"You mean the same daughter you left powerless in the human realm?" Asher said, his unflinching gaze locked on hers.
The queen's composure faltered. The polite warmth in her eyes vanished, replaced by a chill that made the entire hall feel smaller.
Violet did not know it, but her aura shifted too as her dark magic stirred, ready to defend Asher if the need arose. Seraphira might be her mother, but she was still a queen, and Asher was overstepping. This was supposed to be her conversation.
Just as expected, there was darkness in the Queen's gaze. Like Violet, her aura pulsed, a dangerous glint flashing in her amethyst eyes.
Seraphira's voice trembled with leashed anger. "You think I was happy to leave my daughter in the human realm?" There was no softness in her voice now, only fury and pain tightly coiled together.
But Asher wasn't intimidated, even as the air they breathed thickened with power, sharp as pins and needles.
