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H ollyn lifted her chin in defiance as she stared at the man who had made her life a living hell for many years.
Sweat rivulets ran down her face, but she didn’t flinch.
The heat inside the massive volcano was almost intolerable, and with her arms tied behind her back, she couldn’t even wipe away the perspiration.
Instead, she let the sting in her eyes build her resolve that this would be the last time she faced this wicked man.
The guards had swarmed her the minute Kai had gone over the ledge, and not even her voice could stop them.
Clearly, her father had found a way to make them as immune to her siren song as he was.
Yet, in the end, she’d ended her struggles and gone with them because to meet face-to-face with her father was her goal anyway.
Finally, she would put an end to this game of cat and mouse.
“The prodigal daughter has finally come home.”
She didn’t take the bait, refusing to react to his words. A younger version of her would have cowered, knowing that his cruelty started with his seemingly innocent words. He obviously wanted her to get emotional, but she reminded herself that she was in control.
“You don’t have anything to say to your dear, old dad?”
Again, she refused to be goaded into saying something or doing something she would regret.
Instead, she met his gaze and stared right through him.
She watched as he visibly swallowed and his wicked grin faltered for just a second before he turned away and motioned to someone across the expansive cave deep inside the mountainous volcano.
A door opened, and for the first time in more years than she could remember, her mother’s figure appeared. Layla, Hollyn’s mother, looking just like she had so long ago, was dragged out through the door and pushed to her knees beside Grigori.
A hunk of her hair covered her face, but she glanced up and smiled as she said, “My baby! Hollyn!”
Hollyn couldn’t control her reaction at first, letting the tears slide down her face.
Just the sight of the woman she’d left behind sent a swirl of emotions through her body.
Joy and happiness, shame and guilt, regret and sadness, Hollyn couldn’t stop the feelings from taking over.
She was just so glad to see her mother alive.
“Mom!” Tears fell unchecked down her cheeks, and Grigori stepped up to catch them in a glass vial.
“Ah, there’s my girl. That’s exactly what I needed.”
He corked the vial and held it out in front of himself, swirling her tears like a fine wine.
Hollyn cleared her throat and said, “Use those sparingly because they’re the last ones you’ll ever get from me.”
Grigori laughed. “Oh, oh! That’s terrific. That’s a spirit you’ve never had before. I do love a challenge. I can’t wait to make you eat those words.”
“You’ll be waiting a long, long time.”
Hollyn shifted her focus inwardly as she felt her magic begin to course through her.
She heard her mother’s gasp and knew the blue energy that surrounded her was beginning to become visible.
In an instant, the bindings on her wrists fell away and she raised her hands to send a wave of magic toward the guards who were beginning to step toward her.
Grigori’s smile fell from his face, and he took a step back from her. “I see you’ve learned some new skills.” A look of concern knitted his brow together, bringing Hollyn a renewed sense of confidence.
“Yumia taught me well. You remember Yumia, don’t you?”
“The Sea Witch? Well, you couldn’t have learned much. She’s a horrible teacher.”
“More like, you’re a horrible student.”
“So, she told you that she trained me, did she? Did she tell you what a wreck she was when I left her?”
Hollyn remained calm and in control, but she could tell Grigori was getting riled up at just the mention of Yumia.
“No, but she told me your weaknesses.”
“Then, she told you nothing because I have none.”
Chin raised, Hollyn said, “You have no control over me at all. I am the one in control.”
In that moment, he reached for Layla, but Hollyn knocked him back with a blast of magic, surprising them both.
He recovered quickly, though, scrambling to his feet and shouting for the guards to subdue her once more.
En masse, they attacked, and Hollyn stood next to her mother, sending blast after blast until not one guard remained standing.
Hollyn was winded, but she spun to look for Grigori, who was nowhere to be seen.
She pulled her mother to a standing position and wrapped her arms tightly around the woman who squeezed her back like her life depended on it.
They pulled back and stared at each other for a length of time before Layla said, “You’re absolutely beautiful and so powerful. How did I produce such an amazing daughter?”
Hollyn inhaled the familiar, floral scent of her mother and never wanted this moment to end, but she wouldn’t get another chance like this if she gave Grigori time to regroup.
“I can’t wait to catch up with you, Mom, but the other half of my genetic makeup really needs a reckoning.”
“Of course! How can I help?”
Hollyn nodded and explained everything she could about Kai and Willow in thirty seconds. She directed Layla to go outside find them and get to safety.
Layla never hesitated for a moment except to give Hollyn one last hug as she said, “Now, go kick his ass!”
The two women gave one last look over their shoulders as Layla disappeared outside and Hollyn went deeper into the heat of the volcano.
She followed a darkened tunnel that made her wish she had Kai’s ability to see in the dark until she turned a corner slowly and emerged into another cavernous space.
As if he’d been waiting for her, her father stood sweating next to a lava pit. He gestured upward.
The sight of Jesse, her aunt, swinging over the pit, her eyes wide and her mouth covered, made Hollyn’s heart drop to her stomach.
Aunt Jesse shook her head and shouted muffled words, but Hollyn’s gut reaction was to let her emotions take over. She wanted to rail and cry and beg Grigori to set Jesse free, but Yumia’s voice seemed to fill her thoughts. His biggest weakness is that he really has no control over you.
Hollyn was in control.