Page 159 of Crowned In Venom

"Preferably human," the Ghost adds.

A sharp breath escapes me.

I stagger back.

My mind races, the meaning sinking in too fast, too deep.

Varkos is silent.

But I see it.

That flicker in his face.

That moment where his mind goes somewhere dark.

Where he considers it.

My blood turns to ice.

"Don’t." His voice is a command.

Varkos steps in front of me, blocking me from view, shielding me with his entire body.

"You will not touch her."

"It’s already done," the Ghost replies coolly.

I freeze.

"What do you mean?" I whisper.

The Ghost meets my gaze, impassive, unflinching.

"You have already consumed it."

The world stops.

Varkos stiffens. "What?"

"From the first day you arrived here," the Ghost says smoothly. "It was in your food. Your drink. Your body has carried the poison all along."

I stagger back, my head spinning.

No.

No, no, no.

My fingers press against my stomach, my chest.

As if I could feel it inside me.

As if I could tear it out.

"You—" Varkos’s voice is pure rage. "You fed it to her?"

The Ghost does not deny it.

"I did not expect it to matter," he admits. "At the time, she was nothing. An offering. A pawn."

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