Page 130 of Savage Crown

And I can’t keep it from him any longer.

"You shouldn’t be doing this," I whisper.

His brow furrows. "Doing what?"

I shift slightly, ignoring the fresh spike of pain.

"Saving me."

His eyes flicker, darkening.

"You're delirious."

"I'm not," I murmur.

I turn my gaze to the ceiling, where cracks stretch across the stone like veins beneath the surface of skin.

I take a slow breath.

"I was meant to die anyway."

Silence.

Heavy. Unyielding.

Then—a whisper of movement.

Rylan’s fingers slide beneath my chin, tilting my face toward his.

His grip is gentle, but unrelenting.

"Say that again," he murmurs.

There’s no anger in his voice.

No rage.

Just something far more dangerous.

Desperation.

I swallow past the tightness in my throat.

I have to tell him.

He deserves to know.

"I was always meant to die for the treasure."

The words leave my lips like a final breath, like something I was never supposed to say aloud.

His fingers drop from my chin, his hands clenching into fists.

"No," he says.

Just one word.

Low. Lethal.

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