Page 100 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

“Yeah, I think I could direct it; I’ve done it before when I saw the Deimos temple. Helios didn’t want me to see it, but I was able to get there, to the steps.”

He’s watching me silently. After a moment, he gives a curt nod. “Yeah. Maybe we can try that.”

I nod, and a silence falls between us; once again, the tension thickens.

“I know it’s just a word, but I am truly sorry for everything,” I say quietly, looking down at my hands. “Looking back now, I realise I was so naïve. So desperate to fix things… It hurt not having Dad there, to see Mama, Jaddati, Aunty with no protector. I know they’re strong, but it felt like it was just us who kept losing our father figures. The weight on Ahren’s shoulders – he wasn’t even eighteen. It all felt so unfair.”

The emotions – it hurts to think about it. The music suddenly feels a little loud in here, and I’m suddenly hyperaware of the sound of the oil in the fryer, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, and the beeping of the microwave.

Forcing a smile, I shake my head. “Anyway-”

“Yeah, well, I think most of us would jump if we were offered such a deal,” he says at the same time. My heart skips a beat as I look into his gorgeous eyes.

“But you wouldn’t; you would have analysed Helios’ connection to everyone around you, you would have asked the right questions, not let your emotions make the decision,” I murmur.

“Yeah, maybe, who knows? But we’re not the same.”

Yeah, we aren’t the same. “That’s true.”

For a moment, it’s as if he wants to say something, but instead he just drinks some Coca-Cola and scans the menu board above the counter behind me, as if not wanting to look directly at me.

“In the Gods’ Realm, how did he treat you?” he asks after a moment.

I look up sharply, slightly startled at the question. “Fine. I think knowing he had eternity to make me submit to him, he left me alone for the most part. I told him that I’d be his wife by title, but that was all. I did not agree to anything more. I saw him more than I wished I had to, but for the most part, he was busy with his own affairs. He gave me tutors, books, and my own quarters, anything I asked for. He made me his High Queen, and I have no idea why, when he had many other wives.”

I pause, then sigh heavily as I take a sip of my drink. “Well, I know why. I was the trophy he stole from the blood of Andronikos.”

“He tricked you because you were my mate, and yet not once have you pinned that blame on me,” he remarks as he finishes his burger.

I sit back; not once has that thought crossed my mind. “Why would I blame you? Being your mate was the greatest gift and honour I could be bestowed with, regardless of the animosity it brought – even if it was the wrath of a god.”

He tilts his head, crossing his arms across his broad chest, and nods slowly. “Still think it was a gift and honour?”

“I do; that won’t change, regardless of what the future holds and what happened,” I answer truthfully.

“Hmm.”

“Jayce…” I want to ask him about what it was that I saw when I marked him. My wolf is on edge, almost as if warning me not to ask him now, but I have to know.

He doesn’t respond, but his eyes remain fixed on mine, watching me intently, like he already knows he’s not going to like what comes next, but giving me the chance to back out. But I can’t. I have to know.

“When I marked you, I saw- felt your fears,” I say, my voice softer now, speaking gently. “I thought I saw-”

Something in him shifts instantly.

His eyes turn cold, the warmth draining so fast as I sense his walls come up and shut me out entirely. I didn’t even realise he hadn’t blocked me out completely until the emptiness hit me just now.

“We’re done here,” he cuts in, his voice flat, final. “Let’s get back to the pack borders. We’ll wait for Ahren there.”

He stands abruptly, even though I haven’t finished eating.

“Jayce-”

“Sienna. Let’s go.”

There’s a flash of anger in his eyes now, as his eyes meet mine fleetingly before he turns and walks out without another word.

I stare after him for half a second before getting up, leaving my food behind as I hurry after him, catching the door just before it swings shut.