Page 27 of Monsters' Manor

He chuckles, and the sound of it makes my magick flare even brighter. “I bet it does. Just a little wildfire, aren’t you, Rosie?”

A small laugh slips out of me, and Renwick’s hold tightens for a moment before he loosens his grasp and speaks again.

“Step one in separating your magick from your emotions is accessing all of that power when you’re calm. You need to get to know it as a friend, not an enemy.”

A friend? I’ve only ever known my magick as something to fear, but in the spirit of surrendering, I nod again.

“Good.” Renwick’s graveled praise sends another shot of heat through me. “Focus on that power. Draw it up here—” His hand presses gently into my chest. “—and here.” His other hand drops to squeeze mine.

I obey and concentrate on the stirrings of magick beneath my skin. Like it always does, the feeling of my power rising makes my whole body want to rebel. I want to stop, to shove it down somewhere far, far beneath the surface, somewhere it can’t hurt me or anyone else. It goes against every natural impulse to bring it to the forefront now, and I lean into Renwick’s embrace to keep me steady as I work to call it forth.

“Just like that, Rosie,” he murmurs. “You feel it?”

“Yes,” I say, breath catching in my throat.

“Give it a shape. It bends to you, not the other way around.”

My magick responds to his command, to his approval, to the heat and the presence of him.

It builds from the center of my chest outwards. A warmth, a wave, cresting higher and higher until I’m nearly choking with it.

Renwick steps back, taking a few strides away from me. “Turn around.”

I do, still focusing on that building power. For the first time since… well,ever, maybe, it feels like something I can control, something that responds to my will.

Renwick’s eyes are lit with satisfaction at whatever he sees. “Hands up, Rosie. Look down.”

Facing my palms toward the ceiling and bringing my hands to my sides, a wave of shock ricochets through me at what I see.

Flames, cupped in both my palms. Controlled and burning brightly. Completely at my disposal. I allow another experimental pulse of my power and they grow even brighter, two pillars of pure, brilliant fire. My fire.

“Breathe,” Renwick says. “Focus on staying centered and calm.”

I try to obey, but it’s impossible to keep the tide of emotion from rising in my chest.

It’s not anger this time, or fear. It’s a burning, sparkling joy. Blazing and incandescent. Welling up from the center of me, it feels infinite, this joy. Like coming back to myself. Like letting out the breath I’ve been holding for fifteen years.

As if they’re responding to all of that emotion, the flames blaze higher, hotter, and my joy is threaded through with a whisper of panic.

“Rose,” Renwick says, a warning this time.

I want to listen to him. Itryto listen to him.

Breathe, I need to breathe. Get this under control. Bring the flames down, come back to center, breathe, just—

All my panicked thoughts burn to ash as a wall of flames breaks from me and engulfs Renwick completely.

9

I drop to my knees on the stone floor, bones clattering painfully as I pull my arms into my chest and lock them there. A cage for the magick I shove as far back down inside as I can, staring in horror at the firestorm I’ve unleashed.

Oh goddess. Oh no. I didn’t mean to… didn’t think… couldn’t stop it…

“Renwick,” I rasp, getting enough of a grip on myself to look up at him with tears in my eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

A deep, rumbling cough interrupts my panicked babbling as my flames clear and Renwick steps forward, thumping his fist on his chest.

“No worse for wear, Rosie. I’m durable, remember?”

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