[POV: Sofia Lanka]

"You’re lying. Emerald didn't steal me to save your empire, she stole me because you’re a monster who drains children to keep a rotting heart beating. You want me to believe there’s some grand celestial design to my kidnapping? I was a pawn then, and I’m a mother now. Give me Beatrice, or I will turn this solarium into a graveyard."

Sofia’s voice didn't shake. It was the voice that had liquidated rival firms and stared down international regulators, cold and devoid of the terror currently hammering against her ribs. She stood before the golden-tubed monstrosity that was her father, her feet planted firmly on the silver-veined...