Page 116 of Savage Crown

But I know Rylan.

I know that when he breaks, he doesn’t shatter.

He burns.

And when he finally speaks, his voice is like ice cracking beneath the weight of an impending avalanche.

"This changes nothing."

Nhilian’s smirk falters.

Just slightly.

Rylan lifts his head, and I see it.

Not one ounce of grief or desperation.

Resolve.

Deadly. Unforgiving. Absolute.

"You took something from me,"he murmurs, stepping forward.

The guards in the room tense.

Nhilian watches him carefully.

Rylan tilts his head.

"You think this will stop me?"

He smiles.

It’s not a pleasant smile.

It’s a promise of violence.

Nhilian doesn’t realize it yet.

But he’s already lost.

41

RYLAN

The room is too quiet.

A silence that clings to the skin, thick as poison.

Nhilian sits at the head of the table, fingers lazily tapping against the stem of his goblet. The faintest hint of a smirk lingers on his lips, watching me like he’s already won.

And beside him sits Seraphina. My little thief.

Bruised. Bloodied. Chained.

She’s too pale, too still, but her eyes lock onto mine with a defiance that hasn’t dimmed.

That shouldn’t make my breath come sharper, my chest tighten.

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