Page 53 of Savage Crown

Still whole.

The heat of his touch lingers on my skin, even as I try to ignore it.

Even as I tell myself that none of this should matter.

He exhales sharply, dragging a hand through his silver-streaked hair. “You expect me to believe that?”

I lift a brow. “You’re the one who let me live.”

His smirk falters. I notice the doubt.

The hesitation.

The part of him that wants to believe me—but doesn’t know how.

I step forward, closing the space he created.

His breath catches.

I see the shift in him, the way his hands flex at his sides, the way his body tenses like he doesn’t know if he should push me away or pull me closer.

And gods help me, I press the blade deeper.

“Did she tell you to kill me?” I murmur.

His expression is blank, but I see the flicker in his eyes.

I see the war raging behind them.

“If I wanted to kill you,” he murmurs, voice dark and silken, “you wouldn’t have seen it coming.”

I tilt my head. “Then why haven’t you?”

A muscle in his jaw ticks.

He doesn’t answer.

That tells me everything.

He doesn’t trust me.

But he doesn’t want me dead either.

Not yet.

Not when something else is growing between us.

Something neither of us will name.

I exhale, stepping back. “You should be careful, Rylan.”

His lips twitch. “Are you threatening me, little thief?”

I meet his gaze. Unflinching.

“No,” I whisper.

“I’m warning you.”

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