Page 16 of Savage Crown

Lartina’s lips part, her breath brushing against his cheek. "I don’t."

A slow, taut silence.

Just as easily, she leans back, her gaze flicking toward me once more. "And this?" she asks, voice dripping with false curiosity. "A pet?"

Something inside me snaps.

I don’t move. Don’t flinch. But the air in my lungs burns.

Before I can speak, Rylan exhales, long and slow. "She’s under my protection."

The words slither over my skin, wrapping tight.

Not an answer. Not a denial. A claim.

Lartina tilts her head slightly, studying me the way one might study a strange, caged creature. Assessing. Calculating.

She smiles. Sharp. Knowing.

"Of course," she murmurs, before shifting her attention back to Rylan. "We’ll speak soon, won’t we?"

A game. Everything about her is a game. All of these dark elves think that toying with the lives of those beneath them is just one twisted fucking game.

Rylan merely smirks. "If you’re lucky."

Lartina chuckles, then turns, her gown brushing against the stone floor as she sweeps out of the room.

The door shuts.

Silence.

A silence that stretches too long.

Rylan lifts a brow. "Jealous, little thief?"

I scoff, folding my arms. "Just wondering how many knives you’ve had to pull out of your back."

His lips curl. "Only the ones I let them plant."

I shake my head, stepping away. "She’s still in your life."

It’s not a question. It’s a fact.

Rylan leans back in his chair, gaze heavy on mine. "Does that bother you?"

It shouldn’t.

But the truth slithers beneath inside me, cold and unwelcome.

I sensed danger the moment she entered the room.

Lartina isn’t done with him.

And if I’m not careful, she won’t be done with me either.

8

RYLAN

---