No.
I threw my head back and allowed it to encompass me.
My flames raged wilder, higher and almost violent.
The amber lightning shot out everywhere.
I felt a rush of my dad’s power.
Huh. Looked like he’d just erected a glamor.
Why? I was fine.
I was just basking in it.
“Winter, get control back! You have it in you! I’ve seen it. Don’t let this overpower you. Your fear will not become reality! You control that! You can control this!”
His voice sounded so far away now.
I needed to grasp it, to hold onto it.
Something was urging me to do it desperately.
Now.
Right now.
I blinked, but everything was hazy.
I saw my flames. They were too wild. Too out of control.
I panicked, my heart thundering, my body starting to shake.
I tried to pull my power back, but it resisted me.
“Dad! I can’t! I can’t do it! Help!”
“Fuck, I can’t. It needs to be you, or that feeling will settle. This is how it began for your grandfather. Letting that power rush control him, letting that god-like feeling into his mind, losing all sense of true self for the sake of a fucking thrill. And the darkness built from there. With this being such a severe fear of yours, there’s a real danger of this eating at you in the same way. But you’re my son! You’re stronger than that! You’re better than that!”
“Dad! Please!”
“I need you to do this. Mom, Pops, Father… we need you to do this. Your loves do.”
“It shouldn’t be here… this need for the… thrill… power-hungry…”
“It’s not all you. Ruxnoth influenced you. I know it, okay? I know about it. And I can’t get it out. Not yet. So I need you to fight like you’ve been doing so well with. Please, Win. My sweet and gentle son. Hold onto that. Ontoyou.Not any of them—notmyfucking father, not Ruxnoth, not Temperance and their bullshit fears about you. Not anyone. Stay with me! Stay with us, son!Stay!”
Ruxnoth?
Of course!
Of course it was that bastard.
He’d made meneedthat living warmth—like an addiction. And now this. He’d opened that up in me or something.
No.No!
I wasn’t… that.
