Page 58 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

I’m exhausted; I have barely slept since we set off from the Wastelands. And even now I’m worried about Jayce.

He didn’t give an answer, and I don’t want to force him to agree to anything, but why is he so stubborn!

“You know what, we’re going to make it happen. I don’t care how unreasonable or reckless or whatever anyone thinks; we’re doing this. I’ll make sure of it,” Dad says with a smile.

“Well, I’m going to go shower,” Ahren says before they both leave me alone. I drop back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind returning to that moment when he pulled me onto his lap.

My heart aches with so many emotions as Jayce holds me tightly; his soft kiss on my shoulder makes tears sting my eyes. I missed him. Gods, I missed him.

And yet I know he’s not fully himself. Even if it’s proof he still cares, it still hurts to know this is only because he isn’t fully himself. I hold him tightly, trying to target whatever the drakath has poisoned him with.

It’s very hard to grasp, and it’s almost as if it’s become one with his bloodstream.

He’s fallen asleep, and I hope that means he isn’t hallucinating. I keep going, trying to find even the tiniest bits of the drakath’s essence from within him until Ahren walks in.

“So, we need to go…” he trails off, and I turn my head as he raises an eyebrow. “So, he’s clearly not in his right mind.”

I tilt my head, giving him a pointed look, even if he’s right. I reluctantly untangle Jayce’s arms from around me, wishing I didn’t have to.

“So we’re leaving?” I ask as I remove myself from Jayce’s thigh. Ahren nods.

“Yeah, I’m teleporting us to the base, and from there we’re getting a flight back to England.”

We haven’t even been here long, and we’re returning to England already… It’s not what I wanted. “When are we leaving?”

“Once you’re ready, we’re out. Go pack what you need,” Ahren commands.

I’m not going to take anything with me. I’m coming back here. There is something that remains unfinished here, something that I must do. I just know it.

I stand up, deciding to go shower. Grandma Red has given me some clothes. The house feels weird without the boys; Katara is out at a friend’s, and without Aunty Raven, it feels… empty.

Her death is still fresh.

Uncle Liam looks tired, too.

I step into the bathroom down the hall and lock the door. Placing the clothes down, I deactivate my Schattenblüte and remove my belt before stepping into the shower, switching it on and allowing the water to pour over me. I rest my forehead against the tiles, letting the water pour through my hair.

Lieutenant Ana’s body is being flown home, and I feel like a failure. I had tried, but it felt like it had latched onto every part of her, and it was a struggle to separate it from her own cells.

The feeling of failure stings. I couldn’t even cure Jayce, I think bitterly.

Once I finish showering, I towel myself dry before putting on the new sports bra and panties, and then slip on the baggy grey sweats with a drawstring tie that helps hold them up and a fitted grey top with long sleeves. I crunch up my curls after drying my hair before leaving the bathroom and almost knock into none other than Jayce, who is clearly heading for a shower, wearing nothing but a pair of pants.

My eyes rake over him before I blink and look up at him. Without any shoes on, I feel tiny in comparison to him.

His eyes run over me slowly; that burning fire in them is hardly disguised before he looks away, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Alpha and arrogant go hand in hand.

I sidestep him, offering him a small, sweet smile before I walk down the hall to Renji’s room. I can feel his eyes burning into me, and I can sense his irritation, but I quickly shut the door behind me.

What is his problem?

I put on my shoes before I leave Renji’s room again and head downstairs. I can smell food cooking in the kitchen and enter, looking over to see Aunty Kiara coaxing Uncle Liam to check if the pasta is good enough. I know he can cook. He agrees, albeit half-heartedly, but for his family, he’s trying to be ok.

Grandma Red is dicing the salad whilst Azura is sitting on the bar stool, eating it.

“Do you need any help?” I offer.

Grandma Red almost refuses before she seems to change her mind and smiles. “Could you set the table? I had given the help a day off since I didn’t think we’d have guests,” she says with a small laugh.