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This time, she attacked. She didn’t want to kill him, just subdue him till Kieran could get back with Uncle Frederick. Her papa blocked her attack and sent a spear of magic at Synora. Holly blocked it, her anger rising.
“Leave. My. Mates. Alone!” she demanded, attacking with each word and knocking him off balance.
He came back at her stronger, and Holly faltered. She needed more magic. Her Empath magic lashed at the walls around it. Instead of solid brick, the walls felt like wood now. They were getting weaker, but did Holly dare let them all the way down?
While she thought, her papa attacked again, and Kallan helped her block it, hissing when a red mark appeared on his arm from some of her papa’s magic sneaking through. Decision made. She couldn’t let them get hurt.
With a grunt, she tore her walls down violently. The pain of her magic fusing back with the rest of her center had Holly doubling over. Synora grunted as she sent a spear of air at the bookshelf behind her papa, causing them to fall and giving Holly a few moments to recover.
She straightened slowly. Her body felt like a live wire pulsing with magic. She understood now why her papa had wanted her weak. Why he had abused her Empath magic. She was powerful. And judging by the widening of his eyes, he knew it.
She didn’t even have to flick her fingers, as vines broke through the floorboards at her command. Her papa tried to fight them off with his own earth magic, but Holly sucked the motivation out of him with her Empath magic. Instead of keeping it in her body, she fed it back to her earth magic and it grew stronger. The vines wrapped around his legs and forced him to his knees. Another vine captured his hands just as Frederick, Ilena, and her mama burst through the door with Kieran on their heels.
“Holly! What have you done?” Her mama tried to go to her papa’s side, but Holly threw a vine between the two of them.
“No, Mama. Papa’s a traitor to the Realm. He’s dangerous.”
Her mama’s eyes widened in shock. “Benedict, is this true?”
Her papa didn’t answer her mama, looking stonily down at the floor. Her mama burst into tears, sobbing loudly. Likely thinking about what this would do to their reputation, but still. Holly managed not to roll her eyes as Ilena guided her mama away.
“Brother.” Frederick’s voice was icy. “Is this true?”
Her papa raised his head and stared defiantly at his brother. “Of course not! They’ve got some harebrained idea in their heads and came and attacked me in my own home.”
“Shut up!” Holly yelled, surprising her uncle and her papa into silence. She pulled the recording orb off from around her neck and rewound it a bit. She tapped it once to play it, and her papa’s confessions echoed off the destroyed walls of the study.
When it was done, she dropped the orb into her uncle’s hand. “Proof”—she nodded at the orb—“as well as documents and the missing ingredients I found in the secret compartment in the wall.”
“Holly…” Her uncle’s voice was soft as he realized what was going on.
“We have no time,” Holly said urgently. She could have feelings about it all later. “He sent the escaped prisoners and others after Claire.”
Frederick’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, and he intends to take her out, so it’ll be a sizable force.”
Kallan cursed behind her, and Frederick’s eyes hardened. “Let’s go, then.”
CHAPTER26
Frederick showed why he was coven leader when he opened a portal to the Fae lands large enough to fit Luca through in dragon form as well. Holly didn’t want to leave her papa at Brandlevine, so Kieran manhandled him through the portal. They landed in a battle zone, their appearance causing the Fae to let out some cheers. Holly recognized several escaped prisoners. “Focus,” Kallan said as he blocked one of their attacks. “Secure him and we’ll protect him here. Go find Claire.”
Holly buried her silent papa’s lower half in the ground and called up more vines to secure him. Kieran gave her a nod. “Go.”
Synora and Holly turned and ran for the cave system where Prince Erick, Roland, and Vanya were held. Luca flew low overhead. The thickest of the fighting was concentrated there. Her papa had directed his sympathizers well.
A large red dragon roared a challenge at Luca, and Holly shouted at them. “Malcolm! Stop! He’s my mate!”
Malcolm let out a huff but shot up into the sky. Luca was fast on his heels and hung at Malcolm’s rear as they let out a stream of fire at the flank of the enemy.
“Holly!” Desmond shouted, waving a hand to get her attention.
Synora stepped in front of Holly and sliced down an enemy shifter before extending a hand to help Holly over the body. It was possibly the most romantic and morbid thing she had ever experienced.
Holly cracked the ground open in front of Desmond as three enemy soldiers rushed him. They fell into the hole, and Holly sealed it quickly.
“Thanks,” Desmond huffed, looking back to the cave entrance. Toan stood guard, and Holly’s muscles relaxed slightly. Toan had been able to make it. “There’s no way I can convince you to go stay in there with Claire, where it’s safe?” Desmond asked, firing a stream of magic past Holly as she settled into position next to his side.
