Page 128 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

Seconds later, he comes into view, standing there, his eyes blistering with something that seems far more intense than even hatred; there’s a wild rage in them, one that seems to know no bounds. His face is contorted, and in that moment, he doesn’t even look like he’s a teen anymore, his face ageing in a way that doesn’t even look human.

Ahren, Sienna, Heaven and Alessandra surround him, the lightning a barrier between them and him, and from his clothes that are burned and his charred arm, I can see that my lightning bolt hit its mark.

My gaze moves to Sienna, making sure she’s not hurt, making sure my lightning didn’t harm her either. Satisfied she’s fine, I look into her eyes to see hers looking straight into mine from where she stands, composed and confident. Her power is contained but present beneath her skin; something in my chest seems to ease up, and I let out a small exhale.

She gives me the faintest of nods. She knows I’m looking to see if she’s ok, and she’s just told me she’s fine – reassuring me, although I’ll never admit that I need that.

She’s fine, that’s all that matters.

The moment passes between us before I look away, both of us turning back to the primordial. The girls exchange looks before stepping back and putting space between themselves and the primordial. From an outside perspective, it would look like they’re trying to simply protect themselves, but they’re getting into position for the moment they’ll need to activate the spell and hold him in place.

Ahren’s power begins to gather, his dark aura growing around him.

One of the girls casts a spell, and I feel the ripple as the illusion affects our surroundings. To humans coming this way, they will think there’s construction work being carried out and will avoid the area, keeping them safe and unable to see what is really going on here.

“Who cares about a few mere humans?” the primordial says, his voice laced with venom as his gaze sweeps across us with clear hatred. So, he knew what the spell was cast for… I wouldn’t have known, but we had discussed it prior.

“Clearly not you,” Ahren replies, his tone calm but cold.

“Then let’s teach him a lesson,” I say. Ahren and I exchange a look. There’s no need for anything more; we both know what we need to do. The sky flashes, thunder cracking overhead as lightning tears down in violent arcs, striking again and again in quick succession, forcing the primordial to keep moving.

He reacts quickly; I’ll give him that, his body darting to the side with unnatural speed, but there is something off about it; he doesn’t move like a human.

Another bolt cuts off his path, forcing him back, and Ahren is already repositioning, his power surging forward as he attacks him from behind. He’s moved him a little away from the circle where we need him, but it’s intentional. One thing we can all agree on is that he is clever. The moment he realises there’s a reason we’re moving him to a certain area, he will avoid it.

We’re allowing him to believe he still has options, even as those options narrow with every passing second.

Yet the more I watch, the more the unease settles in, my intuition screaming at me.

He isn’t fighting back properly.

There’s no real attempt to counter, no effort to strike back in a way that matches his reputation; he has avoided being caught for so long, surely he can do more than drain us of our powers?

Tell Ahren something isn’t right. I can feel it; I tell Sienna through the mind-link.

Understood! She opens the link, and Ahren’s voice enters my mind.

Ask him what he means by that?

I don’t know, but he’s got a plan. We need to end this, I respond.

I know the plan: capture him, weaken him and then take him in for questioning, but I’m not so sure anymore. It is a risk.

Ahren’s power wraps around him once more, dragging him across the ground, but he twists free at the last moment, and the air suddenly ripples outward in a slicing wave that carries enough force to tear through flesh.

I raise my shield of blinding blue, just as Sienna and Heaven move as well, their shields rising in perfect sync, the impact dispersing harmlessly against the barriers as they hold steady without faltering.

Alessandra surges forward at that exact moment, shifting as she darts past the other two, her body colliding with the primordial with brutal force.

I’ll hold him! Blast this fucker NOW! Alessandra’s voice grates in my head as she uses one of the abilities she has as a lycan, allowing her to mind-link all alphas.

We told her not to be reckless!

Ahren and I move together, his dark aura and my lighter one coiling around them both as we force them both the final distance, right into the centre of the trap.

A snarl that thunders through the air rips from Alessandra’s throat as she releases the containment net, and she slams her fist into his head, her timing flawless as she springs back as he staggers and the deployed net forces him to the ground. The metal expands fully, his eyes turning completely black as he realises what’s happening.

He hisses, sending a wave of ripples towards her. I reach her, my arm wrapping around her waist as I pull her back, raising a shield, just as Ahren appears behind us, and in a puff, we’re gone. I see the spell ignite beneath us just before we reappear outside of the spell.