

Tomorrow can wait.

For tonight, this is enough.

We were in Russia for two more nights before we were able to organise everything and return home. With the vampires leaving, there were extra things we had to take care of alone, and the manpower had drastically fallen with so many of our own dead.

It’s midafternoon, and Jayce and I are entering Leo’s office. We’ve given our written report, but there’s one detail that we all left out… Uncle Liam, Aunty Ri, Dad, Azura, and Uncle Leo are present. More than Jayce wanted, but it’s something that eventually everyone will learn. Royce had asked one of Leo’s men to carry out the blood test against Grandpa Al’s blood with Vincenzo’s. With his status, there would be fewer questions asked, although I’m certain Uncle Leo was probably notified.

“What the fuck is this about?” Uncle Leo asks, his eyes sharp as he looks between us. “Where’s Royce?”

“He should be here soon,” Jayce says quietly, arms folded.

Aunty Ri looks up at me, and I smile, looking away. Heaven hadn’t told her, saying it would only worry her, and there was nothing she could do about it anyway. She has already returned to the Academy, but I’m worried about her. I’m hoping she tells Aunty Ri soon, because even if she worries, she needs to know.