Page 21 of Crowned In Venom

For the unseen master of this palace to reveal themselves.

For the web to catch something worth killing.

8

VARKOS

Ishouldn’t want her.

Yet here I am, watching her through the flickering candlelight, studying every breath, every slight shift of her body as if she is a cipher I am desperate to crack.

She is a prisoner, a pawn, a means to an end.

And yet, the moment she entered my world, something shifted.

Something I do not trust.

Something I need to control.

She sits across from me, her posture relaxed but not careless. She has mastered the art of appearing unguarded while giving nothing away.

I pour myself a drink, watching her over the rim of my goblet. The wine is dark, thick, the taste sharp on my tongue. She watches me back, unblinking, unafraid.

She should fear me.

She does not.

"Tell me, Anya," I murmur, swirling the wine lazily. "Are you always this composed, or have you simply learned to pretend?"

Her lips curve into something not quite a smile, not quite a smirk.

"My lord," she says softly, "if I were pretending, wouldn’t I at least try to tremble?"

I chuckle, a low sound. "That depends. Some find fear enticing. A woman who shakes and whimpers makes for easy sport."

"And yet you do not like easy sport," she counters, tilting her head. "You enjoy the challenge."

My amusement does not fade. If anything, it deepens.

She is perceptive. Too perceptive.

I set my goblet down with a soft clink and lean forward. The firelight catches in my silver rings, glinting against the sharp edges of my knuckles.

"You play a dangerous game, little fox."

Her emerald eyes flicker, a quick assessment, not hesitation.

"Am I playing?" she asks, voice smooth as silk.

I exhale, dragging my fingers along the rim of my goblet. "Every word from your mouth is measured. Every move is a step in some invisible dance. But I am not blind to it."

"And yet, you enjoy watching," she says.

I still.

Not a flinch. Not a sharp inhale. But something in me tightens, sharpens.

She sees too much.

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