Page 26 of Crowned In Venom

I step closer, my heart pounding. The shadows move.

And then I see it.

A figure, hunched and wrong, half-hidden in the darkness.

It is not human.

Not dark elf.

Something in between.

Skin stretched too tight.

Eyes that do not blink.

Mouths—more than one.

My breath catches.

The smell of rot and old blood clings to the air, seeping into my throat.

This is not a prison.

This is an experiment.

The creature twitches. Moves.

And then—it speaks.

Not with words.

With sounds.

Voices, layered over each other, twisted into something unholy.

A sob catches in my throat.

I stumble back.

And collide with something solid.

Something warm.

Something furious.

A hand clamps around my wrist.

Before I can react, I am spun and shoved against the nearest wall—hard enough to steal my breath.

Varkos.

His body cages mine in, his breath hot against my cheek.

His grip is iron.

I should struggle. Should fight.

But I am too shaken.

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