Page 90 of The Moon's Daughter

The Daughter remained motionless, her silence a heavy shroud in the charged air.

Content with her submission, smug satisfaction curled the edges of Azhar’s mouth. “We can rule together as king and queen,” he assured, words coated in practiced seduction, poison disguised as promise.

He watched as her body went slack, tension slowly easing out of her. “First, we’ll return to Zephyria. Together, we’ll learn to master your powers. Then, we’ll take kingdom by kingdom and unite the entire continent under our reign.”

The Daughter remained kneeling, her body relaxed and pliant, her breathing slow and deep. Pleased with her obedience, Azhar eased some of the oppressive force from the orb. The light binding her flickered in response.

Her rage simmered beneath an illusion of obedience. The Daughter listened to Azhar’s grand delusions, each word stoking the fire of defiance within her.

Azhar eased more of the orb’s force. With a sudden surge of energy, she bolted upright with a loud cry. She stood proud and defiant.

Undefeated and untamed.

Azhar recoiled, his expression twisting into fury.

“I would have been gentle with you, but it seems you need a firm hand!” he shouted angrily. The orb pulsed ominously in his hand, mirroring his wrath. “If it is force you desire, then so be it! One way or another, you will bend to my will!”

The Daughter’s gaze was a silent scream of revulsion. Her white, crackling eyes narrowed into thin slits, and her lip curled in disgust as a shiver of abhorrence rippled through her.

With a piercing cry, she unleashed a force so strong that the very air around her trembled. The ethereal shackles binding her erupted into fragments of light, scattering into oblivion.

Panicking, Azhar raised the orb once more. A vibrant beam burst forth, attempting to bind her again.

But this time, the Daughter was ready.

She lifted her hand, and a powerful ray of light shot out from her palm to meet the orb’s assault.

Azhar grimaced, the veins on his forehead pulsing as he unleashed more power from the orb. Its light flared into a blinding brilliance.

The Daughter stumbled back, overwhelmed by the sheer force of the beam. She tried to summon more of her own light, but the orb’s power outmatched hers.

Azhar pushed forward, and the light from the earthly moon blazed brighter still.

The Daughter staggered back, her light wavering against the earthly moon’s assault. Her legs buckled and she collapsed, her trembling hand barely managing to intercept the orb’s searing beam. Light engulfed her, pinning her in place, sapping her strength.

It grew hotter and brighter, brighter and hotter, until it blazed so fiercely, it blinded her.

As she shielded her eyes, her gaze landed on Zarian’s lifeless, bloodied body.

A spark of recognition flickered deep within her.

She knew him.

Fragments of time crashed through her mind—memories that weren’t hers, but felt devastatingly familiar.

He offered her a pastry from his plate, his lips curving into a soft smile.

He held her, his hands steady as she sobbed into his chest, her burdens too heavy to bear alone.

He kissed her as if he’d die without her, right here, on this very terrace.

She stared at his broken body, Azhar’s light bearing down, and something shattered inside her.

Sheknewhim. He had beenhers.

She rose quickly and regained her balance, the fury in her eyes burning brighter than the orb’s light. Her hands shot forward, palms open against the onslaught. The light pouring from her doubled, surging brighter than the orb’s brilliance.

Their energies collided, a swirling maelstrom of light where neither side yielded. The Daughter’s beam fought against the orb’s rays in a dance of power that lit up the terrace.

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