An Evening That Matters
Sienna
“When is Grandpa Al being told?” I ask. We’re in Renji’s room, where I’ll be spending the night, as the rest of the quints are at the Academy. I’ve come up to shower and change before dinner, but Ahren had followed with Dad, who now stands in the doorway whilst Ahren paces the room.
“Leo will have a message sent out tonight, calling for his return,” Dad replies.
“We need something good going on. This whole thing is a mess; it’s depressing,” Ahren says quietly to Dad, who nods in agreement.
“You’re right, we could do with some distraction. I’ll look at what options we have.”
“Maybe a small trip together or just invite everyone to the Rossi Mansion; we could have games and a barbecue and anything…” I sigh, sitting on the bed and placing my head in my hands.
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.
I nod as Aunty Kiara turns to me. “The plates are in those drawers, and the cutlery is over there, and the glasses are in that top one there.” She points to each as she guides me.
“Thanks,” I say with a small smile.
“Give me that,” Uncle Liam says to her, reaching for the large pot she’s about to pick up.
“I still have my strength, Liam,” Aunty Kiara says with a small smile. I pause, hesitating to ask the questions burning in my mind.
“Do you mean you still have your full strength?” I ask, hoping I understood that correctly. She still has an aura… “The wolves in Italy became human in all aspects.”
She smiles at me. “Yes, I can still mind-link, too. I have my speed, sense of smell, and strength. I think that because I had additional abilities, I wasn’t affected as severely as those in Italy. That’s the consensus, anyway. They lost their wolves, but I can still sense mine.”
I nod. “Thank the gods,” I murmur. So, her wolf is still there, just… dormant in a way. That’s good; it means there’s hope that one day she can shift again.
“I don’t really like them right now,” Azura remarks, sighing heavily. “Really. I mean the gods.”
I agree; at times some of them are questionable, but we have to keep faith. But still, that sickness in Italy had been mysterious; it was first discovered before Allie was even born.
Azura puts on some music, and I’m grateful; something to liven the gloomy atmosphere is needed! I take the plates out, asking Grandma Red how many we need before I get the rest of the cutlery, and then begin carrying the dishes to the dining room.
I’m shimmying to the music – the beat is catchy – stopping when I sense someone watching me, and I know exactly whose gaze it is. I turn and spot Jayce walking down the stairs slowly, his hand gripping the rail firmly.
Our eyes meet, but he says nothing, and I hurry back into the kitchen for more dishes, my stomach feeling a little fluttery. Soon, the table is set, and Uncle Liam brings in the two bowls of salad, placing them on opposite ends of the table.
Once the pasta, garlic bread and chips are on the table, everyone enters, and there’s a bustle as we all take seats. I find myself being pushed by Azura into a seat, and I notice too late that I’m right between her and Jayce, who gives her a death glare.
She simply smirks at him as she spreads her arms, pushing me away and towards Jayce, who looks gorgeous with his dark, wet locks falling in his eyes. He pushes them back as we all begin helping ourselves to food.
“How are you feeling, Jayce?” Grandad Elijah asks him.
“Fine, they’re still around,” he says, and I notice his heart rate is still high.
“Well, you know the fucking option,” Leo mutters.
He’s becoming more and more like Grandpa Al. I suppress a giggle.
“Who are the children with?” Ahren asks Leo and Azura.
“Winona.” Azura smiles. “It’s a full house over at Gramps.”
Grandad Elijah chuckles. “I’m sure he’s enjoying it. Corrado is always a big help.”
“He’s at that age where he does get fed up,” Leo says, with a ghost of a smile that is reserved for his kids.
Both Jayce and I reach for a garlic bread, stopping when our hands knock; sparks dance through my arm, and I move my hand away, allowing him to take a piece first.
Dinner continues, and I try to keep my thighs together so I don’t accidentally brush his leg, but a few times we still manage to touch. I missed this, missed his closeness.
When he tenses, his heart rate spiking, I reach over, placing my hand on his thigh, knowing he’s still seeing those illusions.
“If those hallucinations don’t go away, they might just drive you mad,” Ahren remarks from across the table.
Jayce just gives him a ‘fuck you’ expression before turning those gorgeous green eyes back on his plate.
It’s later on, and I was told to get some rest, although I offered to help clean up.
“Is Katara not coming home?” I hear Jayce say.
“She’s staying at Damon and Robyn’s pretty often,” Uncle Liam replies quietly.
I make my way upstairs and look at the photographs that are scattered across the wall along the stairs, and I look at a picture of Aunty Raven holding five babies or trying to.
Her arms barely stretched around them all, but the smile on her face and the happiness in her eyes make up for her tiny frame.
I smile softly, recognising Jayce from his hair and frown; he had such juicy lips.
“They were a cute bunch, weren’t they?”
I turn as Uncle Liam walks up the steps and stops by my side, his eyes softening as he looks at the picture. “When I found out we were having quints, I actually fainted.”
I stare up at him, surprised, then giggle. “Really? Well, that would be a shock to anyone.”
“I was more worried about how she’d manage, but she was always a fierce thing,” he says, brushing his finger along the photograph. I look up at him before turning back to the picture.
We stand there in silence for a few moments before he looks at me and smiles.
“He’ll come around,” he says softly, patting my shoulder before he moves past me and continues up the stairs.
I remain there for a while longer before I realise I’m not alone and look to the bottom of the stairs where Jayce is standing.
Will you be ok without me near? I ask.
He cocks a brow. Of course.
I nod slowly before I turn and make my way to Renji’s room, pausing in the doorway. I wonder if he’ll really be ok, but I have to respect his wishes. I get into bed and close my eyes, the exhaustion of the day hitting hard.
As I groan, not realising until now just how achy I feel, I turn on my side, my mind wandering to Aunty Kiara. How did she get ill? Where did this illness, or whatever, come from? How did she catch it?
I yawn as I curl up; those are questions I will ask tomorrow.
My eyes close and I find myself drifting away into the depths of sleep.