The room fell dead quiet.
Even the storm halted, like the world was holding its breath.
Liana stared at the woman standing across from her, heart slamming so hard it actually hurt.
I’m your mother.
No way.
That’s impossible.
Her mother was dead. She’d always believed that—hell, everybody had told her so her whole life.
Dead. Gone. Buried somewhere she could never reach.
Liana backed up, slow, uncertain.
“You’re lying.”
The woman didn’t get mad. She didn’t even look hurt, really—just for a second, a flash of pain flickered in her cold silver eyes.
Kael moved first. He shoved himself off the battered wall, anger rolling off him in sudden, wild waves.
“Don’t touch her again.”
His warning felt lethal.
The woman just glanced at him, calm as stone.
“You still guard her, like your
