Page 132 of Crowned In Venom

Then, it trembles, like something excited.

"He is alive?"

The words twist my gut.

I don’t want to answer.

But I do.

"He saved me," I whisper, my throat tightening.

"And the Matriarch hurt him for it."

The silence that follows is thick, unnatural.

Then—

A roar shatters the air.

The dungeon trembles.

Stone cracks, dust and debris raining from the ceiling.

The monster thrashes, slamming against the walls, howling.

The force of it makes my bones rattle.

"She LIED!" it bellows, voice shaking with pure, unfiltered rage.

It swings at the stone walls, enchantment flaring up, barely holding the structure together.

I stagger back, my heart slamming against my ribs.

"What—" I gasp, stumbling.

The creature throws itself against the magic-barriered walls again.

CRACK.

"What is WRONG with you?" I scream.

It whirls on me.

The madness in its eyes is unbearable.

Something feral. Something broken.

And then?—

It lunges.

A massive, decayed arm swings toward me, faster than I can react.

I barely have time to raise my arms, to brace myself, to?—

Darkness.

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