Page 85 of Crowned In Venom

And I let him.

Worse—I kissed him back.

I should have pulled away.

I should have laughed in his face, reminded him what I am—a weapon in waiting, a lie wrapped in soft skin.

Instead, I melted into him, gasped against his mouth, clung to him like I needed more.

Like I wanted it.

No.

Like I wanted him.

I am so caught in the war inside me that I almost do not see it.

The smear of crimson staining the floor ahead.

A sharp metallic scent lingers in the air—iron and death.

A warning.

My steps slow, my breath hitching as I turn the corner.

And then?—

I see her.

Mira.

Her body collapsed in a heap against the cold stone, her dress torn, her lifeless eyes staring at nothing.

A gasp lodges in my throat, sharp as broken glass.

No.

Not her.

Not again.

My feet move before my mind catches up.

I drop to my knees beside her, my hands hovering over the wound in her throat—deep, clean, deliberate.

It was not messy.

Not a crime of passion.

This was a message.

A reminder.

The palace walls close in around me.

I press a hand over my mouth, swallowing the scream clawing its way up my throat.

Mira is dead.

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