Page 107 of Savage Crown

I move second.

But not fast enough.

A sharp crack against the back of my head sends me reeling. My knees slam into the cold wooden floor.

Hands grab me.

A cloth presses over my mouth, acrid-sweet and suffocating.

Poison.

Not to kill.

To subdue.

I thrash. I fight like hell.

But my limbs go weak.

The world tilts, blurs, distorts.

The last thing I see?—

Rylan.

His dagger plunging into Vael’s gut, his mouth open in a furious, broken roar.

The last thing I hear?—

Lartina’s laughter.

Then—

Nothing.

I wake up in chains.The room is dim, lit only by a single candelabra against the far wall.

The stench of rot and perfume clings to the air, sickly sweet.

Pain lances through my wrists.

Iron cuffs. Tight. Unforgiving.

A chair beneath me. Cold. Unyielding.

“Well,” Lartina purrs. “That was far too easy.”

I force myself to focus.

She smiles down at me, red lips curving like a blade.

I don’t respond. Not yet.

I won’t give her the satisfaction.

She tilts her head, eyes flicking over me like she’s appraising a piece of rare jewelry.

Or a weapon she intends to use.

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