Page 51 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

“No, calling my wolf forward just helps with whatever the fuck that thing did,” Jayce says, his voice more primal and rougher as it becomes one with his wolf. He’s in pain; I can feel his discomfort even if he has his walls up.

“There has to be a way to extract the poison; it must be poison,” I murmur, more to myself than anyone, before trying a few other healing spells.

Jayce looks at me before turning his gaze away, a deep frown on his face. I don’t pay him any heed, racking my brain, trying to find the information I need on what could help.

“Go see the healer,” Mikhail says, flicking his hair off his forehead with one hand before turning to Grandpa Al. “And you, pup, secure the grounds.”

Grandpa Al growls. “We’re going to fight this out in the ring when we get a moment, and you won’t be calling me a pup again,” he threatens. Mikhail gives me one cocky smile before heading out into the blizzard.

“Can you stand?” I ask Jayce, about to reach for him, but he tenses, making me hesitate.

“Obviously,” he says roughly. His blazing blue eyes trail over me appreciatively, but it doesn’t match the way he’s trying to keep me away.

It’s his wolf… My heart hammers at the realisation as I stare up into his eyes, before he averts his gaze, his brows furrowing.

“Come on, let’s get you to the healer,” Ahren says as we each take one of Jayce’s arms, slinging them around our own shoulders. My heart races at the feel of his arm around me, and I swallow, my throat suddenly dry, trying not to focus on that as we help him towards the healer’s tent.

“You are a bastard,” Jayce says, and I look up, surprised, only to see he’s glaring coldly at Ahren, who is smirking in return.

“Now, why would you say that?” Ahren asks, feigning mock hurt.

“You can fucking teleport me there,” Jayce mutters.

Oh yeah…

“Maybe I relish seeing you in pain?” Ahren suggests lightly.

Did he do it so we- I- could help him?

“Ahren,” I say in warning.

He sighs. “I used up a lot of power, alright; just walk, it’s only a couple of dozen steps.”

He’s lying…

“Sorry,” I whisper to Jayce. He looks down at me but says nothing.

I can hear his heart beating far faster than it should be.

I hear a shrill scream from the infirmary, not recognising the voice, and almost stop.

“Keep moving, it’s Lieutenant Ana,” Jayce says. That’s right, she was injured, too. Another shrill scream drowns out the howling wind and makes my blood run cold. It sounds like she’s in excruciating agony.

We reach the infirmary, and the moment we step inside, I stop in my tracks at the sight before me: four warriors are restraining her. She’s torn her clothes off and is covered in bloody gashes. My stomach twists when I realise they are self-inflicted. Her claws are out, flesh and blood clinging to them as the warriors try to keep her in place so the healer can administer something.

“This should put her to sleep,” Korina says grimly as she injects her with a syringe full of a potion. Ana’s eyes flutter shut, but a moment later, they fly open again, and she flings the warriors off her, screaming in anguish as she begins to attack herself again.

Ahren sighs as he flicks his finger, caging her in a sphere of darkness. She screams, hammering on it.

“Go away! Get off me!” Her voice is filled with madness and fear.

“What happened?” he asks.

Korina shakes her head. “She’s hallucinating. I’ve been trying to sedate her, but it isn’t working. We will need to restrain her; with that aggression, she will end up killing herself.”

“Understood,” Ahren says as he moves his hand in an extremely fast gesture, and the cage disappears. Instead, in its place, smoke and darkness slither around Ana, pinning her in place. “Bind her and cover her,” he orders the warriors before turning to Jayce.

“You’re not binding me,” Jayce snarls in warning.