Page 74 of Savage Crown

She’s hiding something, twisting the truth in a way that makes it impossible to tell where the lie begins and the truth ends.

That infuriates me.

I exhale slowly, feeling the moment pressing into my skull.

“You expect me to believe that?” My voice is deceptively calm, but my fingers curl into fists at my sides. “That all this time, this was your grand secret?”

Seraphina doesn’t flinch.

She holds her ground, arms folded, shoulders stiff.

“I don’t care what you believe,” she says.

That does irritate me.

I step closer. She doesn’t move.

“Don’t you?” I murmur, lowering my voice to something silken, sharp. “You came to me for a reason, little thief. You knew I’d be the only one who could help you. The only one who couldprotectyou.”

She tilts her chin, but I see the flicker of something in her eyes.

Not fear.

Something worse.

Regret.

That alone makes my blood burn hotter.

What are you keeping from me, Seraphina?

I reach for her, fingers catching her wrist before she can step away. I feel her pulse, fast and wild beneath my grip, a stark contrast to the way she’s trying to appear calm.

She lets me hold her, but her eyes spark with warning.

“I told you the truth,” she says quietly.

“I’m no fool,” I murmur. “You told me a truth. Not the whole of it.”

She exhales sharply, shaking her head. “Does it matter? You know now. The treasure is real. And if you want it, you’ll have to pay the price.”

I pull her closer, just enough that the heat of her body sears into mine.

“And who, exactly, is supposed to pay it?”

Her entire body stills.

I narrow my eyes, watching the way her throat works through a swallow, the way her body tightens like a coil ready to snap.

“I see,” I say, voice quieter now.

Her lips press together. I can feel her heartbeat racing against my fingers. She twists her wrist free and takes a single step back, putting a fraction of space between us.

That should be the end of it.

I should let her go.

But I don’t.

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