Page 160 of Savage Crown

"I’m still me," she says softly.

I swallow hard.

Are you?

I don’t ask it out loud.

I don’t think I can bear the answer.

The cave rumbles.

A warning.

It’s collapsing.

The magic is unstable, breaking apart, unraveling.

We can’t stay.

I push the thoughts away—force myself to focus.

"The treasure," I mutter, shifting off the stone floor.

Seraphina sits up slowly, the sheets sliding from her bare skin, her hair tumbling over her shoulder in wild waves.

She glances at the mountain of wealth glimmering beyond the altar.

Then back at me.

"We don’t need all of it," she murmurs.

A ghost of a smile flickers at the edge of my lips.

"No. But I want what’s mine. My… adoptive father always told me stories about this treasure. I never knew it holds so much secret.”

"Then let’s take it and leave before we die for real this time.

I gather what I can—the heirlooms, the things that mattered to my father, the wealth that will rebuild my house.

Seraphina moves beside me, her movements fluid, too smooth, too quiet.

I pretend not to notice.

But the unease settles deeper in my bones.

The cave shudders.

The ceiling begins to crack.

We don’t have much time.

I grab her wrist, pulling her toward the exit.

She doesn’t resist.

We run, the firelight behind us flickering, the shadows swallowing the remains of the magic, the treasure, the past. I don’t dare look back.

55

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