Two women were in love with the same man, but in very different ways. In this situation, one was his mother and the other was his future wife. Neither of them seemed ready to back down.
Oriana's fingers curled into tight fists, her nails digging hard into her palms as the two women stared each other down.
Neither of them looked away for several long, charged seconds. Seraphine studied her carefully, easily picking up on the features Voren had inherited from his mother, the shape of his eyes, certain expressions that mirrored hers, while the rest clearly came from his father.
In a way, he'd gotten the best of both, but right now, all that beauty did nothing to hide the bitter poison in Oriana's words.
"Don't try to be clever with me," Oriana snapped, lifting her chin with proud defiance. "Unless you're willing to step back and become Voren's second wife, you should leave him alone."
