Page 66 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

“What is it?” she asks.

“The drakaths had issues with the demons, but there’s nothing more, just that.” I frown, feeling a tad frustrated.

She purses her lips as she plays with a strand of her hair. “And both Ahren and I felt something near the dome, not to mention how our barriers looked like it. Maybe Ahren can find something. I’ll message him. Can I use your phone?”

I nod, passing it to her as I continue reading, waiting for her to finish texting.

“Their abilities… They drive their victims to madness,” I begin slowly, my finger tracing the line I’m reading, my vision blurring, and I’m struggling to focus. “The wounds are not just simple wounds. They mark the victim. Once it touches them, it awakens a connection to the Will, which then begins to poison their mind, driving them to insanity. It doesn’t matter how strong they are; sooner or later, the poison and madness seep into every thought until they break.”

She takes the book from me as if realising I’m struggling. “Most who are wounded by the drakaths die swiftly after losing their minds, not lasting beyond the first few hours of being inflicted, but for vampires it’s worse,” she reads.

She pauses as we both digest what we have just read before she continues.

“The curse was made for them. Their immortality keeps their bodies alive while the mind rots from the inside. They don’t die quickly; they linger, trapped in a slowly unravelling nightmare designed to erase their kind. Their centuries of power all turn against them because that was Set’s purpose from the start. To teach them that they belong to him. That he will make them yield, that he is the one who can take their lives.”

I nod and look over at her as I tap the page lightly. “And according to these texts, the aim for the drakaths was to eliminate the entire vampire race.”

Sienna doesn’t say anything, nodding as she hugs the book to her chest, a small frown on her face. “Then the vampires need to move away from the Siberian Wastelands.”

I close the book, the snap loud in the silence, my mind heavy. The drakaths, the Will, the curse – it’s starting to make sense. They’re here for a reason, most likely to wipe out the vampire race; they are instruments of divine punishment.

“Yeah… It seems the vampires have been the intended target from the very beginning.”

She nods slowly. “But then one thing doesn’t make sense… Why did I have that dream? Why was the egg – the Will – calling to me? What part do I play in all of this?”

I stare at her, not having the answer to that, but seeing the worry in her eyes, I speak without thinking, my voice softer than it should be. “I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out, alright?”

She nods. “Alright.”

The Pain of Losing Someone

Sienna

Ahren hasn’t got back to us yet, although it’s been a while, but he will at some point. He’s also meant to be dropping off clothes and stuff for me. We ended up spending a lot of time reading, and I’ve only stopped now to get the lasagne in the oven and begin peeling the potatoes for chips.

I put on some music in the kitchen and get to work. I find most of the things I need pretty easily. Jayce is still in the lounge, and I keep my ear there, just in case his heart rate spikes.

I’m worried about him. There were times in there that I knew he was struggling to read…

Sighing, I turn the cooker on, placing the chip pan onto it and filling it with the oil. Leaving that to heat, I begin slicing the potatoes into chunky chips. I’m almost done when the front door opens, and Katara walks in. I see her walk past the kitchen when she pauses, as if just realising I’m there.

“Sienna?” she asks, confused.

“Hey,” I say as I walk over to give her a hug, noticing she’s dressed so differently from what she wore months ago. She’s wearing makeup, too. Dark eyes and dark lipstick as well, in a way similar to what Aunty Raven used to do. She must be missing her. My heart squeezes as I hug her, and she gives me a tight hug back.

“Hi, I didn’t know you were here,” she says.

“Yeah, it was a little sudden.” My smile falters when I catch the strong scent of alcohol on her. It isn’t uncommon for shifter kids to drink before they turn eighteen due to the lack of effect it has on them; however, it is usually at parties or events.

“You would have known if you had your phone switched on,” Jayce says coolly from the doorway.

Katara pulls away and turns, startled, her heart racing, and I don’t miss the way her fingers go to the hem of her tiny skirt as she attempts to pull it down, although it’s kind of impossible. It’s incredibly short.

Jayce’s eyes glimmer blue, his brows knitting into a deep frown as he looks her over, and I can sense his irritation, the air rippling with his aura.

“What are you wearing?” he asks quietly.

Katara hesitates, but I see the change before she even speaks, switching to the defensive instantly. “What’s it to you? I’m fifteen years old; I can wear whatever I want.”