"Mother?"
Aliena could barely recognize her own voice.
The woman standing before the throne looked exactly like her, from the crimson eyes to the delicate curve of her lips. Yet there was something different about her. Something ancient and terrifying.
She looked at Aliena with an expression that was almost tender.
"My little girl."
Aliena's heart twisted.
"You're alive?"
The woman's smile faltered.
"Not exactly."
Before Aliena could ask what that meant, Azariel stepped between them.
"You're supposed to be dead."
The woman turned toward him.
"And you're supposed to be chained beneath the earth. It seems we've both disappointed one another."
Aliena almost laughed.
Almost.
Because the hatred between them was so intense that even the air seemed to tremble.
Azariel's wings spread behind him.
"I watched your kingdom burn."
"And I watched you lose everything you ever loved." Her eyes narrowed. "Shall we discuss which of us suffered more?"
"Enough!"
