Page 149 of Crowned In Venom

The wounds on my body scream with every movement, the ache running deep, but I push forward.

But it doesn’t compare to the pain my heart.

I have to continue moving.

Anya is the only thing keeping me upright, her arm steadying me, her warmth anchoring me to the present.

If not for her, I would have collapsed long ago.

But I can’t fall now.

I can’t stop.

She needs to get out of here.

Even if it kills me, I will get her out.

"Varkos—" Her voice is soft but urgent. "You need to stop. You're bleeding too much."

"I'm fine."

It’s a lie.

She knows it.

I can feel the way she tightens her grip on me, her fingers pressing into my ribs as if she can hold me together by sheer will alone.

I stumble.

The world tilts.

And then—I collapse.

Anya catches me before I hit the ground, pulling me against her.

She cradles my body, lowering us onto the cold stone floor of the passage.

"No, no, no—" she whispers, her hands frantic, pressing against my wounds, trying to stop the bleeding.

I chuckle, though it’s weak.

"You're too stubborn for your own good."

"And you're too reckless for yours," she snaps back. "You’re not dying on me, Varkos."

I smile.

I don’t tell her the truth.

That I don’t intend to live through this.

That I will get her out, make sure she’s safe?—

Then I will turn back.

And I will end the Matriarch.

Or die trying.

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