“That is the magic you’ve repressed deep inside you for years. I’m sure Grigori worked long and hard to make sure you never manifested the power inside you. But just like your sadness can enhance his magic, your emotions can help you release all that you’ve suppressed deep inside you. The trick now that it’s free is to make sure you control the magic through thought not feeling.”
Hollyn focused on Yumia again. “Are you saying you tortured me these past three days to get me to release my suppressed anger?”
“Something like that. Anytime you’d show even the slightest hint of anger or frustration or anything, I’m sure Grigori found a way to make you regret it.”
“Usually by punishing my mother.”
“As a result, you learned to push those feelings under the surface. He made you fear your own anger, but anger is a natural emotion. It’s what you do with it that matters. After he’d gotten you to repress any of your feelings, the only emotion he could still get you to generate was sadness because that served his purpose.” She stood up and crossed the room until she stood in front of Hollyn. “I had to push you to acknowledge that your feelings were valid. By doing that, you’ve taken your first step toward taking control of your power. He’ll have a hard time controlling you now.”
Everything suddenly made sense, and relief filled her as she realized she was more powerful than she’d ever known. Grigori had controlled her for years, but he didn’t anymore.
“You said you knew his biggest weakness, and that you’d show me how to exploit it.”
“His biggest weakness is that he really has no control over you. Yes, he has your mother and your aunt, and he’ll try to use them to get you to bend to his will, but in reality, they’re more powerful than he is. He’s weak. The only way he feels strong is by hurting others. But if no one plays along, he has no strength. You just have to remind him of that.”
“How do I drown him in a blast of water?”
“Hollyn, there are no limits on the energy you can send. It doesn’t have to manifest in water form. You can do so much more.”
Hollyn felt the magic flowing freely throughout her body. A blue glow filled the room and the medallion with the heart-shaped jewel hanging around her neck began to pulse. From across the room, she removed the lid of the bottle of paint and the paintbrush seemingly floated upright, dipped into the red paint, and began lightly stroking the nearest rose petal, turning the bright white into a deep red. Power suffused her being, and for the first time ever, she understood her own strength and how right it felt to be able to control it.
12
The minute Kai laid eyes on Hollyn, he heaved a huge sigh of relief. From a distance, he watched as she threw blue magic blast after magic blast, hitting small objects that were perched on a nearby rock. Obviously, the magic lessons had gone well. He just had to wonder if Thian had been successful.
“Is that Hollyn?”
Kai had been so distracted by the sight of the woman he loved, he’d all but forgotten about Katerina behind him. Her watery question took a moment to process.
He didn’t take his gaze off of Hollyn as he answered, “Yes, and damn, she looks good.”
Excited to be with her once again, Kai motioned for Katerina to follow as he strode toward Hollyn.
As they grew nearer, Hollyn finally noticed them. She turned and looked at him, her eyebrows dipped tightly toward the middle, and he got the sense she wasn’t as happy to see him as he was to see her.
With a roll of her hand, she directed him to follow her inside. He didn’t hesitate, and Katerina came along, too.
Once they were inside, they walked into a pocket of air, and Hollyn sucked in a full breath. She gave him and Katerina a once over before she asked, “What are you doing here, Kai?”
“I needed to see you.”
She stared at him thoughtfully, then shifted her gaze to Katerina. “You have striking, purple eyes. I’ve believe I’ve seen them somewhere before.”
Kai was beginning to suspect she wasn’t telling him everything. He just hoped he’d made it in time to keep her from falling into Thian’s bed. He wasn’t sure how he would feel if Thian had been successful in his mission.
“This is Katerina. She helped me, so I’m helping her.”
“Hmm. I see. Helping is what we’re calling it. Got it.”
Something was definitely wrong with Hollyn. Did she think there was something between Katerina and him? Surely she knew he’d never do that to her.
“Are you okay?”
“Better than okay, actually. I’ve unlocked my magic with Yumia’s help, and I was just getting in a little bit more practice before she helped me get back to the surface.”
Confusion edged into Kai’s brain. “You were going to go without me?”
“It kind of looks like we were both ready to move on, doesn’t it?”
