The golden throne exploded.
Light swallowed everything.
Aliena couldn't hear Sebastian.
Couldn't hear Asher.
Couldn't hear the child.
She couldn't even hear her own scream.
There was only one thing left.
Memory.
Thousands of memories.
Centuries of them.
Lives that weren't supposed to exist.
Deaths that had been forgotten.
Promises that had been broken.
And in the center of every memory…
Sebastian.
Aliena fell to her knees.
Her hands pressed against her temples as memories tore through her mind.
She saw herself standing beneath a red moon.
She saw herself wearing a black crown.
She saw herself walking through the ancient kingdom while thousands of people bowed.
She saw Sebastian beside her.
Not as a prince.
Not as a vampire.
Not as a demon.
As king.
Her king.
Then the memory changed.
The kingdom was burning.
People were screaming.
Darkness covered the sky.
Sebastian stood before the throne.
His body was covered in blood.
His eyes were completely black.
