Page 66 of Savage Crown

Her fingers brush the side of his throat, her lips hovering over his jaw.

My nails dig into my palms.

She’s going to kiss him.

He’s letting her.

Then—sudden movement.

Rylan pulls away.

His face is unreadable, but his body is stiff, rejecting.

Lartina pauses.

Her mask doesn’t slip, but I see the subtle shift in her posture—the quick flicker of surprise before she schools her features into something softer, something calculating.

She reaches for him again.

He catches her wrist mid-air.

And even though I can’t hear his voice, I can see the finality in the way his mouth moves.

This is over.

Lartina doesn’t leave immediately.

She stands there, still, her expression unreadable.

But something in her eyes darkens.

A silent warning.

She says something else—short, sharp.

Then she turns.

Her movements are slower, measured. Too controlled.

She walks toward the door, but just before she reaches it?—

She stops.

Her lips curve into something cold.

And this time, she speaks loud enough for me to hear.

"I hope she’s worth it, Rylan."

The words curl through the chamber, sharp as a blade.

Rylan doesn’t reply.

Lartina slips out of the room.

I don’t move.

My body is still buzzing with something I can’t identify.

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